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Limonta P, Chiaramonte R, Casati L. Unveiling the Dynamic Interplay between Cancer Stem Cells and the Tumor Microenvironment in Melanoma: Implications for Novel Therapeutic Strategies. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2861. [PMID: 39199632 PMCID: PMC11352669 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16162861] [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] [Received: 06/28/2024] [Revised: 08/07/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Cutaneous melanoma still represents a significant health burden worldwide, being responsible for the majority of skin cancer deaths. Key advances in therapeutic strategies have significantly improved patient outcomes; however, most patients experience drug resistance and tumor relapse. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subpopulation of cells in different tumors, including melanoma, endowed with distinctive capacities of self-renewal and differentiation into bulk tumor cells. Melanoma CSCs are characterized by the expression of specific biomarkers and intracellular pathways; moreover, they play a pivotal role in tumor onset, progression and drug resistance. In recent years, great efforts have been made to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying the protumor activities of melanoma CSCs to provide the basis for novel CSC-targeted therapies. Herein, we highlight the intricate crosstalk between melanoma CSCs and bystander cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), including immune cells, endothelial cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and its role in melanoma progression. Specifically, we discuss the peculiar capacities of melanoma CSCs to escape the host immune surveillance, to recruit immunosuppressive cells and to educate immune cells toward an immunosuppressive and protumor phenotype. We also address currently investigated CSC-targeted strategies that could pave the way for new promising therapeutic approaches for melanoma care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Limonta
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences “R. Paoletti”, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Raffaella Chiaramonte
- Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20142 Milan, Italy;
| | - Lavinia Casati
- Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20142 Milan, Italy;
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Al Hmada Y, Brodell RT, Kharouf N, Flanagan TW, Alamodi AA, Hassan SY, Shalaby H, Hassan SL, Haikel Y, Megahed M, Santourlidis S, Hassan M. Mechanisms of Melanoma Progression and Treatment Resistance: Role of Cancer Stem-like Cells. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:470. [PMID: 38275910 PMCID: PMC10814963 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16020470] [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: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is the third most common type of skin cancer, characterized by its heterogeneity and propensity to metastasize to distant organs. Melanoma is a heterogeneous tumor, composed of genetically divergent subpopulations, including a small fraction of melanoma-initiating cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) and many non-cancer stem cells (non-CSCs). CSCs are characterized by their unique surface proteins associated with aberrant signaling pathways with a causal or consequential relationship with tumor progression, drug resistance, and recurrence. Melanomas also harbor significant alterations in functional genes (BRAF, CDKN2A, NRAS, TP53, and NF1). Of these, the most common are the BRAF and NRAS oncogenes, with 50% of melanomas demonstrating the BRAF mutation (BRAFV600E). While the successful targeting of BRAFV600E does improve overall survival, the long-term efficacy of available therapeutic options is limited due to adverse side effects and reduced clinical efficacy. Additionally, drug resistance develops rapidly via mechanisms involving fast feedback re-activation of MAPK signaling pathways. This article updates information relevant to the mechanisms of melanoma progression and resistance and particularly the mechanistic role of CSCs in melanoma progression, drug resistance, and recurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youssef Al Hmada
- Department of Pathology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, USA; (Y.A.H.); (R.T.B.)
| | - Robert T. Brodell
- Department of Pathology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, USA; (Y.A.H.); (R.T.B.)
| | - Naji Kharouf
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, University of Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France; (N.K.); (Y.H.)
- Department of Operative Dentistry and Endodontics, Dental Faculty, University of Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Thomas W. Flanagan
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA;
| | - Abdulhadi A. Alamodi
- College of Health Sciences, Jackson State University, 310 W Woodrow Wilson Ave Ste 300, Jackson, MS 39213, USA;
| | - Sofie-Yasmin Hassan
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, 40225 Dusseldorf, Germany;
| | - Hosam Shalaby
- Department of Urology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA;
| | - Sarah-Lilly Hassan
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, 40225 Dusseldorf, Germany;
| | - Youssef Haikel
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, University of Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France; (N.K.); (Y.H.)
- Department of Operative Dentistry and Endodontics, Dental Faculty, University of Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France
- Pôle de Médecine et Chirurgie Bucco-Dentaire, Hôpital Civil, Hôpitaux Universitaire de Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Mosaad Megahed
- Clinic of Dermatology, University Hospital of Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany;
| | - Simeon Santourlidis
- Epigenetics Core Laboratory, Medical Faculty, Institute of Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Dusseldorf, Germany;
| | - Mohamed Hassan
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, University of Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France; (N.K.); (Y.H.)
- Department of Operative Dentistry and Endodontics, Dental Faculty, University of Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France
- Research Laboratory of Surgery-Oncology, Department of Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
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Boudreault J, Wang N, Ghozlan M, Lebrun JJ. Transforming Growth Factor-β/Smad Signaling Inhibits Melanoma Cancer Stem Cell Self-Renewal, Tumor Formation and Metastasis. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:224. [PMID: 38201651 PMCID: PMC10778361 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16010224] [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: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The secreted protein transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) plays essential roles, ranging from cell growth regulation and cell differentiation in both normal and cancer cells. In melanoma, TGFβ acts as a potent tumor suppressor in melanoma by blocking cell cycle progression and inducing apoptosis. In the present study, we found TGFβ to regulate cancer stemness in melanoma through the Smad signaling pathway. We discovered that TGFβ/Smad signaling inhibits melanosphere formation in multiple melanoma cell lines and reduces expression of the CD133+ cancer stem cell subpopulation in a Smad3-dependent manner. Using preclinical models of melanoma, we further showed that preventing Smad3/4 signaling, by means of CRISPR knockouts, promoted both tumorigenesis and lung metastasis in vivo. Collectively, our results define new functions for the TGFβ/Smad signaling axis in melanoma stem-cell maintenance and open avenues for new therapeutic approaches to this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jean-Jacques Lebrun
- Cancer Research Program, Department of Medicine, Research Institute of McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QU H4A 3J1, Canada; (J.B.); (N.W.); (M.G.)
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Yang H, Zhou J, Li D, Zhou S, Dai X, Du X, Mao H, Wang B. The inhibitory role of microRNA-141-3p in human cutaneous melanoma growth and metastasis through the fibroblast growth factor 13-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase axis. Melanoma Res 2023; 33:492-505. [PMID: 36988403 DOI: 10.1097/cmr.0000000000000873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Human cutaneous melanoma (CM) is a highly invasive malignancy arising from melanocytes, and accompanied by ever-increasing incidence and mortality rates worldwide. Interestingly, microRNAs (miRNAs) possess the ability to regulate CM cell biological functions, resulting in the aggressive progression of CM. Nevertheless, a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Accordingly, the current study sought to elicit the functional role of miR-141-3p in human CM cells in association with fibroblast growth factor 13 (FGF13) and the MAPK pathway. First, miR-141-3p expression patterns were detected in human CM tissues and cell lines, in addition to the validation of the targeting relationship between miR-141-3p and FGF13. Subsequently, loss- and gain-of-function studies of miR-141-3p were performed to elucidate the functional role of miR-141-3p in the malignant features of CM cells. Intriguingly, our findings revealed that FGF13 was highly expressed, whereas miR-141-3p was poorly expressed in the CM tissues and cells. Further analysis highlighted FGF13 as a target gene of miR-141-3p. Meanwhile, overexpression of miR-141-3p inhibited the proliferative, invasive, and migratory abilities of CM cells, while enhancing their apoptosis accompanied by downregulation of FGF13 and the MAPK pathway-related genes. Collectively, our findings highlighted the inhibitory effects of miR-141-3p on CM cell malignant properties via disruption of the FGF13-dependent MAPK pathway, suggesting a potential target for treating human CM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haojan Yang
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
| | - Jiateng Zhou
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
| | - Dongdong Li
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
| | - Shengbo Zhou
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
| | - Xinyi Dai
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
| | - Xinchao Du
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
| | - Hailei Mao
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University
| | - Bin Wang
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering Research, Shanghai, P. R. China
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Wan Q, Ren X, Tang J, Ma K, Deng YP. Cross talk between tumor stemness and microenvironment for prognosis and immunotherapy of uveal melanoma. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:11951-11968. [PMID: 37420017 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-05061-x] [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: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Tumor stem cells have emerged as a crucial focus of investigation and a therapeutic target in the context of cancer metastasis and drug resistance. They represent a promising novel approach to address the treatment of uveal melanoma (UVM). METHODS According to the one-class logistic regression (OCLR) approach, we first estimated two stemness indices (mDNAsi and mRNAsi) in a cohort of UVM (n = 80). The prognostic value of stemness indices among four subtypes of UVM (subtype A-D) was investigated. Moreover, univariate Cox regression and Lasso-penalized algorithms were conducted to identify a stemness-associated signature and verify in several independent cohorts. Besides, UVM patients classified into subgroups based on the stemness-associated signature. The differences in clinical outcomes, tumor microenvironment, and probability of immunotherapeutic response were investigated further. RESULTS We observed that mDNAsi was significantly linked with overall survival (OS) time of UVM, but no association was discovered between mRNAsi and OS. Stratification analysis indicated that the prognostic value of mDNAsi was only limited in subtype D of UVM. Besides, we established and verified a prognostic stemness-associated gene signature which can classify UVM patients into subgroups with distinct clinical outcomes, tumor mutation, immune microenvironment, and molecular pathways. The high risk of UVM is more sensitive to immunotherapy. Finally, a well-performed nomogram was constructed to predict the mortality of UVM patients. CONCLUSIONS This study offers a comprehensive examination of UVM stemness characteristics. We discovered mDNAsi-associated signatures improved the prediction capacity of individualized UVM prognosis and indicated prospective targets for stemness-regulated immunotherapy. Analysis of the interaction between stemness and tumor microenvironment may shed light on combinational treatment that targets both stem cell and the tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Wan
- Department of Ophthalmology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Xiang Ren
- Department of Ophthalmology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Jing Tang
- Department of Ophthalmology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Ke Ma
- Department of Ophthalmology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China.
| | - Ying-Ping Deng
- Department of Ophthalmology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China.
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LIU R, LI M, HU Z, SONG Z, CHEN J. [Research Advances of RAD51AP1 in Tumor Progression and Drug Resistance]. ZHONGGUO FEI AI ZA ZHI = CHINESE JOURNAL OF LUNG CANCER 2023; 26:701-708. [PMID: 37985156 PMCID: PMC10600754 DOI: 10.3779/j.issn.1009-3419.2023.102.34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
The genomic instability may lead to an initiation of cancer in many organisms. Homologous recombination repair (HRR) is vital in maintaining cellular genomic stability. RAD51 associated protein 1 (RAD51AP1), which plays a crucial role in HRR and primarily participates in forming D-loop, was reported as an essential protein for maintaining cellular genomic stability. However, recent studies showed that RAD51AP1 was significantly overexpressed in various cancer types and correlated with poor prognosis. These results suggested that RAD51AP1 may play a significant pro-cancer effect in multiple cancers. The underlying mechanism is still unclear. Cancer stemness-maintaining effects of RAD51AP1 might be considered as the most reliable mechanism. Meanwhile, RAD51AP1 also promoted resistance to radiation therapy and chemotherapy in many cancers. Thus, researches focused on RAD51AP1, and its regulatory molecules may provide new targets for overcoming cancer progression and treatment resistance. Here, we reviewed the latest research on RAD51AP1 in cancers and summarized its differential expression and prognostic implications. In this review, we also outlined the potential mechanisms of its pro-cancer and drug resistance-promoting effects to provide several potential directions for further research.
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Quadri M, Tiso N, Musmeci F, Morasso MI, Brooks SR, Bonetti LR, Panini R, Lotti R, Marconi A, Pincelli C, Palazzo E. CD271 activation prevents low to high-risk progression of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and improves therapy outcomes. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2023; 42:167. [PMID: 37443031 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-023-02737-7] [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] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most prevalent form of skin cancer, showing a rapid increasing incidence worldwide. Although most cSCC can be cured by surgery, a sizeable number of cases are diagnosed at advanced stages, with local invasion and distant metastatic lesions. In the skin, neurotrophins (NTs) and their receptors (CD271 and Trk) form a complex network regulating epidermal homeostasis. Recently, several works suggested a significant implication of NT receptors in cancer. However, CD271 functions in epithelial tumors are controversial and its precise role in cSCC is still to be defined. METHODS Spheroids from cSCC patients with low-risk (In situ or Well-Differentiated cSCC) or high-risk tumors (Moderately/Poorly Differentiated cSCC), were established to explore histological features, proliferation, invasion abilities, and molecular pathways modulated in response to CD271 overexpression or activation in vitro. The effect of CD271 activities on the response to therapeutics was also investigated. The impact on the metastatic process and inflammation was explored in vivo and in vitro, by using zebrafish xenograft and 2D/3D models. RESULTS Our data proved that CD271 is upregulated in Well-Differentiated tumors as compared to the more aggressive Moderately/Poorly Differentiated cSCC, both in vivo and in vitro. We demonstrated that CD271 activities reduce proliferation and malignancy marker expression in patient-derived cSCC spheroids at each tumor grade, by increasing neoplastic cell differentiation. CD271 overexpression significantly increases cSCC spheroid mass density, while it reduces their weight and diameter, and promotes a major fold-enrichment in differentiation and keratinization genes. Moreover, both CD271 overexpression and activation decrease cSCC cell invasiveness in vitro. A significant inhibition of the metastatic process by CD271 was observed in a newly established zebrafish cSCC model. We found that the recruitment of leucocytes by CD271-overexpressing cells directly correlates with tumor killing and this finding was further highlighted by monocyte infiltration in a THP-1-SCC13 3D model. Finally, CD271 activity synergizes with Trk receptor inhibition, by reducing spheroid viability, and significantly improves the outcome of photodynamic therapy (PTD) or chemotherapy in spheroids and zebrafish. CONCLUSION Our study provides evidence that CD271 could prevent the switch between low to high-risk cSCC tumors. Because CD271 contributes to maintaining active differentiative paths and favors the response to therapies, it might be a promising target for future pharmaceutical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marika Quadri
- DermoLAB, Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Science, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Del Pozzo 71, 41124, Modena, Italy
| | - Natascia Tiso
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Maria I Morasso
- Laboratory of Skin Biology, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Stephen R Brooks
- Biodata Mining and Discovery Section, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Luca Reggiani Bonetti
- Department of Diagnostic, Clinic and Public Health Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Rossana Panini
- Department of Diagnostic, Clinic and Public Health Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Roberta Lotti
- DermoLAB, Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Science, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Del Pozzo 71, 41124, Modena, Italy
| | - Alessandra Marconi
- DermoLAB, Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Science, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Del Pozzo 71, 41124, Modena, Italy
| | - Carlo Pincelli
- DermoLAB, Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Science, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Del Pozzo 71, 41124, Modena, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Palazzo
- DermoLAB, Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Science, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Del Pozzo 71, 41124, Modena, Italy.
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Beretti F, Gatti M, Zavatti M, Bassoli S, Pellacani G, Maraldi T. Reactive Oxygen Species Regulation of Chemoresistance and Metastatic Capacity of Melanoma: Role of the Cancer Stem Cell Marker CD271. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11041229. [PMID: 37189846 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11041229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BRAF mutations are present in 30-50% of cases of cutaneous melanoma, and treatment with selective BRAF and MEK inhibitors has been introduced. However, the development of resistance to these drugs often occurs. Chemo-resistant melanoma cells show increased expression of CD271, a stem cell marker that features increased migration. Concordantly, resistance to the selective inhibitor of oncogenic BRAFV600E/K, vemurafenib, is mediated by the increased expression of CD271. It has recently been shown that the BRAF pathway leads to an overexpression of the NADPH oxidase Nox4, which produces reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here, we examined in vitro how Nox-derived ROS in BRAF-mutated melanoma cells regulates their drug sensitivity and metastatic potential. We demonstrated that DPI, a Nox inhibitor, reduced the resistance of a melanoma cell line (SK-MEL-28) and a primary culture derived from a BRAFV600E-mutated biopsy to vemurafenib. DPI treatment affected the expression of CD271 and the ERK and Akt signaling pathways, leading to a drop in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which undoubtedly promotes an invasive phenotype in melanoma. More importantly, the scratch test demonstrated the efficacy of the Nox inhibitor (DPI) in blocking migration, supporting its use to counteract drug resistance and thus cell invasion and metastasis in BRAF-mutated melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Beretti
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Martina Gatti
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Manuela Zavatti
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Sara Bassoli
- Department of Dermatology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Giovanni Pellacani
- Department of Dermatology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
- Department of Clinical Internal, Anesthesiological and Cardiovascular Sciences, Dermatology Clinic, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Tullia Maraldi
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
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Haist M, Kaufmann J, Kur IM, Zimmer S, Grabbe S, Schmidberger H, Weigert A, Mayer A. Response to primary chemoradiotherapy of locally advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma is determined by the degree of cytotoxic T cell infiltration within tumor cell aggregates. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1070203. [PMID: 37187729 PMCID: PMC10175951 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1070203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Effective anti-tumor immune responses are mediated by T cells and require organized, spatially coordinated interactions within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Understanding coordinated T-cell-behavior and deciphering mechanisms of radiotherapy resistance mediated by tumor stem cells will advance risk stratification of oropharyngeal cancer (OPSCC) patients treated with primary chemoradiotherapy (RCTx). Methods To determine the role of CD8 T cells (CTL) and tumor stem cells for response to RCTx, we employed multiplex immunofluorescence stains on pre-treatment biopsy specimens from 86 advanced OPSCC patients and correlated these quantitative data with clinical parameters. Multiplex stains were analyzed at the single-cell level using QuPath and spatial coordination of immune cells within the TME was explored using the R-package Spatstat. Results Our observations demonstrate that a strong CTL-infiltration into the epithelial tumor compartment (HR for overall survival, OS: 0.35; p<0.001) and the expression of PD-L1 on CTL (HR: 0.36; p<0.001) were both associated with a significantly better response and survival upon RCTx. As expected, p16 expression was a strong predictor of improved OS (HR: 0.38; p=0.002) and correlated with overall CTL infiltration (r: 0.358, p<0.001). By contrast, tumor cell proliferative activity, expression of the tumor stem cell marker CD271 and overall CTL infiltration, regardless of the affected compartment, were not associated with response or survival. Conclusion In this study, we could demonstrate the clinical relevance of the spatial organization and the phenotype of CD8 T cells within the TME. In particular, we found that the infiltration of CD8 T cells specifically into the tumor cell compartment was an independent predictive marker for response to chemoradiotherapy, which was strongly associated with p16 expression. Meanwhile, tumor cell proliferation and the expression of stem cell markers showed no independent prognostic effect for patients with primary RCTx and thus requires further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Haist
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes-Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Maximilian Haist,
| | - Justus Kaufmann
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiotherapy, University Medical Center, Mainz, Germany
| | - Ivan-Maximiliano Kur
- Institute of Biochemistry I, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Stefanie Zimmer
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Stephan Grabbe
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes-Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Heinz Schmidberger
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiotherapy, University Medical Center, Mainz, Germany
| | - Andreas Weigert
- Institute of Biochemistry I, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Arnulf Mayer
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
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Wang Q, Li Z, Hao Y, Zhang Y, Zhang C. Near-Infrared Fluorescence Probe with a New Recognition Moiety for Specific Detection and Imaging of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Expecting the Identification and Isolation of Cancer Stem Cells. Anal Chem 2022; 94:17328-17333. [PMID: 36453832 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c04801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) is a vital enzyme that converts aldehyde to acetic acid during alcohol metabolism. ALDH is also a cellular marker of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which plays an important role in cancer diagnosis and prognosis assessment. Therefore, there is a need to explore convenient, selective, and sensitive methods for the detection and imaging of ALDH. Because of the low background fluorescence and high penetration, near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probes are powerful tools for the detection of ALDH. Until now, only one NIR fluorescent probe has been reported for detecting ALDH. Hence, we synthesized a novel NIR fluorescent probe, Probe-ALDH, by linking the new specific recognition moiety 4-hydroxymethyl benzaldehyde with NIR fluorophore AXPI. Compared with the existing ALDH fluorescent probes, Probe-ALDH has excellent properties, such as a new specific recognition moiety without the substitution of benzaldehyde, a simple synthesis method, emission wavelength in the NIR region, reaction time of only 30 min, and a detection limit as low as 0.03 U·mL-1, which is better than those of the previously reported probes. The probe effectively eliminates the interference from reactive oxygen species (ROS), amino acids, and amines. More importantly, the flow cytometry results showed that Probe-ALDH has great potential applications in the identification and isolation of CSCs. Ultimately, it was successfully applied to the imaging analysis of endogenous ALDH in HepG2 cells by the addition of inhibitor disulfiram. The excellent performance of Probe-ALDH makes it a promising candidate for drug discovery, cancer diagnosis, and so forth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyue Wang
- Shaanxi Engineering Laboratory for Food Green Processing and Safety Control, and Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Hazard Factors Assessment in Processing and Storage of Agricultural Products, College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Zhao Li
- Shaanxi Engineering Laboratory for Food Green Processing and Safety Control, and Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Hazard Factors Assessment in Processing and Storage of Agricultural Products, College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yitong Hao
- Shaanxi Engineering Laboratory for Food Green Processing and Safety Control, and Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Hazard Factors Assessment in Processing and Storage of Agricultural Products, College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Shaanxi Engineering Laboratory for Food Green Processing and Safety Control, and Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Hazard Factors Assessment in Processing and Storage of Agricultural Products, College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Chengxiao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science of Shaanxi Province, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
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Decoding molecular programs in melanoma brain metastases. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7304. [PMID: 36435874 PMCID: PMC9701224 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34899-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanoma brain metastases (MBM) variably respond to therapeutic interventions; thus determining patient's prognosis. However, the mechanisms that govern therapy response are poorly understood. Here, we use a multi-OMICS approach and targeted sequencing (TargetSeq) to unravel the programs that potentially control the development of progressive intracranial disease. Molecularly, the expression of E-cadherin (Ecad) or NGFR, the BRAF mutation state and level of immune cell infiltration subdivides tumors into proliferative/pigmented and invasive/stem-like/therapy-resistant irrespective of the intracranial location. The analysis of MAPK inhibitor-naive and refractory MBM reveals switching from Ecad-associated into NGFR-associated programs during progression. NGFR-associated programs control cell migration and proliferation via downstream transcription factors such as SOX4. Moreover, global methylome profiling uncovers 46 differentially methylated regions that discriminate BRAFmut and wildtype MBM. In summary, we propose that the expression of Ecad and NGFR sub- classifies MBM and suggest that the Ecad-to-NGFR phenotype switch is a rate-limiting process which potentially indicates drug-response and intracranial progression states in melanoma patients.
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12
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The Molecular and Cellular Strategies of Glioblastoma and Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cells Conferring Radioresistance. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232113577. [PMID: 36362359 PMCID: PMC9656305 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Ionizing radiation (IR) has been shown to play a crucial role in the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM; grade IV) and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nevertheless, recent studies have indicated that radiotherapy can offer only palliation owing to the radioresistance of GBM and NSCLC. Therefore, delineating the major radioresistance mechanisms may provide novel therapeutic approaches to sensitize these diseases to IR and improve patient outcomes. This review provides insights into the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying GBM and NSCLC radioresistance, where it sheds light on the role played by cancer stem cells (CSCs), as well as discusses comprehensively how the cellular dormancy/non-proliferating state and polyploidy impact on their survival and relapse post-IR exposure.
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13
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Shi H, Xu H, Chai C, Qin Z, Zhou W. Integrated bioinformatics analysis of potential biomarkers for pancreatic cancer. J Clin Lab Anal 2022; 36:e24381. [PMID: 35403252 PMCID: PMC9102654 DOI: 10.1002/jcla.24381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pancreatic cancer, particularly pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), is an aggressive malignancy associated with a low 5-year survival rate. Poor outcomes associated with PDA are attributable to late detection and inoperability. Most patients with PDA are diagnosed with locally advanced and metastatic disease. Such cases are primarily treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Because of the lack of effective molecular targets, early diagnosis and successful therapies are limited. The purpose of this study was to screen key candidate genes for PDA using a bioinformatic approach and to research their potential functional, pathway mechanisms associated with PDA progression. It may help to understand the role of associated genes in the development and progression of PDA and identify relevant molecular markers with value for early diagnosis and targeted therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS To identify novel genes associated with carcinogenesis and progression of PDA, we analyzed the microarray datasets GSE62165, GSE125158, and GSE71989 from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) was used for Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using STRING, and module analysis was performed using Cytoscape. Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) was used to evaluate the differential expression of hub genes in patients with PDA. In addition, we verified the expression of these genes in PDA cell lines and normal pancreatic epithelial cells. RESULTS A total of 202 DEGs were identified and these were found to be enriched for various functions and pathways, including cell adhesion, leukocyte migration, extracellular matrix organization, extracellular region, collagen trimer, membrane raft, fibronectin-binding, integrin binding, protein digestion, and absorption, and focal adhesion. Among these DEGs, 12 hub genes with high degrees of connectivity were selected. Survival analysis showed that the hub genes (HMMR, CEP55, CDK1, UHRF1, ASPM, RAD51AP1, DLGAP5, KIF11, SHCBP1, PBK, and HMGB2) may be involved in the tumorigenesis and development of PDA, highlighting their potential as diagnostic and therapeutic factors in PDA. CONCLUSIONS In summary, the DEGs and hub genes identified in the present study not only contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the carcinogenesis and progression of PDA but may also serve as potential new biomarkers and targets for PDA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huaqing Shi
- The First Clinical Medical CollegeLanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
| | - Hao Xu
- The First Clinical Medical CollegeLanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
- Department of General SurgeryThe First Hospital of Lanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
| | - Changpeng Chai
- The First Clinical Medical CollegeLanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
- Department of General SurgeryThe First Hospital of Lanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
| | - Zishun Qin
- School of StomatologyLanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
| | - Wence Zhou
- The First Clinical Medical CollegeLanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
- Department of General SurgeryThe First Hospital of Lanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
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14
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Vidal A, Redmer T. Tracking of Melanoma Cell Plasticity by Transcriptional Reporters. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:1199. [PMID: 35163127 PMCID: PMC8835814 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Clonal evolution and cellular plasticity are the genetic and non-genetic driving forces of tumor heterogeneity, which in turn determine tumor cell responses towards therapeutic drugs. Several lines of evidence suggest that therapeutic interventions foster the selection of drug-resistant neural crest stem-like cells (NCSCs) that establish minimal residual disease (MRD) in melanoma. Here, we establish a dual-reporter system, enabling the tracking of NGFR expression and mRNA stability and providing insights into the maintenance of NCSC states. We observed that a transcriptional reporter that contained a 1-kilobase fragment of the human NGFR promoter was activated only in a minor subset (0.72 ± 0.49%, range 0.3-1.5), and ~2-4% of A375 melanoma cells revealed stable NGFR mRNA. The combination of both reporters provides insights into phenotype switching and reveals that both cellular subsets gave rise to cellular heterogeneity. Moreover, whole transcriptome profiling and gene-set enrichment analysis (GSEA) of the minor cellular subset revealed hypoxia-associated programs that might serve as potential drivers of an in vitro switching of NGFR-associated phenotypes and relapse of post-BRAF inhibitor-treated tumors. Concordantly, we observed that the minor cellular subset increased in response to dabrafenib over time. In summary, our reporter-based approach provides insights into plasticity and identified a cellular subset that might be responsible for the establishment of MRD in melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Vidal
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Torben Redmer
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria;
- Unit of Laboratory Animal Pathology, Institute of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria
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15
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Shahoumi LA. Oral Cancer Stem Cells: Therapeutic Implications and Challenges. FRONTIERS IN ORAL HEALTH 2022; 2:685236. [PMID: 35048028 PMCID: PMC8757826 DOI: 10.3389/froh.2021.685236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is currently one of the 10 most common malignancies worldwide, characterized by a biologically highly diverse group of tumors with non-specific biomarkers and poor prognosis. The incidence rate of HNSCC varies widely throughout the world, with an evident prevalence in developing countries such as those in Southeast Asia and Southern Africa. Tumor relapse and metastasis following traditional treatment remain major clinical problems in oral cancer management. Current evidence suggests that therapeutic resistance and metastasis of cancer are mainly driven by a unique subpopulation of tumor cells, termed cancer stem cells (CSCs), or cancer-initiating cells (CICs), which are characterized by their capacity for self-renewal, maintenance of stemness and increased tumorigenicity. Thus, more understanding of the molecular mechanisms of CSCs and their behavior may help in developing effective therapeutic interventions that inhibit tumor growth and progression. This review provides an overview of the main signaling cascades in CSCs that drive tumor repropagation and metastasis in oral cancer, with a focus on squamous cell carcinoma. Other oral non-SCC tumors, including melanoma and malignant salivary gland tumors, will also be considered. In addition, this review discusses some of the CSC-targeted therapeutic strategies that have been employed to combat disease progression, and the challenges of targeting CSCs, with the aim of improving the clinical outcomes for patients with oral malignancies. Targeting of CSCs in head and neck cancer (HNC) represents a promising approach to improve disease outcome. Some CSC-targeted therapies have already been proven to be successful in pre-clinical studies and they are now being tested in clinical trials, mainly in combination with conventional treatment regimens. However, some studies revealed that CSCs may not be the only players that control disease relapse and progression of HNC. Further, clinical research studying a combination of therapies targeted against head and neck CSCs may provide significant advances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linah A Shahoumi
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Dental College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
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16
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Saltari A, Dzung A, Quadri M, Tiso N, Facchinello N, Hernández-Barranco A, Garcia-Silva S, Nogués L, Stoffel CI, Cheng PF, Turko P, Eichhoff OM, Truzzi F, Marconi A, Pincelli C, Peinado H, Dummer R, Levesque MP. Specific Activation of the CD271 Intracellular Domain in Combination with Chemotherapy or Targeted Therapy Inhibits Melanoma Progression. Cancer Res 2021; 81:6044-6057. [PMID: 34645608 PMCID: PMC9397645 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-21-0117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
CD271 (NGFR) is a neurotrophin receptor that belongs to the tumor necrosis receptor (TNFR) family. Upon ligand binding, CD271 can mediate either survival or cell death. Although the role of CD271 as a marker of tumor-initiating cells is still a matter of debate, its role in melanoma progression has been well documented. Moreover, CD271 has been shown to be upregulated after exposure to both chemotherapy and targeted therapy. In this study, we demonstrate that activation of CD271 by a short β-amyloid-derived peptide (Aβ(25-35)) in combination with either chemotherapy or MAPK inhibitors induces apoptosis in 2D and 3D cultures of eight melanoma cell lines. This combinatorial treatment significantly reduced metastasis in a zebrafish xenograft model and led to significantly decreased tumor volume in mice. Administration of Aβ(25-35) in ex vivo tumors from immunotherapy- and targeted therapy-resistant patients significantly reduced proliferation of melanoma cells, showing that activation of CD271 can overcome drug resistance. Aβ(25-35) was specific to CD271-expressing cells and induced CD271 cleavage and phosphorylation of JNK (pJNK). The direct protein-protein interaction of pJNK with CD271 led to PARP1 cleavage, p53 and caspase activation, and pJNK-dependent cell death. Aβ(25-35) also mediated mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) accumulation, which induced CD271 overexpression. Finally, CD271 upregulation inhibited mROS production, revealing the presence of a negative feedback loop in mROS regulation. These results indicate that targeting CD271 can activate cell death pathways to inhibit melanoma progression and potentially overcome resistance to targeted therapy. SIGNIFICANCE: The discovery of a means to specifically activate the CD271 death domain reveals unknown pathways mediated by the receptor and highlights new treatment possibilities for melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa Saltari
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Dzung
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marika Quadri
- Laboratory of Cutaneous Biology, Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Natascia Tiso
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, Department of Biology University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Nicola Facchinello
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, Department of Biology University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Alberto Hernández-Barranco
- Microenvironment and Metastasis Laboratory, Molecular Oncology Programme, Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Susana Garcia-Silva
- Microenvironment and Metastasis Laboratory, Molecular Oncology Programme, Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Nogués
- Microenvironment and Metastasis Laboratory, Molecular Oncology Programme, Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Corinne Isabelle Stoffel
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Phil F. Cheng
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Turko
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ossia M. Eichhoff
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Francesca Truzzi
- Laboratory of Cutaneous Biology, Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.,Department of Agricultural and Food Science, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessandra Marconi
- Laboratory of Cutaneous Biology, Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Carlo Pincelli
- Laboratory of Cutaneous Biology, Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Héctor Peinado
- Microenvironment and Metastasis Laboratory, Molecular Oncology Programme, Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Reinhard Dummer
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mitchell P. Levesque
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Corresponding Author: Mitchell P. Levesque, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zurich, Wagistrasse 18, Zurich 8952, Switzerland. E-mail:
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17
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Cao J, Bhatnagar S, Wang J, Qi X, Prabha S, Panyam J. Cancer stem cells and strategies for targeted drug delivery. Drug Deliv Transl Res 2021; 11:1779-1805. [PMID: 33095384 PMCID: PMC8062588 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-020-00863-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small proportion of cancer cells with high tumorigenic activity, self-renewal ability, and multilineage differentiation potential. Standard anti-tumor therapies including conventional chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and molecularly targeted therapies are not effective against CSCs, and often lead to enrichment of CSCs that can result in tumor relapse. Therefore, it is hypothesized that targeting CSCs is key to increasing the efficacy of cancer therapies. In this review, CSC properties including CSC markers, their role in tumor growth, invasiveness, metastasis, and drug resistance, as well as CSC microenvironment are discussed. Further, CSC-targeted strategies including the use of targeted drug delivery systems are examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Cao
- School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, China
- College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Shubhmita Bhatnagar
- College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- School of Pharmacy, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA
| | - Jiawei Wang
- College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Xueyong Qi
- School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, China
| | - Swayam Prabha
- College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Cancer Research & Molecular Biology and Department of Pharmacology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA
| | - Jayanth Panyam
- College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
- School of Pharmacy, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA.
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18
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Yu H, Wang H, Qie A, Wang J, Liu Y, Gu G, Yang J, Zhang H, Pan W, Tian Z, Wang C. FGF13 enhances resistance to platinum drugs by regulating hCTR1 and ATP7A via a microtubule-stabilizing effect. Cancer Sci 2021; 112:4655-4668. [PMID: 34533854 PMCID: PMC8586689 DOI: 10.1111/cas.15137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Platinum‐based regimens are the most widely used chemotherapy regimens, but cancer cells often develop resistance, which impedes therapy outcome for patients. Previous studies have shown that fibroblast growth factor 13 (FGF13) is associated with resistance to platinum drugs in HeLa cells. However, the mechanism and universality of this effect have not been clarified. Here, we found that FGF13 was associated with poor platinum‐based chemotherapy outcomes in a variety of cancers, such as lung, endometrial, and cervical cancers, through bioinformatics analysis. We then found that FGF13 simultaneously regulates the expression and distribution of hCTR1 and ATP7A in cancer cells, causes reduced platinum influx, and promotes platinum sequestration and efflux upon cisplatin exposure. We subsequently observed that FGF13‐mediated platinum resistance requires the microtubule‐stabilizing effect of FGF13. Only overexpression of FGF13 with the ‐SMIYRQQQ‐ tubulin‐binding domain could induce the platinum resistance effect. This phenomenon was also observed in SK‐MES‐1 cells, KLE cells, and 5637 cells. Our research reveals the mechanism of FGF13‐induced platinum drug resistance and suggests that FGF13 can be a sensibilization target and prognostic biomarker for chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Yu
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China.,Department of Endocrinology, The Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China.,College of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Handong Wang
- College of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Anran Qie
- College of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China.,Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Jiaqi Wang
- College of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yueping Liu
- Department of Pathology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Guoqiang Gu
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Physiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Hanqiu Zhang
- College of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Wensen Pan
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Ziqiang Tian
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Chuan Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
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19
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Masoumi J, Jafarzadeh A, Abdolalizadeh J, Khan H, Philippe J, Mirzaei H, Mirzaei HR. Cancer stem cell-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy: Challenges and prospects. Acta Pharm Sin B 2021; 11:1721-1739. [PMID: 34386318 PMCID: PMC8343118 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2020.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) with their self-renewal ability are accepted as cells which initiate tumors. CSCs are regarded as interesting targets for novel anticancer therapeutic agents because of their association with tumor recurrence and resistance to conventional therapies, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells are engineered T cells which express an artificial receptor specific for tumor associated antigens (TAAs) by which they accurately target and kill cancer cells. In recent years, CAR-T cell therapy has shown more efficiency in cancer treatment, particularly regarding blood cancers. The expression of specific markers such as TAAs on CSCs in varied cancer types makes them as potent tools for CAR-T cell therapy. Here we review the CSC markers that have been previously targeted with CAR-T cells, as well as the CSC markers that may be used as possible targets for CAR-T cell therapy in the future. Furthermore, we will detail the most important obstacles against CAR-T cell therapy and suggest solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javad Masoumi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan 77181759111, Iran
| | - Abdollah Jafarzadeh
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman 7616913555, Iran
| | - Jalal Abdolalizadeh
- Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz 5165665811, Iran
| | - Haroon Khan
- Department of Pharmacy, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan 23200, Pakistan
| | - Jeandet Philippe
- Research Unit “Induced Resistance and Plant Bioprotection”, EA 4707, SFR Condorcet FR CNRS 3417, Faculty of Sciences University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, BP 1039, 51687, Reims Cedex 2, France
| | - Hamed Mirzaei
- Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan 8713781147, Iran
- Corresponding authors. Tel./fax: +98 31 55540022; Tel./fax: +98 21 66419536.
| | - Hamid Reza Mirzaei
- Department of Medical Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1417613151, Iran
- Corresponding authors. Tel./fax: +98 31 55540022; Tel./fax: +98 21 66419536.
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20
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Osrodek M, Wozniak M. Targeting Genome Stability in Melanoma-A New Approach to an Old Field. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:3485. [PMID: 33800547 PMCID: PMC8036881 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22073485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite recent groundbreaking advances in the treatment of cutaneous melanoma, it remains one of the most treatment-resistant malignancies. Due to resistance to conventional chemotherapy, the therapeutic focus has shifted away from aiming at melanoma genome stability in favor of molecularly targeted therapies. Inhibitors of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK (MAPK) pathway significantly slow disease progression. However, long-term clinical benefit is rare due to rapid development of drug resistance. In contrast, immune checkpoint inhibitors provide exceptionally durable responses, but only in a limited number of patients. It has been increasingly recognized that melanoma cells rely on efficient DNA repair for survival upon drug treatment, and that genome instability increases the efficacy of both MAPK inhibitors and immunotherapy. In this review, we discuss recent developments in the field of melanoma research which indicate that targeting genome stability of melanoma cells may serve as a powerful strategy to maximize the efficacy of currently available therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michal Wozniak
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Medical University of Lodz, 92-215 Lodz, Poland;
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21
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Wang X, Wan Q, Jin L, Liu C, Liu C, Cheng Y, Wang Z. The Integrative Analysis Identifies Three Cancer Subtypes and Stemness Features in Cutaneous Melanoma. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 7:598725. [PMID: 33665205 PMCID: PMC7921163 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.598725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: With the growing uncovering of drug resistance in melanoma treatment, personalized cancer therapy and cancer stem cells are potential therapeutic targets for this aggressive skin cancer. Methods: Multi-omics data of cutaneous melanoma were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Then, these melanoma patients were classified into different subgroups by performing "CancerSubtypes" method. The differences of stemness indices (mRNAsi and mDNAsi) and tumor microenvironment indices (immune score, stromal score, and tumor purity) among subtypes were investigated. Moreover, the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and Support Vector Machine-Recursive Feature Elimination (SVM-RFE) algorithms were performed to identify a cancer cell stemness feature, and the likelihood of immuno/chemotherapeutic response was further explored. Results: Totally, 3 specific subtypes of melanoma with different survival outcomes were identified from TCGA. We found subtype 2 of melanoma with the higher immune score and stromal score and lower mRNAsi and tumor purity score, which has the best survival time than the other subtypes. By performing Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, we found that mRNAsi was significantly associated with the overall survival time of melanomas in subtype 2. Correlation analysis indicated surprising associations between stemness indices and subsets of tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Besides, we developed and validated a prognostic stemness-related genes feature that can divide melanoma patients into high- and low-risk subgroups by applying risk score system. The high-risk group has a significantly shorter survival time than the low-risk subgroup, which is more sensitive to CTLA-4 immune therapy. Finally, 16 compounds were screened out in the Connectivity Map database which may be potential therapeutic drugs for melanomas. Conclusion: Thus, our finding provides a new framework for classification and finds some potential targets for the treatment of melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoran Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qi Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lin Jin
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Shandong, China
| | - Chengxiu Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao, China
| | - Chang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yaqi Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhichong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
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22
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Matsumoto N, Ebihara M, Oishi S, Fujimoto Y, Okada T, Imamura T. Histamine H1 receptor antagonists selectively kill cisplatin-resistant human cancer cells. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1492. [PMID: 33452347 PMCID: PMC7810706 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81077-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer therapy is often hampered by the disease's development of resistance to anticancer drugs. We previously showed that the autonomously upregulated product of fibroblast growth factor 13 gene (FGF13; also known as FGF homologous factor 2 (FHF2)) is responsible for the cisplatin resistance of HeLa cisR cells and that it is likely responsible for the poor prognosis of cervical cancer patients treated with cisplatin. Here we show that cloperastine and two other histamine H1 receptor antagonists selectively kill HeLa cisR cells at concentrations that little affect parental HeLa S cells. The sensitivity of HeLa cisR cells to cloperastine was abolished by knocking down FGF13 expression. Cisplatin-resistant A549 cisR cells were similarly susceptible to cloperastine. H2, H3, and H4 receptor antagonists showed less or no cytotoxicity toward HeLa cisR or A549 cisR cells. These results indicate that histamine H1 receptor antagonists selectively kill cisplatin-resistant human cancer cells and suggest that this effect is exerted through a molecular mechanism involving autocrine histamine activity and high-level expression of FGF13. We think this represents a potential opportunity to utilize H1 receptor antagonists in combination with anticancer agents to treat cancers in which emergent drug-resistance is preventing effective treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuki Matsumoto
- Cell Regulation Laboratory, Bionics Program, Tokyo University of Technology Graduate School of Bionics, Computer and Media Science, Hachioji, Japan
| | - Miku Ebihara
- School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Technology, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shiori Oishi
- School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Technology, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuku Fujimoto
- Cell Regulation Laboratory, Bionics Program, Tokyo University of Technology Graduate School of Bionics, Computer and Media Science, Hachioji, Japan
| | - Tomoko Okada
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Toru Imamura
- Cell Regulation Laboratory, Bionics Program, Tokyo University of Technology Graduate School of Bionics, Computer and Media Science, Hachioji, Japan.
- School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Technology, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan.
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
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23
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Zhao H, Gao Y, Chen Q, Li J, Ren M, Zhao X, Yue W. RAD51AP1 promotes progression of ovarian cancer via TGF-β/Smad signalling pathway. J Cell Mol Med 2020; 25:1927-1938. [PMID: 33314567 PMCID: PMC7882964 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.15877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the leading causes of female deaths. However, the molecular pathogenesis of OC has still remained elusive. This study aimed to explore the potential genes associated with the progression of OC. In the current study, 3 data sets of OC were downloaded from the GEO database to identify hub gene. Somatic mutation data obtained from TCGA were used to analyse the mutation. Immune cells were used to estimate effect of the hub gene to the tumour microenvironment. RNA‐seq and clinical data of OC patients retrieved from TCGA were used to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic values of hub gene. A series of in vitro assays were performed to indicate the function of hub gene and its possible mechanisms in OC. As a result, RAD51AP1 was found as a hub gene, which expression higher was mainly associated with poor survival in OC patients. Up‐regulation of RAD51AP1 was closely associated with mutations. RAD51AP1 up‐regulation accompanied by accumulated Th2 cells, but reduced CD4 + T cells and CD8 + T cells. Nomogram demonstrated RAD51AP1 increased the accuracy of the model. Down‐regulation of RAD51AP1 suppressed proliferation, migration and invasion capabilities of OC cells in vitro. Additionally, scatter plots showed that RAD51AP1 was positively correlated with genes in TGF‐β/Smad pathway. The above‐mentioned results were validated by RT‐qPCR and Western blotting. In conclusion, up‐regulation of RAD51AP1 was closely associated with mutations in OC. RAD51AP1 might represent an indicator for predicting OS of OC patients. Besides, RAD51AP1 might accelerate progression of OC by TGF‐β/Smad signalling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyu Zhao
- Central Laboratory, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital Capital Medical University, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Gao
- Central Laboratory, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital Capital Medical University, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Chen
- Central Laboratory, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital Capital Medical University, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Li
- Central Laboratory, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital Capital Medical University, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Meng Ren
- Central Laboratory, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital Capital Medical University, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoting Zhao
- Central Laboratory, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital Capital Medical University, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Wentao Yue
- Central Laboratory, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital Capital Medical University, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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24
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Saleh NA, Rode MP, Sierra JA, Silva AH, Miyake JA, Filippin-Monteiro FB, Creczynski-Pasa TB. Three-dimensional multicellular cell culture for anti-melanoma drug screening: focus on tumor microenvironment. Cytotechnology 2020; 73:35-48. [PMID: 33505112 DOI: 10.1007/s10616-020-00440-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract The development of new treatments for malignant melanoma, which has the worst prognosis among skin neoplasms, remains a challenge. The tumor microenvironment aids tumor cells to grow and resist to chemotherapeutic treatment. One way to mimic and study the tumor microenvironment is by using three-dimensional (3D) co-culture models (spheroids). In this study, a melanoma heterospheroid model composed of cancer cells, fibroblasts, and macrophages was produced by liquid-overlay technique using the agarose gel. The size, growth, viability, morphology, cancer stem-like cells population and inflammatory profile of tumor heterospheroids and monospheroids were analyzed to evaluate the influence of stromal cells on these parameters. Furthermore, dacarbazine cytotoxicity was evaluated using spheroids and two-dimensional (2D) melanoma model. After finishing the experiments, it was observed the M2 macrophages induced an anti-inflammatory microenvironment in heterospheroids; fibroblasts cells support the formation of the extracellular matrix, and a higher percentage of melanoma CD271 was observed in this model. Additionally, melanoma spheroids responded differently to the dacarbazine than the 2D melanoma culture as a result of their cellular heterogeneity and 3D structure. The 3D model was shown to be a fast and reliable tool for drug screening, which can mimic the in vivo tumor microenvironment regarding interactions and complexity. Graphic abstract
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Affiliation(s)
- Najla Adel Saleh
- Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas, GEIMM-Grupo de Estudos de Interações entre Micro e Macromoléculas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, S/N Centro de Ciências da Saúde Bloco H - 3° andar, sala H302-Bairro Trindade, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina CEP: 88040-900 Brazil
| | - Michele Patrícia Rode
- Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas, GEIMM-Grupo de Estudos de Interações entre Micro e Macromoléculas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, S/N Centro de Ciências da Saúde Bloco H - 3° andar, sala H302-Bairro Trindade, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina CEP: 88040-900 Brazil
| | | | - Adny Henrique Silva
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC Brazil
| | - Juliano Andreoli Miyake
- Departamento de Ciências Morfológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC Brazil
| | - Fabíola Branco Filippin-Monteiro
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, GEIMM-Grupo de Estudos de Interações entre Micro e Macromoléculas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, S/N Centro de Ciências da Saúde Bloco H - 3° andar, sala H302-Bairro Trindade, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina CEP: 88040-900 Brazil
| | - Tânia Beatriz Creczynski-Pasa
- Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas, GEIMM-Grupo de Estudos de Interações entre Micro e Macromoléculas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, S/N Centro de Ciências da Saúde Bloco H - 3° andar, sala H302-Bairro Trindade, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina CEP: 88040-900 Brazil
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25
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Wei J, Huang J, Kuang Y, Li Y, Zhong D, Song J. Metformin inhibits proliferation of oral squamous cell carcinoma cells by suppressing proteolysis of nerve growth factor receptor. Arch Oral Biol 2020; 121:104971. [PMID: 33220581 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2020.104971] [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: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We aimed to explore the effects of metformin on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell proliferation and the associated molecular mechanisms. METHODS We established an OSCC model in SCC15 cells overexpressing nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) or the N-terminal region (aa 1-250; NGFR-N), and assessed cell proliferation by CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, and cell cycle analysis. Levels of NGFR and related genes and proteins were detected by qPCR and western blotting, and NGFR and NGFR-N affinity for p53 was assessed by immunoprecipitation assay. Additionally, the effects of NGFR and NGFR-N on p53 binding with its downstream gene promoters were analyzed by chromatin immunoprecipitation. RESULTS Metformin inhibited OSCC cell proliferation and blocked NGFR proteolysis, thereby reducing the generation of its intracellular domain and NGFR-N. Moreover, compared with NGFR, NGFR-N showed higher affinity for p53 and more strongly inactivated p53 to promote cell proliferation. Furthermore, upregulation of NGFR-N downregulated levels of p53-specific downstream transcripts and proteins, whereas these levels were significantly upregulated in metformin-treated cells overexpressing NGFR. CONCLUSIONS These results showed that metformin inhibited cell proliferation by suppressing NGFR proteolysis, thereby promoting its antitumor effect in OSCC and offering novel insight into a role for metformin in OSCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Wei
- College of Stomatology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 401147, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory for Oral Diseases and Biomedical Sciences, Chongqing, 401147, China; Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering of Higher Education, Chongqing, 401147, China
| | - Jiao Huang
- College of Stomatology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 401147, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory for Oral Diseases and Biomedical Sciences, Chongqing, 401147, China; Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering of Higher Education, Chongqing, 401147, China
| | - Yunchun Kuang
- College of Stomatology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 401147, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory for Oral Diseases and Biomedical Sciences, Chongqing, 401147, China; Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering of Higher Education, Chongqing, 401147, China
| | - Yongkai Li
- College of Stomatology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 401147, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory for Oral Diseases and Biomedical Sciences, Chongqing, 401147, China; Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering of Higher Education, Chongqing, 401147, China
| | - Daiqin Zhong
- College of Stomatology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 401147, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory for Oral Diseases and Biomedical Sciences, Chongqing, 401147, China; Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering of Higher Education, Chongqing, 401147, China
| | - Jinlin Song
- College of Stomatology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 401147, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory for Oral Diseases and Biomedical Sciences, Chongqing, 401147, China; Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering of Higher Education, Chongqing, 401147, China.
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26
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Elkashty OA, Abu Elghanam G, Su X, Liu Y, Chauvin PJ, Tran SD. Cancer stem cells enrichment with surface markers CD271 and CD44 in human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Carcinogenesis 2020; 41:458-466. [PMID: 31742606 DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgz182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a poor 5-year survival rate of 50%. One potential reason for treatment failure is the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Several cell markers, particularly CD44, have been used to isolate CSCs. However, isolating a pure population of CSC in HNSCC still remains a challenging task. Recent findings show that normal oral stem cells were isolated using CD271 as a marker. Thus, we investigated the combined use of CD271 and CD44 to isolate an enriched subpopulation of CSCs, followed by their characterization in vitro, in vivo, and in patients' tissue samples. Fluorescent-activated cell sorting was used to isolate CD44+/CD271+ and CD44+/CD271- from two human HNSCC cell lines. Cell growth and self-renewal were measured with MTT and sphere/colony formation assays. Treatment-resistance was tested against chemotherapy (cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil) and ionizing radiation. Self-renewal, resistance, and stemness-related genes expression were measured with qRT-PCR. In vivo tumorigenicity was tested with an orthotopic immunodeficient mouse model of oral cancer. Finally, we examined the co-localization of CD44+/CD271+ in patients' tissue samples. We found that CD271+ cells were a subpopulation of CD44+ cells in human HNSCC cell lines and tissues. CD44+/CD271+ cells exhibited higher cell proliferation, sphere/colony formation, chemo- and radio-resistance, upregulation of CSCs-related genes, and in vivo tumorigenicity when compared to CD44+/CD271- or the parental cell line. These cell markers showed increased expression in patients with the increase of the tumor stage. In conclusion, using both CD44 and CD271 allowed the isolation of CSCs from HNSCC. These enriched CSCs will be more relevant in future treatment and HNSCC progression studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osama A Elkashty
- McGill Craniofacial Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells Laboratory, Faculty of Dentistry, Canada.,Oral Pathology Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Ghada Abu Elghanam
- McGill Craniofacial Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells Laboratory, Faculty of Dentistry, Canada
| | - Xinyun Su
- McGill Craniofacial Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells Laboratory, Faculty of Dentistry, Canada.,College of Stomatology, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Younan Liu
- McGill Craniofacial Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells Laboratory, Faculty of Dentistry, Canada
| | - Peter J Chauvin
- Division of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Simon D Tran
- McGill Craniofacial Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells Laboratory, Faculty of Dentistry, Canada
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27
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Lee HY, Hong IS. Targeting Liver Cancer Stem Cells: An Alternative Therapeutic Approach for Liver Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12102746. [PMID: 32987767 PMCID: PMC7598600 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12102746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The first report of cancer stem cell (CSC) from Bruce et al. has demonstrated the relatively rare population of stem-like cells in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The discovery of leukemic CSCs prompted further identification of CSCs in multiple types of solid tumor. Recently, extensive research has attempted to identity CSCs in multiple types of solid tumors in the brain, colon, head and neck, liver, and lung. Based on these studies, we hypothesize that the initiation and progression of most malignant tumors rely largely on the CSC population. Recent studies indicated that stem cell-related markers or signaling pathways, such as aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), CD133, epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and Notch signaling, contribute to the initiation and progression of various liver cancer types. Importantly, CSCs are markedly resistant to conventional therapeutic approaches and current targeted therapeutics. Therefore, it is believed that selectively targeting specific markers and/or signaling pathways of hepatic CSCs is an effective therapeutic strategy for treating chemotherapy-resistant liver cancer. Here, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on the hepatic CSC hypothesis and discuss the specific surface markers and critical signaling pathways involved in the development and maintenance of hepatic CSC subpopulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hwa-Yong Lee
- Department of Biomedical Science, Jungwon University, 85 Goesan-eup, Munmu-ro, Goesan-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do 367700, Korea;
| | - In-Sun Hong
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, GAIHST, Gachon University, Incheon 21999, Korea
- Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon 406840, Korea
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-32-899-6315; Fax: +82-32-899-6350
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28
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Vidal A, Redmer T. Decoding the Role of CD271 in Melanoma. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12092460. [PMID: 32878000 PMCID: PMC7564075 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12092460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of melanoma, the most aggressive type of skin cancer, is triggered by driver mutations that are acquired in the coding regions of particularly BRAF (rat fibrosarcoma serine/threonine kinase, isoform B) or NRAS (neuroblastoma-type ras sarcoma virus) in melanocytes. Although driver mutations strongly determine tumor progression, additional factors are likely required and prerequisite for melanoma formation. Melanocytes are formed during vertebrate development in a well-controlled differentiation process of multipotent neural crest stem cells (NCSCs). However, mechanisms determining the properties of melanocytes and melanoma cells are still not well understood. The nerve growth factor receptor CD271 is likewise expressed in melanocytes, melanoma cells and NCSCs and programs the maintenance of a stem-like and migratory phenotype via a comprehensive network of associated genes. Moreover, CD271 regulates phenotype switching, a process that enables the rapid and reversible conversion of proliferative into invasive or non-stem-like states into stem-like states by yet largely unknown mechanisms. Here, we summarize current findings about CD271-associated mechanisms in melanoma cells and illustrate the role of CD271 for melanoma cell migration and metastasis, phenotype-switching, resistance to therapeutic interventions, and the maintenance of an NCSC-like state.
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29
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Osrodek M, Rozanski M, Czyz M. Insulin Reduces the Efficacy of Vemurafenib and Trametinib in Melanoma Cells. Cancer Manag Res 2020; 12:7231-7250. [PMID: 32982400 PMCID: PMC7501594 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s263767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the progress made in the clinical management of metastatic melanoma, a patient's response to treatment cannot be fully predicted, and intrinsic or acquired resistance that is developed in most melanoma patients warrants further research efforts. In addition to genetic factors, microenvironmental input should be considered to explain the diversity of response to treatment among melanoma patients. In this study, we evaluated the impact of insulin on patient-derived BRAFV600E melanoma cells, either untreated or treated with vemurafenib or trametinib, inhibitors of BRAFV600 and MEK1/2, respectively. METHODS Cells were cultured in serum-free conditions, either with or without insulin. The activity of the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways was assessed by Western blotting, cell viability, and percentages of Ki-67- and NGFR-positive cells by flow cytometry. Transcript levels were analyzed using qRT-PCR, and γ-H2AX levels by immunoblotting and confocal microscopy. A luminescence-based assay was used to measure glutathione content. RESULTS While insulin did not influence the MAPK/ERK pathway activity, it had a strong influence on melanoma cells, in which this pathway was suppressed by either vemurafenib or trametinib. In the presence of insulin, both drugs were much less efficient in 1) inhibiting proliferation and reducing the percentage of Ki-67-positive cells, and 2) inducing apoptosis and phosphorylation of histone H2AX in melanoma cells. Changes induced by vemurafenib and trametinib in glutathione homeostasis and DNA repair gene expression were also attenuated by insulin. Moreover, insulin impaired the combined effects of targeted drugs and doxorubicin in melanoma cells. In addition to insulin-induced PI3K/AKT activity, which was either transient or sustainable depending on the cell line, an insulin-triggered increase in the percentage of cells expressing NGFR, a marker of neural crest stem-like cells, may contribute to the reduced drug efficacy. CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate the role of insulin in reducing the efficacy of vemurafenib and trametinib. This needs clinical assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Osrodek
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | - Michal Rozanski
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
- Laboratory of Transcriptional Regulation, Institute of Medical Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lodz, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Czyz
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
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30
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Shan NL, Minden A, Furmanski P, Bak MJ, Cai L, Wernyj R, Sargsyan D, Cheng D, Wu R, Kuo HCD, Li SN, Fang M, Maehr H, Kong AN, Suh N. Analysis of the Transcriptome: Regulation of Cancer Stemness in Breast Ductal Carcinoma In Situ by Vitamin D Compounds. Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 2020; 13:673-686. [PMID: 32467291 DOI: 10.1158/1940-6207.capr-19-0566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which accounts for one out of every five new breast cancer diagnoses, will progress to potentially lethal invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) in about 50% of cases. Vitamin D compounds have been shown to inhibit progression to IDC in the MCF10DCIS model. This inhibition appears to involve a reduction in the cancer stem cell-like population in MCF10DCIS tumors. To identify genes that are involved in the vitamin D effects, a global transcriptomic analysis was undertaken of MCF10DCIS cells grown in mammosphere cultures, in which cancer stem-like cells grow preferentially and produce colonies by self-renewal and maturation, in the presence and absence of 1α25(OH)2D3 and a vitamin D analog, BXL0124. Using next-generation RNA-sequencing, we found that vitamin D compounds downregulated genes involved in maintenance of breast cancer stem-like cells (e.g., GDF15), epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion, and metastasis (e.g., LCN2 and S100A4), and chemoresistance (e.g., NGFR, PPP1R1B, and AGR2), while upregulating genes associated with a basal-like phenotype (e.g., KRT6A and KRT5) and negative regulators of breast tumorigenesis (e.g., EMP1). Gene methylation status was analyzed to determine whether the changes in expression induced by vitamin D compounds occurred via this mechanism. Ingenuity pathway analysis was performed to identify upstream regulators and downstream signaling pathway genes differentially regulated by vitamin D, including TP63 and vitamin D receptor -mediated canonical pathways in particular. This study provides a global profiling of changes in the gene signature of DCIS regulated by vitamin D compounds and possible targets for chemoprevention of DCIS progression to IDC in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naing Lin Shan
- Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Audrey Minden
- Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey.,Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Philip Furmanski
- Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey.,Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Min Ji Bak
- Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Li Cai
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Roman Wernyj
- Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Davit Sargsyan
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - David Cheng
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Renyi Wu
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Hsiao-Chen D Kuo
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Shanyi N Li
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Mingzhu Fang
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute and School of Public Health, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Hubert Maehr
- Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Ah-Ng Kong
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey.,Department of Pharmaceutics, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Nanjoo Suh
- Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey. .,Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
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Yoshida H, Koodie L, Jacobsen K, Hanzawa K, Miyamoto Y, Yamamoto M. B4GALNT1 induces angiogenesis, anchorage independence growth and motility, and promotes tumorigenesis in melanoma by induction of ganglioside GM2/GD2. Sci Rep 2020; 10:1199. [PMID: 31988291 PMCID: PMC6985110 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-57130-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
β-1,4-N-Acetyl-Galactosaminyltransferase 1 (B4GALNT1) encodes the key enzyme B4GALNT1 to generate gangliosides GM2/GD2. GM2/GD2 gangliosides are surface glycolipids mainly found on brain neurons as well as peripheral nerves and skin melanocytes and are reported to exacerbate the malignant potential of melanomas. In order to elucidate the mechanism, we performed functional analyses of B4GALNT1-overexpressing cells. We analyzed ganglioside pattern on four melanoma and two neuroblastoma cell lines by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We overexpressed B4GALNT1 in GM2/GD2-negative human melanoma cell line (SH4) and confirmed production of GM2/GD2 by HPLC. They showed higher anchorage independence growth (AIG) in colony formation assay, and exhibited augmented motility. In vitro, cell proliferation was not affected by GM2/GD2 expression. In vivo, GM2/GD2-positive SH4 clones showed significantly higher tumorigenesis in NOD/Scid/IL2Rγ-null mice, and immunostaining of mouse CD31 revealed that GM2/GD2 induced remarkable angiogenesis. No differences were seen in melanoma stem cell and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition markers between GM2/GD2-positive and -negative SH4 cells. We therefore concluded that B4GALNT1, and consequently GM2/GD2, enhanced tumorigenesis via induction of angiogenesis, AIG, and cell motility. RNA-Seq suggested periostin as a potential key factor for angiogenesis and AIG. These findings may lead to development of novel therapy for refractory melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideki Yoshida
- Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Lisa Koodie
- Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Kari Jacobsen
- Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Ken Hanzawa
- Department of Molecular Biology, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yasuhide Miyamoto
- Department of Molecular Biology, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masato Yamamoto
- Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
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32
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Dissecting Mechanisms of Melanoma Resistance to BRAF and MEK Inhibitors Revealed Genetic and Non-Genetic Patient- and Drug-Specific Alterations and Remarkable Phenotypic Plasticity. Cells 2020; 9:cells9010142. [PMID: 31936151 PMCID: PMC7017165 DOI: 10.3390/cells9010142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 12/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The clinical benefit of MAPK pathway inhibition in BRAF-mutant melanoma patients is limited by the development of acquired resistance. Using drug-naïve cell lines derived from tumor specimens, we established a preclinical model of melanoma resistance to vemurafenib or trametinib to provide insight into resistance mechanisms. Dissecting the mechanisms accompanying the development of resistance, we have shown that (i) most of genetic and non-genetic alterations are triggered in a cell line- and/or drug-specific manner; (ii) several changes previously assigned to the development of resistance are induced as the immediate response to the extent measurable at the bulk levels; (iii) reprogramming observed in cross-resistance experiments and growth factor-dependence restricted by the drug presence indicate that phenotypic plasticity of melanoma cells largely contributes to the sustained resistance. Whole-exome sequencing revealed novel genetic alterations, including a frameshift variant of RBMX found exclusively in phospho-AKThigh resistant cell lines. There was no similar pattern of phenotypic alterations among eleven resistant cell lines, including expression/activity of crucial regulators, such as MITF, AXL, SOX, and NGFR, which suggests that patient-to-patient variability is richer and more nuanced than previously described. This diversity should be considered during the development of new strategies to circumvent the acquired resistance to targeted therapies.
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33
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Zhuang L, Zhang Y, Meng Z, Yang Z. Oncogenic Roles of RAD51AP1 in Tumor Tissues Related to Overall Survival and Disease-Free Survival in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancer Control 2020; 27:1073274820977149. [PMID: 33269607 PMCID: PMC8480365 DOI: 10.1177/1073274820977149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the associations between RAD51AP1 and the outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS RAD51AP1 expression levels were compared in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets. The Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (TCGA, Provisional) and GSE36376 datasets were used for survival analysis. RAD51AP1 associations with clinicopathological features were determined with the GSE36376 dataset. RESULTS RAD51AP1 mRNA expression was significantly upregulated in advanced liver fibrosis samples (S3-4 vs. S0-2 and G3-4 vs. G0-2) from hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related liver fibrosis patients and in tumor tissues and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from HCC patients (all P < 0.05). HCC patients with high RAD51AP1 expression had significantly worse overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) than those with low RAD51AP1 expression (P = 0.0034 and P = 0.0012, respectively) in the TCGA dataset, and these findings were validated with the GSE36376 dataset (P = 0.0074 and P = 0.0003, respectively). A Cox regression model indicated that RAD51AP1 was a risk factor for OS and DFS in HCC patients in GSE36376 (HR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.02-2.32, P = 0.04 and HR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.22-2.39, P = 0.002, respectively). Moreover, RAD51AP1 mRNA expression increased gradually with increasing tumor stage, including stratification by American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stages, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stages and Edmondson grades. In addition, RAD51AP1 was overexpressed in HCC patients with intrahepatic metastasis, major portal vein invasion, vascular invasion and/or an alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level > 300 ng/ml. CONCLUSIONS Contributing to an advanced tumor stage, intrahepatic metastasis, vascular invasion and AFP level elevation, RAD51AP1 upregulation was significantly associated with OS and DFS in HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Zhuang
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Department of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiqiang Meng
- Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
- Zhiqiang Meng, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China.
| | - Zongguo Yang
- Department of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Zongguo Yang, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China.
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34
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Wang Q, Tan Y, Fang C, Zhou J, Wang Y, Zhao K, Jin W, Wu Y, Liu X, Liu X, Kang C. Single-cell RNA-seq reveals RAD51AP1 as a potent mediator of EGFRvIII in human glioblastomas. Aging (Albany NY) 2019; 11:7707-7722. [PMID: 31532757 PMCID: PMC6781999 DOI: 10.18632/aging.102282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) have endowed researchers with the ability to detect and analyze the transcriptomes of individual cancer cells. In the present study, 16,128 tumor cells from EGFR wild-type and EGFRvIII mutant cells were profiled by scRNA-seq. Analyses of scRNA-seq data from both U87MG and U87MG-EGFRvIII libraries revealed inherent heterogeneity in gene expression and biological processes. The cells stably expressing EGFRvIII showed enhanced transcriptional activities and a relatively homogeneous pattern, which manifested as less diverse distributions, gene expression levels and functional annotations compared with those of cells expressing the nonmutated version. Moreover, the differentially expressed genes between the U87MG and U87MG-EGFRvIII groups were mainly enriched in DNA replication, DNA repair and angiogenesis. We compared scRNA-seq data with bulk RNA-seq and EGFRvIII xenograft RNA-seq data. RAD51AP1 was shown to be upregulated in all three databases. Further analysis of RAD51AP1 revealed that it is an independent prognostic factor of glioma. Knocking down RAD51AP1 significantly inhibited tumor volume in an intracranial EGFRvIII-positive GBM model and prolonged survival time. Collectively, our microfluidic-based scRNA-seq driven by a single genetic event revealed a previously unappreciated implication of EGFRvIII in the heterogeneity of GBM and identified RAD51AP1 as an oncogene in glioma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qixue Wang
- Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.,Tianjin Neurological Institute, Key Laboratory of Neurotrauma, Variation, and Regeneration, Ministry of Education and Tianjin Municipal Government, Tianjin 300052, China
| | - Yanli Tan
- Department of Pathology, Medical College of Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei 071000, China
| | - Chuan Fang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hebei University Affiliated Hospital, Baoding 071000, China
| | - Junhu Zhou
- Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.,Tianjin Neurological Institute, Key Laboratory of Neurotrauma, Variation, and Regeneration, Ministry of Education and Tianjin Municipal Government, Tianjin 300052, China
| | - Yunfei Wang
- Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.,Tianjin Neurological Institute, Key Laboratory of Neurotrauma, Variation, and Regeneration, Ministry of Education and Tianjin Municipal Government, Tianjin 300052, China
| | - Kai Zhao
- Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.,Tianjin Neurological Institute, Key Laboratory of Neurotrauma, Variation, and Regeneration, Ministry of Education and Tianjin Municipal Government, Tianjin 300052, China
| | - Weili Jin
- Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.,Tianjin Neurological Institute, Key Laboratory of Neurotrauma, Variation, and Regeneration, Ministry of Education and Tianjin Municipal Government, Tianjin 300052, China
| | - Ye Wu
- Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.,Tianjin Neurological Institute, Key Laboratory of Neurotrauma, Variation, and Regeneration, Ministry of Education and Tianjin Municipal Government, Tianjin 300052, China
| | - Xiaomin Liu
- Radiosurgery Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Xing Liu
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Chunsheng Kang
- Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.,Tianjin Neurological Institute, Key Laboratory of Neurotrauma, Variation, and Regeneration, Ministry of Education and Tianjin Municipal Government, Tianjin 300052, China.,Affiliated Cancer Hospital and Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510095, China
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Marzagalli M, Raimondi M, Fontana F, Montagnani Marelli M, Moretti RM, Limonta P. Cellular and molecular biology of cancer stem cells in melanoma: Possible therapeutic implications. Semin Cancer Biol 2019; 59:221-235. [PMID: 31265892 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2019.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Malignant melanoma is a tumor characterized by a very high level of heterogeneity, responsible for its malignant behavior and ability to escape from standard therapies. In this review we highlight the molecular and biological features of the subpopulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs), well known to be characterized by self-renewal properties, deeply involved in triggering the processes of tumor generation, metastasis, progression and drug resistance. From the molecular point of view, melanoma CSCs are identified and characterized by the expression of stemness markers, such as surface markers, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, embryonic stem cells and intracellular markers. These cells are endowed with different functional features. In particular, they play pivotal roles in the processes of tumor dissemination, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and angiogenesis, mediated by specific intracellular signaling pathways; moreover, they are characterized by a unique metabolic reprogramming. As reported for other types of tumors, the CSCs subpopulation in melanoma is also characterized by a low immunogenic profile as well as by the ability to escape the immune system, through the expression of a negative modulation of T cell functions and the secretion of immunosuppressive factors. These biological features allow melanoma CSCs to escape standard treatments, thus being deeply involved in tumor relapse. Targeting the CSCs subpopulation is now considered an attractive treatment strategy; in particular, combination treatments, based on both CSCs-targeting and standard drugs, will likely increase the therapeutic options for melanoma patients. The characterization of CSCs in liquid biopsies from single patients will pave the way towards precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Marzagalli
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Michela Raimondi
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Fontana
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milano, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Roberta M Moretti
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Patrizia Limonta
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milano, Milano, Italy.
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36
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Beretti F, Bertoni L, Farnetani F, Pellegrini C, Gorelli G, Cesinaro AM, Reggiani Bonetti L, Di Nardo L, Kaleci S, Chester J, Longo C, Massi D, Fargnoli MC, Pellacani G. Melanoma types by in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy correlated with protein and molecular genetic alterations: A pilot study. Exp Dermatol 2019; 28:254-260. [PMID: 30636079 DOI: 10.1111/exd.13877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is one of the most prevalent skin cancers, which lacks both a prognostic marker and a specific and lasting treatment, due to the complexity of the disease and heterogeneity of patients. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) in vivo analysis is a versatile approach offering immediate morphological information, enabling the identification of four primary cutaneous RCM CM types. Whether RCM CM types are associated with a specific protein and molecular genetic profiles at the tissue level remains unclear. The current pilot study was designed to identify potential correlations between RCM CM types and specific biological characteristics, combining immunohistochemistry (IHC) and molecular analyses. Eighty primary CMs evaluated at patient bedside with RCM (type 1 [19, 24%], type 2 [12, 15%], type 3 [7, 9%] and type 4 [42, 52%]) were retrospectively evaluated by IHC stains (CD271, CD20, CD31, cyclin D1), fluorescence in situ hybridization FISH for MYC gain and CDKN2A loss and molecular analysis for somatic mutations (BRAF, NRAS and KIT). RCM CM types correlated with markers of stemness property, density of intra-tumoral lymphocytic B infiltrate and cyclin D1 expression, while no significant association was found with blood vessel density nor molecular findings. RCM CM types show a different marker profile expression, suggestive of a progression and an increase in aggressiveness, according to RCM morphologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Beretti
- Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphological Sciences with interest in Transplant, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Laura Bertoni
- Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphological Sciences with interest in Transplant, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Francesca Farnetani
- Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphological Sciences with interest in Transplant, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Department of Dermatology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | | | - Greta Gorelli
- Division of Pathological Anatomy, Department of Surgery and Translational Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Cesinaro
- Anatomic Pathology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, Modena, Italy
| | - Luca Reggiani Bonetti
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of Children & Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Lucia Di Nardo
- Department of Dermatology, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Shaniko Kaleci
- Department of Dermatology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Johanna Chester
- Department of Dermatology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Caterina Longo
- Department of Dermatology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Centro Oncologico ad Alta Tecnologia Diagnostica, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Daniela Massi
- Division of Pathological Anatomy, Department of Surgery and Translational Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Maria C Fargnoli
- Department of Dermatology, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Giovanni Pellacani
- Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphological Sciences with interest in Transplant, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Department of Dermatology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
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37
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Kasemeier-Kulesa JC, Kulesa PM. The convergent roles of CD271/p75 in neural crest-derived melanoma plasticity. Dev Biol 2018; 444 Suppl 1:S352-S355. [PMID: 29660313 PMCID: PMC6186201 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2018.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Revised: 04/11/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The embryonic microenvironment is an important source of signals that promote multipotent cells to adopt a specific fate and direct cells along distinct migratory pathways. Yet, the ability of the embryonic microenvironment to retain multipotent progenitors or reprogram de-differentiated cells is less clear. Mistakes in cell differentiation or migration often result in developmental defects and tumorigenesis, including aggressive cancers that share many characteristics with embryonic progenitor cells. This is a striking feature of the vertebrate neural crest, a multipotent and highly migratory cell population first identified by His (1868) with the potential to metamorphose into aggressive melanoma cancer. In this perspective, we address the roles of CD271/p75 in tumor initiation, phenotype switching and reprogramming of metastatic melanoma and discuss the convergence of these roles in melanoma plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul M Kulesa
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
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38
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Verykiou S, Alexander M, Edwards N, Plummer R, Chaudhry B, Lovat PE, Hill DS. Harnessing autophagy to overcome mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor-induced resistance in metastatic melanoma. Br J Dermatol 2018; 180:346-356. [PMID: 30339727 PMCID: PMC7816093 DOI: 10.1111/bjd.17333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with malignant melanoma often relapse after treatment with BRAF and/or mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitors (MEKi) owing to development of drug resistance. OBJECTIVES To establish the temporal pattern of CD271 regulation during development of resistance by melanoma to trametinib, and determine the association between development of resistance to trametinib and induction of prosurvival autophagy. METHODS Immunohistochemistry for CD271 and p62 was performed on human naevi and primary malignant melanoma tumours. Western blotting was used to analyse expression of CD271, p62 and LC3 in melanoma subpopulations. Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence microscopy was used to evaluate trametinib-induced cell death and CD271 expression. MTS viability assays and zebrafish xenografts were used to evaluate the effect of CD271 and autophagy modulation on trametinib-resistant melanoma cell survival and invasion, respectively. RESULTS CD271 and autophagic signalling are increased in stage III primary melanomas vs. benign naevi. In vitro studies demonstrate MEKi of BRAF-mutant melanoma induced cytotoxic autophagy, followed by the emergence of CD271-expressing subpopulations. Trametinib-induced CD271 reduced autophagic flux, leading to activation of prosurvival autophagy and development of MEKi resistance. Treatment of CD271-expressing melanoma subpopulations with RNA interference and small-molecule inhibitors to CD271 reduced the development of MEKi resistance, while clinically applicable autophagy modulatory agents - including Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and Vps34 - reduced survival of MEKi-resistant melanoma cells. Combined MEK/autophagy inhibition also reduced the invasive and metastatic potential of MEKi-resistant cells in an in vivo zebrafish xenograft. CONCLUSIONS These results highlight a novel mechanism of MEKi-induced drug resistance and suggest that targeting autophagy may be a translatable approach to resensitize drug-resistant melanoma cells to the cytotoxic effects of MEKi.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Verykiou
- Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, The Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, U.K.,Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Newcastle University, The Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, U.K
| | - M Alexander
- Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, The Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, U.K
| | - N Edwards
- Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, The Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, U.K
| | - R Plummer
- Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Newcastle University, The Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, U.K
| | - B Chaudhry
- Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Central Parkway, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, U.K
| | - P E Lovat
- Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, The Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, U.K.,Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Newcastle University, The Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, U.K
| | - D S Hill
- Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, The Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, U.K.,Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Central Parkway, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, U.K
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39
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Guanziroli E, Venegoni L, Fanoni D, Cavicchini S, Coggi A, Ferrero S, Gianotti R, Berti E, Del Gobbo A. Immunohistochemical expression and prognostic role of CD10, CD271 and Nestin in primary and recurrent cutaneous melanoma. Ital J Dermatol Venerol 2018; 156:68-72. [PMID: 30251808 DOI: 10.23736/s2784-8671.18.06145-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND CD10, CD271 and Nestin, which are proteins associated with tumor-initiating properties and/or progression potential, have not been specifically studied on malignant melanoma (MM) with cutaneous recurrences. METHODS We evaluated the expression of CD10, CD271 and Nestin in 27 tumor samples from 16 patients. These tumor samples corresponded to 6 primary melanomas which developed 11 ITM and 10 primary melanomas without recurrences at 10-year follow-up from specimens obtained from surgical excisions of patients referred to the Unit of Dermatology, Department of Medical-Surgical and Transplant Physiopathology, University of Milan, between 2006 and 2016. RESULTS We demonstrated a higher expression of CD271 and Nestin in primary tumors which recurred than control population, Nestin was expressed with significantly higher percentages in primary tumors than recurrences, and CD10 expression was statistically significant correlated with disease-free survival: cases with a lower score recurred lately than cases with higher scores. CONCLUSIONS Our preliminary results suggested that CD271 and Nestin can be considered early biomarkers for the development of ITM, Nesting can be useful in differentiating primary MM from cutaneous recurrences and CD10 is associated with a rapid disease progression and may be considered a potential prognostic marker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Guanziroli
- Unit of Dermatology, Department of Medical-Surgical and Transplant Physiopathology, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy -
| | - Luigia Venegoni
- Department of Medical-Surgical and Transplant Physiopathology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniele Fanoni
- Unit of Dermatology, Department of Medical-Surgical and Transplant Physiopathology, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Cavicchini
- Unit of Dermatology, Department of Medical-Surgical and Transplant Physiopathology, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonella Coggi
- Unit of Dermatology, Department of Medical-Surgical and Transplant Physiopathology, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Ferrero
- Unit of Pathological Anatomy, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.,Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Raffaele Gianotti
- Department of Medical-Surgical and Transplant Physiopathology, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Emilio Berti
- Department of Medical-Surgical and Transplant Physiopathology, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Del Gobbo
- Unit of Pathological Anatomy, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
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40
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Anorma C, Hedhli J, Bearrood TE, Pino NW, Gardner SH, Inaba H, Zhang P, Li Y, Feng D, Dibrell SE, Kilian KA, Dobrucki LW, Fan TM, Chan J. Surveillance of Cancer Stem Cell Plasticity Using an Isoform-Selective Fluorescent Probe for Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1A1. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2018; 4:1045-1055. [PMID: 30159402 PMCID: PMC6107868 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.8b00313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are progenitor cells that contribute to treatment-resistant phenotypes during relapse. CSCs exist in specific tissue microenvironments that cell cultures and more complex models cannot mimic. Therefore, the development of new approaches that can detect CSCs and report on specific properties (e.g., stem cell plasticity) in their native environment have profound implications for studying CSC biology. Herein, we present AlDeSense, a turn-on fluorescent probe for aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 (ALDH1A1) and Ctrl-AlDeSense, a matching nonresponsive reagent. Although ALDH1A1 contributes to the detoxification of reactive aldehydes, it is also associated with stemness and is highly elevated in CSCs. AlDeSense exhibits a 20-fold fluorescent enhancement when treated with ALDH1A1. Moreover, we established that AlDeSense is selective against a panel of common ALDH isoforms and exhibits exquisite chemostability against a collection of biologically relevant species. Through the application of surface marker antibody staining, tumorsphere assays, and assessment of tumorigenicity, we demonstrate that cells exhibiting high AlDeSense signal intensity have properties of CSCs. Using these probes in tandem, we have identified CSCs at the cellular level via flow cytometry and confocal imaging, as well as monitored their states in animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea Anorma
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Jamila Hedhli
- Department
of Bioengineering, University of Illinois
at Urbana−Champaign, 1304 W. Springfield Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United
States
- Beckman Institute
for Advanced Science and Technology, University
of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Thomas E. Bearrood
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Nicholas W. Pino
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Sarah H. Gardner
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Hiroshi Inaba
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Pamela Zhang
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Yanfen Li
- Department
of Bioengineering, University of Illinois
at Urbana−Champaign, 1304 W. Springfield Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United
States
| | - Daven Feng
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Sara E. Dibrell
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Kristopher A. Kilian
- Department
of Bioengineering, University of Illinois
at Urbana−Champaign, 1304 W. Springfield Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United
States
- School
of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Lawrence W. Dobrucki
- Department
of Bioengineering, University of Illinois
at Urbana−Champaign, 1304 W. Springfield Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United
States
- Beckman Institute
for Advanced Science and Technology, University
of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Timothy M. Fan
- Department
of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University
of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 2001 S Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Jefferson Chan
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Beckman Institute
for Advanced Science and Technology, University
of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- E-mail:
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Redmer T. Deciphering mechanisms of brain metastasis in melanoma - the gist of the matter. Mol Cancer 2018; 17:106. [PMID: 30053879 PMCID: PMC6064184 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-018-0854-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Metastasis to distant organs and particularly the brain still represents the most serious obstacle in melanoma therapies. Melanoma cells acquire a phenotype to metastasize to the brain and successfully grow there through complex mechanisms determined by microenvironmental than rather genetic cues. There do appear to be some prerequisites, including the presence of oncogenic BRAF or NRAS mutations and a loss of PTEN. Further mediators of the brain metastatic phenotype appear to be the high activation of the PI3K/AKT or STAT3 pathway or high levels of PLEKHA5 and MMP2 in metastatic cells. A yet undefined subset of brain metastases exhibit a high level of expression of CD271 that is associated with stemness, migration and survival. Hence, CD271 expression may determine specific properties of brain metastatic melanoma cells. Environmental cues - in particular those provided by brain parenchymal cells such as astrocytes - seem to help specifically guide melanoma cells that express CCR4 or CD271, potential "homing receptors". Upon entering the brain, these cells interact with brain parenchyma cells and are thereby reprogrammed to adopt a neurological phenotype. Several lines of evidence suggest that current therapies may have a negative effect by activating a program that drives tumor cells toward stemness and metastasis. Yet significant improvements have expanded the therapeutic options for treating brain metastases from melanoma, by combining potent BRAF inhibitors such as dabrafenib with checkpoint inhibitors or stereotactic surgery. Further progress toward developing new therapeutic strategies will require a more profound understanding of the mechanisms that underlie brain metastasis in melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torben Redmer
- Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, D-10117, Berlin, Germany. .,Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria.
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Guanziroli E, Venegoni L, Fanoni D, Berti E. Merkel cell carcinoma: a single-institution retrospective case series analyzing CD271 expression with a focus on its prognostic role. GIORN ITAL DERMAT V 2018; 155:518-520. [PMID: 29963808 DOI: 10.23736/s0392-0488.18.06074-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elena Guanziroli
- Department of Medical and Surgical Physiopathology and Transplantation, Maggiore Polyclinic Hospital, IRCCS Ca' Granda Foundation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy -
| | - Luigia Venegoni
- Department of Medical and Surgical Physiopathology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniele Fanoni
- Unit of Dermatology, Department of Medical and Surgical Physiopathology and Transplantation, Maggiore Polyclinic Hospital, IRCCS Ca' Granda Foundation, Milan, Italy
| | - Emilio Berti
- Department of Medical and Surgical Physiopathology and Transplantation, Maggiore Polyclinic Hospital, IRCCS Ca' Granda Foundation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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43
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Embedding techniques for converting high-dimensional sparse data into low-dimensional distributed representations have been gaining popularity in various fields of research. In deep learning models, embedding is commonly used and proven to be more effective than naive binary representation. However, yet no attempt has been made to embed highly sparse mutation profiles into densely distributed representations. Since binary representation does not capture biological context, its use is limited in many applications such as discovering novel driver mutations. Additionally, training distributed representations of mutations is challenging due to a relatively small amount of available biological data compared with the large amount of text corpus data in text mining fields. METHODS We introduce Mut2Vec, a novel computational pipeline that can be used to create a distributed representation of cancerous mutations. Mut2Vec is trained on cancer profiles using Skip-Gram since cancer can be characterized by a series of co-occurring mutations. We also augmented our pipeline with existing information in the biomedical literature and protein-protein interaction networks to compensate for the data insufficiency. RESULTS To evaluate our models, we conducted two experiments that involved the following tasks: a) visualizing driver and passenger mutations, b) identifying novel driver mutations using a clustering method. Our visualization showed a clear distinction between passenger mutations and driver mutations. We also found driver mutation candidates and proved that these were true driver mutations based on our literature survey. The pre-trained mutation vectors and the candidate driver mutations are publicly available at http://infos.korea.ac.kr/mut2vec . CONCLUSIONS We introduce Mut2Vec that can be utilized to generate distributed representations of mutations and experimentally validate the efficacy of the generated mutation representations. Mut2Vec can be used in various deep learning applications such as cancer classification and drug sensitivity prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunkyu Kim
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Heewon Lee
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Keonwoo Kim
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jaewoo Kang
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Korea. .,Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
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Anticarcinogenic activities of sulforaphane are influenced by Nerve Growth Factor in human melanoma A375 cells. Food Chem Toxicol 2018; 113:154-161. [PMID: 29407470 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2018.01.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Revised: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Melanoma is a severe form of cancer, resistant to conventional therapies. According to in vitro studies, sulforaphane, a dietary component, has been considered a promising antineoplastic candidate. The present study analyzes the in vitro biological effects of sulforaphane in A375 melanoma cell line with or without the addition of Nerve Growth Factor. For the first time, our results show that a supplementation of Nerve Growth Factor partially reverses the sulforaphane-induced: i) inhibition of cell migration, ii) pro apoptotic changes in cell cycle and iii) modulation of active caspase-3. Furthermore, we report the sulforaphane-induced modulation in the expression of Nerve Growth Factor receptors TrKA and p75NTR, shifting their ratio from pro survival to pro apoptotic. In conclusion, the present study evidences that in vivo the antineoplastic effects of sulforaphane may be reduced by the contemporaneous presence of other biological elements such as Nerve Growth Factor and it contributes to a better definition of the real in vivo potentiality of sulforaphane as antineoplastic candidate.
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45
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Chen X, Nomani A, Patel N, Nouri FS, Hatefi A. Bioengineering a non-genotoxic vector for genetic modification of mesenchymal stem cells. Biomaterials 2018; 152:1-14. [PMID: 29078136 PMCID: PMC5671363 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2017.10.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Revised: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Vectors used for stem cell transfection must be non-genotoxic, in addition to possessing high efficiency, because they could potentially transform normal stem cells into cancer-initiating cells. The objective of this research was to bioengineer an efficient vector that can be used for genetic modification of stem cells without any negative somatic or genetic impact. Two types of multifunctional vectors, namely targeted and non-targeted were genetically engineered and purified from E. coli. The targeted vectors were designed to enter stem cells via overexpressed receptors. The non-targeted vectors were equipped with MPG and Pep1 cell penetrating peptides. A series of commercial synthetic non-viral vectors and an adenoviral vector were used as controls. All vectors were evaluated for their efficiency and impact on metabolic activity, cell membrane integrity, chromosomal aberrations (micronuclei formation), gene dysregulation, and differentiation ability of stem cells. The results of this study showed that the bioengineered vector utilizing VEGFR-1 receptors for cellular entry could transfect mesenchymal stem cells with high efficiency without inducing genotoxicity, negative impact on gene function, or ability to differentiate. Overall, the vectors that utilized receptors as ports for cellular entry (viral and non-viral) showed considerably better somato- and genosafety profiles in comparison to those that entered through electrostatic interaction with cellular membrane. The genetically engineered vector in this study demonstrated that it can be safely and efficiently used to genetically modify stem cells with potential applications in tissue engineering and cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuguang Chen
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Alireza Nomani
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Niket Patel
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Faranak S Nouri
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Arash Hatefi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
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Zhang X, Zheng X, Lou Y, Wang H, Xu J, Zhang Y, Han B. β-catenin inhibitors suppress cells proliferation and promote cells apoptosis in PC9 lung cancer stem cells. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PATHOLOGY 2017; 10:11968-11978. [PMID: 31966561 PMCID: PMC6966044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effect of β-catenin inhibitors on cells proliferation and apoptosis in lung cancer stem cells (LCSCs). Drug-resistance PC9 cells were induced by escalation of cisplatin repeated treatment, and then PC9 LCSCs were constructed by Sphere Formation methods. Membrane expression of OCT4, SOX2, CD44, CD133 and β-Catenin were detected by Immunofluorescent staining, and mRNA of CSCs marker genes and Wnt/β-Catenin target genes were determined by qPCR assay. PC9 LCSCs were nurtured for 5 days (Day 5) and then β-catenin inhibitor pyrvinium pamoate (PP) with IC50 concentration (0.221 µM) and ICG-100 with IC50 concentration (2.620 µM) were added and cultured for another 2 days (Day 7), respectively. CCK8 and AV/PI assays were performed to detect cells proliferation and apoptosis. We successfully constructed PC9 LCSCs and observed that OCT4, SOX2, CD44, CD133 and β-Catenin expressed on all cells, and stem-cell marker genes as well as Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathway genes mRNA were all elevated in PC9 LCSCs compared to PC9 parent cells. Cells proliferation by CCK8 assay was decreased while apoptosis rate by AV/PI assay was increased in PP treatment group compared with control, C-Caspase 3 and Bcl-2 protein expression also supported the apoptosis results. Most of the stem-cell marker genes and Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathway genes mRNAs were decreased accordingly. ICG-001 also inhibited cells proliferation while induced cells apoptosis in PC9 LCSCs. In conclusion, β-Catenin inhibitors suppressed the proliferation and promoted the apoptosis of LCSCs, which shed light on a new potential target for lung cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyan Zhang
- Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Xiaoxuan Zheng
- Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Yuqing Lou
- Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Huimin Wang
- Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Jianlin Xu
- Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Yanwei Zhang
- Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Baohui Han
- Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University Shanghai 200030, China
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Testa U, Castelli G, Pelosi E. Melanoma: Genetic Abnormalities, Tumor Progression, Clonal Evolution and Tumor Initiating Cells. Med Sci (Basel) 2017; 5:E28. [PMID: 29156643 PMCID: PMC5753657 DOI: 10.3390/medsci5040028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2017] [Revised: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is an aggressive neoplasia issued from the malignant transformation of melanocytes, the pigment-generating cells of the skin. It is responsible for about 75% of deaths due to skin cancers. Melanoma is a phenotypically and molecularly heterogeneous disease: cutaneous, uveal, acral, and mucosal melanomas have different clinical courses, are associated with different mutational profiles, and possess distinct risk factors. The discovery of the molecular abnormalities underlying melanomas has led to the promising improvement of therapy, and further progress is expected in the near future. The study of melanoma precursor lesions has led to the suggestion that the pathway of tumor evolution implies the progression from benign naevi, to dysplastic naevi, to melanoma in situ and then to invasive and metastatic melanoma. The gene alterations characterizing melanomas tend to accumulate in these precursor lesions in a sequential order. Studies carried out in recent years have, in part, elucidated the great tumorigenic potential of melanoma tumor cells. These findings have led to speculation that the cancer stem cell model cannot be applied to melanoma because, in this malignancy, tumor cells possess an intrinsic plasticity, conferring the capacity to initiate and maintain the neoplastic process to phenotypically different tumor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ugo Testa
- Department of Oncology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy.
| | - Germana Castelli
- Department of Oncology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy.
| | - Elvira Pelosi
- Department of Oncology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy.
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Pires E, Sung P, Wiese C. Role of RAD51AP1 in homologous recombination DNA repair and carcinogenesis. DNA Repair (Amst) 2017; 59:76-81. [PMID: 28963981 PMCID: PMC5643253 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2017.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Homologous recombination (HR) serves to repair DNA double-strand breaks and damaged replication forks and is essential for maintaining genome stability and tumor suppression. HR capacity also determines the efficacy of anticancer therapy. Hence, there is an urgent need to better understand all HR proteins and sub-pathways. An emerging protein that is critical for RAD51-mediated HR is RAD51-associated protein 1 (RAD51AP1). Although much has been learned about its biochemical attributes, the precise molecular role of RAD51AP1 in the HR reaction is not yet fully understood. The available literature also suggests that RAD51AP1 expression may be relevant for cancer development and progression. Here, we review the efforts that led to the discovery of RAD51AP1 and elaborate on our current understanding of its biochemical profile and biological function. We also discuss how RAD51AP1 may help to promote cancer development and why it could potentially represent a promising new target for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Pires
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Patrick Sung
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
| | - Claudia Wiese
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
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Abstract
Melanoma cell expression of the nerve growth factor receptor CD271 is associated with stem-like properties. However, the contributing role of the receptor in melanoma cell migration is elusive. Here, we explored extracranial (skin, soft tissue, lymph node and liver, n = 13) and matched brain metastases (BM, n = 12) and observed a heterogeneous distribution of phenotypically distinct subsets of CD271+ cells. In addition, we observed that CD271 expression gradually rises along with melanoma progression and metastasis by exploration of publicly available expression data of nevi, primary melanoma (n = 31) and melanoma metastases (n = 54). Furthermore, we observed highest levels of CD271 in BM. Sub-clustering identified 99 genes differentially expressed among CD271high and CD271low (p < 0.05) BM-subgroups. Comparative analysis of subsets revealed increased ( ≥ 1.5fold, log2) expression of migration-associated genes and enrichment of CD271-responsible genes involved in DNA-repair and stemness. Live cell-imaging based scratch-wound assays of melanoma cells with stable knock-down of CD271 revealed a significantly reduced cell migration (3.9fold, p = 1.2E-04) and a reduced expression of FGF13, CSPG4, HMGA2 and AKT3 major candidate regulatory genes of melanoma cell migration. In summary, we provide new insights in melanoma cell migration and suggest that CD271 serves as a candidate regulator, sufficient to determine cellular properties of melanoma brain metastatic cells.
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50
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Fiori ME, Villanova L, De Maria R. Cancer stem cells: at the forefront of personalized medicine and immunotherapy. Curr Opin Pharmacol 2017; 35:1-11. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2017.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Revised: 04/05/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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