LYN expression predicts the response to dasatinib in a subpopulation of lung adenocarcinoma patients

Nanoformulation of dasatinib cannot overcome therapy resistance of pancreatic cancer cells with low LYN kinase expression

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most difficult to treat tumors. The Src (sarcoma) inhibitor dasatinib (DASA) has shown promising efficacy in preclinical studies of PDAC. However, clinical confirmation could not be achieved. Overall, our aim was to deliver arguments for the possible reinitiating clinical testing of this compound in a biomarker-stratifying therapy trial for PDAC patients. We tested if the nanofunctionalization of DASA can increase the drug efficacy and whether certain Src members can function as clinical predictive biomarkers.

METHODS

Methods include manufacturing of poly(vinyl alcohol) stabilized gold nanoparticles and their drug loading, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Zeta potential measurement, sterile human cell culture, cell growth quantification, accessing and evaluating transcriptome and clinical data from molecular tumor dataset TCGA, as well as various statistical analyses.

RESULTS

We generated homo-dispersed nanofunctionalized DASA as an AuNP@PVA-DASA conjugate. The composite did not enhance the anti-growth effect of DASA on PDAC cell lines. The cell model with high LYN expression showed the strongest response to the therapy. We confirm deregulated Src kinetome activity as a prevalent feature of PDAC by revealing mRNA levels associated with higher malignancy grade of tumors. BLK (B lymphocyte kinase) expression predicts shorter overall survival of diabetic PDAC patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Nanofunctionalization of DASA needs further improvement to overcome the therapy resistance of PDAC. LYN mRNA is augmented in tumors with higher malignancy and can serve as a predictive biomarker for the therapy resistance of PDAC cells against DASA. Studying the biological roles of BLK might help to identify underlying molecular mechanisms associated with PDAC in diabetic patients.

Transcriptome profiling and metabolic pathway analysis towards reliable biomarker discovery in early-stage lung cancer

Earlier diagnosis of lung cancer is crucial for reducing mortality and morbidity in high-risk patients. Liquid biopsy is a critical technique for detecting the cancer earlier and tracking the treatment outcomes. However, noninvasive biomarkers are desperately needed due to the lack of therapeutic sensitivity and early-stage diagnosis. Therefore, we have utilized transcriptomic profiling of early-stage lung cancer patients to discover promising biomarkers and their associated metabolic functions. Initially, PCA highlights the diversity level of gene expression in three stages of lung cancer samples. We have identified two major clusters consisting of highly variant genes among the three stages. Further, a total of 7742, 6611, and 643 genes were identified as DGE for stages I-III respectively. Topological analysis of the protein-protein interaction network resulted in seven candidate biomarkers such as JUN, LYN, PTK2, UBC, HSP90AA1, TP53, and UBB cumulatively for the three stages of lung cancers. Gene enrichment and KEGG pathway analyses aid in the comprehension of pathway mechanisms and regulation of identified hub genes in lung cancer. Importantly, the medial survival rates up to ~ 70 months were identified for hub genes during the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Moreover, the hub genes displayed the significance of risk factors during gene expression analysis using TIMER2.0 analysis. Therefore, we have reason that these biomarkers may serve as a prospective targeting candidate with higher treatment efficacy in early-stage lung cancer patients.

Enhanced Lyn Activity Causes Severe, Progressive Emphysema and Lung Cancer

The epidemiological patterns of incident chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung adenocarcinoma are changing, with an increasing fraction of disease occurring in patients who are never-smokers or were not exposed to traditional risk factors. However, causative mechanism(s) are obscure. Overactivity of Src family kinases (SFKs) and myeloid cell-dependent inflammatory lung epithelial and endothelial damage are independent candidate mechanisms, but their pathogenic convergence has not been demonstrated. Here we present a novel preclinical model in which an activating mutation in Lyn, a nonreceptor SFK that is expressed in immune cells, epithelium, and endothelium-all strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of COPD-causes spontaneous inflammation, early-onset progressive emphysema, and lung adenocarcinoma. Surprisingly, even though activated macrophages, elastolytic enzymes, and proinflammatory cytokines were prominent, bone marrow chimeras formally demonstrated that myeloid cells were not disease initiators. Rather, lung disease arose from aberrant epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation, microvascular lesions within an activated endothelial microcirculation, and amplified EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) expression. In human bioinformatics analyses, LYN expression was increased in patients with COPD and was correlated with increased EGFR expression, a known lung oncogenic pathway, and LYN was linked to COPD. Our study shows that a singular molecular defect causes a spontaneous COPD-like immunopathology and lung adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, we identify Lyn and, by implication, its associated signaling pathways as new therapeutic targets for COPD and cancer. Moreover, our work may inform the development of molecular risk screening and intervention methods for disease susceptibility, progression, and prevention of these increasingly prevalent conditions.

A Novel Isotope-labeled Small Molecule Probe CC12 for Anti-glioma via Suppressing LYN-mediated Progression and Activating Apoptosis Pathways

Background: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most lethal malignancy in brain, which is surrounded by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which limits the efficacy of standard treatments. Developing an effective drug that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) remains a critical challenge in the fight against GBM. CC12 (NSC749232) is an anthraquinone tetraheterocyclic homolog with a lipophilic structure that may facilitate penetration of the brain area. Methods: We used temozolomide sensitive and resistance GBM cells and animal model to identify the CC12 delivery, anti-tumor potential and its underlying mechanism. Results: Importantly, toxicity triggered by CC12 was not associated with the methyl guanine-DNA methyl transferase (MGMT) methylation status which revealed a greater application potential compared to temozolomide. Alexa F488 cadaverine-labelled CC12 successfully infiltrated into the GBM sphere; in addition, ⁶⁸Ga-labeled CC12 was also found in the orthotopic GBM area. After passing BBB, CC12 initiated both caspase-dependent intrinsic/extrinsic apoptosis pathways and apoptosis-inducing factor, EndoG-related caspase-independent apoptosis signaling in GBM. RNA sequence analysis from The Cancer Genome Atlas indicated that LYN was overexpressed in GBM is associated with poorer overall survival. We proved that targeting of LYN by CC12 may diminish GBM progression and suppress it downstream factors such as signal transduction and activator of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK)/transcription 3 (STAT3)/nuclear factor (NF)-κB. CC12 was also found to participate in suppressing GBM metastasis and dysregulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through inactivation of the LYN axis. Conclusion: CC12, a newly developed BBB-penetrating drug, was found to possess an anti-GBM capacity via initiating an apoptotic mechanism and disrupting LYN/ERK/STAT3/NF-κB-regulated GBM progression.

Design and Synthesis of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR) and Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) Dual Inhibitors for the Treatment of Cancer

The activation of the STAT signal after incubation with the HDAC inhibitor represents a key mechanism causing resistance to HDAC inhibitors in some solid tumor cells, while the FGFR inhibitor could downregulate the level of pSTAT3. Inspired by the therapeutic prospect of FGFR/HDAC dual inhibitors, we designed and synthesized a series of quinoxalinopyrazole hydroxamate derivatives as FGFR/HDAC dual inhibitors. Among them, compound 10e potently inhibited FGFR1-4 and HDAC1/2/6/8 and presented improved antiproliferative effects of tumor cells. Further studies indicated that 10e also downregulated the expression of pSTAT3, potentially overcoming resistance to HDAC inhibitors. What's more, 10e significantly inhibited the tumor growth in HCT116 and SNU-16 xenograft models with favorable pharmacokinetic profiles. Collectively, these results supported that 10e could be a new drug candidate for malignant tumors.

Shifting Gears in Precision Oncology-Challenges and Opportunities of Integrative Data Analysis

For decades, research relating to modification of host immunity towards antitumor response activation has been ongoing, with the breakthrough discovery of immune-checkpoint blockers. Several biomarkers with potential predictive value have been reported in recent studies for these novel therapies. However, with the plethora of therapeutic options existing for a given cancer entity, modern oncology is now being confronted with multifactorial interpretation to devise “the best therapy” for the individual patient. Into the bargain come the multiverse guidelines for established and emerging diagnostic biomarkers, as well as the complex interplay between cancer cells and tumor microenvironment, provoking immense challenges in the therapy decision-making process. Through this review, we present various molecular diagnostic modalities and techniques, such as genomics, immunohistochemistry and quantitative image analysis, which have the potential of becoming powerful tools in the development of an optimal treatment regime when analogized with patient characteristics. We will summarize the underlying complexities of these methods and shed light upon the necessary considerations and requirements for data integration. It is our hope to provide compelling evidence to emphasize on the need for inclusion of integrative data analysis in modern cancer therapy, and thereupon paving a path towards precision medicine and better patient outcomes.

Emerging Kinase Therapeutic Targets in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma and Pancreatic Cancer Desmoplasia

Kinase drug discovery represents an active area of therapeutic research, with previous pharmaceutical success improving patient outcomes across a wide variety of human diseases. In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), innovative pharmaceutical strategies such as kinase targeting have been unable to appreciably increase patient survival. This may be due, in part, to unchecked desmoplastic reactions to pancreatic tumors. Desmoplastic stroma enhances tumor development and progression while simultaneously restricting drug delivery to the tumor cells it protects. Emerging evidence indicates that many of the pathologic fibrotic processes directly or indirectly supporting desmoplasia may be driven by targetable protein tyrosine kinases such as Fyn-related kinase (FRK); B lymphoid kinase (BLK); hemopoietic cell kinase (HCK); ABL proto-oncogene 2 kinase (ABL2); discoidin domain receptor 1 kinase (DDR1); Lck/Yes-related novel kinase (LYN); ephrin receptor A8 kinase (EPHA8); FYN proto-oncogene kinase (FYN); lymphocyte cell-specific kinase (LCK); tec protein kinase (TEC). Herein, we review literature related to these kinases and posit signaling networks, mechanisms, and biochemical relationships by which this group may contribute to PDAC tumor growth and desmoplasia.

Whole-genome sequencing and gene network modules predict gemcitabine/carboplatin-induced myelosuppression in non-small cell lung cancer patients

Gemcitabine/carboplatin chemotherapy commonly induces myelosuppression, including neutropenia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia. Predicting patients at risk of these adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and adjusting treatments accordingly is a long-term goal of personalized medicine. This study used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of blood samples from 96 gemcitabine/carboplatin-treated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and gene network modules for predicting myelosuppression. Association of genetic variants in PLINK found 4594, 5019, and 5066 autosomal SNVs/INDELs with p ≤ 1 × 10⁻³ for neutropenia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia, respectively. Based on the SNVs/INDELs we identified the toxicity module, consisting of 215 unique overlapping genes inferred from MCODE-generated gene network modules of 350, 345, and 313 genes, respectively. These module genes showed enrichment for differentially expressed genes in rat bone marrow, human bone marrow, and human cell lines exposed to carboplatin and gemcitabine (p < 0.05). Then using 80% of the patients as training data, random LASSO reduced the number of SNVs/INDELs in the toxicity module into a feasible prediction model consisting of 62 SNVs/INDELs that accurately predict both the training and the test (remaining 20%) data with high (CTCAE 3–4) and low (CTCAE 0–1) maximal myelosuppressive toxicity completely, with the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) of 100%. The present study shows how WGS, gene network modules, and random LASSO can be used to develop a feasible and tested model for predicting myelosuppressive toxicity. Although the proposed model predicts myelosuppression in this study, further evaluation in other studies is required to determine its reproducibility, usability, and clinical effect.

Oncogenic role of LYN in human gastric cancer via the Wnt/β-catenin and AKT/mTOR pathways

LYN kinase (LYN) is a member of the Src tyrosine kinase family, which plays an important role in multiple tumor-related functions. The current study demonstrated that LYN functions as a pro-oncogene in AGS gastric cancer cells. It was found that LYN expression levels were significantly raised in gastric cancer tissue and were significantly associated with the pathological grades of patients with gastric cancer. This was accomplished by knocking down LYN in AGS cells using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) plasmid transfection, with reverse transcription-quantitative PCR detection verifying the effectiveness of RNA interference. It was found that the cell proliferation and colony formation abilities of AGS cells were significantly inhibited, using CCK-8 and clone formation assays, respectively. Furthermore, LYN knockdown was found to induce apoptosis and inhibit both migration and invasion in AGS cells, using flow cytometry and Transwell assays, respectively. A mechanical investigation further suggested that LYN knockdown resulted in the activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Likewise, the Wnt/β-catenin pathway was inactivated by LYN knockdown, including decreased levels of Wnt3a, β-catenin, snail family transcriptional repressor (Snail)1 and Snail2. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition mesenchymal markers (including N-cadherin and vimentin) were also found to be downregulated, and E-cadherin was upregulated in LYN-silenced AGS cells. Finally, the AKT/mTOR pathway was found to be downregulated by LYN knockdown in AGS cells, including decreased levels of phosphorylated (p)-AKT (Ser473), p-mTOR (Ser2448), and the down-stream effector p70S6 kinase (p70S6K). Furthermore, the AKT pathway activator, insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), was found to reverse the inhibitory effects of LYN knockdown on the proliferation, migration and invasion of AGS cells. In conclusion, the current study demonstrated that LYN plays an oncogenic role in the proliferation, survival and movement of human gastric cancer cells by activating the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, and downregulating the Wnt/β-catenin and AKT/mTOR pathways. The current research provides a comprehensive insight into the regulation of LYN in gastric cancer and may help with the development of new tumor treatment strategies.

Lyn Kinase Promotes the Proliferation of Malignant Melanoma Cells through Inhibition of Apoptosis and Autophagy via the PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway

Melanoma is a malignant tumor of cutaneous melanocytes that is characterized by high grade malignancy, rapid progression and high mortality. Thus far, its specific etiological mechanism has been unclear. In this study, we discovered that Lyn kinase expression was up-regulated in melanoma tissues and cells. The function of Lyn was determined by knocking down its expression with a lentivirus containing Lyn shRNA and upregulating its expression with pcDNA3.1-Lyn in the melanoma cell lines M14 and A375. The results showed that Lyn knockdown could significantly inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasiveness through its inhibition of apoptosis and autophagy via the PI3K/Akt pathway in melanoma cell lines. This was further confirmed by treatment with PI3K inhibitor BEZ235. Up-regulation of Lyn promoted the expression of p-Akt and Cyclin D1. Additionally, we investigated the effects of Lyn inhibitor Bafetinib on melanoma cells and the results were consistent with Lyn knockdown. Collectively, our results indicated that Lyn plays a carcinogenic role in multiple cellular functions during melanoma development through regulating apoptosis and autophagy via the PI3K/Akt pathway and may be a valuable potential target for the clinical treatment of melanoma.

Integrin β3 Inhibition Enhances the Antitumor Activity of ALK Inhibitor in ALK-Rearranged NSCLC

Purpose: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive cancers are sensitive to small-molecule ALK kinase inhibitors, but most cases experience failure following treatment. Hence, additional drug targets and combination therapeutic treatments are needed. We investigated gene expression that is regulated by the expression of ALK and explored its roles in cancer progression and therapeutic implication.Experimental Design: We screened ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases using immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization and then conducted multiplex gene expression analysis. We also performed a clinicopathologic analysis to validate the findings. Additional cellular experiments, including inhibition and migration assays, and in vivo lung cancer model studies were performed.Results: Among patients with ALK-rearranged NSCLC, integrin β3 (ITGB3) was one of the overexpressed genes in comparison with that in ALK-negative NSCLC (P = 0.0003). ALK and integrin β3 expression were positively correlated, and we discovered that high integrin β3 mRNA expression was associated with metastasis and more advanced tumor stages (P < 0.005; P < 0.05). Furthermore, we found that inhibition of both ALK and integrin β3 led to increased drug sensitivity in vitro and in vivo (both P < 0.05).Conclusions: We discovered a positive correlation between ALK and integrin β3 expression levels in ALK-rearranged NSCLC. Our findings suggest that high integrin β3 expression in ALK-rearranged NSCLC is associated with tumor progression and a worse prognosis. This finding demonstrates the prognostic value of integrin β3 and provides a rationale for combination treatment with ALK and integrin β3 inhibitors in patients with ALK-rearranged NSCLC. Clin Cancer Res; 24(17); 4162-74. ©2018 AACR.

Circular RNAs play an important role in late-stage gastric cancer: Circular RNA expression profiles and bioinformatics analyses

Gastric cancer is one of the most common tumors of the digestive system. Here, analysis of the expression profiles of circular RNAs in advanced gastric adenocarcinoma and adjacent normal mucosa tissues revealed differential expression of 306 circular RNAs, among which 273 were predicted to exert regulatory effects on target microRNAs. The downstream pathway networks of circular RNA-microRNA were mapped and the node genes were identified. In particular, we found that the expression of hsa_circ_0058246 was elevated in tumor specimens of patients with poor clinical outcomes. Our collective findings indicate that circular RNAs play a critical role in gastric cancer tumorigenesis. Data from this study provide a new perspective on the molecular pathways underlying metastasis and recurrence of gastric cancer and highlight potential therapeutic targets that may contribute to more effective diagnosis and treatment of the disease.