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Walker RL, Hornicek FJ, Duan Z. Transcriptional regulation and therapeutic potential of cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) in sarcoma. Biochem Pharmacol 2024; 226:116342. [PMID: 38848777 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Sarcomas include various subtypes comprising two significant groups - soft tissue and bone sarcomas. Although the survival rate for some sarcoma subtypes has improved over time, the current methods of treatment remain efficaciously limited, as recurrent, and metastatic diseases remain a major obstacle. There is a need for better options and therapeutic strategies in treating sarcoma. Cyclin dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) is a transcriptional kinase and has emerged as a promising target for treating various cancers. The aberrant expression and activation of CDK9 have been observed in several sarcoma subtypes, including rhabdomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and chordoma. Enhanced CDK9 expression has also been correlated with poorer prognosis in sarcoma patients. As a master regulator of transcription, CDK9 promotes transcription elongation by phosphorylation and releasing RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) from its promoter proximal pause. Release of RNAPII from this pause induces transcription of critical genes in the tumor cell. Overexpression and activation of CDK9 have been observed to lead to the expression of oncogenes, including MYC and MCL-1, that aid sarcoma development and progression. Inhibition of CDK9 in sarcoma has been proven to reduce these oncogenes' expression and decrease proliferation and growth in different sarcoma cells. Currently, there are several CDK9 inhibitors in preclinical and clinical investigations. This review aims to highlight the recent discovery and results on the transcriptional role and therapeutic potential of CDK9 in sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert L Walker
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Papanicolaou Cancer Research Building, 1550 N.W. 10(th) Avenue, Miami, FL 33136. USA
| | - Francis J Hornicek
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Papanicolaou Cancer Research Building, 1550 N.W. 10(th) Avenue, Miami, FL 33136. USA
| | - Zhenfeng Duan
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Papanicolaou Cancer Research Building, 1550 N.W. 10(th) Avenue, Miami, FL 33136. USA.
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Baluszek S, Kober P, Rusetska N, Wągrodzki M, Mandat T, Kunicki J, Bujko M. DNA methylation, combined with RNA sequencing, provide novel insight into molecular classification of chordomas and their microenvironment. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:113. [PMID: 37434245 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01610-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Chordomas are rare tumors of notochord remnants, occurring mainly in the sacrum and skull base. Despite of their unusually slow growth, chordomas are highly invasive and the involvement of adjacent critical structures causes treatment challenges. Due to the low incidence, the molecular pathogenesis of this entity remains largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate DNA methylation abnormalities and their impact on gene expression profiles in skull base chordomas. 32 tumor and 4 normal nucleus pulposus samples were subjected to DNA methylation and gene expression profiling with methylation microarrays and RNA sequencing. Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis revealed two distinct clusters for chordoma (termed subtypes C and I) with different patterns of aberrant DNA methylation. C Chordomas were characterized by general hypomethylation with hypermethylation of CpG islands, while I chordomas were generally hypermethylated. These differences were reflected by distinct distribution of differentially methylated probes (DMPs). Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified, indicating aberrant methylation in known tumor-related genes in booth chordoma subtypes and regions encoding small RNAs in subtype C chordomas. Correlation between methylation and expression was observed in a minority of genes. Upregulation of TBXT in chordomas appeared to be related to lower methylation of tumor-specific DMR in gene promoter. Gene expression-based clusters of tumor samples did not overlap with DNA methylation-based subtypes. Nevertheless, they differ in transcriptomic profile that shows immune infiltration in I chordomas and up-regulation of cell cycle in C chordomas. Immune enrichment in chordomas I was confirmed with 3 independent deconvolution methods and immunohistochemistry. Copy number analysis showed higher chromosomal instability in C chordomas. Nine out of eight had deletion of CDKN2A/B loci and downregulation of genes encoded in related chromosomal band. No significant difference in patients' survival was observed between tumor subtypes, however, shorter survival was observed in patients with higher number of copy number alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szymon Baluszek
- Department of Molecular and Translational Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Paulina Kober
- Department of Molecular and Translational Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Natalia Rusetska
- Department of Experimental Immunotherapy, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Michał Wągrodzki
- Department of Cancer Pathomorphology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Tomasz Mandat
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jacek Kunicki
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Mateusz Bujko
- Department of Molecular and Translational Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland.
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Zhao C, Tan T, Zhang E, Wang T, Gong H, Jia Q, Liu T, Yang X, Zhao J, Wu Z, Wei H, Xiao J, Yang C. A chronicle review of new techniques that facilitate the understanding and development of optimal individualized therapeutic strategies for chordoma. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1029670. [PMID: 36465398 PMCID: PMC9708744 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1029670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Chordoma is a rare malignant bone tumor that mainly occurs in the sacrum and the clivus/skull base. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice for chordoma, but the local recurrence rate is high with unsatisfactory prognosis. Compared with other common tumors, there is not much research and individualized treatment for chordoma, partly due to the rarity of the disease and the lack of appropriate disease models, which delay the discovery of therapeutic strategies. Recent advances in modern techniques have enabled gaining a better understanding of a number of rare diseases, including chordoma. Since the beginning of the 21st century, various chordoma cell lines and animal models have been reported, which have partially revealed the intrinsic mechanisms of tumor initiation and progression with the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques. In this study, we performed a systematic overview of the chordoma models and related sequencing studies in a chronological manner, from the first patient-derived chordoma cell line (U-CH1) to diverse preclinical models such as the patient-derived organoid-based xenograft (PDX) and patient-derived organoid (PDO) models. The use of modern sequencing techniques has discovered mutations and expression signatures that are considered potential treatment targets, such as the expression of Brachyury and overactivated receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). Moreover, computational and bioinformatics techniques have made drug repositioning/repurposing and individualized high-throughput drug screening available. These advantages facilitate the research and development of comprehensive and personalized treatment strategies for indicated patients and will dramatically improve their prognoses in the near feature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenglong Zhao
- Spinal Tumor Center, Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Tao Tan
- Department of Orthopedics, 905 Hospital of People’s Liberation Army Navy, Shanghai, China
| | - E. Zhang
- Spinal Tumor Center, Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Ting Wang
- Spinal Tumor Center, Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Haiyi Gong
- Spinal Tumor Center, Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Qi Jia
- Spinal Tumor Center, Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Tielong Liu
- Spinal Tumor Center, Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinghai Yang
- Spinal Tumor Center, Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Zhao
- Spinal Tumor Center, Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhipeng Wu
- Spinal Tumor Center, Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Haifeng Wei
- Spinal Tumor Center, Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianru Xiao
- Spinal Tumor Center, Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Cheng Yang
- Spinal Tumor Center, Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, China
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Gao J, Huang R, Yin H, Song D, Meng T. Research hotspots and trends of chordoma: A bibliometric analysis. Front Oncol 2022; 12:946597. [PMID: 36185236 PMCID: PMC9523362 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.946597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Chordoma is a type of mesenchymal malignancy with a high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. Due to its rarity, the tumorigenic mechanism and optimal therapeutic strategy are not well known. Methods All relevant articles of chordoma research from 1 January 2000 to 26 April 2022 were obtained from Web of Science Core Collection database. Blibliometrix was used to acquire basic publication data. Visualization and data table of collaboration network, dynamic analysis, trend topics, thematic map, and factorial analysis were acquired using Blibliometrix package. VOSviewer was used to generate a visualization map of co-citation analysis and co-occurrence. Results A total of 2,285 articles related to chordoma were identified. The most influential and productive country/region was the United States, and Capital Medical University has published the most articles. Among all high-impact authors, Adrienne M. Flanagan had the highest average citation rate. Neurosurgery was the important periodical for chordoma research with the highest total/average citation rate. We focused on four hotspots in recent chordoma research. The research on surgical treatment and radiotherapy was relatively mature. The molecular signaling pathway, targeted therapy and immunotherapy for chordoma are not yet mature, which will be the future trends of chordoma research. Conclusion This study indicates that chordoma studies are increasing. Surgery and radiotherapy are well reported and always play fundamental roles in chordoma treatment. The molecular signaling pathway, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy of chordoma are the latest research hotspots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianxuan Gao
- Department of Spine Surgery, Shanghai General Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
- Tongji University Cancer Center, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Runzhi Huang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huabin Yin
- Department of Spine Surgery, Shanghai General Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dianwen Song
- Department of Spine Surgery, Shanghai General Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Tong Meng, ; Dianwen Song,
| | - Tong Meng
- Department of Spine Surgery, Shanghai General Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
- Tongji University Cancer Center, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Tong Meng, ; Dianwen Song,
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