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Karras P, Black JRM, McGranahan N, Marine JC. Decoding the interplay between genetic and non-genetic drivers of metastasis. Nature 2024; 629:543-554. [PMID: 38750233 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07302-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Metastasis is a multistep process by which cancer cells break away from their original location and spread to distant organs, and is responsible for the vast majority of cancer-related deaths. Preventing early metastatic dissemination would revolutionize the ability to fight cancer. Unfortunately, the relatively poor understanding of the molecular underpinnings of metastasis has hampered the development of effective anti-metastatic drugs. Although it is now accepted that disseminating tumour cells need to acquire multiple competencies to face the many obstacles they encounter before reaching their metastatic site(s), whether these competencies are acquired through an accumulation of metastasis-specific genetic alterations and/or non-genetic events is often debated. Here we review a growing body of literature highlighting the importance of both genetic and non-genetic reprogramming events during the metastatic cascade, and discuss how genetic and non-genetic processes act in concert to confer metastatic competencies. We also describe how recent technological advances, and in particular the advent of single-cell multi-omics and barcoding approaches, will help to better elucidate the cross-talk between genetic and non-genetic mechanisms of metastasis and ultimately inform innovative paths for the early detection and interception of this lethal process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panagiotis Karras
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, VIB Center for Cancer Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - James R M Black
- Cancer Genome Evolution Research Group, UCL Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | | | - Jean-Christophe Marine
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, VIB Center for Cancer Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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2
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Cai H, Zhang B, Ahrenfeldt J, Joseph JV, Riedel M, Gao Z, Thomsen SK, Christensen DS, Bak RO, Hager H, Vendelbo MH, Gao X, Birkbak N, Thomsen MK. CRISPR/Cas9 model of prostate cancer identifies Kmt2c deficiency as a metastatic driver by Odam/Cabs1 gene cluster expression. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2088. [PMID: 38453924 PMCID: PMC10920892 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46370-0] [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: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) poses a significant therapeutic challenge with high mortality rates. Utilizing CRISPR-Cas9 in vivo, we target five potential tumor suppressor genes (Pten, Trp53, Rb1, Stk11, and RnaseL) in the mouse prostate, reaching humane endpoint after eight weeks without metastasis. By further depleting three epigenetic factors (Kmt2c, Kmt2d, and Zbtb16), lung metastases are present in all mice. While whole genome sequencing reveals few mutations in coding sequence, RNA sequencing shows significant dysregulation, especially in a conserved genomic region at chr5qE1 regulated by KMT2C. Depleting Odam and Cabs1 in this region prevents metastasis. Notably, the gene expression signatures, resulting from our study, predict progression-free and overall survival and distinguish primary and metastatic human prostate cancer. This study emphasizes positive genetic interactions between classical tumor suppressor genes and epigenetic modulators in metastatic PCa progression, offering insights into potential treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiqiang Cai
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Bin Zhang
- Computational Bioscience Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- Computer Science Program, Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Johanne Ahrenfeldt
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Justin V Joseph
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Maria Riedel
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Zongliang Gao
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Sofie K Thomsen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ditte S Christensen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Rasmus O Bak
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Henrik Hager
- Department of Pathology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mikkel H Vendelbo
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Xin Gao
- Computational Bioscience Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- Computer Science Program, Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nicolai Birkbak
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Martin K Thomsen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (AIAS), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
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3
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Dymerska D, Marusiak AA. Drivers of cancer metastasis - Arise early and remain present. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2024; 1879:189060. [PMID: 38151195 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2023.189060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 12/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Cancer and its metastases arise from mutations of genes, drivers that promote a tumor's growth. Analyses of driver events provide insights into cancer cell history and may lead to a better understanding of oncogenesis. We reviewed 27 metastatic research studies, including pan-cancer studies, individual cancer studies, and phylogenetic analyses, and summarized our current knowledge of metastatic drivers. All of the analyzed studies had a high level of consistency of driver mutations between primary tumors and metastasis, indicating that most drivers appear early in cancer progression and are maintained in metastatic cells. Additionally, we reviewed data from around 50,000 metastatic cancer patients and compiled a list of genes altered in metastatic lesions. We performed Gene Ontology analysis and confirmed that the most significantly enriched processes in metastatic lesions were the epigenetic regulation of gene expression, signal transduction, cell cycle, programmed cell death, DNA damage, hypoxia and EMT. In this review, we explore the most recent discoveries regarding genetic factors in the advancement of cancer, specifically those that drive metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dagmara Dymerska
- Laboratory of Molecular OncoSignalling, IMol Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Anna A Marusiak
- Laboratory of Molecular OncoSignalling, IMol Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
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4
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Harrer DC, Lüke F, Pukrop T, Ghibelli L, Reichle A, Heudobler D. Addressing Genetic Tumor Heterogeneity, Post-Therapy Metastatic Spread, Cancer Repopulation, and Development of Acquired Tumor Cell Resistance. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 16:180. [PMID: 38201607 PMCID: PMC10778239 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16010180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The concept of post-therapy metastatic spread, cancer repopulation and acquired tumor cell resistance (M-CRAC) rationalizes tumor progression because of tumor cell heterogeneity arising from post-therapy genetic damage and subsequent tissue repair mechanisms. Therapeutic strategies designed to specifically address M-CRAC involve tissue editing approaches, such as low-dose metronomic chemotherapy and the use of transcriptional modulators with or without targeted therapies. Notably, tumor tissue editing holds the potential to treat patients, who are refractory to or relapsing (r/r) after conventional chemotherapy, which is usually based on administering a maximum tolerable dose of a cytostatic drugs. Clinical trials enrolling patients with r/r malignancies, e.g., non-small cell lung cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, Langerhans cell histiocytosis and acute myelocytic leukemia, indicate that tissue editing approaches could yield tangible clinical benefit. In contrast to conventional chemotherapy or state-of-the-art precision medicine, tissue editing employs a multi-pronged approach targeting important drivers of M-CRAC across various tumor entities, thereby, simultaneously engaging tumor cell differentiation, immunomodulation, and inflammation control. In this review, we highlight the M-CRAC concept as a major factor in resistance to conventional cancer therapies and discusses tissue editing as a potential treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Christoph Harrer
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (D.C.H.); (F.L.); (T.P.); (D.H.)
| | - Florian Lüke
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (D.C.H.); (F.L.); (T.P.); (D.H.)
- Division of Personalized Tumor Therapy, Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, 30625 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Pukrop
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (D.C.H.); (F.L.); (T.P.); (D.H.)
- Bavarian Cancer Research Center (BZKF), University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Lina Ghibelli
- Department of Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, Italy;
| | - Albrecht Reichle
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (D.C.H.); (F.L.); (T.P.); (D.H.)
| | - Daniel Heudobler
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (D.C.H.); (F.L.); (T.P.); (D.H.)
- Bavarian Cancer Research Center (BZKF), University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
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Sokač M, Kjær A, Dyrskjøt L, Haibe-Kains B, JWL Aerts H, Birkbak NJ. Spatial transformation of multi-omics data unlocks novel insights into cancer biology. eLife 2023; 12:RP87133. [PMID: 37669321 PMCID: PMC10479962 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has transformed cancer research. As costs have decreased, NGS has increasingly been applied to generate multiple layers of molecular data from the same samples, covering genomics, transcriptomics, and methylomics. Integrating these types of multi-omics data in a combined analysis is now becoming a common issue with no obvious solution, often handled on an ad hoc basis, with multi-omics data arriving in a tabular format and analyzed using computationally intensive statistical methods. These methods particularly ignore the spatial orientation of the genome and often apply stringent p-value corrections that likely result in the loss of true positive associations. Here, we present GENIUS (GEnome traNsformatIon and spatial representation of mUltiomicS data), a framework for integrating multi-omics data using deep learning models developed for advanced image analysis. The GENIUS framework is able to transform multi-omics data into images with genes displayed as spatially connected pixels and successfully extract relevant information with respect to the desired output. We demonstrate the utility of GENIUS by applying the framework to multi-omics datasets from the Cancer Genome Atlas. Our results are focused on predicting the development of metastatic cancer from primary tumors, and demonstrate how through model inference, we are able to extract the genes which are driving the model prediction and are likely associated with metastatic disease progression. We anticipate our framework to be a starting point and strong proof of concept for multi-omics data transformation and analysis without the need for statistical correction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateo Sokač
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University HospitalAarhusDenmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Bioinformatics Research Center, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Asbjørn Kjær
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University HospitalAarhusDenmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Bioinformatics Research Center, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Lars Dyrskjøt
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University HospitalAarhusDenmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Benjamin Haibe-Kains
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
| | - Hugo JWL Aerts
- Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AIM) Program, Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Departments of Radiation Oncology and Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, CARIM & GROW, Maastricht UniversityMaastrichtNetherlands
| | - Nicolai J Birkbak
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University HospitalAarhusDenmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Bioinformatics Research Center, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
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6
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Christensen DS, Birkbak NJ. Therapy drives genomic evolution in metastatic cancer. Oncotarget 2023; 14:216-218. [PMID: 36944191 PMCID: PMC10030149 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.28379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicolai J. Birkbak
- Correspondence to:Nicolai J. Birkbak, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8200, Denmark; Department of Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus 8200, Denmark; Bioinformatics Research Center, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark email
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7
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Thol K, Pawlik P, McGranahan N. Therapy sculpts the complex interplay between cancer and the immune system during tumour evolution. Genome Med 2022; 14:137. [PMID: 36476325 PMCID: PMC9730559 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-022-01138-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer development is an evolutionary process. A key selection pressure is exerted by therapy, one of the few players in cancer evolution that can be controlled. As such, an understanding of how treatment acts to sculpt the tumour and its microenvironment and how this influences a tumour's subsequent evolutionary trajectory is critical. In this review, we examine cancer evolution and intra-tumour heterogeneity in the context of therapy. We focus on how radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy shape both tumour development and the environment in which tumours evolve and how resistance can develop or be selected for during treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Thol
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
- Cancer Genome Evolution Research Group, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | - Piotr Pawlik
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
- Cancer Genome Evolution Research Group, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | - Nicholas McGranahan
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK.
- Cancer Genome Evolution Research Group, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK.
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8
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Computational Analysis Reveals the Temporal Acquisition of Pathway Alterations during the Evolution of Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14235817. [PMID: 36497297 PMCID: PMC9739002 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14235817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer metastasis is the lethal developmental step in cancer, responsible for the majority of cancer deaths. To metastasise, cancer cells must acquire the ability to disseminate systemically and to escape an activated immune response. Here, we endeavoured to investigate if metastatic dissemination reflects acquisition of genomic traits that are selected for. We acquired mutation and copy number data from 8332 tumours representing 19 cancer types acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas and the Hartwig Medical Foundation. A total of 827,344 non-synonymous mutations across 8332 tumour samples representing 19 cancer types were timed as early or late relative to copy number alterations, and potential driver events were annotated. We found that metastatic cancers had a significantly higher proportion of clonal mutations and a general enrichment of early mutations in p53 and RTK/KRAS pathways. However, while individual pathways demonstrated a clear time-separated preference for specific events, the relative timing did not vary between primary and metastatic cancers. These results indicate that the selective pressure that drives cancer development does not change dramatically between primary and metastatic cancer on a genomic level, and is mainly focused on alterations that increase proliferation.
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