1
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Wu Z, Zhang R, Bao J, Yin M, Wang X. Development of a biomarker signature associated with anoikis to predict prognosis and immunotherapy response in melanoma. Arch Dermatol Res 2024; 316:219. [PMID: 38787413 DOI: 10.1007/s00403-024-03085-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is malignant cancer known for its high aggressiveness and unfavorable prognosis, particularly in advanced tumors. Anoikis is a specific pattern of programmed cell death associated with tumor regeneration, migration, and metastasis. Nevertheless, limited research has been conducted to investigate the function of anoikis in SKCM. Anoikis-related genes (ARGs) were extracted from Genecards to identify SKCM subtypes and to explore the immune microenvironment between the different subtypes. Prognostic models of SKCM were developed by LASSO COX regression analysis. Subsequently, the predictive value of risk scores in SKCM and the association with immunotherapy were further explored. Finally, the expression of 6 ARGs involved in the model construction was detected by immunohistochemistry and PCR. This study identified 20 ARGs significantly associated with SKCM prognosis and performed disease subtype analysis of samples based on these genes, different subtypes exhibited significantly different clinical features and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) landscapes. The risk score prognostic model was generated by further screening and identification of the six ARGs. The model exhibited a high degree of sensitivity and specificity to predict the prognosis of individuals with SKCM. These high- and low-risk populations showed different immune statuses and drug sensitivity. Further immunohistochemical and PCR experiments identified significant differential expression of the six ARGs in tumor and normal samples. Anoikis-based features may serve as novel prognostic biomarkers for SKCM and may provide important new insights for survival prediction and individualized treatment development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixuan Wu
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325015, People's Republic of China
| | - Rongrong Zhang
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325015, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingxia Bao
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325015, People's Republic of China
| | - Mengqi Yin
- The Affiliated Yixing Hospital of Jiangsu University, Yixing, Jiangsu, 214200, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xiaowu Wang
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325015, People's Republic of China.
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2
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Tabari A, Cox M, D'Amore B, Mansur A, Dabbara H, Boland G, Gee MS, Daye D. Machine Learning Improves the Prediction of Responses to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Metastatic Melanoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:2700. [PMID: 37345037 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15102700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Pretreatment LDH is a standard prognostic biomarker for advanced melanoma and is associated with response to ICI. We assessed the role of machine learning-based radiomics in predicting responses to ICI and in complementing LDH for prognostication of metastatic melanoma. From 2008-2022, 79 patients with 168 metastatic hepatic lesions were identified. All patients had arterial phase CT images 1-month prior to initiation of ICI. Response to ICI was assessed on follow-up CT at 3 months using RECIST criteria. A machine learning algorithm was developed using radiomics. Maximum relevance minimum redundancy (mRMR) was used to select features. ROC analysis and logistic regression analyses evaluated performance. Shapley additive explanations were used to identify the variables that are the most important in predicting a response. mRMR selection revealed 15 features that are associated with a response to ICI. The machine learning model combining both radiomics features and pretreatment LDH resulted in better performance for response prediction compared to models that included radiomics or LDH alone (AUC of 0.89 (95% CI: [0.76-0.99]) vs. 0.81 (95% CI: [0.65-0.94]) and 0.81 (95% CI: [0.72-0.91]), respectively). Using SHAP analysis, LDH and two GLSZM were the most predictive of the outcome. Pre-treatment CT radiomic features performed equally well to serum LDH in predicting treatment response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azadeh Tabari
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | | | - Brian D'Amore
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | | | - Harika Dabbara
- Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Genevieve Boland
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Michael S Gee
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Dania Daye
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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3
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Rebecca VW, Xiao M, Kossenkov A, Godok T, Brown GS, Fingerman D, Alicea GM, Wei M, Ji H, Bravo J, Chen Y, Fane ME, Villanueva J, Nathanson K, Liu Q, Gopal YNV, Davies MA, Herlyn M. Dasatinib Resensitizes MAPK Inhibitor Efficacy in Standard-of-Care Relapsed Melanomas. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.20.524923. [PMID: 36711814 PMCID: PMC9882271 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.20.524923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Resistance to combination BRAF/MEK inhibitor (BRAFi/MEKi) therapy arises in nearly every patient with BRAFV600E/K melanoma, despite promising initial responses. Achieving cures in this expanding BRAFi/MEKi-resistant cohort represents one of the greatest challenges to the field; few experience additional durable benefit from immunotherapy and no alternative therapies exist. To better personalize therapy in cancer patients to address therapy relapse, umbrella trials have been initiated whereby genomic sequencing of a panel of potentially actionable targets guide therapy selection for patients; however, the superior efficacy of such approaches remains to be seen. We here test the robustness of the umbrella trial rationale by analyzing relationships between genomic status of a gene and the downstream consequences at the protein level of related pathway, which find poor relationships between mutations, copy number amplification, and protein level. To profile candidate therapeutic strategies that may offer clinical benefit in the context of acquired BRAFi/MEKi resistance, we established a repository of patient-derived xenograft models from heavily pretreated patients with resistance to BRAFi/MEKi and/or immunotherapy (R-PDX). With these R-PDXs, we executed in vivo compound repurposing screens using 11 FDA-approved agents from an NCI-portfolio with pan-RTK, non-RTK and/or PI3K-mTOR specificity. We identify dasatinib as capable of restoring BRAFi/MEKi antitumor efficacy in ~70% of R-PDX tested. A systems-biology analysis indicates elevated baseline protein expression of canonical drivers of therapy resistance (e.g., AXL, YAP, HSP70, phospho-AKT) as predictive of MAPKi/dasatinib sensitivity. We therefore propose that dasatinib-based MAPKi therapy may restore antitumor efficacy in patients that have relapsed to standard-of-care therapy by broadly targeting proteins critical in melanoma therapy escape. Further, we submit that this experimental PDX paradigm could potentially improve preclinical evaluation of therapeutic modalities and augment our ability to identify biomarker-defined patient subsets that may respond to a given clinical trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vito W Rebecca
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Min Xiao
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Gretchen M Alicea
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Meihan Wei
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hongkai Ji
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jeremy Bravo
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Mitchell E Fane
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Qin Liu
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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4
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Rogiers A, Lobon I, Spain L, Turajlic S. The Genetic Evolution of Metastasis. Cancer Res 2022; 82:1849-1857. [PMID: 35476646 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-21-3863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cancer is an evolutionary process that is characterized by the emergence of multiple genetically distinct populations or clones within the primary tumor. Intratumor heterogeneity provides a substrate for the selection of adaptive clones, such as those that lead to metastasis. Comparative molecular studies of primary tumors and metastases have identified distinct genomic features associated with the development of metastases. In this review, we discuss how these insights could inform clinical decision-making and uncover rational antimetastasis treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aljosja Rogiers
- Cancer Dynamics Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom.,Renal and Skin Units, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Irene Lobon
- Cancer Dynamics Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lavinia Spain
- Cancer Dynamics Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom.,Medical Oncology Department, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.,Medical Oncology Department, Eastern Health, Melbourne Australia.,Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Box Hill, Australia
| | - Samra Turajlic
- Cancer Dynamics Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom.,Renal and Skin Units, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.,Melanoma and Kidney Cancer Team, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
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5
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de Groot E, Varghese S, Tan L, Knighton B, Sobieski M, Nguyen N, Park YS, Powell R, Lorenzi PL, Zheng B, Stephan C, Gopal YNV. Combined inhibition of HMGCoA reductase and mitochondrial complex I induces tumor regression of BRAF inhibitor-resistant melanomas. Cancer Metab 2022; 10:6. [PMID: 35193687 PMCID: PMC8862475 DOI: 10.1186/s40170-022-00281-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Primary and posttreatment resistance to BRAFV600 mutation–targeting inhibitors leads to disease relapse in a majority of melanoma patients. In many instances, this resistance is promoted by upregulation of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) in melanoma cells. We recently showed that a novel electron transport chain (ETC) complex I inhibitor, IACS-010759 (IACS), abolished OxPhos and significantly inhibited tumor growth of high-OxPhos, BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi)–resistant human melanomas. However, the inhibition was not uniform across different high OxPhos melanomas, and combination with BRAFi did not improve efficacy. Methods We performed a high-throughput unbiased combinatorial drug screen of clinically relevant small molecules to identify the most potent combination agent with IACS for inhibiting the growth of high-OxPhos, BRAFi-resistant melanomas. We performed bioenergetics and carbon-13 metabolite tracing to delineate the metabolic basis of sensitization of melanomas to the combination treatment. We performed xenograft tumor growth studies and Reverse-Phase Protein Array (RPPA)–based functional proteomics analysis of tumors from mice fed with regular or high-fat diet to evaluate in vivo molecular basis of sensitization to the combination treatment. Results A combinatorial drug screen and subsequent validation studies identified Atorvastatin (STN), a hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor (HMGCRi), as the most potent treatment combination with IACS to inhibit in vitro cell growth and induce tumor regression or stasis of some BRAFi-resistant melanomas. Bioenergetics analysis revealed a dependence on fatty acid metabolism in melanomas that responded to the combination treatment. RPPA analysis and carbon-13 tracing analysis in these melanoma cells showed that IACS treatment decreased metabolic fuel utilization for fatty acid metabolism, but increased substrate availability for activation of the mevalonate pathway by HMGCR, creating a dependence on this pathway. Functional proteomic analysis showed that IACS treatment inhibited MAPK but activated AKT pathway. Combination treatment with STN counteracted AKT activation. Conclusions STN and other clinically approved HMGCRi could be promising combinatorial agents for improving the efficacy of ETC inhibitors like IACS in BRAFi-resistant melanomas. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40170-022-00281-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn de Groot
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sruthy Varghese
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lin Tan
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Barbara Knighton
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mary Sobieski
- Institute of Bioscience and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Nghi Nguyen
- Institute of Bioscience and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yong Sung Park
- Institute of Bioscience and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Reid Powell
- Institute of Bioscience and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Philip L Lorenzi
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Bin Zheng
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Clifford Stephan
- Institute of Bioscience and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Y N Vashisht Gopal
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. .,Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
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6
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Abstract
Melanoma is a relentless type of skin cancer which involves myriad signaling pathways which regulate many cellular processes. This makes melanoma difficult to treat, especially when identified late. At present, therapeutics include chemotherapy, surgical resection, biochemotherapy, immunotherapy, photodynamic and targeted approaches. These interventions are usually administered as either a single-drug or in combination, based on tumor location, stage, and patients' overall health condition. However, treatment efficacy generally decreases as patients develop treatment resistance. Genetic profiling of melanocytes and the discovery of novel molecular factors involved in the pathogenesis of melanoma have helped to identify new therapeutic targets. In this literature review, we examine several newly approved therapies, and briefly describe several therapies being assessed for melanoma. The goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of recent developments and to consider future directions in the field of melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavan Kumar Dhanyamraju
- Department of Pediatrics and Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
- Pavan Kumar Dhanyamraju, Department of Pediatrics and Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA17033, USA. Tel: +1-6096474712, E-mail:
| | - Trupti N. Patel
- School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore Campus, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632014, India
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7
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Yi YW, You KS, Park JS, Lee SG, Seong YS. Ribosomal Protein S6: A Potential Therapeutic Target against Cancer? Int J Mol Sci 2021; 23:ijms23010048. [PMID: 35008473 PMCID: PMC8744729 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribosomal protein S6 (RPS6) is a component of the 40S small ribosomal subunit and participates in the control of mRNA translation. Additionally, phospho (p)-RPS6 has been recognized as a surrogate marker for the activated PI3K/AKT/mTORC1 pathway, which occurs in many cancer types. However, downstream mechanisms regulated by RPS6 or p-RPS remains elusive, and the therapeutic implication of RPS6 is underappreciated despite an approximately half a century history of research on this protein. In addition, substantial evidence from RPS6 knockdown experiments suggests the potential role of RPS6 in maintaining cancer cell proliferation. This motivates us to investigate the current knowledge of RPS6 functions in cancer. In this review article, we reviewed the current information about the transcriptional regulation, upstream regulators, and extra-ribosomal roles of RPS6, with a focus on its involvement in cancer. We also discussed the therapeutic potential of RPS6 in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Weon Yi
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea; (Y.W.Y.); (K.S.Y.); (J.-S.P.)
- Department of Nanobiomedical Science, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea
| | - Kyu Sic You
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea; (Y.W.Y.); (K.S.Y.); (J.-S.P.)
- Graduate School of Convergence Medical Science, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea
| | - Jeong-Soo Park
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea; (Y.W.Y.); (K.S.Y.); (J.-S.P.)
| | - Seok-Geun Lee
- Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea
- Correspondence: (S.-G.L.); (Y.-S.S.); Tel.: +82-2-961-2355 (S.-G.L.); +82-41-550-3875 (Y.-S.S.); Fax: +82-2-961-9623 (S.-G.L.)
| | - Yeon-Sun Seong
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea; (Y.W.Y.); (K.S.Y.); (J.-S.P.)
- Graduate School of Convergence Medical Science, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea
- Correspondence: (S.-G.L.); (Y.-S.S.); Tel.: +82-2-961-2355 (S.-G.L.); +82-41-550-3875 (Y.-S.S.); Fax: +82-2-961-9623 (S.-G.L.)
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8
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Targeting mTOR signaling overcomes acquired resistance to combined BRAF and MEK inhibition in BRAF-mutant melanoma. Oncogene 2021; 40:5590-5599. [PMID: 34304249 PMCID: PMC8445818 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-021-01911-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Targeting MAPK pathway using a combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors is an efficient strategy to treat melanoma harboring BRAF-mutation. The development of acquired resistance is inevitable due to the signaling pathway rewiring. Combining western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and reverse phase protein array (RPPA), we aim to understanding the role of the mTORC1 signaling pathway, a center node of intracellular signaling network, in mediating drug resistance of BRAF-mutant melanoma to the combination of BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi) and MEK inhibitor (MEKi) therapy. The mTORC1 signaling pathway is initially suppressed by BRAFi and MEKi combination in melanoma but rebounds overtime after tumors acquire resistance to the combination therapy (CR) as assayed in cultured cells and PDX models. In vitro experiments showed that a subset of CR melanoma cells was sensitive to mTORC1 inhibition. The mTOR inhibitors, rapamycin and NVP-BEZ235, induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in CR cell lines. As a proof-of-principle, we demonstrated that rapamycin and NVP-BEZ235 treatment reduced tumor growth in CR xenograft models. Mechanistically, AKT or ERK contributes to the activation of mTORC1 in CR cells, depending on PTEN status of these cells. Our study reveals that mTOR activation is essential for drug resistance of melanoma to MAPK inhibitors, and provides insight into the rewiring of the signaling networks in CR melanoma.
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9
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PERK mediates resistance to BRAF inhibition in melanoma with impaired PTEN. NPJ Precis Oncol 2021; 5:68. [PMID: 34282258 PMCID: PMC8289936 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-021-00207-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeting mutant BRAF in patients with melanomas harboring this oncogene has been highly successful as a first-line treatment, but other mutations may affect its efficacy and alter the route of acquired resistance resulting in recurrence and poor prognosis. As an evolving strategy, melanoma treatment needs to be expanded to include targets based on newly discovered emerging molecules and pathways. We here show that PERK plays a critical role in BRAF inhibitor-acquired resistance in melanoma with impaired PTEN. Inhibition of PERK by either shRNA or a pharmacological inhibitor blocked the growth of BRAF inhibitor-resistant melanoma with impaired PTEN in vitro and in vivo, suggesting an effective approach against melanomas with mutant BRAF and PTEN deficiency. Our current findings, along with our previous discovery that the AXL/AKT axis mediates resistance to BRAF inhibition in melanoma with wild-type PTEN, provide new insights toward a strategy for combating BRAF inhibition-acquired resistance in BRAF mutant melanoma with different PTEN statuses.
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10
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Fujiwara N, Shibutani S, Ohama T, Sato K. Protein phosphatase 6 dissociates the Beclin 1/Vps34 complex and inhibits autophagy. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 552:191-195. [PMID: 33751937 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.02.136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved intracellular degradation system and is regulated by various signaling pathways including the Beclin 1/Vacuolar protein sorting 34 (Vps34) complex. Protein phosphatase 6 (PP6) is an essential serine/threonine phosphatase that regulates various biological processes. Recently, we found that PP6 protein is degraded by p62-dependent selective autophagy. In this study, we show that PP6 conversely inhibits autophagy. PP6 associate with the C-terminal region of Beclin 1, which is close to the binding region of Vps34. The protein levels of PP6 affect Beclin 1/Vps34 complex formation and phosphatase activity of PP6 is not involved in this. We also show that chemically induced PP6/Beclin 1 association leads to Vps34 dissociation from Beclin 1. Overall, our data reveal a novel regulatory mechanism for autophagy by PP6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuyuki Fujiwara
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmacology, 753-8515, Yamaguchi, Japan; Laboratory of Drug Discovery and Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama University of Science, 794-8555, Ehime, Japan
| | - Shusaku Shibutani
- Laboratory of Veterinary Hygiene, Yamaguchi University, 753-8515, Yamaguchi, Japan
| | - Takashi Ohama
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmacology, 753-8515, Yamaguchi, Japan.
| | - Koichi Sato
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmacology, 753-8515, Yamaguchi, Japan
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11
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Valenti F, Falcone I, Ungania S, Desiderio F, Giacomini P, Bazzichetto C, Conciatori F, Gallo E, Cognetti F, Ciliberto G, Morrone A, Guerrisi A. Precision Medicine and Melanoma: Multi-Omics Approaches to Monitoring the Immunotherapy Response. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:3837. [PMID: 33917181 PMCID: PMC8067863 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22083837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The treatment and management of patients with metastatic melanoma have evolved considerably in the "era" of personalized medicine. Melanoma was one of the first solid tumors to benefit from immunotherapy; life expectancy for patients in advanced stage of disease has improved. However, many progresses have yet to be made considering the (still) high number of patients who do not respond to therapies or who suffer adverse events. In this scenario, precision medicine appears fundamental to direct the most appropriate treatment to the single patient and to guide towards treatment decisions. The recent multi-omics analyses (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, radiomics, etc.) and the technological evolution of data interpretation have allowed to identify and understand several processes underlying the biology of cancer; therefore, improving the tumor clinical management. Specifically, these approaches have identified new pharmacological targets and potential biomarkers used to predict the response or adverse events to treatments. In this review, we will analyze and describe the most important omics approaches, by evaluating the methodological aspects and progress in melanoma precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Valenti
- Oncogenomics and Epigenetics, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy; (F.V.); (P.G.)
| | - Italia Falcone
- Medical Oncology 1, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy; (I.F.); (C.B.); (F.C.); (F.C.)
| | - Sara Ungania
- Medical Physics and Expert Systems Laboratory, Department of Research and Advanced Technologies, IRCCS-Regina Elena Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy;
| | - Flora Desiderio
- Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging Unit, Department of Clinical and Dermatological Research, San Gallicano Dermatological Institute IRCCS, 00144 Rome, Italy;
| | - Patrizio Giacomini
- Oncogenomics and Epigenetics, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy; (F.V.); (P.G.)
| | - Chiara Bazzichetto
- Medical Oncology 1, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy; (I.F.); (C.B.); (F.C.); (F.C.)
| | - Fabiana Conciatori
- Medical Oncology 1, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy; (I.F.); (C.B.); (F.C.); (F.C.)
| | - Enzo Gallo
- Pathology Unit, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy;
| | - Francesco Cognetti
- Medical Oncology 1, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy; (I.F.); (C.B.); (F.C.); (F.C.)
| | - Gennaro Ciliberto
- Scientific Direction IRCSS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy;
| | - Aldo Morrone
- Scientific Direction, San Gallicano Dermatological Institute IRCCS, 00144 Rome, Italy;
| | - Antonino Guerrisi
- Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging Unit, Department of Clinical and Dermatological Research, San Gallicano Dermatological Institute IRCCS, 00144 Rome, Italy;
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12
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Osrodek M, Wozniak M. Targeting Genome Stability in Melanoma-A New Approach to an Old Field. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:3485. [PMID: 33800547 PMCID: PMC8036881 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22073485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite recent groundbreaking advances in the treatment of cutaneous melanoma, it remains one of the most treatment-resistant malignancies. Due to resistance to conventional chemotherapy, the therapeutic focus has shifted away from aiming at melanoma genome stability in favor of molecularly targeted therapies. Inhibitors of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK (MAPK) pathway significantly slow disease progression. However, long-term clinical benefit is rare due to rapid development of drug resistance. In contrast, immune checkpoint inhibitors provide exceptionally durable responses, but only in a limited number of patients. It has been increasingly recognized that melanoma cells rely on efficient DNA repair for survival upon drug treatment, and that genome instability increases the efficacy of both MAPK inhibitors and immunotherapy. In this review, we discuss recent developments in the field of melanoma research which indicate that targeting genome stability of melanoma cells may serve as a powerful strategy to maximize the efficacy of currently available therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michal Wozniak
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Medical University of Lodz, 92-215 Lodz, Poland;
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13
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Das I, Chen H, Maddalo G, Tuominen R, Rebecca VW, Herlyn M, Hansson J, Davies MA, Egyházi Brage S. Inhibiting insulin and mTOR signaling by afatinib and crizotinib combination fosters broad cytotoxic effects in cutaneous malignant melanoma. Cell Death Dis 2020; 11:882. [PMID: 33082316 PMCID: PMC7576205 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-020-03097-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Current treatment modalities for disseminated cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) improve survival, however disease progression commonly ensues. In a previous study we identified afatinib and crizotinib in combination as a novel potential therapy for CMM independent of BRAF/NRAS mutation status. Herein, we elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the combination treatment effect to find biomarkers and novel targets for development of therapy that may provide clinical benefit by proteomic analysis of CMM cell lines and xenografts using mass spectrometry based analysis and reverse phase protein array. Identified candidates were validated using immunoblotting or immunofluorescence. Our analysis revealed that mTOR/Insulin signaling pathways were significantly decreased by the afatinib and crizotinib combination treatment. Both in vitro and in vivo analyses showed that the combination treatment downregulated pRPS6KB1 and pRPS6, downstream of mTOR signaling, and IRS-1 in the insulin signaling pathway, specifically ablating IRS-1 nuclear signal. Silencing of RPS6 and IRS-1 alone had a similar effect on cell death, which was further induced when IRS-1 and RPS6 were concomitantly silenced in the CMM cell lines. Silencing of IRS-1 and RPS6 resulted in reduced sensitivity towards combination treatment. Additionally, we found that IRS-1 and RPS6KB1 expression levels were increased in advanced stages of CMM clinical samples. We could demonstrate that induced resistance towards combination treatment was reversible by a drug holiday. CD171/L1CAM, mTOR and PI3K-p85 were induced in the combination resistant cells whereas AXL and EPHA2, previously identified mediators of resistance to MAPK inhibitor therapy in CMM were downregulated. We also found that CD171/L1CAM and mTOR were increased at progression in tumor biopsies from two matched cases of patients receiving targeted therapy with BRAFi. Overall, these findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms behind the afatinib and crizotinib combination treatment effect and leverages a platform for discovering novel biomarkers and therapy regimes for CMM treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishani Das
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 64, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Huiqin Chen
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gianluca Maddalo
- Science for Life Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rainer Tuominen
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 64, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Vito W Rebecca
- Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Meenhard Herlyn
- Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Johan Hansson
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 64, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Michael A Davies
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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14
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Osrodek M, Rozanski M, Czyz M. Insulin Reduces the Efficacy of Vemurafenib and Trametinib in Melanoma Cells. Cancer Manag Res 2020; 12:7231-7250. [PMID: 32982400 PMCID: PMC7501594 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s263767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Despite the progress made in the clinical management of metastatic melanoma, a patient’s response to treatment cannot be fully predicted, and intrinsic or acquired resistance that is developed in most melanoma patients warrants further research efforts. In addition to genetic factors, microenvironmental input should be considered to explain the diversity of response to treatment among melanoma patients. In this study, we evaluated the impact of insulin on patient-derived BRAFV600E melanoma cells, either untreated or treated with vemurafenib or trametinib, inhibitors of BRAFV600 and MEK1/2, respectively. Methods Cells were cultured in serum-free conditions, either with or without insulin. The activity of the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways was assessed by Western blotting, cell viability, and percentages of Ki-67- and NGFR-positive cells by flow cytometry. Transcript levels were analyzed using qRT-PCR, and γ-H2AX levels by immunoblotting and confocal microscopy. A luminescence-based assay was used to measure glutathione content. Results While insulin did not influence the MAPK/ERK pathway activity, it had a strong influence on melanoma cells, in which this pathway was suppressed by either vemurafenib or trametinib. In the presence of insulin, both drugs were much less efficient in 1) inhibiting proliferation and reducing the percentage of Ki-67-positive cells, and 2) inducing apoptosis and phosphorylation of histone H2AX in melanoma cells. Changes induced by vemurafenib and trametinib in glutathione homeostasis and DNA repair gene expression were also attenuated by insulin. Moreover, insulin impaired the combined effects of targeted drugs and doxorubicin in melanoma cells. In addition to insulin-induced PI3K/AKT activity, which was either transient or sustainable depending on the cell line, an insulin-triggered increase in the percentage of cells expressing NGFR, a marker of neural crest stem-like cells, may contribute to the reduced drug efficacy. Conclusion Our results demonstrate the role of insulin in reducing the efficacy of vemurafenib and trametinib. This needs clinical assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Osrodek
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | - Michal Rozanski
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.,Laboratory of Transcriptional Regulation, Institute of Medical Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lodz, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Czyz
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
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15
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Vanni I, Tanda ET, Dalmasso B, Pastorino L, Andreotti V, Bruno W, Boutros A, Spagnolo F, Ghiorzo P. Non-BRAF Mutant Melanoma: Molecular Features and Therapeutical Implications. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:172. [PMID: 32850962 PMCID: PMC7396525 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is one of the most aggressive tumors of the skin, and its incidence is growing worldwide. Historically considered a drug resistant disease, since 2011 the therapeutic landscape of melanoma has radically changed. Indeed, the improved knowledge of the immune system and its interactions with the tumor, and the ever more thorough molecular characterization of the disease, has allowed the development of immunotherapy on the one hand, and molecular target therapies on the other. The increased availability of more performing technologies like Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), and the availability of increasingly large genetic panels, allows the identification of several potential therapeutic targets. In light of this, numerous clinical and preclinical trials are ongoing, to identify new molecular targets. Here, we review the landscape of mutated non-BRAF skin melanoma, in light of recent data deriving from Whole-Exome Sequencing (WES) or Whole-Genome Sequencing (WGS) studies on melanoma cohorts for which information on the mutation rate of each gene was available, for a total of 10 NGS studies and 992 samples, focusing on available, or in experimentation, targeted therapies beyond those targeting mutated BRAF. Namely, we describe 33 established and candidate driver genes altered with frequency greater than 1.5%, and the current status of targeted therapy for each gene. Only 1.1% of the samples showed no coding mutations, whereas 30% showed at least one mutation in the RAS genes (mostly NRAS) and 70% showed mutations outside of the RAS genes, suggesting potential new roads for targeted therapy. Ongoing clinical trials are available for 33.3% of the most frequently altered genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Vanni
- Genetics of Rare Cancers, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
- Genetics of Rare Cancers, Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Genoa, Genova, Italy
| | | | - Bruna Dalmasso
- Genetics of Rare Cancers, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
- Genetics of Rare Cancers, Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Genoa, Genova, Italy
| | - Lorenza Pastorino
- Genetics of Rare Cancers, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
- Genetics of Rare Cancers, Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Genoa, Genova, Italy
| | - Virginia Andreotti
- Genetics of Rare Cancers, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
- Genetics of Rare Cancers, Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Genoa, Genova, Italy
| | - William Bruno
- Genetics of Rare Cancers, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
- Genetics of Rare Cancers, Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Genoa, Genova, Italy
| | - Andrea Boutros
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | | | - Paola Ghiorzo
- Genetics of Rare Cancers, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
- Genetics of Rare Cancers, Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Genoa, Genova, Italy
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16
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Hillen LM, Geybels MS, Spassova I, Becker JC, Gambichler T, Garmyn M, Zur Hausen A, van den Oord J, Winnepenninckx V. A digital mRNA expression signature to classify challenging Spitzoid melanocytic neoplasms. FEBS Open Bio 2020; 10:1326-1341. [PMID: 32431053 PMCID: PMC7327909 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.12897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Spitzoid neoplasms are a challenging group of cutaneous melanocytic proliferations. They are characterized by epithelioid and/or spindle-shaped melanocytes and classified as benign Spitz nevi (SN), atypical Spitz tumors (AST), or malignant Spitz tumors (MST). The intermediate AST category represents a diagnostically challenging group since on purely histopathological grounds, their benign or malignant character remains unpredictable. This results in uncertainties in patient treatment and prognosis. The molecular properties of Spitzoid lesions, especially their transcriptomic landscape, remain poorly understood, and genomic alterations in melanoma-associated oncogenes are typically absent. The aim of this study was to characterize their transcriptome with digital mRNA expression profiling. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples (including 27 SN, 10 AST, and 14 MST) were analyzed using the NanoString nCounter PanCancer Pathways Panel. The number of significantly differentially expressed genes in SN vs. MST, SN vs. AST, and AST vs. MST was 68, 167, and 18, respectively. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed upregulation of pathways related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition and immunomodulatory-, angiogenesis-, hormonal-, and myogenesis-associated processes in AST and MST. A molecular signature of SN vs. MST was discovered based on the top-ranked most informative genes: NRAS, NF1, BMP2, EIF2B4, IFNA17, and FZD9. The AST samples showed intermediate levels of the identified signature. This implies that the gene signature can potentially be used to distinguish high-grade from low-grade AST with a larger study cohort in the future. This combined histopathological and transcriptomic methodology is promising for prospective diagnostics of Spitzoid neoplasms and patient management in dermatological oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Hillen
- Department of Pathology, GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Milan S Geybels
- Department of Epidemiology, GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Ivelina Spassova
- Department for Translational Skin Cancer Research (TSCR), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Jürgen C Becker
- Department for Translational Skin Cancer Research (TSCR), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,Deutsches Krebsforschungsinstitut (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thilo Gambichler
- Department of Dermatology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Marjan Garmyn
- Laboratory of Dermatology, Department of Oncology and Department of Dermatology, University Hospitals Leuven, University of Leuven KUL, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Axel Zur Hausen
- Department of Pathology, GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Joost van den Oord
- Department of Pathology, University Hospitals of Leuven, University of Leuven KUL, Leuven, Belgium.,Laboratory Translational Cell and Tissue Research, University of Leuven, KU, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Véronique Winnepenninckx
- Department of Pathology, GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, the Netherlands
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17
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Tian Y, Guo W. A Review of the Molecular Pathways Involved in Resistance to BRAF Inhibitors in Patients with Advanced-Stage Melanoma. Med Sci Monit 2020; 26:e920957. [PMID: 32273491 PMCID: PMC7169438 DOI: 10.12659/msm.920957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is an aggressive malignancy of melanocytes and most commonly arises in the skin. In 2002, BRAF gene mutations were identified in melanoma, and this finding resulted in the development of several small-molecule molecular inhibitors that specifically targeted the BRAF V600E mutation. The development of targeted therapies for advanced-stage melanoma, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) of the BRAF (V600E) kinase, vemurafenib and dabrafenib, have been approved for the treatment of advanced melanoma leading to improved clinical outcomes. However, the development of BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi) resistance has significantly reduced the therapeutic efficacy after prolonged treatment. Recent studies have identified the molecular mechanisms for BRAFi resistance. This review aims to describe the impact of BRAFi resistance on the pathogenesis of melanoma, the current status of molecular pathways involved in BRAFi resistance, including intrinsic resistance, adaptive resistance, and acquired resistance. This review will discuss how an understanding of the mechanisms associated with BRAFi resistance may aid the identification of useful strategies for overcoming the resistance to BRAF-targeted therapy in patients with advanced-stage melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangzi Tian
- Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China (mainland)
| | - Weinan Guo
- Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China (mainland)
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18
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Rebecca VW, Herlyn M. Nongenetic Mechanisms of Drug Resistance in Melanoma. ANNUAL REVIEW OF CANCER BIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-cancerbio-030419-033533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Resistance to targeted and immune-based therapies limits cures in patients with metastatic melanoma. A growing number of reports have identified nongenetic primary resistance mechanisms including intrinsic microenvironment- and lineage plasticity–mediated processes serving critical functions in the persistence of disease throughout therapy. There is a temporally shifting spectrum of cellular identities fluidly occupied by therapy-persisting melanoma cells responsible for driving therapeutic resistance and metastasis. The key epigenetic, metabolic, and phenotypic reprogramming events requisite for the manifestation and maintenance of so-called persister melanoma populations remain poorly understood and underscore the need to comprehensively investigate actionable vulnerabilities. Here we attempt to integrate the field's observations on nongenetic mechanisms of drug resistance in melanoma. We postulate that the future design of therapeutic strategies specifically addressing therapy-persisting subpopulations of melanoma will improve the curative potential of therapy for patients with metastatic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vito W. Rebecca
- Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program and Melanoma Research Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Meenhard Herlyn
- Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program and Melanoma Research Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
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19
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Yurube T, Ito M, Kakiuchi Y, Kuroda R, Kakutani K. Autophagy and mTOR signaling during intervertebral disc aging and degeneration. JOR Spine 2020; 3:e1082. [PMID: 32211593 PMCID: PMC7084057 DOI: 10.1002/jsp2.1082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Degenerative disc disease is a highly prevalent, global health problem that represents the primary cause of back pain and is associated with neurological disorders, including radiculopathy, myelopathy, and paralysis, resulting in worker disability and socioeconomic burdens. The intervertebral disc is the largest avascular organ in the body, and degeneration is suspected to be linked to nutritional deficiencies. Autophagy, the process through which cells self-digest and recycle damaged components, is an important cell survival mechanism under stress conditions, especially nutrient deprivation. Autophagy is negatively controlled by the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. mTOR is a serine/threonine kinase that detects nutrient availability to trigger the activation of cell growth and protein synthesis pathways. Thus, resident disc cells may utilize autophagy and mTOR signaling to cope with harsh low-nutrient conditions, such as low glucose, low oxygen, and low pH. We performed rabbit and human disc cell and tissue studies to elucidate the involvement and roles played by autophagy and mTOR signaling in the intervertebral disc. In vitro serum and nutrient deprivation studies resulted in decreased disc cell proliferation and metabolic activity and increased apoptosis and senescence, in addition to increased autophagy. The selective RNA interference-mediated and pharmacological inhibition of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) was protective against inflammation-induced disc cellular apoptosis, senescence, and extracellular matrix catabolism, through the induction of autophagy and the activation of the Akt-signaling network. Although temsirolimus, a rapamycin derivative with improved water solubility, was the most effective mTORC1 inhibitor tested, dual mTOR inhibitors, capable of blocking multiple mTOR complexes, did not rescue disc cells. In vivo, high levels of mTOR-signaling molecule expression and phosphorylation were observed in human intermediately degenerated discs and decreased with age. A mechanistic understanding of autophagy and mTOR signaling can provide a basis for the development of biological therapies to treat degenerative disc disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Yurube
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryKobe University Graduate School of MedicineKobeJapan
| | - Masaaki Ito
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryKobe University Graduate School of MedicineKobeJapan
| | - Yuji Kakiuchi
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryKobe University Graduate School of MedicineKobeJapan
| | - Ryosuke Kuroda
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryKobe University Graduate School of MedicineKobeJapan
| | - Kenichiro Kakutani
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryKobe University Graduate School of MedicineKobeJapan
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20
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Vashisht Gopal YN, Gammon S, Prasad R, Knighton B, Pisaneschi F, Roszik J, Feng N, Johnson S, Pramanik S, Sudderth J, Sui D, Hudgens C, Fischer GM, Deng W, Reuben A, Peng W, Wang J, McQuade JL, Tetzlaff MT, Di Francesco ME, Marszalek J, Piwnica-Worms D, DeBerardinis RJ, Davies MA. A Novel Mitochondrial Inhibitor Blocks MAPK Pathway and Overcomes MAPK Inhibitor Resistance in Melanoma. Clin Cancer Res 2019; 25:6429-6442. [PMID: 31439581 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-19-0836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Revised: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to determine if inhibition of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) is an effective strategy against MAPK pathway inhibitor (MAPKi)-resistant BRAF-mutant melanomas.Experimental Design: The antimelanoma activity of IACS-010759 (OPi), a novel OxPhos complex I inhibitor, was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic studies and predictors of response were evaluated using molecularly and metabolically stratified melanoma cell lines. 13C-labeling and targeted metabolomics were used to evaluate the effect of OPi on cellular energy utilization. OxPhos inhibition in vivo was evaluated noninvasively by [18F]-fluoroazomycin arabinoside (FAZA) PET imaging. RESULTS OPi potently inhibited OxPhos and the in vivo growth of multiple MAPKi-resistant BRAF-mutant melanoma models with high OxPhos at well-tolerated doses. In vivo tumor regression with single-agent OPi treatment correlated with inhibition of both MAPK and mTOR complex I activity. Unexpectedly, antitumor activity was not improved by combined treatment with MAPKi in vitro or in vivo. Signaling and growth-inhibitory effects were mediated by LKB1-AMPK axis, and proportional to AMPK activation. OPi increased glucose incorporation into glycolysis, inhibited glucose and glutamine incorporation into the mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid cycle, and decreased cellular nucleotide and amino acid pools. Early changes in [18F]-FAZA PET uptake in vivo, and the degree of mTORC1 pathway inhibition in vitro, correlated with efficacy. CONCLUSIONS Targeting OxPhos with OPi has significant antitumor activity in MAPKi-resistant, BRAF-mutant melanomas, and merits further clinical investigation as a potential new strategy to overcome intrinsic and acquired resistance to MAPKi in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y N Vashisht Gopal
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. .,Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Seth Gammon
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Rishika Prasad
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Barbara Knighton
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Federica Pisaneschi
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jason Roszik
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Ningping Feng
- Center for Co-Clinical Trials, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Sarah Johnson
- Center for Co-Clinical Trials, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Snigdha Pramanik
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jessica Sudderth
- Children's Medical Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Dawen Sui
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Courtney Hudgens
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Grant M Fischer
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.,Department of Cancer Biology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Wanleng Deng
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Alexandre Reuben
- Department of Thoracic H&N Medical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Weiyi Peng
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jennifer L McQuade
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Michael T Tetzlaff
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pathology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Maria E Di Francesco
- Institute for Applied Cancer Science, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Joe Marszalek
- Center for Co-Clinical Trials, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - David Piwnica-Worms
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Ralph J DeBerardinis
- Children's Medical Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland
| | - Michael A Davies
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.,Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.,Department of Systems Biology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
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21
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Louveau B, Jouenne F, Reger de Moura C, Sadoux A, Baroudjian B, Delyon J, Herms F, De Masson A, Da Meda L, Battistella M, Dumaz N, Lebbe C, Mourah S. Baseline Genomic Features in BRAFV600-Mutated Metastatic Melanoma Patients Treated with BRAF Inhibitor + MEK Inhibitor in Routine Care. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:E1203. [PMID: 31426590 PMCID: PMC6721518 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11081203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In BRAFV600mut metastatic melanoma, the combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors (BRAFi, MEKi) has undergone multiple resistance mechanisms, limiting its clinical benefit and resulting in the need for response predicting biomarkers. Based on phase III clinical trial data, several studies have previously explored baseline genomic features associated with response to BRAFi + MEKi. Using a targeted approach that combines the examination of mRNA expression and DNA alterations in a subset of genes, we performed an analysis of baseline genomic alterations involved in MAPK inhibitors' resistance in a real-life cohort of BRAFV600mut metastatic melanoma patients. Twenty-seven patients were included in this retrospective study, and tumor samples were analyzed when the BRAFi + MEKi therapy was initiated. The clinical characteristics of our cohort were consistent with previously published studies. The BRAFi + MEKi treatment was initiated in seven patients as a following-line treatment, and had a specific transcriptomic profile exhibiting 14 genes with lower mRNA expression. However, DNA alterations in CCND1, RB1, and MET were only observed in patients who received BRAFi + MEKi as the first-line treatment. Furthermore, KIT mRNA expression was significantly higher in patients showing clinical benefit from the combined therapy, emphasizing the tumor-suppressor role of KIT already described within the context of BRAF-mutant melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baptiste Louveau
- Pharmacogenomics Department, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Saint Louis Hospital, 75010 Paris, France
- Université de Paris, INSERM UMRS 976, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Fanelie Jouenne
- Pharmacogenomics Department, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Saint Louis Hospital, 75010 Paris, France
- Université de Paris, INSERM UMRS 976, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Coralie Reger de Moura
- Pharmacogenomics Department, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Saint Louis Hospital, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Aurelie Sadoux
- Pharmacogenomics Department, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Saint Louis Hospital, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Barouyr Baroudjian
- Université de Paris, INSERM UMRS 976, 75010 Paris, France
- Dermatology Department and Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC), Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Saint Louis Hospital, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Julie Delyon
- Université de Paris, INSERM UMRS 976, 75010 Paris, France
- Dermatology Department and Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC), Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Saint Louis Hospital, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Florian Herms
- Dermatology Department and Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC), Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Saint Louis Hospital, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Adele De Masson
- Dermatology Department and Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC), Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Saint Louis Hospital, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Laetitia Da Meda
- Dermatology Department and Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC), Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Saint Louis Hospital, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Maxime Battistella
- Pathology Department, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Saint Louis Hospital, 75010 Paris, France
- Université de Paris, INSERM UMRS 1165, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Dumaz
- Université de Paris, INSERM UMRS 976, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Celeste Lebbe
- Université de Paris, INSERM UMRS 976, 75010 Paris, France
- Dermatology Department and Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC), Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Saint Louis Hospital, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Samia Mourah
- Pharmacogenomics Department, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Saint Louis Hospital, 75010 Paris, France.
- Université de Paris, INSERM UMRS 976, 75010 Paris, France.
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22
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Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Signaling in Skin Cancers. Cells 2019; 8:cells8060540. [PMID: 31167513 PMCID: PMC6628025 DOI: 10.3390/cells8060540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)/Fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signaling regulates various cellular processes during the embryonic development and in the adult organism. In the skin, fibroblasts and keratinocytes control proliferation and survival of melanocytes in a paracrine manner via several signaling molecules, including FGFs. FGF/FGFR signaling contributes to the skin surface expansion in childhood or during wound healing, and skin protection from UV light damage. Aberrant FGF/FGFR signaling has been implicated in many disorders, including cancer. In melanoma cells, the FGFR expression is low, probably because of the strong endogenous mutation-driven constitutive activation of the downstream mitogen-activated protein kinase-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK-ERK) signaling pathway. FGFR1 is exceptional as it is expressed in the majority of melanomas at a high level. Melanoma cells that acquired the capacity to synthesize FGFs can influence the neighboring cells in the tumor niche, such as endothelial cells, fibroblasts, or other melanoma cells. In this way, FGF/FGFR signaling contributes to intratumoral angiogenesis, melanoma cell survival, and development of resistance to therapeutics. Therefore, inhibitors of aberrant FGF/FGFR signaling are considered as drugs in combination treatment. The ongoing LOGIC-2 phase II clinical trial aims to find out whether targeting the FGF/FGFR signaling pathway with BGJ398 may be a good therapeutic strategy in melanoma patients who develop resistance to v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (BRAF)/MEK inhibitors.
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23
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Moses C, Nugent F, Waryah CB, Garcia-Bloj B, Harvey AR, Blancafort P. Activating PTEN Tumor Suppressor Expression with the CRISPR/dCas9 System. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2018; 14:287-300. [PMID: 30654190 PMCID: PMC6348769 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2018.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
PTEN expression is lost in many cancers, and even small changes in PTEN activity affect susceptibility and prognosis in a range of highly aggressive malignancies, such as melanoma and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Loss of PTEN expression occurs via multiple mechanisms, including mutation, transcriptional repression and epigenetic silencing. Transcriptional repression of PTEN contributes to resistance to inhibitors used in the clinic, such as B-Raf inhibitors in BRAF mutant melanoma. We aimed to activate PTEN expression using the CRISPR system, specifically dead (d) Cas9 fused to the transactivator VP64-p65-Rta (VPR). dCas9-VPR was directed to the PTEN proximal promoter by single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs), in cancer cells that exhibited low levels of PTEN expression. The dCas9-VPR system increased PTEN expression in melanoma and TNBC cell lines, without transcriptional regulation at predicted off-target sgRNA binding sites. PTEN activation significantly repressed downstream oncogenic pathways, including AKT, mTOR, and MAPK signaling. BRAF V600E mutant melanoma cells transduced with dCas9-VPR displayed reduced migration, as well as diminished colony formation in the presence of B-Raf inhibitors, PI3K/mTOR inhibitors, and with combined PI3K/mTOR and B-Raf inhibition. CRISPR-mediated targeted activation of PTEN may provide an alternative therapeutic approach for highly aggressive cancers that are refractory to current treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colette Moses
- Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory, The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, 6 Verdun Street, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; School of Human Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Fiona Nugent
- Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory, The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, 6 Verdun Street, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; School of Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Charlene Babra Waryah
- Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory, The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, 6 Verdun Street, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Benjamin Garcia-Bloj
- Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory, The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, 6 Verdun Street, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Universidad Mayor, Camino la Piramide 5750, Huechuraba 8580745, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alan R Harvey
- School of Human Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, 8 Verdun Street, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Pilar Blancafort
- Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory, The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, 6 Verdun Street, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; School of Human Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA 6009, Australia.
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24
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Theodosakis N, Langdon CG, Micevic G, Krykbaeva I, Means RE, Stern DF, Bosenberg MW. Inhibition of isoprenylation synergizes with MAPK blockade to prevent growth in treatment-resistant melanoma, colorectal, and lung cancer. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2018; 32:292-302. [PMID: 30281931 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.12742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 09/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
This study evaluates the use of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, or statins, as an adjunctive to BRAF and MEK inhibition as a treatment in melanomas and other tumors with driver mutations in the MAPK pathway. Experiments used simvastatin in conjunction with vemurafenib and selumetinib in vitro and simvastatin with vemurafenib in vivo to demonstrate additional growth abrogation beyond MAPK blockade alone. Additional studies demonstrated that statin anti-tumor effects appeared to depend on inhibition of isoprenoid synthesis given rescue with add-back of downstream metabolites. Ultimately, we concluded that statins represent a possible useful adjunctive therapy in MAPK-driven tumors when given with current approved targeted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Casey G Langdon
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Goran Micevic
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Irina Krykbaeva
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Robert E Means
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - David F Stern
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Marcus W Bosenberg
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.,Department of Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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25
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Exploring major signaling cascades in melanomagenesis: a rationale route for targetted skin cancer therapy. Biosci Rep 2018; 38:BSR20180511. [PMID: 30166456 PMCID: PMC6167501 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20180511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Although most melanoma cases may be treated by surgical intervention upon early diagnosis, a significant portion of patients can still be refractory, presenting low survival rates within 5 years after the discovery of the illness. As a hallmark, melanomas are highly prone to evolve into metastatic sites. Moreover, melanoma tumors are highly resistant to most available drug therapies and their incidence have increased over the years, therefore leading to public health concerns about the development of novel therapies. Therefore, researches are getting deeper in unveiling the mechanisms by which melanoma initiation can be triggered and sustained. In this context, important progress has been achieved regarding the roles and the impact of cellular signaling pathways in melanoma. This knowledge has provided tools for the development of therapies based on the intervention of signal(s) promoted by these cascades. In this review, we summarize the importance of major signaling pathways (mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt, Wnt, nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cell (NF-κB), Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT), transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) and Notch) in skin homeostasis and melanoma progression. Available and developing melanoma therapies interfering with these signaling cascades are further discussed.
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26
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Abstract
Melanoma represents the most aggressive and the deadliest form of skin cancer. Current therapeutic approaches include surgical resection, chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, immunotherapy, biochemotherapy, and targeted therapy. The therapeutic strategy can include single agents or combined therapies, depending on the patient’s health, stage, and location of the tumor. The efficiency of these treatments can be decreased due to the development of diverse resistance mechanisms. New therapeutic targets have emerged from studies of the genetic profile of melanocytes and from the identification of molecular factors involved in the pathogenesis of the malignant transformation. In this review, we aim to survey therapies approved and under evaluation for melanoma treatment and relevant research on the molecular mechanisms underlying melanomagenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Domingues
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - José Manuel Lopes
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Pathology, Hospital S João, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Pathology, Medical Faculty, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Paula Soares
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Pathology, Medical Faculty, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Helena Pópulo
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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27
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Zuo Q, Liu J, Huang L, Qin Y, Hawley T, Seo C, Merlino G, Yu Y. AXL/AKT axis mediated-resistance to BRAF inhibitor depends on PTEN status in melanoma. Oncogene 2018; 37:3275-3289. [PMID: 29551771 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-018-0205-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2017] [Revised: 12/25/2017] [Accepted: 02/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Multiple genetic mutations within melanoma not only cause lesion-specific responses to targeted therapy but also alter the molecular route of resistance to that therapy. Inactivation of PTEN occurs in up to 30% of melanomas, frequently with a concurrent activating BRAF mutation. PTEN loss regulates both acquired and intrinsic drug resistance. Here we show that AXL/AKT axis mediated-resistance to BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi) depends upon PTEN status in melanoma. Hyperactivation of both ERK and AKT pathways was associated with BRAFi resistance in melanoma with wildtype PTEN. The PTEN-impaired melanoma cells required only the ERK resistance mechanism. Moreover, we identified AXL as a key upstream effector of AKT pathway-associated resistance to BRAFi in melanoma with wildtype PTEN, but not in melanoma with impaired PTEN. Notably, we confirmed that blocking AXL by shRNA and a small molecular inhibitor could rescue the sensitivity of resistant melanoma cells with wildtype PTEN to BRAFi and inhibit their growth in vitro and in vivo. Our study has uncovered a mechanism by which PTEN status contributes to acquired resistance to BRAFi and offers a rational strategy to guide clinical testing in pre-identified subsets of patients who relapse during treatment with BRAFi. The identified protein AXL represents a promising therapeutic target for BRAF mutant melanoma patients with wildtype PTEN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Zuo
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institutes, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-4264, USA.,Department of Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510515, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Department of Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510515, China
| | - Liping Huang
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institutes, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-4264, USA.,Department of Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510515, China
| | - Yifei Qin
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institutes, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-4264, USA
| | - Teresa Hawley
- Laboratory of Genome Integrity, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institutes, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-4264, USA
| | - Claire Seo
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institutes, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-4264, USA
| | - Glenn Merlino
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institutes, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-4264, USA
| | - Yanlin Yu
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institutes, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-4264, USA.
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28
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Liu Q, Das M, Liu Y, Huang L. Targeted drug delivery to melanoma. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2018; 127:208-221. [PMID: 28939379 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2017.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2017] [Revised: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Melanoma derived from melanocytes is the most aggressive genre of skin cancer. Although the considerable advancement in the study of human cancer biology and drug discovery, most advanced melanoma patients are inevitably unable to be cured. With the emergence of nanotechnology, the use of nano-carriers is widely expected to alter the landscape of melanoma treatment. In this review, we will discuss melanoma biology, current treatment options, mechanisms behind drug resistance, and nano-based solutions for effective anti-cancer therapy, followed by challenges and perspectives in both pre-clinical and clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Liu
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC & NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Manisit Das
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Yun Liu
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Leaf Huang
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC & NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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29
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Krepler C, Xiao M, Samanta M, Vultur A, Chen HY, Brafford P, Reyes-Uribe PI, Halloran M, Chen T, He X, Hristova D, Liu Q, Samatar AA, Davies MA, Nathanson KL, Fukunaga-Kalabis M, Herlyn M, Villanueva J. Targeting Notch enhances the efficacy of ERK inhibitors in BRAF-V600E melanoma. Oncotarget 2018; 7:71211-71222. [PMID: 27655717 PMCID: PMC5342073 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.12078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of activating BRAF mutations in approximately 50% of melanomas has led to the development of MAPK pathway inhibitors, which have transformed melanoma therapy. However, not all BRAF-V600E melanomas respond to MAPK inhibition. Therefore, it is important to understand why tumors with the same oncogenic driver have variable responses to MAPK inhibitors. Here, we show that concurrent loss of PTEN and activation of the Notch pathway is associated with poor response to the ERK inhibitor SCH772984, and that co-inhibition of Notch and ERK decreased viability in BRAF-V600E melanomas. Additionally, patients with low PTEN and Notch activation had significantly shorter progression free survival when treated with BRAF inhibitors. Our studies provide a rationale to further develop combination strategies with Notch antagonists to maximize the efficacy of MAPK inhibition in melanoma. Our findings should prompt the evaluation of combinations co-targeting MAPK/ERK and Notch as a strategy to improve current therapies and warrant further evaluation of co-occurrence of aberrant PTEN and Notch activation as predictive markers of response to therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clemens Krepler
- The Wistar Institute, Melanoma Research Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Min Xiao
- The Wistar Institute, Melanoma Research Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Minu Samanta
- The Wistar Institute, Melanoma Research Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Adina Vultur
- The Wistar Institute, Melanoma Research Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Hsin-Yi Chen
- The Wistar Institute, Melanoma Research Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Patricia Brafford
- The Wistar Institute, Melanoma Research Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Molly Halloran
- The Wistar Institute, Melanoma Research Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Thomas Chen
- The Wistar Institute, Melanoma Research Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Xu He
- The Wistar Institute, Melanoma Research Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Denitsa Hristova
- The Wistar Institute, Melanoma Research Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Qin Liu
- The Wistar Institute, Melanoma Research Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ahmed A Samatar
- Discovery Oncology Merck Research Laboratories, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael A Davies
- Melanoma Medical Oncology and Systems Biology University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Katherine L Nathanson
- Division of Medical Genetics and The Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia PA, USA
| | | | - Meenhard Herlyn
- The Wistar Institute, Melanoma Research Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jessie Villanueva
- The Wistar Institute, Melanoma Research Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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30
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Imperial R, Toor OM, Hussain A, Subramanian J, Masood A. Comprehensive pancancer genomic analysis reveals (RTK)-RAS-RAF-MEK as a key dysregulated pathway in cancer: Its clinical implications. Semin Cancer Biol 2017; 54:14-28. [PMID: 29175106 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2017.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/19/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) have provided remarkable insights into the genomic characteristics of human cancers that have spurred a revolution in the field of oncology. The mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway (MAPK) and its activating cell receptor, the receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), which together encompass the (RTK)-RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK axis, are central to oncogenesis. A pan-cancer genomics analysis presented in this review is made possible by large collaborative projects, including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC), and others. Landmark studies contributing to these projects have revealed alterations in cell signaling cascades that vary between cancer types and within tumors themselves. We review several of these studies in major tumor types to highlight recent advances in our understanding of the role of (RTK)-RAS-RAF alterations in cancer. Further studies are needed to increase the statistical power to detect clinically relevant low-frequency mutations, in addition to the known (RTK)-RAS-RAF pathway alterations, and to refine the resolution of the genomic landscape that defines these cancer mutations. The (RTK)-RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK mutation status, and their prognostic value, are also examined and correlated with clinical phenotypes. Treatments targeting various components of this pathway are ongoing, and are often effective initially in defined subgroups of patients. However, resistance to these agents can develop through adaptive mechanisms. With our steady increase in understanding the molecular biology of cancer, ongoing evaluation and monitoring through genomic analysis will continue to provide important information to the clinician in the context of treatment selection, response, resistance and outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Imperial
- Department of Medicine, University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA
| | - Omer M Toor
- Department of Medicine, University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA; Division of Oncology, Saint Luke's Cancer Institute, Kansas City, MO 64111, USA; Center for Precision Oncology, Saint Luke's Cancer Institute, Kansas City, MO 64111, USA
| | - Arif Hussain
- Division of Oncology, University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; The Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Janakiraman Subramanian
- Department of Medicine, University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA; Division of Oncology, Saint Luke's Cancer Institute, Kansas City, MO 64111, USA; Center for Precision Oncology, Saint Luke's Cancer Institute, Kansas City, MO 64111, USA
| | - Ashiq Masood
- Department of Medicine, University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA; Division of Oncology, Saint Luke's Cancer Institute, Kansas City, MO 64111, USA; Center for Precision Oncology, Saint Luke's Cancer Institute, Kansas City, MO 64111, USA.
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31
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Yam C, Xu X, Davies MA, Gimotty PA, Morrissette JJD, Tetzlaff MT, Wani KM, Liu S, Deng W, Buckley M, Zhao J, Amaravadi RK, Haas NB, Kudchadkar RR, Pavlick AC, Sosman JA, Tawbi H, Walker L, Schuchter LM, Karakousis GC, Gangadhar TC. A Multicenter Phase I Study Evaluating Dual PI3K and BRAF Inhibition with PX-866 and Vemurafenib in Patients with Advanced BRAF V600-Mutant Solid Tumors. Clin Cancer Res 2017; 24:22-32. [PMID: 29051322 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-17-1807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Purpose: The objectives of the study were to evaluate the safety of daily oral PX-866 in combination with twice daily vemurafenib and to identify potential predictive biomarkers for this novel combination.Experimental Design: We conducted a phase I, open-label, dose-escalation study in patients with advanced BRAF V600-mutant solid tumors. PX-866 was administered on a continuous schedule in combination with vemurafenib. Patients underwent a baseline and on-treatment biopsy after 1-week of PX-866 monotherapy for biomarker assessment.Results: Twenty-four patients were enrolled. The most common treatment-related adverse events were gastrointestinal side effects. One dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) of grade 3 rash and one DLT of grade 3 pancreatitis were observed in cohort 2 (PX-866 6 mg daily; vemurafenib 960 mg twice daily) and cohort 3 (PX-866 8 mg daily; vemurafenib 960 mg twice daily), respectively. Of 23 response-evaluable patients, seven had confirmed partial responses (PR), 10 had stable disease, and six had disease progression. Decreases in intratumoral pAKT expression were observed following treatment with PX-866. Patients who achieved PRs had higher rates of PTEN loss by IHC (80% vs. 58%) and pathogenic PTEN mutations and/or deletions (57% vs. 25%). Two patients with durable PRs had an increase in intratumoral CD8+ T-cell infiltration following treatment with PX-866.Conclusions: PX-866 was well tolerated at its maximum tolerated single-agent dose when given in combination with a modified dose of vemurafenib (720 mg twice daily). Response to treatment appeared to be associated with PTEN loss and treatment with PX-866 seemed to increase CD8+ T-cell infiltration in some patients. Clin Cancer Res; 24(1); 22-32. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clinton Yam
- Abramson Cancer Center and the Division of Hematology & Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Xiaowei Xu
- Abramson Cancer Center and the Division of Hematology & Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Michael A Davies
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Phyllis A Gimotty
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Jennifer J D Morrissette
- Center for Personalized Diagnostics, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | | | - Khalida M Wani
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Shujing Liu
- Abramson Cancer Center and the Division of Hematology & Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Wanleng Deng
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Meghan Buckley
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Jianhua Zhao
- Center for Personalized Diagnostics, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Ravi K Amaravadi
- Abramson Cancer Center and the Division of Hematology & Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Naomi B Haas
- Abramson Cancer Center and the Division of Hematology & Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | | | | | | | - Hussein Tawbi
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.,The University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Luke Walker
- Cascadian Therapeutics (formerly Oncothyreon) Inc., Seattle, Washington
| | - Lynn M Schuchter
- Abramson Cancer Center and the Division of Hematology & Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Giorgos C Karakousis
- Abramson Cancer Center and the Division of Hematology & Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Tara C Gangadhar
- Abramson Cancer Center and the Division of Hematology & Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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32
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Manzano JL, Layos L, Bugés C, de Los Llanos Gil M, Vila L, Martínez-Balibrea E, Martínez-Cardús A. Resistant mechanisms to BRAF inhibitors in melanoma. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2016; 4:237. [PMID: 27429963 DOI: 10.21037/atm.2016.06.07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Patients with advanced melanoma have traditionally had very poor prognosis. However, since 2011 better understanding of the biology and epidemiology of this disease has revolutionized its treatment, with newer therapies becoming available. These newer therapies can be classified into immunotherapy and targeted therapy. The immunotherapy arsenal includes inhibitors of CTLA4, PD-1 and PDL-1, while targeted therapy focuses on BRAF and MEK. BRAF inhibitors (vemurafenib, dabrafenib) have shown benefit in terms of overall survival (OS) compared to chemotherapy, and their combination with MEK inhibitors has recently been shown to improve progression-free survival (PFS), compared with monotherapy with BRAF inhibitors. However, almost 20% of patients initially do not respond, due to intrinsic resistance to therapy and, of those who do, most eventually develop mechanisms of acquired resistance, including reactivation of the MAP kinase pathway, persistent activation of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTKS) receptor, activation of phosphatidyinositol-3OH kinase, overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and interactions with the tumor microenvironment. Herein we comment in detail on mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapy and discuss the strategies to overcome them.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Luís Manzano
- Medical Oncology Service, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain;; Health Sciences Research Institute of the Germans Trias i Pujol Foundation (IGTP), Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Laura Layos
- Medical Oncology Service, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Cristina Bugés
- Medical Oncology Service, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - María de Los Llanos Gil
- Medical Oncology Service, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Laia Vila
- Medical Oncology Service, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Eva Martínez-Balibrea
- Health Sciences Research Institute of the Germans Trias i Pujol Foundation (IGTP), Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Anna Martínez-Cardús
- Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program (PEBC), Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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Liu H, Ai J, Shen A, Chen Y, Wang X, Peng X, Chen H, Shen Y, Huang M, Ding J, Geng M. c-Myc Alteration Determines the Therapeutic Response to FGFR Inhibitors. Clin Cancer Res 2016; 23:974-984. [PMID: 27401245 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-15-2448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2015] [Revised: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 06/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Purpose: Lately, emerging evidence has suggested that oncogenic kinases are associated with specific downstream effectors to govern tumor growth, suggesting potential translational values in kinase-targeted cancer therapy. Tyrosine kinase FGFR, which is aberrant in various cancer types, is one of the most investigated kinases in molecularly targeted cancer therapy. Herein, we investigated whether there exists key downstream effector(s) that converges FGFR signaling and determines the therapeutic response of FGFR-targeted therapy.Experimental Design: A range of assays was used to assess the role of c-Myc in FGFR aberrant cancers and its translational relevance in FGFR-targeted therapy, including assessment of drug sensitivity using cell viability assay, signaling transduction profiling using immunoblotting, and in vivo antitumor efficacy using cancer cell line-based xenografts and patient-derived xenografts models.Results: We discovered that c-Myc functioned as the key downstream effector that preceded FGFR-MEK/ERK signaling in FGFR aberrant cancer. Disruption of c-Myc overrode the cell proliferation driven by constitutively active FGFR. FGFR inhibition in FGFR-addicted cancer facilitated c-Myc degradation via phosphorylating c-Myc at threonine 58. Ectopic expression of undegradable c-Myc mutant conferred resistance to FGFR inhibition both in vitro and in vivo c-Myc level alteration stringently determined the response to FGFR inhibitors, as demonstrated in FGFR-responsive cancer subset, as well as cancers bearing acquired or de novo resistance to FGFR inhibition.Conclusions: This study reveals a stringent association between FGFR and the downstream effector c-Myc in FGFR-dependent cancers, and suggests the potential therapeutic value of c-Myc in FGFR-targeted cancer therapy. Clin Cancer Res; 23(4); 974-84. ©2016 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Liu
- Division of Anti-Tumor Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Jing Ai
- Division of Anti-Tumor Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Aijun Shen
- Division of Anti-Tumor Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Yi Chen
- Division of Anti-Tumor Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Xinyi Wang
- Division of Anti-Tumor Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Xia Peng
- Division of Anti-Tumor Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Hui Chen
- Division of Anti-Tumor Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Yanyan Shen
- Division of Anti-Tumor Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Min Huang
- Division of Anti-Tumor Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P.R. China.
| | - Jian Ding
- Division of Anti-Tumor Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P.R. China.
| | - Meiyu Geng
- Division of Anti-Tumor Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P.R. China.
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Bonnevaux H, Lemaitre O, Vincent L, Levit MN, Windenberger F, Halley F, Delorme C, Lengauer C, Garcia-Echeverria C, Virone-Oddos A. Concomitant Inhibition of PI3Kβ and BRAF or MEK in PTEN-Deficient/BRAF-Mutant Melanoma Treatment: Preclinical Assessment of SAR260301 Oral PI3Kβ-Selective Inhibitor. Mol Cancer Ther 2016; 15:1460-71. [DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-15-0496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2015] [Accepted: 04/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Seip K, Fleten KG, Barkovskaya A, Nygaard V, Haugen MH, Engesæter BØ, Mælandsmo GM, Prasmickaite L. Fibroblast-induced switching to the mesenchymal-like phenotype and PI3K/mTOR signaling protects melanoma cells from BRAF inhibitors. Oncotarget 2016; 7:19997-20015. [PMID: 26918352 PMCID: PMC4991434 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.7671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 02/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The knowledge on how tumor-associated stroma influences efficacy of anti-cancer therapy just started to emerge. Here we show that lung fibroblasts reduce melanoma sensitivity to the BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi) vemurafenib only if the two cell types are in close proximity. In the presence of fibroblasts, the adjacent melanoma cells acquire de-differentiated mesenchymal-like phenotype. Upon treatment with BRAFi, such melanoma cells maintain high levels of phospho ribosomal protein S6 (pS6), i.e. active mTOR signaling, which is suppressed in the BRAFi sensitive cells without stromal contacts. Inhibitors of PI3K/mTOR in combination with BRAFi eradicate pS6high cell subpopulations and potentiate anti-cancer effects in melanoma protected by the fibroblasts. mTOR and BRAF co-inhibition also delayed the development of early-stage lung metastases in vivo. In conclusion, we demonstrate that upon influence from fibroblasts, melanoma cells undergo a phenotype switch to the mesenchymal state, which can support PI3K/mTOR signaling. The lost sensitivity to BRAFi in such cells can be overcome by co-targeting PI3K/mTOR. This knowledge could be explored for designing BRAFi combination therapies aiming to eliminate both stroma-protected and non-protected counterparts of metastases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kotryna Seip
- Dept. Tumor Biology, Oslo University Hospital, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Karianne G. Fleten
- Dept. Tumor Biology, Oslo University Hospital, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anna Barkovskaya
- Dept. Tumor Biology, Oslo University Hospital, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Vigdis Nygaard
- Dept. Tumor Biology, Oslo University Hospital, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Mads H. Haugen
- Dept. Tumor Biology, Oslo University Hospital, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Birgit Ø. Engesæter
- Dept. Tumor Biology, Oslo University Hospital, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Gunhild M. Mælandsmo
- Dept. Tumor Biology, Oslo University Hospital, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- K.G. Jebsen Center for Breast Cancer Research, Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Dept. Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Lina Prasmickaite
- Dept. Tumor Biology, Oslo University Hospital, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway
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Shannan B, Chen Q, Watters A, Perego M, Krepler C, Thombre R, Li L, Rajan G, Peterson S, Gimotty PA, Wilson M, Nathanson KL, Gangadhar TC, Schuchter LM, Weeraratna AT, Herlyn M, Vultur A. Enhancing the evaluation of PI3K inhibitors through 3D melanoma models. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2016; 29:317-28. [PMID: 26850518 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.12465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2014] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Targeted therapies for mutant BRAF metastatic melanoma are effective but not curative due to acquisition of resistance. PI3K signaling is a common mediator of therapy resistance in melanoma; thus, the need for effective PI3K inhibitors is critical. However, testing PI3K inhibitors in adherent cultures is not always reflective of their potential in vivo. To emphasize this, we compared PI3K inhibitors of different specificity in two- and three-dimensional (2D, 3D) melanoma models and show that drug response predictions gain from evaluation using 3D models. Our results in 3D demonstrate the anti-invasive potential of PI3K inhibitors and that drugs such as PX-866 have beneficial activity in physiological models alone and when combined with BRAF inhibition. These assays finally help highlight pathway effectors that could be involved in drug response in different environments (e.g. p4E-BP1). Our findings show the advantages of 3D melanoma models to enhance our understanding of PI3K inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Batool Shannan
- Program of Cellular and Molecular Oncogenesis, Melanoma Research Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Quan Chen
- Program of Cellular and Molecular Oncogenesis, Melanoma Research Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Andrea Watters
- Program of Cellular and Molecular Oncogenesis, Melanoma Research Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michela Perego
- Program of Cellular and Molecular Oncogenesis, Melanoma Research Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Clemens Krepler
- Program of Cellular and Molecular Oncogenesis, Melanoma Research Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Rakhee Thombre
- Program of Cellular and Molecular Oncogenesis, Melanoma Research Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ling Li
- Program of Cellular and Molecular Oncogenesis, Melanoma Research Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Geena Rajan
- Program of Cellular and Molecular Oncogenesis, Melanoma Research Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Phyllis A Gimotty
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Melissa Wilson
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Katherine L Nathanson
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Tara C Gangadhar
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lynn M Schuchter
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ashani T Weeraratna
- Program of Cellular and Molecular Oncogenesis, Melanoma Research Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Meenhard Herlyn
- Program of Cellular and Molecular Oncogenesis, Melanoma Research Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Adina Vultur
- Program of Cellular and Molecular Oncogenesis, Melanoma Research Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Abstract
The past several years can be considered a renaissance era in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. Following a 30-year stretch in which oncologists barely put a dent in a very grim overall survival (OS) rate for these patients, things have rapidly changed course with the recent approval of three new melanoma drugs by the FDA. Both oncogene-targeted therapy and immune checkpoint blockade approaches have shown remarkable efficacy in a subset of melanoma patients and have clearly been game-changers in terms of clinical impact. However, most patients still succumb to their disease, and thus, there remains an urgent need to improve upon current therapies. Fortunately, innovations in molecular medicine have led to many silent gains that have greatly increased our understanding of the nature of cancer biology as well as the complex interactions between tumors and the immune system. They have also allowed for the first time a detailed understanding of an individual patient's cancer at the genomic and proteomic level. This information is now starting to be employed at all stages of cancer treatment, including diagnosis, choice of drug therapy, treatment monitoring, and analysis of resistance mechanisms upon recurrence. This new era of personalized medicine will foreseeably lead to paradigm shifts in immunotherapeutic treatment approaches such as individualized cancer vaccines and adoptive transfer of genetically modified T cells. Advances in xenograft technology will also allow for the testing of drug combinations using in vivo models, a truly necessary development as the number of new drugs needing to be tested is predicted to skyrocket in the coming years. This chapter will provide an overview of recent technological developments in cancer research, and how they are expected to impact future diagnosis, monitoring, and development of novel treatments for metastatic melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Patrick Hwu
- University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Gregory Lizée
- University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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Peng W, Chen JQ, Liu C, Malu S, Creasy C, Tetzlaff MT, Xu C, McKenzie JA, Zhang C, Liang X, Williams LJ, Deng W, Chen G, Mbofung R, Lazar AJ, Torres-Cabala CA, Cooper ZA, Chen PL, Tieu TN, Spranger S, Yu X, Bernatchez C, Forget MA, Haymaker C, Amaria R, McQuade JL, Glitza IC, Cascone T, Li HS, Kwong LN, Heffernan TP, Hu J, Bassett RL, Bosenberg MW, Woodman SE, Overwijk WW, Lizée G, Roszik J, Gajewski TF, Wargo JA, Gershenwald JE, Radvanyi L, Davies MA, Hwu P. Loss of PTEN Promotes Resistance to T Cell-Mediated Immunotherapy. Cancer Discov 2015. [PMID: 26645196 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-15-0283.] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED T cell-mediated immunotherapies are promising cancer treatments. However, most patients still fail to respond to these therapies. The molecular determinants of immune resistance are poorly understood. We show that loss of PTEN in tumor cells in preclinical models of melanoma inhibits T cell-mediated tumor killing and decreases T-cell trafficking into tumors. In patients, PTEN loss correlates with decreased T-cell infiltration at tumor sites, reduced likelihood of successful T-cell expansion from resected tumors, and inferior outcomes with PD-1 inhibitor therapy. PTEN loss in tumor cells increased the expression of immunosuppressive cytokines, resulting in decreased T-cell infiltration in tumors, and inhibited autophagy, which decreased T cell-mediated cell death. Treatment with a selective PI3Kβ inhibitor improved the efficacy of both anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 antibodies in murine models. Together, these findings demonstrate that PTEN loss promotes immune resistance and support the rationale to explore combinations of immunotherapies and PI3K-AKT pathway inhibitors. SIGNIFICANCE This study adds to the growing evidence that oncogenic pathways in tumors can promote resistance to the antitumor immune response. As PTEN loss and PI3K-AKT pathway activation occur in multiple tumor types, the results support the rationale to further evaluate combinatorial strategies targeting the PI3K-AKT pathway to increase the efficacy of immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiyi Peng
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jie Qing Chen
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Chengwen Liu
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Shruti Malu
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Caitlin Creasy
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Michael T Tetzlaff
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Chunyu Xu
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jodi A McKenzie
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Chunlei Zhang
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Xiaoxuan Liang
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Leila J Williams
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Wanleng Deng
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Guo Chen
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Rina Mbofung
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Alexander J Lazar
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Carlos A Torres-Cabala
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Zachary A Cooper
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Pei-Ling Chen
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Trang N Tieu
- Institute for Applied Cancer Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Stefani Spranger
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Xiaoxing Yu
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Chantale Bernatchez
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Marie-Andree Forget
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Cara Haymaker
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Rodabe Amaria
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jennifer L McQuade
- Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Isabella C Glitza
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Tina Cascone
- Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Haiyan S Li
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Lawrence N Kwong
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Timothy P Heffernan
- Institute for Applied Cancer Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jianhua Hu
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Roland L Bassett
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Marcus W Bosenberg
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Scott E Woodman
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Willem W Overwijk
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Gregory Lizée
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jason Roszik
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | | | - Jennifer A Wargo
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jeffrey E Gershenwald
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Laszlo Radvanyi
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Michael A Davies
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
| | - Patrick Hwu
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
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Peng W, Chen JQ, Liu C, Malu S, Creasy C, Tetzlaff MT, Xu C, McKenzie JA, Zhang C, Liang X, Williams LJ, Deng W, Chen G, Mbofung R, Lazar AJ, Torres-Cabala CA, Cooper ZA, Chen PL, Tieu TN, Spranger S, Yu X, Bernatchez C, Forget MA, Haymaker C, Amaria R, McQuade JL, Glitza IC, Cascone T, Li HS, Kwong LN, Heffernan TP, Hu J, Bassett RL, Bosenberg MW, Woodman SE, Overwijk WW, Lizée G, Roszik J, Gajewski TF, Wargo JA, Gershenwald JE, Radvanyi L, Davies MA, Hwu P. Loss of PTEN Promotes Resistance to T Cell-Mediated Immunotherapy. Cancer Discov 2015. [PMID: 26645196 DOI: 10.1158/2159?8290.cd?15?0283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED T cell-mediated immunotherapies are promising cancer treatments. However, most patients still fail to respond to these therapies. The molecular determinants of immune resistance are poorly understood. We show that loss of PTEN in tumor cells in preclinical models of melanoma inhibits T cell-mediated tumor killing and decreases T-cell trafficking into tumors. In patients, PTEN loss correlates with decreased T-cell infiltration at tumor sites, reduced likelihood of successful T-cell expansion from resected tumors, and inferior outcomes with PD-1 inhibitor therapy. PTEN loss in tumor cells increased the expression of immunosuppressive cytokines, resulting in decreased T-cell infiltration in tumors, and inhibited autophagy, which decreased T cell-mediated cell death. Treatment with a selective PI3Kβ inhibitor improved the efficacy of both anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 antibodies in murine models. Together, these findings demonstrate that PTEN loss promotes immune resistance and support the rationale to explore combinations of immunotherapies and PI3K-AKT pathway inhibitors. SIGNIFICANCE This study adds to the growing evidence that oncogenic pathways in tumors can promote resistance to the antitumor immune response. As PTEN loss and PI3K-AKT pathway activation occur in multiple tumor types, the results support the rationale to further evaluate combinatorial strategies targeting the PI3K-AKT pathway to increase the efficacy of immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiyi Peng
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jie Qing Chen
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Chengwen Liu
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Shruti Malu
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Caitlin Creasy
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Michael T Tetzlaff
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Chunyu Xu
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jodi A McKenzie
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Chunlei Zhang
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Xiaoxuan Liang
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Leila J Williams
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Wanleng Deng
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Guo Chen
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Rina Mbofung
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Alexander J Lazar
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Carlos A Torres-Cabala
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Zachary A Cooper
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Pei-Ling Chen
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Trang N Tieu
- Institute for Applied Cancer Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Stefani Spranger
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Xiaoxing Yu
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Chantale Bernatchez
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Marie-Andree Forget
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Cara Haymaker
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Rodabe Amaria
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jennifer L McQuade
- Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Isabella C Glitza
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Tina Cascone
- Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Haiyan S Li
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Lawrence N Kwong
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Timothy P Heffernan
- Institute for Applied Cancer Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jianhua Hu
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Roland L Bassett
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Marcus W Bosenberg
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Scott E Woodman
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Willem W Overwijk
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Gregory Lizée
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jason Roszik
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | | | - Jennifer A Wargo
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jeffrey E Gershenwald
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Laszlo Radvanyi
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Michael A Davies
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
| | - Patrick Hwu
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
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40
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Peng W, Chen JQ, Liu C, Malu S, Creasy C, Tetzlaff MT, Xu C, McKenzie JA, Zhang C, Liang X, Williams LJ, Deng W, Chen G, Mbofung R, Lazar AJ, Torres-Cabala CA, Cooper ZA, Chen PL, Tieu TN, Spranger S, Yu X, Bernatchez C, Forget MA, Haymaker C, Amaria R, McQuade JL, Glitza IC, Cascone T, Li HS, Kwong LN, Heffernan TP, Hu J, Bassett RL, Bosenberg MW, Woodman SE, Overwijk WW, Lizée G, Roszik J, Gajewski TF, Wargo JA, Gershenwald JE, Radvanyi L, Davies MA, Hwu P. Loss of PTEN Promotes Resistance to T Cell-Mediated Immunotherapy. Cancer Discov 2015; 6:202-16. [PMID: 26645196 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-15-0283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1057] [Impact Index Per Article: 117.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 12/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED T cell-mediated immunotherapies are promising cancer treatments. However, most patients still fail to respond to these therapies. The molecular determinants of immune resistance are poorly understood. We show that loss of PTEN in tumor cells in preclinical models of melanoma inhibits T cell-mediated tumor killing and decreases T-cell trafficking into tumors. In patients, PTEN loss correlates with decreased T-cell infiltration at tumor sites, reduced likelihood of successful T-cell expansion from resected tumors, and inferior outcomes with PD-1 inhibitor therapy. PTEN loss in tumor cells increased the expression of immunosuppressive cytokines, resulting in decreased T-cell infiltration in tumors, and inhibited autophagy, which decreased T cell-mediated cell death. Treatment with a selective PI3Kβ inhibitor improved the efficacy of both anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 antibodies in murine models. Together, these findings demonstrate that PTEN loss promotes immune resistance and support the rationale to explore combinations of immunotherapies and PI3K-AKT pathway inhibitors. SIGNIFICANCE This study adds to the growing evidence that oncogenic pathways in tumors can promote resistance to the antitumor immune response. As PTEN loss and PI3K-AKT pathway activation occur in multiple tumor types, the results support the rationale to further evaluate combinatorial strategies targeting the PI3K-AKT pathway to increase the efficacy of immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiyi Peng
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jie Qing Chen
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Chengwen Liu
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Shruti Malu
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Caitlin Creasy
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Michael T Tetzlaff
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Chunyu Xu
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jodi A McKenzie
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Chunlei Zhang
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Xiaoxuan Liang
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Leila J Williams
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Wanleng Deng
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Guo Chen
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Rina Mbofung
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Alexander J Lazar
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Carlos A Torres-Cabala
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Zachary A Cooper
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Pei-Ling Chen
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Trang N Tieu
- Institute for Applied Cancer Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Stefani Spranger
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Xiaoxing Yu
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Chantale Bernatchez
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Marie-Andree Forget
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Cara Haymaker
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Rodabe Amaria
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jennifer L McQuade
- Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Isabella C Glitza
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Tina Cascone
- Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Haiyan S Li
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Lawrence N Kwong
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Timothy P Heffernan
- Institute for Applied Cancer Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jianhua Hu
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Roland L Bassett
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Marcus W Bosenberg
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Scott E Woodman
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Willem W Overwijk
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Gregory Lizée
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jason Roszik
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | | | - Jennifer A Wargo
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jeffrey E Gershenwald
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Laszlo Radvanyi
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Michael A Davies
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
| | - Patrick Hwu
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
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Karachaliou N, Pilotto S, Teixidó C, Viteri S, González-Cao M, Riso A, Morales-Espinosa D, Molina MA, Chaib I, Santarpia M, Richardet E, Bria E, Rosell R. Melanoma: oncogenic drivers and the immune system. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2015; 3:265. [PMID: 26605311 PMCID: PMC4630557 DOI: 10.3978/j.issn.2305-5839.2015.08.06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Advances and in-depth understanding of the biology of melanoma over the past 30 years have contributed to a change in the consideration of melanoma as one of the most therapy-resistant malignancies. The finding that oncogenic BRAF mutations drive tumor growth in up to 50% of melanomas led to a molecular therapy revolution for unresectable and metastatic disease. Moving beyond BRAF, inactivation of immune regulatory checkpoints that limit T cell responses to melanoma has provided targets for cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we discuss the molecular biology of melanoma and we focus on the recent advances of molecularly targeted and immunotherapeutic approaches.
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42
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Tsai YT, Lozanski G, Lehman A, Sass EJ, Hertlein E, Salunke SB, Chen CS, Grever MR, Byrd JC, Lucas DM. BRAF V600E induces ABCB1/P-glycoprotein expression and drug resistance in B-cells via AP-1 activation. Leuk Res 2015; 39:S0145-2126(15)30371-4. [PMID: 26350141 PMCID: PMC4779435 DOI: 10.1016/j.leukres.2015.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 08/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
A subset of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and nearly all patients with classic hairy cell leukemia (HCL) harbor somatic BRAF activating mutations. However, the pathological role of activated BRAF in B-cell leukemia development and progression remains unclear. In addition, although HCL patients respond well to the BRAFV600E inhibitor vemurafenib, relapses are being observed, suggesting the development of drug resistance in patients with this mutation. To investigate the biological role of BRAFV600E in B-cell leukemia, we generated a CLL-like B-cell line, OSUCLL, with doxycycline-inducible BRAFV600E expression. Microarray and real-time PCR analysis showed that ABCB1 mRNA is upregulated in these cells, and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression as well as function were confirmed by immunoblot and rhodamine exclusion assays. Additionally, pharmacological inhibition of BRAFV600E and MEK alleviated the BRAFV600E-induced ABCB1/P-gp expression. ABCB1 reporter assays and gel shift assays demonstrated that AP-1 activity is crucial in this mechanism. This study, uncovers a pathological role for BRAFV600E in B-cell leukemia, and provides further evidence that combination strategies with inhibitors of BRAFV600E and MEK can be used to delay disease progression and occurrence of resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yo-Ting Tsai
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Gerard Lozanski
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Amy Lehman
- Center for Biostatistics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Ellen J Sass
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine; The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Erin Hertlein
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine; The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Santosh B Salunke
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Ching-Shih Chen
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Michael R Grever
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine; The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - John C Byrd
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine; The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - David M Lucas
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine; The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
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43
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Palmieri G, Ombra M, Colombino M, Casula M, Sini M, Manca A, Paliogiannis P, Ascierto PA, Cossu A. Multiple Molecular Pathways in Melanomagenesis: Characterization of Therapeutic Targets. Front Oncol 2015; 5:183. [PMID: 26322273 PMCID: PMC4530319 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2015.00183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Accepted: 07/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular mechanisms involved in pathogenesis of malignant melanoma have been widely studied and novel therapeutic treatments developed in recent past years. Molecular targets for therapy have mostly been recognized in the RAS–RAF–MEK–ERK and PI3K–AKT signaling pathways; small-molecule inhibitors were drawn to specifically target key kinases. Unfortunately, these targeted drugs may display intrinsic or acquired resistance and various evidences suggest that inhibition of a single effector of the signal transduction cascades involved in melanoma pathogenesis may be ineffective in blocking the tumor growth. In this sense, a wider comprehension of the multiple molecular alterations accounting for either response or resistance to treatments with targeted inhibitors may be helpful in assessing, which is the most effective combination of such therapies. In the present review, we summarize the known molecular mechanisms underlying either intrinsic and acquired drug resistance either alternative roads to melanoma pathogenesis, which may become targets for innovative anticancer approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Palmieri
- Unità di Genetica dei Tumori, Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Sassari , Italy
| | - MariaNeve Ombra
- Istituto di Scienze dell'Alimentazione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Avellino , Italy
| | - Maria Colombino
- Unità di Genetica dei Tumori, Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Sassari , Italy
| | - Milena Casula
- Unità di Genetica dei Tumori, Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Sassari , Italy
| | - MariaCristina Sini
- Unità di Genetica dei Tumori, Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Sassari , Italy
| | - Antonella Manca
- Unità di Genetica dei Tumori, Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Sassari , Italy
| | - Panagiotis Paliogiannis
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche, Microchirurgiche e Mediche, Università di Sassari , Sassari , Italy
| | | | - Antonio Cossu
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche, Microchirurgiche e Mediche, Università di Sassari , Sassari , Italy
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44
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Sweetlove M, Wrightson E, Kolekar S, Rewcastle GW, Baguley BC, Shepherd PR, Jamieson SMF. Inhibitors of pan-PI3K Signaling Synergize with BRAF or MEK Inhibitors to Prevent BRAF-Mutant Melanoma Cell Growth. Front Oncol 2015; 5:135. [PMID: 26137449 PMCID: PMC4468830 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2015.00135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BRAF and MEK inhibitors have improved outcomes for patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma, but their efficacy is limited by both intrinsic and acquired resistances. Activation of the PI3K pathway can mediate resistance to these agents, providing a strong rationale for combination therapy in melanoma. Here, a panel of nine low-passage human metastatic melanoma cell lines with BRAF mutations was tested in cell proliferation and protein expression assays for sensitivity to inhibitors of MEK (selumetinib) and BRAF (vemurafenib) as single agents and in combination with inhibitors of pan-PI3K (ZSTK474), pan-PI3K/mTOR (BEZ235), individual PI3K isoforms (p110α, A66; p110β, TGX-221; p110γ, AS-252424; p110δ, idelalisib), or mTORC1/2 (KU-0063794). Selumetinib and vemurafenib potently inhibited cell proliferation in all cell lines, especially in those that expressed low levels of phosphorylated AKT (pAKT). ZSTK474 and BEZ235 also inhibited cell proliferation in all cell lines and enhanced the antitumor activity of selumetinib and vemurafenib in the majority of lines by either interacting synergistically or additively to increase potency or by inducing cytotoxicity by significantly increasing the magnitude of cell growth inhibition. Furthermore, ZSTK474 or BEZ235 combined with selumetinib to produce robust inhibition of pERK, pAKT, and pS6 expression and synergistic inhibition of NZM20 tumor growth. The inhibitors of individual PI3K isoforms or mTORC1/2 were less effective at inhibiting cell proliferation either as single agents or in combination with selumetinib or vemurafenib, although KU-0063794 synergistically interacted with vemurafenib and increased the magnitude of cell growth inhibition with selumetinib or vemurafenib in certain cell lines. Overall, these results suggest that the sensitivity of BRAF-mutant melanoma cells to BRAF or MEK inhibitors is at least partly mediated by activation of the PI3K pathway and can be enhanced by combined inhibition of the BRAF/MEK and PI3K/mTOR signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Sweetlove
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, The University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand
| | - Emma Wrightson
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, The University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand
| | - Sharada Kolekar
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, The University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand
| | - Gordon W Rewcastle
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, The University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand ; Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, The University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand
| | - Bruce C Baguley
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, The University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand ; Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, The University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand
| | - Peter R Shepherd
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, The University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand ; Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, The University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand
| | - Stephen M F Jamieson
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, The University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand ; Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, The University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand
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45
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Kwong LN, Boland GM, Frederick DT, Helms TL, Akid AT, Miller JP, Jiang S, Cooper ZA, Song X, Seth S, Kamara J, Protopopov A, Mills GB, Flaherty KT, Wargo JA, Chin L. Co-clinical assessment identifies patterns of BRAF inhibitor resistance in melanoma. J Clin Invest 2015; 125:1459-70. [PMID: 25705882 DOI: 10.1172/jci78954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2014] [Accepted: 01/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple mechanisms have been described that confer BRAF inhibitor resistance to melanomas, yet the basis of this resistance remains undefined in a sizable portion of patient samples. Here, we characterized samples from a set of patients with melanoma that included individuals at baseline diagnosis, on BRAF inhibitor treatment, and with resistant tumors at both the protein and RNA levels. Using RNA and DNA sequencing, we identified known resistance-conferring mutations in 50% (6 of 12) of the resistant samples. In parallel, targeted proteomic analysis by protein array categorized the resistant samples into 3 stable groups, 2 of which were characterized by reactivation of MAPK signaling to different levels and 1 that was MAPK independent. The molecular relevance of these classifications identified in patients was supported by both mutation data and the similarity of resistance patterns that emerged during a co-clinical trial in a genetically engineered mouse (GEM) model of melanoma that recapitulates the development of BRAF inhibitor resistance. Additionally, we defined candidate biomarkers in pre- and early-treatment patient samples that have potential for predicting clinical responses. On the basis of these observations, we suggest that BRAF inhibitor-resistant melanomas can be actionably classified using protein expression patterns, even without identification of the underlying genetic alteration.
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46
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Chen G, Davies MA. Targeted therapy resistance mechanisms and therapeutic implications in melanoma. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 2015; 28:523-36. [PMID: 24880945 DOI: 10.1016/j.hoc.2014.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Although selective mutant BRAF inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment of metastatic melanoma, the magnitude and duration of their clinical benefit are significantly undermined by de novo and acquired resistance. Functional studies, molecular characterization of clinical samples, and clinical trials are providing insights into the landscape of resistance mechanisms in this disease. These findings have implications for the development of rational therapeutic approaches, and have identified several challenges that remain to be overcome if outcomes are to be improved in patients with metastatic melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo Chen
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 904, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Michael A Davies
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 904, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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47
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Manca A, Lissia A, Capone M, Ascierto PA, Botti G, Caracò C, Stanganelli I, Colombino M, Sini M, Cossu A, Palmieri G. Activating PIK3CA mutations coexist with BRAF or NRAS mutations in a limited fraction of melanomas. J Transl Med 2015; 13:37. [PMID: 25627962 PMCID: PMC4312444 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-015-0401-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Accepted: 01/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Activated PI3K-AKT pathway may contribute to decrease sensitivity to inhibitors of key pathogenetic effectors (mutated BRAF, active NRAS or MEK) in melanoma. Functional alterations are deeply involved in PI3K-AKT activation, with a minimal role reported for mutations in PIK3CA, the catalytic subunit of the PI3K gene. We here assessed the prevalence of the coexistence of BRAF/NRAS and PIK3CA mutations in a series of melanoma samples. Methods A total of 245 tumor specimens (212 primary melanomas and 33 melanoma cell lines) was screened for mutations in BRAF, NRAS, and PIK3CA genes by automated direct sequencing. Results Overall, 110 (44.9%) samples carried mutations in BRAF, 26 (10.6%) in NRAS, and 24 (9.8%) in PIK3CA. All identified PIK3CA mutations have been reported to induce PI3K activation; those detected in cultured melanomas were investigated for their interference with the antiproliferative activity of the BRAF-mutant inhibitor vemurafenib. A reduced suppression in cell growth was observed in treated cells carrying both BRAF and PIK3CA mutations as compared with those presenting a mutated BRAF only. Among the analysed melanomas, 12/245 (4.9%) samples presented the coexistence of PIK3CA and BRAF/NRAS mutations. Conclusions Our study further suggests that PIK3CA mutations account for a small fraction of PI3K pathway activation and have a limited impact in interfering with the BRAF/NRAS-driven growth in melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Giuseppe Palmieri
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council (CNR), Traversa La Crucca 3 - Baldinca Li Punti, Sassari, 07100, Italy.
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48
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Sabbatino F, Wang Y, Wang X, Flaherty KT, Yu L, Pepin D, Scognamiglio G, Pepe S, Kirkwood JM, Cooper ZA, Frederick DT, Wargo JA, Ferrone S, Ferrone CR. PDGFRα up-regulation mediated by sonic hedgehog pathway activation leads to BRAF inhibitor resistance in melanoma cells with BRAF mutation. Oncotarget 2015; 5:1926-41. [PMID: 24732172 PMCID: PMC4039118 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.1878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Control of BRAF(V600E) metastatic melanoma by BRAF inhibitor (BRAF-I) is limited by intrinsic and acquired resistance. Growth factor receptor up-regulation is among the mechanisms underlying BRAF-I resistance of melanoma cells. Here we demonstrate for the first time that PDGFRα up-regulation causes BRAF-I resistance. PDGFRα inhibition by PDGFRα-specific short hairpin (sh)RNA and by PDGFRα inhibitors restores and increases melanoma cells' sensitivity to BRAF-I in vitro and in vivo. This effect reflects the inhibition of ERK and AKT activation which is associated with BRAF-I resistance of melanoma cells. PDGFRα up-regulation is mediated by Sonic Hedgehog Homolog (Shh) pathway activation which is induced by BRAF-I treatment. Similarly to PDGFRα inhibition, Shh inhibition by LDE225 restores and increases melanoma cells' sensitivity to BRAF-I. These effects are mediated by PDGFRα down-regulation and by ERK and AKT inhibition. The clinical relevance of these data is indicated by the association of PDGFRα up-regulation in melanoma matched biopsies of BRAF-I +/- MEK inhibitor treated patients with shorter time to disease progression and less tumor regression. These findings suggest that monitoring patients for early PDGFRα up-regulation will facilitate the identification of those who may benefit from the treatment with BRAF-I in combination with clinically approved PDGFRα or Shh inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Sabbatino
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA
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49
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McQuade J, Davies MA. Converting biology into clinical benefit: lessons learned from BRAF inhibitors. Melanoma Manag 2015; 2:241-254. [PMID: 26594316 PMCID: PMC4649930 DOI: 10.2217/mmt.15.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The identification and pharmacological targeting of activating BRAF mutations in melanoma has led to significant improvements in patient outcomes. This perspective paper illustrates the lessons learned from the study of BRAF mutations and the development of BRAF inhibitors. The relevance of these lessons to the development of future targeted therapies is highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer McQuade
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Michael A Davies
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- *Author for correspondence: Tel.: +1 713 792 3454; Fax: +1 713 563 3454;
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50
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Abstract
New drugs targeting the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway have generated striking clinical response in melanoma therapy. From the discovery of BRAF mutation in melanoma in 2002, to the approval of first BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib for melanoma treatment by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2011, therapies targeting the MAPK pathway have been proven effective in less than a decade. The success of vemurafenib stimulated more intensive investigation of the molecular mechanisms of melanoma pathogenesis and development of new treatment strategies targeting specific molecules in MAPK pathway. Although selective BRAF inhibitors and MEK inhibitors demonstrated improved overall survival of metastatic melanoma patients, limited duration or development of resistance to BRAF inhibitors have been reported. Patients with metastatic melanoma still face very poor prognosis and lack of clarified therapies. Studies and multiple clinical trials on more potent and selective small molecule inhibitory compounds to further improve the clinical effects and overcome drug resistance are underway. In this review, we analyzed the therapeutic potentials of each member of the MAPK signaling pathway, summarized important MAPK-inhibiting drugs, and discussed the promising combination treatment targeting multiple targets in melanoma therapy, which may overcome the drawbacks of current drugs treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yabin Cheng
- Department of Dermatology and Skin Science, Research Pavilion, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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