1
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Kim JA, Crawford KA, Spada PA, Martin LR, Zhang J, Wong R, Reid JM, Stewart CF, Frank TM, Liu Q, Michalek JE, Keller C. Non-chemotherapy adjuvant agents in TP53 mutant Ewing sarcoma. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14360. [PMID: 37658148 PMCID: PMC10474113 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40751-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is a malignant tumor arising in bone or soft tissue that occurs in adolescent and young adult patients as well as adults later in life. Although non-metastatic EWS is typically responsive to treatment when newly diagnosed, relapsed cases have an unmet need for which no standard treatment approach exists. Recent phase III clinical trials for EWS comparing 7 vs 5 chemotherapy drugs have failed to improve survival. To extend the durability of remission for EWS, we investigated 3 non-chemotherapy adjuvant therapy drug candidates to be combined with chemotherapy. The efficacy of these adjuvant drugs was investigated via anchorage-dependent growth assays, anchorage-independent soft-agar colony formation assays and EWS xenograft mouse models. Enoxacin and entinostat were the most effective adjuvant drug in both long-term in vitro and in vivo adjuvant studies. In the context that enoxacin is an FDA-approved antibiotic, and that entinostat is an investigational agent not yet FDA-approved, we propose enoxacin as an adjuvant drug for further preclinical and clinical investigation in EWS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Ah Kim
- Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute, 9025 NE Von Neumann Drive Ste 110, Hillsboro, OR, 97006, USA.
| | - Kenneth A Crawford
- Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute, 9025 NE Von Neumann Drive Ste 110, Hillsboro, OR, 97006, USA
| | - Piero A Spada
- Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute, 9025 NE Von Neumann Drive Ste 110, Hillsboro, OR, 97006, USA
| | - Leah R Martin
- Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute, 9025 NE Von Neumann Drive Ste 110, Hillsboro, OR, 97006, USA
| | - Jiaqi Zhang
- Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute, 9025 NE Von Neumann Drive Ste 110, Hillsboro, OR, 97006, USA
| | - Rain Wong
- Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute, 9025 NE Von Neumann Drive Ste 110, Hillsboro, OR, 97006, USA
| | - Joel M Reid
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Clinton F Stewart
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105-2794, USA
| | - Timothy M Frank
- Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute, 9025 NE Von Neumann Drive Ste 110, Hillsboro, OR, 97006, USA
| | - Qianqian Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Joel E Michalek
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Charles Keller
- Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute, 9025 NE Von Neumann Drive Ste 110, Hillsboro, OR, 97006, USA.
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2
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Showpnil IA, Selich-Anderson J, Taslim C, Boone MA, Crow JC, Theisen ER, Lessnick SL. EWS/FLI mediated reprogramming of 3D chromatin promotes an altered transcriptional state in Ewing sarcoma. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:9814-9837. [PMID: 36124657 PMCID: PMC9508825 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma is a prototypical fusion transcription factor-associated pediatric cancer that expresses EWS/FLI or a highly related FET/ETS chimera. EWS/FLI dysregulates transcription to induce and maintain sarcomagenesis, but the mechanisms utilized are not fully understood. We therefore sought to define the global effects of EWS/FLI on chromatin conformation and transcription in Ewing sarcoma cells using a well-validated ‘knock-down/rescue’ model of EWS/FLI function in combination with next generation sequencing assays to evaluate how the chromatin landscape changes with loss, and recovery, of EWS/FLI expression. We found that EWS/FLI (and EWS/ERG) genomic localization is largely conserved across multiple patient-derived Ewing sarcoma cell lines. This EWS/FLI binding signature is associated with establishment of topologically-associated domain (TAD) boundaries, compartment activation, enhancer-promoter looping that involve both intra- and inter-TAD interactions, and gene activation. In addition, EWS/FLI co-localizes with the loop-extrusion factor cohesin to promote chromatin loops and TAD boundaries. Importantly, local chromatin features provide the basis for transcriptional heterogeneity in regulation of direct EWS/FLI target genes across different Ewing sarcoma cell lines. These data demonstrate a key role of EWS/FLI in mediating genome-wide changes in chromatin configuration and support the notion that fusion transcription factors serve as master regulators of three-dimensional reprogramming of chromatin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iftekhar A Showpnil
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 43205, USA.,Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Julia Selich-Anderson
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Cenny Taslim
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Megann A Boone
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 43205, USA.,Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Jesse C Crow
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Emily R Theisen
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 43205, USA.,Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Stephen L Lessnick
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 43205, USA.,Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Division of Pediatric Heme/Onc/BMT, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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3
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Hartono AB, Kang HJ, Shi L, Phipps W, Ungerleider N, Giardina A, Chen W, Spraggon L, Somwar R, Moroz K, Drewry DH, Burow ME, Flemington E, Ladanyi M, Lee SB. Salt-Inducible Kinase 1 is a potential therapeutic target in Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor. Oncogenesis 2022; 11:18. [PMID: 35443736 PMCID: PMC9021191 DOI: 10.1038/s41389-022-00395-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor (DSRCT) is a rare and aggressive malignant cancer caused by a chromosomal translocation t(11;22)(p13;q12) that produces an oncogenic transcription factor, EWSR1-WT1. EWSR1-WT1 is essential for the initiation and progression of DSRCT. However, the precise mechanism by which EWSR1-WT1 drives DSRCT oncogenesis remains unresolved. Through our integrative gene expression analysis, we identified Salt Inducible Kinase 1 (SIK1) as a direct target of EWSR1-WT1. SIK1 as a member of the AMPK related kinase is involved in many biological processes. We showed that depletion of SIK1 causes inhibition of tumor cell growth, similar to the growth inhibition observed when EWSR1-WT1 is depleted. We further showed that silencing SIK1 leads to cessation of DNA replication in DSRCT cells and inhibition of tumor growth in vivo. Lastly, combined inhibition of SIK1 and CHEK1with small molecule inhibitors, YKL-05-099 and prexasertib, respectively, showed enhanced cytotoxicity in DSRCT cells compared to inhibition of either kinases alone. This work identified SIK1 as a new potential therapeutic target in DSRCT and the efficacy of SIK1 inhibition may be improved when combined with other intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alifiani Bonita Hartono
- Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Hong-Jun Kang
- Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Lawrence Shi
- Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Whitney Phipps
- Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Nathan Ungerleider
- Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Alexandra Giardina
- Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - WeiPing Chen
- Genomics Core, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Maryland, USA
| | - Lee Spraggon
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Romel Somwar
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Krzysztof Moroz
- Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - David H Drewry
- University of North Carolina, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | | | - Erik Flemington
- Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Marc Ladanyi
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sean Bong Lee
- Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
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4
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Sartori G, Napoli S, Cascione L, Chung EYL, Priebe V, Arribas AJ, Mensah AA, Dall'Angelo M, Falzarano C, Barnabei L, Forcato M, Rinaldi A, Bicciato S, Thome M, Bertoni F. ASB2 is a direct target of FLI1 that sustains NF-κB pathway activation in germinal center-derived diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2021; 40:357. [PMID: 34763718 PMCID: PMC8582153 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-021-02159-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Background Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) comprises at least two main biologically distinct entities: germinal center B-cell (GCB) and activated B-cell (ABC) subtype. Albeit sharing common lesions, GCB and ABC DLBCL present subtype-specific oncogenic pathway perturbations. ABC DLBCL is typically characterized by a constitutively active NF-kB. However, the latter is seen in also 30% of GCB DLBCL. Another recurrent lesion in DLBCL is an 11q24.3 gain, associated with the overexpression of two ETS transcription factors, ETS1 and FLI1. Here, we showed that FLI1 is more expressed in GCB than ABC DLBCL and we characterized its transcriptional network. Methods Gene expression data were obtained from public datasets GSE98588, phs001444.v2.p1, GSE95013 and GSE10846. ChIP-Seq for FLI1 paired with transcriptome analysis (RNA-Seq) after FLI1 silencing (siRNAs) was performed. Sequencing was carried out using the NextSeq 500 (Illumina). Detection of peaks was done using HOMER (v2.6); differential expressed genes were identified using moderated t-test (limma R-package) and functionally annotated with g:Profiler. ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq data from GCB DLBCL cell lines after FLI1 downregulation were integrated to identify putative direct targets of FLI1. Results Analysis of clinical DLBCL specimens showed that FLI1 gene was more frequently expressed at higher levels in GCB than in ABC DLBCL and its protein levels were higher in GCB than in ABC DLBCL cell lines. Genes negatively regulated by FLI1 included tumor suppressor genes involved in negative regulation of cell cycle and hypoxia. Among positively regulated targets of FLI1, we found genes annotated for immune response, MYC targets, NF-κB and BCR signaling and NOTCH pathway genes. Of note, direct targets of FLI1 overlapped with genes regulated by ETS1, the other transcription factor gained at the 11q24.3 locus in DLBCL, suggesting a functional convergence within the ETS family. Positive targets of FLI1 included the NF-κB-associated ASB2, a putative essential gene for DLBCL cell survival. ASB2 gene downregulation was toxic in GCB DLBCL cell lines and induced NF-κB inhibition via downregulation of RelB and increased IκBα. Additionally, downregulation of FLI1, but not ASB2, caused reduction of NF-κB1 and RelA protein levels. Conclusions We conclude that FLI1 directly regulates a network of biologically crucial genes and processes in GCB DLBCL. FLI1 regulates both the classical NF-κB pathway at the transcriptional level, and the alternative NF-κB pathway, via ASB2. FLI1 and ASB2 inhibition represents a potential novel therapeutic approach for GCB DLBCL. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13046-021-02159-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Sartori
- Institute of Oncology Research, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, USI, via Francesco Chiesa 5, 6500, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Sara Napoli
- Institute of Oncology Research, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, USI, via Francesco Chiesa 5, 6500, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Luciano Cascione
- Institute of Oncology Research, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, USI, via Francesco Chiesa 5, 6500, Bellinzona, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Elaine Yee Lin Chung
- Institute of Oncology Research, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, USI, via Francesco Chiesa 5, 6500, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Valdemar Priebe
- Institute of Oncology Research, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, USI, via Francesco Chiesa 5, 6500, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Alberto Jesus Arribas
- Institute of Oncology Research, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, USI, via Francesco Chiesa 5, 6500, Bellinzona, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Afua Adjeiwaa Mensah
- Institute of Oncology Research, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, USI, via Francesco Chiesa 5, 6500, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Michela Dall'Angelo
- Institute of Oncology Research, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, USI, via Francesco Chiesa 5, 6500, Bellinzona, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Computer Science, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Chiara Falzarano
- Institute of Oncology Research, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, USI, via Francesco Chiesa 5, 6500, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Laura Barnabei
- Institute of Oncology Research, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, USI, via Francesco Chiesa 5, 6500, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Mattia Forcato
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Andrea Rinaldi
- Institute of Oncology Research, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, USI, via Francesco Chiesa 5, 6500, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Silvio Bicciato
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Margot Thome
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Bertoni
- Institute of Oncology Research, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, USI, via Francesco Chiesa 5, 6500, Bellinzona, Switzerland. .,Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland (IOSI), Bellinzona, Switzerland.
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5
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Esfandiari Nazzaro E, Sabei FY, Vogel WK, Nazari M, Nicholson KS, Gafken PR, Taratula O, Taratula O, Davare MA, Leid M. Discovery and Validation of a Compound to Target Ewing's Sarcoma. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13101553. [PMID: 34683845 PMCID: PMC8538197 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13101553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing’s sarcoma, characterized by pathognomonic t (11; 22) (q24; q12) and related chromosomal ETS family translocations, is a rare aggressive cancer of bone and soft tissue. Current protocols that include cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents effectively treat localized disease; however, these aggressive therapies may result in treatment-related morbidities including second-site cancers in survivors. Moreover, the five-year survival rate in patients with relapsed, recurrent, or metastatic disease is less than 30%, despite intensive therapy with these cytotoxic agents. By using high-throughput phenotypic screening of small molecule libraries, we identified a previously uncharacterized compound (ML111) that inhibited in vitro proliferation of six established Ewing’s sarcoma cell lines with nanomolar potency. Proteomic studies show that ML111 treatment induced prometaphase arrest followed by rapid caspase-dependent apoptotic cell death in Ewing’s sarcoma cell lines. ML111, delivered via methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)-polycaprolactone copolymer nanoparticles, induced dose-dependent inhibition of Ewing’s sarcoma tumor growth in a murine xenograft model and invoked prometaphase arrest in vivo, consistent with in vitro data. These results suggest that ML111 represents a promising new drug lead for further preclinical studies and is a potential clinical development for the treatment of Ewing’s sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellie Esfandiari Nazzaro
- Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; (E.E.N.); (F.Y.S.); (W.K.V.); (M.N.); (O.T.); (M.L.)
| | - Fahad Y. Sabei
- Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; (E.E.N.); (F.Y.S.); (W.K.V.); (M.N.); (O.T.); (M.L.)
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan 88723, Saudi Arabia
| | - Walter K. Vogel
- Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; (E.E.N.); (F.Y.S.); (W.K.V.); (M.N.); (O.T.); (M.L.)
| | - Mohamad Nazari
- Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; (E.E.N.); (F.Y.S.); (W.K.V.); (M.N.); (O.T.); (M.L.)
| | - Katelyn S. Nicholson
- Division of Pediatric Hematology & Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA;
| | - Philip R. Gafken
- Proteomics & Metabolomics Shared Resource, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA;
| | - Olena Taratula
- Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; (E.E.N.); (F.Y.S.); (W.K.V.); (M.N.); (O.T.); (M.L.)
| | - Oleh Taratula
- Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; (E.E.N.); (F.Y.S.); (W.K.V.); (M.N.); (O.T.); (M.L.)
- Correspondence: (O.T.); (M.A.D.)
| | - Monika A. Davare
- Division of Pediatric Hematology & Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA;
- Papé Pediatric Research Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
- Correspondence: (O.T.); (M.A.D.)
| | - Mark Leid
- Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; (E.E.N.); (F.Y.S.); (W.K.V.); (M.N.); (O.T.); (M.L.)
- Department of Integrative Biosciences, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
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6
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Oncogenes, Proto-Oncogenes, and Lineage Restriction of Cancer Stem Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22189667. [PMID: 34575830 PMCID: PMC8470404 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22189667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In principle, an oncogene is a cellular gene (proto-oncogene) that is dysfunctional, due to mutation and fusion with another gene or overexpression. Generally, oncogenes are viewed as deregulating cell proliferation or suppressing apoptosis in driving cancer. The cancer stem cell theory states that most, if not all, cancers are a hierarchy of cells that arises from a transformed tissue-specific stem cell. These normal counterparts generate various cell types of a tissue, which adds a new dimension to how oncogenes might lead to the anarchic behavior of cancer cells. It is that stem cells, such as hematopoietic stem cells, replenish mature cell types to meet the demands of an organism. Some oncogenes appear to deregulate this homeostatic process by restricting leukemia stem cells to a single cell lineage. This review examines whether cancer is a legacy of stem cells that lose their inherent versatility, the extent that proto-oncogenes play a role in cell lineage determination, and the role that epigenetic events play in regulating cell fate and tumorigenesis.
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7
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Barrett C, Budhiraja A, Parashar V, Batish M. The Landscape of Regulatory Noncoding RNAs in Ewing's Sarcoma. Biomedicines 2021; 9:933. [PMID: 34440137 PMCID: PMC8391329 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9080933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Ewing's sarcoma (ES) is a pediatric sarcoma caused by a chromosomal translocation. Unlike in most cancers, the genomes of ES patients are very stable. The translocation product of the EWS-FLI1 fusion is most often the predominant genetic driver of oncogenesis, and it is pertinent to explore the role of epigenetic alterations in the onset and progression of ES. Several types of noncoding RNAs, primarily microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs, are key epigenetic regulators that have been shown to play critical roles in various cancers. The functions of these epigenetic regulators are just beginning to be appreciated in ES. Here, we performed a comprehensive literature review to identify these noncoding RNAs. We identified clinically relevant tumor suppressor microRNAs, tumor promoter microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs. We then explored the known interplay between different classes of noncoding RNAs and described the currently unmet need for expanding the noncoding RNA repertoire of ES. We concluded the review with a discussion of epigenetic regulation of ES via regulatory noncoding RNAs. These noncoding RNAs provide new avenues of exploration to develop better therapeutics and identify novel biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mona Batish
- Department of Medical and Molecular Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA; (C.B.); (A.B.); (V.P.)
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8
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Panicker S, Venkatabalasubramanian S, Pathak S, Ramalingam S. The impact of fusion genes on cancer stem cells and drug resistance. Mol Cell Biochem 2021; 476:3771-3783. [PMID: 34095988 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-021-04203-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
With ever increasing evidences on the role of fusion genes as the oncogenic protagonists in myriad cancers, it's time to explore if fusion genes can be the next generational drug targets in meeting the current demands of higher drug efficacy. Eliminating cancer stem cells (CSC) has become the current focus; however, we have reached a standstill in drug development owing to the lack of effective strategies to eradicate CSC. We believe that fusion genes could be the novel targets to overcome this limitation. The intriguing feature of fusion genes is that it dominantly impacts every aspect of CSC including self-renewal, differentiation, lineage commitment, tumorigenicity and stemness. Given the clinical success of fusion gene-based drugs in hematological cancers, our attempt to target fusion genes in eradicating CSC can be rewarding. As fusion genes are expressed explicitly in cancer cells, eradicating CSC by targeting fusion genes provides yet an another advantage of negligible patient side effects since normal cells remain unaffected by the drug. We hereby delineate the latest evidences on how fusion genes regulate CSC and drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saurav Panicker
- Department of Genetic Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Kanchipuram, 603203, Tamil Nadu, India
| | | | - Surajit Pathak
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Kelambakkam, Chennai, 603103, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Satish Ramalingam
- Department of Genetic Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Kanchipuram, 603203, Tamil Nadu, India.
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9
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Martinez-Lage M, Torres-Ruiz R, Puig-Serra P, Moreno-Gaona P, Martin MC, Moya FJ, Quintana-Bustamante O, Garcia-Silva S, Carcaboso AM, Petazzi P, Bueno C, Mora J, Peinado H, Segovia JC, Menendez P, Rodriguez-Perales S. In vivo CRISPR/Cas9 targeting of fusion oncogenes for selective elimination of cancer cells. Nat Commun 2020. [PMID: 33033246 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18875-x.] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusion oncogenes (FOs) are common in many cancer types and are powerful drivers of tumor development. Because their expression is exclusive to cancer cells and their elimination induces cell apoptosis in FO-driven cancers, FOs are attractive therapeutic targets. However, specifically targeting the resulting chimeric products is challenging. Based on CRISPR/Cas9 technology, here we devise a simple, efficient and non-patient-specific gene-editing strategy through targeting of two introns of the genes involved in the rearrangement, allowing for robust disruption of the FO specifically in cancer cells. As a proof-of-concept of its potential, we demonstrate the efficacy of intron-based targeting of transcription factors or tyrosine kinase FOs in reducing tumor burden/mortality in in vivo models. The FO targeting approach presented here might open new horizons for the selective elimination of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Martinez-Lage
- Molecular Cytogenetics and Genome Editing Unit, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - R Torres-Ruiz
- Molecular Cytogenetics and Genome Editing Unit, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO), 28029, Madrid, Spain. .,Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute and Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - P Puig-Serra
- Molecular Cytogenetics and Genome Editing Unit, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - P Moreno-Gaona
- Molecular Cytogenetics and Genome Editing Unit, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - M C Martin
- Molecular Cytogenetics and Genome Editing Unit, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - F J Moya
- Molecular Cytogenetics and Genome Editing Unit, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - O Quintana-Bustamante
- Differentiation and Cytometry Unit, Hematopoietic Innovative Therapies Division, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), 28040, Madrid, Spain.,Advanced Therapies Mixed Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz (IIS-FJD, UAM), 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - S Garcia-Silva
- Microenvironment and Metastasis Group, Molecular Oncology Program, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - A M Carcaboso
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Deu, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, 08950, Barcelona, Spain
| | - P Petazzi
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute and Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - C Bueno
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute and Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Mora
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Deu, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, 08950, Barcelona, Spain
| | - H Peinado
- Microenvironment and Metastasis Group, Molecular Oncology Program, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - J C Segovia
- Differentiation and Cytometry Unit, Hematopoietic Innovative Therapies Division, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), 28040, Madrid, Spain.,Advanced Therapies Mixed Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz (IIS-FJD, UAM), 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - P Menendez
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute and Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.,Instituciò Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig Lluis Companys, 08010, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBER-ONC), ISCIII, Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Rodriguez-Perales
- Molecular Cytogenetics and Genome Editing Unit, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO), 28029, Madrid, Spain.
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10
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Martinez-Lage M, Torres-Ruiz R, Puig-Serra P, Moreno-Gaona P, Martin MC, Moya FJ, Quintana-Bustamante O, Garcia-Silva S, Carcaboso AM, Petazzi P, Bueno C, Mora J, Peinado H, Segovia JC, Menendez P, Rodriguez-Perales S. In vivo CRISPR/Cas9 targeting of fusion oncogenes for selective elimination of cancer cells. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5060. [PMID: 33033246 PMCID: PMC7544871 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18875-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusion oncogenes (FOs) are common in many cancer types and are powerful drivers of tumor development. Because their expression is exclusive to cancer cells and their elimination induces cell apoptosis in FO-driven cancers, FOs are attractive therapeutic targets. However, specifically targeting the resulting chimeric products is challenging. Based on CRISPR/Cas9 technology, here we devise a simple, efficient and non-patient-specific gene-editing strategy through targeting of two introns of the genes involved in the rearrangement, allowing for robust disruption of the FO specifically in cancer cells. As a proof-of-concept of its potential, we demonstrate the efficacy of intron-based targeting of transcription factors or tyrosine kinase FOs in reducing tumor burden/mortality in in vivo models. The FO targeting approach presented here might open new horizons for the selective elimination of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Martinez-Lage
- Molecular Cytogenetics and Genome Editing Unit, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - R Torres-Ruiz
- Molecular Cytogenetics and Genome Editing Unit, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO), 28029, Madrid, Spain.
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute and Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - P Puig-Serra
- Molecular Cytogenetics and Genome Editing Unit, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - P Moreno-Gaona
- Molecular Cytogenetics and Genome Editing Unit, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - M C Martin
- Molecular Cytogenetics and Genome Editing Unit, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - F J Moya
- Molecular Cytogenetics and Genome Editing Unit, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - O Quintana-Bustamante
- Differentiation and Cytometry Unit, Hematopoietic Innovative Therapies Division, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), 28040, Madrid, Spain
- Advanced Therapies Mixed Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz (IIS-FJD, UAM), 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - S Garcia-Silva
- Microenvironment and Metastasis Group, Molecular Oncology Program, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - A M Carcaboso
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Deu, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, 08950, Barcelona, Spain
| | - P Petazzi
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute and Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - C Bueno
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute and Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Mora
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Deu, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, 08950, Barcelona, Spain
| | - H Peinado
- Microenvironment and Metastasis Group, Molecular Oncology Program, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - J C Segovia
- Differentiation and Cytometry Unit, Hematopoietic Innovative Therapies Division, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), 28040, Madrid, Spain
- Advanced Therapies Mixed Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz (IIS-FJD, UAM), 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - P Menendez
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute and Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
- Instituciò Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig Lluis Companys, 08010, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBER-ONC), ISCIII, Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Rodriguez-Perales
- Molecular Cytogenetics and Genome Editing Unit, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO), 28029, Madrid, Spain.
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11
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Theisen ER, Selich-Anderson J, Miller KR, Tanner JM, Taslim C, Pishas KI, Sharma S, Lessnick SL. Chromatin profiling reveals relocalization of lysine-specific demethylase 1 by an oncogenic fusion protein. Epigenetics 2020; 16:405-424. [PMID: 32842875 PMCID: PMC7993145 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2020.1805678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Paediatric cancers commonly harbour quiet mutational landscapes and are instead characterized by single driver events such as the mutation of critical chromatin regulators, expression of oncohistones, or expression of oncogenic fusion proteins. These events ultimately promote malignancy through disruption of normal gene regulation and development. The driver protein in Ewing sarcoma, EWS/FLI, is an oncogenic fusion and transcription factor that reshapes the enhancer landscape, resulting in widespread transcriptional dysregulation. Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) is a critical functional partner for EWS/FLI as inhibition of LSD1 reverses the transcriptional activity of EWS/FLI. However, how LSD1 participates in fusion-directed epigenomic regulation and aberrant gene activation is unknown. We now show EWS/FLI causes dynamic rearrangement of LSD1 and we uncover a role for LSD1 in gene activation through colocalization at EWS/FLI binding sites throughout the genome. LSD1 is integral to the establishment of Ewing sarcoma super-enhancers at GGAA-microsatellites, which ubiquitously overlap non-microsatellite loci bound by EWS/FLI. Together, we show that EWS/FLI induces widespread changes to LSD1 distribution in a process that impacts the enhancer landscape throughout the genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R Theisen
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Julia Selich-Anderson
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Kyle R Miller
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Jason M Tanner
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Cenny Taslim
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Kathleen I Pishas
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.,Cancer Genomics and Genetics, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, USA
| | - Sunil Sharma
- Applied Cancer Research and Drug Discovery, Translational Genomics Research Institute (Tgen), Phoenix, AX, USA
| | - Stephen L Lessnick
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.,Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplant, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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12
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Han C, Sun LY, Wang WT, Sun YM, Chen YQ. Non-coding RNAs in cancers with chromosomal rearrangements: the signatures, causes, functions and implications. J Mol Cell Biol 2020; 11:886-898. [PMID: 31361891 PMCID: PMC6884712 DOI: 10.1093/jmcb/mjz080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromosomal translocation leads to the juxtaposition of two otherwise separate DNA loci, which could result in gene fusion. These rearrangements at the DNA level are catastrophic events and often have causal roles in tumorigenesis. The oncogenic DNA messages are transferred to RNA molecules, which are in most cases translated into cancerous fusion proteins. Gene expression programs and signaling pathways are altered in these cytogenetically abnormal contexts. Notably, non-coding RNAs have attracted increasing attention and are believed to be tightly associated with chromosome-rearranged cancers. These RNAs not only function as modulators in downstream pathways but also directly affect chromosomal translocation or the associated products. This review summarizes recent research advances on the relationship between non-coding RNAs and chromosomal translocations and on diverse functions of non-coding RNAs in cancers with chromosomal rearrangements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cai Han
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Lin-Yu Sun
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Wen-Tao Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Yu-Meng Sun
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Yue-Qin Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
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13
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García-Domínguez DJ, Hontecillas-Prieto L, León EA, Sánchez-Molina S, Rodríguez-Núñez P, Morón FJ, Hajji N, Mackintosh C, de Álava E. An inducible ectopic expression system of EWSR1-FLI1 as a tool for understanding Ewing sarcoma oncogenesis. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0234243. [PMID: 32502203 PMCID: PMC7274397 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of the chimeric EWSR1-FLI1 oncoprotein is the main and initiating event defining Ewing sarcoma (ES). The dysregulation of epigenomic and proteomic homeostasis induced by the oncoprotein contributes to a wide variety of events involved in oncogenesis and tumor progression. Attempts at studying the effects of EWSR1-FLI1 in non-tumor cells to understand the mechanisms underlying sarcomagenesis have been unsuccessful to date, as ectopic expression of EWSR1-FLI1 blocks cell cycle progression and induces apoptosis in the tested cell lines. Therefore, it is essential to find a permissive cell type for EWSR1-FLI1 expression that allows its endogenous molecular functions to be studied. Here we have demonstrated that HeLa cell lines are permissive to EWSR1-FLI1 ectopic expression, and that our model substantially recapitulates the endogenous activity of the EWSR1-FLI1 fusion protein. This model could contribute to better understanding ES sarcomagenesis by helping to understand the molecular mechanisms induced by the EWSR1-FLI1 oncoprotein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. García-Domínguez
- Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla/CIBERONC, Seville, Spain
- * E-mail: (DJGD); (EDA)
| | - Lourdes Hontecillas-Prieto
- Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla/CIBERONC, Seville, Spain
| | - Eduardo Andrés León
- Bioinformatics Unit, Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina “López-Neyra”, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IPBLN-CSIC), Granada, Spain
| | - Sara Sánchez-Molina
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Pediàtrica—Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pablo Rodríguez-Núñez
- Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla/CIBERONC, Seville, Spain
| | - Francisco J. Morón
- Genomics Core Facility, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Nabil Hajji
- Division of Brain Sciences, The John Fulcher Molecular Neuro-Oncology Laboratory, Imperial College London, London, England, United Kingdom
| | | | - Enrique de Álava
- Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla/CIBERONC, Seville, Spain
- Department of Normal and Pathological Cytology and Histology, School of Medicine, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
- * E-mail: (DJGD); (EDA)
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14
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Oncogenic hijacking of a developmental transcription factor evokes vulnerability toward oxidative stress in Ewing sarcoma. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2423. [PMID: 32415069 PMCID: PMC7228971 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16244-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma (EwS) is an aggressive childhood cancer likely originating from mesenchymal stem cells or osteo-chondrogenic progenitors. It is characterized by fusion oncoproteins involving EWSR1 and variable members of the ETS-family of transcription factors (in 85% FLI1). EWSR1-FLI1 can induce target genes by using GGAA-microsatellites as enhancers. Here, we show that EWSR1-FLI1 hijacks the developmental transcription factor SOX6 – a physiological driver of proliferation of osteo-chondrogenic progenitors – by binding to an intronic GGAA-microsatellite, which promotes EwS growth in vitro and in vivo. Through integration of transcriptome-profiling, published drug-screening data, and functional in vitro and in vivo experiments including 3D and PDX models, we discover that constitutively high SOX6 expression promotes elevated levels of oxidative stress that create a therapeutic vulnerability toward the oxidative stress-inducing drug Elesclomol. Collectively, our results exemplify how aberrant activation of a developmental transcription factor by a dominant oncogene can promote malignancy, but provide opportunities for targeted therapy. Ewing sarcoma is characterized by the fusion of EWSR1 and FLI1. Here, the authors show that EWSR1-FLI1 increases the activity of the developmental transcription factor SOX6, which promotes tumor growth but also increases sensitivity to oxidative stress.
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15
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Cadena Castaneda D, Brachet G, Goupille C, Ouldamer L, Gouilleux-Gruart V. The neonatal Fc receptor in cancer FcRn in cancer. Cancer Med 2020; 9:4736-4742. [PMID: 32368865 PMCID: PMC7333860 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.3067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the neonatal IgG Fc receptor (FcRn) was discovered, it was found to be involved in immunoglobulin recycling and biodistribution, immune complexes routing, antigen presentation, humoral immune response, and cancer immunosurveillance. The latest data show that FcRn plays a part in cancer pathophysiology. In various types of cancers, such as lung and colorectal cancer, FcRn has been described as an early marker for prognosis. Dysregulation of FcRn expression by cancer cells allows them to increase their metabolism, and this process could be exploited for passive targeting of cytotoxic drugs. However, the roles of this receptor depend on whether the studied cell population is the tumor tissue or the infiltrating cells, bringing forward the need for further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Caroline Goupille
- CHRU de Tours, Tours, France.,Université de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France
| | - Lobna Ouldamer
- CHRU de Tours, Tours, France.,Université de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France
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16
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Breakthrough Technologies Reshape the Ewing Sarcoma Molecular Landscape. Cells 2020; 9:cells9040804. [PMID: 32225029 PMCID: PMC7226764 DOI: 10.3390/cells9040804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma is a highly aggressive round cell mesenchymal neoplasm, most often occurring in children and young adults. At the molecular level, it is characterized by the presence of recurrent chromosomal translocations. In the last years, next-generation technologies have contributed to a more accurate diagnosis and a refined classification. Moreover, the application of these novel technologies has highlighted the relevance of intertumoral and intratumoral molecular heterogeneity and secondary genetic alterations. Furthermore, they have shown evidence that genomic features can change as the tumor disseminates and are influenced by treatment as well. Similarly, next-generation technologies applied to liquid biopsies will significantly impact patient management by allowing the early detection of relapse and monitoring response to treatment. Finally, the use of these novel technologies has provided data of great value in order to discover new druggable pathways. Thus, this review provides concise updates on the latest progress of these breakthrough technologies, underscoring their importance in the generation of key knowledge, prognosis, and potential treatment of Ewing Sarcoma.
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17
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Conn E, Hour S, Allegakoen D, Graham G, Petro J, Kouassi-Brou M, Hong SH, Selvanathan S, Çelik H, Toretsky J, Üren A. Development of an Ewing sarcoma cell line with resistance to EWS‑FLI1 inhibitor YK‑4‑279. Mol Med Rep 2020; 21:1667-1675. [PMID: 32016454 PMCID: PMC8371434 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2020.10948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite Ewing sarcoma (ES) being the second most common pediatric malignancy of bone and soft tissue, few novel therapeutic approaches have been introduced over the past few decades. ES contains a pathognomonic chromosomal translocation that leads to a fusion protein between EWSR1 and an ets family member, most often FLI1. EWS‑FLI1 is the most common type of fusion protein and is a well‑vetted therapeutic target. A small molecule inhibitor of EWS‑FLI1, YK‑4‑279 (YK) was developed with the intention to serve as a targeted therapy option for patients with ES. The present study investigated resistance mechanisms by developing an ES cell line specifically resistant to YK. The ES cell line A4573 was treated with YK to create resistant cells by long term continuous exposure. The results revealed that resistance in A4573 was robust and sustainable, with a >27‑fold increase in IC50 lasting up to 16 weeks in the absence of the compound. Resistant ES cells were still sensitive to standard of care drugs, including doxorubicin, vincristine and etoposide, which may be valuable in future combination treatments in the clinic. Resistant ES cells revealed an increased expression of CD99. RNA sequencing and qPCR validation of resistant ES cells confirmed an increased expression of ANO1, BRSK2 and IGSF21, and a reduced expression of COL24A1, PRSS23 and RAB38 genes. A functional association between these genes and mechanism of resistance remains to be investigated. The present study created a cell line to investigate YK resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Conn
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Sarah Hour
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - David Allegakoen
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Garrett Graham
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Jeff Petro
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Marilyn Kouassi-Brou
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Sung Hyeok Hong
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Saravana Selvanathan
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Haydar Çelik
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Jeffrey Toretsky
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Aykut Üren
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
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18
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Pisconti S, Della Vittoria Scarpati G, Buonerba C, Messinese S, Carella R, Di Marzo M, Di Lorenzo G, Lazzari G, Perri F, Solla R. Management of Ewing Sarcoma Family of Tumors: A Short Description of a Rare Primitive Uterine pPNET and Literature Review. Onco Targets Ther 2020; 13:1179-1184. [PMID: 32110037 PMCID: PMC7034293 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s213233] [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: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose To describe the outcome of a patient with a rare primitive uterine pPNET and to perform a review of the available data in literature, leading the clinicians to better face this rare disease. Methods We have rescued data regarding the multidisciplinary treatment of pPNET from the PUBMED database, highlighting also issues regarding the pathogenesis and the genetic landscape of the ESFTs (Ewing Sarcoma Family of Tumors). Results Ewing sarcoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) are small round cell tumors presenting with different degrees of neuroectodermal differentiation. PNETs are further divided into central PNET and peripheral PNET (pPNET). Since pPNETs share the same genetic background of Ewing Sarcomas, they are considered to belong to the Ewing Sarcoma Family of Tumors (ESFTs). Multimodality treatment currently represents the best choice to offer to the affected patients. Conclusion Although pPNETs are generally diagnosed in children and young adults, an elderly woman aged 85 years came to our attention after a diagnosis of uterine pPNET. Her medical history is presented here, along with a literature review of the subject, highlighting the main biological, pathological and clinical features, with a hypothesis about the possible future therapeutic approaches for these rare malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Carlo Buonerba
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University Federico II of Naples, Naples, Italy
| | | | | | - Massimiliano Di Marzo
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, National Tumor Institute of Naples IRCCS G. Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Di Lorenzo
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University Federico II of Naples, Naples, Italy
| | - Grazia Lazzari
- Department of Radiation Oncology, POC, SS Annunziata, Taranto, Italy
| | - Francesco Perri
- Head and Neck Medical Oncology Unit, National Tumor Institute of Naples IRCCS G. Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Raffaele Solla
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,Italian National Research Council, Institute of Biostructure & Bioimaging, Naples, Italy
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19
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Rheinbay E, Nielsen MM, Abascal F, Wala JA, Shapira O, Tiao G, Hornshøj H, Hess JM, Juul RI, Lin Z, Feuerbach L, Sabarinathan R, Madsen T, Kim J, Mularoni L, Shuai S, Lanzós A, Herrmann C, Maruvka YE, Shen C, Amin SB, Bandopadhayay P, Bertl J, Boroevich KA, Busanovich J, Carlevaro-Fita J, Chakravarty D, Chan CWY, Craft D, Dhingra P, Diamanti K, Fonseca NA, Gonzalez-Perez A, Guo Q, Hamilton MP, Haradhvala NJ, Hong C, Isaev K, Johnson TA, Juul M, Kahles A, Kahraman A, Kim Y, Komorowski J, Kumar K, Kumar S, Lee D, Lehmann KV, Li Y, Liu EM, Lochovsky L, Park K, Pich O, Roberts ND, Saksena G, Schumacher SE, Sidiropoulos N, Sieverling L, Sinnott-Armstrong N, Stewart C, Tamborero D, Tubio JMC, Umer HM, Uusküla-Reimand L, Wadelius C, Wadi L, Yao X, Zhang CZ, Zhang J, Haber JE, Hobolth A, Imielinski M, Kellis M, Lawrence MS, von Mering C, Nakagawa H, Raphael BJ, Rubin MA, Sander C, Stein LD, Stuart JM, Tsunoda T, Wheeler DA, Johnson R, Reimand J, Gerstein M, Khurana E, Campbell PJ, López-Bigas N, Weischenfeldt J, Beroukhim R, Martincorena I, Pedersen JS, Getz G. Analyses of non-coding somatic drivers in 2,658 cancer whole genomes. Nature 2020; 578:102-111. [PMID: 32025015 PMCID: PMC7054214 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-1965-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 352] [Impact Index Per Article: 88.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The discovery of drivers of cancer has traditionally focused on protein-coding genes1-4. Here we present analyses of driver point mutations and structural variants in non-coding regions across 2,658 genomes from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium5 of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). For point mutations, we developed a statistically rigorous strategy for combining significance levels from multiple methods of driver discovery that overcomes the limitations of individual methods. For structural variants, we present two methods of driver discovery, and identify regions that are significantly affected by recurrent breakpoints and recurrent somatic juxtapositions. Our analyses confirm previously reported drivers6,7, raise doubts about others and identify novel candidates, including point mutations in the 5' region of TP53, in the 3' untranslated regions of NFKBIZ and TOB1, focal deletions in BRD4 and rearrangements in the loci of AKR1C genes. We show that although point mutations and structural variants that drive cancer are less frequent in non-coding genes and regulatory sequences than in protein-coding genes, additional examples of these drivers will be found as more cancer genomes become available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Rheinbay
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Morten Muhlig Nielsen
- Department of Molecular Medicine (MOMA), Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Jeremiah A Wala
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ofer Shapira
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Grace Tiao
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Henrik Hornshøj
- Department of Molecular Medicine (MOMA), Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Julian M Hess
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Randi Istrup Juul
- Department of Molecular Medicine (MOMA), Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ziao Lin
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Lars Feuerbach
- Division of Applied Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Radhakrishnan Sabarinathan
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Research Program on Biomedical Informatics, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tobias Madsen
- Department of Molecular Medicine (MOMA), Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jaegil Kim
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Loris Mularoni
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Research Program on Biomedical Informatics, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Shimin Shuai
- Computational Biology Program, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrés Lanzós
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Medical Oncology, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Carl Herrmann
- Division of Theoretical Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Bioquant Center, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Yosef E Maruvka
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Ciyue Shen
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- cBio Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Samirkumar B Amin
- Department of Genomic Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Graduate Program in Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Pratiti Bandopadhayay
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Johanna Bertl
- Department of Molecular Medicine (MOMA), Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Keith A Boroevich
- Laboratory for Medical Science Mathematics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - John Busanovich
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joana Carlevaro-Fita
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Medical Oncology, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Dimple Chakravarty
- Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology - Research, Division of Cancer Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Urology, Icahn school of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Calvin Wing Yiu Chan
- Division of Theoretical Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - David Craft
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Priyanka Dhingra
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Klev Diamanti
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Nuno A Fonseca
- European Bioinformatics Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hinxton, UK
| | - Abel Gonzalez-Perez
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Research Program on Biomedical Informatics, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Qianyun Guo
- Bioinformatics Research Centre (BiRC), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mark P Hamilton
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Nicholas J Haradhvala
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Chen Hong
- Division of Applied Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Keren Isaev
- Computational Biology Program, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Todd A Johnson
- Laboratory for Medical Science Mathematics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Malene Juul
- Department of Molecular Medicine (MOMA), Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Andre Kahles
- Division of Computational Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Abdullah Kahraman
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Youngwook Kim
- Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jan Komorowski
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Institute of Computer Science, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kiran Kumar
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sushant Kumar
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Donghoon Lee
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Kjong-Van Lehmann
- Division of Computational Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yilong Li
- SBGD Inc, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Eric Minwei Liu
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lucas Lochovsky
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Keunchil Park
- Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Oriol Pich
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Research Program on Biomedical Informatics, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nicola D Roberts
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Gordon Saksena
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Steven E Schumacher
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nikos Sidiropoulos
- Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC), The Finsen Laboratory, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lina Sieverling
- Division of Applied Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Chip Stewart
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David Tamborero
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Research Program on Biomedical Informatics, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jose M C Tubio
- Department of Zoology, Genetics and Physical Anthropology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Centre for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CIMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- The Biomedical Research Centre (CINBIO), Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | - Husen M Umer
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Liis Uusküla-Reimand
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Gene Technology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Claes Wadelius
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lina Wadi
- Computational Biology Program, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Cheng-Zhong Zhang
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jing Zhang
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - James E Haber
- Department of Biology and Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
| | - Asger Hobolth
- Bioinformatics Research Centre (BiRC), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Marcin Imielinski
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, and Institute for Computational Biomedicine, and Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Manolis Kellis
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michael S Lawrence
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Christian von Mering
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hidewaki Nakagawa
- Laboratory for Cancer Genomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Benjamin J Raphael
- Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Mark A Rubin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chris Sander
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- cBio Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lincoln D Stein
- Computational Biology Program, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joshua M Stuart
- Center for Biomolecular Science and Engineering, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Tatsuhiko Tsunoda
- Laboratory for Medical Science Mathematics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Department of Medical Science Mathematics, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
- Laboratory for Medical Science Mathematics, Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - David A Wheeler
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Rory Johnson
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Medical Oncology, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jüri Reimand
- Computational Biology Program, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mark Gerstein
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ekta Khurana
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Peter J Campbell
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Núria López-Bigas
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Research Program on Biomedical Informatics, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joachim Weischenfeldt
- Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC), The Finsen Laboratory, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Genome Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Rameen Beroukhim
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
| | | | - Jakob Skou Pedersen
- Department of Molecular Medicine (MOMA), Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Bioinformatics Research Centre (BiRC), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Gad Getz
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
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20
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Integrated exome and RNA sequencing of dedifferentiated liposarcoma. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5683. [PMID: 31831742 PMCID: PMC6908635 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13286-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The genomic characteristics of dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) that are associated with clinical features remain to be identified. Here, we conduct integrated whole exome and RNA sequencing analysis in 115 DDLPS tumors and perform comparative genomic analysis of well-differentiated and dedifferentiated components from eight DDLPS samples. Several somatic copy-number alterations (SCNAs), including the gain of 12q15, are identified as frequent genomic alterations. CTDSP1/2-DNM3OS fusion genes are identified in a subset of DDLPS tumors. Based on the association of SCNAs with clinical features, the DDLPS tumors are clustered into three groups. This clustering can predict the clinical outcome independently. The comparative analysis between well-differentiated and dedifferentiated components identify two categories of genomic alterations: shared alterations, associated with tumorigenesis, and dedifferentiated-specific alterations, associated with malignant transformation. This large-scale genomic analysis reveals the mechanisms underlying the development and progression of DDLPS and provides insights that could contribute to the refinement of DDLPS management. Understanding the genomic features of dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) is likely to uncover new options for management. Here, the authors reveal three prognostic groups, and highlight molecular markers associated with malignant transformation.
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21
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Hutzen B, Ghonime M, Lee J, Mardis ER, Wang R, Lee DA, Cairo MS, Roberts RD, Cripe TP, Cassady KA. Immunotherapeutic Challenges for Pediatric Cancers. MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS 2019; 15:38-48. [PMID: 31650024 PMCID: PMC6804520 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2019.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Solid tumors contain a mixture of malignant cells and non-malignant infiltrating cells that often create a chronic inflammatory and immunosuppressive microenvironment that restricts immunotherapeutic approaches. Although childhood and adult cancers share some similarities related to microenvironmental changes, pediatric cancers are unique, and adult cancer practices may not be wholly applicable to our pediatric patients. This review highlights the differences in tumorigenesis, viral infection, and immunologic response between children and adults that need to be considered when trying to apply experiences from experimental therapies in adult cancer patients to pediatric cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Hutzen
- The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Mohammed Ghonime
- The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Joel Lee
- The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Elaine R Mardis
- The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.,The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.,Institute for Genomic Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Ruoning Wang
- The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.,The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Dean A Lee
- The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.,The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Mitchell S Cairo
- Department of Pediatrics, Cancer and Blood Diseases Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA
| | - Ryan D Roberts
- The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.,The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Timothy P Cripe
- The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.,The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Kevin A Cassady
- The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.,The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.,Division of Pediatric Infection Diseases, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA
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22
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Andersson MK, Åman P, Stenman G. IGF2/IGF1R Signaling as a Therapeutic Target in MYB-Positive Adenoid Cystic Carcinomas and Other Fusion Gene-Driven Tumors. Cells 2019; 8:cells8080913. [PMID: 31426421 PMCID: PMC6721700 DOI: 10.3390/cells8080913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromosome rearrangements resulting in pathogenetically important gene fusions are a common feature of many cancers. They are often potent oncogenic drivers and have key functions in central cellular processes and pathways and encode transcription factors, transcriptional co-regulators, growth factor receptors, tyrosine kinases, and chromatin modifiers. In addition to being useful diagnostic biomarkers, they are also targets for development of new molecularly targeted therapies. Studies in recent decades have shown that several oncogenic gene fusions interact with the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathway. For example, the MYB-NFIB fusion in adenoid cystic carcinoma is regulated by IGF1R through an autocrine loop, and IGF1R is a downstream target of the EWSR1-WT1 and PAX3-FKHR fusions in desmoplastic small round cell tumors and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, respectively. Here, we will discuss the mechanisms behind the interactions between oncogenic gene fusions and the IGF signaling pathway. We will also discuss the role of therapeutic inhibition of IGF1R in fusion gene driven malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattias K Andersson
- Sahlgrenska Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, University of Gothenburg, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Pierre Åman
- Sahlgrenska Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, University of Gothenburg, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Göran Stenman
- Sahlgrenska Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, University of Gothenburg, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
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23
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A Gammaherpesvirus MicroRNA Targets EWSR1 (Ewing Sarcoma Breakpoint Region 1) In Vivo To Promote Latent Infection of Germinal Center B Cells. mBio 2019; 10:mBio.00996-19. [PMID: 31363027 PMCID: PMC6667617 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00996-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Gammaherpesviruses, including the human pathogens Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), directly contribute to the genesis of multiple types of malignancies. In vivo, these viruses infect B cells and manipulate B cell biology to establish lifelong infection. To accomplish this, gammaherpesviruses employ an array of gene products, including miRNAs, short noncoding RNAs that bind to and repress protein synthesis from specific target mRNAs. The in vivo relevance of repression of targets of gammaherpesvirus miRNAs remains highly elusive. Here, we identified a murine gammaherpesvirus miRNA as critical for in vivo infection and validated the host mRNA EWSR1 (Ewing sarcoma breakpoint region 1) as the predominant target for this miRNA. Using a novel technology, we demonstrated that repression of EWSR1 was essential for in vivo infection of the critical B cell reservoir. These findings provide the first in vivo demonstration of the significance of repression of a specific host mRNA by a gammaherpesvirus miRNA. Gammaherpesviruses, including the human pathogens Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), directly contribute to the genesis of multiple types of malignancies, including B cell lymphomas. In vivo, these viruses infect B cells and manipulate B cell biology to establish lifelong latent infection. To accomplish this, gammaherpesviruses employ an array of gene products, including microRNAs (miRNAs). Although numerous host mRNA targets of gammaherpesvirus miRNAs have been identified, the in vivo relevance of repression of these targets remains elusive due to species restriction. Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68) provides a robust virus-host system to dissect the in vivo function of conserved gammaherpesvirus genetic elements. We identified here MHV68 mghv-miR-M1-7-5p as critical for in vivo infection and then validated host EWSR1 (Ewing sarcoma breakpoint region 1) as the predominant target for this miRNA. Using novel, target-specific shRNA-expressing viruses, we determined that EWSR1 repression in vivo was essential for germinal center B cell infection. These findings provide the first in vivo demonstration of the biological significance of repression of a specific host mRNA by a gammaherpesvirus miRNA.
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24
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Okimoto RA, Wu W, Nanjo S, Olivas V, Lin YK, Ponce RK, Oyama R, Kondo T, Bivona TG. CIC-DUX4 oncoprotein drives sarcoma metastasis and tumorigenesis via distinct regulatory programs. J Clin Invest 2019; 129:3401-3406. [PMID: 31329165 DOI: 10.1172/jci126366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription factor fusion genes create oncoproteins that drive oncogenesis and represent challenging therapeutic targets. Understanding the molecular targets by which such fusion oncoproteins promote malignancy offers an approach to develop rational treatment strategies to improve clinical outcomes. Capicua-double homeobox 4 (CIC-DUX4) is a transcription factor fusion oncoprotein that defines certain undifferentiated round cell sarcomas with high metastatic propensity and poor clinical outcomes. The molecular targets regulated by the CIC-DUX4 oncoprotein that promote this aggressive malignancy remain largely unknown. We demonstrated that increased expression of ETS variant 4 (ETV4) and cyclin E1 (CCNE1) occurs via neomorphic, direct effects of CIC-DUX4 and drives tumor metastasis and survival, respectively. We uncovered a molecular dependence on the CCNE-CDK2 cell cycle complex that renders CIC-DUX4-expressing tumors sensitive to inhibition of the CCNE-CDK2 complex, suggesting a therapeutic strategy for CIC-DUX4-expressing tumors. Our findings highlight a paradigm of functional diversification of transcriptional repertoires controlled by a genetically aberrant transcriptional regulator, with therapeutic implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross A Okimoto
- Department of Medicine.,Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Rieko Oyama
- Division of Rare Cancer Research, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tadashi Kondo
- Division of Rare Cancer Research, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Trever G Bivona
- Department of Medicine.,Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.,Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA
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25
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Kang J, Lim L, Lu Y, Song J. A unified mechanism for LLPS of ALS/FTLD-causing FUS as well as its modulation by ATP and oligonucleic acids. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000327. [PMID: 31188823 PMCID: PMC6590835 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2018] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
526-residue Fused in sarcoma (FUS) undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) for its functions, which can further transit into pathological aggregation. ATP and nucleic acids, the universal cellular actors, were shown to modulate LLPS of FUS in a unique manner: enhancement and then dissolution. Currently, the driving force for LLPS of FUS is still under debate, while the mechanism for the modulation remains completely undefined. Here, by NMR and differential interference contrast (DIC) imaging, we characterized conformations, dynamics, and LLPS of FUS and its domains and subsequently their molecular interactions with oligonucleic acids, including one RNA and two single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) molecules, as well as ATP, Adenosine monophosphate (AMP), and adenosine. The results reveal 1) both a prion-like domain (PLD) rich in Tyr but absent of Arg/Lys and a C-terminal domain (CTD) abundant in Arg/Lys fail to phase separate. By contrast, the entire N-terminal domain (NTD) containing the PLD and an Arg-Gly (RG)-rich region efficiently phase separate, indicating that the π-cation interaction is the major driving force; 2) despite manifesting distinctive NMR observations, ATP has been characterized to modulate LLPS by specific binding as oligonucleic acids but with much lower affinity. Our results together establish a unified mechanism in which the π-cation interaction acts as the major driving force for LLPS of FUS and also serves as the target for modulation by ATP and oligonucleic acids through specific binding. This mechanism predicts that a myriad of proteins unrelated to RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) but with Arg/Lys-rich disordered regions could be modulated by ATP and nucleic acids, thus rationalizing the pathological association of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-causing C9ORF72 dipeptides with any nucleic acids to manifest cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Kang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Liangzhong Lim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yimei Lu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jianxing Song
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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26
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Theisen ER, Miller KR, Showpnil IA, Taslim C, Pishas KI, Lessnick SL. Transcriptomic analysis functionally maps the intrinsically disordered domain of EWS/FLI and reveals novel transcriptional dependencies for oncogenesis. Genes Cancer 2019; 10:21-38. [PMID: 30899417 PMCID: PMC6420793 DOI: 10.18632/genesandcancer.188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
EWS/FLI is the pathognomic fusion oncoprotein that drives Ewing sarcoma. The amino-terminal EWS portion coordinates transcriptional regulation and the carboxy-terminal FLI portion contains an ETS DNA-binding domain. EWS/FLI acts as an aberrant transcription factor, orchestrating a complex mix of gene activation and repression, from both high affinity ETS motifs and repetitive GGAA-microsatellites. Our overarching hypothesis is that executing multi-faceted transcriptional regulation requires EWS/FLI to use distinct molecular mechanisms at different loci. Many attempts have been made to map distinct functions to specific features of the EWS domain, but described deletion mutants are either fully active or completely "dead" and other approaches have been limited by the repetitive and disordered nature of the EWS domain. Here, we use transcriptomic approaches to show an EWS/FLI mutant, called DAF, previously thought to be nonfunctional, displays context-dependent and partial transcriptional activity but lacks transforming capacity. Using transcriptomic and phenotypic anchorage-independent growth profiles of other EWS/FLI mutants coupled with reported EWS/FLI localization data, we have mapped the critical structure-function requirements of the EWS domain for EWS/FLI-mediated oncogenesis. This approach defined unique classes of EWS/FLI response elements and revealed novel structure-function relationships required for EWS/FLI activation at these response elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R Theisen
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Kyle R Miller
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Iftekhar A Showpnil
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.,Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Cenny Taslim
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Kathleen I Pishas
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Stephen L Lessnick
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.,Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Blood & Marrow Transplant, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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27
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Myelolytic Treatments Enhance Oncolytic Herpes Virotherapy in Models of Ewing Sarcoma by Modulating the Immune Microenvironment. MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS 2018; 11:62-74. [PMID: 30505937 PMCID: PMC6249791 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2018.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma is a highly aggressive cancer that promotes the infiltration and activation of pro-tumor M2-like macrophages. Oncolytic virotherapy that selectively infects and destroys cancer cells is a promising option for treating Ewing sarcoma. The effect of tumor macrophages on oncolytic virus therapy, however, is variable among solid tumors and is unknown in Ewing sarcoma. We tested the effects of macrophage reduction using liposomal clodronate (Clodrosome) and trabectedin on the antitumor efficacy of intratumoral oncolytic herpes simplex virus, rRp450, in two Ewing sarcoma xenograft models. Both agents enhanced antitumor efficacy without increasing virus replication. The most profound effects were in A673 with only a transient effect on response rates in TC71. Interestingly, A673 was more dependent than TC71 on macrophages for its tumorigenesis. We found Clodrosome and virus together induced expression of antitumorigenic genes and reduced expression of protumorigenic genes in both the tumor-associated macrophages and the overall tumor stroma. Trabectedin reduced intratumoral natural killer (NK) cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and M2-like macrophages, and prevented their increase following virotherapy. Our data suggest that a combination of trabectedin and oncolytic herpes virotherapy warrants testing in the clinical setting.
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28
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Namatame N, Tamaki N, Yoshizawa Y, Okamura M, Nishimura Y, Yamazaki K, Tanaka M, Nakamura T, Semba K, Yamori T, Yaguchi SI, Dan S. Antitumor profile of the PI3K inhibitor ZSTK474 in human sarcoma cell lines. Oncotarget 2018; 9:35141-35161. [PMID: 30416685 PMCID: PMC6205545 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.26216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Treatment of patients with advanced sarcoma remains challenging due to lack of effective medicine, with the development of novel drugs being of keen interest. A pan-PI3K inhibitor, ZSTK474, has been evaluated in clinical trials against a range of advanced solid tumors, with clinical benefit shown in sarcoma patients. In the present study, we developed a panel of 14 human sarcoma cell lines and investigated the antitumor effect of 24 anticancer agents including ZSTK474, other PI3K inhibitors, and those clinically used for sarcoma treatment. ZSTK474 exhibited a similar antiproliferative profile to other PI3K inhibitors but was clearly different from the other drugs examined. Indeed, ZSTK474 inhibited PI3K-downstream pathways, in parallel to growth inhibition, in all cell lines examined, showing proof-of-concept of PI3K inhibition. In addition, ZSTK474 induced apoptosis selectively in Ewing's sarcoma (RD-ES and A673), alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (SJCRH30) and synovial sarcoma (SYO-1, Aska-SS and Yamato-SS) cell lines, all of which harbor chromosomal translocation and resulting oncogenic fusion genes, EWSR1-FLI1, PAX3-FOXO1 and SS18-SSX, respectively. Finally, animal experiments confirmed the antitumor activity of ZSTK474 in vivo, with superior efficacy observed in translocation-positive cells. These results suggest that ZSTK474 could be a promising drug candidate for treating sarcomas, especially those harboring chromosomal translocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nachi Namatame
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.,R&D Center, Zenyaku Kogyo Co. Ltd, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naomi Tamaki
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuya Yoshizawa
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mutsumi Okamura
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yumiko Nishimura
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kanami Yamazaki
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Miwa Tanaka
- Division of Carcinogenesis, Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuro Nakamura
- Division of Carcinogenesis, Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kentaro Semba
- Department of Life Science and Medical Bioscience, School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takao Yamori
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.,Present address: Center for Product Evaluation, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichi Yaguchi
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.,R&D Center, Zenyaku Kogyo Co. Ltd, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shingo Dan
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
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29
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Lui GYL, Grandori C, Kemp CJ. CDK12: an emerging therapeutic target for cancer. J Clin Pathol 2018; 71:957-962. [PMID: 30104286 DOI: 10.1136/jclinpath-2018-205356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinase 12 (CDK12) belongs to the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) family of serine/threonine protein kinases that regulate transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes, thereby modulating multiple cellular functions. Early studies characterised CDK12 as a transcriptional CDK that complexes with cyclin K to mediate gene transcription by phosphorylating RNA polymerase II. CDK12 has been demonstrated to specifically upregulate the expression of genes involved in response to DNA damage, stress and heat shock. More recent studies have implicated CDK12 in regulating mRNA splicing, 3' end processing, pre-replication complex assembly and genomic stability during embryonic development. Genomic alterations in CDK12 have been detected in oesophageal, stomach, breast, endometrial, uterine, ovarian, bladder, colorectal and pancreatic cancers, ranging from 5% to 15% of sequenced cases. An increasing number of studies point to CDK12 inhibition as an effective strategy to inhibit tumour growth, and synthetic lethal interactions have been described with MYC, EWS/FLI and PARP/CHK1 inhibition. Herein, we discuss the present literature on CDK12 in cell function and human cancer, highlighting important roles for CDK12 as a clinical biomarker for treatment response and potential as an effective therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Goldie Y L Lui
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Human Biology Division, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Christopher J Kemp
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Human Biology Division, Seattle, Washington, USA
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30
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Hoang NT, Acevedo LA, Mann MJ, Tolani B. A review of soft-tissue sarcomas: translation of biological advances into treatment measures. Cancer Manag Res 2018; 10:1089-1114. [PMID: 29785138 PMCID: PMC5955018 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s159641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Soft-tissue sarcomas are rare malignant tumors arising from connective tissues and have an overall incidence of about five per 100,000 per year. While this diverse family of malignancies comprises over 100 histological subtypes and many molecular aberrations are prevalent within specific sarcomas, very few are therapeutically targeted. Instead of utilizing molecular signatures, first-line sarcoma treatment options are still limited to traditional surgery and chemotherapy, and many of the latter remain largely ineffective and are plagued by disease resistance. Currently, the mechanism of sarcoma oncogenesis remains largely unknown, thus necessitating a better understanding of pathogenesis. Although substantial progress has not occurred with molecularly targeted therapies over the past 30 years, increased knowledge about sarcoma biology could lead to new and more effective treatment strategies to move the field forward. Here, we discuss biological advances in the core molecular determinants in some of the most common soft-tissue sarcomas - liposarcoma, angiosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, and synovial sarcoma - with an emphasis on emerging genomic and molecular pathway targets and immunotherapeutic treatment strategies to combat this confounding disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngoc T Hoang
- Thoracic Oncology Program, Department of Surgery, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Luis A Acevedo
- Thoracic Oncology Program, Department of Surgery, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Michael J Mann
- Thoracic Oncology Program, Department of Surgery, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Bhairavi Tolani
- Thoracic Oncology Program, Department of Surgery, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
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31
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Yoon Y, Park H, Kim S, Nguyen PT, Hyeon SJ, Chung S, Im H, Lee J, Lee SB, Ryu H. Genetic Ablation of EWS RNA Binding Protein 1 (EWSR1) Leads to Neuroanatomical Changes and Motor Dysfunction in Mice. Exp Neurobiol 2018; 27:103-111. [PMID: 29731676 PMCID: PMC5934541 DOI: 10.5607/en.2018.27.2.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2018] [Revised: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A recent study reveals that missense mutations of EWSR1 are associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, but the function of wild-type (WT) EWSR1 in the central nervous system (CNS) is not known yet. Herein, we investigated the neuroanatomical and motor function changes in Ewsr1 knock out (KO) mice. First, we quantified neuronal nucleus size in the motor cortex, dorsal striatum and hippocampus of three different groups: WT, heterozygous Ewsr1 KO (+/−), and homozygous Ewsr1 KO (−/−) mice. The neuronal nucleus size was significantly smaller in the motor cortex and striatum of homozygous Ewsr1 KO (−/−) mice than that of WT. In addition, in the hippocampus, the neuronal nucleus size was significantly smaller in both heterozygous Ewsr1 KO (+/−) and homozygous Ewsr1 KO (−/−) mice. We then assessed motor function of Ewsr1 KO (−/−) and WT mice by a tail suspension test. Both forelimb and hindlimb movements were significantly increased in Ewsr1 KO (−/−) mice. Lastly, we performed immunohistochemistry to examine the expression of TH, DARPP-32, and phosphorylated (p)-DARPP-32 (Thr75) in the striatum and substantia nigra, which are associated with dopaminergic signaling. The immunoreactivity of TH and DARPP-32 was decreased in Ewsr1 KO (−/−) mice. Together, our results suggest that EWSR1 plays a significant role in neuronal morphology, dopaminergic signaling pathways, and motor function in the CNS of mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeojun Yoon
- Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - Hasang Park
- Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - Sangyeon Kim
- Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - Phuong T Nguyen
- Center for Neuromedicine and Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Korea
| | - Seung Jae Hyeon
- Center for Neuromedicine and Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Korea
| | - Sooyoung Chung
- Center for Neuromedicine and Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Korea
| | - Hyeonjoo Im
- Center for Neuromedicine and Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Korea
| | - Junghee Lee
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA.,Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center and Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Sean Bong Lee
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Hoon Ryu
- Center for Neuromedicine and Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Korea.,VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA.,Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center and Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
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32
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Minas TZ, Surdez D, Javaheri T, Tanaka M, Howarth M, Kang HJ, Han J, Han ZY, Sax B, Kream BE, Hong SH, Çelik H, Tirode F, Tuckermann J, Toretsky JA, Kenner L, Kovar H, Lee S, Sweet-Cordero EA, Nakamura T, Moriggl R, Delattre O, Üren A. Combined experience of six independent laboratories attempting to create an Ewing sarcoma mouse model. Oncotarget 2018; 8:34141-34163. [PMID: 27191748 PMCID: PMC5470957 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.9388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Accepted: 05/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma (ES) involves a tumor-specific chromosomal translocation that produces the EWS-FLI1 protein, which is required for the growth of ES cells both in vitro and in vivo. However, an EWS-FLI1-driven transgenic mouse model is not currently available. Here, we present data from six independent laboratories seeking an alternative approach to express EWS-FLI1 in different murine tissues. We used the Runx2, Col1a2.3, Col1a3.6, Prx1, CAG, Nse, NEFL, Dermo1, P0, Sox9 and Osterix promoters to target EWS-FLI1 or Cre expression. Additional approaches included the induction of an endogenous chromosomal translocation, in utero knock-in, and the injection of Cre-expressing adenovirus to induce EWS-FLI1 expression locally in multiple lineages. Most models resulted in embryonic lethality or developmental defects. EWS-FLI1-induced apoptosis, promoter leakiness, the lack of potential cofactors, and the difficulty of expressing EWS-FLI1 in specific sites were considered the primary reasons for the failed attempts to create a transgenic mouse model of ES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsion Zewdu Minas
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Didier Surdez
- Genetics and Biology of Cancers Unit, Institut Curie Research Center, PSL Research University, Île-de-France, Paris, France.,INSERM U830, Institut Curie Research Center, Île-de-France, Paris, France
| | | | - Miwa Tanaka
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Michelle Howarth
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States of America
| | - Hong-Jun Kang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
| | - Jenny Han
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Zhi-Yan Han
- Genetics and Biology of Cancers Unit, Institut Curie Research Center, PSL Research University, Île-de-France, Paris, France.,INSERM U830, Institut Curie Research Center, Île-de-France, Paris, France
| | - Barbara Sax
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research, Vienna, Austria
| | - Barbara E Kream
- Department of Medicine, and Genetics and Genome Sciences, University of Connecticut Health Science Center, Farmington, CT, United States of America
| | - Sung-Hyeok Hong
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Haydar Çelik
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Franck Tirode
- Genetics and Biology of Cancers Unit, Institut Curie Research Center, PSL Research University, Île-de-France, Paris, France.,INSERM U830, Institut Curie Research Center, Île-de-France, Paris, France
| | - Jan Tuckermann
- Institute of Comparative Molecular Endocrinology (CME), University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Jeffrey A Toretsky
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Lukas Kenner
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research, Vienna, Austria.,Clinical Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Pathology of Laboratory Animals (UPLA), University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Heinrich Kovar
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Children´s Cancer Research Institute, St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sean Lee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
| | - E Alejandro Sweet-Cordero
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States of America
| | - Takuro Nakamura
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Richard Moriggl
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research, Vienna, Austria.,Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.,Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Olivier Delattre
- Genetics and Biology of Cancers Unit, Institut Curie Research Center, PSL Research University, Île-de-France, Paris, France.,INSERM U830, Institut Curie Research Center, Île-de-France, Paris, France.,Unité de génétique somatique, Institut Curie, Île-de-France, Paris, France
| | - Aykut Üren
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
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33
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Jacques C, Lamoureux F, Baud'huin M, Rodriguez Calleja L, Quillard T, Amiaud J, Tirode F, Rédini F, Bradner JE, Heymann D, Ory B. Targeting the epigenetic readers in Ewing sarcoma inhibits the oncogenic transcription factor EWS/Fli1. Oncotarget 2018; 7:24125-40. [PMID: 27006472 PMCID: PMC5029689 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.8214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing Sarcoma is a rare bone and soft tissue malignancy affecting children and young adults. Chromosomal translocations in this cancer produce fusion oncogenes as characteristic molecular signatures of the disease. The most common case is the translocation t (11; 22) (q24;q12) which yields the EWS-Fli1 chimeric transcription factor. Finding a way to directly target EWS-Fli1 remains a central therapeutic approach to eradicate this aggressive cancer. Here we demonstrate that treating Ewing Sarcoma cells with JQ1(+), a BET bromodomain inhibitor, represses directly EWS-Fli1 transcription as well as its transcriptional program. Moreover, the Chromatin Immuno Precipitation experiments demonstrate for the first time that these results are a consequence of the depletion of BRD4, one of the BET bromodomains protein from the EWS-Fli1 promoter. In vitro, JQ1(+) treatment reduces the cell viability, impairs the cell clonogenic and the migratory abilities, and induces a G1-phase blockage as well as a time- and a dose-dependent apoptosis. Furthermore, in our in vivo model, we observed a tumor burden delay, an inhibition of the global vascularization and an increase of the mice overall survival. Taken together, our data indicate that inhibiting the BET bromodomains interferes with EWS-FLi1 transcription and could be a promising strategy in the Ewing tumors context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Jacques
- INSERM, UMR 957, Équipe Labellisée Ligue 2012, Nantes, France.,Physiopathologie de la Résorption Osseuse et Thérapie des Tumeurs Osseuses Primitives, Université de Nantes, Nantes Atlantique Universités, EA3822, Nantes, France
| | - François Lamoureux
- INSERM, UMR 957, Équipe Labellisée Ligue 2012, Nantes, France.,Physiopathologie de la Résorption Osseuse et Thérapie des Tumeurs Osseuses Primitives, Université de Nantes, Nantes Atlantique Universités, EA3822, Nantes, France
| | - Marc Baud'huin
- INSERM, UMR 957, Équipe Labellisée Ligue 2012, Nantes, France.,Physiopathologie de la Résorption Osseuse et Thérapie des Tumeurs Osseuses Primitives, Université de Nantes, Nantes Atlantique Universités, EA3822, Nantes, France.,Nantes University Hospital, Nantes, France
| | - Lidia Rodriguez Calleja
- INSERM, UMR 957, Équipe Labellisée Ligue 2012, Nantes, France.,Physiopathologie de la Résorption Osseuse et Thérapie des Tumeurs Osseuses Primitives, Université de Nantes, Nantes Atlantique Universités, EA3822, Nantes, France
| | - Thibaut Quillard
- INSERM, UMR 957, Équipe Labellisée Ligue 2012, Nantes, France.,Physiopathologie de la Résorption Osseuse et Thérapie des Tumeurs Osseuses Primitives, Université de Nantes, Nantes Atlantique Universités, EA3822, Nantes, France
| | - Jérôme Amiaud
- INSERM, UMR 957, Équipe Labellisée Ligue 2012, Nantes, France.,Physiopathologie de la Résorption Osseuse et Thérapie des Tumeurs Osseuses Primitives, Université de Nantes, Nantes Atlantique Universités, EA3822, Nantes, France
| | | | - Françoise Rédini
- INSERM, UMR 957, Équipe Labellisée Ligue 2012, Nantes, France.,Physiopathologie de la Résorption Osseuse et Thérapie des Tumeurs Osseuses Primitives, Université de Nantes, Nantes Atlantique Universités, EA3822, Nantes, France
| | - James E Bradner
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Dominique Heymann
- INSERM, UMR 957, Équipe Labellisée Ligue 2012, Nantes, France.,Physiopathologie de la Résorption Osseuse et Thérapie des Tumeurs Osseuses Primitives, Université de Nantes, Nantes Atlantique Universités, EA3822, Nantes, France.,Nantes University Hospital, Nantes, France
| | - Benjamin Ory
- INSERM, UMR 957, Équipe Labellisée Ligue 2012, Nantes, France.,Physiopathologie de la Résorption Osseuse et Thérapie des Tumeurs Osseuses Primitives, Université de Nantes, Nantes Atlantique Universités, EA3822, Nantes, France
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34
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Lee T, Pelletier J. The biology of DHX9 and its potential as a therapeutic target. Oncotarget 2018; 7:42716-42739. [PMID: 27034008 PMCID: PMC5173168 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.8446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
DHX9 is member of the DExD/H-box family of helicases with a “DEIH” sequence at its eponymous DExH-box motif. Initially purified from human and bovine cells and identified as a homologue of the Drosophila Maleless (MLE) protein, it is an NTP-dependent helicase consisting of a conserved helicase core domain, two double-stranded RNA-binding domains at the N-terminus, and a nuclear transport domain and a single-stranded DNA-binding RGG-box at the C-terminus. With an ability to unwind DNA and RNA duplexes, as well as more complex nucleic acid structures, DHX9 appears to play a central role in many cellular processes. Its functions include regulation of DNA replication, transcription, translation, microRNA biogenesis, RNA processing and transport, and maintenance of genomic stability. Because of its central role in gene regulation and RNA metabolism, there are growing implications for DHX9 in human diseases and their treatment. This review will provide an overview of the structure, biochemistry, and biology of DHX9, its role in cancer and other human diseases, and the possibility of targeting DHX9 in chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jerry Pelletier
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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35
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Kedage V, Selvaraj N, Nicholas TR, Budka JA, Plotnik JP, Jerde TJ, Hollenhorst PC. An Interaction with Ewing's Sarcoma Breakpoint Protein EWS Defines a Specific Oncogenic Mechanism of ETS Factors Rearranged in Prostate Cancer. Cell Rep 2017; 17:1289-1301. [PMID: 27783944 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Revised: 09/15/2016] [Accepted: 09/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
More than 50% of prostate tumors have a chromosomal rearrangement resulting in aberrant expression of an oncogenic ETS family transcription factor. However, mechanisms that differentiate the function of oncogenic ETS factors expressed in prostate tumors from non-oncogenic ETS factors expressed in normal prostate are unknown. Here, we find that four oncogenic ETS (ERG, ETV1, ETV4, and ETV5), and no other ETS, interact with the Ewing's sarcoma breakpoint protein, EWS. This EWS interaction was necessary and sufficient for oncogenic ETS functions including gene activation, cell migration, clonogenic survival, and transformation. Significantly, the EWS interacting region of ERG has no homology with that of ETV1, ETV4, and ETV5. Therefore, this finding may explain how divergent ETS factors have a common oncogenic function. Strikingly, EWS is fused to various ETS factors by the chromosome translocations that cause Ewing's sarcoma. Therefore, these findings link oncogenic ETS function in both prostate cancer and Ewing's sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivekananda Kedage
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | | | - Taylor R Nicholas
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Justin A Budka
- Medical Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Joshua P Plotnik
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Travis J Jerde
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Peter C Hollenhorst
- Medical Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
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36
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Tanner JM, Bensard C, Wei P, Krah NM, Schell JC, Gardiner J, Schiffman J, Lessnick SL, Rutter J. EWS/FLI is a Master Regulator of Metabolic Reprogramming in Ewing Sarcoma. Mol Cancer Res 2017; 15:1517-1530. [PMID: 28720588 PMCID: PMC5668171 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-17-0182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Revised: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma is a bone malignancy driven by a translocation event resulting in the fusion protein EWS/FLI1 (EF). EF functions as an aberrant and oncogenic transcription factor that misregulates the expression of thousands of genes. Previous work has focused principally on determining important transcriptional targets of EF, as well as characterizing important regulatory partnerships in EF-dependent transcriptional programs. Less is known, however, about EF-dependent metabolic changes or their role in Ewing sarcoma biology. Therefore, the metabolic effects of silencing EF in Ewing sarcoma cells were determined. Metabolomic analyses revealed distinct separation of metabolic profiles in EF-knockdown versus control-knockdown cells. Mitochondrial stress tests demonstrated that knockdown of EF increased respiratory as well as glycolytic functions. Enzymes and metabolites in several metabolic pathways were altered, including de novo serine synthesis and elements of one-carbon metabolism. Furthermore, phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) was found to be highly expressed in Ewing sarcoma and correlated with worse patient survival. PHGDH knockdown or pharmacologic inhibition in vitro caused impaired proliferation and cell death. Interestingly, PHGDH modulation also led to elevated histone expression and methylation. These studies demonstrate that the translocation-derived fusion protein EF is a master regulator of metabolic reprogramming in Ewing sarcoma, diverting metabolites toward biosynthesis. As such, these data suggest that the metabolic aberrations induced by EF are important contributors to the oncogenic biology of these tumors.Implications: This previously unexplored role of EWS/FLI1-driven metabolic changes expands the understanding of Ewing sarcoma biology, and has potential to significantly inform development of therapeutic strategies. Mol Cancer Res; 15(11); 1517-30. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason M Tanner
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Claire Bensard
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Peng Wei
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Nathan M Krah
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - John C Schell
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Jamie Gardiner
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Joshua Schiffman
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Stephen L Lessnick
- Center for Childhood Cancer & Blood Diseases, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Jared Rutter
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
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Monteleone NJ, Lutz CS. miR-708-5p: a microRNA with emerging roles in cancer. Oncotarget 2017; 8:71292-71316. [PMID: 29050362 PMCID: PMC5642637 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.19772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/16/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. They are crucial for normal development and maintaining homeostasis. Researchers have discovered that dysregulated miRNA expression contributes to many pathological conditions, including cancer. miRNAs can augment or suppress tumorigenesis based on their expression and transcribed targetome in various cell types. In recent years, researchers have begun to identify miRNAs commonly dysregulated in cancer. One recently identified miRNA, miR-708-5p, has been shown to have profound roles in promoting or suppressing oncogenesis in a myriad of solid and hematological tumors. This review highlights the diverse, sometimes controversial findings reported for miR-708-5p in cancer, and the importance of further exploring this exciting miRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J. Monteleone
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, and the School of Graduate Studies, Health Sciences Campus - Newark, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
| | - Carol S. Lutz
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, and the School of Graduate Studies, Health Sciences Campus - Newark, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
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38
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Role for the EWS domain of EWS/FLI in binding GGAA-microsatellites required for Ewing sarcoma anchorage independent growth. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:9870-9875. [PMID: 28847958 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1701872114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma usually expresses the EWS/FLI fusion transcription factor oncoprotein. EWS/FLI regulates myriad genes required for Ewing sarcoma development. EWS/FLI binds GGAA-microsatellite sequences in vivo and in vitro. These sequences provide EWS/FLI-mediated activation to reporter constructs, suggesting that they function as EWS/FLI-response elements. We now demonstrate the critical role of an EWS/FLI-bound GGAA-microsatellite in regulation of the NR0B1 gene as well as for Ewing sarcoma proliferation and anchorage-independent growth. Clinically, genomic GGAA-microsatellites are highly variable and polymorphic. Current data suggest that there is an optimal "sweet-spot" GGAA-microsatellite length (of 18-26 GGAA repeats) that confers maximal EWS/FLI-responsiveness to target genes, but the mechanistic basis for this remains unknown. Our biochemical studies, using recombinant Δ22 (a version of EWS/FLI containing only the FLI portion), demonstrate a stoichiometry of one Δ22-monomer binding to every two consecutive GGAA-repeats on shorter microsatellite sequences. Surprisingly, the affinity for Δ22 binding to GGAA-microsatellites significantly decreased, and ultimately became unmeasureable, when the size of the microsatellite was increased to the sweet-spot length. In contrast, a fully functional EWS/FLI mutant (Mut9, which retains approximately half of the EWS portion of the fusion) showed low affinity for smaller GGAA-microsatellites but instead significantly increased its affinity at sweet-spot microsatellite lengths. Single-gene ChIP and genome-wide ChIP-sequencing (ChIP-seq) and RNA-seq studies extended these findings to the in vivo setting. Together, these data demonstrate the critical requirement of GGAA-microsatellites as EWS/FLI activating response elements in vivo and reveal an unexpected role for the EWS portion of the EWS/FLI fusion in binding to sweet-spot GGAA-microsatellites.
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Dasgupta A, Trucco M, Rainusso N, Bernardi RJ, Shuck R, Kurenbekova L, Loeb DM, Yustein JT. Metabolic modulation of Ewing sarcoma cells inhibits tumor growth and stem cell properties. Oncotarget 2017; 8:77292-77308. [PMID: 29100387 PMCID: PMC5652780 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.20467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is a highly aggressive and metabolically active malignant tumor. Metabolic activity can broadly be characterized by features of glycolytic activity and oxidative phosphorylation. We have further characterized metabolic features of EWS cells to identify potential therapeutic targets. EWS cells had significantly more glycolytic activity compared to their non-malignant counterparts. Thus, metabolic inhibitors of glycolysis such as 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) and of the mitochondrial respiratory pathway, such as metformin, were evaluated as potential therapeutic agents against a panel of EWS cell lines in vitro. Results indicate that 2DG alone or in combination with metformin was effective at inducing cell death in EWS cell lines. The predominant mechanism of cell death appears to be through stimulating apoptosis leading into necrosis with concomitant activation of AMPK-α. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the use of metabolic modulators can target putative EWS stem cells, both in vitro and in vivo, and potentially overcome chemotherapeutic resistance in EWS. Based on these data, clinical strategies using drugs targeting tumor cell metabolism present a viable therapeutic modality against EWS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atreyi Dasgupta
- The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center at The Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Matteo Trucco
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, Hematology-Oncology, University of Miami-Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Nino Rainusso
- The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center at The Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ronald J Bernardi
- The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center at The Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ryan Shuck
- The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center at The Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Lyazat Kurenbekova
- The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center at The Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - David M Loeb
- Sydney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
| | - Jason T Yustein
- The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center at The Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.,Integrative Molecular and Biological Sciences Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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40
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Sechler M, Parrish JK, Birks DK, Jedlicka P. The histone demethylase KDM3A, and its downstream target MCAM, promote Ewing Sarcoma cell migration and metastasis. Oncogene 2017; 36:4150-4160. [PMID: 28319067 PMCID: PMC5519422 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2017.44] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2016] [Revised: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Ewing Sarcoma is the second most common solid pediatric malignant neoplasm of bone and soft tissue. Driven by EWS/Ets, or rarely variant, oncogenic fusions, Ewing Sarcoma is a biologically and clinically aggressive disease with a high propensity for metastasis. However, the mechanisms underpinning Ewing Sarcoma metastasis are currently not well understood. In the present study, we identify and characterize a novel metastasis-promotional pathway in Ewing Sarcoma, involving the histone demethylase KDM3A, previously identified by our laboratory as a new cancer-promoting gene in this disease. Using global gene expression profiling, we show that KDM3A positively regulates genes and pathways implicated in cell migration and metastasis, and demonstrate, using functional assays, that KDM3A promotes migration in vitro and experimental, post-intravasation, metastasis in vivo. We further identify the melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM) as a novel KDM3A target gene in Ewing Sarcoma, and an important effector of KDM3A pro-metastatic action. Specifically, we demonstrate that MCAM depletion, like KDM3A depletion, inhibits cell migration in vitro and experimental metastasis in vivo, and that MCAM partially rescues impaired migration due to KDM3A knock-down. Mechanistically, we show that KDM3A regulates MCAM expression both through a direct mechanism, involving modulation of H3K9 methylation at the MCAM promoter, and an indirect mechanism, via the Ets1 transcription factor. Finally, we identify an association between high MCAM levels in patient tumors and poor survival, in two different Ewing Sarcoma clinical cohorts. Taken together, our studies uncover a new metastasis-promoting pathway in Ewing Sarcoma, with therapeutically targetable components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marybeth Sechler
- Cancer Biology Graduate Training Program
- University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora CO
| | - Janet K. Parrish
- Department of Pathology
- University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora CO
| | - Diane K. Birks
- Department of Neurosurgery
- University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora CO
| | - Paul Jedlicka
- Cancer Biology Graduate Training Program
- Department of Pathology
- University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora CO
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41
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Eastley N, Ottolini B, Garrido C, Shaw JA, McCulloch TA, Ashford RU, Royle NJ. Telomere maintenance in soft tissue sarcomas. J Clin Pathol 2017; 70:371-377. [PMID: 28183782 PMCID: PMC5484030 DOI: 10.1136/jclinpath-2016-204151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a diverse group of heterogeneous malignant tumours derived from mesenchymal tissues. Over 50 different STS subtypes are recognised by WHO, which show a wide range of different biological behaviours and prognoses. At present, clinicians managing this complex group of tumours face several challenges. This is reflected by the relatively poor outcome of patients with STSs compared with many other solid malignant tumours. These include difficulties securing accurate diagnoses, a lack of effective systemic treatments and absence of any sensitive circulating biomarkers to monitor patients throughout their treatment and follow-up. In order to progress STS's cells must evade the usual cellular proliferative checkpoints, and then activate a telomere maintenance mechanism in order to achieve replicative immortality. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of STS genetics focusing particularly on these mechanisms. We will also highlight some of the key barriers to improving outcome for patients with STS, and hypothesise how a better understanding of these genetic characteristics may impact on future STS management.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Barbara Ottolini
- Department of Cancer Studies, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Carmen Garrido
- Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Jacqueline A Shaw
- Department of Cancer Studies, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | | | | | - Nicola J Royle
- Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
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42
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Theisen ER, Pishas KI, Saund RS, Lessnick SL. Therapeutic opportunities in Ewing sarcoma: EWS-FLI inhibition via LSD1 targeting. Oncotarget 2017; 7:17616-30. [PMID: 26848860 PMCID: PMC4951237 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.7124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 01/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma is an aggressive primary pediatric bone tumor, often diagnosed in adolescents and young adults. A pathognomonic reciprocal chromosomal translocation results in a fusion gene coding for a protein which derives its N-terminus from a FUS/EWS/TAF15 (FET) protein family member, commonly EWS, and C-terminus containing the DNA-binding domain of an ETS transcription factor, commonly FLI1. Nearly 85% of cases express the EWS-FLI protein which functions as a transcription factor and drives oncogenesis. As the primary genomic lesion and a protein which is not expressed in normal cells, disrupting EWS-FLI function is an attractive therapeutic strategy for Ewing sarcoma. However, transcription factors are notoriously difficult targets for the development of small molecules. Improved understanding of the oncogenic mechanisms employed by EWS-FLI to hijack normal cellular programming has uncovered potential novel approaches to pharmacologically block EWS-FLI function. In this review we examine targeting the chromatin regulatory enzymes recruited to conspire in oncogenesis with a focus on the histone lysine specific demethylase 1 (LSD1). LSD1 inhibitors are being aggressively investigated in acute myeloid leukemia and the results of early clinical trials will help inform the future use of LSD1 inhibitors in sarcoma. High LSD1 expression is observed in Ewing sarcoma patient samples and mechanistic and preclinical data suggest LSD1 inhibition globally disrupts the function of EWS-ETS proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R Theisen
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Kathleen I Pishas
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA.,Cancer Therapeutics Laboratory, Centre for Personalized Cancer Medicine, Discipline of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Ranajeet S Saund
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Stephen L Lessnick
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA.,Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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43
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Gierisch ME, Pfistner F, Lopez-Garcia LA, Harder L, Schäfer BW, Niggli FK. Proteasomal Degradation of the EWS-FLI1 Fusion Protein Is Regulated by a Single Lysine Residue. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:26922-26933. [PMID: 27875302 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.752063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2016] [Revised: 11/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
E-26 transformation-specific (ETS) proteins are transcription factors directing gene expression through their conserved DNA binding domain. They are implicated as truncated forms or interchromosomal rearrangements in a variety of tumors including Ewing sarcoma, a pediatric tumor of the bone. Tumor cells express the chimeric oncoprotein EWS-FLI1 from a specific t(22;11)(q24;12) translocation. EWS-FLI1 harbors a strong transactivation domain from EWSR1 and the DNA-binding ETS domain of FLI1 in the C-terminal part of the protein. Although Ewing cells are crucially dependent on continuous expression of EWS-FLI1, its regulation of turnover has not been characterized in detail. Here, we identify the EWS-FLI1 protein as a substrate of the ubiquitin-proteasome system with a characteristic polyubiquitination pattern. Using a global protein stability approach, we determined the half-life of EWS-FLI1 to lie between 2 and 4 h, whereas full-length EWSR1 and FLI1 were more stable. By mass spectrometry, we identified two ubiquitin acceptor lysine residues of which only mutation of Lys-380 in the ETS domain of the FLI1 part abolished EWS-FLI1 ubiquitination and stabilized the protein posttranslationally. Expression of this highly stable mutant protein in Ewing cells while simultaneously depleting the endogenous wild type protein differentially modulates two subgroups of target genes to be either EWS-FLI1 protein-dependent or turnover-dependent. The majority of target genes are in an unaltered state and cannot be further activated. Our study provides novel insights into EWS-FLI1 turnover, a critical pathway in Ewing sarcoma pathogenesis, and lays new ground to develop novel therapeutic strategies in Ewing sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria E Gierisch
- From the Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, Steinwiesstrasse 32, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franziska Pfistner
- From the Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, Steinwiesstrasse 32, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Laura A Lopez-Garcia
- From the Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, Steinwiesstrasse 32, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lena Harder
- From the Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, Steinwiesstrasse 32, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Beat W Schäfer
- From the Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, Steinwiesstrasse 32, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Felix K Niggli
- From the Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, Steinwiesstrasse 32, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
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44
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Lee CJ, Ahn H, Lee SB, Shin JY, Park WY, Kim JI, Lee J, Ryu H, Kim S. Integrated analysis of omics data using microRNA-target mRNA network and PPI network reveals regulation of Gnai1 function in the spinal cord of Ews/Ewsr1 KO mice. BMC Med Genomics 2016; 9 Suppl 1:33. [PMID: 27534535 PMCID: PMC4989891 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-016-0195-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Multifunctional transcription factor (TF) gene EWS/EWSR1 is involved in various cellular processes such as transcription regulation, noncoding RNA regulation, splicing regulation, genotoxic stress response, and cancer generation. Role of a TF gene can be effectively studied by measuring genome-wide gene expression, i.e., transcriptome, in an animal model of Ews/Ewsr1 knockout (KO). However, when a TF gene has complex multi-functions, conventional approaches such as differentially expressed genes (DEGs) analysis are not successful to characterize the role of the EWS gene. In this regard, network-based analyses that consider associations among genes are the most promising approach. Methods Networks are constructed and used to show associations among biological entities at various levels, thus different networks represent association at different levels. Taken together, in this paper, we report contributions on both computational and biological sides. Results Contribution on the computational side is to develop a novel computational framework that combines miRNA-gene network and protein-protein interaction network information to characterize the multifunctional role of EWS gene. On the biological side, we report that EWS regulates G-protein, Gnai1, in the spinal cord of Ews/Ewsr1 KO mice using the two biological network integrated analysis method. Neighbor proteins of Gnai1, G-protein complex subunits Gnb1, Gnb2 and Gnb4 were also down-regulated at their gene expression level. Interestingly, up-regulated genes, such as Rgs1 and Rgs19, are linked to the inhibition of Gnai1 activities. We further verified the altered expression of Gnai1 by qRT-PCR in Ews/Ewsr1 KO mice. Conclusions Our integrated analysis of miRNA-transcriptome network and PPI network combined with qRT-PCR verifies that Gnai1 function is impaired in the spinal cord of Ews/Ewsr1 KO mice. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12920-016-0195-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chai-Jin Lee
- Interdisciplinary Program in Bioinformatics, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-747, Republic of Korea
| | - Hongryul Ahn
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-744, Republic of Korea
| | - Sean Bong Lee
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
| | - Jong-Yeon Shin
- Genome Medicine Institute and Department of Biochemistry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 110-799, Republic of Korea
| | - Woong-Yang Park
- Samsung Genome Institute, Samsung Medical Center and Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, 135-710, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Il Kim
- Genome Medicine Institute and Department of Biochemistry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 110-799, Republic of Korea
| | - Junghee Lee
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, 02130, USA.,Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center and Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Hoon Ryu
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, 02130, USA. .,Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center and Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA. .,Center for Neuromedicine, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 136-791, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sun Kim
- Interdisciplinary Program in Bioinformatics, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-747, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-744, Republic of Korea. .,Bioinformatics Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-747, Republic of Korea.
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45
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Song W, Li W, Li L, Zhang S, Yan X, Wen X, Zhang X, Tian H, Li A, Hu JF, Cui J. Friend leukemia virus integration 1 activates the Rho GTPase pathway and is associated with metastasis in breast cancer. Oncotarget 2016; 6:23764-75. [PMID: 26156017 PMCID: PMC4695150 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.4350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2015] [Accepted: 06/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignant disease in women worldwide. In patients with breast cancer, metastasis to distant sites directly determines the survival outcome. However, the molecular mechanism underlying metastasis in breast cancer remains to be defined. In this report, we found that Friend leukemia virus integration 1 (FLI1) proto-oncogene was differentially expressed between the aggressive MDA-MB231 and the non-aggressive MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Congruently, immunohistochemical staining of clinical samples revealed that FLI1 was overexpressed in breast cancers as compared with the adjacent tissues. The abundance of FLI1 protein was strongly correlated with the advanced stage, poor differentiation, and lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients. Knockdown of FLI1 with small interfering RNAs significantly attenuated the potential of migration and invasion in highly metastatic human breast cancer cells. FLI1 oncoprotein activated the Rho GTPase pathway that is known to play a role in tumor metastasis. This study for the first time identifies FLI1 as a clinically and functionally important target gene of metastasis, providing a rationale for developing FLI1 inhibitors in the treatment of breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Song
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Wei Li
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Lingyu Li
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Shilin Zhang
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Stanford University Medical School, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Xu Yan
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xue Wen
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xiaoying Zhang
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Huimin Tian
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Ailing Li
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, National Center of Biomedical Analysis, Beijing, China
| | - Ji-Fan Hu
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Stanford University Medical School, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Jiuwei Cui
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
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46
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Grohar PJ, Kim S, Rangel Rivera GO, Sen N, Haddock S, Harlow ML, Maloney NK, Zhu J, O'Neill M, Jones TL, Huppi K, Grandin M, Gehlhaus K, Klumpp-Thomas CA, Buehler E, Helman LJ, Martin SE, Caplen NJ. Functional Genomic Screening Reveals Splicing of the EWS-FLI1 Fusion Transcript as a Vulnerability in Ewing Sarcoma. Cell Rep 2016; 14:598-610. [PMID: 26776507 PMCID: PMC4755295 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.12.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2015] [Revised: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/13/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma cells depend on the EWS-FLI1 fusion transcription factor for cell survival. Using an assay of EWS-FLI1 activity and genome-wide RNAi screening, we have identified proteins required for the processing of the EWS-FLI1 pre-mRNA. We show that Ewing sarcoma cells harboring a genomic breakpoint that retains exon 8 of EWSR1 require the RNA-binding protein HNRNPH1 to express in-frame EWS-FLI1. We also demonstrate the sensitivity of EWS-FLI1 fusion transcripts to the loss of function of the U2 snRNP component, SF3B1. Disrupted splicing of the EWS-FLI1 transcript alters EWS-FLI1 protein expression and EWS-FLI1-driven expression. Our results show that the processing of the EWS-FLI1 fusion RNA is a potentially targetable vulnerability in Ewing sarcoma cells.
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MESH Headings
- Base Sequence
- Binding Sites
- Calmodulin-Binding Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors
- Calmodulin-Binding Proteins/genetics
- Calmodulin-Binding Proteins/metabolism
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cell Survival
- Exons
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
- Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein Group F-H/antagonists & inhibitors
- Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein Group F-H/genetics
- Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein Group F-H/metabolism
- Humans
- Microfilament Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors
- Microfilament Proteins/genetics
- Microfilament Proteins/metabolism
- Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/antagonists & inhibitors
- Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/genetics
- Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/metabolism
- Phosphoproteins/antagonists & inhibitors
- Phosphoproteins/genetics
- Phosphoproteins/metabolism
- Proto-Oncogene Protein c-fli-1/antagonists & inhibitors
- Proto-Oncogene Protein c-fli-1/genetics
- Proto-Oncogene Protein c-fli-1/metabolism
- RNA Interference
- RNA Precursors/metabolism
- RNA Splicing
- RNA Splicing Factors
- RNA, Small Interfering/metabolism
- RNA-Binding Protein EWS/antagonists & inhibitors
- RNA-Binding Protein EWS/genetics
- RNA-Binding Protein EWS/metabolism
- RNA-Binding Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors
- RNA-Binding Proteins/genetics
- RNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism
- Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/antagonists & inhibitors
- Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/genetics
- Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/metabolism
- Ribonucleoprotein, U2 Small Nuclear/antagonists & inhibitors
- Ribonucleoprotein, U2 Small Nuclear/genetics
- Ribonucleoprotein, U2 Small Nuclear/metabolism
- Sarcoma, Ewing/pathology
- Trans-Activators
- Transcription Factors/antagonists & inhibitors
- Transcription Factors/genetics
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Grohar
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Suntae Kim
- Gene Silencing Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Guillermo O Rangel Rivera
- Gene Silencing Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; NIH Academy, Office of Intramural Training and Education, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Nirmalya Sen
- Gene Silencing Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Sara Haddock
- Gene Silencing Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Matt L Harlow
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Nichole K Maloney
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jack Zhu
- Molecular Genetics Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Maura O'Neill
- Protein Characterization Laboratory, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Tamara L Jones
- Gene Silencing Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Konrad Huppi
- Gene Silencing Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Magdalena Grandin
- Gene Silencing Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kristen Gehlhaus
- Gene Silencing Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Carleen A Klumpp-Thomas
- Trans-NIH RNAi Screening Facility, Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Eugen Buehler
- Trans-NIH RNAi Screening Facility, Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Lee J Helman
- Molecular Oncology Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Scott E Martin
- Trans-NIH RNAi Screening Facility, Division of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Natasha J Caplen
- Gene Silencing Section, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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47
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Giorgi C, Boro A, Rechfeld F, Lopez-Garcia LA, Gierisch ME, Schäfer BW, Niggli FK. PI3K/AKT signaling modulates transcriptional expression of EWS/FLI1 through specificity protein 1. Oncotarget 2015; 6:28895-910. [PMID: 26336820 PMCID: PMC4745699 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.5000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma (ES) is the second most frequent bone cancer in childhood and is characterized by the presence of the balanced translocation t(11;22)(q24;q12) in more than 85% of cases, generating a dysregulated transcription factor EWS/FLI1. This fusion protein is an essential oncogenic component of ES development which is necessary for tumor cell maintenance and represents an attractive therapeutic target. To search for modulators of EWS/FLI1 activity we screened a library of 153 targeted compounds and identified inhibitors of the PI3K pathway to directly modulate EWS/FLI1 transcription. Surprisingly, treatment of four different ES cell lines with BEZ235 resulted in down regulation of EWS/FLI1 mRNA and protein by ~50% with subsequent modulation of target gene expression. Analysis of the EWS/FLI1 promoter region (-2239/+67) using various deletion constructs identified two 14 bp minimal elements as being important for EWS/FLI1 transcription. We identified SP1 as modulator of EWS/FLI1 gene expression and demonstrated direct binding to one of these regions in the EWS/FLI1 promoter by EMSA and ChIP experiments. These results provide the first insights on the transcriptional regulation of EWS/FLI1, an area that has not been investigated so far, and offer an additional molecular explanation for the known sensitivity of ES cell lines to PI3K inhibition.
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MESH Headings
- Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology
- Binding Sites
- Bone Neoplasms/drug therapy
- Bone Neoplasms/enzymology
- Bone Neoplasms/genetics
- Bone Neoplasms/pathology
- Cell Cycle Checkpoints
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects
- Humans
- Imidazoles/pharmacology
- Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/genetics
- Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/metabolism
- Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/genetics
- Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/metabolism
- Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors
- Promoter Regions, Genetic
- Protein Binding
- Protein Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacology
- Proto-Oncogene Protein c-fli-1/genetics
- Proto-Oncogene Protein c-fli-1/metabolism
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism
- Quinolines/pharmacology
- RNA Interference
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- RNA, Messenger/metabolism
- RNA-Binding Protein EWS/genetics
- RNA-Binding Protein EWS/metabolism
- Sarcoma, Ewing/drug therapy
- Sarcoma, Ewing/enzymology
- Sarcoma, Ewing/genetics
- Sarcoma, Ewing/pathology
- Signal Transduction/drug effects
- Sp1 Transcription Factor/genetics
- Sp1 Transcription Factor/metabolism
- Transcription, Genetic/drug effects
- Transfection
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Giorgi
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Aleksandar Boro
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Florian Rechfeld
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Laura A. Lopez-Garcia
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maria E. Gierisch
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Beat W. Schäfer
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Felix K. Niggli
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
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48
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Külshammer E, Mundorf J, Kilinc M, Frommolt P, Wagle P, Uhlirova M. Interplay among Drosophila transcription factors Ets21c, Fos and Ftz-F1 drives JNK-mediated tumor malignancy. Dis Model Mech 2015; 8:1279-93. [PMID: 26398940 PMCID: PMC4610234 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.020719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2015] [Accepted: 07/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer initiation and maintenance of the transformed cell state depend on altered cellular signaling and aberrant activities of transcription factors (TFs) that drive pathological gene expression in response to cooperating genetic lesions. Deciphering the roles of interacting TFs is therefore central to understanding carcinogenesis and for designing cancer therapies. Here, we use an unbiased genomic approach to define a TF network that triggers an abnormal gene expression program promoting malignancy of clonal tumors, generated in Drosophila imaginal disc epithelium by gain of oncogenic Ras (RasV12) and loss of the tumor suppressor Scribble (scrib1). We show that malignant transformation of the rasV12scrib1 tumors requires TFs of distinct families, namely the bZIP protein Fos, the ETS-domain factor Ets21c and the nuclear receptor Ftz-F1, all acting downstream of Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK). Depleting any of the three TFs improves viability of tumor-bearing larvae, and this positive effect can be enhanced further by their combined removal. Although both Fos and Ftz-F1 synergistically contribute to rasV12scrib1 tumor invasiveness, only Fos is required for JNK-induced differentiation defects and Matrix metalloprotease (MMP1) upregulation. In contrast, the Fos-dimerizing partner Jun is dispensable for JNK to exert its effects in rasV12scrib1 tumors. Interestingly, Ets21c and Ftz-F1 are transcriptionally induced in these tumors in a JNK- and Fos-dependent manner, thereby demonstrating a hierarchy within the tripartite TF network, with Fos acting as the most upstream JNK effector. Of the three TFs, only Ets21c can efficiently substitute for loss of polarity and cooperate with RasV12 in inducing malignant clones that, like rasV12scrib1 tumors, invade other tissues and overexpress MMP1 and the Drosophila insulin-like peptide 8 (Dilp8). While rasV12ets21c tumors require JNK for invasiveness, the JNK activity is dispensable for their growth. In conclusion, our study delineates both unique and overlapping functions of distinct TFs that cooperatively promote aberrant expression of target genes, leading to malignant tumor phenotypes. Summary: This study provides genetic evidence that malignancy driven by oncogenic Ras and loss of polarity requires transcription factors of three distinct protein families, acting in synergy downstream of JNK signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Külshammer
- Institute for Genetics and Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Juliane Mundorf
- Institute for Genetics and Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Merve Kilinc
- Institute for Genetics and Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Peter Frommolt
- Bioinformatics Facility, CECAD Research Center, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Prerana Wagle
- Bioinformatics Facility, CECAD Research Center, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Mirka Uhlirova
- Institute for Genetics and Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
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49
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Abstract
Non-coding RNAs have received a lot of attention in recent years, with especial focus on microRNAs (miRNAs), so much so that in the just over two decades since the first miRNA, Lin4, was described, almost 40,000 publications about miRNAs have been generated. Less than 500 of these focus on sarcoma, and only a fraction of those on sarcomas of childhood specifically, with some of these representing observational studies and others containing functionally validated data. This is a group of cancers for which prognosis is often poor and therapeutic options limited, and it is especially in these areas that strides in understanding the role of non-coding RNAs and miRNAs in particular are to be welcomed. This review deals with the main forms of pediatric sarcoma, exploring what is known about the diagnostic and prognostic profiles of miRNAs in these tumours and where novel therapeutic options might present themselves for further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorna C Kelly
- The National Children's Research Centre, Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin 12, Ireland.
| | - Antonio Lázaro
- The National Children's Research Centre, Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin 12, Ireland.
| | - Maureen J O'Sullivan
- The National Children's Research Centre, Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin 12, Ireland.
- Histology Laboratory, Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin 12, Ireland.
- Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
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50
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Moore JB, Loeb DM, Hong KU, Sorensen PH, Triche TJ, Lee DW, Barbato MI, Arceci RJ. Epigenetic reprogramming and re-differentiation of a Ewing sarcoma cell line. Front Cell Dev Biol 2015; 3:15. [PMID: 25806369 PMCID: PMC4353378 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2015.00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental reprogramming techniques have been used to generate induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from both normal and malignant cells. The derivation of iPS cells from cancer has the potential to provide a unique scientific tool to overcome challenges associated with the establishment of cell lines from primary patient samples and a readily expandable source of cells that may be used to model the initial disease. In the current study we developmentally reprogrammed a metastatic Ewing sarcoma (EWS) cell line to a meta-stable embryonic stem (ES)-like state sharing molecular and phenotypic features with previously established ES and iPS cell lines. EWS-iPS cells exhibited a pronounced drug resistant phenotype despite persistent expression of the oncogenic EWS-FLI1 fusion transcript. This included resistance to compounds that specifically target downstream effector pathways of EWS-FLI1, such as MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT, which play an important role in EWS pathogenesis. EWS-iPS cells displayed tumor initiation abilities in vivo and formed tumors exhibiting characteristic Ewing histopathology. In parallel, EWS-iPS cells re-differentiated in vitro recovered sensitivity to molecularly targeted chemotherapeutic agents, which reiterated pathophysiological features of the cells from which they were derived. These data suggest that EWS-iPS cells may provide an expandable disease model that could be used to investigate processes modulating oncogenesis, metastasis, and chemotherapeutic resistance in EWS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph B Moore
- Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD, USA ; Department of Medicine, Institute of Molecular Cardiology, University of Louisville Louisville, KY, USA
| | - David M Loeb
- Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kyung U Hong
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Molecular Cardiology, University of Louisville Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Poul H Sorensen
- Molecular Oncology, BC Cancer Research Centre, University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Timothy J Triche
- Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - David W Lee
- Ron Matricaria Institute of Molecular Medicine, Phoenix Children's Hospital, University of Arizona Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Michael I Barbato
- Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD, USA ; Medicine, Jefferson Medical College Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Robert J Arceci
- Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD, USA ; Ron Matricaria Institute of Molecular Medicine, Phoenix Children's Hospital, University of Arizona Phoenix, AZ, USA
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