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Guo L, Wang Z, Du Y, Mao J, Zhang J, Yu Z, Guo J, Zhao J, Zhou H, Wang H, Gu Y, Li Y. Random-forest algorithm based biomarkers in predicting prognosis in the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Cell Int 2020; 20:251. [PMID: 32565735 PMCID: PMC7302385 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-020-01274-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) one of the most common digestive system tumors, threatens the tens of thousands of people with high morbidity and mortality world widely. The purpose of our study was to investigate the related genes of HCC and discover their potential abilities to predict the prognosis of the patients. Methods We obtained RNA sequencing data of HCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and performed analysis on protein coding genes. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were selected. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment were conducted to discover biological functions of DEGs. Protein and protein interaction (PPI) was performed to investigate hub genes. In addition, a method of supervised machine learning, recursive feature elimination (RFE) based on random forest (RF) classifier, was used to screen for significant biomarkers. And the basic experiment was conducted by lab, we constructe a clinical patients’ database, and obtained the data and results of immunohistochemistry. Results We identified five biomarkers with significantly high expression to predict survival risk of the HCC patients. These prognostic biomarkers included SPC25, NUF2, MCM2, BLM and AURKA. We also defined a risk score model with these biomarkers to identify the patients who is in high risk. In our single-center experiment, 95 pairs of clinical samples were used to explore the expression levels of NUF2 and BLM in HCC. Immunohistochemical staining results showed that NUF2 and BLM were significantly up-regulated in immunohistochemical staining. High expression levels of NUF2 and BLM indicated poor prognosis. Conclusion Our investigation provided novel prognostic biomarkers and model in HCC and aimed to improve the understanding of HCC. In the results obtained, we also conducted a part of experiments to verify the theory described earlier, The experimental results did verify our theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingyun Guo
- Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030 Gansu China.,Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumors of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, 730030 Gansu China
| | - Zhenjiang Wang
- Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030 Gansu China
| | - Yuanyuan Du
- Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030 Gansu China
| | - Jie Mao
- Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030 Gansu China
| | - Junqiang Zhang
- Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030 Gansu China
| | - Zeyuan Yu
- Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030 Gansu China
| | - Jiwu Guo
- Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030 Gansu China
| | - Jun Zhao
- Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030 Gansu China
| | - Huinian Zhou
- Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030 Gansu China
| | - Haitao Wang
- The Second Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730030 Gansu China
| | - Yanmei Gu
- The Second Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730030 Gansu China
| | - Yumin Li
- Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030 Gansu China.,Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumors of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, 730030 Gansu China.,The Second Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730030 Gansu China
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2
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Identifying Methylation Pattern and Genes Associated with Breast Cancer Subtypes. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20174269. [PMID: 31480430 PMCID: PMC6747348 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20174269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is regarded worldwide as a severe human disease. Various genetic variations, including hereditary and somatic mutations, contribute to the initiation and progression of this disease. The diagnostic parameters of breast cancer are not limited to the conventional protein content and can include newly discovered genetic variants and even genetic modification patterns such as methylation and microRNA. In addition, breast cancer detection extends to detailed breast cancer stratifications to provide subtype-specific indications for further personalized treatment. One genome-wide expression–methylation quantitative trait loci analysis confirmed that different breast cancer subtypes have various methylation patterns. However, recognizing clinically applied (methylation) biomarkers is difficult due to the large number of differentially methylated genes. In this study, we attempted to re-screen a small group of functional biomarkers for the identification and distinction of different breast cancer subtypes with advanced machine learning methods. The findings may contribute to biomarker identification for different breast cancer subtypes and provide a new perspective for differential pathogenesis in breast cancer subtypes.
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3
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Conti L, Lanzardo S, Ruiu R, Cadenazzi M, Cavallo F, Aime S, Geninatti Crich S. L-Ferritin targets breast cancer stem cells and delivers therapeutic and imaging agents. Oncotarget 2018; 7:66713-66727. [PMID: 27579532 PMCID: PMC5341832 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.10920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggests that cancer stem cells (CSC) have the unique biological properties necessary for tumor maintenance and spreading, and function as a reservoir for the relapse and metastatic evolution of the disease by virtue of their resistance to radio- and chemo-therapies. Thus, the efficacy of a therapeutic approach relies on its ability to effectively target and deplete CSC. In this study, we show that CSC-enriched tumorspheres from breast cancer cell lines display an increased L-Ferritin uptake capability compared to their monolayer counterparts as a consequence of the upregulation of the L-Ferritin receptor SCARA5. L-Ferritin internalization was exploited for the simultaneous delivery of Curcumin, a natural therapeutic molecule endowed with antineoplastic action, and the MRI contrast agent Gd-HPDO3A, both entrapped in the L-Ferritin cavity. This theranostic system was able to impair viability and self-renewal of tumorspheres in vitro and to induce the regression of established tumors in mice. In conclusion, here we show that Curcumin-loaded L-Ferritin has a strong therapeutic potential due to the specific targeting of CSC and the improved Curcumin bioavailability, opening up the possibility of its use in a clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Conti
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Stefania Lanzardo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Roberto Ruiu
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Marta Cadenazzi
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Federica Cavallo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Silvio Aime
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Simonetta Geninatti Crich
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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4
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Riccardo F, Réal A, Voena C, Chiarle R, Cavallo F, Barutello G. Maternal Immunization: New Perspectives on Its Application Against Non-Infectious Related Diseases in Newborns. Vaccines (Basel) 2017; 5:E20. [PMID: 28763018 PMCID: PMC5620551 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines5030020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The continuous evolution in preventive medicine has anointed vaccination a versatile, human-health improving tool, which has led to a steady decline in deaths in the developing world. Maternal immunization represents an incisive step forward for the field of vaccination as it provides protection against various life-threatening diseases in pregnant women and their children. A number of studies to improve prevention rates and expand protection against the largest possible number of infections are still in progress. The complex unicity of the mother-infant interaction, both during and after pregnancy and which involves immune system cells and molecules, is an able partner in the success of maternal immunization, as intended thus far. Interestingly, new studies have shed light on the versatility of maternal immunization in protecting infants from non-infectious related diseases, such as allergy, asthma and congenital metabolic disorders. However, barely any attempt at applying maternal immunization to the prevention of childhood cancer has been made. The most promising study reported in this new field is a recent proof of concept on the efficacy of maternal immunization in protecting cancer-prone offspring against mammary tumor progression. New investigations into the possibility of exploiting maternal immunization to prevent the onset and/or progression of neuroblastoma, one of the most common childhood malignancies, are therefore justified. Maternal immunization is presented in a new guise in this review. Attention will be focused on its versatility and potential applications in preventing tumor progression in neuroblastoma-prone offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Riccardo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino, Torino 10126, Italy.
| | - Aline Réal
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino, Torino 10126, Italy.
| | - Claudia Voena
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Center for Experimental Research and Medical Studies, University of Torino, Torino 10126, Italy.
| | - Roberto Chiarle
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Center for Experimental Research and Medical Studies, University of Torino, Torino 10126, Italy.
- Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Federica Cavallo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino, Torino 10126, Italy.
| | - Giuseppina Barutello
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino, Torino 10126, Italy.
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5
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Zhai X, Xue Q, Liu Q, Guo Y, Chen Z. Classifier of cross talk genes predicts the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Mol Med Rep 2017; 16:3253-3261. [PMID: 28713927 PMCID: PMC5547992 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2017.7003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to establish a prediction model for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on the cross talk genes from important biological pathways involved in HCC. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for HCC were identified from mRNA profiles of GSE36376, which were mapped to protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks from BioGrid and the human protein reference database. Then critical genes based on the deviation score and the degree of node were selected from the novel PPI network. Cross talk genes were screened from the network established based on the associations of gene-gene, gene-pathway and pathway-pathway. A classifier based on specific cross talk genes was constructed for prediction of HCC using the random forest algorithm. Finally, the diagnostic performance of this prediction model was verified by predicting survival time of patients with HCC from the genome cancer atlas (TCGA) and other independent gene expression omnibus (GEO) databases. From the novel PPI network, a total of 200 critical genes were screened out and they were significantly enriched in 23 pathways, which have been reported to be significantly associated with the development of HCC. Based on these identified pathways, cross talk genes were identified including AKT1, SOS1, EGF, MYC, IGF1, ERBB2, CDKN1B, SHC2, VEGFA and INS. The prediction model has a relative average classification accuracy of 0.94 for HCC, which has a stable predicting efficacy for survival time of HCC patients validated in the TCGA database and two other independent GEO datasets. In conclusion, a total of 39 cross talk genes in HCC were identified and a classifier based on the cross talk genes was constructed, which indicates a high prognosis prediction efficacy in several independent datasets. The results provide a novel perspective to develop a multiple gene diagnostic tool for HCC prognosis, which also provided potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofeng Zhai
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Changhai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
| | - Qingfeng Xue
- Department of Anesthesiology, Chinese People's Liberation Army 264 Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030001, P.R. China
| | - Qun Liu
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Changhai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
| | - Yuyu Guo
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Changhai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
| | - Zhe Chen
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Changhai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
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6
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Hosseini H, Obradović MMS, Hoffmann M, Harper KL, Sosa MS, Werner-Klein M, Nanduri LK, Werno C, Ehrl C, Maneck M, Patwary N, Haunschild G, Gužvić M, Reimelt C, Grauvogl M, Eichner N, Weber F, Hartkopf AD, Taran FA, Brucker SY, Fehm T, Rack B, Buchholz S, Spang R, Meister G, Aguirre-Ghiso JA, Klein CA. Early dissemination seeds metastasis in breast cancer. Nature 2016; 540:552-558. [PMID: 27974799 PMCID: PMC5390864 DOI: 10.1038/nature20785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 479] [Impact Index Per Article: 59.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating data suggest that metastatic dissemination often occurs early during tumour formation but the mechanisms of early metastatic spread have not yet been addressed. Here, we studied metastasis in a HER2-driven mouse breast cancer model and found that progesterone-induced signalling triggered migration of cancer cells from early lesions shortly after HER2 activation, but promoted proliferation in advanced primary tumour cells. The switch from migration to proliferation was regulated by elevated HER2 expression and increased tumour cell density involving miRNA-mediated progesterone receptor (PGR) down-regulation and was reversible. Cells from early, low-density lesions displayed more stemness features than cells from dense, advanced tumours, migrated more and founded more metastases. Strikingly, we found that at least 80% of metastases were derived from early disseminated cancer cells (DCC). Karyotypic and phenotypic analysis of human disseminated cancer cells and primary tumours corroborated the relevance of these findings for human metastatic dissemination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hedayatollah Hosseini
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Milan M S Obradović
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Martin Hoffmann
- Project group 'Personalized Tumour Therapy', Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology und Experimental Medicine, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Kathryn L Harper
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology, Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York 10029, USA
| | - Maria Soledad Sosa
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology, Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York 10029, USA
| | | | - Lahiri Kanth Nanduri
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christian Werno
- Project group 'Personalized Tumour Therapy', Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology und Experimental Medicine, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Carolin Ehrl
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Maneck
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Nina Patwary
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Gundula Haunschild
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Miodrag Gužvić
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christian Reimelt
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Michael Grauvogl
- Department of Statistical Bioinformatics, Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Norbert Eichner
- Biochemistry Center Regensburg (BZR), Laboratory for RNA Biology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Florian Weber
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Andreas D Hartkopf
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Florin-Andrei Taran
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sara Y Brucker
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tanja Fehm
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Brigitte Rack
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Munich, 80337 Munich, Germany
| | - Stefan Buchholz
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Medical Center Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Rainer Spang
- Department of Statistical Bioinformatics, Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Gunter Meister
- Biochemistry Center Regensburg (BZR), Laboratory for RNA Biology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Julio A Aguirre-Ghiso
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology, Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York 10029, USA
| | - Christoph A Klein
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.,Project group 'Personalized Tumour Therapy', Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology und Experimental Medicine, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
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7
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Bandini S, Macagno M, Hysi A, Lanzardo S, Conti L, Bello A, Riccardo F, Ruiu R, Merighi IF, Forni G, Iezzi M, Quaglino E, Cavallo F. The non-inflammatory role of C1q during Her2/neu-driven mammary carcinogenesis. Oncoimmunology 2016; 5:e1253653. [PMID: 28123895 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2016.1253653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2016] [Revised: 10/12/2016] [Accepted: 10/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is an ever increasing amount of evidence to support the hypothesis that complement C1q, the first component of the classical complement pathway, is involved in the regulation of cancer growth, in addition to its role in fighting infections. It has been demonstrated that C1q is expressed in the microenvironment of various types of human tumors, including breast adenocarcinomas. This study compares carcinogenesis progression in C1q deficient (neuT-C1KO) and C1q competent neuT mice in order to investigate the role of C1q in mammary carcinogenesis. Significantly accelerated autochthonous neu+ carcinoma progression was paralleled by accelerated spontaneous lung metastases occurrence in C1q deficient mice. Surprisingly, this effect was not caused by differences in the tumor-infiltrating cells or in the activation of the complement classical pathway, since neuT-C1KO mice did not display a reduction in C3 fragment deposition at the tumor site. By contrast, a significant higher number of intratumor blood vessels and a decrease in the activation of the tumor suppressor WW domain containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) were observed in tumors from neuT-C1KO as compare with neuT mice. In parallel, an increase in Her2/neu expression was observed on the membrane of tumor cells. Taken together, our findings suggest that C1q plays a direct role both on halting tumor angiogenesis and on inducing apoptosis in mammary cancer cells by coordinating the signal transduction pathways linked to WWOX and, furthermore, highlight the role of C1q in mammary tumor immune surveillance regardless of complement system activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvio Bandini
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino , Torino, Italy
| | - Marco Macagno
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino , Torino, Italy
| | - Albana Hysi
- Department of Medicine Science, Center of Excellence on Aging and Translational Medicine (CeSI-Met), G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti Pescara , Italy
| | - Stefania Lanzardo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino , Torino, Italy
| | - Laura Conti
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino , Torino, Italy
| | - Amanda Bello
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino , Torino, Italy
| | - Federica Riccardo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino , Torino, Italy
| | - Roberto Ruiu
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino , Torino, Italy
| | - Irene Fiore Merighi
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino , Torino, Italy
| | - Guido Forni
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino , Torino, Italy
| | - Manuela Iezzi
- Department of Medicine Science, Center of Excellence on Aging and Translational Medicine (CeSI-Met), G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti Pescara , Italy
| | - Elena Quaglino
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino , Torino, Italy
| | - Federica Cavallo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino , Torino, Italy
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8
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Croci S, Nanni P, Palladini A, Nicoletti G, Grosso V, Benegiamo G, Landuzzi L, Lamolinara A, Ianzano ML, Ranieri D, Dall'Ora M, Iezzi M, De Giovanni C, Lollini PL. Interleukin-15 is required for immunosurveillance and immunoprevention of HER2/neu-driven mammary carcinogenesis. Breast Cancer Res 2015; 17:70. [PMID: 25997501 PMCID: PMC4462012 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-015-0588-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2014] [Accepted: 05/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction We previously demonstrated that HER2/neu-driven mammary carcinogenesis can be prevented by an interleukin-12 (IL-12)-adjuvanted allogeneic HER2/neu-expressing cell vaccine. Since IL-12 can induce the release of interleukin-15 (IL-15), in the present study we investigated the role played by IL-15 in HER2/neu driven mammary carcinogenesis and in its immunoprevention. Methods HER2/neu transgenic mice with homozygous knockout of IL-15 (here referred to as IL15KO/NeuT mice) were compared to IL-15 wild-type HER2/neu transgenic mice (NeuT) regarding mammary carcinogenesis, profile of peripheral blood lymphocytes and splenocytes and humoral and cellular responses induced by the vaccine. Results IL15KO/NeuT mice showed a significantly earlier mammary cancer onset than NeuT mice, with median latency times of 16 and 20 weeks respectively, suggesting a role for IL-15 in cancer immunosurveillance. Natural killer (NK) and CD8+ lymphocytes were significantly lower in IL15KO/NeuT mice compared to mice with wild-type IL-15. The IL-12-adjuvanted allogeneic HER2/neu-expressing cell vaccine was still able to delay mammary cancer onset but efficacy in IL-15-lacking mice vanished earlier: all vaccinated IL15KO/NeuT mice developed tumors within 80 weeks of age (median latency of 53 weeks), whereas more than 70 % of vaccinated NeuT mice remained tumor-free up to 80 weeks of age. Vaccinated IL15KO/NeuT mice showed less necrotic tumors with fewer CD3+ lymphocyes and lacked perforin-positive infiltrating cells compared to NeuT mice. Concerning the anti-vaccine antibody response, antibody titer was unaffected by the lack of IL-15, but less antibodies of IgM and IgG1 isotypes were found in IL15KO/NeuT mice. A lower induction by vaccine of systemic interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin-5 (IL-5) was also observed in IL15KO/NeuT mice when compared to NeuT mice. Finally, we found a lower level of CD8+ memory cells in the peripheral blood of vaccinated IL15KO/NeuT mice compared to NeuT mice. Conclusions We demonstrated that IL-15 has a role in mammary cancer immunosurveillance and that IL-15-regulated NK and CD8+ memory cells play a role in long-lasting immunoprevention, further supporting the potential use of IL-15 as adjuvant in immunological strategies against tumors. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13058-015-0588-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Croci
- Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastases, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Viale Filopanti 22, Bologna, 40126, Italy. .,Present address: Unit of Clinical Immunology, Allergy and Advanced Biotechnologies, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova-IRCCS, Viale Risorgimento 80, Reggio Emilia, 42123, Italy.
| | - Patrizia Nanni
- Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastases, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Viale Filopanti 22, Bologna, 40126, Italy. .,Interdepartmental Centre for Cancer Research "Giorgio Prodi", University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, Bologna, 40138, Italy.
| | - Arianna Palladini
- Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastases, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Viale Filopanti 22, Bologna, 40126, Italy.
| | - Giordano Nicoletti
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Via di Barbiano 1/10, Bologna, 40136, Italy.
| | - Valentina Grosso
- Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastases, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Viale Filopanti 22, Bologna, 40126, Italy.
| | - Giorgia Benegiamo
- Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastases, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Viale Filopanti 22, Bologna, 40126, Italy.
| | - Lorena Landuzzi
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Via di Barbiano 1/10, Bologna, 40136, Italy.
| | - Alessia Lamolinara
- CESI Aging Research Center, G. D'Annunzio University, Via Colle dell'Ara, Chieti Scalo, Chieti, 66013, Italy.
| | - Marianna L Ianzano
- Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastases, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Viale Filopanti 22, Bologna, 40126, Italy.
| | - Dario Ranieri
- Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastases, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Viale Filopanti 22, Bologna, 40126, Italy.
| | - Massimiliano Dall'Ora
- Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastases, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Viale Filopanti 22, Bologna, 40126, Italy.
| | - Manuela Iezzi
- CESI Aging Research Center, G. D'Annunzio University, Via Colle dell'Ara, Chieti Scalo, Chieti, 66013, Italy.
| | - Carla De Giovanni
- Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastases, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Viale Filopanti 22, Bologna, 40126, Italy. .,Interdepartmental Centre for Cancer Research "Giorgio Prodi", University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, Bologna, 40138, Italy.
| | - Pier-Luigi Lollini
- Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastases, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Viale Filopanti 22, Bologna, 40126, Italy. .,Interdepartmental Centre for Cancer Research "Giorgio Prodi", University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, Bologna, 40138, Italy.
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9
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Rondeau G, Abedinpour P, Desai P, Baron VT, Borgstrom P, Welsh J. Effects of different tissue microenvironments on gene expression in breast cancer cells. PLoS One 2014; 9:e101160. [PMID: 25004123 PMCID: PMC4086928 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2014] [Accepted: 06/02/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In metastasis, circulating tumor cells penetrate the walls of blood vessels and enter the metastatic target tissue, thereby becoming exposed to novel and relatively unsupportive microenvironments. In the new microenvironments, the tumor cells often remain in a dormant state indefinitely and must adapt before they are able to successfully colonize the tissue. Very little is known about this adaptive process. We studied temporal changes in gene expression when breast cancer cells adapt to survive and grow on brain, bone marrow, and lung tissue maintained in an in vivo culture system, as models of the metastatic colonization of these tissues. We observed the transient activation of genes typically associated with homeostasis and stress during the initial stages of adaptation, followed by the activation of genes that mediate more advanced functions, such as elaboration of cell morphology and cell division, as the cells adapted to thrive in the host tissue microenvironment. We also observed the temporary induction of genes characteristic of the host tissue, which was particularly evident when tumor cells were grown on brain tissue. These early transient gene expression events suggest potential points of therapeutic intervention that are not evident in data from well-established tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaelle Rondeau
- Vaccine Research Institute of San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Parisa Abedinpour
- Vaccine Research Institute of San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Prerak Desai
- Vaccine Research Institute of San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Veronique T. Baron
- Vaccine Research Institute of San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Per Borgstrom
- Vaccine Research Institute of San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - John Welsh
- Vaccine Research Institute of San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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10
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Lollini PL, Cavallo F, De Giovanni C, Nanni P. Preclinical vaccines against mammary carcinoma. Expert Rev Vaccines 2014; 12:1449-63. [DOI: 10.1586/14760584.2013.845530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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11
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Lollini PL, De Giovanni C, Nanni P. Preclinical HER-2 Vaccines: From Rodent to Human HER-2. Front Oncol 2013; 3:151. [PMID: 23772419 PMCID: PMC3677144 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2013.00151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2013] [Accepted: 05/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Effective prevention of human cancer with vaccines against viruses, such as HBV and HPV, raises the question whether also non-virus related tumors could be prevented with immunological means. Studies in HER-2-transgenic mice showed that powerful anti-HER-2 vaccines, could almost completely prevent the onset of mammary carcinoma. Protective immune responses were orchestrated by T cells and their cytokines, and effected by antibodies against HER-2 gene product p185. Analogous findings were reported in a variety of other cancer immunoprevention systems, thus leading to the definition of oncoantigens, optimal target antigens that are causally involved in carcinogenesis and cancer progression. Prophylactic HER-2 vaccines were also effective in preventing metastasis outgrowth, indicating that concepts and approaches developed for cancer immunoprevention could prove fruitful in cancer immunotherapy as well. The availability of cancer-prone mice carrying a human HER-2 transgene is now fostering the design of novel vaccines against human p185. A further bridge toward human cancer was recently provided by novel immunodeficient models, like Rag2−/−;Il2rg−/− mice, which are permissive for metastatic spread of human HER-2+ cancer cells and can be engrafted with a functional human immune system, allowing for the first time the study of vaccines against oncoantigens to elicit human immune responses against human cancer cells in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pier-Luigi Lollini
- Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastases, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna , Bologna , Italy
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12
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Arigoni M, Barutello G, Riccardo F, Ercole E, Cantarella D, Orso F, Conti L, Lanzardo S, Taverna D, Merighi I, Calogero RA, Cavallo F, Quaglino E. miR-135b coordinates progression of ErbB2-driven mammary carcinomas through suppression of MID1 and MTCH2. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2013; 182:2058-70. [PMID: 23623609 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2013.02.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2012] [Revised: 01/24/2013] [Accepted: 02/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
In an attempt to reveal deregulated miRNAs associated with the progression of carcinomas developed in BALB-neuT transgenic mice, we found increased expression of miR-135b during malignancy. Relevantly, we observed that miR-135b is up-regulated in basal or normal-like human breast cancers, and it correlates with patient survival and early metastatization. Therefore, we investigated its biological functions by modulating its expression (up- or down-regulation) in mammary tumor cells. Although no effect was observed on proliferation in cell culture and in orthotopically injected mice, miR-135b was able to control cancer cell stemness in a mammosphere assay, anchorage-independent growth in vitro, and lung cancer cell dissemination in mice after tail vein injections. Focusing on the miR-135b molecular mechanism, we observed that miR-135b controls malignancy via its direct targets, midline 1 (MID1) and mitochondrial carrier homolog 2 (MTCH2), as proved by biochemical and functional rescuing/phenocopying experiments. Consistently, an anti-correlation between miR-135b and MID1 or MTCH2 was found in human primary tumor samples. In conclusion, our research led us to the identification of miR-135b and its targets, MID1 and MTCH2, as relevant coordinators of mammary gland tumor progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maddalena Arigoni
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
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13
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Aurisicchio L, Marra E, Luberto L, Carlomosti F, De Vitis C, Noto A, Gunes Z, Roscilli G, Mesiti G, Mancini R, Alimandi M, Ciliberto G. Novel anti-ErbB3 monoclonal antibodies show therapeutic efficacy in xenografted and spontaneous mouse tumors. J Cell Physiol 2012; 227:3381-8. [PMID: 22213458 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.24037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The role of the ErbB3 receptor in signal transduction is to augment the signaling repertoire of active heterodimeric ErbB receptor complexes through activating the PI3K/AKT pathway, which in turn promotes survival and proliferation. ErbB3 has recently been proposed to be involved in acquired resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), and is therefore a promising new drug cancer target. Since ErbB3 is a kinase defective receptor, it cannot be targeted by small molecule inhibitors, whereas monoclonal antibodies may offer a viable strategy for pharmacological intervention. In this study, we have utilized DNA electroporation (DNA-EP) to generate a set of novel hybridomas directed against human ErbB3, which have been characterized for their biochemical and functional properties and selected for their ability to negatively regulate the ErbB3-mediated signaling pathway. In vitro, the anti-ErbB3 antibodies modulate the growth rate of cancer cells of different origins. In vivo they show antitumoral properties in a xenograft model of human pancreatic tumor and in the ErbB2-driven carcinogenesis genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM) for mammary tumor, the BALB/neuT. Our data confirm that downregulating the ErbB3-mediated signals with the use of anti-ErbB3 monoclonal antibodies is both feasible and relevant for therapeutic purposes and provides new opportunities for novel anti-ErbB3 combinatory strategies for cancer treatment.
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14
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Yuan H, Kopelovich L, Yin Y, Lu J, Glazer RI. Drug-targeted inhibition of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma enhances the chemopreventive effect of anti-estrogen therapy. Oncotarget 2012; 3:345-56. [PMID: 22538444 PMCID: PMC3359890 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2012] [Accepted: 04/09/2012] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptorγ (PPARγ) is a key regulator of metabolism, proliferation, inflammation and differentiation, and upregulates tumor suppressor genes, such as PTEN, BRCA1 and PPARγ itself. Examination of mammary carcinogenesis in transgenic mice expressing the dominant-negative Pax8PPARγ fusion protein revealed that tumors were estrogen receptorα (ER)-positive and sensitive to the ER antagonist, fulvestrant. Here we evaluated whether administration of an irreversible PPARγ inhibitor in vivo could similarly induce ER expression in otherwise ER-negative mammary tumors following induction of carcinogenesis, and sensitize them to the antitumor effects of fulvestrant. In addition, we wished to determine whether the effect of GW9662 was associated with a PPAR-selective gene expression profile. Mammary carcinogenesis was induced in wild-type FVB mice by treatment with medroxyprogesterone and dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) that were subsequently maintained on a diet supplemented with 0.1% GW9662, and tumorigenesis and gene expression profiling of the resulting tumors were determined. Administration of GW9962 resulted in ER+ tumors that were highly sensitive to fulvestrant. Tumors from GW9662-treated animals exhibited reduced expression of a metabolic gene profile indicative of PPARγ inhibition, including PPARγ itself. Additionally, GW9662 upregulated the expression of several genes associated with the transcription, processing, splicing and translation of RNA. This study is the first to show that an irreversible PPARγ inhibitor can mimic a dominant-negative PPARγ transgene to elicit the development of ER-responsive tumors. These findings suggest that it may be possible to pharmacologically influence the responsiveness of tumors to anti-estrogen therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Yuan
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Washington, DC
| | - Levy Kopelovich
- Chemoprevention Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
| | - Yuzhi Yin
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Washington, DC
- Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD
| | - Jin Lu
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Washington, DC
| | - Robert I. Glazer
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Washington, DC
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15
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Integrin β4 signaling promotes mammary tumor cell adhesion to brain microvascular endothelium by inducing ErbB2-mediated secretion of VEGF. Ann Biomed Eng 2011; 39:2223-2241. [PMID: 21556948 DOI: 10.1007/s10439-011-0321-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2010] [Accepted: 04/30/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Prior studies have indicated that the β4 integrin promotes mammary tumor invasion and metastasis by combining with ErbB2 and amplifying its signaling capacity. However, the effector pathways and cellular functions by which the β4 integrin exerts these effects are incompletely understood. To examine if β4 signaling plays a role during mammary tumor cell adhesion to microvascular endothelium, we have examined ErbB2-transformed mammary tumor cells expressing either a wild-type (WT) or a signaling-defective form of β4 (1355T). We report that WT cells adhere to brain microvascular endothelium in vitro to a significantly larger extent as compared to 1355T cells. Interestingly, integrin β4 signaling does not exert a direct effect on adhesion to the endothelium or the underlying basement membrane. Rather, it enhances ErbB2-dependent expression of VEGF by tumor cells. VEGF in turn disrupts the tight and adherens junctions of endothelial monolayers, enabling the exposure of underlying basement membrane and increasing the adhesion of tumor cells to the intercellular junctions of endothelium. Inhibition of ErbB2 on tumor cells or the VEGFR-2 on endothelial cells suppresses mammary tumor cell adhesion to microvascular endothelium. Our results indicate that β4 signaling regulates VEGF expression by the mammary tumor cells thereby enhancing their adhesion to microvascular endothelium.
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16
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Baxevanis CN, Voutsas IF, Gritzapis AD, Perez SA, Papamichail M. HER-2/neu as a target for cancer vaccines. Immunotherapy 2010; 2:213-26. [PMID: 20635929 DOI: 10.2217/imt.09.89] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel modality toward the treatment of HER-2/neu-positive malignancies, mostly including breast and, more recently prostate carcinomas, has been the use of vaccines targeting HER-2/neu extracellular and intracellular domains. HER-2/neu-specific vaccines have been demonstrated to generate durable T-cell anti-HER-2/neu immunity when tested in Phase I and II clinical trials with no significant toxicity or autoimmunity directed against normal tissues. Targeting of HER-2/neu in active immunotherapy may involve peptide and DNA vaccines. Moreover, active anti-HER-2/neu immunization could facilitate the ex vivo expansion of HER-2/neu-specific T cells for use in adoptive immunotherapy for the treatment of established metastatic disease. In addition, early data from trials examining the potential use of HER-2/neu-based vaccines in the adjuvant setting to prevent the relapse of breast cancer in high-risk patients have shown promising results. Future approaches include multiepitope preventive vaccines and combinatorial treatments for generating the most efficient protective anti-tumor immunity.
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17
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Chen H, Pimienta G, Gu Y, Sun X, Hu J, Kim MS, Chaerkady R, Gucek M, Cole RN, Sukumar S, Pandey A. Proteomic characterization of Her2/neu-overexpressing breast cancer cells. Proteomics 2010; 10:3800-10. [PMID: 20960451 PMCID: PMC4327899 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201000297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2010] [Accepted: 08/05/2010] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The receptor tyrosine kinase HER2 is an oncogene amplified in invasive breast cancer and its overexpression in mammary epithelial cell lines is a strong determinant of a tumorigenic phenotype. Accordingly, HER2-overexpressing mammary tumors are commonly indicative of a poor prognosis in patients. Several quantitative proteomic studies have employed two-dimensional gel electrophoresis in combination with MS/MS, which provides only limited information about the molecular mechanisms underlying HER2/neu signaling. In the present study, we used a SILAC-based approach to compare the proteomic profile of normal breast epithelial cells with that of Her2/neu-overexpressing mammary epithelial cells, isolated from primary mammary tumors arising in mouse mammary tumor virus-Her2/neu transgenic mice. We identified 23 proteins with relevant annotated functions in breast cancer, showing a substantial differential expression. This included overexpression of creatine kinase, retinol-binding protein 1, thymosin 4 and tumor protein D52, which correlated with the tumorigenic phenotype of Her2-overexpressing cells. The differential expression pattern of two genes, gelsolin and retinol binding protein 1, was further validated in normal and tumor tissues. Finally, an in silico analysis of published cancer microarray data sets revealed a 23-gene signature, which can be used to predict the probability of metastasis-free survival in breast cancer patients.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Biomarkers, Tumor/biosynthesis
- Biomarkers, Tumor/chemistry
- Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics
- Cell Count
- Cell Growth Processes/physiology
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Computer Simulation
- Female
- Humans
- Kaplan-Meier Estimate
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/enzymology
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/genetics
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/pathology
- Mice
- Mice, Transgenic
- Proteomics/methods
- Receptor, ErbB-2/biosynthesis
- Receptor, ErbB-2/chemistry
- Receptor, ErbB-2/genetics
- Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Tandem Mass Spectrometry
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Affiliation(s)
- Hexin Chen
- Department of Biology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Genaro Pimienta
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine and Departments of Biological Chemistry, Pathology and Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205
| | - Yiben Gu
- Department of Biology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Xu Sun
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Jianjun Hu
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Min-Sik Kim
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine and Departments of Biological Chemistry, Pathology and Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205
| | - Raghothama Chaerkady
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine and Departments of Biological Chemistry, Pathology and Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Tech Park, Bangalore 560066, India
| | - Marjan Gucek
- The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Robert N Cole
- The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Saraswati Sukumar
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Akhilesh Pandey
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine and Departments of Biological Chemistry, Pathology and Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205
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18
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Croci S, Recktenwald CV, Lichtenfels R, Nicoletti G, Dressler SP, De Giovanni C, Astolfi A, Palladini A, Shin-ya K, Landuzzi L, Nanni P, Lollini PL, Seliger B. Proteomic and PROTEOMEX profiling of mammary cancer progression in a HER-2/neu oncogene-driven animal model system. Proteomics 2010; 10:3835-53. [DOI: 10.1002/pmic.200900643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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19
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Abe F, Dafferner AJ, Donkor M, Westphal SN, Scholar EM, Solheim JC, Singh RK, Hoke TA, Talmadge JE. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells in mammary tumor progression in FVB Neu transgenic mice. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2010; 59:47-62. [PMID: 19449184 PMCID: PMC11030983 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-009-0719-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2008] [Accepted: 04/22/2009] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Female mice transgenic for the rat proto-oncogene c-erb-B2, under control of the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter (neuN), spontaneously develop metastatic mammary carcinomas. The development of these mammary tumors is associated with increased number of GR-1(+)CD11b(+) myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the peripheral blood (PB), spleen and tumor. We report a complex relationship between tumor growth, MDSCs and immune regulatory molecules in non-mutated neu transgenic mice on a FVB background (FVB-neuN). The first and second tumors in FVB-neuN mice develop at a median of 265 (147-579) and 329 (161-523) days, respectively, resulting in a median survival time (MST) of 432 (201 to >500) days. During tumor growth, significantly increased number of MDSCs is observed in the PB and spleen, as well as, in infiltrating the mammary tumors. Our results demonstrate a direct correlation between tumor size and the number of MDSCs infiltrating the tumor and an inverse relationship between the frequency of CD4(+) T-cells and MDSCs in the spleen. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assessment of enzyme and cytokine transcript levels in the spleen, tumor, tumor-infiltrating non-parenchymal cells (NPCs) and mammary glands revealed a significant increase in transcript levels from grossly normal mammary glands and tumor-infiltrating NPCs during tumor progression. Tumor NPCs, as compared to spleen cells from wild-type (w/t) mice, expressed significantly higher levels of arginase-1 (ARG-1), nitric oxide synthase (NOS-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) and significantly lower levels of interferon (IFN)-gamma, interleukin (IL)-2 and fms-like tyrosine kinase-3 ligand (Flt3L) transcript levels. Transcript levels in the spleens of tumor-bearing (TB) mice also differed from normal mice, although to a lesser extent than transcript levels from tumor-infiltrating NPCs. Furthermore, both spleen cells and NPCs from TB mice, but not control mice, suppressed alloantigen responses by syngeneic control spleen cells. Correlative studies revealed that the number of MDSCs in the spleen was directly associated with granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) transcript levels in the spleen; while the number of MDSCs in the tumors was directly correlated with splenic granulocyte macrophage stimulating factor (GM-CSF) transcript levels, tumor volume and tumor cell number. Together our results support a role for MDSCs in tumor initiation and progressive, T-cell depression and loss of function provide evidence which support multiple mechanisms of MDSC expansion in a site-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuminori Abe
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunology, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-7660 USA
| | - Alicia J. Dafferner
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunology, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-7660 USA
| | - Moses Donkor
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunology, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-7660 USA
| | - Sherry N. Westphal
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunology, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-7660 USA
| | - Eric M. Scholar
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunology, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-7660 USA
| | - Joyce C. Solheim
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunology, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-7660 USA
| | - Rakesh K. Singh
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunology, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-7660 USA
| | - Traci A. Hoke
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunology, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-7660 USA
| | - James E. Talmadge
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunology, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-7660 USA
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20
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Sca-1 identifies the tumor-initiating cells in mammary tumors of BALB-neuT transgenic mice. Neoplasia 2009; 10:1433-43. [PMID: 19048122 DOI: 10.1593/neo.08902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2008] [Revised: 09/12/2008] [Accepted: 09/12/2008] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells, initiating and sustaining the tumor process, have been isolated in human and murine breast cancer using different cell markers. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the presence and characteristics of stem/tumor-initiating cells in the model of the mouse mammary neoplasia driven by the activated form of rat Her-2/neu oncogene (BALB-neuT mice). For this purpose, we generated tumor spheres from primary spontaneous BALB-neuT tumors. Tumor sphere cultures were characterized for clonogenicity, self-renewal, and ability to differentiate in epithelial/myoepithelial cells of the mammary gland expressing basal and luminal cytokeratins and alpha-smooth muscle actin. In addition, tumor spheres were more resistant to doxorubicin compared with parental tumor cells. In the attempt to identify a selected marker for the sphere-generating cells, we found that Sca-1(+) cells, present in tumors or enriched in mammospheres, and not CD24(+) or CD29(+) cells, were responsible for the sphere generation in vitro. Moreover, cells from the tumor spheres showed an increased tumor-generating ability in respect to the epithelial tumor cells. Sca-1(+) sorted cells or clonal mammospheres derived from a Sca-1(+) cell showed a superimposable tumor-initiating ability. The data of the present study indicate that a Sca-1(+) population derived from mammary BALB-neuT tumors is responsible for sphere generation in culture and for initiating tumors in vivo.
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21
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Calogero RA, Quaglino E, Saviozzi S, Forni G, Cavallo F. Oncoantigens as anti-tumor vaccination targets: the chance of a lucky strike? Cancer Immunol Immunother 2008; 57:1685-94. [PMID: 18286283 PMCID: PMC11030840 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-008-0481-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2007] [Accepted: 02/05/2008] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Neoplastic transformation is a multistage process and distinct gene products of specific cell regulatory pathways are involved at each stage. Identification of genes overexpressed at a specific stage provides an unprecedented opportunity to address the immune system against antigens with a driving role in tumor progression (oncoantigens). The ERBB2 oncogene is a prototype of deregulated oncogenic protein kinase membrane receptors. Mice transgenic for rat ERBB2 (BALB-neuT mice) were used in this study to identify an additional set of oncoantigens expressed at defined stages by most breast carcinomas to be used as alternatives to ERBB2-driven vaccination. To address this question, we integrated the transcription data generated by comparing preneoplastic lesions and neoplasia in BALB-neuT mice with a meta-analysis on transcription profiles generated from normal and breast tumor human specimens. Forty-six putative oncoantigens identified and prioritized according to their expression on the cell membrane or in the extra cellular space, cytoplasm and nucleus were chosen for preclinical investigation as vaccination targets.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antigens, Neoplasm/genetics
- Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology
- Cancer Vaccines/genetics
- Cancer Vaccines/metabolism
- Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/genetics
- Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/immunology
- Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/pathology
- Carcinoma, Lobular/genetics
- Carcinoma, Lobular/immunology
- Carcinoma, Lobular/pathology
- Female
- Gene Expression Profiling
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/genetics
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/immunology
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/therapy
- Mice
- Mice, Transgenic
- Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
- Precancerous Conditions/genetics
- Precancerous Conditions/immunology
- Precancerous Conditions/pathology
- Rats
- Receptor, ErbB-2/physiology
- Signal Transduction
- Transcription, Genetic
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Adolfo Calogero
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Elena Quaglino
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Silvia Saviozzi
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Guido Forni
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Federica Cavallo
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
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22
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Quaglino E, Mastini C, Forni G, Cavallo F. ErbB2 transgenic mice: a tool for investigation of the immune prevention and treatment of mammary carcinomas. CURRENT PROTOCOLS IN IMMUNOLOGY 2008; Chapter 20:Unit 20.9.1-20.9-10. [PMID: 18729063 DOI: 10.1002/0471142735.im2009s82] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The epidermal growth factor receptor belongs to a superfamily of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) that includes ErbB2. ErbB2 is involved in normal physiological processes, such as embryogenesis, cell proliferation, differentiation, adhesion motility, and apoptosis, while its malfunction or overexpression is responsible for development defects, diabetes, and cancer. The human ortholog of ErbB2 is referred as Her-2 (human ErbB2) while the rat ortholog is referred as neu (rat ErbB2). As ErbB2 is directly involved in carcinogenesis, mice transgenic for the rat neu oncogene allow straightforward assessment of the ability of drugs and vaccines to inhibit the progression of neu-driven cancer. Information from this model may provide indications on the efficacy of similar treatments in patients. This commentary provides key information regarding the use of these transgenic mouse models for evaluation of the efficacy of anti-tumor strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Quaglino
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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23
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Cipriani B, Fridman A, Bendtsen C, Dharmapuri S, Mennuni C, Pak I, Mesiti G, Forni G, Monaci P, Bagchi A, Ciliberto G, Monica NL, Scarselli E. Therapeutic Vaccination Halts Disease Progression in BALB-neuT Mice: The Amplitude of Elicited Immune Response Is Predictive of Vaccine Efficacy. Hum Gene Ther 2008; 19:670-80. [DOI: 10.1089/hum.2007.127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Cipriani
- Department of Oncology, Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare, Merck Research Laboratories, 00040 Rome, Italy
| | - Arthur Fridman
- Department of Applied Computer Science and Mathematics, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, 07065-0900, NJ
| | - Claus Bendtsen
- Department of Applied Computer Science and Mathematics, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, 07065-0900, NJ
| | - Shridar Dharmapuri
- Department of Oncology, Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare, Merck Research Laboratories, 00040 Rome, Italy
| | - Carmela Mennuni
- Department of Oncology, Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare, Merck Research Laboratories, 00040 Rome, Italy
| | - Irene Pak
- Department of Applied Computer Science and Mathematics, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, 07065-0900, NJ
| | - Giuseppe Mesiti
- Department of Comparative Medicine and Laboratory Animal Resource, Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare, Merck Research Laboratories, 00040 Rome, Italy
| | - Guido Forni
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, 10100 Turin, Italy
| | - Paolo Monaci
- Department of Oncology, Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare, Merck Research Laboratories, 00040 Rome, Italy
| | - Ansu Bagchi
- Department of Applied Computer Science and Mathematics, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, 07065-0900, NJ
| | - Gennaro Ciliberto
- Department of Oncology, Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare, Merck Research Laboratories, 00040 Rome, Italy
| | - Nicola La Monica
- Department of Oncology, Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare, Merck Research Laboratories, 00040 Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa Scarselli
- Department of Oncology, Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare, Merck Research Laboratories, 00040 Rome, Italy
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24
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Piechocki MP. A stable explant culture of HER2/neu invasive carcinoma supported by alpha-Smooth Muscle Actin expressing stromal cells to evaluate therapeutic agents. BMC Cancer 2008; 8:119. [PMID: 18435859 PMCID: PMC2377275 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2407-8-119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2007] [Accepted: 04/24/2008] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background To gain a better understanding of the effects of therapeutic agents on the tumor microenvironment in invasive cancers, we developed a co-culture model from an invasive lobular carcinoma. Tumor cells expressing HER2/neu organize in nests surrounded by alpha-Smooth Muscle Actin (α-SMA) expressing tumor stroma to resemble the morphology of an invading tumor. This co-culture, Mammary Adenocarcinoma Model (MAM-1) maintains a 1:1 ratio of HER2/neu positive tumor cells to α-SMA-reactive stromal cells and renews this configuration for over 20 passages in vitro. Methods We characterized the cellular elements of the MAM-1 model by microarray analysis, and immunocytochemistry. We developed flow cytometric assays to evaluate the relative responses of the tumor and stroma to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, Iressa. Results The MAM-1 gene expression profile contains clusters that represent the ErbB-2 breast cancer signature and stroma-specific clusters associated with invasive breast cancers. The stability of this model and the ability to antigenically label the tumor and stromal fractions allowed us to determine the specificity of Iressa, a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for targeting the tumor cell population. Treatment resulted in a selective dose-dependent reduction in phospho-pMEK1/2 and pp44/42MAPK in tumor cells. Within 24 h the tumor cell fraction was reduced 1.9-fold while the stromal cell fraction increased >3-fold, consistent with specific reductions in phospho-pp44/42 MAPK, MEK1/2 and PCNA in tumor cells and reciprocal increases in the stromal cells. Erosion of the tumor cell nests and augmented growth of the stromal cells resembled a fibrotic response. Conclusion This model demonstrates the specificity of Iressa for HER2/neu expressing tumor cells versus the tumor associated myofibroblasts and is appropriate for delineating effects of therapy on signal transduction in the breast tumor microenvironment and improving strategies that can dually or differentially target the tumor and stromal elements in the microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie P Piechocki
- Department of Breast Cancer Immunotherapy, Wayne State University and Karmanos Cancer Center, Detroit, MI, USA.
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25
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Lamellipodia and filopodia in metastasis and invasion. FEBS Lett 2008; 582:2102-11. [DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2008.03.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 221] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2008] [Accepted: 03/31/2008] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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26
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Piechocki MP, Dibbley SK, Lonardo F, Yoo GH. Gefitinib prevents cancer progression in mice expressing the activated rat HER2/neu. Int J Cancer 2008; 122:1722-9. [PMID: 18076070 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.23231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
We tested the efficacy of gefitinib in the prevention of HER2/neu-mediated breast cancer development in BALB-NeuT transgenic mice. Oral administration of gefitinib to female transgenic mice from 5 to 14 weeks of age reduced tumor multiplicity from 9.6 +/- 0.82 to 0.58 +/- 1.1 (83%). We observed a decrease in the number and size of lobules and lobular nodules in treated mice with a reduction in the overall disease burden per gland. Normal duct development in the mammary glands was not affected by gefitinib. The development of acinic cell carcinoma in the parotid glands of these animals was also reduced coincident with decreased stromal involvement during progression. Gefitinib eliminated phosphorylation of HER2 and HER3 and signaling through MAPK and Akt in lobular hyperplasias and carcinomas. At the same time MAPK activity and cytokine production in splenocytes and lymph nodes was increased in gefitinib-treated animals coincident with an increase in lymph node size. Delaying gefitinib treatment until mammary glands exhibited atypical lobular hyperplasias reduced efficacy. These studies demonstrate the critical role of HER2 signal transduction in the onset and progression of HER2/neu-dependent breast cancer and suggest a role for specific inhibitors to prevent the outgrowth of early hyperplastic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie P Piechocki
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Wayne State University and Karmanos Cancer Center, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
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27
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Calogero RA, Cordero F, Forni G, Cavallo F. Inflammation and breast cancer. Inflammatory component of mammary carcinogenesis in ErbB2 transgenic mice. Breast Cancer Res 2008; 9:211. [PMID: 17705881 PMCID: PMC2206718 DOI: 10.1186/bcr1745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
This review addresses genes differentially expressed in the mammary gland transcriptome during the progression of mammary carcinogenesis in BALB/c mice that are transgenic for the rat neu (ERBB2, or HER-2/neu) oncogene (BALB-neuT664V-E mice). The Ingenuity knowledge database was used to characterize four functional association networks whose hub genes are directly linked to inflammation (specifically, the genes encoding IL-1β, tumour necrosis factor, interferon-γ, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1/CC chemokine ligand-2) and are increasingly expressed during such progression. In silico meta-analysis in a human breast cancer dataset suggests that proinflammatory activation in the mammary glands of these mice reflects a general pattern of human breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Adolfo Calogero
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Francesca Cordero
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Guido Forni
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Federica Cavallo
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy
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28
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Guo HB, Nairn A, Harris K, Randolph M, Alvarez-Manilla G, Moremen K, Pierce M. Loss of expression of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase Va results in altered gene expression of glycosyltransferases and galectins. FEBS Lett 2008; 582:527-35. [PMID: 18230362 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2008.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2007] [Revised: 01/08/2008] [Accepted: 01/14/2008] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
We isolated mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) from N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase Va (GnT-Va) knockout mice and studied the effects of loss of expression of GnT-Va on asparagine-linked glycans (N-glycan) synthesis and the gene expression of groups of glycosyltransferases and galectins. Loss of GnT-Va expression caused aberrant expression of several N-glycan structures, including N-linked beta(1,6) branching, poly-N-lactosamine, bisecting N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and sialic acid. Using quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR (qRT-PCR), altered gene expression of several groups of glycosyltransferases and galectins was observed in GnT-Va null MEFs, supporting the observed changes in N-glycan structures. These results suggest that genetic disruption of GnT-Va ultimately resulted in altered MEFs gene expression and decreased tumor progression associated with loss of GnT-Va observed may result in part from a combination of effects from these altered gene expressions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua-Bei Guo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, 315 Riverbend Road, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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29
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Hüsemann Y, Geigl JB, Schubert F, Musiani P, Meyer M, Burghart E, Forni G, Eils R, Fehm T, Riethmüller G, Klein CA. Systemic spread is an early step in breast cancer. Cancer Cell 2008; 13:58-68. [PMID: 18167340 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2007.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 855] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2006] [Revised: 08/05/2007] [Accepted: 12/07/2007] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
It is widely accepted that metastasis is a late event in cancer progression. Here, however, we show that tumor cells can disseminate systemically from earliest epithelial alterations in HER-2 and PyMT transgenic mice and from ductal carcinoma in situ in women. Wild-type mice transplanted with single premalignant HER-2 transgenic glands displayed disseminated tumor cells and micrometastasis in bone marrow and lungs. The number of disseminated cancer cells and their karyotypic abnormalities were similar for small and large tumors in patients and mouse models. When activated by bone marrow transplantation into wild-type recipients, 80 early-disseminated cancer cells sufficed to induce lethal carcinosis. Therefore, release from dormancy of early-disseminated cancer cells may frequently account for metachronous metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yves Hüsemann
- Department of Pathology, Division of Oncogenomics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg 93053, Germany
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30
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Giancotti FG. Targeting integrin β4 for cancer and anti-angiogenic therapy. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2007; 28:506-11. [PMID: 17822782 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2007.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2007] [Revised: 06/12/2007] [Accepted: 08/29/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The integrins play key roles in the signaling networks that drive pathological angiogenesis and tumor progression. Integrin beta4 is a laminin receptor upregulated in tumor cells and angiogenic endothelial cells. Biochemical studies have indicated that beta4 combines with and enhances the signaling function of multiple receptor tyrosine kinases, including ErbB2, EGF-R and Met. Genetic studies have revealed that beta4 signaling promotes both angiogenesis and tumorigenesis. Here, I discuss the hypothesis that beta4 promotes both processes by amplifying receptor-tyrosine-kinase signaling. Therefore, I propose that a simultaneous blockade of beta4 and receptor-tyrosine-kinase signaling represents a rational approach to cancer and anti-angiogenic therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo G Giancotti
- Cell Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, Box 216, New York, NY 10021, USA.
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31
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Belguise K, Guo S, Sonenshein GE. Activation of FOXO3a by the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate induces estrogen receptor alpha expression reversing invasive phenotype of breast cancer cells. Cancer Res 2007; 67:5763-70. [PMID: 17575143 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-06-4327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Previously, we showed that the bioactive green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) inhibits growth in soft agar of breast cancer cells with Her-2/neu overexpression. Using gene expression profiling, here we show that EGCG treatment of Her-2/neu-driven mammary tumor cells alters the expression of key regulators in the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway, reducing invasive phenotype. Specifically, the epithelial genes E-cadherin, gamma-catenin, MTA3, and estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) were up-regulated by EGCG, whereas the proinvasive snail gene was down-regulated. Consistently, EGCG inhibited branching colony growth and invasion in Matrigel. EGCG treatment similarly inhibited invasive phenotype of mouse mammary tumor cells driven by Nuclear Factor-kappaB c-Rel and protein kinase CK2, frequently found overexpressed in human breast disease. Recently, we identified the Forkhead box O transcription factor FOXO3a as a major transcriptional regulator of ERalpha. Given the pivotal role of ERalpha in preventing EMT, we hypothesized that the activation of FOXO3a by EGCG plays an important role in the observed reversal of invasive phenotype in ERalpha-positive breast cancer cells. EGCG treatment activated FOXO3a. Ectopic expression of a constitutively active FOXO3a overrode transforming growth factor-beta1-mediated invasive phenotype and induced a more epithelial phenotype, which was dependent on ERalpha expression and signaling. Conversely, a dominant negative FOXO3a reduced epithelial phenotype of ERalpha-low breast cancer cells. These results identify, for the first time, a role for FOXO3a in the inhibition of invasive phenotype in breast cancer cells with active ERalpha signaling and elucidate a novel mechanism whereby EGCG represses EMT of breast cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Belguise
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA
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32
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Abstract
When a vaccine-elicited immune response is directed against oncoantigens--proteins required for the neoplastic process--the chance that the tumour will evade the vaccine should be reduced. But how can these causal oncoantigens be identified? One approach is to find tumour-associated and microenvironment-associated oncoantigens required for progression from one tumour stage to the next by comparing gene signatures isolated from the different stages of tumour progression in cancer-prone transgenic mice. Mouse oncoantigens subsequently shown to be involved in human cancer can then be validated in mouse vaccination experiments. This provides the groundwork for the rational design of cancer vaccines for clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Cavallo
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, Italy.
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33
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Piechocki MP, Yoo GH, Dibbley SK, Lonardo F. Breast cancer expressing the activated HER2/neu is sensitive to gefitinib in vitro and in vivo and acquires resistance through a novel point mutation in the HER2/neu. Cancer Res 2007; 67:6825-43. [PMID: 17638894 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-07-0765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The HER2/neu oncogene is an important diagnostic and prognostic factor and therapeutic target in breast and other cancers. We developed and characterized a breast cancer cell line (Bam1a) that overexpresses the activated HER2/neu and ErbB-3 and has a gene expression profile consistent with the ErbB-2 genetic signature. We evaluated the effects of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/HER2 inhibitor, gefitinib, on this breast tumor line in vitro and in vivo. We characterized the effects of gefitinib on EGFR, HER2, and ErbB-3 phosphorylation by Western blot and determined the effects on downstream signaling through growth, survival, and stress pathways and the effect on proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis. Gefitinib treatment diminished phosphorylation of the ErbB-3 > EGFR > HER2/neu and signal transducers and activators of transcriptions in a dose-dependent fashion. Downstream mitogenic signaling through mitogen-activated protein (MAP)/extracellular signal regulated kinase kinase, p44/42 MAP kinase (MAPK) and stress signaling through c-Jun-NH(2)-kinase (JNK) 1 and c-Jun was impaired (1 micromol/L, 4-24 h), leading to cytostasis and cell cycle arrest within 24 h by decreased cyclin D1, cyclin B1, and p(Ser795)Rb and increased p27. Proliferation and colony formation were inhibited at 0.5 and 1 micromol/L, respectively, and correlated with altered gene expression profiles. Diminished survival signaling through Akt, induction of bim, loss of connexin43, and decreased production of vascular endothelial growth factor-D preceded caspase-3 and poly(ADP)ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage and apoptosis (>50% 2 micromol/L, 48 h). Oral administration of gefitinib was able to prevent the outgrowth of Bam1a tumor cells from palpable lesions, shrink established tumors, eliminate HER2 and HER3 phosphorylation, and decrease MAPK and Akt signaling in vivo. A variant of the Bam1a cell line, IR-5, with acquired ability to grow in 5 micromol/L gefitinib was developed and characterized. IR-5 bears a novel point mutation in the HER2/neu that corresponds to a L726I in the ATP-binding pocket and correlates with a log decrease in sensitivity to gefitinib, increased heterodimerization with EGFR and HER3, and impaired down-regulation. Gene expression profiling of IR-5 showed increased expression of EMP-1, NOTCH-1, FLT-1, PDGFB, and several other genes that may contribute to the resistant phenotype and sustain signaling through MAPK and Akt. This model will be useful in understanding the differences between intrinsic drug sensitivity and acquired resistance in the context of therapeutic strategies that target oncogene addicted diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie P Piechocki
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Wayne State University, 110 East Warren Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
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34
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Rolla S, Nicoló C, Malinarich S, Orsini M, Forni G, Cavallo F, Ria F. Distinct and non-overlapping T cell receptor repertoires expanded by DNA vaccination in wild-type and HER-2 transgenic BALB/c mice. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2007; 177:7626-33. [PMID: 17114432 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.177.11.7626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Central tolerance to tumor-associated Ags is an immune-escape mechanism that significantly limits the TCR repertoires available for tumor eradication. The repertoires expanded in wild-type BALB/c and rat-HER-2/neu (rHER-2) transgenic BALB-neuT mice following DNA immunization against rHER-2 were compared by spectratyping the variable (V)beta and the joining (J)beta CDR 3. Following immunization, BALB/c mice raised a strong response. Every mouse used one or more CD8+ T cell rearrangements of the Vbeta9-Jbeta1.2 segments characterized by distinct length of the CDR3 and specific for 63-71 or 1206-1214 rHER-2 peptides. In addition, two CD4+ T cell rearrangements recurred in >50% of mice. Instead, BALB-neuT mice displayed a limited response to rHER-2. Their repertoire is smaller and uses different rearrangements confined to CD4+ T cells. Thus, central tolerance in BALB-neuT mice acts by silencing the BALB/c mice self-reactive repertoire and reducing the size of the CD8+ T cell component. CD8+ and CD4+ T cells from both wild-type and transgenic mice home to tumors. This definition of the T cell repertoires available is critical to the designing of immunological maneuvers able to elicit an effective immune reaction against HER-2-driven carcinogenesis.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- Female
- Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor
- Genes, T-Cell Receptor beta
- Immune Tolerance
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mice, Transgenic
- RNA, Messenger/analysis
- Receptor, ErbB-2/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Recombinant Proteins/immunology
- Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Transfection
- Tumor Escape
- Vaccines, DNA
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Rolla
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Biologiche, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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35
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Di Modugno F, Mottolese M, Di Benedetto A, Conidi A, Novelli F, Perracchio L, Venturo I, Botti C, Jager E, Santoni A, Natali PG, Nisticò P. The cytoskeleton regulatory protein hMena (ENAH) is overexpressed in human benign breast lesions with high risk of transformation and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-positive/hormonal receptor-negative tumors. Clin Cancer Res 2006; 12:1470-8. [PMID: 16533770 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-05-2027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE hMena (ENAH), a cytoskeleton regulatory protein involved in the regulation of cell motility and adhesion, is overexpressed in breast cancer. The aim of this study was to define at what stage of breast carcinogenesis hMena is overexpressed and to correlate hMena overexpression with established prognostic factors in breast cancer, focusing on human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN hMena expression was assessed immunohistochemically in a prospective cohort of cases (n = 360) encompassing a highly representative spectrum of benign breast diseases associated with different risk of transformation, in situ, invasive, and metastatic tumors. Correlations with conventional pathologic and prognostic variables, such as proliferation index, hormonal receptor status, and HER-2 overexpression, were also evaluated. In vitro experiments were done to study the effect of neuregulin-1 and Herceptin treatments on hMena expression. RESULTS hMena protein is undetectable in normal breast and is weakly expressed in a small percentage of low-risk benign diseases (9%), but displays a progressive and significant increase of positivity in benign lesions at higher risk of transformation (slightly increased risk 43%; moderate increased risk 67%), in in situ (72%), invasive (93%), and metastatic breast cancer (91%). A significant direct correlation with tumor size (P = 0.04), proliferation index (P < 0.0001), and HER-2 overexpression (P < 0.0001) and an inverse relationship with estrogen (P = 0.036) and progesterone receptors (P = 0.001) are found in invasive carcinomas. In vitro experiments show that neuregulin-1 up-regulates, whereas Herceptin down-regulates, hMena expression. CONCLUSIONS Our data provide new insights into the relevance of actin-binding proteins in human breast carcinogenesis and indicate hMena overexpression as a surrogate indicator in breast disease management.
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MESH Headings
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Aged
- Aged, 80 and over
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology
- Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
- Biomarkers, Tumor
- Breast
- Breast Neoplasms/metabolism
- Breast Neoplasms/pathology
- Carcinoma in Situ/metabolism
- Carcinoma in Situ/pathology
- Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/metabolism
- Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/secondary
- Carcinoma, Papillary/metabolism
- Carcinoma, Papillary/secondary
- Cell Proliferation
- Cell Transformation, Neoplastic
- Cohort Studies
- Cytoskeletal Proteins/metabolism
- Female
- Humans
- Middle Aged
- Neoplasm Invasiveness/pathology
- Neoplasms, Ductal, Lobular, and Medullary/metabolism
- Neoplasms, Ductal, Lobular, and Medullary/secondary
- Neuregulin-1/pharmacology
- Prognosis
- Prospective Studies
- Receptor, ErbB-2/metabolism
- Receptors, Estrogen/metabolism
- Receptors, Progesterone/metabolism
- Risk Factors
- Trastuzumab
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Di Modugno
- Laboratory of Experimental Chemotherapy, Department of Pathology, Regina Elena Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
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36
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Abstract
Despite tremendous progress in basic and epidemiological research, effective prevention of most types of cancer is still lacking. Vaccine use in cancer therapy remains a promising but difficult prospect. However, new mouse models that recapitulate significant features of human cancer progression show that vaccines can keep precancerous lesions under control and might eventually be the spearhead of effective and reliable ways to prevent cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pier-Luigi Lollini
- Section of Cancer Research, Department of Experimental Pathology, University of Bologna, Italy
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37
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Cavallo F, Offringa R, van der Burg SH, Forni G, Melief CJM. Vaccination for Treatment and Prevention of Cancer in Animal Models. Adv Immunol 2006; 90:175-213. [PMID: 16730264 DOI: 10.1016/s0065-2776(06)90005-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Two approaches to immunological intervention in tumor-host interactions in mouse models are discussed in this review. The first is described with reference to experiments in which CD8(+) T lymphocytes are used to kill established transplantable tumors. Peptides and their optimal presentation by dendritic cells and intervention in immune regulatory mechanisms are the key issues for efficient induction of T-killer cell-mediated tumor eradication. The time frame of tumor therapy and the threat imposed by tumor growth in transplantable models and cancer patients require the induction of a robust T-cell reaction. Prevention of the progression of small preneoplastic lesions, on the other hand, requires the significant and prolonged immune protection sought in the second approach. This is based on antibody production and the coordinated activation of multiple low-avidity cell-mediated mechanisms elicited by DNA vaccination in genetically modified cancer-prone mice, transgenic for a mutant Her-2/neu growth factor receptor expressed at the plasma membrane surface of preneoplastic mammary gland epithelial cells. Vaccination with appropriate DNA formulations results in prolonged immune inhibition of the progression of preneoplastic mammary lesions but is ineffective against established tumors. The use of molecularly defined adjuvants and intervention in immune regulatory mechanisms are critical in both the elicitation of an effective T-cell mediated reaction required for tumor debulking in the first set of models and the induction by vaccination of a sustained immune memory able to prevent the expansion of preneoplastic lesions in genetically cancer-prone mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Cavallo
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
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38
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Cavallo F, Astolfi A, Iezzi M, Cordero F, Lollini PL, Forni G, Calogero R. An integrated approach of immunogenomics and bioinformatics to identify new Tumor Associated Antigens (TAA) for mammary cancer immunological prevention. BMC Bioinformatics 2005; 6 Suppl 4:S7. [PMID: 16351756 PMCID: PMC1866378 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2105-6-s4-s7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Neoplastic transformation is a multistep process in which distinct gene products of specific cell regulatory pathways are involved at each stage. Identification of overexpressed genes provides an unprecedented opportunity to address the immune system against antigens typical of defined stages of neoplastic transformation. HER-2/neu/ERBB2 (Her2) oncogene is a prototype of deregulated oncogenic protein kinase membrane receptors. Mice transgenic for rat Her2 (BALB-neuT mice) were studied to evaluate the stage in which vaccines can prevent the onset of Her2 driven mammary carcinomas. As Her2 is not overexpressed in all mammary carcinomas, definition of an additional set of tumor associated antigens (TAAs) expressed at defined stages by most breast carcinomas would allow a broader coverage of vaccination. To address this question, a meta-analysis was performed on two transcription profile studies [1,2] to identify a set of new TAA targets to be used instead of or in conjunction with Her2. Results The five TAAs identified (Tes, Rcn2, Rnf4, Cradd, Galnt3) are those whose expression is linearly related to the tumor mass increase in BALB-neuT mammary glands. Moreover, they have a low expression in normal tissues and are generally expressed in human breast tumors, though at a lower level than Her2. Conclusion Although the number of putative TAAs identified is limited, this pilot study suggests that meta-analysis of expression profiles produces results that could assist in the designing of pre-clinical immunopreventive vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Cavallo
- Dept. of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, Az. Ospedaliera S. Luigi, Regione Gonzole 10, I-10043 Orbassano Italy
| | - Annalisa Astolfi
- Dept. of Experimental Pathology, University of Bologna, Viale Filopanti 22, I-40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Manuela Iezzi
- Dept. of Oncology and Neurosciences, University of Chieti, Via Colle dell'Ara, I-66013 Chieti, Italy
| | - Francesca Cordero
- Dept. of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, Az. Ospedaliera S. Luigi, Regione Gonzole 10, I-10043 Orbassano Italy
- Dept. of Informatics, University of Torino, Via Pessinetto 12, I-10100 Torino, Italy
| | - Pier-Luigi Lollini
- Dept. of Experimental Pathology, University of Bologna, Viale Filopanti 22, I-40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Guido Forni
- Dept. of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, Az. Ospedaliera S. Luigi, Regione Gonzole 10, I-10043 Orbassano Italy
| | - Raffaele Calogero
- Dept. of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, Az. Ospedaliera S. Luigi, Regione Gonzole 10, I-10043 Orbassano Italy
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