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Canella A, Nazzaro M, Artomov M, Rao Venkata LP, Thomas D, Lyberger J, Ukhatov A, Xing YL, Miller K, Behbehani G, Amankulor NM, Petritsch CK, Rajappa P. BRAF V600E in a preclinical model of pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytoma: Analysis of the tumor microenvironment and immune cell infiltration dynamics in vivo. MOLECULAR THERAPY. ONCOLOGY 2024; 32:200808. [PMID: 38784952 PMCID: PMC11112369 DOI: 10.1016/j.omton.2024.200808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Low-grade glioma (LGG) is the most common brain tumor affecting pediatric patients (pLGG) and BRAF mutations constitute the most frequent genetic alterations. Within the spectrum of pLGGs, approximately 70%-80% of pediatric patients diagnosed with transforming pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) harbor the BRAF V600E mutation. However, the impact of glioma BRAF V600E cell regulation of tumor-infiltrating immune cells and their contribution to tumor progression remains unclear. Moreover, the efficacy of BRAF inhibitors in treating pLGGs is limited compared with their impact on BRAF-mutated melanoma. Here we report a novel immunocompetent RCAS-BRAF V600E murine glioma model. Pathological assessment indicates this model seems to be consistent with diffuse gliomas and morphological features of PXA. Our investigations revealed distinct immune cell signatures associated with increased trafficking and activation within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Intriguingly, immune system activation within the TME also generated a pronounced inflammatory response associated with dysfunctional CD8+ T cells, increased presence of immunosuppressive myeloid cells and regulatory T cells. Further, our data suggests tumor-induced inflammatory processes, such as cytokine storm. These findings suggest a complex interplay between tumor progression and the robust inflammatory response within the TME in preclinical BRAF V600E LGGs, which may significantly influence animal survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Canella
- The Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Matthew Nazzaro
- The Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Mykyta Artomov
- The Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Diana Thomas
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Justin Lyberger
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Aleksandr Ukhatov
- Department of Electrical Engineering. Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Yao Lulu Xing
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Katherine Miller
- The Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Gregory Behbehani
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Nduka M. Amankulor
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Prajwal Rajappa
- The Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Neurological Surgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
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2
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O'Hare P, Cooney T, de Blank P, Gutmann DH, Kieran M, Milde T, Fangusaro J, Fisher M, Avula S, Packer R, Fukuoka K, Mankad K, Mueller S, Waanders AJ, Opocher E, Bouffet E, Raabe E, Werle NE, Azizi AA, Robison NJ, Hernáiz Driever P, Russo M, Schouten N, van Tilburg CM, Sehested A, Grill J, Bandopadhayay P, Kilday JP, Witt O, Ashley DM, Ertl-Wagner BB, Tabori U, Hargrave DR. Resistance, rebound, and recurrence regrowth patterns in pediatric low-grade glioma treated by MAPK inhibition: A modified Delphi approach to build international consensus-based definitions-International Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma Coalition. Neuro Oncol 2024:noae074. [PMID: 38743009 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noae074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Pediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG) is the most common childhood brain tumor group. The natural history, when curative resection is not possible, is one of a chronic disease with periods of tumor stability and episodes of tumor progression. While there is a high overall survival rate, many patients experience significant and potentially lifelong morbidities. The majority of pLGGs have an underlying activation of the RAS/MAPK pathway due to mutational events, leading to the use of molecularly targeted therapies in clinical trials, with recent regulatory approval for the combination of BRAF and MEK inhibition for BRAFV600E mutated pLGG. Despite encouraging activity, tumor regrowth can occur during therapy due to drug resistance, off treatment as tumor recurrence, or as reported in some patients as a rapid rebound growth within 3 months of discontinuing targeted therapy. Definitions of these patterns of regrowth have not been well described in pLGG. For this reason, the International Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma Coalition, a global group of physicians and scientists, formed the Resistance, Rebound, and Recurrence (R3) working group to study resistance, rebound, and recurrence. A modified Delphi approach was undertaken to produce consensus-based definitions and recommendations for regrowth patterns in pLGG with specific reference to targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia O'Hare
- Department of Paediatric Oncology, Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Tabitha Cooney
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Broad Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Day One Biopharmaceuticals, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Peter de Blank
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Broad Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - David H Gutmann
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Mark Kieran
- Day One Biopharmaceuticals, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Till Milde
- Clinical Pediatric Oncology, Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jason Fangusaro
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Michael Fisher
- Division of Oncology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Shivaram Avula
- Department of Radiology, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | - Roger Packer
- Brain Tumor Institute, Center for Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine, Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Kohei Fukuoka
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Saitama Children's Medical Center, Saitama, Japan
| | - Kshitij Mankad
- Department of Radiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Radiology, London, UK
| | - Sabine Mueller
- Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Angela J Waanders
- Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Enrico Opocher
- Paediatric Haematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplant Division, Padua University Hospital, Padua, Italy
| | - Eric Bouffet
- The Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Eric Raabe
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Natacha Entz Werle
- Pediatric Onco-Hematology Department, University Hospital of Strasbourg. UMR CNRS 7021, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Amedeo A Azizi
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine and Comprehensive Centre of Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nathan J Robison
- Division of Hematology & Oncology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Pablo Hernáiz Driever
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, German HIT-LOGGIC-Registry for LGG in children and adolescents, Department of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mark Russo
- Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, New Jersey, USA
| | - Netteke Schouten
- Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Cornelis M van Tilburg
- Clinical Pediatric Oncology, Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Astrid Sehested
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, The University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jacques Grill
- Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Oncology, Villejuif, France
| | - Pratiti Bandopadhayay
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Broad Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - John-Paul Kilday
- The Centre for Paediatric, Teenage and Young Adult Cancer, Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, and Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | - Olaf Witt
- Clinical Pediatric Oncology, Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - David M Ashley
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center. Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, Preuss Laboratory for Brain Tumor Research, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Uri Tabori
- The Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Darren R Hargrave
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK
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3
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Anastasaki C, Chatterjee J, Koleske JP, Gao Y, Bozeman SL, Kernan CM, Marco Y Marquez LI, Chen JK, Kelly CE, Blair CJ, Dietzen DJ, Kesterson RA, Gutmann DH. NF1 mutation-driven neuronal hyperexcitability sets a threshold for tumorigenesis and therapeutic targeting of murine optic glioma. Neuro Oncol 2024:noae054. [PMID: 38607967 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noae054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND With the recognition that noncancerous cells function as critical regulators of brain tumor growth, we recently demonstrated that neurons drive low-grade glioma initiation and progression. Using mouse models of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)-associated optic pathway glioma (OPG), we showed that Nf1 mutation induces neuronal hyperexcitability and midkine expression, which activates an immune axis to support tumor growth, such that high-dose lamotrigine treatment reduces Nf1-OPG proliferation. Herein, we execute a series of complementary experiments to address several key knowledge gaps relevant to future clinical translation. METHODS We leverage a collection of Nf1-mutant mice that spontaneously develop OPGs to alter both germline and retinal neuron-specific midkine expression. Nf1-mutant mice harboring several different NF1 patient-derived germline mutations were employed to evaluate neuronal excitability and midkine expression. Two distinct Nf1-OPG preclinical mouse models were used to assess lamotrigine effects on tumor progression and growth in vivo. RESULTS We establish that neuronal midkine is both necessary and sufficient for Nf1-OPG growth, demonstrating an obligate relationship between germline Nf1 mutation, neuronal excitability, midkine production, and Nf1-OPG proliferation. We show anti-epileptic drug (lamotrigine) specificity in suppressing neuronal midkine production. Relevant to clinical translation, lamotrigine prevents Nf1-OPG progression and suppresses the growth of existing tumors for months following drug cessation. Importantly, lamotrigine abrogates tumor growth in two Nf1-OPG strains using pediatric epilepsy clinical dosing. CONCLUSIONS Together, these findings establish midkine and neuronal hyperexcitability as targetable drivers of Nf1-OPG growth and support the use of lamotrigine as a potential chemoprevention or chemotherapy agent for children with NF1-OPG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corina Anastasaki
- Departments of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jit Chatterjee
- Departments of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Joshua P Koleske
- Departments of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Yunqing Gao
- Departments of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Stephanie L Bozeman
- Departments of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Chloe M Kernan
- Departments of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Lara I Marco Y Marquez
- Departments of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Ji-Kang Chen
- Departments of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Caitlin E Kelly
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Connor J Blair
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Dennis J Dietzen
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Robert A Kesterson
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - David H Gutmann
- Departments of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Ali RH, Almanabri M, Ali NY, Alsaber AR, Khalifa NM, Hussein R, Alateeqi M, Mohammed EMA, Jama H, Almarzooq A, Benobaid N, Alqallaf Z, Ahmed AA, Bahzad S, Almurshed M. Clinicopathological analysis of BRAF and non-BRAF MAPK pathway-altered gliomas in paediatric and adult patients: a single-institution study of 40 patients. J Clin Pathol 2024:jcp-2023-209318. [PMID: 38195220 DOI: 10.1136/jcp-2023-209318] [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: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
AIMS Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway alteration is a major oncogenic driver in paediatric low-grade gliomas (LGG) and some adult gliomas, encompassing BRAF (most common) and non-BRAF alterations. The aim was to determine the frequency, molecular spectrum and clinicopathological features of MAPK-altered gliomas in paediatric and adult patients at our neuropathology site in Kuwait. METHODS We retrospectively searched the data of molecularly sequenced gliomas between 2018 and 2023 for MAPK alterations, revised the pathology in view of the 2021 WHO classification and evaluated the clinicopathological data for possible correlations. RESULTS Of 272 gliomas, 40 (15%) harboured a MAPK pathway alteration in 19 paediatric (median 9.6 years; 1.2-17.6) and 21 adult patients (median 37 years; 18.9-89.2), comprising 42% and 9% of paediatric and adult cases, respectively. Pilocytic astrocytoma and glioblastoma were the most frequent diagnoses in children (47%) and adults (43%), respectively. BRAF V600E (n=17, 43%) showed a wide distribution across age groups, locations and pathological diagnoses while KIAA1549::BRAF fusion (n=8, 20%) was spatially and histologically restricted to cerebellar paediatric LGGs. Non-V600E variants and BRAF amplifications accompanied other molecular aberrations in high-grade tumours. Non-BRAF MAPK alterations (n=8) included mutations and gene fusions involving FGFR1, NTRK2, NF1, ROS1 and MYB. Fusions included KANK1::NTRK2, GOPC::ROS1 (both infant hemispheric gliomas), FGFR1::TACC1 (diffuse LGG), MYB::QKI (angiocentric glioma) and BCR::NTRK2 (glioblastoma). Paradoxical H3 K27M/MAPK co-mutations were observed in two LGGs. CONCLUSION The study provided insights into MAPK-altered gliomas in Kuwait highlighting the differences among paediatric and adult patients and providing a framework for planning therapeutic polices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rola H Ali
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Kuwait University, Jabriya, Hawalli, Kuwait
- Department of Histopathology, Al Sabah Hospital, Shuwaikh, Al Asimah, Kuwait
| | - Mohamad Almanabri
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ibn Sina Hospital, Shuwaikh, Al Asimah, Kuwait
| | - Nawal Y Ali
- Department of Radiology, Ibn Sina Hospital, Shuwaikh, Al Asimah, Kuwait
| | - Ahmad R Alsaber
- Department of Management, College of Business and Economics, American University of Kuwait, Salmiya, Hawalli, Kuwait
| | - Nisreen M Khalifa
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, NBK Children's Hospital, Shuwaikh, Al Asimah, Kuwait
| | - Rania Hussein
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Shuwaikh, Al Asimah, Kuwait
| | - Mona Alateeqi
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Shuwaikh, Al Asimah, Kuwait
| | - Eiman M A Mohammed
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Shuwaikh, Al Asimah, Kuwait
| | - Hiba Jama
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Shuwaikh, Al Asimah, Kuwait
| | - Ammar Almarzooq
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Shuwaikh, Al Asimah, Kuwait
| | - Noelle Benobaid
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Shuwaikh, Al Asimah, Kuwait
| | - Zainab Alqallaf
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Shuwaikh, Al Asimah, Kuwait
| | - Amir A Ahmed
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Shuwaikh, Al Asimah, Kuwait
| | - Shakir Bahzad
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Shuwaikh, Al Asimah, Kuwait
| | - Maryam Almurshed
- Department of Histopathology, Al Sabah Hospital, Shuwaikh, Al Asimah, Kuwait
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Weiser A, Sanchez Bergman A, Machaalani C, Bennett J, Roth P, Reimann RR, Nazarian J, Guerreiro Stucklin AS. Bridging the age gap: a review of molecularly informed treatments for glioma in adolescents and young adults. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1254645. [PMID: 37781183 PMCID: PMC10533987 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1254645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Gliomas are the most common primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors and a major cause of cancer-related mortality in children (age <15 years), adolescents and young adults (AYA, ages 15-39 years), and adults (age >39 years). Molecular pathology has helped enhance the characterization of these tumors, revealing a heterogeneous and ever more complex group of malignancies. Recent molecular analyses have led to an increased appreciation of common genomic alterations prevalent across all ages. The 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) CNS tumor classification, 5th edition (WHO CNS5) brings forward a nomenclature distinguishing "pediatric-type" and "adult-type" gliomas. The spectrum of gliomas in AYA comprises both "pediatric-like" and "adult-like" tumor entities but remains ill-defined. With fragmentation of clinical management between pediatric and adult centers, AYAs face challenges related to gaps in medical care, lower rates of enrollment in clinical trials and additional psychosocial and economic challenges. This calls for a rethinking of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, to improve access to appropriate testing and potentially beneficial treatments to patients of all ages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annette Weiser
- Translational Brain Tumor Research Group, Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Oncology, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Astrid Sanchez Bergman
- Translational Brain Tumor Research Group, Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Charbel Machaalani
- Translational Brain Tumor Research Group, Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Julie Bennett
- Division of Haematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Patrick Roth
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Regina R. Reimann
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Javad Nazarian
- Department of Pediatrics, Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG) / Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) Center, Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Research Center for Genetic Medicine, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Ana S. Guerreiro Stucklin
- Translational Brain Tumor Research Group, Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Oncology, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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6
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Car I, Dittmann A, Vasieva O, Bočkor L, Grbčić P, Piteša N, Klobučar M, Kraljević Pavelić S, Sedić M. Ezrin Inhibition Overcomes Acquired Resistance to Vemurafenib in BRAFV600E-Mutated Colon Cancer and Melanoma Cells In Vitro. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12906. [PMID: 37629086 PMCID: PMC10454476 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the advancements in targeted therapy for BRAFV600E-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), the development of resistance to BRAFV600E inhibition limits the response rate and durability of the treatment. Better understanding of the resistance mechanisms to BRAF inhibitors will facilitate the design of novel pharmacological strategies for BRAF-mutated mCRC. The aim of this study was to identify novel protein candidates involved in acquired resistance to BRAFV600E inhibitor vemurafenib in BRAFV600E-mutated colon cancer cells using an integrated proteomics approach. Bioinformatic analysis of obtained proteomics data indicated actin-cytoskeleton linker protein ezrin as a highly ranked protein significantly associated with vemurafenib resistance whose overexpression in the resistant cells was additionally confirmed at the gene and protein level. Ezrin inhibition by NSC305787 increased anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of vemurafenib in the resistant cells in an additive manner, which was accompanied by downregulation of CD44 expression and inhibition of AKT/c-Myc activities. We also detected an increased ezrin expression in vemurafenib-resistant melanoma cells harbouring the BRAFV600E mutation. Importantly, ezrin inhibition potentiated anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of vemurafenib in the resistant melanoma cells in a synergistic manner. Altogether, our study suggests a role of ezrin in acquired resistance to vemurafenib in colon cancer and melanoma cells carrying the BRAFV600E mutation and supports further pre-clinical and clinical studies to explore the benefits of combined BRAF inhibitors and actin-targeting drugs as a potential therapeutic approach for BRAFV600E-mutated cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Car
- Centre for Applied Bioanthropology, Institute for Anthropological Research, Ljudevita Gaja 32, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (I.C.); (L.B.); (M.K.)
| | - Antje Dittmann
- Functional Genomics Center Zurich, ETH Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, Y59 H38, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland;
| | - Olga Vasieva
- INGENET Ltd., 27 Market Street, Hoylake, Wirral CH47 2BG, UK;
| | - Luka Bočkor
- Centre for Applied Bioanthropology, Institute for Anthropological Research, Ljudevita Gaja 32, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (I.C.); (L.B.); (M.K.)
| | - Petra Grbčić
- Faculty of Medicine, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Zagrebačka ul. 30, 52100 Pula, Croatia;
| | - Nikolina Piteša
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička Cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
| | - Marko Klobučar
- Centre for Applied Bioanthropology, Institute for Anthropological Research, Ljudevita Gaja 32, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (I.C.); (L.B.); (M.K.)
| | | | - Mirela Sedić
- Centre for Applied Bioanthropology, Institute for Anthropological Research, Ljudevita Gaja 32, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (I.C.); (L.B.); (M.K.)
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