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Xu Y, Zhu K, Wu J, Zheng S, Zhong R, Zhou W, Cao Y, Liu J, Wang H. HBOC alleviated tumour hypoxia during radiotherapy more intensely in large solid tumours than regular ones. ARTIFICIAL CELLS, NANOMEDICINE, AND BIOTECHNOLOGY 2024; 52:1-14. [PMID: 37994792 DOI: 10.1080/21691401.2023.2276768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Radiotherapy (RT) is a highly valuable method in cancer therapy, but its therapeutic efficacy is limited by its side effects and tumour radiation resistance. The resistance is mainly induced by hypoxia in the tumour microenvironment (TME). As a nano-oxygen carrier, Haemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) administration is a promising strategy to alleviate tumour hypoxia which may remodel TME to ameliorate radiation resistance and enable RT more effective. In this study, we administered fractionated RT combined with HBOC to treat Miapaca-2 cell and Hela cell xenografts on nude mice. The study found that HBOC relieved hypoxic environment and down-regulate expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (Hif-1α) both in regular (100 mm3) and large (360/400 mm3) tumours. The proliferation and metastasis of tumour tissue also decreased after HBOC application. Nevertheless, in vivo RT combined with HBOC performed more effectively to suppress tumour growth in large tumours than in regular tumours. This is due to more severe hypoxic regions exist in the large solid tumours compared to the regular counterparts, and HBOC administration may be more effective in alleviating hypoxia in large tumours. Thus, HBOC sensitization therapy is more suitable for large solid tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingcan Xu
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, China
| | - Kehui Zhu
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiakang Wu
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, China
| | - Shifan Zheng
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, China
| | - Rui Zhong
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, China
| | - Wentao Zhou
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, China
| | - Ye Cao
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiaxin Liu
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, China
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2
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Li Q, Chen Y, Chen Y, Hua Z, Gong B, Liu Z, Thiele CJ, Li Z. Novel small molecule DMAMCL induces differentiation in rhabdomyosarcoma by downregulating of DLL1. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 174:116562. [PMID: 38626518 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116562] [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: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a mesenchymal tumor occurring in the soft tissue of children, is associated with a defect in differentiation. This study unveils a novel anti-tumor mechanism of dimethylaminomicheliolide (DMAMCL), which is a water-soluble derivative of Micheliolide. First, we demonstrate that DMAMCL inhibits RMS cell growth without obvious cell death, leading to morphological alterations, enhanced expression of muscle differentiation markers, and a shift from a malignant to a more benign metabolic phenotype. Second, we detected decreased expression of DLL1 in RMS cells after DMAMCL treatment, known as a pivotal ligand in the Notch signaling pathway. Downregulation of DLL1 inhibits RMS cell growth and induces morphological changes similar to the effects of DMAMCL. Furthermore, DMAMCL treatment or loss of DLL1 expression also inhibits RMS xenograft tumor growth and augmented the expression of differentiation markers. Surprisingly, in C2C12 cells DMAMCL treatment or DLL1 downregulation also induces cell growth inhibition and an elevation in muscle differentiation marker expression. These data indicated that DMAMCL induced RMS differentiation and DLL1 is an important factor for RMS differentiation, opening a new window for the clinical use of DMAMCL as an agent for differentiation-inducing therapy for RMS treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Li
- Department of Pediatrics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China; Medical Research Center, Liaoning Key Laboratory of Research and Application of Animal Models for Environment and Metabolic Diseases, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China
| | - Yexi Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China; Medical Research Center, Liaoning Key Laboratory of Research and Application of Animal Models for Environment and Metabolic Diseases, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China
| | - Yang Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China; Medical Research Center, Liaoning Key Laboratory of Research and Application of Animal Models for Environment and Metabolic Diseases, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China
| | - Zhongyan Hua
- Department of Pediatrics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China; Medical Research Center, Liaoning Key Laboratory of Research and Application of Animal Models for Environment and Metabolic Diseases, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China
| | - Baocheng Gong
- Department of Pediatrics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China; Medical Research Center, Liaoning Key Laboratory of Research and Application of Animal Models for Environment and Metabolic Diseases, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China
| | - Zhihui Liu
- Cell and Molecular Biology Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Carol J Thiele
- Cell and Molecular Biology Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Zhijie Li
- Department of Pediatrics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China; Medical Research Center, Liaoning Key Laboratory of Research and Application of Animal Models for Environment and Metabolic Diseases, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China.
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3
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Li Z, Napolitano A, Fedele M, Gao X, Napolitano F. AI identifies potent inducers of breast cancer stem cell differentiation based on adversarial learning from gene expression data. Brief Bioinform 2024; 25:bbae207. [PMID: 38701411 PMCID: PMC11066897 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbae207] [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: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells within tumors that exhibit stem-like properties and represent a potentially effective therapeutic target toward long-term remission by means of differentiation induction. By leveraging an artificial intelligence approach solely based on transcriptomics data, this study scored a large library of small molecules based on their predicted ability to induce differentiation in stem-like cells. In particular, a deep neural network model was trained using publicly available single-cell RNA-Seq data obtained from untreated human-induced pluripotent stem cells at various differentiation stages and subsequently utilized to screen drug-induced gene expression profiles from the Library of Integrated Network-based Cellular Signatures (LINCS) database. The challenge of adapting such different data domains was tackled by devising an adversarial learning approach that was able to effectively identify and remove domain-specific bias during the training phase. Experimental validation in MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 cells demonstrated the efficacy of five out of six tested molecules among those scored highest by the model. In particular, the efficacy of triptolide, OTS-167, quinacrine, granisetron and A-443654 offer a potential avenue for targeted therapies against breast CSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongxiao Li
- Computer Science Program, Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
- Computational Bioscience Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Antonella Napolitano
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology “G. Salvatore” (IEOS), National Research Council (CNR), Via De Amicis, 95 - 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Monica Fedele
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology “G. Salvatore” (IEOS), National Research Council (CNR), Via De Amicis, 95 - 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Xin Gao
- Computer Science Program, Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
- Computational Bioscience Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Francesco Napolitano
- Computational Bioscience Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Science and Technology, University of Sannio, Via dei Mulini 74, 82100 Benevento, Italy
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4
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Brown G. Deregulation of All- Trans Retinoic Acid Signaling and Development in Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12089. [PMID: 37569466 PMCID: PMC10419198 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512089] [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: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells are the root cause of cancer, which, in essence, is a developmental disorder. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) signaling via ligand-activation of the retinoic acid receptors (RARs) plays a crucial role in tissue patterning and development during mammalian embryogenesis. In adults, active RARγ maintains the pool of hematopoietic stem cells, whereas active RARα drives myeloid cell differentiation. Various findings have revealed that ATRA signaling is deregulated in many cancers. The enzymes for ATRA synthesis are downregulated in colorectal, gastric, lung, and oropharyngeal cancers. ATRA levels within breast, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and renal cancer cells were lower than within their normal counterpart cells. The importance is that 0.24 nM ATRA activates RARγ (for stem cell stemness), whereas 100 times more is required to activate RARα (for differentiation). Moreover, RARγ is an oncogene regarding overexpression within colorectal, cholangiocarcinoma, hepatocellular, ovarian, pancreatic, and renal cancer cells. The microRNA (miR) 30a-5p downregulates expression of RARγ, and miR-30a/miR-30a-5p is a tumor suppressor for breast, colorectal, gastric, hepatocellular, lung, oropharyngeal, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and renal cancer. These complementary findings support the view that perturbations to ATRA signaling play a role in driving the abnormal behavior of cancer stem cells. Targeting ATRA synthesis and RARγ has provided promising approaches to eliminating cancer stem cells because such agents have been shown to drive cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey Brown
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
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5
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Danielli SG, Porpiglia E, De Micheli AJ, Navarro N, Zellinger MJ, Bechtold I, Kisele S, Volken L, Marques JG, Kasper S, Bode PK, Henssen AG, Gürgen D, Delattre O, Surdez D, Roma J, Bühlmann P, Blau HM, Wachtel M, Schäfer BW. Single-cell profiling of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma reveals RAS pathway inhibitors as cell-fate hijackers with therapeutic relevance. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade9238. [PMID: 36753540 PMCID: PMC9908029 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade9238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a group of pediatric cancers with features of developing skeletal muscle. The cellular hierarchy and mechanisms leading to developmental arrest remain elusive. Here, we combined single-cell RNA sequencing, mass cytometry, and high-content imaging to resolve intratumoral heterogeneity of patient-derived primary RMS cultures. We show that the aggressive alveolar RMS (aRMS) subtype contains plastic muscle stem-like cells and cycling progenitors that drive tumor growth, and a subpopulation of differentiated cells that lost its proliferative potential and correlates with better outcomes. While chemotherapy eliminates cycling progenitors, it enriches aRMS for muscle stem-like cells. We screened for drugs hijacking aRMS toward clinically favorable subpopulations and identified a combination of RAF and MEK inhibitors that potently induces myogenic differentiation and inhibits tumor growth. Overall, our work provides insights into the developmental states underlying aRMS aggressiveness, chemoresistance, and progression and identifies the RAS pathway as a promising therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara G. Danielli
- Department of Oncology and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital of Zurich, Zürich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Ermelinda Porpiglia
- Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus C 8000, Denmark
- Corresponding author. (B.W.S.); (M.W.); (E.P.)
| | - Andrea J. De Micheli
- Department of Oncology and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital of Zurich, Zürich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Natalia Navarro
- Laboratory of Translational Research in Child and Adolescent Cancer, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08035, Spain
| | | | - Ingrid Bechtold
- Department of Oncology and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital of Zurich, Zürich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Samanta Kisele
- Department of Oncology and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital of Zurich, Zürich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Larissa Volken
- Department of Oncology and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital of Zurich, Zürich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Joana G. Marques
- Department of Oncology and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital of Zurich, Zürich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Stephanie Kasper
- Department of Oncology and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital of Zurich, Zürich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Peter K. Bode
- Department of Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anton G. Henssen
- Department of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 13353, Germany
| | - Dennis Gürgen
- EPO Experimental Pharmacology and Oncology Berlin-Buch GmbH Berlin 13125, Germany
| | - Olivier Delattre
- INSERM U830, Équipe Labellisée LNCC, Diversity and Plasticity of Childhood Tumors Laboratory, PSL Research University, SIREDO Oncology Center, Institut Curie Research Center, Paris 75005, France
| | - Didier Surdez
- INSERM U830, Équipe Labellisée LNCC, Diversity and Plasticity of Childhood Tumors Laboratory, PSL Research University, SIREDO Oncology Center, Institut Curie Research Center, Paris 75005, France
- Balgrist University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Josep Roma
- Laboratory of Translational Research in Child and Adolescent Cancer, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08035, Spain
| | - Peter Bühlmann
- Seminar for Statistics, ETH Zürich, Zürich 8092, Switzerland
| | - Helen M. Blau
- Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Marco Wachtel
- Department of Oncology and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital of Zurich, Zürich 8032, Switzerland
- Corresponding author. (B.W.S.); (M.W.); (E.P.)
| | - Beat W. Schäfer
- Department of Oncology and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital of Zurich, Zürich 8032, Switzerland
- Corresponding author. (B.W.S.); (M.W.); (E.P.)
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6
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HOANG BAX, HAN BO, FANG WILLIAMH, TRAN HAUD, HOANG CUONG, SHAW DAVIDG, NGUYEN THAIQ. The Rationality of Implementation of Dimethyl Sulfoxide as Differentiation-inducing Agent in Cancer Therapy. CANCER DIAGNOSIS & PROGNOSIS 2023; 3:1-8. [PMID: 36632588 PMCID: PMC9801450 DOI: 10.21873/cdp.10172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
One of the major hallmarks of many cancer cells is dedifferentiated cells (immature cells) with little or no resemblance to normal cells. Besides the poor differentiation, malignant cells also have important features such as aggressiveness and resistance to different therapeutics. Differentiation potentiators hold great promise for cancer treatment. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a well-characterized pharmaceutical solvent. It is used as a component of numerous cancer therapeutic approaches, including cancer treatment and several approved cancer immune therapeutics such as Car-T cell therapy and the FDA-approved drug Mekinist (trametinib DMSO) for melanoma treatment. It is also biologically recognized as a pharmaceutical solvent and cryoprotectant. In the current literature, there are no mentions of DMSO's possible ability to potentiate therapeutic activity as a component of these cancer treatments. This review aimed to summarize scientific evidence and substantiate the concept that DMSO can contribute positively to the overall efficacy of cancer treatment as an adjuvant that is safe, inexpensive, and an effective differentiation-inducing therapeutic agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- BA X. HOANG
- Nimni-Cordoba Tissue Engineering and Drug Discovery Lab, Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A
| | - BO HAN
- Nimni-Cordoba Tissue Engineering and Drug Discovery Lab, Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A
| | - WILLIAM H. FANG
- Department of Translational Research, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, U.S.A
| | - HAU D. TRAN
- Department of Oncology, National Children Hospital of Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - CUONG HOANG
- Department of Traumatology, National Institute of Ophthalmology of Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - DAVID G. SHAW
- Integrated Medical Associates, Foster City, CA, U.S.A
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7
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Meneceur S, Grunewald CM, Niegisch G, Hoffmann MJ. Epigenetic Priming and Development of New Combination Therapy Approaches. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2684:259-281. [PMID: 37410240 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3291-8_16] [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] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (MIBC) has been treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy for over 30 years. With the advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors, antibody drug conjugates and FGFR3 inhibitors new therapeutic options have been approved for patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC) and are still under investigation regarding association between patients' response and recently defined molecular subtypes. Unfortunately, similar to chemotherapy, only a fraction of UC patients responds to these new treatment approaches. Thus, either further new efficacious therapeutic options for treatment of individual subtypes or new approaches to overcome treatment resistance and to increase patients' response to standard of care treatment are needed.Epigenetic modifications of DNA and chromatin are known to mediate cellular plasticity or treatment resistance, and the responsible epigenetic regulators are frequently mutated or aberrantly expressed in UC. Thus, these enzymes provide targets for novel drug combination therapies to "episensitize" toward approved standard therapies by epigenetic priming. In general, these epigenetic regulators comprise writers and erasers like DNA methyltransferases and DNA demethylases (for DNA methylation), histone methyltransferases and histone demethylases (for histone methylation), as well as acetyl transferases and histone deacetylases (for histone and nonhistone acetylation). Such modifications, e.g., acetyl groups, are recognized by further epigenetic reader proteins, e.g., like the bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) family proteins that often interact in multi-protein complexes and finally regulate chromatin conformation and transcriptional activity.Concurringly, epigenetic regulators target a plethora of cellular functions. Their pharmaceutical inhibitors often inhibit enzymatic activity of more than one isoenzyme or may have further noncanonical cytotoxic effects. Thus, analysis of their functions in UC pathogenesis as well as of the antineoplastic capacity of corresponding inhibitors alone or in combination with other approved drugs should follow a multidimensional approach. Here, we present our standard approach to analyze cellular effects of new epigenetic inhibitors on UC cells alone to define their potency and to conclude on putative reasonable combination therapy partners. We further describe our approach to identify efficacious synergistic combination therapies (e.g., with cisplatin or PARP inhibitors) that may have reduced normal toxicity through dose reduction, which can then be further analyzed in animal experiments. This approach may also serve as prototype for the preclinical evaluation of other epigenetic treatment approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Meneceur
- Department of Urology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Duesseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Camilla M Grunewald
- Department of Urology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Duesseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Günter Niegisch
- Department of Urology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Duesseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Michèle J Hoffmann
- Department of Urology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.
- German Study Group of Bladder Cancer (DFBK e.V.), Munich, Germany.
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8
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Wang M, Chen X, Tan P, Wang Y, Pan X, Lin T, Jiang Y, Wang B, Xu H, Wang Y, Yang Y, Wang J, Zhao L, Zhang J, Zhong A, Peng Y, Du J, Zhang Q, Zheng J, Chen J, Dai S, Na F, Lu Z, Liu J, Zheng X, Yang L, Zhang P, Han P, Gong Q, Zhong Q, Xiao K, Yang H, Deng H, Zhao Y, Shi H, Man J, Gou M, Zhao C, Dai L, Xue Z, Chen L, Wang Y, Zeng M, Huang C, Wei Q, Wei Y, Liu Y, Chen C. Acquired semi-squamatization during chemotherapy suggests differentiation as a therapeutic strategy for bladder cancer. Cancer Cell 2022; 40:1044-1059.e8. [PMID: 36099882 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2022.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cisplatin-based chemotherapy remains the primary treatment for unresectable and metastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancers (MIBCs). However, tumors frequently develop chemoresistance. Here, we established a primary and orthotopic MIBC mouse model with gene-edited organoids to recapitulate the full course of chemotherapy in patients. We found that partial squamous differentiation, called semi-squamatization, is associated with acquired chemoresistance in both mice and human MIBCs. Multi-omics analyses showed that cathepsin H (CTSH) is correlated with chemoresistance and semi-squamatization. Cathepsin inhibition by E64 treatment induces full squamous differentiation and pyroptosis, and thus specifically restrains chemoresistant MIBCs. Mechanistically, E64 treatment activates the tumor necrosis factor pathway, which is required for the terminal differentiation and pyroptosis of chemoresistant MIBC cells. Our study revealed that semi-squamatization is a type of lineage plasticity associated with chemoresistance, suggesting that differentiation via targeting of CTSH is a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of chemoresistant MIBCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manli Wang
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Xuelan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Ping Tan
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Yiyun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Xiangyu Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Tianhai Lin
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Yong Jiang
- Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Huan Xu
- Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Yuying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Yucen Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Jian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Lei Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Jiapeng Zhang
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Ailing Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Yiman Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Jiajia Du
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Jianan Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Jingyao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Siqi Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Feifei Na
- Department of Thoracic Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Zhenghao Lu
- Chengdu OrganoidMed Medical Laboratory, West China Health Valley, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Jiaming Liu
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Xiaonan Zheng
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Lu Yang
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Ping Han
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China; Research Unit of Psychoradiology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Qian Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Kai Xiao
- Laboratory of Non-Human Primate Disease Model Research, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Hanshuo Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Hongxin Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Yinglan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Hubing Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Jianghong Man
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, National Center of Biomedical Analysis, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Maling Gou
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Chengjian Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Lunzhi Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Zhihong Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Lu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Yuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Musheng Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Canhua Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Qiang Wei
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China.
| | - Yuquan Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Yu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China.
| | - Chong Chen
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China.
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9
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Bar-Hai N, Ishay-Ronen D. Engaging plasticity: Differentiation therapy in solid tumors. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:944773. [PMID: 36034865 PMCID: PMC9410762 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.944773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a systemic heterogeneous disease that can undergo several rounds of latency and activation. Tumor progression evolves by increasing diversity, adaptation to signals from the microenvironment and escape mechanisms from therapy. These dynamic processes indicate necessity for cell plasticity. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a major role in facilitating cell plasticity in solid tumors by inducing dedifferentiation and cell type transitions. These two practices, plasticity and dedifferentiation enhance tumor heterogeneity creating a key challenge in cancer treatment. In this review we will explore cancer cell plasticity and elaborate treatment modalities that aspire to overcome such dynamic processes in solid tumors. We will further discuss the therapeutic potential of utilizing enhanced cell plasticity for differentiation therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neta Bar-Hai
- Cancer Research Center, Oncology Institute, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
- Affiliated with Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Dana Ishay-Ronen
- Cancer Research Center, Oncology Institute, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
- Affiliated with Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- *Correspondence: Dana Ishay-Ronen,
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10
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El-Banna MA, Hendawy OM, El-Nekeety AA, Abdel-Wahhab MA. Efficacy of ginsenoside Rg3 nanoparticles against Ehrlich solid tumor growth in mice. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:43814-43825. [PMID: 35118592 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19019-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Solid tumors are fairly common and face many clinical difficulties since they are hardly surgically resectable and broadly do not respond to radiation and chemotherapy. The current study aimed to fabricate ginsenoside Rg3 nanoparticles (Rg3-NPs) and evaluate their antitumor effect against Ehrlich solid tumors (EST) in mice. Rg3-NPs were fabricated using whey protein isolates (WPI), maltodextrin (MD), and gum Arabic (GA). EST was developed by the injection of mice with Ehrlich ascites cells (2.5 × 106). The mice were divided into a control group, EST group, and the EST groups that were treated orally 2 weeks for with normal Rg3 (3 mg/kg b.w.), Rg3-NPs at a low dose (3 mg/kg b.w.), and Rg3-NPs at a high dose (6 mg/kg b.w.). Serum and solid tumors were collected for different assays. The results revealed that synthesized Rg3-NPs showed a spherical shape with an average particle size of 20 nm and zeta potential of -5.58 mV. The in vivo study revealed that EST mice showed a significant increase in AFP, Casp3, TNF-α, MMP-9, VEGF, MDA, and DNA damage accompanied by a significant decrease in SOD and GPx. Treatment with Rg3 or Rg3-NPs decreased the tumor weight and size and induced a significant improvement in all the biochemical parameters. Rg3-NPs were more effective than Rg3, and the improvement was dose-dependent. It could be concluded that fabrication of Rg3-NPs enhanced the protective effect against EST development which may be due to the synergistic effect of Rg3 and MD, GA, and WPI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona A El-Banna
- Medical Biochemistry Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Omnia M Hendawy
- Clinical Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | - Aziza A El-Nekeety
- Food Toxicology & Contaminants Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mosaad A Abdel-Wahhab
- Food Toxicology & Contaminants Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt.
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11
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Zhang X, Zhu X, Zhong Z, Du J, Fang G, Cui X, Guan L, Hu Y, Wang H, Zhang P. Small Molecule-Induced Differentiation As a Potential Therapy for Liver Cancer. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 9:e2103619. [PMID: 35343115 PMCID: PMC9131429 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202103619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Despite the efficacy demonstrated by immunotherapy recently, liver cancer still remains one of the deadliest cancers, mainly due to heterogeneity of this disease. Continuous exploration of new therapeutics is therefore necessary. Chemical-induced cell differentiation can serve as a promising approach, with its ability to consistently remodel gene expression profile and alter cell fate. Inspired by advances in stem cell and reprogramming field, here it is reported that a small molecule cocktail (SMC) consisted of: SB431542 (TGFβ inhibitor), CHIR99021 (GSK3β inhibitor), BIX01294 (H3K9 methyltransferase/G9a inhibitor), and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), can induce differentiation of liver cancer cells including cell lines, primary cancer cells, cancer stem cells, and drug resistant cells. Treated cells lose malignant characteristics and regain hepatocyte phenotype instead. When applied in vivo, SMC induces wide range of tissue necrosis or fibrosis within the tumors, while remaining tissues begin to express hepatic nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α), the hepatic nuclear marker. SMC also leads to tumor abrogation in orthotopic xenograft models and life span extension of animals. The powerful differentiation induction of SMC is exerted through modulation of Akt/mTOR/HIF1α signaling and metabolic reprogramming, as well as suppressing Snail and enhancing HNF4α expression. Together, these results highlight that chemical-induced differentiation has the potential to effectively treat liver cancer disregard of heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Zhang
- National Center for Liver CancerShanghai201805China
| | - Xiang‐Jie Zhu
- National Center for Liver CancerShanghai201805China
- Institute of Metabolism and Integrative BiologyFudan UniversityShanghai200433China
| | - Zhi Zhong
- National Center for Liver CancerShanghai201805China
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical CollegeFudan UniversityShanghai200032China
| | | | - Guo‐Xu Fang
- National Center for Liver CancerShanghai201805China
| | - Xiu‐liang Cui
- National Center for Liver CancerShanghai201805China
- The International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery HospitalSecond Military Medical UniversityShanghai200438China
| | | | - Yan‐Yu Hu
- National Center for Liver CancerShanghai201805China
| | - Hong‐Yang Wang
- National Center for Liver CancerShanghai201805China
- The International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery HospitalSecond Military Medical UniversityShanghai200438China
| | - Pei‐Lin Zhang
- National Center for Liver CancerShanghai201805China
- The International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery HospitalSecond Military Medical UniversityShanghai200438China
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12
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Sun J, Chen Q, Ma J. Notch–Sox9 Axis Mediates Hepatocyte Dedifferentiation in KrasG12V-Induced Zebrafish Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23094705. [PMID: 35563098 PMCID: PMC9103821 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23094705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Liver cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in humans. Hepatocytes normally undergo dedifferentiation after the onset of hepatocellular carcinoma, which in turn facilitates the progression of cancer. Although the process of hepatocellular carcinoma dedifferentiation is of significant research and clinical value, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying it are still not fully characterized. We constructed a zebrafish liver cancer model based on overexpression of the oncogene krasG12V to investigate the hepatocyte dedifferentiation in hepatocellular carcinoma. We found that, after hepatocarcinogenesis, hepatocytes dedifferentiated and the Notch signaling pathway was upregulated in this progress. Furthermore, we found that inhibition of the Notch signaling pathway or deficiency of sox9b both prevented hepatocyte dedifferentiation following hepatocellular carcinoma induction, reducing cancer metastasis and improving survival. In conclusion, we found that hepatocytes undergo dedifferentiation after hepatocarcinogenesis, a process that requires Notch signaling and likewise the activation of Sox9.
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13
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Phenotypic plasticity during metastatic colonization. Trends Cell Biol 2022; 32:854-867. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2022.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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14
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Song J, Zhou H, Gu D, Xu Y. Hepatocellular Carcinoma Differentiation: Research Progress in Mechanism and Treatment. Front Oncol 2022; 11:790358. [PMID: 35096588 PMCID: PMC8790246 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.790358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignant tumor of the liver. Although progress has been made in diagnosis and treatment, morbidity and mortality continue to rise. Chronic liver disease and liver cirrhosis are still the most important risk factors for liver cancer. Although there are many treatments, it can only be cured by orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) or surgical resection. And the worse the degree of differentiation, the worse the prognosis of patients with liver cancer. Then it can be considered that restoring a better state of differentiation may improve the prognosis. The differentiation treatment of liver cancer is to reverse the dedifferentiation process of hepatocytes to liver cancer cells by means of drugs, improve the differentiation state of the tumor, and restore the normal liver characteristics, so as to improve the prognosis. Understanding the mechanism of dedifferentiation of liver cancer can provide ideas for drug design. Liver enrichment of transcription factors, imbalance of signal pathway and changes of tumor microenvironment can promote the occurrence and development of liver cancer, and restoring its normal level can inhibit the malignant behavior of tumor. At present, some drugs have been proved to be effective, but more clinical data are needed to support the effectiveness and reliability of drugs. The differentiation treatment of liver cancer is expected to become an important part of the treatment of liver cancer in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianning Song
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Guangzhou Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hongzhong Zhou
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Dayong Gu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yong Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Guangzhou Medical University, Shenzhen, China
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15
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Ali S, Hamam D, Liu X, Lebrun JJ. Terminal differentiation and anti-tumorigenic effects of prolactin in breast cancer. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:993570. [PMID: 36157462 PMCID: PMC9499354 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.993570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is a major disease affecting women worldwide. A woman has 1 in 8 lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, and morbidity and mortality due to this disease are expected to continue to rise globally. Breast cancer remains a challenging disease due to its heterogeneity, propensity for recurrence and metastasis to distant vital organs including bones, lungs, liver and brain ultimately leading to patient death. Despite the development of various therapeutic strategies to treat breast cancer, still there are no effective treatments once metastasis has occurred. Loss of differentiation and increased cellular plasticity and stemness are being recognized molecularly and clinically as major derivers of heterogeneity, tumor evolution, relapse, metastasis, and therapeutic failure. In solid tumors, breast cancer is one of the leading cancer types in which tumor differentiation state has long been known to influence cancer behavior. Reprograming and/or restoring differentiation of cancer cells has been proposed to provide a viable approach to reverse the cancer through differentiation and terminal maturation. The hormone prolactin (PRL) is known to play a critical role in mammary gland lobuloalveolar development/remodeling and the terminal differentiation of the mammary epithelial cells promoting milk proteins gene expression and lactation. Here, we will highlight recent discoveries supporting an anti-tumorigenic role for PRL in breast cancer as a "pro/forward-differentiation" pathway restricting plasticity, stemness and tumorigenesis.
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16
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Zarei M, Hue JJ, Hajihassani O, Graor HJ, Katayama ES, Loftus AW, Bajor D, Rothermel LD, Vaziri-Gohar A, Winter JM. Clinical development of IDH1 inhibitors for cancer therapy. Cancer Treat Rev 2021; 103:102334. [PMID: 34974243 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2021.102334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) has been investigated as a promising therapeutic target in select cancers with a mutated version of the enzyme (mtIDH1). With only one phase III trial published to date and two indications approved for routine clinical use by the FDA, we reviewed the entire clinical trial portfolio to broadly understand mtIDH1 inhibitor activity in patients. We queried PubMed.gov and ClinicalTrials.gov to identify published and ongoing clinical trials related to IDH1 and cancer. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), 2-hydroxyglutarate levels, and adverse events were summarized. To date, ten clinical trials investigating mtIDH1 inhibitors among patients with diverse malignancies (cholangiocarcinoma, acute myeloid leukemia, chondrosarcoma, glioma) have been published. Almost every trial (80%) has investigated ivosidenib. In multiple phase I trials, ivosidenib treatment resulted in promising radiographic and biochemical responses with improved survival outcomes (relative to historic data) among patients with both solid and hematologic mtIDH1 malignancies. Among patients enrolled in a phase III trial with advanced cholangiocarcinoma, ivosidenib resulted in a PFS rate of 32% at 6 months, as compared to 0% with placebo. There was a 5.2 month increase in OS with ivosidenib relative to placebo, after considering crossover. The treatment-specific grade ≥3 adverse event rate of ivosidenib was 2%-26% among all patients, and was just 3.6% among 284 patients who had a solid tumor across four trials. Although <1% of malignancies harbor IDH1 mutations, small molecule mtIDH1 inhibitors, namely ivosidenib, appear to be biologically active and well tolerated in patients with solid and hematologic mtIDH1 malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehrdad Zarei
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States; Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Jonathan J Hue
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Omid Hajihassani
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Hallie J Graor
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | | | - Alexander W Loftus
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - David Bajor
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Luke D Rothermel
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States; Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Ali Vaziri-Gohar
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Jordan M Winter
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States; Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States.
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17
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Alterations of Chromatin Regulators in the Pathogenesis of Urinary Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13236040. [PMID: 34885146 PMCID: PMC8656749 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13236040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Urinary bladder cancer is one of the ten major cancers worldwide, with higher incidences in males, in smokers, and in highly industrialized countries. New therapies beyond cytotoxic chemotherapy are urgently needed to improve treatment of these tumors. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying their development may help in this regard. Recently, it was discovered that a group of proteins regulating the state of chromatin and thus gene expression is exceptionally and frequently affected by gene mutations in bladder cancers. Altered function of these mutated chromatin regulators must therefore be fundamental in their development, but how and why is poorly understood. Here we review the current knowledge on changes in chromatin regulators and discuss their possible consequences for bladder cancer development and options for new therapies. Abstract Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is the most frequent histological type of cancer in the urinary bladder. Genomic changes in UC activate MAPK and PI3K/AKT signal transduction pathways, which increase cell proliferation and survival, interfere with cell cycle and checkpoint control, and prevent senescence. A more recently discovered additional category of genetic changes in UC affects chromatin regulators, including histone-modifying enzymes (KMT2C, KMT2D, KDM6A, EZH2), transcription cofactors (CREBBP, EP300), and components of the chromatin remodeling complex SWI/SNF (ARID1A, SMARCA4). It is not yet well understood how these changes contribute to the development and progression of UC. Therefore, we review here the emerging knowledge on genomic and gene expression alterations of chromatin regulators and their consequences for cell differentiation, cellular plasticity, and clonal expansion during UC pathogenesis. Our analysis identifies additional relevant chromatin regulators and suggests a model for urothelial carcinogenesis as a basis for further mechanistic studies and targeted therapy development.
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18
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Liu Q, Tian R, Yu P, Shu M. miR-221/222 suppression induced by activation of the cAMP/PKA/CREB1 pathway is required for cAMP-induced bidirectional differentiation of glioma cells. FEBS Lett 2021; 595:2829-2843. [PMID: 34687039 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Factors that increase cAMP levels can induce lineage-specific differentiation of glioma cells into astrocyte-like cells. However, the differentiation pattern and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we find that cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA)/cAMP responsive element binding protein 1 (CREB1)-induced miR-221/222 suppression contributes to the neuron-like differentiation of gliomas. cAMP agonists selectively induced neuron- and astrocyte-like but not oligodendrocyte-like differentiation of C6 glioma cells. PKA inhibitors and CREB1 knockout blocked neuron-like differentiation of glioma cells. cAMP inhibited miR-221/222 in a PKA/CREB1-dependent manner. Importantly, both in vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated that transcriptional suppression of miR-221/222 is required for neuronal differentiation of glioma cells. Our findings suggest that increasing cAMP levels can induce bidirectional differentiation of glioma cells. Furthermore, the miR-221/222 cluster acts as an epigenetic brake during glioma differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruotong Tian
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Panpan Yu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Minfeng Shu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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19
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Fawal MA, Jungas T, Davy A. Inhibition of DHFR targets the self-renewing potential of brain tumor initiating cells. Cancer Lett 2021; 503:129-137. [PMID: 33545223 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2021.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Brain tumors are a heterogeneous group of benign and malignant tumors arising from the brain parenchyma and its surrounding structures, with in general a poor clinical outcome due to high recurrence. One of the underlying causes for this somber prognostic is the presence of brain tumor initiating cells (BTIC) endowed with self-renewal potential, multi-lineage differentiation and resistance to treatment. One promising therapeutic avenue for brain tumors is targeting BTIC self-renewal potential and forcing their differentiation. A compelling candidate is one-carbon metabolism shown to play a key role in maintaining stem cell self-renewal in several lineages. Here, we focus on dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), a key enzyme in one-carbon metabolism, and demonstrate this enzyme's overexpression in several human brain tumors and its expression in human BTIC. We show that DHFR inhibition, either by Methotrexate (MTX) or EphB activation with synthetic ligands, reduces the tumorigenic potential of 4 human BTIC lines, by reducing their self-renewal capacities both in vitro and in a cerebral organoid glioma (GLICO) model. Our data indicate that driving BTIC differentiation by inhibiting DHFR may provide a new therapeutic approach to treating highly refractory aggressive tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamad-Ali Fawal
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCD), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), University of Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France
| | - Thomas Jungas
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCD), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), University of Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France
| | - Alice Davy
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCD), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), University of Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France.
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20
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Li C, Zhou Y, Kim JT, Sengoku T, Alstott MC, Weiss HL, Wang Q, Evers BM. Regulation of SIRT2 by Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in colorectal cancer cells. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2021; 1868:118966. [PMID: 33450304 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2021.118966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is one of the hallmarks of colorectal cancer (CRC). Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) protein has been shown to inhibit CRC proliferation. Previously, we reported that SIRT2 plays an important role in the maintenance of normal intestinal cell homeostasis. Here, we show that SIRT2 is a direct target gene of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in CRC cells. Inhibition or knockdown of Wnt/β-catenin increased SIRT2 promoter activity and mRNA and protein expression, whereas activation of Wnt/β-catenin decreased SIRT2 promoter activity and expression. β-Catenin was recruited to the promoter of SIRT2 and transcriptionally regulated SIRT2 expression. Wnt/β-catenin inhibition increased mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and CRC cell differentiation. Moreover, inhibition of OXPHOS attenuated the differentiation of CRC cells induced by Wnt/β-catenin inhibition. In contrast, inhibition or knockdown of SIRT2 decreased, while overexpression of SIRT2 increased, OXPHOS activity and differentiation in CRC cells. Consistently, inhibition or knockdown or SIRT2 attenuated the differentiation induced by Wnt/β-catenin inhibition. These results demonstrate that SIRT2 is a novel target gene of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling and contributes to the differentiation of CRC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Li
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Yuning Zhou
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Ji Tae Kim
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Tomoko Sengoku
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | | | - Heidi L Weiss
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Qingding Wang
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA; Department of Surgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
| | - B Mark Evers
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA; Department of Surgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
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21
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Solé R, Aguadé-Gorgorió G. The ecology of cancer differentiation therapy. J Theor Biol 2020; 511:110552. [PMID: 33309530 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2020.110552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A promising, yet still under development approach to cancer treatment is based on the idea of differentiation therapy (DTH). Most tumours are characterized by poorly differentiated cell populations exhibiting a marked loss of traits associated to communication and tissue homeostasis. DTH has been suggested as an alternative (or complement) to cytotoxic-based approaches, and has proven successful in some specific types of cancer such as acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). While novel drugs favouring the activation of differentiation therapies are being tested, several open problems emerge in relation to its effectiveness on solid tumors. Here we present a mathematical framework to DTH based on a well-known ecological model used to describe habitat loss. The models presented here account for some of the observed clinical and in vitro outcomes of DTH, providing relevant insight into potential therapy design. Furthermore, the same ecological approach is tested in a hierarchical model that accounts for cancer stem cells, highlighting the role of niche specificity in CSC therapy resistance. We show that the lessons learnt from metapopulation ecology can help guide future developments and potential difficulties of DTH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricard Solé
- ICREA-Complex Systems Lab, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Psg Maritim Barceloneta, 37, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe NM 87501, USA
| | - Guim Aguadé-Gorgorió
- ICREA-Complex Systems Lab, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Psg Maritim Barceloneta, 37, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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22
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Petrie K, Urban‐Wójciuk Z, Sbirkov Y, Graham A, Hamann A, Brown G. Retinoic acid receptor γ is a therapeutically targetable driver of growth and survival in prostate cancer. Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2020; 3:e1284. [PMID: 32881426 PMCID: PMC7941583 DOI: 10.1002/cnr2.1284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prostate cancer (PC) tissue contains all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) at a very low level (10-9 M), at least an order of magnitude lower than in adjacent normal healthy prostate cells or benign prostate hyperplasia. When this is coupled with deregulated expression of the intracellular lipid-binding proteins FABP5 and CRABP2 that is frequently found in PC, this is likely to result in the preferential delivery of ATRA to oncogenic PPARβ/δ rather than retinoic acid receptors (RARs). There are three isotypes of RARs (RARα, RARβ, and RARγ) and recent studies have revealed discrete physiological roles. For example, RARα and RARγ promote differentiation and self-renewal, respectively, which are critical for proper hematopoiesis. AIMS We have previously shown that ATRA stimulates transactivation of RARγ at sub-nanomolar concentrations (EC50 0.24 nM), whereas an 80-fold higher concentration was required for RARα-mediated transactivation (EC50 19.3 nM). Additionally, we have shown that RAR pan-antagonists inhibit the growth of PC cells (at 16-34 nM). These findings, together with the low level of ATRA in PC, led us to hypothesize that RARγ plays a role in PC pathogenesis and that RARγ-selective antagonism may be an effective treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS We found that concentrations of 10-9 M and below of ATRA promoted survival/proliferation and opposed adipogenic differentiation of human PC cell lines by a mechanism that involves RARγ. We also found that a RARγ-selective antagonist (AGN205728) potently induced mitochondria-dependent, but caspase-independent, cell death in PC cell lines. Furthermore, AGN205728 demonstrated synergism in killing PC cells in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents. CONCLUSION We suggest that the use of RARγ-selective antagonists may be effective in PC (and potentially other cancers), either as a single agent or in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Petrie
- School of MedicineFaculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing University of SunderlandSunderlandUK
| | | | | | | | | | - Geoffrey Brown
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences and Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, College of Medical and Dental SciencesThe University of BirminghamBirminghamUK
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23
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Pal A, Leung JY, Ang GCK, Rao VK, Pignata L, Lim HJ, Hebrard M, Chang KT, Lee VK, Guccione E, Taneja R. EHMT2 epigenetically suppresses Wnt signaling and is a potential target in embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. eLife 2020; 9:57683. [PMID: 33252038 PMCID: PMC7728445 DOI: 10.7554/elife.57683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling is downregulated in embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) and contributes to the block of differentiation. Epigenetic mechanisms leading to its suppression are unknown and could pave the way toward novel therapeutic modalities. We demonstrate that EHMT2 suppresses canonical Wnt signaling by activating expression of the Wnt antagonist DKK1. Inhibition of EHMT2 expression or activity in human ERMS cell lines reduced DKK1 expression and elevated canonical Wnt signaling resulting in myogenic differentiation in vitro and in mouse xenograft models in vivo. Mechanistically, EHMT2 impacted Sp1 and p300 enrichment at the DKK1 promoter. The reduced tumor growth upon EHMT2 deficiency was reversed by recombinant DKK1 or LGK974, which also inhibits Wnt signaling. Consistently, among 13 drugs targeting chromatin modifiers, EHMT2 inhibitors were highly effective in reducing ERMS cell viability. Our study demonstrates that ERMS cells are vulnerable to EHMT2 inhibitors and suggest that targeting the EHMT2-DKK1-β-catenin node holds promise for differentiation therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ananya Pal
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jia Yu Leung
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gareth Chin Khye Ang
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vinay Kumar Rao
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Luca Pignata
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Huey Jin Lim
- Department of Pathology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Maxime Hebrard
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kenneth Te Chang
- Department of Pathology, KK Women and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Victor Km Lee
- Department of Pathology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ernesto Guccione
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Reshma Taneja
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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24
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Plotnikov A, Kozer N, Cohen G, Carvalho S, Duberstein S, Almog O, Solmesky LJ, Shurrush KA, Babaev I, Benjamin S, Gilad S, Kupervaser M, Levin Y, Gershovits M, Ben-Avraham D, Barr HM. PRMT1 inhibition induces differentiation of colon cancer cells. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20030. [PMID: 33208761 PMCID: PMC7676271 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77028-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Differentiation therapy has been recently revisited as a prospective approach in cancer therapy by targeting the aberrant growth, and repairing the differentiation and cell death programs of cancer cells. However, differentiation therapy of solid tumors is a challenging issue and progress in this field is limited. We performed High Throughput Screening (HTS) using a novel dual multiplex assay to discover compounds, which induce differentiation of human colon cancer cells. Here we show that the protein arginine methyl transferase (PRMT) type 1 inhibitor, MS023, is a potent inducer of colon cancer cell differentiation with a large therapeutic window. Differentiation changes in the highly aggressive human colon cancer cell line (HT-29) were proved by proteomic and genomic approaches. Growth of HT-29 xenograft in nude mice was significantly delayed upon MS023 treatment and immunohistochemistry of tumor indicated differentiation changes. These findings may lead to development of clinically effective anti-cancer drugs based on the mechanism of cancer cell differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Plotnikov
- Wohl Institute for Drug Discovery, High Throughput Screening Unit, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Noga Kozer
- Wohl Institute for Drug Discovery, High Throughput Screening Unit, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Galit Cohen
- Wohl Institute for Drug Discovery, High Throughput Screening Unit, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Silvia Carvalho
- Wohl Institute for Drug Discovery, High Throughput Screening Unit, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Shirly Duberstein
- Wohl Institute for Drug Discovery, High Throughput Screening Unit, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ofir Almog
- Wohl Institute for Drug Discovery, High Throughput Screening Unit, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Leonardo Javier Solmesky
- Wohl Institute for Drug Discovery, High Throughput Screening Unit, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Khriesto A Shurrush
- Wohl Institute for Drug Discovery, Medicinal Chemistry Unit, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ilana Babaev
- Wohl Institute for Drug Discovery, Medicinal Chemistry Unit, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Sima Benjamin
- Crown Institute for Genomics, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Shlomit Gilad
- Crown Institute for Genomics, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Meital Kupervaser
- de Botton Institute for Proteomics, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yishai Levin
- de Botton Institute for Proteomics, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Michael Gershovits
- Mantoux Institute for Bioinformatics, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Danny Ben-Avraham
- Mantoux Institute for Bioinformatics, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Haim Michael Barr
- Wohl Institute for Drug Discovery, High Throughput Screening Unit, Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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25
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Lee S, Lee C, Hwang CY, Kim D, Han Y, Hong SN, Kim SH, Cho KH. Network Inference Analysis Identifies SETDB1 as a Key Regulator for Reverting Colorectal Cancer Cells into Differentiated Normal-Like Cells. Mol Cancer Res 2020; 18:118-129. [PMID: 31896605 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-19-0450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cancer cells exhibit properties of cells in a less differentiated state than the adjacent normal cells in the tissue. We explored whether cancer cells can be converted to a differentiated normal-like state by restoring the gene regulatory network (GRN) of normal cells. Here, we report that colorectal cancer cells exhibit a range of developmental states from embryonic and intestinal stem-like cells to differentiated normal-like cells. To identify the transcription factors (TF) that commit stem-like colorectal cancer cells into a differentiated normal-like state, we reconstructed GRNs of normal colon mucosa and identified core TFs (CDX2, ELF3, HNF4G, PPARG, and VDR) that govern the cellular state. We further found that SET Domain Bifurcated 1 (SETDB1), a histone H3 lysine 9-specific methyltransferase, hinders the function of the identified TFs. SETDB1 depletion effectively converts stem-like colorectal cancer cells into postmitotic cells and restores normal morphology in patient-derived colorectal cancer organoids. RNA-sequencing analyses revealed that SETDB1 depletion recapitulates global gene expression profiles of normal differentiated cells by restoring the transcriptional activity of core TFs on their target genes. IMPLICATIONS: Our study provides insights into the molecular regulatory mechanism underlying the developmental hierarchy of colorectal cancer and suggests that induction of a postmitotic state may be a therapeutic alternative to destruction of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soobeom Lee
- Laboratory for Systems Biology and Bio-inspired Engineering, Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Chansu Lee
- Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Chae Young Hwang
- Laboratory for Systems Biology and Bio-inspired Engineering, Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Dongsan Kim
- Laboratory for Systems Biology and Bio-inspired Engineering, Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Younghyun Han
- Laboratory for Systems Biology and Bio-inspired Engineering, Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Noh Hong
- Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seok-Hyung Kim
- Department of Pathology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwang-Hyun Cho
- Laboratory for Systems Biology and Bio-inspired Engineering, Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
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26
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Jin Z, Lu Y, Wu Y, Che J, Dong X. Development of differentiation modulators and targeted agents for treating neuroblastoma. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 207:112818. [PMID: 32937281 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the most common pediatric malignancies. Easy metastasis, poor prognosis, and a high degree of heterogeneity of NB hinder its successful treatment. Several different therapeutic strategies have been developed to overcome these problems, including differentiation and targeted therapy. In this review, we summarize the recent development of differentiation modulators and targeted agents for treating NB. Several promising targets of NB were also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zegao Jin
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
| | - Yang Lu
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
| | - Yizhe Wu
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
| | - Jinxin Che
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China.
| | - Xiaowu Dong
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China; Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China; Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China.
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27
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Sharif S, Ghahremani MH, Soleimani M. Differentiation Induction and Proliferation Inhibition by A Cell-Free Approach for Delivery of Exogenous miRNAs to Neuroblastoma Cells Using Mesenchymal Stem Cells. CELL JOURNAL 2020; 22:556-564. [PMID: 32347050 PMCID: PMC7211274 DOI: 10.22074/cellj.2021.6928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Objective Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the frequently observed malignant solid tumors of childhood and infancy,
accounting for 15% of pediatric cancer deaths. Recently, the approach of differentiation therapy has shown considerable
promise in effective treatment of NB patients. MiR-124 belongs to the nervous system-specific miRNAs that is increased
during neuronal differentiation and may be one of the potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of NB. However,
despite its well-established therapeutic potential, its efficient delivery to the targeted tumor cells is a challenging task.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent adult progenitor cells that have antitumor properties, and they can
migrate to cancer cells and tumors. This study aimed to assess whether human adipose tissue-derived MSCs (hAD-
MSCs) have the potential to deliver exogenous miRNAs to NB cells to induce differentiation and decrease proliferation
of cancer cells.
Materials and Methods In this experimental study, hAD-MSCs were isolated, cultured, and differentiated. The M17
human NB cell line were also cultured. A specific type of miRNAs, i.e., miR-124 was successfully delivered to M17 NB
cells with the aid of hAD-MSCs using the direct or indirect (exosome-based) contacts.
Results It was shown that indirect delivery of miR-124 considerably decreased the proliferation of NB cells and
induced their differentiation.
Conclusion The results suggest the use of delivered exogenous miRNAs by the derived exosomes from hAD-MSCs
as a novel cell-free stem cell-based therapy for NB cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samaneh Sharif
- Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic Address: .,Medical Genetics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hossein Ghahremani
- Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masoud Soleimani
- Department of Haematology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
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28
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Anti-brain cancer activity of chloroform and hexane extracts of Tinospora cordifolia Miers: an in vitro perspective. Ann Neurosci 2020; 26:10-20. [PMID: 31975767 PMCID: PMC6894632 DOI: 10.5214/ans.0972.7531.260104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Plants have been suggested as safest source of therapeutic agents, with multi targeted mode of action and least side effects. Tinospora cordifolia, commonly known as Guduchi in India, is one of the most highly valued herbs in Ayurvedic medicine. It possesses potential anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anti-diabetic, immune-stimulatory and various other beneficial activities. Purpose The present study was aimed to investigate the differentiation inducing potential of chloroform and hexane extracts of T. cordifolia using U87MG glioblastoma and IMR-32 neuroblastoma cell lines as model system. Results Chloroform (Chl-TCE) and hexane (Hex-TCE) extracts significantly reduced the rate of proliferation and induced cell differentiation as evidenced by MTT assay and immunostaining for GFAP and MAP-2 in glioblastoma and neuroblastoma, respectively. Further these extracts increased the expression of stress markers HSP70 and Mortalin and induced senescence. Chloroform and hexane extracts also inhibited the migration of U87MG glioblastoma and IMR-32 neuroblastoma as indicated by wound scratch assay and supported by reduced expression of NCAM. Furthermore these extracts are not toxic to normal cells as they showed no inhibitory effects on primary astrocytic and neuronal cultures. Conclusions The present study suggests that chloroform and hexane extracts of T. cordifolia retard the rate of proliferation, induce differentiation and inhibit migration of human glioblastomas and neuroblastomas, thus may act as potential phytotherapeutic intervention in treatment of neural cancers.
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29
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Montano MM, Yeh IJ, Chen Y, Hernandez C, Kiselar JG, de la Fuente M, Lawes AM, Nieman MT, Kiser PD, Jacobberger J, Exner AA, Lawes MC. Inhibition of the histone demethylase, KDM5B, directly induces re-expression of tumor suppressor protein HEXIM1 in cancer cells. Breast Cancer Res 2019; 21:138. [PMID: 31805991 PMCID: PMC6896798 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-019-1228-7] [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] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The tumor suppressor actions of hexamethylene bis-acetamide (HMBA)-inducible protein 1 (HEXIM1) in the breast, prostate, melanomas, and AML have been reported by our group and others. Increased HEXIM1 expression caused differentiation and inhibited proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells. Historically, HEXIM1 has been experimentally induced with the hybrid polar compound HMBA, but HMBA is a poor clinical candidate due to lack of a known target, poor pharmacological properties, and unfavorable ADMETox characteristics. Thus, HEXIM1 induction is an intriguing therapeutic approach to cancer treatment, but requires better chemical tools than HMBA. Methods We identified and verified KDM5B as a target of HEXIM1 inducers using a chemical proteomics approach, biotin–NeutrAvidin pull-down assays, surface plasmon resonance, and molecular docking. The regulation of HEXIM1 by KDM5B and KDM5B inhibitors was assessed using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, RT-PCR, western blotting, and depletion of KDM5B with shRNAs. The regulation of breast cancer cell phenotype by KDM5B inhibitors was assessed using western blots, differentiation assays, proliferation assays, and a mouse model of breast cancer metastasis. The relative role of HEXIM1 in the action of KDM5B inhibitors was determined by depleting HEXIM1 using shRNAs followed by western blots, differentiation assays, and proliferation assays. Results We have identified a highly druggable target, KDM5B, which is inhibited by small molecule inducers of HEXIM1. RNAi knockdown of KDM5B induced HEXIM1 expression, thus validating the specific negative regulation of tumor suppressor HEXIM1 by the H3K4me3/2 demethylase KDM5B. Known inhibitors of KDM5B were also able to induce HEXIM1 expression, inhibit cell proliferation, induce differentiation, potentiate sensitivity to cancer chemotherapy, and inhibit breast tumor metastasis. Conclusion HMBA and 4a1 induce HEXIM1 expression by inhibiting KDM5B. Upregulation of HEXIM1 expression levels plays a critical role in the inhibition of proliferation of breast cancer cells using KDM5B inhibitors. Based on the novel molecular scaffolds that we identified which more potently induced HEXIM1 expression and data in support that KDM5B is a target of these compounds, we have opened up new lead discovery and optimization directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica M Montano
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA. .,Oncostatyx, 11000 Cedar Avenue Suite 26, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
| | - I-Ju Yeh
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Yinghua Chen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Chris Hernandez
- General Medical Sciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Janna G Kiselar
- Department of Radiology, and Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Maria de la Fuente
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Adriane M Lawes
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Marvin T Nieman
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Philip D Kiser
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - James Jacobberger
- General Medical Sciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Agata A Exner
- Department of Radiology, and Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Matthew C Lawes
- Oncostatyx, 11000 Cedar Avenue Suite 26, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
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30
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Hen O, Barkan D. Dormant disseminated tumor cells and cancer stem/progenitor-like cells: Similarities and opportunities. Semin Cancer Biol 2019; 60:157-165. [PMID: 31491559 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2019.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2019] [Revised: 08/31/2019] [Accepted: 09/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Distant recurrences occurring years after removal of the primary tumor arise from disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) that lie dormant (quiescent/asymptomatic) until they emerge to overt metastases. These quiescent DTCs are resistant to conventional treatments. Hence, to date there is no available treatment which targets dormant DTCs before they form overt metastases. Therefore, understanding the biology of dormant DTCs and the mechanisms of their reactivation is vital in our pursuit to develop therapies to prevent cancer from ever recurring. This review will address the striking similarities between the biology of DTCs and the biology of cancer stem cells (CSCs) or CSC-like cells including cancer progenitor-like cells. These similarities are related to intrinsic mechanisms of survival and quiescence, and their cross-talk with mediators, produced in their surrounding niches that may support either dormancy or outgrowth. Unraveling these similarities may provide us with exciting opportunities to either mitigate the survival of residing dormant DTCs/CSCs or maintain them in a dormant state. Whether the stemness properties of CSCs/cancer progenitor-like cells already comprising the recurring tumor can be exploited in order to differentiate them, and thus promote their dormancy, will be explored as well. Overall, these emerging concepts may provide us with new opportunities to prevent lethal recurrences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omri Hen
- Department of Human Biology and Medical Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Dalit Barkan
- Department of Human Biology and Medical Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
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31
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Prakash V, Carson BB, Feenstra JM, Dass RA, Sekyrova P, Hoshino A, Petersen J, Guo Y, Parks MM, Kurylo CM, Batchelder JE, Haller K, Hashimoto A, Rundqivst H, Condeelis JS, Allis CD, Drygin D, Nieto MA, Andäng M, Percipalle P, Bergh J, Adameyko I, Farrants AKÖ, Hartman J, Lyden D, Pietras K, Blanchard SC, Vincent CT. Ribosome biogenesis during cell cycle arrest fuels EMT in development and disease. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2110. [PMID: 31068593 PMCID: PMC6506521 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10100-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribosome biogenesis is a canonical hallmark of cell growth and proliferation. Here we show that execution of Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), a migratory cellular program associated with development and tumor metastasis, is fueled by upregulation of ribosome biogenesis during G1/S arrest. This unexpected EMT feature is independent of species and initiating signal, and is accompanied by release of the repressive nucleolar chromatin remodeling complex (NoRC) from rDNA, together with recruitment of the EMT-driving transcription factor Snai1 (Snail1), RNA Polymerase I (Pol I) and the Upstream Binding Factor (UBF). EMT-associated ribosome biogenesis is also coincident with increased nucleolar recruitment of Rictor, an essential component of the EMT-promoting mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2). Inhibition of rRNA synthesis in vivo differentiates primary tumors to a benign, Estrogen Receptor-alpha (ERα) positive, Rictor-negative phenotype and reduces metastasis. These findings implicate the EMT-associated ribosome biogenesis program with cellular plasticity, de-differentiation, cancer progression and metastatic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varsha Prakash
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Brittany B Carson
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jennifer M Feenstra
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Randall A Dass
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Petra Sekyrova
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ayuko Hoshino
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA.,Department of Pediatrics and Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine College, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Julian Petersen
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Yuan Guo
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, S-10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Matthew M Parks
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA.,Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Chad M Kurylo
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA.,Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Jake E Batchelder
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA.,Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Kristian Haller
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Center for Molecular Pathology, Lund University, Lund, SE-223 81, Sweden
| | - Ayako Hashimoto
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA.,Department of Pediatrics and Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine College, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Helene Rundqivst
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, SE-171 77, Sweden
| | - John S Condeelis
- Gruss Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, 10461, NY, USA.,Department of Pathology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, 10461, NY, USA
| | - C David Allis
- Laboratory of Chromatin Biology and Epigenetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Denis Drygin
- Pimera, Inc, 3210 Merryfield Row, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - M Angela Nieto
- Instituto de Neurociencias, CSIC-UMH, Alicante, 03550, Spain
| | - Michael Andäng
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Piergiorgio Percipalle
- Science Division, Biology Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, 129188, UAE
| | - Jonas Bergh
- Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and University Hospital, S-171 76, Solna, Sweden
| | - Igor Adameyko
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ann-Kristin Östlund Farrants
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, S-10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johan Hartman
- Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and University Hospital, S-171 76, Solna, Sweden
| | - David Lyden
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA.,Department of Pediatrics and Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine College, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Kristian Pietras
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Center for Molecular Pathology, Lund University, Lund, SE-223 81, Sweden
| | - Scott C Blanchard
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA. .,Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA. .,Tri-Institutional Training Program in Chemical Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
| | - C Theresa Vincent
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden. .,Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85, Uppsala, Sweden. .,Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA. .,Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
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Stem J, Flickinger JC, Merlino D, Caparosa EM, Snook AE, Waldman SA. Therapeutic targeting of gastrointestinal cancer stem cells. Regen Med 2019; 14:331-343. [PMID: 31025613 DOI: 10.2217/rme-2018-0146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastrointestinal cancers remain a tremendous burden on society. Despite advances in therapy options, including chemotherapy and radiation, cancer mortality from recurrences and metastases occur frequently. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) drive disease recurrence and metastasis, as these cells are uniquely equipped to self-renew and evade therapy. Therefore, cancer eradication requires treatment strategies that target CSCs in addition to differentiated cancer cells. This review highlights current literature on therapies targeting CSCs in gastrointestinal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Stem
- Departments of Surgery, Sidney, 1020 Locust St, JAH368, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - John C Flickinger
- Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Sidney, 1020 Locust St, JAH368, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Dante Merlino
- Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Sidney, 1020 Locust St, JAH368, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Ellen M Caparosa
- Departments of Surgery, Sidney, 1020 Locust St, JAH368, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.,Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Sidney, 1020 Locust St, JAH368, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Adam E Snook
- Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Sidney, 1020 Locust St, JAH368, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Scott A Waldman
- Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Sidney, 1020 Locust St, JAH368, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
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Riester M, Xu Q, Moreira A, Zheng J, Michor F, Downey RJ. The Warburg effect: persistence of stem-cell metabolism in cancers as a failure of differentiation. Ann Oncol 2019; 29:264-270. [PMID: 29045536 DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdx645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Two recent observations regarding the Warburg effect are that (i) the metabolism of stem cells is constitutive (aerobic) glycolysis while normal cellular differentiation involves a transition to oxidative phosphorylation and (ii) the degree of glucose uptake of a malignancy as imaged by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is associated with histologic measures of tumor differentiation. Combining these observations, we hypothesized that the high levels of glucose uptake observed in poorly differentiated cancers may reflect persistence of the glycolytic metabolism of stem cells in malignant cells that fail to fully differentiate. Patients and methods Tumor glucose uptake was measured by FDG-PET in 552 patients with histologically diverse cancers. We used normal mixture modeling to explore FDG-PET standardized uptake value (SUV) distributions and tested for associations between glucose uptake and histological differentiation, risk of lymph node metastasis, and survival. Using RNA-seq data, we carried out pathway and transcription factor analyses to compare tumors with high and low levels of glucose uptake. Results We found that well-differentiated tumors had low FDG uptake, while moderately and poorly differentiated tumors had higher uptake. The distribution of SUV for each histology was bimodal, with a low peak around SUV 2-5 and a high peak at SUV 8-14. The cancers in the two modes were clinically distinct in terms of the risk of nodal metastases and death. Carbohydrate metabolism and the pentose-related pathway were elevated in the poorly differentiated/high SUV clusters. Embryonic stem cell-related signatures were activated in poorly differentiated/high SUV clusters. Conclusions Our findings support the hypothesis that the biological basis for the Warburg effect is a persistence of stem cell metabolism (i.e. aerobic glycolysis) in cancers as a failure to transition from glycolysis-utilizing undifferentiated cells to oxidative phosphorylation-utilizing differentiated cells. We found that cancers cluster along the differentiation pathway into two groups, utilizing either glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation. Our results have implications for multiple areas of clinical oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Riester
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA.,Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | - Q Xu
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA.,Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | - A Moreira
- Department of Pathology, NYU Medical Center, New York, USA
| | - J Zheng
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan - Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - F Michor
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA.,Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA.,Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA.,Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, USA.,Center for Cancer Evolution, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA
| | - R J Downey
- Thoracic Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Hospital, Memorial Sloan - Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
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34
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Ke J, Wu R, Chen Y, Abba ML. Inhibitor of DNA binding proteins: implications in human cancer progression and metastasis. Am J Transl Res 2018; 10:3887-3910. [PMID: 30662638 PMCID: PMC6325517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Inhibitor of DNA binding (ID) proteins are a class of helix-loop-helix (HLH) transcription regulatory factors that act as dominant-negative antagonists of other basic HLH proteins through the formation of non-functional heterodimers. These proteins have been shown to play critical roles in a wide range of tumor-associated processes, including cell differentiation, cell cycle progression, migration and invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, angiogenesis, stemness, chemoresistance, tumorigenesis, and metastasis. The aberrant expression of ID proteins has not only been detected in many types of human cancers, but is also associated with advanced tumor stages and poor clinical outcome. In this review, we provide an overview of the key biological functions of ID proteins including affiliated signaling pathways. We also describe the regulation of ID proteins in cancer progression and metastasis, and elaborate on expression profiles in cancer and the implications for prognosis. Lastly, we outline strategies for the therapeutic targeting of ID proteins as a promising and effective approach for anticancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Ke
- Department of Liver Disease, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical UniversityHefei 230022, China
- Center for Biomedicine and Medical Technology Mannheim (CBTM), Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheim 68167, Germany
| | - Ruolin Wu
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery and Organ Transplantation Center, Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University218 Jixi Avenue, Hefei 230022, Anhui, China
- Center for Biomedicine and Medical Technology Mannheim (CBTM), Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheim 68167, Germany
| | - Yong Chen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Subei People’s HospitalYangzhou, Jiangsu 225000, China
| | - Mohammed L Abba
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheim, Germany
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Mijatović S, Bramanti A, Nicoletti F, Fagone P, Kaluđerović GN, Maksimović-Ivanić D. Naturally occurring compounds in differentiation based therapy of cancer. Biotechnol Adv 2018; 36:1622-1632. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2018.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Revised: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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36
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Induction of morphological and functional differentiation of human neuroblastoma cells by miR-124. J Biosci 2018; 42:555-563. [PMID: 29229874 DOI: 10.1007/s12038-017-9714-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumour in children, and differentiation is considered its most appropriate therapy. In this work, we studied effects of miR-124 overexpression on differentiation in M17 cell line as a model of neuroblastoma cancer. Influence of miR-124 overexpression on differentiation in M17 cells was studied. M17 cells were infected with lentivirus that contained miR-124 precursor sequence and followed for 2 weeks to differentiate. Ectopic expression of miR-124 in M17 cells changed the shape of spherical undifferentiated cells to cells with extended neurites that formed neuronal networks. Overexpression of MiR-124 respectively increased the expression level of markers of β-Tubulin III, MAP2, SYN, NF-M and Nestin by 16-, 5-, 4-, 2.3- and 2-folds at the messenger RNA level. MiR-124 overexpression also increased the protein levels of β-Tubulin III and MAP2. Moreover, exogenous expression of miR-124 significantly increased the intracellular calcium in differentiated M17 cells. Since miR-124 is naturally expressed in neuronal cells and is downregulated in neuroblastoma cancer cells, differentiation with this type of microRNA can be a novel treatment for neuroblastoma cancer.
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37
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Manara MC, Valente S, Cristalli C, Nicoletti G, Landuzzi L, Zwergel C, Mazzone R, Stazi G, Arimondo PB, Pasello M, Guerzoni C, Picci P, Nanni P, Lollini PL, Mai A, Scotlandi K. A Quinoline-Based DNA Methyltransferase Inhibitor as a Possible Adjuvant in Osteosarcoma Therapy. Mol Cancer Ther 2018; 17:1881-1892. [DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-17-0818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Revised: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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38
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Yan H, Konstorum A, Lowengrub JS. Three-Dimensional Spatiotemporal Modeling of Colon Cancer Organoids Reveals that Multimodal Control of Stem Cell Self-Renewal is a Critical Determinant of Size and Shape in Early Stages of Tumor Growth. Bull Math Biol 2018; 80:1404-1433. [PMID: 28681151 PMCID: PMC5756149 DOI: 10.1007/s11538-017-0294-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
We develop a three-dimensional multispecies mathematical model to simulate the growth of colon cancer organoids containing stem, progenitor and terminally differentiated cells, as a model of early (prevascular) tumor growth. Stem cells (SCs) secrete short-range self-renewal promoters (e.g., Wnt) and their long-range inhibitors (e.g., Dkk) and proliferate slowly. Committed progenitor (CP) cells proliferate more rapidly and differentiate to produce post-mitotic terminally differentiated cells that release differentiation promoters, forming negative feedback loops on SC and CP self-renewal. We demonstrate that SCs play a central role in normal and cancer colon organoids. Spatial patterning of the SC self-renewal promoter gives rise to SC clusters, which mimic stem cell niches, around the organoid surface, and drive the development of invasive fingers. We also study the effects of externally applied signaling factors. Applying bone morphogenic proteins, which inhibit SC and CP self-renewal, reduces invasiveness and organoid size. Applying hepatocyte growth factor, which enhances SC self-renewal, produces larger sizes and enhances finger development at low concentrations but suppresses fingers at high concentrations. These results are consistent with recent experiments on colon organoids. Because many cancers are hierarchically organized and are subject to feedback regulation similar to that in normal tissues, our results suggest that in cancer, control of cancer stem cell self-renewal should influence the size and shape in similar ways, thereby opening the door to novel therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huaming Yan
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Anna Konstorum
- Center for Quantitative Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA
| | - John S Lowengrub
- Department of Mathematics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center for Complex Biological Systems, and Chao Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
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39
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Wang Q, Zhou Y, Rychahou P, Harris JW, Zaytseva YY, Liu J, Wang C, Weiss HL, Liu C, Lee EY, Evers BM. Deptor Is a Novel Target of Wnt/β-Catenin/c-Myc and Contributes to Colorectal Cancer Cell Growth. Cancer Res 2018; 78:3163-3175. [PMID: 29666061 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-17-3107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2017] [Revised: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway drives colorectal cancer growth by deregulating expression of downstream target genes, including the c-myc proto-oncogene. The critical targets that mediate the functions of oncogenic c-Myc in colorectal cancer have yet to be fully elucidated. Previously, we showed that activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR contributes to colorectal cancer growth and metastasis. Here, we show that Deptor, a suppressor of mTOR, is a direct target of Wnt/β-catenin/c-Myc signaling in colorectal cancer cells. Inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin or knockdown of c-Myc decreased, while activation of Wnt/β-catenin or overexpression of c-Myc increased the expression of Deptor. c-Myc bound the promoter of Deptor and transcriptionally regulated Deptor expression. Inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin/c-Myc signaling increased mTOR activation, and the combination of Wnt and Akt/mTOR inhibitors enhanced inhibition of colorectal cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo Deptor expression was increased in colorectal cancer cells; knockdown of Deptor induced differentiation, decreased expression of B lymphoma Mo-MLV insertion region 1 (Bmi1), and decreased proliferation in colorectal cancer cell lines and primary human colorectal cancer cells. Importantly, our work identifies Deptor as a downstream target of the Wnt/β-catenin/c-Myc signaling pathway, acting as a tumor promoter in colorectal cancer cells. Moreover, we provide a molecular basis for the synergistic combination of Wnt and mTOR inhibitors in treating colorectal cancer with elevated c-Myc.Significance: The mTOR inhibitor DEPTOR acts as a tumor promoter and could be a potential therapeutic target in colorectal cancer. Cancer Res; 78(12); 3163-75. ©2018 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingding Wang
- Department of Surgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Yuning Zhou
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Piotr Rychahou
- Department of Surgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Jennifer W Harris
- Department of Surgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Yekaterina Y Zaytseva
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
- Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Jinpeng Liu
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Chi Wang
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Heidi L Weiss
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Chunming Liu
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Eun Y Lee
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - B Mark Evers
- Department of Surgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
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PPARγ agonists promote differentiation of cancer stem cells by restraining YAP transcriptional activity. Oncotarget 2018; 7:60954-60970. [PMID: 27528232 PMCID: PMC5308629 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.11273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Osteosarcoma (OS) is a highly aggressive pediatric bone cancer in which most tumor cells remain immature and fail to differentiate into bone-forming osteoblasts. However, OS cells readily respond to adipogenic stimuli suggesting they retain mesenchymal stem cell-like properties. Here we demonstrate that nuclear receptor PPARγ agonists such as the anti-diabetic, thiazolidinedione (TZD) drugs induce growth arrest and cause adipogenic differentiation in human, mouse and canine OS cells as well as in tumors in mice. Gene expression analysis reveals that TZDs induce lipid metabolism pathways while suppressing targets of the Hippo-YAP pathway, Wnt signaling and cancer-related proliferation pathways. Significantly, TZD action appears to be restricted to the high Sox2 expressing cancer stem cell population and is dependent on PPARγ expression. TZDs also affect growth and cell fate by causing the cytoplasmic sequestration of the transcription factors SOX2 and YAP that are required for tumorigenicity. Finally, we identify a TZD-regulated gene signature based on Wnt/Hippo target genes and PPARγ that predicts patient outcomes. Together, this work highlights a novel connection between PPARγ agonist in inducing adipogenesis and mimicking the tumor suppressive hippo pathway. It also illustrates the potential of drug repurposing for TZD-based differentiation therapy for osteosarcoma.
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41
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p73 promotes glioblastoma cell invasion by directly activating POSTN (periostin) expression. Oncotarget 2017; 7:11785-802. [PMID: 26930720 PMCID: PMC4914248 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.7600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Accepted: 01/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma Multiforme is one of the most highly metastatic cancers and constitutes 70% of all gliomas. Despite aggressive treatments these tumours have an exceptionally bad prognosis, mainly due to therapy resistance and tumour recurrence. Here we show that the transcription factor p73 confers an invasive phenotype by directly activating expression of POSTN (periostin, HGNC:16953) in glioblastoma cells. Knock down of endogenous p73 reduces invasiveness and chemo-resistance, and promotes differentiation in vitro. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation and reporter assays we demonstrate that POSTN, an integrin binding protein that has recently been shown to play a major role in metastasis, is a transcriptional target of TAp73. We further show that POSTN overexpression is sufficient to rescue the invasive phenotype of glioblastoma cells after p73 knock down. Additionally, bioinformatics analysis revealed that an intact p73/POSTN axis, where POSTN and p73 expression is correlated, predicts bad prognosis in several cancer types. Taken together, our results support a novel role of TAp73 in controlling glioblastoma cell invasion by regulating the expression of the matricellular protein POSTN.
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42
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Gurunathan S, Kim JH. Graphene Oxide-Silver Nanoparticles Nanocomposite Stimulates Differentiation in Human Neuroblastoma Cancer Cells (SH-SY5Y). Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:E2549. [PMID: 29182571 PMCID: PMC5751152 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18122549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, graphene and graphene related nanocomposite receive much attention due to high surface-to-volume ratio, and unique physiochemical and biological properties. The combination of metallic nanoparticles with graphene-based materials offers a promising method to fabricate novel graphene-silver hybrid nanomaterials with unique functions in biomedical nanotechnology, and nanomedicine. Therefore, this study was designed to prepare graphene oxide (GO) silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) nanocomposite (GO-AgNPs) containing two different nanomaterials in single platform with distinctive properties using luciferin as reducing agents. In addition, we investigated the effect of GO-AgNPs on differentiation in SH-SY5Y cells. The synthesized GO-AgNPs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The differentiation was confirmed by series of cellular and biochemical assays. The AgNPs were distributed uniformly on the surface of graphene oxide with an average size of 25 nm. As prepared GO-AgNPOs induces differentiation by increasing the expression of neuronal differentiation markers and decreasing the expression of stem cell markers. The results indicated that the redox biology involved the expression of various signaling molecules, which play an important role in differentiation. This study suggests that GO-AgNP nanocomposite could stimulate differentiation of SH-SY5Y cells. Furthermore, understanding the mechanisms of differentiation of neuroblastoma cells could provide new strategies for cancer and stem cell therapies. Therefore, these studies suggest that GO-AgNPs could target specific chemotherapy-resistant cells within a tumor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangiliyandi Gurunathan
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea.
| | - Jin-Hoi Kim
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea.
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43
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Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma is a mesenchymal malignancy associated with the skeletal muscle lineage and is also the most common pediatric soft tissue cancer. Between the two pediatric subtypes, embryonal and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, the alveolar subtype is generally more aggressive and high-risk. Despite intensive multimodal therapy, patients with high-risk rhabdomyosarcoma continue to have poor prognosis. In this chapter we address the mechanisms underlying the dysregulation of myogenesis in rhabdomyosarcoma. We specifically focus on recently identified signaling pathways that function to inhibit myogenesis and how similar functions have been shown to overlap in rhabdomyosarcoma, potentially contributing to the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Y Yu
- Arthur G. James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States; College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Denis C Guttridge
- Arthur G. James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States; The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States.
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Nakai T, Imura Y, Tamiya H, Yamada S, Nakai S, Yasuda N, Kaneko K, Outani H, Takenaka S, Hamada K, Myoui A, Araki N, Ueda T, Itoh K, Yoshikawa H, Naka N. Trabectedin is a promising antitumor agent potentially inducing melanocytic differentiation for clear cell sarcoma. Cancer Med 2017; 6:2121-2130. [PMID: 28745431 PMCID: PMC5603837 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.1130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Revised: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Clear cell sarcoma is an aggressive soft tissue sarcoma and highly resistant to conventional chemotherapy and radiation therapy. This devastating disease is defined by EWSR1-ATF1 fusion gene resulting from chromosomal translocation t(12;22)(q13;q12) and characterized by melanocytic differentiation. A marine-derived antineoplastic agent, trabectedin, inhibits the growth of myxoid liposarcoma and Ewing sarcoma by causing adipogenic differentiation and neural differentiation, respectively. In this study, we examined the antitumor effects and mechanism of action of trabectedin on human clear cell sarcoma cell lines. We showed that trabectedin decreased the cell proliferation of five clear cell sarcoma cell lines in a dose-dependent manner in vitro and reduced tumor growth of two mouse xenograft models. Flow cytometry and immunoblot analyses in vitro and immunohistochemical analysis in vivo revealed that trabectedin-induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Furthermore, trabectedin increased the expression of melanocytic differentiation markers along with downregulation of ERK activity in vitro and the rate of melanin-positive cells in vivo. These results suggest that trabectedin has potent antitumor activity against clear cell sarcoma cells by inducing cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and, in part, by promoting melanocytic differentiation through inactivation of ERK signaling. Our present study indicates that trabectedin is a promising differentiation-inducing agent for clear cell sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takaaki Nakai
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryOsaka University Graduate School of Medicine2‐2 YamadaokaSuitaOsaka565‐0871Japan
| | - Yoshinori Imura
- Musculoskeletal Oncology ServiceOsaka International Cancer Institute3‐1‐69, OtemaeChuo‐kuOsaka541‐8567Japan
| | - Hironari Tamiya
- Musculoskeletal Oncology ServiceOsaka International Cancer Institute3‐1‐69, OtemaeChuo‐kuOsaka541‐8567Japan
| | - Shutaro Yamada
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryOsaka University Graduate School of Medicine2‐2 YamadaokaSuitaOsaka565‐0871Japan
| | - Sho Nakai
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryOsaka University Graduate School of Medicine2‐2 YamadaokaSuitaOsaka565‐0871Japan
| | - Naohiro Yasuda
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryOsaka University Graduate School of Medicine2‐2 YamadaokaSuitaOsaka565‐0871Japan
| | - Keiko Kaneko
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryOsaka University Graduate School of Medicine2‐2 YamadaokaSuitaOsaka565‐0871Japan
| | - Hidetatsu Outani
- Musculoskeletal Oncology ServiceOsaka International Cancer Institute3‐1‐69, OtemaeChuo‐kuOsaka541‐8567Japan
| | - Satoshi Takenaka
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryOsaka University Graduate School of Medicine2‐2 YamadaokaSuitaOsaka565‐0871Japan
| | - Kenichiro Hamada
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryOsaka University Graduate School of Medicine2‐2 YamadaokaSuitaOsaka565‐0871Japan
| | - Akira Myoui
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryOsaka University Graduate School of Medicine2‐2 YamadaokaSuitaOsaka565‐0871Japan
| | - Nobuhito Araki
- Musculoskeletal Oncology ServiceOsaka International Cancer Institute3‐1‐69, OtemaeChuo‐kuOsaka541‐8567Japan
| | - Takafumi Ueda
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryOsaka National Hospital2‐1‐14 HoenzakaChuo‐kuOsaka540‐0006Japan
| | - Kazuyuki Itoh
- Research InstituteNozaki Tokushukai2‐10‐50 TanigawaDaitoOsaka574‐0074Japan
| | - Hideki Yoshikawa
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryOsaka University Graduate School of Medicine2‐2 YamadaokaSuitaOsaka565‐0871Japan
| | - Norifumi Naka
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryOsaka University Graduate School of Medicine2‐2 YamadaokaSuitaOsaka565‐0871Japan
- Musculoskeletal Oncology ServiceOsaka International Cancer Institute3‐1‐69, OtemaeChuo‐kuOsaka541‐8567Japan
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Zito G, Naselli F, Saieva L, Raimondo S, Calabrese G, Guzzardo C, Forte S, Rolfo C, Parenti R, Alessandro R. Retinoic Acid affects Lung Adenocarcinoma growth by inducing differentiation via GATA6 activation and EGFR and Wnt inhibition. Sci Rep 2017; 7:4770. [PMID: 28684780 PMCID: PMC5500497 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05047-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental task in cancer research aims at the identification of new pharmacological therapies that can affect tumor growth. Differentiation therapy might exploit this function not only for hematological diseases, such as acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML) but also for epithelial tumors, including lung cancer. Here we show that Retinoic Acid (RA) arrests in vitro and in vivo the growth of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKI) resistant Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). In particular, we found that RA induces G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in TKI resistant NSCLC cells and activates terminal differentiation programs by modulating the expression of GATA6, a key transcription factor involved in the physiological differentiation of the distal lung. In addition, our results demonstrate that RA inhibits EGFR and Wnt signaling activation, two pathways involved in NSCLC progression. Furthermore, we uncovered a novel mechanism in NSCLC that shows how RA exerts its function; we found that RA-mediated GATA6 activation is necessary for EGFR and Wnt inhibition, thus leading to 1) increased differentiation and 2) loss of proliferation. All together, these findings prove that differentiation therapy might be feasible in TKI resistant NSCLCs, and shed light on new targets to define new pharmacological therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Zito
- Department of Biopathology and Medical Biotechnology, Biology and Genetics Section, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Flores Naselli
- Department of Biopathology and Medical Biotechnology, Biology and Genetics Section, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Laura Saieva
- Department of Biopathology and Medical Biotechnology, Biology and Genetics Section, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Stefania Raimondo
- Department of Biopathology and Medical Biotechnology, Biology and Genetics Section, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giovanna Calabrese
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Physiology Section, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Claudio Guzzardo
- Department of Biopathology and Medical Biotechnology, Biology and Genetics Section, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Christian Rolfo
- Phase I - Early Clinical Trials Unit, Oncology Department, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Rosalba Parenti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Physiology Section, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Riccardo Alessandro
- Department of Biopathology and Medical Biotechnology, Biology and Genetics Section, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
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Shao G, Lai W, Wan X, Xue J, Wei Y, Jin J, Zhang L, Lin Q, Shao Q, Zou S. Inactivation of EGFR/AKT signaling enhances TSA-induced ovarian cancer cell differentiation. Oncol Rep 2017; 37:2891-2896. [DOI: 10.3892/or.2017.5556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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Stein E, Yen K. Targeted Differentiation Therapy with Mutant IDH Inhibitors: Early Experiences and Parallels with Other Differentiation Agents. ANNUAL REVIEW OF CANCER BIOLOGY-SERIES 2017. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-cancerbio-050216-122051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Somatic mutations in the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1 and 2 genes have been described in multiple hematologic and solid tumors, and confer a gain of function, permitting the production of the oncometabolite (R)-2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG). 2-HG accumulation induces DNA and histone hypermethylation and altered gene expression, ultimately resulting in a block in cellular differentiation. Proof-of-concept preclinical work demonstrated that targeted inhibition of the mutant IDH (mIDH) enzyme is a feasible therapeutic strategy, based on the hypothesis that inhibition of the mIDH enzyme blocks 2-HG production, resulting in an appropriate methylation state and the onset of cellular differentiation. Clinical development programs for targeted inhibitors are underway, and preliminary data in patients with mIDH acute myeloid leukemia suggest that these inhibitors act as differentiation agents. Here we review the use of differentiation agents for the treatment of hematologic and solid tumors and discuss the preclinical and early clinical evidence that mIDH inhibitors mediate antitumor effects through the induction of differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eytan Stein
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
| | - Katharine Yen
- Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
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Jostes S, Nettersheim D, Fellermeyer M, Schneider S, Hafezi F, Honecker F, Schumacher V, Geyer M, Kristiansen G, Schorle H. The bromodomain inhibitor JQ1 triggers growth arrest and apoptosis in testicular germ cell tumours in vitro and in vivo. J Cell Mol Med 2016; 21:1300-1314. [PMID: 28026145 PMCID: PMC5487916 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.13059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Type II testicular germ cell cancers (TGCT) are the most frequently diagnosed tumours in young men (20–40 years) and are classified as seminoma or non‐seminoma. TGCTs are commonly treated by orchiectomy and chemo‐ or radiotherapy. However, a subset of metastatic non‐seminomas (embryonal carcinomas) displays only incomplete remission or relapse and requires novel treatment options. Recent studies have shown effective application of the small‐molecule inhibitor JQ1 in tumour therapy, which interferes with the function of ‘bromodomain and extraterminal (BET)’ proteins. JQ1‐treated TGCT cell lines display up‐regulation of genes indicative for DNA damage and cellular stress response and induce cell cycle arrest. Embryonal carcinoma (EC) cell lines, which presented as JQ1 sensitive, display down‐regulation of pluripotency factors and induction of mesodermal differentiation. In contrast, seminoma‐like TCam‐2 cells tolerated higher JQ1 concentrations and were resistant to differentiation. ECs xenografted in vivo showed a reduction in tumour size, proliferation rate and angiogenesis in response to JQ1. Finally, the combination of JQ1 and the histone deacetylase inhibitor romidepsin allowed for lower doses and less frequent application, compared with monotherapy. Thus, we propose that JQ1 in combination with romidepsin may serve as a novel therapeutic option for (mixed) TGCTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Jostes
- Institute of Pathology, Department of Developmental Pathology, University Medical School, Bonn, Germany
| | - Daniel Nettersheim
- Institute of Pathology, Department of Developmental Pathology, University Medical School, Bonn, Germany
| | - Martin Fellermeyer
- Institute of Pathology, Department of Developmental Pathology, University Medical School, Bonn, Germany
| | - Simon Schneider
- Institute of Pathology, Department of Developmental Pathology, University Medical School, Bonn, Germany
| | - François Hafezi
- Institute of Pathology, Department of Developmental Pathology, University Medical School, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Valerie Schumacher
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthias Geyer
- Institute of Innate Immunity, Department of Structural Immunology, University Medical School, Bonn, Germany
| | - Glen Kristiansen
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical School, Bonn, Germany
| | - Hubert Schorle
- Institute of Pathology, Department of Developmental Pathology, University Medical School, Bonn, Germany
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CRISPR screen identifies the NCOR/HDAC3 complex as a major suppressor of differentiation in rhabdomyosarcoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:15090-15095. [PMID: 27956629 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1610270114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dysregulated gene expression resulting from abnormal epigenetic alterations including histone acetylation and deacetylation has been demonstrated to play an important role in driving tumor growth and progression. However, the mechanisms by which specific histone deacetylases (HDACs) regulate differentiation in solid tumors remains unclear. Using pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) as a paradigm to elucidate the mechanism blocking differentiation in solid tumors, we identified HDAC3 as a major suppressor of myogenic differentiation from a high-efficiency Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based phenotypic screen of class I and II HDAC genes. Detailed characterization of the HDAC3-knockout phenotype in vitro and in vivo using a tamoxifen-inducible CRISPR targeting strategy demonstrated that HDAC3 deacetylase activity and the formation of a functional complex with nuclear receptor corepressors (NCORs) were critical in restricting differentiation in RMS. The NCOR/HDAC3 complex specifically functions by blocking myoblast determination protein 1 (MYOD1)-mediated activation of myogenic differentiation. Interestingly, there was also a transient up-regulation of growth-promoting genes upon initial HDAC3 targeting, revealing a unique cancer-specific response to the forced transition from a neoplastic state to terminal differentiation. Our study applied modifications of CRISPR/CRISPR-associated endonuclease 9 (Cas9) technology to interrogate the function of essential cancer genes and pathways and has provided insights into cancer cell adaptation in response to altered differentiation status. Because current pan-HDAC inhibitors have shown disappointing results in clinical trials of solid tumors, therapeutic targets specific to HDAC3 function represent a promising option for differentiation therapy in malignant tumors with dysregulated HDAC3 activity.
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An epithelial marker promoter induction screen identifies histone deacetylase inhibitors to restore epithelial differentiation and abolishes anchorage independence growth in cancers. Cell Death Discov 2016; 2:16041. [PMID: 27551531 PMCID: PMC4979427 DOI: 10.1038/cddiscovery.2016.41] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 05/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), a crucial mechanism in development, mediates aggressiveness during carcinoma progression and therapeutic refractoriness. The reversibility of EMT makes it an attractive strategy in designing novel therapeutic approaches. Therefore, drug discovery pipelines for EMT reversal are in need to discover emerging classes of compounds. Here, we outline a pre-clinical drug screening platform for EMT reversal that consists of three phases of drug discovery and validation. From the Phase 1 epithelial marker promoter induction (EpI) screen on a library consisting of compounds being approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Vorinostat (SAHA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), is identified to exert EMT reversal effects by restoring the expression of an epithelial marker, E-cadherin. An expanded screen on 41 HDACi further identifies 28 compounds, such as class I-specific HDACi Mocetinosat, Entinostat and CI994, to restore E-cadherin and ErbB3 expressions in ovarian, pancreatic and bladder carcinoma cells. Mocetinostat is the most potent HDACi to restore epithelial differentiation with the lowest concentration required for 50% induction of epithelial promoter activity (EpIC-50).The HDACi exerts paradoxical effects on EMT transcriptional factors such as SNAI and ZEB family and the effects are context-dependent in epithelial- and mesenchymal-like cells. In vitro functional studies further show that HDACi induced significant increase in anoikis and decrease in spheroid formation in ovarian and bladder carcinoma cells with mesenchymal features. This study demonstrates a robust drug screening pipeline for the discovery of compounds capable of restoring epithelial differentiation that lead to significant functional lethality.
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