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Montal E, Suresh S, Ma Y, Tagore MM, White RM. Cancer Modeling by Transgene Electroporation in Adult Zebrafish (TEAZ). Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2707:83-97. [PMID: 37668906 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3401-1_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Transgenic expression of genes is a mainstay of cancer modeling in zebrafish. Traditional transgenic techniques rely upon injection into one-cell embryos, but ideally these transgenes would be expressed only in adult somatic tissues. We provide a method to model cancer in adult zebrafish in which transgenes can be expressed via electroporation. Using melanoma as an example, we demonstrate the feasibility of expressing oncogenes such as BRAFV600E as well as CRISPR/Cas9 inactivation of tumor suppressors such as PTEN. These approaches can be performed in any genetic background such as existing fluorophore reporter lines or the casper line. These methods can readily be extended to other cell types allowing for rapid adult modeling of cancer in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Montal
- Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shruthy Suresh
- Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yilun Ma
- Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mohita M Tagore
- Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Richard M White
- Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
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2
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Chen J, Baxi K, Lipsitt AE, Hensch NR, Wang L, Sreenivas P, Modi P, Zhao XR, Baudin A, Robledo DG, Bandyopadhyay A, Sugalski A, Challa AK, Kurmashev D, Gilbert AR, Tomlinson GE, Houghton P, Chen Y, Hayes MN, Chen EY, Libich DS, Ignatius MS. Defining function of wild-type and three patient-specific TP53 mutations in a zebrafish model of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. eLife 2023; 12:e68221. [PMID: 37266578 PMCID: PMC10322150 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) and generally in sarcomas, the role of wild-type and loss- or gain-of-function TP53 mutations remains largely undefined. Eliminating mutant or restoring wild-type p53 is challenging; nevertheless, understanding p53 variant effects on tumorigenesis remains central to realizing better treatment outcomes. In ERMS, >70% of patients retain wild-type TP53, yet mutations when present are associated with worse prognosis. Employing a kRASG12D-driven ERMS tumor model and tp53 null (tp53-/-) zebrafish, we define wild-type and patient-specific TP53 mutant effects on tumorigenesis. We demonstrate that tp53 is a major suppressor of tumorigenesis, where tp53 loss expands tumor initiation from <35% to >97% of animals. Characterizing three patient-specific alleles reveals that TP53C176F partially retains wild-type p53 apoptotic activity that can be exploited, whereas TP53P153Δ and TP53Y220C encode two structurally related proteins with gain-of-function effects that predispose to head musculature ERMS. TP53P153Δ unexpectedly also predisposes to hedgehog-expressing medulloblastomas in the kRASG12D-driven ERMS-model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangfei Chen
- Institute of Environmental Safety and Human Health, Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouChina
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Kunal Baxi
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
- Department of Molecular Medicine, UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Amanda E Lipsitt
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology Oncology, UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Nicole Rae Hensch
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
- Department of Molecular Medicine, UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Long Wang
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
- Department of Molecular Medicine, UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Prethish Sreenivas
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
- Department of Molecular Medicine, UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Paulomi Modi
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
- Department of Molecular Medicine, UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Xiang Ru Zhao
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
- Department of Molecular Medicine, UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Antoine Baudin
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Daniel G Robledo
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Abhik Bandyopadhyay
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Aaron Sugalski
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology Oncology, UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Anil K Challa
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamUnited States
| | - Dias Kurmashev
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Andrea R Gilbert
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Gail E Tomlinson
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology Oncology, UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Peter Houghton
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
- Department of Molecular Medicine, UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Yidong Chen
- Department of Population Health Sciences, UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Madeline N Hayes
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Hospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoCanada
| | - Eleanor Y Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of WashingtonSeattleUnited States
| | - David S Libich
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Myron S Ignatius
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
- Department of Molecular Medicine, UT Health Sciences CenterSan AntonioUnited States
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3
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Patel P, Nandi A, Verma SK, Kaushik N, Suar M, Choi EH, Kaushik NK. Zebrafish-based platform for emerging bio-contaminants and virus inactivation research. Sci Total Environ 2023; 872:162197. [PMID: 36781138 PMCID: PMC9922160 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Emerging bio-contaminants such as viruses have affected health and environment settings of every country. Viruses are the minuscule entities resulting in severe contagious diseases like SARS, MERS, Ebola, and avian influenza. Recent epidemic like the SARS-CoV-2, the virus has undergone mutations strengthen them and allowing to escape from the remedies. Comprehensive knowledge of viruses is essential for the development of targeted therapeutic and vaccination treatments. Animal models mimicking human biology like non-human primates, rats, mice, and rabbits offer competitive advantage to assess risk of viral infections, chemical toxins, nanoparticles, and microbes. However, their economic maintenance has always been an issue. Furthermore, the redundancy of experimental results due to aforementioned aspects is also in examine. Hence, exploration for the alternative animal models is crucial for risk assessments. The current review examines zebrafish traits and explores the possibilities to monitor emerging bio-contaminants. Additionally, a comprehensive picture of the bio contaminant and virus particle invasion and abatement mechanisms in zebrafish and human cells is presented. Moreover, a zebrafish model to investigate the emerging viruses such as coronaviridae and poxviridae has been suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paritosh Patel
- Plasma Bioscience Research Center, Department of Electrical and Biological Physics, Kwangwoon University, 01897 Seoul, South Korea
| | - Aditya Nandi
- School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar 751024, Odisha, India
| | - Suresh K Verma
- School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar 751024, Odisha, India; Condensed Matter Theory Group, Materials Theory Division, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Neha Kaushik
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Engineering, The University of Suwon, 18323 Hwaseong, Republic of Korea
| | - Mrutyunjay Suar
- School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar 751024, Odisha, India
| | - Eun Ha Choi
- Plasma Bioscience Research Center, Department of Electrical and Biological Physics, Kwangwoon University, 01897 Seoul, South Korea.
| | - Nagendra Kumar Kaushik
- Plasma Bioscience Research Center, Department of Electrical and Biological Physics, Kwangwoon University, 01897 Seoul, South Korea.
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4
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Xing D, Li S, Shang M, Wang W, Zhang Q, Wang J, Hasin T, Hettiarachchi D, Alston V, Bern L, Parrales AP, Lu C, Coogan M, Johnson A, Qin Z, Su B, Dunham R. A New Strategy for Increasing Knock-in Efficiency: Multiple Elongase and Desaturase Transgenes Knock-in by Targeting Long Repeated Sequences. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:4210-4219. [PMID: 36332126 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock-in (KI) has a wide application in gene therapy, gene function study, and transgenic breeding programs. Unlike gene therapy, which requires accurate KI to correct gene mutation, transgenic breeding programs can accept robust KI as long as integration does not interrupt normal gene functions and result in any negative pleiotropic effects. High KI efficiency is required to reduce the breeding cost and shorten the breeding period, especially in transferring multiple foreign genes to a single individual. To elevate the KI efficacy and achieve multiple gene KIs simultaneously, we introduced a new strategy that enables transgene integration into numerous sites of the genome by targeting long repeated sequences (LRSs). Using this simple strategy, for the first time we successfully generated transgenic fish carrying the masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) elovl2 gene and rabbitfish (Siganus canaliculatus) Δ4 fad and Δ6 fad genes, and achieved robust target KI of elovl2 and Δ6 fad genes at multiple sites of LRS1 and LRS3, respectively, in the initial generation. This demonstrated that donor plasmid homology arms, which were nearly identical but not completely the same as the genome sequence, still led to on-target KI. Although the target KI efficiencies at LRS1, LRS2, and LRS3 sites were still relatively low in the current study, it is very promising that 100% KI efficiency in the future could be realized and perfected by selection of better LRSs and optimization of sgRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- De Xing
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
| | - Shangjia Li
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
| | - Mei Shang
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
| | - Wenwen Wang
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
| | - Qin Zhang
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
| | - Jinhai Wang
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
| | - Tasnuba Hasin
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
| | - Darshika Hettiarachchi
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
| | - Veronica Alston
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
| | - Logan Bern
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
| | - Abel Paladines Parrales
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
| | - Cuiyu Lu
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
| | - Michael Coogan
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
| | - Andrew Johnson
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
| | - Zhenkui Qin
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao266003, China
| | - Baofeng Su
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
| | - Rex Dunham
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama36849, United States
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5
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Basheer F, Dhar P, Samarasinghe RM. Zebrafish Models of Paediatric Brain Tumours. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:9920. [PMID: 36077320 PMCID: PMC9456103 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23179920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Paediatric brain cancer is the second most common childhood cancer and is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children. Despite significant advancements in the treatment modalities and improvements in the 5-year survival rate, it leaves long-term therapy-associated side effects in paediatric patients. Addressing these impairments demands further understanding of the molecularity and heterogeneity of these brain tumours, which can be demonstrated using different animal models of paediatric brain cancer. Here we review the use of zebrafish as potential in vivo models for paediatric brain tumour modelling, as well as catalogue the currently available zebrafish models used to study paediatric brain cancer pathophysiology, and discuss key findings, the unique attributes that these models add, current challenges and therapeutic significance.
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6
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Russo I, Sartor E, Fagotto L, Colombo A, Tiso N, Alaibac M. The Zebrafish model in dermatology: an update for clinicians. Discov Oncol 2022; 13:48. [PMID: 35713744 PMCID: PMC9206045 DOI: 10.1007/s12672-022-00511-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, the zebrafish has been established as one of the most important model organisms for medical research. Several studies have proved that there is a high level of similarity between human and zebrafish genomes, which encourages the use of zebrafish as a model for understanding human genetic disorders, including cancer. Interestingly, zebrafish skin shows several similarities to human skin, suggesting that this model organism is particularly suitable for the study of neoplastic and inflammatory skin disorders. This paper appraises the specific characteristics of zebrafish skin and describes the major applications of the zebrafish model in dermatological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Russo
- Unit of Dermatology, University of Padua, Via Gallucci 4, 35128, Padua, Italy
| | - Emma Sartor
- Unit of Dermatology, University of Padua, Via Gallucci 4, 35128, Padua, Italy
| | - Laura Fagotto
- Unit of Dermatology, University of Padua, Via Gallucci 4, 35128, Padua, Italy
| | - Anna Colombo
- Unit of Dermatology, University of Padua, Via Gallucci 4, 35128, Padua, Italy
| | - Natascia Tiso
- Department of Biology, University of Padua, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - Mauro Alaibac
- Unit of Dermatology, University of Padua, Via Gallucci 4, 35128, Padua, Italy.
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7
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Oliveira ML, Veloso A, Garcia EG, Iyer S, Pereira C, Barreto VM, Langenau DM, Barata JT. Mutant IL7R collaborates with MYC to induce T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Leukemia 2022; 36:1533-1540. [PMID: 35581375 PMCID: PMC9162918 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-022-01590-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive pediatric cancer. Amongst the wide array of driver mutations, 10% of T-ALL patients display gain-of-function mutations in the IL-7 receptor α chain (IL-7Rα, encoded by IL7R), which occur in different molecular subtypes of this disease. However, it is still unclear whether IL-7R mutational activation is sufficient to transform T-cell precursors. Also, which genes cooperate with IL7R to drive leukemogenesis remain poorly defined. Here, we demonstrate that mutant IL7R alone is capable of inducing T-ALL with long-latency in stable transgenic zebrafish and transformation is associated with MYC transcriptional activation. Additionally, we find that mutant IL7R collaborates with Myc to induce early onset T-ALL in transgenic zebrafish, supporting a model where these pathways collaborate to drive leukemogenesis. T-ALLs co-expressing mutant IL7R and Myc activate STAT5 and AKT pathways, harbor reduced numbers of apoptotic cells and remake tumors in transplanted zebrafish faster than T-ALLs expressing Myc alone. Moreover, limiting-dilution cell transplantation experiments reveal that activated IL-7R signaling increases the overall frequency of leukemia propagating cells. Our work highlights a synergy between mutant IL7R and Myc in inducing T-ALL and demonstrates that mutant IL7R enriches for leukemia propagating potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana L Oliveira
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Alexandra Veloso
- Molecular Pathology Unit, MGH Research Institute, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
- MGH Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, MGH, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Elaine G Garcia
- Molecular Pathology Unit, MGH Research Institute, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
- MGH Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, MGH, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Sowmya Iyer
- Molecular Pathology Unit, MGH Research Institute, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
- MGH Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, MGH, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Clara Pereira
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Vasco M Barreto
- DNA Breaks Laboratory, CEDOC - Chronic Diseases Research Center, NOVA Medical School - Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - David M Langenau
- Molecular Pathology Unit, MGH Research Institute, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA.
- MGH Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA.
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, MGH, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
| | - João T Barata
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
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Abstract
Zebrafish has emerged as an important animal model to study human diseases, especially cancer. Along with the robust transgenic and genome editing technologies applied in zebrafish modeling, the ease of maintenance, high-yield productivity, and powerful live imaging altogether make the zebrafish a valuable model system to study metastasis and cellular and molecular bases underlying this process in vivo. The first zebrafish neuroblastoma (NB) model of metastasis was developed by overexpressing two oncogenes, MYCN and LMO1, under control of the dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (dβh) promoter. Co-overexpressed MYCN and LMO1 led to the reduced latency and increased penetrance of neuroblastomagenesis, as well as accelerated distant metastasis of tumor cells. This new model reliably reiterates many key features of human metastatic NB, including involvement of clinically relevant and metastasis-associated genetic alterations; natural and spontaneous development of metastasis in vivo; and conserved sites of metastases. Therefore, the zebrafish model possesses unique advantages to dissect the complex process of tumor metastasis in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuag Paj Her
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
| | - Kok Siong Yeo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
| | - Cassie Howe
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
| | - Taylor Levee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
| | - Shizhen Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center;
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9
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Tao T, Shi H, Wang M, Perez-Atayde AR, London WB, Gutierrez A, Lemos B, Durbin AD, Look AT. Ganglioneuromas are driven by activated AKT and can be therapeutically targeted with mTOR inhibitors. J Exp Med 2021; 217:151986. [PMID: 32728700 PMCID: PMC7537400 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20191871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Peripheral sympathetic nervous system tumors are the most common extracranial solid tumors of childhood and include neuroblastoma, ganglioneuroblastoma, and ganglioneuroma. Surgery is the only effective therapy for ganglioneuroma, which may be challenging due to the location of the tumor and involvement of surrounding structures. Thus, there is a need for well-tolerated presurgical therapies that could reduce the size and extent of ganglioneuroma and therefore limit surgical morbidity. Here, we found that an AKT–mTOR–S6 pathway was active in human ganglioneuroma but not neuroblastoma samples. Zebrafish transgenic for constitutively activated myr-Akt2 in the sympathetic nervous system were found to develop ganglioneuroma without progression to neuroblastoma. Inhibition of the downstream AKT target, mTOR, in zebrafish with ganglioneuroma effectively reduced the tumor burden. Our results implicate activated AKT as a tumorigenic driver in ganglioneuroma. We propose a clinical trial of mTOR inhibitors as a means to shrink large ganglioneuromas before resection in order to reduce surgical morbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Tao
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Hui Shi
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Meng Wang
- Department of Environmental Health & Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | | | - Wendy B London
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Alejandro Gutierrez
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Bernardo Lemos
- Department of Environmental Health & Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Adam D Durbin
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.,The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
| | - A Thomas Look
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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10
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Raby L, Völkel P, Le Bourhis X, Angrand PO. Genetic Engineering of Zebrafish in Cancer Research. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12082168. [PMID: 32759814 PMCID: PMC7464884 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12082168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an excellent model to study a wide diversity of human cancers. In this review, we provide an overview of the genetic and reverse genetic toolbox allowing the generation of zebrafish lines that develop tumors. The large spectrum of genetic tools enables the engineering of zebrafish lines harboring precise genetic alterations found in human patients, the generation of zebrafish carrying somatic or germline inheritable mutations or zebrafish showing conditional expression of the oncogenic mutations. Comparative transcriptomics demonstrate that many of the zebrafish tumors share molecular signatures similar to those found in human cancers. Thus, zebrafish cancer models provide a unique in vivo platform to investigate cancer initiation and progression at the molecular and cellular levels, to identify novel genes involved in tumorigenesis as well as to contemplate new therapeutic strategies.
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11
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Tao T, Shi H, Mariani L, Abraham BJ, Durbin AD, Zimmerman MW, Powers JT, Missios P, Ross KN, Perez-Atayde AR, Bulyk ML, Young RA, Daley GQ, Look AT. LIN28B regulates transcription and potentiates MYCN-induced neuroblastoma through binding to ZNF143 at target gene promotors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020;117:16516-16526. [PMID: 32601179 PMCID: PMC7368283 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1922692117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
LIN28B is well known as a RNA-binding protein and a suppressor of microRNA biogenesis by selectively blocking the processing of let-7 precursors. However, little is known about let-7–independent roles of LIN28B. Here, we show that LIN28B is recruited to active promoters by binding to the zinc-finger transcription factor ZNF143. LIN28B acts as a cofactor to upregulate expression of a subset of downstream target genes that are essential for neuroblastoma cell survival and migration. Our paper reveals an unexpected role of LIN28B in transcriptional regulation that is independent of let-7 during neuroblastoma pathogenesis. LIN28B is highly expressed in neuroblastoma and promotes tumorigenesis, at least, in part, through inhibition of let-7 microRNA biogenesis. Here, we report that overexpression of either wild-type (WT) LIN28B or a LIN28B mutant that is unable to inhibit let-7 processing increases the penetrance of MYCN-induced neuroblastoma, potentiates the invasion and migration of transformed sympathetic neuroblasts, and drives distant metastases in vivo. Genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with massively parallel DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq) and coimmunoprecipitation experiments show that LIN28B binds active gene promoters in neuroblastoma cells through protein–protein interaction with the sequence-specific zinc-finger transcription factor ZNF143 and activates the expression of downstream targets, including transcription factors forming the adrenergic core regulatory circuitry that controls the malignant cell state in neuroblastoma as well as GSK3B and L1CAM that are involved in neuronal cell adhesion and migration. These findings reveal an unexpected let-7–independent function of LIN28B in transcriptional regulation during neuroblastoma pathogenesis.
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12
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Hason M, Bartůněk P. Zebrafish Models of Cancer-New Insights on Modeling Human Cancer in a Non-Mammalian Vertebrate. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10110935. [PMID: 31731811 PMCID: PMC6896156 DOI: 10.3390/genes10110935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a valuable non-mammalian vertebrate model widely used to study development and disease, including more recently cancer. The evolutionary conservation of cancer-related programs between human and zebrafish is striking and allows extrapolation of research outcomes obtained in fish back to humans. Zebrafish has gained attention as a robust model for cancer research mainly because of its high fecundity, cost-effective maintenance, dynamic visualization of tumor growth in vivo, and the possibility of chemical screening in large numbers of animals at reasonable costs. Novel approaches in modeling tumor growth, such as using transgene electroporation in adult zebrafish, could improve our knowledge about the spatial and temporal control of cancer formation and progression in vivo. Looking at genetic as well as epigenetic alterations could be important to explain the pathogenesis of a disease as complex as cancer. In this review, we highlight classic genetic and transplantation models of cancer in zebrafish as well as provide new insights on advances in cancer modeling. Recent progress in zebrafish xenotransplantation studies and drug screening has shown that zebrafish is a reliable model to study human cancer and could be suitable for evaluating patient-derived xenograft cell invasiveness. Rapid, large-scale evaluation of in vivo drug responses and kinetics in zebrafish could undoubtedly lead to new applications in personalized medicine and combination therapy. For all of the above-mentioned reasons, zebrafish is approaching a future of being a pre-clinical cancer model, alongside the mouse. However, the mouse will continue to be valuable in the last steps of pre-clinical drug screening, mostly because of the highly conserved mammalian genome and biological processes.
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13
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Sinha AA, Park G, Frazer JK. Tackling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia-One Fish at a Time. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E5313. [PMID: 31731471 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20215313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a need for improved strategies to decrease morbidity and improve cure rates in relapsed/refractory ALL still exists. Such approaches include the identification and implementation of novel targeted combination regimens, and more precise upfront patient risk stratification to guide therapy. New curative strategies rely on an understanding of the pathobiology that derives from systematically dissecting each cancer’s genetic and molecular landscape. Zebrafish models provide a powerful system to simulate human diseases, including leukemias and ALL specifically. They are also an invaluable tool for genetic manipulation, in vivo studies, and drug discovery. Here, we highlight and summarize contributions made by several zebrafish T-ALL models and newer zebrafish B-ALL models in translating the underlying genetic and molecular mechanisms operative in ALL, and also highlight their potential utility for drug discovery. These models have laid the groundwork for increasing our understanding of the molecular basis of ALL to further translational and clinical research endeavors that seek to improve outcomes in this important cancer.
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14
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Abstract
Zebrafish offer a powerful vertebrate model for studies of development and disease. The major advantages of this model include the possibilities of conducting reverse and forward genetic screens and of observing cellular processes by in vivo imaging of single cells. Moreover, pathways regulating blood development are highly conserved between zebrafish and mammals, and several discoveries made in fish were later translated to murine and human models. This review and accompanying poster provide an overview of zebrafish hematopoiesis and discuss the existing zebrafish models of blood disorders, such as myeloid and lymphoid malignancies, bone marrow failure syndromes and immunodeficiencies, with a focus on how these models were generated and how they can be applied for translational research. Summary: This At A Glance article and poster summarize the last 20 years of research in zebrafish models for hematopoietic disorders, highlighting how these models were created and are being applied for translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Konantz
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Basel 4031, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Schürch
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Basel 4031, Switzerland
| | - Pauline Hanns
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Basel 4031, Switzerland
| | - Joëlle S Müller
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Basel 4031, Switzerland
| | - Loïc Sauteur
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Basel 4031, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Lengerke
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Basel 4031, Switzerland.,Division of Hematology, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Basel 4031, Switzerland
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15
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Zizioli D, Mione M, Varinelli M, Malagola M, Bernardi S, Alghisi E, Borsani G, Finazzi D, Monti E, Presta M, Russo D. Zebrafish disease models in hematology: Highlights on biological and translational impact. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2019; 1865:620-33. [PMID: 30593895 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2018.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Revised: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) has proven to be a versatile and reliable in vivo experimental model to study human hematopoiesis and hematological malignancies. As vertebrates, zebrafish has significant anatomical and biological similarities to humans, including the hematopoietic system. The powerful genome editing and genome-wide forward genetic screening tools have generated models that recapitulate human malignant hematopoietic pathologies in zebrafish and unravel cellular mechanisms involved in these diseases. Moreover, the use of zebrafish models in large-scale chemical screens has allowed the identification of new molecular targets and the design of alternative therapies. In this review we summarize the recent achievements in hematological research that highlight the power of the zebrafish model for discovery of new therapeutic molecules. We believe that the model is ready to give an immediate translational impact into the clinic.
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16
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Strynatka KA, Gurrola-Gal MC, Berman JN, McMaster CR. How Surrogate and Chemical Genetics in Model Organisms Can Suggest Therapies for Human Genetic Diseases. Genetics 2018; 208:833-51. [PMID: 29487144 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.117.300124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 12/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic diseases are both inherited and acquired. Many genetic diseases fall under the paradigm of orphan diseases, a disease found in < 1 in 2000 persons. With rapid and cost-effective genome sequencing becoming the norm, many causal mutations for genetic diseases are being rapidly determined. In this regard, model organisms are playing an important role in validating if specific mutations identified in patients drive the observed phenotype. An emerging challenge for model organism researchers is the application of genetic and chemical genetic platforms to discover drug targets and drugs/drug-like molecules for potential treatment options for patients with genetic disease. This review provides an overview of how model organisms have contributed to our understanding of genetic disease, with a focus on the roles of yeast and zebrafish in gene discovery and the identification of compounds that could potentially treat human genetic diseases.
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17
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Abstract
The zebrafish animal model is gaining increasing popularity as a tool for studying human disease. Over the past 15 years, many models of leukemia and other hematological malignancies have been developed in the zebrafish. These confer some significant advantages over similar models in other animals and systems, representing a powerful resource for investigation of the molecular basis of human leukemia. This review discusses the various zebrafish models of lymphoid and myeloid leukemia available, the major discoveries that have been made possible by them, and opportunities for future exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jill L. O. de Jong
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
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18
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Ignatius MS, Hayes MN, Moore FE, Tang Q, Garcia SP, Blackburn PR, Baxi K, Wang L, Jin A, Ramakrishnan A, Reeder S, Chen Y, Nielsen GP, Chen EY, Hasserjian RP, Tirode F, Ekker SC, Langenau DM. tp53 deficiency causes a wide tumor spectrum and increases embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma metastasis in zebrafish. eLife 2018; 7:37202. [PMID: 30192230 PMCID: PMC6128690 DOI: 10.7554/elife.37202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The TP53 tumor-suppressor gene is mutated in >50% of human tumors and Li-Fraumeni patients with germ line inactivation are predisposed to developing cancer. Here, we generated tp53 deleted zebrafish that spontaneously develop malignant peripheral nerve-sheath tumors, angiosarcomas, germ cell tumors, and an aggressive Natural Killer cell-like leukemia for which no animal model has been developed. Because the tp53 deletion was generated in syngeneic zebrafish, engraftment of fluorescent-labeled tumors could be dynamically visualized over time. Importantly, engrafted tumors shared gene expression signatures with predicted cells of origin in human tissue. Finally, we showed that tp53del/del enhanced invasion and metastasis in kRASG12D-induced embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS), but did not alter the overall frequency of cancer stem cells, suggesting novel pro-metastatic roles for TP53 loss-of-function in human muscle tumors. In summary, we have developed a Li-Fraumeni zebrafish model that is amenable to large-scale transplantation and direct visualization of tumor growth in live animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myron S Ignatius
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Center of Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, Massachusetts.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Molecular Medicine, Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Madeline N Hayes
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Center of Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, Massachusetts.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Finola E Moore
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Center of Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, Massachusetts.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Qin Tang
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Center of Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, Massachusetts.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Sara P Garcia
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Patrick R Blackburn
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, United States
| | - Kunal Baxi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Long Wang
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Alexander Jin
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ashwin Ramakrishnan
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Sophia Reeder
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yidong Chen
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Gunnlaugur Petur Nielsen
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Center of Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Eleanor Y Chen
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | - Robert P Hasserjian
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Center of Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Franck Tirode
- Department of Translational Research and Innovation, Université Claude Bernard Lyon, Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Stephen C Ekker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, United States
| | - David M Langenau
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Center of Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, Massachusetts.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
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19
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Mansour MR, He S, Li Z, Lobbardi R, Abraham BJ, Hug C, Rahman S, Leon TE, Kuang YY, Zimmerman MW, Blonquist T, Gjini E, Gutierrez A, Tang Q, Garcia-Perez L, Pike-Overzet K, Anders L, Berezovskaya A, Zhou Y, Zon LI, Neuberg D, Fielding AK, Staal FJT, Langenau DM, Sanda T, Young RA, Look AT. JDP2: An oncogenic bZIP transcription factor in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. J Exp Med 2018; 215:1929-1945. [PMID: 29941549 PMCID: PMC6028512 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20170484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Revised: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
A substantial subset of patients with T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) develops resistance to steroids and succumbs to their disease. JDP2 encodes a bZIP protein that has been implicated as a T-ALL oncogene from insertional mutagenesis studies in mice, but its role in human T-ALL pathogenesis has remained obscure. Here we show that JDP2 is aberrantly expressed in a subset of T-ALL patients and is associated with poor survival. JDP2 is required for T-ALL cell survival, as its depletion by short hairpin RNA knockdown leads to apoptosis. Mechanistically, JDP2 regulates prosurvival signaling through direct transcriptional regulation of MCL1. Furthermore, JDP2 is one of few oncogenes capable of initiating T-ALL in transgenic zebrafish. Notably, thymocytes from rag2:jdp2 transgenic zebrafish express high levels of mcl1 and demonstrate resistance to steroids in vivo. These studies establish JDP2 as a novel oncogene in high-risk T-ALL and implicate overexpression of MCL1 as a mechanism of steroid resistance in JDP2-overexpressing cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc R Mansour
- Department of Haematology, University College London Cancer Institute, London, England, UK
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Shuning He
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Zhaodong Li
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Riadh Lobbardi
- Molecular Pathology and Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
| | | | - Clemens Hug
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Sunniyat Rahman
- Department of Haematology, University College London Cancer Institute, London, England, UK
| | - Theresa E Leon
- Department of Haematology, University College London Cancer Institute, London, England, UK
| | - You-Yi Kuang
- Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Mark W Zimmerman
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Traci Blonquist
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Evisa Gjini
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Alejandro Gutierrez
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Qin Tang
- Molecular Pathology and Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
| | - Laura Garcia-Perez
- Department of Immunohematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Karin Pike-Overzet
- Department of Immunohematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Lars Anders
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA
| | - Alla Berezovskaya
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Yi Zhou
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Leonard I Zon
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Donna Neuberg
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Adele K Fielding
- Department of Haematology, University College London Cancer Institute, London, England, UK
| | - Frank J T Staal
- Department of Immunohematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - David M Langenau
- Molecular Pathology and Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
| | - Takaomi Sanda
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Singapore
| | - Richard A Young
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - A Thomas Look
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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20
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Hosono Y, Niknafs YS, Prensner JR, Iyer MK, Dhanasekaran SM, Mehra R, Pitchiaya S, Tien J, Escara-Wilke J, Poliakov A, Chu SC, Saleh S, Sankar K, Su F, Guo S, Qiao Y, Freier SM, Bui HH, Cao X, Malik R, Johnson TM, Beer DG, Feng FY, Zhou W, Chinnaiyan AM. Oncogenic Role of THOR, a Conserved Cancer/Testis Long Non-coding RNA. Cell 2017; 171:1559-1572.e20. [PMID: 29245011 PMCID: PMC5734106 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.11.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Revised: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Large-scale transcriptome sequencing efforts have vastly expanded the catalog of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) with varying evolutionary conservation, lineage expression, and cancer specificity. Here, we functionally characterize a novel ultraconserved lncRNA, THOR (ENSG00000226856), which exhibits expression exclusively in testis and a broad range of human cancers. THOR knockdown and overexpression in multiple cell lines and animal models alters cell or tumor growth supporting an oncogenic role. We discovered a conserved interaction of THOR with IGF2BP1 and show that THOR contributes to the mRNA stabilization activities of IGF2BP1. Notably, transgenic THOR knockout produced fertilization defects in zebrafish and also conferred a resistance to melanoma onset. Likewise, ectopic expression of human THOR in zebrafish accelerated the onset of melanoma. THOR represents a novel class of functionally important cancer/testis lncRNAs whose structure and function have undergone positive evolutionary selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuyuki Hosono
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yashar S Niknafs
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - John R Prensner
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthew K Iyer
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Saravana M Dhanasekaran
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Rohit Mehra
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Jean Tien
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Anton Poliakov
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Shih-Chun Chu
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sahal Saleh
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Keerthana Sankar
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Fengyun Su
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Yuanyuan Qiao
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | | | - Xuhong Cao
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Rohit Malik
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Timothy M Johnson
- Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - David G Beer
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Section of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Felix Y Feng
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Weibin Zhou
- Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Arul M Chinnaiyan
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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21
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Zhang X, Dong Z, Zhang C, Ung CY, He S, Tao T, Oliveira AM, Meves A, Ji B, Look AT, Li H, Neel BG, Zhu S. Critical Role for GAB2 in Neuroblastoma Pathogenesis through the Promotion of SHP2/MYCN Cooperation. Cell Rep 2017; 18:2932-2942. [PMID: 28329685 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.02.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Revised: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence suggests a major role for Src-homology-2-domain-containing phosphatase 2 (SHP2/PTPN11) in MYCN-driven high-risk neuroblastoma, although biologic confirmation and a plausible mechanism for this contribution are lacking. Using a zebrafish model of MYCN-overexpressing neuroblastoma, we demonstrate that mutant ptpn11 expression in the adrenal gland analog of MYCN transgenic fish promotes the proliferation of hyperplastic neuroblasts, accelerates neuroblastomagenesis, and increases tumor penetrance. We identify a similar mechanism in tumors with wild-type ptpn11 and dysregulated Gab2, which encodes a Shp2 activator that is overexpressed in human neuroblastomas. In MYCN transgenic fish, Gab2 overexpression activated the Shp2-Ras-Erk pathway, enhanced neuroblastoma induction, and increased tumor penetrance. We conclude that MYCN cooperates with either GAB2-activated or mutant SHP2 in human neuroblastomagenesis. Our findings further suggest that combined inhibition of MYCN and the SHP2-RAS-ERK pathway could provide effective targeted therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma patients with MYCN amplification and aberrant SHP2 activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoling Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Zhiwei Dong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Choong Yong Ung
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Shuning He
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ting Tao
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Andre M Oliveira
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Alexander Meves
- Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Baoan Ji
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - A Thomas Look
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Hu Li
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Benjamin G Neel
- Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA.
| | - Shizhen Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN 55902, USA; Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55902, USA.
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22
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Lobbardi R, Pinder J, Martinez-Pastor B, Theodorou M, Blackburn JS, Abraham BJ, Namiki Y, Mansour M, Abdelfattah NS, Molodtsov A, Alexe G, Toiber D, de Waard M, Jain E, Boukhali M, Lion M, Bhere D, Shah K, Gutierrez A, Stegmaier K, Silverman LB, Sadreyev RI, Asara JM, Oettinger MA, Haas W, Look AT, Young RA, Mostoslavsky R, Dellaire G, Langenau DM. TOX Regulates Growth, DNA Repair, and Genomic Instability in T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Cancer Discov 2017; 7:1336-1353. [PMID: 28974511 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-17-0267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2017] [Revised: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive malignancy of thymocytes. Using a transgenic screen in zebrafish, thymocyte selection-associated high mobility group box protein (TOX) was uncovered as a collaborating oncogenic driver that accelerated T-ALL onset by expanding the initiating pool of transformed clones and elevating genomic instability. TOX is highly expressed in a majority of human T-ALL and is required for proliferation and continued xenograft growth in mice. Using a wide array of functional analyses, we uncovered that TOX binds directly to KU70/80 and suppresses recruitment of this complex to DNA breaks to inhibit nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) repair. Impaired NHEJ is well known to cause genomic instability, including development of T-cell malignancies in KU70- and KU80-deficient mice. Collectively, our work has uncovered important roles for TOX in regulating NHEJ by elevating genomic instability during leukemia initiation and sustaining leukemic cell proliferation following transformation.Significance: TOX is an HMG box-containing protein that has important roles in T-ALL initiation and maintenance. TOX inhibits the recruitment of KU70/KU80 to DNA breaks, thereby inhibiting NHEJ repair. Thus, TOX is likely a dominant oncogenic driver in a large fraction of human T-ALL and enhances genomic instability. Cancer Discov; 7(11); 1336-53. ©2017 AACR.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1201.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riadh Lobbardi
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Jordan Pinder
- Departments of Pathology and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.,Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | | | - Marina Theodorou
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | | | - Brian J Abraham
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Yuka Namiki
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Marc Mansour
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Haematology, UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nouran S Abdelfattah
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Aleksey Molodtsov
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Gabriela Alexe
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Debra Toiber
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Manon de Waard
- Institute of Biology Leiden, University of Leiden, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Esha Jain
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Myriam Boukhali
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Mattia Lion
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Deepak Bhere
- Center for Stem Cell Therapeutics and Imaging, Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Khalid Shah
- Center for Stem Cell Therapeutics and Imaging, Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Alejandro Gutierrez
- Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kimberly Stegmaier
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts.,Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lewis B Silverman
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ruslan I Sadreyev
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - John M Asara
- Division of Signal Transduction, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Marjorie A Oettinger
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Wilhelm Haas
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - A Thomas Look
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Richard A Young
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Raul Mostoslavsky
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Graham Dellaire
- Departments of Pathology and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.,Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - David M Langenau
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. .,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts.,Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
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23
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Zhu S, Zhang X, Weichert-Leahey N, Dong Z, Zhang C, Lopez G, Tao T, He S, Wood AC, Oldridge D, Ung CY, van Ree JH, Khan A, Salazar BM, Lummertz da Rocha E, Zimmerman MW, Guo F, Cao H, Hou X, Weroha SJ, Perez-Atayde AR, Neuberg DS, Meves A, McNiven MA, van Deursen JM, Li H, Maris JM, Look AT. LMO1 Synergizes with MYCN to Promote Neuroblastoma Initiation and Metastasis. Cancer Cell 2017; 32:310-323.e5. [PMID: 28867147 PMCID: PMC5605802 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2017.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Revised: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A genome-wide association study identified LMO1, which encodes an LIM-domain-only transcriptional cofactor, as a neuroblastoma susceptibility gene that functions as an oncogene in high-risk neuroblastoma. Here we show that dβh promoter-mediated expression of LMO1 in zebrafish synergizes with MYCN to increase the proliferation of hyperplastic sympathoadrenal precursor cells, leading to a reduced latency and increased penetrance of neuroblastomagenesis. The transgenic expression of LMO1 also promoted hematogenous dissemination and distant metastasis, which was linked to neuroblastoma cell invasion and migration, and elevated expression levels of genes affecting tumor cell-extracellular matrix interaction, including loxl3, itga2b, itga3, and itga5. Our results provide in vivo validation of LMO1 as an important oncogene that promotes neuroblastoma initiation, progression, and widespread metastatic dissemination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shizhen Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN 55902, USA.
| | - Xiaoling Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Nina Weichert-Leahey
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Zhiwei Dong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Gonzalo Lopez
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ting Tao
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Shuning He
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Andrew C Wood
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Derek Oldridge
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Choong Yong Ung
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Janine H van Ree
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Amish Khan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Brittany M Salazar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Edroaldo Lummertz da Rocha
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Mark W Zimmerman
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Feng Guo
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Hong Cao
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Xiaonan Hou
- Departments of Oncology, Radiation Oncology, and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - S John Weroha
- Departments of Oncology, Radiation Oncology, and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Antonio R Perez-Atayde
- Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Donna S Neuberg
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Alexander Meves
- Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Mark A McNiven
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Jan M van Deursen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Hu Li
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - John M Maris
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - A Thomas Look
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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24
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Tao T, Sondalle SB, Shi H, Zhu S, Perez-Atayde AR, Peng J, Baserga SJ, Look AT. The pre-rRNA processing factor DEF is rate limiting for the pathogenesis of MYCN-driven neuroblastoma. Oncogene 2017; 36:3852-3867. [PMID: 28263972 PMCID: PMC5501763 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2016.527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2016] [Revised: 12/08/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The nucleolar factor, digestive organ expansion factor (DEF), has a key role in ribosome biogenesis, functioning in pre-ribosomal RNA (pre-rRNA) processing as a component of the small ribosomal subunit (SSU) processome. Here we show that the peripheral sympathetic nervous system (PSNS) is very underdeveloped in def-deficient zebrafish, and that def haploinsufficiency significantly decreases disease penetrance and tumor growth rate in a MYCN-driven transgenic zebrafish model of neuroblastoma that arises in the PSNS. Consistent with these findings, DEF is highly expressed in human neuroblastoma, and its depletion in human neuroblastoma cell lines induces apoptosis. Interestingly, overexpression of MYCN in zebrafish and in human neuroblastoma cells results in the appearance of intermediate pre-rRNAs species that reflect the processing of pre-rRNAs through Pathway 2, a pathway that processes pre-rRNAs in a different temporal order than the more often used Pathway 1. Our results indicate that DEF and possibly other components of the SSU processome provide a novel site of vulnerability in neuroblastoma cells that could be exploited for targeted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Tao
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - S B Sondalle
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - H Shi
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - S Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center and Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA.,Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center and Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - A R Perez-Atayde
- Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J Peng
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - S J Baserga
- Departments of Molecular Biophysics &Biochemistry, Genetics and Therapeutic Radiology, Yale University and Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - A T Look
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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25
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Tenente IM, Hayes MN, Ignatius MS, McCarthy K, Yohe M, Sindiri S, Gryder B, Oliveira ML, Ramakrishnan A, Tang Q, Chen EY, Petur Nielsen G, Khan J, Langenau DM. Myogenic regulatory transcription factors regulate growth in rhabdomyosarcoma. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28080960 PMCID: PMC5231408 DOI: 10.7554/elife.19214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a pediatric malignacy of muscle with myogenic regulatory transcription factors MYOD and MYF5 being expressed in this disease. Consensus in the field has been that expression of these factors likely reflects the target cell of transformation rather than being required for continued tumor growth. Here, we used a transgenic zebrafish model to show that Myf5 is sufficient to confer tumor-propagating potential to RMS cells and caused tumors to initiate earlier and have higher penetrance. Analysis of human RMS revealed that MYF5 and MYOD are mutually-exclusively expressed and each is required for sustained tumor growth. ChIP-seq and mechanistic studies in human RMS uncovered that MYF5 and MYOD bind common DNA regulatory elements to alter transcription of genes that regulate muscle development and cell cycle progression. Our data support unappreciated and dominant oncogenic roles for MYF5 and MYOD convergence on common transcriptional targets to regulate human RMS growth. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19214.001
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês M Tenente
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States.,GABBA Program, Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Madeline N Hayes
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States
| | - Myron S Ignatius
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States.,Molecular Medicine, Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, San Antonio, United States
| | - Karin McCarthy
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States
| | - Marielle Yohe
- Oncogenomics Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Advanced Technology Center, National Cancer Institute, Gaithersburg, United States
| | - Sivasish Sindiri
- Oncogenomics Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Advanced Technology Center, National Cancer Institute, Gaithersburg, United States
| | - Berkley Gryder
- Oncogenomics Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Advanced Technology Center, National Cancer Institute, Gaithersburg, United States
| | - Mariana L Oliveira
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ashwin Ramakrishnan
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States
| | - Qin Tang
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States
| | - Eleanor Y Chen
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | - G Petur Nielsen
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States
| | - Javed Khan
- Oncogenomics Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Advanced Technology Center, National Cancer Institute, Gaithersburg, United States
| | - David M Langenau
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States
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26
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Abstract
Sarcoma is a type of cancer affecting connective, supportive, or soft tissue of mesenchymal origin. Despite rare incidence in adults (<1%), over 15% of pediatric cancers are sarcoma. Sadly, both adults and children with relapsed or metastatic disease have devastatingly high rates of mortality. Current treatment options for sarcoma include surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy; however, significant limitations exist with respect to the efficacy of these strategies. Strong impetus has been placed on the development of novel therapies and preclinical models for uncovering mechanisms involved in the development, progression, and therapy resistance of sarcoma. Over the past 15 years, the zebrafish has emerged as a powerful genetic model of human cancer. High genetic conservation when combined with a unique susceptibility to develop sarcoma has made the zebrafish an effective tool for studying these diseases. Transgenic and gene-activation strategies have been employed to develop zebrafish models of rhabdomyosarcoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, Ewing's sarcoma, chordoma, hemangiosarcoma, and liposarcoma. These models all display remarkable molecular and histopathological conservation with their human cancer counterparts and have offered excellent platforms for understanding disease progression in vivo. Short tumor latency and the amenability of zebrafish for ex vivo manipulation, live imaging studies, and tumor cell transplantation have allowed for efficient study of sarcoma initiation, growth, self-renewal, and maintenance. When coupled with facile chemical genetic approaches, zebrafish models of sarcoma have provided a strong translational tool to uncover novel drug pathways and new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- M N Hayes
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - D M Langenau
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA, United States
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27
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Harrison NR, Laroche FJ, Gutierrez A, Feng H. Zebrafish Models of Human Leukemia: Technological Advances and Mechanistic Insights. Adv Exp Med Biol 2016; 916:335-69. [PMID: 27165361 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-30654-4_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Insights concerning leukemic pathophysiology have been acquired in various animal models and further efforts to understand the mechanisms underlying leukemic treatment resistance and disease relapse promise to improve therapeutic strategies. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a vertebrate organism with a conserved hematopoietic program and unique experimental strengths suiting it for the investigation of human leukemia. Recent technological advances in zebrafish research including efficient transgenesis, precise genome editing, and straightforward transplantation techniques have led to the generation of a number of leukemia models. The transparency of the zebrafish when coupled with improved lineage-tracing and imaging techniques has revealed exquisite details of leukemic initiation, progression, and regression. With these advantages, the zebrafish represents a unique experimental system for leukemic research and additionally, advances in zebrafish-based high-throughput drug screening promise to hasten the discovery of novel leukemia therapeutics. To date, investigators have accumulated knowledge of the genetic underpinnings critical to leukemic transformation and treatment resistance and without doubt, zebrafish are rapidly expanding our understanding of disease mechanisms and helping to shape therapeutic strategies for improved outcomes in leukemic patients.
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28
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Ki DH, He S, Rodig S, Look AT. Overexpression of PDGFRA cooperates with loss of NF1 and p53 to accelerate the molecular pathogenesis of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Oncogene 2017; 36:1058-68. [PMID: 27477693 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2016.269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Revised: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are aggressive, frequently metastatic sarcomas that are associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a prominent inherited genetic disease in humans. Although loss of the NF1 gene predisposes to MPNST induction, relatively long tumor latency in NF1 patients suggests that additional genetic or epigenetic abnormalities are needed for the development of these nerve sheath malignancies. To study the molecular pathways contributing to the formation of MPNSTs in NF1 patients, we used a zebrafish tumor model defined by nf1 loss in a p53-deficient background together with the overexpression of either wild-type or constitutively activated PDGFRA (platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α) under control of the sox10 neural crest-specific promoter. Here we demonstrate the accelerated onset and increased penetrance of MPNST formation in fish overexpressing both the wild-type and the mutant PDGFRA transgenes in cells of neural crest origin. Interestingly, overexpression of the wild-type PDGFRA was even more potent in promoting transformation than the mutant PDGFRA, which is important because ~78% of human MPNSTs have expression of wild-type PDGFRA, whereas only 5% harbor activating mutations of the gene encoding this receptor. Further analysis revealed the induction of cellular senescence in zebrafish embryos overexpressing mutant, but not wild-type, PDGFRA, suggesting a mechanism through which the oncogenic activity of the mutant receptor is tempered by the activation of premature cellular senescence in an NF1-deficient background. Taken together, our study suggests a model in which overexpression of wild-type PDGFRA associated with NF1 deficiency leads to aberrant activation of downstream RAS signaling and thus contributes importantly to MPNST development-a prediction supported by the ability of the kinase inhibitor sunitinib alone and in combination with the MEK inhibitor trametinib to retard MPNST progression in transgenic fish overexpressing the wild-type receptor.
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29
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He S, Mansour MR, Zimmerman MW, Ki DH, Layden HM, Akahane K, Gjini E, de Groh ED, Perez-Atayde AR, Zhu S, Epstein JA, Look AT. Synergy between loss of NF1 and overexpression of MYCN in neuroblastoma is mediated by the GAP-related domain. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27130733 PMCID: PMC4900799 DOI: 10.7554/elife.14713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Earlier reports showed that hyperplasia of sympathoadrenal cell precursors during embryogenesis in Nf1-deficient mice is independent of Nf1’s role in down-modulating RAS-MAPK signaling. We demonstrate in zebrafish that nf1 loss leads to aberrant activation of RAS signaling in MYCN-induced neuroblastomas that arise in these precursors, and that the GTPase-activating protein (GAP)-related domain (GRD) is sufficient to suppress the acceleration of neuroblastoma in nf1-deficient fish, but not the hypertrophy of sympathoadrenal cells in nf1 mutant embryos. Thus, even though neuroblastoma is a classical “developmental tumor”, NF1 relies on a very different mechanism to suppress malignant transformation than it does to modulate normal neural crest cell growth. We also show marked synergy in tumor cell killing between MEK inhibitors (trametinib) and retinoids (isotretinoin) in primary nf1a-/- zebrafish neuroblastomas. Thus, our model system has considerable translational potential for investigating new strategies to improve the treatment of very high-risk neuroblastomas with aberrant RAS-MAPK activation. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.14713.001 Neuroblastoma is one of the most common childhood cancers and is responsible for about 15% of childhood deaths due to cancer. The neuroblastoma tumors arise in cells that develop into and form part of the body’s nervous system. Many researchers have studied the genetics of this disease and have recognised common patterns. In particular, neuroblastomas can occur when a protein called MYCN is over-produced and a tumor suppressor protein called NF1 is lost. NF1 is a large protein with several distinct parts or domains. The most studied domain of NF1 is called the GRD, and it is mainly responsible for dampening down signals that cause cells to grow, specialize and survive. However, experiments in mice have revealed that this protein uses its other domains to control the normal development of part of the nervous system. He et al. wanted to know which domains of NF1 are important for suppressing the growth of neuroblastomas. The experiments were conducted in zebrafish that had been engineered to produce an excess of the human version of MYCN. When He et al. also deleted the gene for the zebrafish’s version of NF1, the fish quickly developed neuroblastomas. Supplying the zebrafish with just the GRD of NF1 was enough to supress the growth of the tumors. These experiments show that NF1 uses different domains and signalling pathways to regulate the normal development of part of the nervous system and to prevent formation of neuroblastoma. These engineered zebrafish represent an animal model of neuroblastoma that mimics the human disease in many ways. This model will make it possible to test new drug combinations and to find more effective treatments for neuroblastoma patients. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.14713.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuning He
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Marc R Mansour
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.,Department of Hematology, UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mark W Zimmerman
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Dong Hyuk Ki
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Hillary M Layden
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Koshi Akahane
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Evisa Gjini
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Eric D de Groh
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Penn Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Antonio R Perez-Atayde
- Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Shizhen Zhu
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, United States.,Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, United States
| | - Jonathan A Epstein
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Penn Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - A Thomas Look
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
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30
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Tang Q, Moore JC, Ignatius MS, Tenente IM, Hayes MN, Garcia EG, Torres Yordán N, Bourque C, He S, Blackburn JS, Look AT, Houvras Y, Langenau DM. Imaging tumour cell heterogeneity following cell transplantation into optically clear immune-deficient zebrafish. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10358. [PMID: 26790525 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/02/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancers contain a wide diversity of cell types that are defined by differentiation states, genetic mutations and altered epigenetic programmes that impart functional diversity to individual cells. Elevated tumour cell heterogeneity is linked with progression, therapy resistance and relapse. Yet, imaging of tumour cell heterogeneity and the hallmarks of cancer has been a technical and biological challenge. Here we develop optically clear immune-compromised rag2E450fs(casper) zebrafish for optimized cell transplantation and direct visualization of fluorescently labelled cancer cells at single-cell resolution. Tumour engraftment permits dynamic imaging of neovascularization, niche partitioning of tumour-propagating cells in embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, emergence of clonal dominance in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and tumour evolution resulting in elevated growth and metastasis in BRAFV600E-driven melanoma. Cell transplantation approaches using optically clear immune-compromised zebrafish provide unique opportunities to uncover biology underlying cancer and to dynamically visualize cancer processes at single-cell resolution in vivo. Direct visualisation of heterogeneous cell populations in live animals has been challenging. Here, the authors optimize cell transplantation into optically clear immune-deficient zebrafish, and use intravital imaging to track and to assess functional diversity of individual cancer cells in vivo.
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31
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Zhao C, Zhang W, Zhao Y, Yang Y, Luo H, Ji G, Dong E, Deng H, Lin S, Wei Y, Yang H. Endothelial Cords Promote Tumor Initial Growth prior to Vascular Function through a Paracrine Mechanism. Sci Rep 2016; 6:19404. [PMID: 26762853 DOI: 10.1038/srep19404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 11/17/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The angiogenic switch is an important oncogenic step that determines whether microtumors remain dormant or progresses further. It has been generally perceived that the primary function of this tumorgenic event is to supply oxygen and nutrients through blood circulation. Using in vivo imaging of zebrafish and mouse tumor models, we showed that endothelial cords aggressively penetrated into microtumors and remained non-circulatory for several days before undergoing vascular blood perfusion. Unexpectedly, we found that initial tumor growth in both models was significantly reduced if endothelial cords were removed by blocking VEGF-VEGFR2 signaling or using a vascular deficient zebrafish mutant. It was further shown that soluble factors including IL-8, secreted by endothelial cells (ECs) were responsible for stimulating tumor cells proliferation. These findings establish that tumor angiogenesis play a much earlier and broader role in promoting tumor growth, which is independent of vascular circulation. Understanding this novel mechanism of angiogenic tumor progression offers new entry points for cancer therapeutics.
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Harrold I, Carbonneau S, Moore BM, Nguyen G, Anderson NM, Saini AS, Kanki JP, Jette CA, Feng H. Efficient transgenesis mediated by pigmentation rescue in zebrafish. Biotechniques 2016; 60:13-20. [PMID: 26757807 DOI: 10.2144/000114368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2015] [Accepted: 09/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The zebrafish represents a revolutionary tool in large-scale genetic and small-molecule screens for gene and drug discovery. Transgenic zebrafish are often utilized in these screens. Many transgenic fish lines are maintained in the heterozygous state due to the lethality associated with homozygosity; thus, their progeny must be sorted to ensure a population expressing the transgene of interest for use in screens. Sorting transgenic embryos under a fluorescence microscope is very labor-intensive and demands fine-tuned motor skills. Here we report an efficient transgenic method of utilizing pigmentation rescue of nacre mutant fish for accurate naked-eye identification of both mosaic founders and stable transgenic zebrafish. This was accomplished by co-injecting two constructs with the I-SceI meganuclease enzyme into pigmentless nacre embryos: I-SceI-mitfa:mitfa-I-SceI to rescue the pigmentation and I-SceI-zpromoter:gene-of-interest-I-SceI to express the gene of interest under a zebrafish promoter (zpromoter). Pigmentation rescue reliably predicted transgene integration. Compared with other transgenic techniques, our approach significantly increases the overall percentage of founders and facilitates accurate naked-eye identification of stable transgenic fish, greatly reducing laborious fluorescence microscope sorting and PCR genotyping. Thus, this approach is ideal for generating transgenic fish for large-scale screens.
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Abstract
Zebrafish cancer models have greatly advanced our understanding of malignancy in humans. This is made possible due to the unique advantages of the zebrafish model including ex vivo development and large clutch sizes, which enable large-scale genetic and chemical screens. Transparency of the embryo and the creation of adult zebrafish devoid of pigmentation (casper) have permitted unprecedented ability to dynamically visualize cancer progression in live animals. When coupled with fluorescent reporters and transgenic approaches that drive oncogenesis, it is now possible to label entire or subpopulations of cancer cells and follow cancer growth in near real-time. Here, we will highlight aspects of in vivo imaging using the zebrafish and how it has enhanced our understanding of the fundamental aspects of tumor initiation, self-renewal, neovascularization, tumor cell heterogeneity, invasion and metastasis. Importantly, we will highlight the contribution of cancer imaging in zebrafish for drug discovery.
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Abstract
Neuroblastoma, an important developmental tumor arising in the peripheral sympathetic nervous system (PSNS), accounts for approximately 10 % of all cancer-related deaths in children. Recent genomic analyses have identified a spectrum of genetic alterations in this tumor. Amplification of the MYCN oncogene is found in 20 % of cases and is often accompanied by mutational activation of the ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinase) gene, suggesting their cooperation in tumor initiation and spread. Understanding how complex genetic changes function together in oncogenesis has been a continuing and daunting task in cancer research. This challenge was addressed in neuroblastoma by generating a transgenic zebrafish model that overexpresses human MYCN and activated ALK in the PSNS, leading to tumors that closely resemble human neuroblastoma and new opportunities to probe the mechanisms that underlie the pathogenesis of this tumor. For example, coexpression of activated ALK with MYCN in this model triples the penetrance of neuroblastoma and markedly accelerates tumor onset, demonstrating the interaction of these modified genes in tumor development. Further, MYCN overexpression induces adrenal sympathetic neuroblast hyperplasia, blocks chromaffin cell differentiation, and ultimately triggers a developmentally-timed apoptotic response in the hyperplastic sympathoadrenal cells. In the context of MYCN overexpression, activated ALK provides prosurvival signals that block this apoptotic response, allowing continued expansion and oncogenic transformation of hyperplastic neuroblasts, thus promoting progression to neuroblastoma. This application of the zebrafish model illustrates its value in rational assessment of the multigenic changes that define neuroblastoma pathogenesis and points the way to future studies to identify novel targets for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shizhen Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cancer Center and Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55902, USA.
| | - A Thomas Look
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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Iyengar S, Kasheta M, Ceol CJ. Poised Regeneration of Zebrafish Melanocytes Involves Direct Differentiation and Concurrent Replenishment of Tissue-Resident Progenitor Cells. Dev Cell 2015; 33:631-43. [PMID: 26073020 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2015.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2014] [Revised: 03/15/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Efficient regeneration following injury is critical for maintaining tissue function and enabling organismal survival. Cells reconstituting damaged tissue are often generated from resident stem or progenitor cells or from cells that have dedifferentiated and become proliferative. While lineage-tracing studies have defined cellular sources of regeneration in many tissues, the process by which these cells execute the regenerative process is largely obscure. Here, we have identified tissue-resident progenitor cells that mediate regeneration of zebrafish stripe melanocytes and defined how these cells reconstitute pigmentation. Nearly all regeneration melanocytes arise through direct differentiation of progenitor cells. Wnt signaling is activated prior to differentiation, and inhibition of Wnt signaling impairs regeneration. Additional progenitors divide symmetrically to sustain the pool of progenitor cells. Combining direct differentiation with symmetric progenitor divisions may serve as a means to rapidly repair injured tissue while preserving the capacity to regenerate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharanya Iyengar
- Program in Molecular Medicine and Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Melissa Kasheta
- Program in Molecular Medicine and Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Craig J Ceol
- Program in Molecular Medicine and Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
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Ung CY, Guo F, Zhang X, Zhu Z, Zhu S. Mosaic zebrafish transgenesis for functional genomic analysis of candidate cooperative genes in tumor pathogenesis. J Vis Exp 2015:52567. [PMID: 25867597 PMCID: PMC4401404 DOI: 10.3791/52567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Comprehensive genomic analysis has uncovered surprisingly large numbers of genetic alterations in various types of cancers. To robustly and efficiently identify oncogenic "drivers" among these tumors and define their complex relationships with concurrent genetic alterations during tumor pathogenesis remains a daunting task. Recently, zebrafish have emerged as an important animal model for studying human diseases, largely because of their ease of maintenance, high fecundity, obvious advantages for in vivo imaging, high conservation of oncogenes and their molecular pathways, susceptibility to tumorigenesis and, most importantly, the availability of transgenic techniques suitable for use in the fish. Transgenic zebrafish models of cancer have been widely used to dissect oncogenic pathways in diverse tumor types. However, developing a stable transgenic fish model is both tedious and time-consuming, and it is even more difficult and more time-consuming to dissect the cooperation of multiple genes in disease pathogenesis using this approach, which requires the generation of multiple transgenic lines with overexpression of the individual genes of interest followed by complicated breeding of these stable transgenic lines. Hence, use of a mosaic transient transgenic approach in zebrafish offers unique advantages for functional genomic analysis in vivo. Briefly, candidate transgenes can be coinjected into one-cell-stage wild-type or transgenic zebrafish embryos and allowed to integrate together into each somatic cell in a mosaic pattern that leads to mixed genotypes in the same primarily injected animal. This permits one to investigate in a faster and less expensive manner whether and how the candidate genes can collaborate with each other to drive tumorigenesis. By transient overexpression of activated ALK in the transgenic fish overexpressing MYCN, we demonstrate here the cooperation of these two oncogenes in the pathogenesis of a pediatric cancer, neuroblastoma that has resisted most forms of contemporary treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Choong Yong Ung
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Center for Individualized Medicine
| | - Feng Guo
- Tufts University School of Medicine
| | - Xiaoling Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic
| | - Zhihui Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic
| | - Shizhen Zhu
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Center for Individualized Medicine; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic;
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Abstract
Clonal evolution is the process by which genetic and epigenetic diversity is created within malignant tumor cells. This process culminates in a heterogeneous tumor, consisting of multiple subpopulations of cancer cells that often do not contain the same underlying mutations. Continuous selective pressure permits outgrowth of clones that harbor lesions that are capable of enhancing disease progression, including those that contribute to therapy resistance, metastasis and relapse. Clonal evolution and the resulting intratumoral heterogeneity pose a substantial challenge to biomarker identification, personalized cancer therapies and the discovery of underlying driver mutations in cancer. The purpose of this Review is to highlight the unique strengths of zebrafish cancer models in assessing the roles that intratumoral heterogeneity and clonal evolution play in cancer, including transgenesis, imaging technologies, high-throughput cell transplantation approaches and in vivo single-cell functional assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica S Blackburn
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Regenerative Medicine and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA. Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - David M Langenau
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Regenerative Medicine and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA. Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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Abstract
Zebrafish have become a powerful tool for assessing development, regeneration, and cancer. More recently, allograft cell transplantation protocols have been developed that permit engraftment of normal and malignant cells into irradiated, syngeneic, and immune compromised adult zebrafish. These models when coupled with optimized cell transplantation protocols allow for the rapid assessment of stem cell function, regeneration following injury, and cancer. Here, we present a method for cell transplantation of zebrafish adult skeletal muscle and embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS), a pediatric sarcoma that shares features with embryonic muscle, into immune compromised adult rag2E450fs homozygous mutant zebrafish. Importantly, these animals lack T cells and have reduced B cell function, facilitating engraftment of a wide range of tissues from unrelated donor animals. Our optimized protocols show that fluorescently labeled muscle cell preparations from α-actin-RFP transgenic zebrafish engraft robustly when implanted into the dorsal musculature of rag2 homozygous mutant fish. We also demonstrate engraftment of fluorescent-transgenic ERMS where fluorescence is confined to cells based on differentiation status. Specifically, ERMS were created in AB-strain myf5-GFP; mylpfa-mCherry double transgenic animals and tumors injected into the peritoneum of adult immune compromised fish. The utility of these protocols extends to engraftment of a wide range of normal and malignant donor cells that can be implanted into dorsal musculature or peritoneum of adult zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês M Tenente
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center and Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Stem Cell Institute; GABBA - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto
| | - Qin Tang
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center and Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Stem Cell Institute
| | - John C Moore
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center and Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Stem Cell Institute;
| | - David M Langenau
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center and Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Stem Cell Institute;
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Tang Q, Abdelfattah NS, Blackburn JS, Moore JC, Martinez SA, Moore FE, Lobbardi R, Tenente IM, Ignatius MS, Berman JN, Liwski RS, Houvras Y, Langenau DM. Optimized cell transplantation using adult rag2 mutant zebrafish. Nat Methods 2014; 11:821-4. [PMID: 25042784 PMCID: PMC4294527 DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.3031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2013] [Accepted: 06/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Cell transplantation into adult zebrafish has lagged behind mouse due to the lack of immune compromised models. Here, we have created homozygous rag2E450fs mutant zebrafish that have reduced numbers of functional T and B cells but are viable and fecund. Mutant fish engraft zebrafish muscle, blood stem cells, and cancers. rag2E450fs mutant zebrafish are the first immune compromised zebrafish model that permits robust, long-term engraftment of multiple tissues and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Tang
- 1] Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [2] Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [3] Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [4] Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. [5]
| | - Nouran S Abdelfattah
- 1] Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [2] Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [3] Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [4] Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. [5]
| | - Jessica S Blackburn
- 1] Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [2] Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [3] Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [4] Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. [5]
| | - John C Moore
- 1] Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [2] Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [3] Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [4] Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sarah A Martinez
- 1] Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [2] Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [3] Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [4] Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Finola E Moore
- 1] Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [2] Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [3] Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [4] Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Riadh Lobbardi
- 1] Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [2] Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [3] Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [4] Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Inês M Tenente
- 1] Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [2] Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [3] Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [4] Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Myron S Ignatius
- 1] Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [2] Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [3] Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [4] Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jason N Berman
- Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Robert S Liwski
- Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Yariv Houvras
- 1] Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA. [2] Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - David M Langenau
- 1] Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [2] Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [3] Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [4] Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. [5]
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Abstract
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are widely used for developmental biology studies. In the past decade, D. rerio have become an important oncology model as well. Leukemia is one type of cancer where zebrafish are particularly valuable. As vertebrates, fish have great anatomic and biologic similarity to humans, including their hematopoietic and immune systems. As an experimental platform, D. rerio offer many advantages that mammalian models lack. These include their ease of genetic manipulation, capacity for imaging, and suitability for large-scale phenotypic and drug screens. In this review, we present examples of these strategies and others to illustrate how zebrafish have been and can be used to study leukemia. Besides appraising the techniques researchers apply and introducing the leukemia models they have created, we also highlight recent and exciting discoveries made using D. rerio with an eye to where the field is likely headed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Squiban
- Section of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 941 Stanton L. Young Blvd., BSEB 229, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - J Kimble Frazer
- Section of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 941 Stanton L. Young Blvd., BSEB 224, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
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Albacker CE, Storer NY, Langdon EM, DiBiase A, Zhou Y, Langenau DM, Zon LI. The histone methyltransferase SUV39H1 suppresses embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma formation in zebrafish. PLoS One 2013; 8:e64969. [PMID: 23705022 PMCID: PMC3660348 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2012] [Accepted: 04/22/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetics, or the reversible and heritable marks of gene regulation not including DNA sequence, encompasses chromatin modifications on both the DNA and histones and is as important as the DNA sequence itself. Chromatin-modifying factors are playing an increasingly important role in tumorigenesis, particularly among pediatric rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS), revealing potential novel therapeutic targets. We performed an overexpression screen of chromatin-modifying factors in a KRAS(G12D)-driven zebrafish model for RMS. Here, we describe the identification of a histone H3 lysine 9 histone methyltransferase, SUV39H1, as a suppressor of embryonal RMS formation in zebrafish. This suppression is specific to the histone methyltransferase activity of SUV39H1, as point mutations in the SET domain lacked the effect. SUV39H1-overexpressing and control tumors have a similar proliferation rate, muscle differentiation state, and tumor growth rate. Strikingly, SUV39H1-overexpressing fish initiate fewer tumors, which results in the observed suppressive phenotype. We demonstrate that the delayed tumor onset occurs between 5 and 7 days post fertilization. Gene expression profiling at these stages revealed that in the context of KRAS(G12D) overexpression, SUV39H1 may suppress cell cycle progression. Our studies provide evidence for the role of SUV39H1 as a tumor suppressor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colleen E. Albacker
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Narie Y. Storer
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Erin M. Langdon
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Anthony DiBiase
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Yi Zhou
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - David M. Langenau
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Charlestown, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Leonard I. Zon
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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42
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Sokolowski E, Turina CB, Kikuchi K, Langenau DM, Keller C. Proof-of-concept rare cancers in drug development: the case for rhabdomyosarcoma. Oncogene 2013; 33:1877-89. [PMID: 23665679 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2013.129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2013] [Revised: 02/22/2013] [Accepted: 02/27/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Rare diseases typically affect fewer than 200,000 patients annually, yet because thousands of rare diseases exist, the cumulative impact is millions of patients worldwide. Every form of childhood cancer qualifies as a rare disease-including the childhood muscle cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). The next few years promise to be an exceptionally good era of opportunity for public-private collaboration for rare and childhood cancers. Not only do certain governmental regulation advantages exist, but these advantages are being made permanent with special incentives for pediatric orphan drug-product development. Coupled with a growing understanding of sarcoma tumor biology, synergy with pharmaceutical muscle disease drug-development programs, and emerging publically available preclinical and clinical tools, the outlook for academic-community-industry partnerships in RMS drug development looks promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Sokolowski
- Department of Student Affairs, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - C B Turina
- 1] Department of Student Affairs, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA [2] Pediatric Cancer Biology Program, Department of Pediatrics, Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - K Kikuchi
- Pediatric Cancer Biology Program, Department of Pediatrics, Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - D M Langenau
- 1] Division of Molecular Pathology and Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA [2] Harvard Medical School and Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - C Keller
- Pediatric Cancer Biology Program, Department of Pediatrics, Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
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Le X, Pugach EK, Hettmer S, Storer NY, Liu J, Wills AA, DiBiase A, Chen EY, Ignatius MS, Poss KD, Wagers AJ, Langenau DM, Zon LI. A novel chemical screening strategy in zebrafish identifies common pathways in embryogenesis and rhabdomyosarcoma development. Development 2013; 140:2354-64. [PMID: 23615277 DOI: 10.1242/dev.088427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The zebrafish is a powerful genetic model that has only recently been used to dissect developmental pathways involved in oncogenesis. We hypothesized that operative pathways during embryogenesis would also be used for oncogenesis. In an effort to define RAS target genes during embryogenesis, gene expression was evaluated in Tg(hsp70-HRAS(G12V)) zebrafish embryos subjected to heat shock. dusp6 was activated by RAS, and this was used as the basis for a chemical genetic screen to identify small molecules that interfere with RAS signaling during embryogenesis. A KRAS(G12D)-induced zebrafish embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma was then used to assess the therapeutic effects of the small molecules. Two of these inhibitors, PD98059 and TPCK, had anti-tumor activity as single agents in both zebrafish embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma and a human cell line of rhabdomyosarcoma that harbored activated mutations in NRAS. PD98059 inhibited MEK1 whereas TPCK suppressed S6K1 activity; however, the combined treatment completely suppressed eIF4B phosphorylation and decreased translation initiation. Our work demonstrates that the activated pathways in RAS induction during embryogenesis are also important in oncogenesis and that inhibition of these pathways suppresses tumor growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuning Le
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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44
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Blackburn JS, Liu S, Raiser DM, Martinez SA, Feng H, Meeker ND, Gentry J, Neuberg D, Look AT, Ramaswamy S, Bernards A, Trede NS, Langenau DM. Notch signaling expands a pre-malignant pool of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia clones without affecting leukemia-propagating cell frequency. Leukemia 2012; 26:2069-78. [PMID: 22538478 PMCID: PMC3435461 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2012.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2011] [Revised: 04/03/2012] [Accepted: 04/18/2012] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
NOTCH1 pathway activation contributes to the pathogenesis of over 60% of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). While Notch is thought to exert the majority of its effects through transcriptional activation of Myc, it also likely has independent roles in T-ALL malignancy. Here, we utilized a zebrafish transgenic model of T-ALL, where Notch does not induce Myc transcription, to identify a novel Notch gene expression signature that is also found in human T-ALL and is regulated independently of Myc. Cross-species microarray comparisons between zebrafish and mammalian disease identified a common T-ALL gene signature, suggesting that conserved genetic pathways underlie T-ALL development. Functionally, Notch expression induced a significant expansion of pre-leukemic clones; however, a majority of these clones were not fully transformed and could not induce leukemia when transplanted into recipient animals. Limiting-dilution cell transplantation revealed that Notch signaling does not increase the overall frequency of leukemia-propagating cells (LPCs), either alone or in collaboration with Myc. Taken together, these data indicate that a primary role of Notch signaling in T-ALL is to expand a population of pre-malignant thymocytes, of which a subset acquire the necessary mutations to become fully transformed LPCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica S. Blackburn
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Center of Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Sali Liu
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Center of Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA
| | | | - Sarah A. Martinez
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Center of Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Hui Feng
- Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Nathan D. Meeker
- Department of Pediatrics, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Jeffery Gentry
- Center of Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA
| | - Donna Neuberg
- Department of Biostatistics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - A. Thomas Look
- Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Sridhar Ramaswamy
- Center of Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Andre Bernards
- Center of Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA
| | - Nikolaus S. Trede
- Department of Pediatrics, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - David M. Langenau
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Center of Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA
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Forrester AM, Berman JN, Payne EM. Myelopoiesis and myeloid leukaemogenesis in the zebrafish. Adv Hematol 2012; 2012:358518. [PMID: 22851971 DOI: 10.1155/2012/358518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2012] [Accepted: 06/05/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past ten years, studies using the zebrafish model have contributed to our understanding of vertebrate haematopoiesis, myelopoiesis, and myeloid leukaemogenesis. Novel insights into the conservation of haematopoietic lineages and improvements in our capacity to identify, isolate, and culture such haematopoietic cells continue to enhance our ability to use this simple organism to address disease biology. Coupled with the strengths of the zebrafish embryo to dissect developmental myelopoiesis and the continually expanding repertoire of models of myeloid malignancies, this versatile organism has established its niche as a valuable tool to address key questions in the field of myelopoiesis and myeloid leukaemogenesis. In this paper, we address the recent advances and future directions in the field of myelopoiesis and leukaemogenesis using the zebrafish system.
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Moore FE, Langenau DM. Through the looking glass: visualizing leukemia growth, migration, and engraftment using fluorescent transgenic zebrafish. Adv Hematol 2012; 2012:478164. [PMID: 22829834 DOI: 10.1155/2012/478164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2012] [Accepted: 05/23/2012] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Zebrafish have emerged as a powerful model of development and cancer. Human, mouse, and zebrafish malignancies exhibit striking histopathologic and molecular similarities, underscoring the remarkable conservation of genetic pathways required to induce cancer. Zebrafish are uniquely suited for large-scale studies in which hundreds of animals can be used to investigate cancer processes. Moreover, zebrafish are small in size, optically clear during development, and amenable to genetic manipulation. Facile transgenic approaches and new technologies in gene inactivation have provided much needed genomic resources to interrogate the function of specific oncogenic and tumor suppressor pathways in cancer. This manuscript focuses on the unique attribute of labeling leukemia cells with fluorescent proteins and directly visualizing cancer processes in vivo including tumor growth, dissemination, and intravasation into the vasculature. We will also discuss the use of fluorescent transgenic approaches and cell transplantation to assess leukemia-propagating cell frequency and response to chemotherapy.
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Ignatius MS, Chen E, Elpek NM, Fuller AZ, Tenente IM, Clagg R, Liu S, Blackburn JS, Linardic CM, Rosenberg AE, Nielsen PG, Mempel TR, Langenau DM. In vivo imaging of tumor-propagating cells, regional tumor heterogeneity, and dynamic cell movements in embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. Cancer Cell 2012; 21:680-693. [PMID: 22624717 PMCID: PMC3381357 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2012.03.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2011] [Revised: 02/06/2012] [Accepted: 03/12/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) is an aggressive pediatric sarcoma of muscle. Here, we show that ERMS-propagating potential is confined to myf5+ cells and can be visualized in live, fluorescent transgenic zebrafish. During early tumor growth, myf5+ ERMS cells reside adjacent normal muscle fibers. By late-stage ERMS, myf5+ cells are reorganized into distinct regions separated from differentiated tumor cells. Time-lapse imaging of late-stage ERMS revealed that myf5+ cells populate newly formed tumor only after seeding by highly migratory myogenin+ ERMS cells. Moreover, myogenin+ ERMS cells can enter the vasculature, whereas myf5+ ERMS-propagating cells do not. Our data suggest that non-tumor-propagating cells likely have important supportive roles in cancer progression and facilitate metastasis.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Animals, Genetically Modified
- Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics
- Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism
- Cell Movement
- Disease Progression
- Humans
- Mice
- Mice, SCID
- Microscopy, Confocal
- Microscopy, Fluorescence, Multiphoton
- Myogenic Regulatory Factor 5/genetics
- Myogenic Regulatory Factor 5/metabolism
- Myogenin/genetics
- Myogenin/metabolism
- Neoplasm Invasiveness
- Neoplasm Transplantation
- Neovascularization, Pathologic/metabolism
- Neovascularization, Pathologic/pathology
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/metabolism
- Rhabdomyosarcoma, Embryonal/blood supply
- Rhabdomyosarcoma, Embryonal/genetics
- Rhabdomyosarcoma, Embryonal/metabolism
- Rhabdomyosarcoma, Embryonal/pathology
- Time Factors
- Tumor Cells, Cultured
- Zebrafish/genetics
- Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
- Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Myron S Ignatius
- Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Eleanor Chen
- Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Natalie M Elpek
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Adam Z Fuller
- Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Inês M Tenente
- Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, 4099-003 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ryan Clagg
- Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Sali Liu
- Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Jessica S Blackburn
- Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Corinne M Linardic
- Departments of Pediatrics, Pharmacology, and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Andrew E Rosenberg
- Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Petur G Nielsen
- Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Thorsten R Mempel
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - David M Langenau
- Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
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Zhu S, Lee JS, Guo F, Shin J, Perez-Atayde AR, Kutok JL, Rodig SJ, Neuberg DS, Helman D, Feng H, Stewart RA, Wang W, George RE, Kanki JP, Look AT. Activated ALK collaborates with MYCN in neuroblastoma pathogenesis. Cancer Cell 2012; 21:362-73. [PMID: 22439933 PMCID: PMC3315700 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2012.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 245] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2011] [Revised: 11/23/2011] [Accepted: 02/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Amplification of the MYCN oncogene in childhood neuroblastoma is often accompanied by mutational activation of ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinase), suggesting their pathogenic cooperation. We generated a transgenic zebrafish model of neuroblastoma in which MYCN-induced tumors arise from a subpopulation of neuroblasts that migrate into the adrenal medulla analog following organogenesis. Coexpression of activated ALK with MYCN in this model triples the disease penetrance and markedly accelerates tumor onset. MYCN overexpression induces adrenal sympathetic neuroblast hyperplasia, blocks chromaffin cell differentiation, and ultimately triggers a developmentally-timed apoptotic response in the hyperplastic sympathoadrenal cells. Coexpression of activated ALK with MYCN provides prosurvival signals that block this apoptotic response and allow continued expansion and oncogenic transformation of hyperplastic neuroblasts, thus promoting progression to neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shizhen Zhu
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, 02115, USA
| | - Jeong-Soo Lee
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, 02115, USA
| | - Feng Guo
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, 02115, USA
| | - Jimann Shin
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, 02115, USA
| | - Antonio R. Perez-Atayde
- Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, 02115, USA
| | - Jeffery L. Kutok
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, 02115, USA
| | - Scott J. Rodig
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, 02115, USA
| | - Donna S. Neuberg
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, 02115, USA
| | - Daniel Helman
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, 02115, USA
| | - Hui Feng
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, 02115, USA
| | - Rodney A. Stewart
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, 02115, USA
| | - Wenchao Wang
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, 02115, USA
| | - Rani E. George
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, 02115, USA
| | - John P. Kanki
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, 02115, USA
| | - A. Thomas Look
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, 02115, USA
- Correspondence: (A.T.L.)
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Abstract
Zebrafish provide an exciting animal model system for the study of human cancers. During the last few years many zebrafish models of cancer have been generated that recapitulate human hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Concurrent technological advances have significantly improved the genetic tractability and unique advantage of in vivo imaging in zebrafish, providing a means to dissect the molecular pathways underlying tumor initiation, progression and metastasis. Comparisons of cancer-associated gene expression profiles have demonstrated a high degree of similarity in the gene signatures of specific types of tumor cells in fish and humans, indicating that the contributing genetic pathways leading to cancer are evolutionarily conserved. Furthermore, the high fecundity, optical clarity and small embryo size of zebrafish continue to make it particularly amenable to performing whole-organism small molecule screens to identify targets for therapeutic development. This chapter reviews a wide array of these zebrafish cancer models and illustrates the advantages of the zebrafish system for exploring the molecular mechanisms governing cancer-related cellular processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Etchin
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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50
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Abstract
Genotyping mice by DNA based methods is both laborious and costly. As an alternative, we systematically examined fluorescent proteins expressed in the lens as transgenic markers for mice. A set of eye markers has been selected such that double and triple transgenic animals can be visually identified and that fluorescence intensity in the eyes can be used to distinguish heterozygous from homozygous mice. Taken together, these eye markers dramatically reduce the time and cost of genotyping transgenics and empower analysis of genetic interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan C. Cornett
- Department of Genetics, Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Sean F. Landrette
- Department of Genetics, Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Tian Xu
- Department of Genetics, Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Molecular Medicine, Fudan-Yale Center for Biomedical Research, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- * E-mail:
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