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NOTCH1 Intracellular Domain and the Tumor Microenvironment as Prognostic Markers in HNSCC. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14041080. [PMID: 35205828 PMCID: PMC8870336 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14041080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary In the head and neck, a large proportion of squamous cell carcinoma demonstrate a mutation of the NOTCH1 gene. The aim of this project was to investigate the role of NOTCH1 and immunological characteristics and highlight a potential rationale for therapy. We found that a high expression of NOTCH1 intracellular domain in these patients is associated with reduced overall survival. In vitro experiments additionally showed a reduction of migration and proliferation of cancer cells when NOTCH1 was knocked down. NOTCH1 is, therefore, most likely involved in migration and proliferation of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and is a prognostic marker in these patients. Abstract (1) Background: NOTCH1 is the second most common mutated gene in whole-exome sequencing of HNSCC. The aim of this project was to gain further insight into the relevance of NOTCH1 in HNSCC, potentially establishing NOTCH1 as a prognostic marker or therapeutic target; (2) Methods: NOTCH1 was silenced via RNA interference in six HNSCC cell lines and the impact was evaluated in migration and proliferation assays. Subsequently, the protein expression of NOTCH1 intracellular domain (NICD) and NOTCH1 mRNA expression were examined in 70 oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer tissue samples. Lastly, the NICD expression was compared with the local infiltration of lymphocytes, measured with the immunoscore; (3) Results: Knockdown of NOTCH1 decreased migration and proliferation. A high NICD expression was associated with lower OS. A high immunoscore resulted in significantly better OS. NICD expression was independent of the immunoscore and as a whole differentiated three distinct prognostic groups; (4) Conclusions: These data suggest that NOTCH1 is involved in migration and proliferation of HNSCC cell lines. In vivo, NICD expression was associated with overall survival and could, therefore, be used as a prognostic marker. NICD expression differs from NOTCH1 mRNA levels, potentially explaining the previously suggested bimodal role as an oncogene and tumor suppressor in HNSCC.
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Reid BM, Vyas S, Chen Z, Chen A, Kanetsky PA, Permuth JB, Sellers TA, Saglam O. Morphologic and molecular correlates of EZH2 as a predictor of platinum resistance in high-grade ovarian serous carcinoma. BMC Cancer 2021; 21:714. [PMID: 34140011 PMCID: PMC8212453 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-021-08413-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Enhancer of zesta homologue 2 (EZH2) is an essential component of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) that contributes to tumor progression and chemo-resistance. The aim of this study was to comprehensively assess the prognostic value of EZH2 across the morphologic and molecular spectra of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) by utilizing both immunohistochemistry (IHC) and proteogenomic technologies. METHODS IHC of EZH2 was performed using a tissue microarray of 79 HGSOC scored (+/-) for lymphovascular invasion (LVI), tumor-infiltrating lymphocytic aggregates ≥1 mm (TIL) and architectural growth patterns. The association of EZH2 H-score with response to therapy and overall survival was evaluated by tumor features. We also evaluated EZH2 transcriptional (RNA sequencing) and protein (mass spectrometry) expression from bulk tumor samples from 336 HGSOC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). EZH2 expression and co-expression networks were compared by clinical outcomes. RESULTS For HGSOC without TIL (58%), EZH2 expression was almost 2-fold higher in platinum resistant tumors (P = 0.01). Conversely, EZH2 was not associated with platinum resistance among TIL+ HGSOC (P = 0.41). EZH2 expression was associated with reduced survival for tumors with LVI (P = 0.04). Analysis of TCGA found higher EZH2 expression in immunoreactive and proliferative tumors (P = 6.7 × 10- 5) although protein levels were similar across molecular subtypes (P = 0.52). Both mRNA and protein levels of EZH2 were lower in platinum resistant tumors although they were not associated with survival. Co-expression analysis revealed EZH2 networks totaling 1049 mRNA and 448 proteins that were exclusive to platinum sensitive or resistant tumors. The EZH2 network in resistant HGSOC included CARM1 which was positively correlated with EZH2 at both mRNA (r = 0.33, p = 0.003) and protein (r = 0.14, P = 0.01) levels. Further, EZH2 co-expression with CARM1 corresponded to a decreased prognostic significance of EZH2 expression in resistant tumors. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that EZH2 expression varies based on its interactions with immunologic pathways and tumor microenvironment, impacting the prognostic interpretation. The association between high EZH2 expression and platinum resistance in TIL- HGSOC warrants further study of the implications for therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett M Reid
- Cancer Epidemiology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
| | - Shraddha Vyas
- Cancer Epidemiology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Zhihua Chen
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Ann Chen
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
| | | | | | | | - Ozlen Saglam
- Department of Pathology, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 USF Magnolia Dr, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
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Pappas K, Martin TC, Wolfe AL, Nguyen CB, Su T, Jin J, Hibshoosh H, Parsons R. NOTCH and EZH2 collaborate to repress PTEN expression in breast cancer. Commun Biol 2021; 4:312. [PMID: 33750924 PMCID: PMC7943788 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01825-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Downregulation of the PTEN tumor suppressor transcript is frequent in breast cancer and associates with poor prognosis and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) when comparing breast cancers to one another. Here we show that in almost all cases, when comparing breast tumors to adjacent normal ducts, PTEN expression is decreased and the PRC2-associated methyltransferase EZH2 is increased. We further find that when comparing breast cancer cases in large cohorts, EZH2 inversely correlates with PTEN expression. Within the highest EZH2 expressing group, NOTCH alterations are frequent, and also associate with decreased PTEN expression. We show that repression of PTEN occurs through the combined action of NOTCH (NOTCH1 or NOTCH2) and EZH2 alterations in a subset of breast cancers. In fact, in cases harboring NOTCH1 mutation or a NOTCH2 fusion gene, NOTCH drives EZH2, HES-1, and HEY-1 expression to repress PTEN transcription at the promoter, which may contribute to poor prognosis in this subgroup. Restoration of PTEN expression can be achieved with an EZH2 inhibitor (UNC1999), a γ-secretase inhibitor (Compound E), or knockdown of EZH2 or NOTCH. These findings elucidate a mechanism of transcriptional repression of PTEN induced by NOTCH1 or NOTCH2 alterations, and identifies actionable signaling pathways responsible for driving a large subset of poor-prognosis breast cancers. Pappas et al. show that the combination of NOTCH and EZH2 alterations drive transcriptional repression of PTEN through reversible epigenetic modification of the PTEN promoter. These results suggest an actionable target for treating poor-prognosis breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyrie Pappas
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.,Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tiphaine C Martin
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Andrew L Wolfe
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Christie B Nguyen
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tao Su
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jian Jin
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hanina Hibshoosh
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ramon Parsons
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA. .,The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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Wu Y, Wu P, Zhang Q, Chen W, Liu X, Zheng W. MFAP5 promotes basal-like breast cancer progression by activating the EMT program. Cell Biosci 2019; 9:24. [PMID: 30899449 PMCID: PMC6407223 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-019-0284-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Human basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) is an aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis. Since most current treatments are ineffective, there is an urgent need to identify therapeutic targets for BLBC. Microfibrillar-associated protein 5 (MFAP5) plays an important role in the integration of elastic microfibers and the regulation of endothelial cell behaviors. We previously demonstrated that MFAP5 was significantly overexpressed in BLBC tissues and associated with poor metastasis-free survival of patients with BLBC. However, the detailed role of MFAP5 in BLBC is unclear. Thereby, the current study aimed to investigate the underlying function of MFAP5 in BLBC. Method Functional analyses were conducted for the role of MFAP5 in BLBC in vitro and in vivo. Results Overexpression of MFAP5 resulted in a significant increase in the proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in BLBC in vitro and in vivo. In addition, other metastasis animal models by tail intravenous injection of BT20 cells further confirmed that MFAP5 overexpression promoted BLBC proliferation and BT20 cells metastasis. We found that the TGF-β or Notch inhibitor significantly reversed the tumorigenicity and metastasis of MFAP5-induced BLBC cells. Conclusion Our findings suggest that MFAP5 may promote EMT in BLBC metastasis via the TGF-β/Notch pathway. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13578-019-0284-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanmei Wu
- 1Department of Breast Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, 800 Xiangyin Road, Shanghai, 200433 China
| | - Ping Wu
- Department of Pathology, Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Huaian, 223002 Jiangsu China
| | - Quan Zhang
- 1Department of Breast Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, 800 Xiangyin Road, Shanghai, 200433 China
| | - Wenjin Chen
- Basic Medical College, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200433 China
| | - Xishui Liu
- 1Department of Breast Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, 800 Xiangyin Road, Shanghai, 200433 China
| | - Weiqiang Zheng
- 4Department of Pathology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200433 China
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