1
|
Hua Z, Chen B, Gong B, Lin M, Ma Y, Li Z. SESN1 functions as a new tumor suppressor gene via Toll-like receptor signaling pathway in neuroblastoma. CNS Neurosci Ther 2024; 30:e14664. [PMID: 38516781 PMCID: PMC10958400 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
AIMS Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children, with a 5-year survival rate of <50% in high-risk patients. MYCN amplification is an important factor that influences the survival rate of high-risk patients. Our results indicated MYCN regulates the expression of SESN1. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role and mechanisms of SESN1 in NB. METHODS siRNAs or overexpression plasmids were used to change MYCN, SESN1, or MyD88's expression. The role of SESN1 in NB cell proliferation, migration, and invasion was elucidated. Xenograft mice models were built to evaluate SESN1's effect in vivo. The correlation between SESN1 expression and clinicopathological data of patients with NB was analyzed. RNA-Seq was done to explore SESN1's downstream targets. RESULTS SESN1 was regulated by MYCN in NB cells. Knockdown SESN1 promoted NB cell proliferation, cell migration, and cell invasion, and overexpressing SESN1 had opposite functions. Knockdown SESN1 promoted tumor growth and shortened tumor-bearing mice survival time. Low expression of SESN1 had a positive correlation with poor prognosis in patients with NB. RNA-Seq showed that Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway, and PD-L1 expression and PD-1 checkpoint pathway in cancer were potential downstream targets of SESN1. Knockdown MyD88 or TLRs inhibitor HCQ reversed the effect of knockdown SESN1 in NB cells. High expression of SESN1 was significantly associated with a higher immune score and indicated an active immune microenvironment for patients with NB. CONCLUSIONS SESN1 functions as a new tumor suppressor gene via TLR signaling pathway in NB.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyan Hua
- Department of PediatricsShengjing Hospital of China Medical UniversityShenyangChina
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Research and Application of Animal Models for Environmental and Metabolic Diseases, Medical Research CenterShengjing Hospital of China Medical UniversityShenyangChina
| | - Bo Chen
- Department of PediatricsShengjing Hospital of China Medical UniversityShenyangChina
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Research and Application of Animal Models for Environmental and Metabolic Diseases, Medical Research CenterShengjing Hospital of China Medical UniversityShenyangChina
| | - Baocheng Gong
- Department of PediatricsShengjing Hospital of China Medical UniversityShenyangChina
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Research and Application of Animal Models for Environmental and Metabolic Diseases, Medical Research CenterShengjing Hospital of China Medical UniversityShenyangChina
| | - Meizhen Lin
- Department of PediatricsShengjing Hospital of China Medical UniversityShenyangChina
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Research and Application of Animal Models for Environmental and Metabolic Diseases, Medical Research CenterShengjing Hospital of China Medical UniversityShenyangChina
| | - Yifan Ma
- Department of PediatricsShengjing Hospital of China Medical UniversityShenyangChina
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Research and Application of Animal Models for Environmental and Metabolic Diseases, Medical Research CenterShengjing Hospital of China Medical UniversityShenyangChina
| | - Zhijie Li
- Department of PediatricsShengjing Hospital of China Medical UniversityShenyangChina
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Research and Application of Animal Models for Environmental and Metabolic Diseases, Medical Research CenterShengjing Hospital of China Medical UniversityShenyangChina
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gryniukova A, Borysko P, Myziuk I, Alieksieieva D, Hodyna D, Semenyuta I, Kovalishyn V, Metelytsia L, Rogalsky S, Tcherniuk S. Anticancer activity features of imidazole-based ionic liquids and lysosomotropic detergents: in silico and in vitro studies. Mol Divers 2024:10.1007/s11030-023-10779-4. [PMID: 38246950 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-023-10779-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Long-chain imidazole-based ionic liquids (compounds 2, 4, 9) and lysosomotropic detergents (compounds 7, 3, 8) with potent anticancer activity were synthesized. Their inhibitory activities against neuroblastoma and leukaemia cell lines were predicted by the new in silico QSAR models. The cytotoxic activities of the synthesized imidazole derivatives were investigated on the SK-N-DZ (human neuroblastoma) and K-562 (human chronic myeloid leukaemia) cell lines. Compounds 2 and 7 showed the highest in vitro cytotoxic effect on both cancer cell lines. The docking procedure of compounds 2 and 7 into the NAD+ coenzyme binding site of deacetylase Sirtuin-1 (SIRT-1) showed the formation of protein-ligand complexes with calculated binding energies of - 8.0 and - 8.1 kcal/mol, respectively. The interaction of SIRT1 with compounds 2, 7 and 9 and the interaction of Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) with compounds 7 and 9 were also demonstrated by thermal shift assay. Compounds 2, 4, 7 and 9 inhibited SIRT1 deacetylase activity in the SIRT-Glo assay. Compounds 7 and 9 showed a moderate inhibitory activity against Aurora kinase A. In addition, compounds 3, 4, 8 and 9 inhibited the Janus kinase 2 activity. The results obtained showed that long-chain imidazole derivatives exhibited cytotoxic activities on K562 leukaemia and SK-N-DZ neuroblastoma cell lines. Furthermore, these compounds inhibited a panel of molecular targets involved in leukaemia and neuroblastoma tumorigenesis. All these results suggest that both long-chain imidazole-based ionic liquids and lysosomotropic detergents may be an effective alternative for the treatment of neuroblastoma and chronic myeloid leukemia and merit further investigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiia Gryniukova
- Department of Medical and Biological Researches, V.P. Kukhar Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and Petrochemistry, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, 1 Academician Kukhar Str, Kyiv, 02094, Ukraine
- Bienta/Enamine Ltd, 78 Winston Churchill Str, Kyiv, 02094, Ukraine
| | - Petro Borysko
- Bienta/Enamine Ltd, 78 Winston Churchill Str, Kyiv, 02094, Ukraine
| | - Iryna Myziuk
- Bienta/Enamine Ltd, 78 Winston Churchill Str, Kyiv, 02094, Ukraine
| | | | - Diana Hodyna
- Department of Medical and Biological Researches, V.P. Kukhar Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and Petrochemistry, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, 1 Academician Kukhar Str, Kyiv, 02094, Ukraine
| | - Ivan Semenyuta
- Department of Medical and Biological Researches, V.P. Kukhar Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and Petrochemistry, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, 1 Academician Kukhar Str, Kyiv, 02094, Ukraine
| | - Vasyl Kovalishyn
- Department of Medical and Biological Researches, V.P. Kukhar Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and Petrochemistry, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, 1 Academician Kukhar Str, Kyiv, 02094, Ukraine
| | - Larysa Metelytsia
- Department of Medical and Biological Researches, V.P. Kukhar Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and Petrochemistry, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, 1 Academician Kukhar Str, Kyiv, 02094, Ukraine
| | - Sergiy Rogalsky
- Laboratory of Modification of Polymers, V.P. Kukhar Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and Petrochemistry, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, 50 Kharkivske shose, Kyiv, 02160, Ukraine.
| | - Sergey Tcherniuk
- IdeSip, 4 Rue Pierre Fontaine, 91058, Évry-Courcouronnes, France.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Youth Academy of Sciences, 2 Nemyrovych-Danchenko Str, Kyiv, 01011, Ukraine.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Mlakar V, Dupanloup I, Gonzales F, Papangelopoulou D, Ansari M, Gumy-Pause F. 17q Gain in Neuroblastoma: A Review of Clinical and Biological Implications. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:338. [PMID: 38254827 PMCID: PMC10814316 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16020338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most frequent extracranial solid childhood tumor. Despite advances in the understanding and treatment of this disease, the prognosis in cases of high-risk NB is still poor. 17q gain has been shown to be the most frequent genomic alteration in NB. However, the significance of this remains unclear because of its high frequency and association with other genetic modifications, particularly segmental chromosomal aberrations, 1p and 11q deletions, and MYCN amplification, all of which are also associated with a poor clinical prognosis. This work reviewed the evidence on the clinical and biological significance of 17q gain. It strongly supports the significance of 17q gain in the development of NB and its importance as a clinically relevant marker. However, it is crucial to distinguish between whole and partial chromosome 17q gains. The most important breakpoints appear to be at 17q12 and 17q21. The former distinguishes between whole and partial chromosome 17q gain; the latter is a site of IGF2BP1 and NME1 genes that appear to be the main oncogenes responsible for the functional effects of 17q gain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vid Mlakar
- Cansearch Research Platform for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Geneva, Rue Michel Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (I.D.); (F.G.); (D.P.); (M.A.); (F.G.-P.)
| | - Isabelle Dupanloup
- Cansearch Research Platform for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Geneva, Rue Michel Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (I.D.); (F.G.); (D.P.); (M.A.); (F.G.-P.)
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Amphipôle, Quartier UNIL-Sorge, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Fanny Gonzales
- Cansearch Research Platform for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Geneva, Rue Michel Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (I.D.); (F.G.); (D.P.); (M.A.); (F.G.-P.)
- Division of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Department of Women, Child and Adolescent, University Geneva Hospitals, Rue Willy-Donzé 6, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Danai Papangelopoulou
- Cansearch Research Platform for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Geneva, Rue Michel Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (I.D.); (F.G.); (D.P.); (M.A.); (F.G.-P.)
- Division of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Department of Women, Child and Adolescent, University Geneva Hospitals, Rue Willy-Donzé 6, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marc Ansari
- Cansearch Research Platform for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Geneva, Rue Michel Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (I.D.); (F.G.); (D.P.); (M.A.); (F.G.-P.)
- Division of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Department of Women, Child and Adolescent, University Geneva Hospitals, Rue Willy-Donzé 6, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Fabienne Gumy-Pause
- Cansearch Research Platform for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Geneva, Rue Michel Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (I.D.); (F.G.); (D.P.); (M.A.); (F.G.-P.)
- Division of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Department of Women, Child and Adolescent, University Geneva Hospitals, Rue Willy-Donzé 6, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Zhou Y, Yan H, Zhou Q, Wang P, Yang F, Yuan Z, Du Q, Zhai B. CCNB1IP1 prevents ubiquitination-mediated destabilization of MYCN and potentiates tumourigenesis of MYCN-amplificated neuroblastoma. Clin Transl Med 2023; 13:e1328. [PMID: 37461251 PMCID: PMC10352605 DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.1328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND MYCN amplification as a common genetic alteration that correlates with a poor prognosis for neuroblastoma (NB) patients. However, given the challenge of directly targeting MYCN, indirect strategies to modulate MYCN by interfering with its cofactors are attractive in NB treatment. Although cyclin B1 interacting protein 1 (CCNB1IP1) has been found to be upregulated in MYCN-driven mouse NB tissues, its regulation with MYCN and collaboration in driving the biological behaviour of NB remains unknown. METHODS To evaluate the expression and clinical significance of CCNB1IP1 in NB patients, public datasets, clinical NB samples and cell lines were explored. MTT, EdU incorporation, colony and tumour sphere formation assays, and a mouse xenograft tumour model were utilized to examine the biological function of CCNB1IP1. The reciprocal manipulation of CCNB1IP1 and MYCN and the underlying mechanisms involved were investigated by gain- and loss-of-function approaches, dual-luciferase assay, chromatin immunoprecipitation (CHIP) and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) experiments. RESULTS CCNB1IP1 was upregulated in MYCN-amplified (MYCN-AM) NB cell lines and patients-derived tumour tissues, which was associated with poor prognosis. Phenotypic studies revealed that CCNB1IP1 facilitated the proliferation and tumourigenicity of NB cells in cooperation with MYCN in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, MYCN directly mediates the transcription of CCNB1IP1, which in turn attenuated the ubiquitination and degradation of MYCN protein, thus enhancing CCNB1IP1-MYCN cooperativity. Moreover, CCNB1IP1 competed with F box/WD-40 domain protein 7 (FBXW7) for MYCN binding and enabled MYCN-mediated tumourigenesis in a C-terminal domain-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS Our study revealed a previously uncharacterized mechanism of CCNB1IP1-mediated MYCN protein stability and will provide new prospects for precise treatment of MYCN-AM NB based on MYCN-CCNB1IP1 interaction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhou
- Henan Provincial Clinical Research Center for Pediatric Diseases, Henan Key Laboratory of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolic Diseases, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Hui Yan
- Henan Provincial Clinical Research Center for Pediatric Diseases, Henan Key Laboratory of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolic Diseases, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Qiang Zhou
- Henan Provincial Clinical Research Center for Pediatric Diseases, Henan Key Laboratory of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolic Diseases, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
- Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Penggao Wang
- Henan Provincial Clinical Research Center for Pediatric Diseases, Henan Key Laboratory of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolic Diseases, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Fang Yang
- Henan Provincial Clinical Research Center for Pediatric Diseases, Henan Key Laboratory of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolic Diseases, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ziqiao Yuan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Qianming Du
- General Clinical Research Center, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, P. R. China
- School of Basic Medicine & Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Bo Zhai
- Henan Provincial Clinical Research Center for Pediatric Diseases, Henan Key Laboratory of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolic Diseases, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Krawczyk E, Kitlińska J. Preclinical Models of Neuroblastoma-Current Status and Perspectives. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3314. [PMID: 37444423 PMCID: PMC10340830 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15133314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Preclinical in vitro and in vivo models remain indispensable tools in cancer research. These classic models, including two- and three-dimensional cell culture techniques and animal models, are crucial for basic and translational studies. However, each model has its own limitations and typically does not fully recapitulate the course of the human disease. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of novel, advanced systems that can allow for efficient evaluation of the mechanisms underlying cancer development and progression, more accurately reflect the disease pathophysiology and complexity, and effectively inform therapeutic decisions for patients. Preclinical models are especially important for rare cancers, such as neuroblastoma, where the availability of patient-derived specimens that could be used for potential therapy evaluation and screening is limited. Neuroblastoma modeling is further complicated by the disease heterogeneity. In this review, we present the current status of preclinical models for neuroblastoma research, discuss their development and characteristics emphasizing strengths and limitations, and describe the necessity of the development of novel, more advanced and clinically relevant approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Krawczyk
- Department of Pathology, Center for Cell Reprogramming, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Joanna Kitlińska
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hagemann S, Misiak D, Bell JL, Fuchs T, Lederer MI, Bley N, Hämmerle M, Ghazy E, Sippl W, Schulte JH, Hüttelmaier S. IGF2BP1 induces neuroblastoma via a druggable feedforward loop with MYCN promoting 17q oncogene expression. Mol Cancer 2023; 22:88. [PMID: 37246217 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01792-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroblastoma is the most common solid tumor in infants accounting for approximately 15% of all cancer-related deaths. Over 50% of high-risk neuroblastoma relapse, emphasizing the need of novel drug targets and therapeutic strategies. In neuroblastoma, chromosomal gains at chromosome 17q, including IGF2BP1, and MYCN amplification at chromosome 2p are associated with adverse outcome. Recent, pre-clinical evidence indicates the feasibility of direct and indirect targeting of IGF2BP1 and MYCN in cancer treatment. METHODS Candidate oncogenes on 17q were identified by profiling the transcriptomic/genomic landscape of 100 human neuroblastoma samples and public gene essentiality data. Molecular mechanisms and gene expression profiles underlying the oncogenic and therapeutic target potential of the 17q oncogene IGF2BP1 and its cross-talk with MYCN were characterized and validated in human neuroblastoma cells, xenografts and PDX as well as novel IGF2BP1/MYCN transgene mouse models. RESULTS We reveal a novel, druggable feedforward loop of IGF2BP1 (17q) and MYCN (2p) in high-risk neuroblastoma. This promotes 2p/17q chromosomal gains and unleashes an oncogene storm resulting in fostered expression of 17q oncogenes like BIRC5 (survivin). Conditional, sympatho-adrenal transgene expression of IGF2BP1 induces neuroblastoma at a 100% incidence. IGF2BP1-driven malignancies are reminiscent to human high-risk neuroblastoma, including 2p/17q-syntenic chromosomal gains and upregulation of Mycn, Birc5, as well as key neuroblastoma circuit factors like Phox2b. Co-expression of IGF2BP1/MYCN reduces disease latency and survival probability by fostering oncogene expression. Combined inhibition of IGF2BP1 by BTYNB, MYCN by BRD inhibitors or BIRC5 by YM-155 is beneficial in vitro and, for BTYNB, also. CONCLUSION We reveal a novel, druggable neuroblastoma oncogene circuit settling on strong, transcriptional/post-transcriptional synergy of MYCN and IGF2BP1. MYCN/IGF2BP1 feedforward regulation promotes an oncogene storm harboring high therapeutic potential for combined, targeted inhibition of IGF2BP1, MYCN expression and MYCN/IGF2BP1-effectors like BIRC5.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sven Hagemann
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.
| | - Danny Misiak
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Jessica L Bell
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Tommy Fuchs
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Marcell I Lederer
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Nadine Bley
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Monika Hämmerle
- Institute of Pathology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Ehab Ghazy
- Institute of Pharmacy, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Sippl
- Institute of Pharmacy, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Johannes H Schulte
- Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Berlin, and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan Hüttelmaier
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Italia M, Wertheim KY, Taschner-Mandl S, Walker D, Dercole F. Mathematical Model of Clonal Evolution Proposes a Personalised Multi-Modal Therapy for High-Risk Neuroblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15071986. [PMID: 37046647 PMCID: PMC10093626 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15071986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most common extra-cranial solid tumour in children. Despite multi-modal therapy, over half of the high-risk patients will succumb. One contributing factor is the one-size-fits-all nature of multi-modal therapy. For example, during the first step (induction chemotherapy), the standard regimen (rapid COJEC) administers fixed doses of chemotherapeutic agents in eight two-week cycles. Perhaps because of differences in resistance, this standard regimen results in highly heterogeneous outcomes in different tumours. In this study, we formulated a mathematical model comprising ordinary differential equations. The equations describe the clonal evolution within a neuroblastoma tumour being treated with vincristine and cyclophosphamide, which are used in the rapid COJEC regimen, including genetically conferred and phenotypic drug resistance. The equations also describe the agents’ pharmacokinetics. We devised an optimisation algorithm to find the best chemotherapy schedules for tumours with different pre-treatment clonal compositions. The optimised chemotherapy schedules exploit the cytotoxic difference between the two drugs and intra-tumoural clonal competition to shrink the tumours as much as possible during induction chemotherapy and before surgical removal. They indicate that induction chemotherapy can be improved by finding and using personalised schedules. More broadly, we propose that the overall multi-modal therapy can be enhanced by employing targeted therapies against the mutations and oncogenic pathways enriched and activated by the chemotherapeutic agents. To translate the proposed personalised multi-modal therapy into clinical use, patient-specific model calibration and treatment optimisation are necessary. This entails a decision support system informed by emerging medical technologies such as multi-region sequencing and liquid biopsies. The results and tools presented in this paper could be the foundation of this decision support system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Italia
- Department of Electronic, Information, and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Kenneth Y. Wertheim
- Insigneo Institute for in Silico Medicine, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Centre of Excellence for Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Modelling, University of Hull, Kingston upon Hull HU6 7RX, UK
- School of Computer Science, University of Hull, Kingston upon Hull HU6 7RX, UK
| | | | - Dawn Walker
- Insigneo Institute for in Silico Medicine, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Fabio Dercole
- Department of Electronic, Information, and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Zhang S, Jiang R, Yang M, Wang T, Chen H, Shi Y, Liu W, Huang M. Identification of a novel eighteen-gene signature of recurrent metastasis neuroblastoma. J Mol Med (Berl) 2023; 101:403-417. [PMID: 36856811 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-023-02299-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most common malignant tumor in childhood, and metastases occur in more than 30% patients. Recurrent metastasis is the main cause of poor prognosis and high mortality in neuroblastoma. In this regard, there is still a lack of sufficient biomarkers and effective therapies. Therefore, we performed a multi-omics analysis of neuroblastoma patients from Therapeutically Applicable Research To Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET). With clinical relapse site information, tumor samples derived from the primary site were divided into recurrent metastasis and primary tumor groups. The initial gene signature was obtained by comparing RNA-Seq and copy number variation differences. Survival data was used to further filter prognosis-related genes. This 18-gene signature consists of three clusters: tumor suppression, cell proliferation, and immunity. A super enhancer is involved in the enhanced expression of NCAPG in cluster2 together with IRF3. Based on the gene signature expression in primary neuroblastoma, it is possible to predict tumor metastasis before it occurs. According to the anticancer drug dataset of Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC), vinorelbine and docetaxel were predicted to have high sensitivity against recurrent metastatic neuroblastoma. In conclusion, our study offers a novel metastasis biomarker and helps understand the mechanisms of tumor recurrent metastasis. KEY MESSAGES: We identified a novel eighteen-gene signature of recurrent metastasis neuroblastoma and build risk and classification models. We dissected the regulatory role of NCAPG in signatures. We found immune exhaustion and immunosuppression in recurrent metastasis neuroblastoma. Vinorelbine and docetaxel were predicted to have high sensitivity against recurrent metastatic neuroblastoma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shufan Zhang
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Rong Jiang
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Manqiu Yang
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Cambridge-Suda Genomic Research Center, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Hui Chen
- Human Genetics, Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138672, Singapore
| | - Yifan Shi
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Wei Liu
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China.
| | - Moli Huang
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Mills CM, Benton TZ, Piña I, Francis MJ, Reyes L, Dolloff NG, Peterson YK, Woster PM. Stimulation of natural killer cells with small molecule inhibitors of CD38 for the treatment of neuroblastoma. Chem Sci 2023; 14:2168-2182. [PMID: 36845935 PMCID: PMC9945084 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc05749b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
High-risk neuroblastoma (NB) accounts for 15% of all pediatric cancer deaths. Refractory disease for high-risk NB patients is attributed to chemotherapy resistance and immunotherapy failure. The poor prognosis for high-risk NB patients demonstrates an unmet medical need for the development of new, more efficacious therapeutics. CD38 is an immunomodulating protein that is expressed constitutively on natural killer (NK) cells and other immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Furthermore, CD38 over expression is implicated in propagating an immunosuppressive milieu within the TME. Through virtual and physical screening, we have identified drug-like small molecule inhibitors of CD38 with low micromolar IC50 values. We have begun to explore structure activity relationships for CD38 inhibition through derivatization of our most effective hit molecule to develop a new compound with lead-like physicochemical properties and improved potency. We have demonstrated that our derivatized inhibitor, compound 2, elicits immunomodulatory effects in NK cells by increasing cell viability by 190 ± 36% in multiple donors and by significantly increasing interferon gamma. Additionally, we have illustrated that NK cells exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity toward NB cells (14% reduction of NB cells over 90 minutes) when given a combination treatment of our inhibitor and the immunocytokine ch14.18-IL2. Herein we describe the synthesis and biological evaluation of small molecule CD38 inhibitors and demonstrate their potential utility as a novel approach to NB immunotherapy. These compounds represent the first examples of small molecules that stimulate immune function for the treatment of cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Catherine M Mills
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
| | - Thomas Z Benton
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
| | - Ivett Piña
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
| | - Megan J Francis
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
| | - Leticia Reyes
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
| | - Nathan G Dolloff
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
| | - Yuri K Peterson
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
| | - Patrick M Woster
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina 70 President St Charleston SC 29425 USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Wang N, Chen RX, Deng MH, Wei WS, Zhou ZH, Ning K, Li YH, Li XD, Ye YL, Wen JH, Dong B, Zhang XP, Liu ZW, Zhou FJ. m(5)C-dependent cross-regulation between nuclear reader ALYREF and writer NSUN2 promotes urothelial bladder cancer malignancy through facilitating RABL6/TK1 mRNAs splicing and stabilization. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:139. [PMID: 36806253 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-05661-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
The significance of 5-methylcytosine (m5C) methylation in human malignancies has become an increasing focus of investigation. Here, we show that m5C regulators including writers, readers and erasers, are predominantly upregulated in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) derived from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center and The Cancer Genome Atlas cohort. In addition, NOP2/Sun RNA methyltransferase family member 2 (NSUN2) as a methyltransferase and Aly/REF export factor (ALYREF) as a nuclear m5C reader, are frequently coexpressed in UCB. By applying patient-derived organoids model and orthotopic xenograft mice model, we demonstrate that ALYREF enhances proliferation and invasion of UCB cells in an m5C-dependent manner. Integration of tanscriptome-wide RNA bisulphite sequencing (BisSeq), RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and RNA Immunoprecipitation (RIP)-seq analysis revealed that ALYREF specifically binds to hypermethylated m5C site in RAB, member RAS oncogene family like 6 (RABL6) and thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) mRNA via its K171 domain. ALYREF controls UCB malignancies through promoting hypermethylated RABL6 and TK1 mRNA for splicing and stabilization. Moreover, ALYREF recognizes hypermethylated m5C site of NSUN2, resulting in NSUN2 upregulation in UCB. Clinically, the patients with high coexpression of ALYREF/RABL6/TK1 axis had the poorest overall survival. Our study unveils an m5C dependent cross-regulation between nuclear reader ALYREF and m5C writer NSUN2 in activation of hypermethylated m5C oncogenic RNA through promoting splicing and maintaining stabilization, consequently leading to tumor progression, which provides profound insights into therapeutic strategy for UCB.
Collapse
|
11
|
Mañas A, Aaltonen K, Andersson N, Hansson K, Adamska A, Seger A, Yasui H, van den Bos H, Radke K, Esfandyari J, Bhave MS, Karlsson J, Spierings D, Foijer F, Gisselsson D, Bexell D. Clinically relevant treatment of PDX models reveals patterns of neuroblastoma chemoresistance. Sci Adv 2022; 8:eabq4617. [PMID: 36306349 PMCID: PMC9616506 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq4617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Chemotherapy resistance and relapses are common in high-risk neuroblastoma (NB). Here, we developed a clinically relevant in vivo treatment protocol mimicking the first-line five-chemotherapy treatment regimen of high-risk NB and applied this protocol to mice with MYCN-amplified NB patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). Genomic and transcriptomic analyses were used to reveal NB chemoresistance mechanisms. Intrinsic resistance was associated with high genetic diversity and an embryonic phenotype. Relapsed NB with acquired resistance showed a decreased adrenergic phenotype and an enhanced immature mesenchymal-like phenotype, resembling multipotent Schwann cell precursors. NBs with a favorable treatment response presented a lineage-committed adrenergic phenotype similar to normal neuroblasts. Novel integrated phenotypic gene signatures reflected treatment response and patient prognosis. NB organoids established from relapsed PDX tumors retained drug resistance, tumorigenicity, and transcriptional cell states. This work sheds light on the mechanisms of NB chemotherapy response and emphasizes the importance of transcriptional cell states in chemoresistance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Mañas
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund 22381, Sweden
| | - Kristina Aaltonen
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund 22381, Sweden
| | - Natalie Andersson
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund 22185, Sweden
| | - Karin Hansson
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund 22381, Sweden
- Cancer Stem Cell Laboratory, The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Aleksandra Adamska
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund 22381, Sweden
| | - Alexandra Seger
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund 22381, Sweden
| | - Hiroaki Yasui
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund 22185, Sweden
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Hilda van den Bos
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing (ERIBA), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, AV, Groningen 9713, Netherlands
| | - Katarzyna Radke
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund 22381, Sweden
| | - Javanshir Esfandyari
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund 22381, Sweden
| | - Madhura Satish Bhave
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund 22381, Sweden
| | - Jenny Karlsson
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund 22185, Sweden
| | - Diana Spierings
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing (ERIBA), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, AV, Groningen 9713, Netherlands
| | - Floris Foijer
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing (ERIBA), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, AV, Groningen 9713, Netherlands
| | - David Gisselsson
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund 22185, Sweden
- Department of Pathology, Laboratory Medicine, Skane University Hospital, Lund 22184, Sweden
| | - Daniel Bexell
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund 22381, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Yu EY, Cheung NKV, Lue NF. Connecting telomere maintenance and regulation to the developmental origin and differentiation states of neuroblastoma tumor cells. J Hematol Oncol 2022; 15:117. [PMID: 36030273 PMCID: PMC9420296 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-022-01337-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A cardinal feature that distinguishes clinically high-risk neuroblastoma from low-risk tumors is telomere maintenance. Specifically, neuroblastoma tumors with either active telomerase or alternative lengthening of telomeres exhibit aggressive growth characteristics that lead to poor outcomes, whereas tumors without telomere maintenance can be managed with observation or minimal treatment. Even though the need for cancer cells to maintain telomere DNA-in order to sustain cell proliferation-is well established, recent studies suggest that the neural crest origin of neuroblastoma may enforce unique relationships between telomeres and tumor malignancy. Specifically in neuroblastoma, telomere structure and telomerase activity are correlated with the adrenergic/mesenchymal differentiation states, and manipulating telomerase activity can trigger tumor cell differentiation. Both findings may reflect features of normal neural crest development. This review summarizes recent advances in the characterization of telomere structure and telomere maintenance mechanisms in neuroblastoma and discusses the findings in the context of relevant literature on telomeres during embryonic and neural development. Understanding the canonical and non-canonical roles of telomere maintenance in neuroblastoma could reveal vulnerabilities for telomere-directed therapies with potential applications to other pediatric malignancies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eun Young Yu
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, W. R. Hearst Microbiology Research Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Nai-Kong V Cheung
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Neal F Lue
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, W. R. Hearst Microbiology Research Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Baranowska-Kortylewicz J, Kortylewicz ZP, McIntyre EM, Sharp JG, Coulter DW. Multifarious Functions of Butyrylcholinesterase in Neuroblastoma: Impact of BCHE Deletion on the Neuroblastoma Growth In Vitro and In Vivo. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2022; 44:293-304. [PMID: 34486544 DOI: 10.1097/mph.0000000000002285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The physiological functions of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and its role in malignancy remain unexplained. Our studies in children newly diagnosed with neuroblastoma indicated that BChE expressions is proportional to MYCN amplification suggesting that pathogenesis of high-risk disease may be related to the persistent expression of abnormally high levels of tumor-associated BChE. BChE-deficient neuroblastoma cells (KO [knockout]) were produced from MYCN -amplified BE(2)-C cells (WT [wild-type]) by the CRISPR-Cas9 targeted disruption of the BCHE locus. KO cells have no detectable BChE activity. The compensatory acetylcholinesterase activity was not detected. The average population doubling time of KO cells is 47.0±2.4 hours, >2× longer than WT cells. Reduced proliferation rates of KO cells were accompanied by the loss of N-Myc protein and a significant deactivation of tyrosine kinase receptors associated with the aggressive neuroblastoma phenotype including Ros1, TrkB, and Ltk. Tumorigenicity of WT and KO cells in male mice was essentially identical. In contrast, KO xenografts in female mice were very small (0.37±0.10 g), ~3× smaller compared with WT xenografts (1.11±0.30 g). Unexpectedly, KO xenografts produced changes in plasma BChE similarly to WT tumors but lesser in magnitude. The disruption of BCHE locus in MYCN -amplified neuroblastoma cells decelerates proliferation and produces neuroblastoma cells that are less aggressive in female mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - John G Sharp
- Genetics, Cell Biology, and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
| | - Don W Coulter
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Departments of Pediatrics
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Stefàno E, Muscella A, Benedetti M, De Castro F, Fanizzi FP, Marsigliante S. Antitumor and antimigration effects of a new Pt compound on neuroblastoma cells. Biochem Pharmacol 2022; 202:115124. [PMID: 35688179 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2022.115124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Among the new Pt complexes with anticancer properties, phenanthroline derivatives have aroused great interest due to their different mode of action compared to cisplatin. We previously examined cytotoxic effects of a new Pt(II)-complex containing 1,10-phenantroline (phen), [Pt(η1-C2H4OMe)(DMSO)(phen)]Cl, in a panel of eight human cancer cell lines, and showed that it exerted the greatest cytotoxic effect in the neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. In this study, the antiproliferative and antimetastatic potential of [Pt(η1-C2H4OMe)(DMSO)(phen)]+ (in short Pt-EtOMeSOphen) was investigated in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y, SK-N-SH and SK-N-BE(2) cells. Pt-EtOMeSOphen provoked the early signs of apoptosis induction (cleavage of PARP and activation of caspases-9 and -7); it also increased the level of proapoptotic Bax protein whereas it decreased the level of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein. The effects of Pt-EtOMeSOphen on migration and invasion processes were also evaluated. A decrease of cell migration/invasion by Pt-EtOMeSOphen was observed through 2D and 3D in vitro assays. Pt-EtOMeSOphen was found to exert its actions by decreasing MMP-9 and MMP-2 expressions and activities. Pt-EtOMeSOphen provoked the phosphorylation of both ERK1/2 and p38 MAPKs. All the effects of Pt-EtOMeSOphen on SH-SY5Y cell vitality, migration and metalloproteases activities described here were due to the activation of p38 MAPK since pharmacological p38 MAPK inhibition or small interfering RNAs to p38 MAPK mRNA blocked such effects. Results suggest that Pt-EtOMeSOphen inhibits neuroblastoma cancer cells survival, motility, and invasion. This could lead to the reduction of neuroblastoma metastatic potential.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erika Stefàno
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, Centro Ecotekne, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Antonella Muscella
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, Centro Ecotekne, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
| | - Michele Benedetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, Centro Ecotekne, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
| | - Federica De Castro
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, Centro Ecotekne, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Francesco Paolo Fanizzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, Centro Ecotekne, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Santo Marsigliante
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, Centro Ecotekne, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
You Y, Fu Y, Huang M, Shen D, Zhao B, Liu H, Zheng Y, Huang L. Recent Advances of m6A Demethylases Inhibitors and Their Biological Functions in Human Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:5815. [PMID: 35628623 PMCID: PMC9144293 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23105815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is a post-transcriptional RNA modification and one of the most abundant types of RNA chemical modifications. m6A functions as a molecular switch and is involved in a range of biomedical aspects, including cardiovascular diseases, the central nervous system, and cancers. Conceptually, m6A methylation can be dynamically and reversibly modulated by RNA methylation regulatory proteins, resulting in diverse fates of mRNAs. This review focuses on m6A demethylases fat-mass- and obesity-associated protein (FTO) and alkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5), which especially erase m6A modification from target mRNAs. Recent advances have highlighted that FTO and ALKBH5 play an oncogenic role in various cancers, such as acute myeloid leukemias (AML), glioblastoma, and breast cancer. Moreover, studies in vitro and in mouse models confirmed that FTO-specific inhibitors exhibited anti-tumor effects in several cancers. Accumulating evidence has suggested the possibility of FTO and ALKBH5 as therapeutic targets for specific diseases. In this review, we aim to illustrate the structural properties of these two m6A demethylases and the development of their specific inhibitors. Additionally, this review will summarize the biological functions of these two m6A demethylases in various types of cancers and other human diseases.
Collapse
|
16
|
Wolpaw AJ, Grossmann LD, Dessau JL, Dong MM, Aaron BJ, Brafford PA, Volgina D, Pascual-Pasto G, Rodriguez-Garcia A, Uzun Y, Arsenian-Henriksson M, Powell DJ Jr, Bosse KR, Kossenkov A, Tan K, Hogarty MD, Maris JM, Dang CV. Epigenetic state determines inflammatory sensing in neuroblastoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2102358119. [PMID: 35121657 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2102358119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, but many cancers are not impacted by currently available immunotherapeutic strategies. Here, we investigated inflammatory signaling pathways in neuroblastoma, a classically "cold" pediatric cancer. By testing the functional response of a panel of 20 diverse neuroblastoma cell lines to three different inflammatory stimuli, we found that all cell lines have intact interferon signaling, and all but one lack functional cytosolic DNA sensing via cGAS-STING. However, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) sensing via Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) was heterogeneous, as was signaling through other dsRNA sensors and TLRs more broadly. Seven cell lines showed robust response to dsRNA, six of which are in the mesenchymal epigenetic state, while all unresponsive cell lines are in the adrenergic state. Genetically switching adrenergic cell lines toward the mesenchymal state fully restored responsiveness. In responsive cells, dsRNA sensing results in the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, enrichment of inflammatory transcriptomic signatures, and increased tumor killing by T cells in vitro. Using single-cell RNA sequencing data, we show that human neuroblastoma cells with stronger mesenchymal signatures have a higher basal inflammatory state, demonstrating intratumoral heterogeneity in inflammatory signaling that has significant implications for immunotherapeutic strategies in this aggressive childhood cancer.
Collapse
|
17
|
Tan WQ, Yuan L, Wu XY, He CG, Zhu SC, Ye M. Exosome-delivered circular RNA DLGAP4 induces chemoresistance via miR-143-HK2 axis in neuroblastoma. Cancer Biomark 2022; 34:375-384. [PMID: 35068445 DOI: 10.3233/cbm-210272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence validates that aerobic glycolysis is involved in chemotherapy resistance in human malignant tumors. In the present study, we explored the role of exosome-delivered circular RNA DLGAP4 (circDLGAP4), a novel identified circRNAs, in the chemoresistance of neuroblastoma (NB) cells. Our study demonstrated that doxorubicin-resistant cells expressed higher HK2, accompanied with enhanced glycolysis. In addition, circDLGAP4 was validated to act as a sponge for the HK2-targeting miR-143. As a molecular cargo, exosomes were found to deliver circDLGAP4 from doxorubicin-resistant cells to the sensitive cells. Functionally, exosomal circDLGAP4 enhanced glycolysis and drug resistance via regulating miR-143 and HK2 in NB cells. Consistently, upregulation of HK2 induced by circDLGAP4 or miR-143 inhibitors produced the similar malignant transformation in NB cells. However, knockdown of circDLGA P4 could reversed the drug resistance in the recipient cells. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that exosome-delivered circDLGAP4 promotes the glycolysis, proliferation, and invasion of sensitive NB cells by regulating miR-143 and HK2, providing a novel link between drug resistance and circDLGAP4/miR-143/HK2 axis in drug-resistant NB.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Qiang Tan
- Department of Surgery, Xiangan Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- Department of Surgery, Xiangan Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Li Yuan
- Department of Surgery, Xiangan Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- Department of Surgery, Xiangan Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Xiao-Yan Wu
- Department of Surgery, Xiangan Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Cheng-Guang He
- Department of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, Yancheng Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Yancheng, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shai-Cheng Zhu
- Department of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, Yancheng Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Yancheng, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ming Ye
- Department of Surgery, Xiangan Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Barker KT, Yogev O. Establishment of In Vivo Acquired Resistance to Chemotherapy Via Individual Dose Escalation Treatment Regime. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2535:73-83. [PMID: 35867223 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2513-2_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The vast majority of cancer deaths are the result of drug resistance. The lack of superior preclinical models that better reflect the complexity of relapsed disease hinders the development of novel therapeutics. 2D and 3D in vitro cell-based assays have provided some information, but this is limited and does not consider the role of the tumor microenvironment. The development of an in vivo assay can allow to generate resistance, while taking into account the role of the tumor microenvironment and the tumor structure. To achieve this, we have developed an in vivo dose-escalation protocol that models the acquisition of resistance. This model of chemo-resistant neuroblastoma presented with metastases and a genetic signature characteristic of clinical relapsed tumors (Yogev et al. Cancer Res. 79:5382-5393, 2019). We believe that this protocol can be used to generate faithful models for other types of relapse disease; these could serve as reliable tools while developing novel therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karen T Barker
- Division of Clinical Studies, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Orli Yogev
- CRUK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Nunes-Xavier CE, Zaldumbide L, Mosteiro L, López-Almaraz R, García de Andoin N, Aguirre P, Emaldi M, Torices L, López JI, Pulido R. Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases in Neuroblastoma: Emerging Roles as Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:811297. [PMID: 34957126 PMCID: PMC8692838 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.811297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is a type of cancer intimately related with early development and differentiation of neuroendocrine cells, and constitutes one of the pediatric cancers with higher incidence and mortality. Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are key regulators of cell growth and differentiation by their direct effect on tyrosine dephosphorylation of specific protein substrates, exerting major functions in the modulation of intracellular signaling during neuron development in response to external cues driving cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation. We review here the current knowledge on the role of PTPs in neuroblastoma cell growth, survival, and differentiation. The potential of PTPs as biomarkers and molecular targets for inhibition in neuroblastoma therapies is discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline E. Nunes-Xavier
- Biomarkers in Cancer Unit, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- *Correspondence: Caroline E. Nunes-Xavier, ; Rafael Pulido,
| | - Laura Zaldumbide
- Department of Pathology, Cruces University Hospital, Barakaldo, Spain
| | - Lorena Mosteiro
- Department of Pathology, Cruces University Hospital, Barakaldo, Spain
| | | | | | - Pablo Aguirre
- Department of Pathology, Donostia University Hospital, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Maite Emaldi
- Biomarkers in Cancer Unit, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain
| | - Leire Torices
- Biomarkers in Cancer Unit, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain
| | - José I. López
- Biomarkers in Cancer Unit, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain
- Department of Pathology, Cruces University Hospital, Barakaldo, Spain
| | - Rafael Pulido
- Biomarkers in Cancer Unit, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
- *Correspondence: Caroline E. Nunes-Xavier, ; Rafael Pulido,
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Ciaccio R, De Rosa P, Aloisi S, Viggiano M, Cimadom L, Zadran SK, Perini G, Milazzo G. Targeting Oncogenic Transcriptional Networks in Neuroblastoma: From N-Myc to Epigenetic Drugs. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:12883. [PMID: 34884690 PMCID: PMC8657550 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222312883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the most frequently occurring neurogenic extracranial solid cancers in childhood and infancy. Over the years, many pieces of evidence suggested that NB development is controlled by gene expression dysregulation. These unleashed programs that outline NB cancer cells make them highly dependent on specific tuning of gene expression, which can act co-operatively to define the differentiation state, cell identity, and specialized functions. The peculiar regulation is mainly caused by genetic and epigenetic alterations, resulting in the dependency on a small set of key master transcriptional regulators as the convergence point of multiple signalling pathways. In this review, we provide a comprehensive blueprint of transcriptional regulation bearing NB initiation and progression, unveiling the complexity of novel oncogenic and tumour suppressive regulatory networks of this pathology. Furthermore, we underline the significance of multi-target therapies against these hallmarks, showing how novel approaches, together with chemotherapy, surgery, or radiotherapy, can have substantial antineoplastic effects, disrupting a wide variety of tumorigenic pathways through combinations of different treatments.
Collapse
|
21
|
Yu EY, Zahid SS, Aloe S, Falck-Pedersen E, Zhou XK, Cheung NKV, Lue NF. Reciprocal impacts of telomerase activity and ADRN/MES differentiation state in neuroblastoma tumor biology. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1315. [PMID: 34799676 PMCID: PMC8604896 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02821-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomere maintenance and tumor cell differentiation have been separately implicated in neuroblastoma malignancy. Their mechanistic connection is unclear. We analyzed neuroblastoma cell lines and morphologic subclones representing the adrenergic (ADRN) and mesenchymal (MES) differentiation states and uncovered sharp differences in their telomere protein and telomerase activity levels. Pharmacologic conversion of ADRN into MES cells elicited consistent and robust changes in the expression of telomere-related proteins. Conversely, stringent down-regulation of telomerase activity triggers the differentiation of ADRN into MES cells, which was reversible upon telomerase up-regulation. Interestingly, the MES differentiation state is associated with elevated levels of innate immunity factors, including key components of the DNA-sensing pathway. Accordingly, MES but not ADRN cells can mount a robust response to viral infections in vitro. A gene expression signature based on telomere and cell lineage-related factors can cluster neuroblastoma tumor samples into predominantly ADRN or MES-like groups, with distinct clinical outcomes. Our findings establish a strong mechanistic connection between telomere and differentiation and suggest that manipulating telomeres may suppress malignancy not only by limiting the tumor growth potential but also by inducing tumor cell differentiation and altering its immunogenicity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eun Young Yu
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, W. R. Hearst Microbiology Research Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Syed S Zahid
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, W. R. Hearst Microbiology Research Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sarah Aloe
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, W. R. Hearst Microbiology Research Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Erik Falck-Pedersen
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, W. R. Hearst Microbiology Research Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xi Kathy Zhou
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nai-Kong V Cheung
- Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Neal F Lue
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, W. R. Hearst Microbiology Research Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Wong RLY, Wong MRE, Kuick CH, Saffari SE, Wong MK, Tan SH, Merchant K, Chang KTE, Thangavelu M, Periyasamy G, Chen ZX, Iyer P, Tan EEK, Soh SY, Iyer NG, Fan Q, Loh AHP. Integrated Genomic Profiling and Drug Screening of Patient-Derived Cultures Identifies Individualized Copy Number-Dependent Susceptibilities Involving PI3K Pathway and 17q Genes in Neuroblastoma. Front Oncol 2021; 11:709525. [PMID: 34722256 PMCID: PMC8551924 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.709525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the commonest extracranial pediatric malignancy. With few recurrent single nucleotide variations (SNVs), mutation-based precision oncology approaches have limited utility, but its frequent and heterogenous copy number variations (CNVs) could represent genomic dependencies that may be exploited for personalized therapy. Patient-derived cell culture (PDC) models can facilitate rapid testing of multiple agents to determine such individualized drug-responses. Thus, to study the relationship between individual genomic aberrations and therapeutic susceptibilities, we integrated comprehensive genomic profiling of neuroblastoma tumors with drug screening of corresponding PDCs against 418 targeted inhibitors. We quantified the strength of association between copy number and cytotoxicity, and validated significantly correlated gene-drug pairs in public data and using machine learning models. Somatic mutations were infrequent (3.1 per case), but copy number losses in 1p (31%) and 11q (38%), and gains in 17q (69%) were prevalent. Critically, in-vitro cytotoxicity significantly correlated only with CNVs, but not SNVs. Among 1278 significantly correlated gene-drug pairs, copy number of GNA13 and DNA damage response genes CBL, DNMT3A, and PPM1D were most significantly correlated with cytotoxicity; the drugs most commonly associated with these genes were PI3K/mTOR inhibitor PIK-75, and CDK inhibitors P276-00, SNS-032, AT7519, flavopiridol and dinaciclib. Predictive Markov random field models constructed from CNVs alone recapitulated the true z-score-weighted associations, with the strongest gene-drug functional interactions in subnetworks involving PI3K and JAK-STAT pathways. Together, our data defined individualized dose-dependent relationships between copy number gains of PI3K and STAT family genes particularly on 17q and susceptibility to PI3K and cell cycle agents in neuroblastoma. Integration of genomic profiling and drug screening of patient-derived models of neuroblastoma can quantitatively define copy number-dependent sensitivities to targeted inhibitors, which can guide personalized therapy for such mutationally quiet cancers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Megan R E Wong
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Chik Hong Kuick
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Seyed Ehsan Saffari
- Centre for Quantitative Medicine, Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Meng Kang Wong
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Sheng Hui Tan
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Khurshid Merchant
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kenneth T E Chang
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Matan Thangavelu
- Centre for High Throughput Phenomics (CHiP-GIS), Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Giridharan Periyasamy
- Centre for High Throughput Phenomics (CHiP-GIS), Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Zhi Xiong Chen
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Prasad Iyer
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Paediatric Subspecialties Haematology Oncology Service, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Enrica E K Tan
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Paediatric Subspecialties Haematology Oncology Service, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shui Yen Soh
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Paediatric Subspecialties Haematology Oncology Service, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - N Gopalakrishna Iyer
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,Division of Medical Sciences, National Cancer Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Qiao Fan
- Centre for Quantitative Medicine, Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Amos H P Loh
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Paediatric Surgery, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Kling MJ, Griggs CN, McIntyre EM, Alexander G, Ray S, Challagundla KB, Joshi SS, Coulter DW, Chaturvedi NK. Synergistic efficacy of inhibiting MYCN and mTOR signaling against neuroblastoma. BMC Cancer 2021; 21:1061. [PMID: 34565342 PMCID: PMC8474810 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-021-08782-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroblastoma (NB) patients with MYCN amplification or overexpression respond poorly to current therapies and exhibit extremely poor clinical outcomes. PI3K-mTOR signaling-driven deregulation of protein synthesis is very common in NB and various other cancers that promote MYCN stabilization. In addition, both the MYCN and mTOR signaling axes can directly regulate a common translation pathway that leads to increased protein synthesis and cell proliferation. However, a strategy of concurrently targeting MYCN and mTOR signaling in NB remains unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of targeting dysregulated protein synthesis pathways by inhibiting the MYCN and mTOR pathways together in NB. METHODS Using small molecule/pharmacologic approaches, we evaluated the effects of combined inhibition of MYCN transcription and mTOR signaling on NB cell growth/survival and associated molecular mechanism(s) in NB cell lines. We used two well-established BET (bromodomain extra-terminal) protein inhibitors (JQ1, OTX-015), and a clinically relevant mTOR inhibitor, temsirolimus, to target MYCN transcription and mTOR signaling, respectively. The single agent and combined efficacies of these inhibitors on NB cell growth, apoptosis, cell cycle and neurospheres were assessed using MTT, Annexin-V, propidium-iodide staining and sphere assays, respectively. Effects of inhibitors on global protein synthesis were quantified using a fluorescence-based (FamAzide)-based protein synthesis assay. Further, we investigated the specificities of these inhibitors in targeting the associated pathways/molecules using western blot analyses. RESULTS Co-treatment of JQ1 or OTX-015 with temsirolimus synergistically suppressed NB cell growth/survival by inducing G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis with greatest efficacy in MYCN-amplified NB cells. Mechanistically, the co-treatment of JQ1 or OTX-015 with temsirolimus significantly downregulated the expression levels of phosphorylated 4EBP1/p70-S6K/eIF4E (mTOR components) and BRD4 (BET protein)/MYCN proteins. Further, this combination significantly inhibited global protein synthesis, compared to single agents. Our findings also demonstrated that both JQ1 and temsirolimus chemosensitized NB cells when tested in combination with cisplatin chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS Together, our findings demonstrate synergistic efficacy of JQ1 or OTX-015 and temsirolimus against MYCN-driven NB, by dual-inhibition of MYCN (targeting transcription) and mTOR (targeting translation). Additional preclinical evaluation is warranted to determine the clinical utility of targeted therapy for high-risk NB patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Kling
- Department of Pediatrics, Hematology/Oncology Division, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986395, Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Connor N Griggs
- Department of Pediatrics, Hematology/Oncology Division, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986395, Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Erin M McIntyre
- Department of Pediatrics, Hematology/Oncology Division, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986395, Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Gracey Alexander
- Department of Pediatrics, Hematology/Oncology Division, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986395, Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Sutapa Ray
- Department of Pediatrics, Hematology/Oncology Division, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986395, Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Kishore B Challagundla
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Shantaram S Joshi
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Don W Coulter
- Department of Pediatrics, Hematology/Oncology Division, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986395, Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Nagendra K Chaturvedi
- Department of Pediatrics, Hematology/Oncology Division, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986395, Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Merlos Rodrigo MA, Casar B, Michalkova H, Jimenez Jimenez AM, Heger Z, Adam V. Extending the Applicability of In Ovo and Ex Ovo Chicken Chorioallantoic Membrane Assays to Study Cytostatic Activity in Neuroblastoma Cells. Front Oncol 2021; 11:707366. [PMID: 34540673 PMCID: PMC8440826 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.707366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose The chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay can provide an alternative versatile, cost-effective, and ethically less controversial in vivo model for reliable screening of drugs. In the presented work, we demonstrate that CAM assay (in ovo and ex ovo) can be simply employed to delineate the effects of cisplatin (CDDP) and ellipticine (Elli) on neuroblastoma (Nbl) cells in terms of their growth and metastatic potential. Methods The Nbl UKF-NB-4 cell line was established from recurrent bone marrow metastases of high-risk Nbl (stage IV, MYCN amplification, 7q21 gain). Ex ovo and in ovo CAM assays were optimized to evaluate the antimetastatic activity of CDDP and Elli. Immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, and DNA isolation were performed. Results Ex ovo CAM assay was employed to study whether CDDP and Elli exhibit any inhibitory effects on growth of Nbl xenograft in ex ovo CAM assay. Under the optimal conditions, Elli and CDDP exhibited significant inhibition of the size of the primary tumor. To study the efficiency of CDDP and Elli to inhibit primary Nbl tumor growth, intravasation, and extravasation in the organs, we adapted the in ovo CAM assay protocol. In in ovo CAM assay, both studied compounds (CDDP and Elli) exhibited significant (p < 0.001) inhibitory activity against extravasation to all investigated organs including distal CAM. Conclusions Taken together, CAM assay could be a helpful and highly efficient in vivo approach for high-throughput screening of libraries of compounds with expected anticancer activities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Angel Merlos Rodrigo
- Research Group for Molecular Biology and Nanomedicine, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czechia.,Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czechia
| | - Berta Casar
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (IBBTEC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) - Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Hana Michalkova
- Research Group for Molecular Biology and Nanomedicine, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czechia.,Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czechia
| | - Ana Maria Jimenez Jimenez
- Research Group for Molecular Biology and Nanomedicine, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czechia.,Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czechia
| | - Zbynek Heger
- Research Group for Molecular Biology and Nanomedicine, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czechia.,Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czechia
| | - Vojtech Adam
- Research Group for Molecular Biology and Nanomedicine, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czechia.,Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czechia
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Nie S, Zhang L, Liu J, Wan Y, Jiang Y, Yang J, Sun R, Ma X, Sun G, Meng H, Xu M, Cheng W. ALKBH5-HOXA10 loop-mediated JAK2 m6A demethylation and cisplatin resistance in epithelial ovarian cancer. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2021; 40:284. [PMID: 34496932 PMCID: PMC8425158 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-021-02088-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Background Chemotherapy resistance remains a barrier to improving the prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). ALKBH5 has recently been shown to be one of the RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) demethyltransferases associated with various cancers, but its role in cancer therapeutic resistance remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5) in cisplatin-resistant EOC. Methods Functional assays were performed both in vitro and in vivo. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), m6A-modified RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-seq), chromatin immunoprecipitation, RNA immunoprecipitation, and luciferase reporter and actinomycin-D assays were performed to investigate RNA/RNA interaction and m6A modification of the ALKBH5-HOXA10 loop. Results ALKBH5 was upregulated in cisplatin-resistant EOC and promoted cancer cell cisplatin resistance both in vivo and in vitro. Notably, HOXA10 formed a loop with ALKBH5 and was found to be the upstream transcription factor of ALKBH5. HOXA10 overexpression also facilitated EOC cell chemoresistance both in vivo and in vitro. Collective results of MeRIP-seq and RNA-seq showed that JAK2 is the m6A-modified gene targeted by ALKBH5. The JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway was activated by overexpression of the ALKBH5-HOXA10 loop, resulting in EOC chemoresistance. Cell sensitivity to cisplatin was rescued by ALKBH5 and HOXA10 knockdown or inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in EOC cells overexpressing ALKBH5-HOXA10. Conclusions The ALKBH5-HOXA10 loop jointly activates the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway by mediating JAK2 m6A demethylation, promoting EOC resistance to cisplatin. Thus, inhibition of the expression of the ALKBH5-HOXA10 loop may be a potential strategy to overcome cisplatin resistance in EOC. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13046-021-02088-1.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sipei Nie
- Department of Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lin Zhang
- Department of Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jinhui Liu
- Department of Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yicong Wan
- Department of Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yi Jiang
- Department of Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Rui Sun
- Department of Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiaolling Ma
- Department of Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guodong Sun
- Department of Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Huangyang Meng
- Department of Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Mengting Xu
- Department of Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wenjun Cheng
- Department of Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Pezeshki PS, Moeinafshar A, Ghaemdoust F, Razi S, Keshavarz-Fathi M, Rezaei N. Advances in pharmacotherapy for neuroblastoma. Expert Opin Pharmacother 2021; 22:2383-2404. [PMID: 34254549 DOI: 10.1080/14656566.2021.1953470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Neuroblastoma is the most prevalent cancer type diagnosed within the first year after birth and accounts for 15% of deaths from pediatric cancer. Despite the improvements in survival rates of patients with neuroblastoma, the incidence of the disease has increased over the last decade. Neuroblastoma tumor cells harbor a vast range of variable and heterogeneous histochemical and genetic alterations which calls for the need to administer individualized and targeted therapies to induce tumor regression in each patient. AREAS COVERED This paper provides reviews the recent clinical trials which used chemotherapeutic and/or targeted agents as either monotherapies or in combination to improve the response rate in patients with neuroblastoma, and especially high-risk neuroblastoma. It also reviews some of the prominent preclinical studies which can provide the rationale for future clinical trials. EXPERT OPINION Although some distinguished advances in pharmacotherapy have been made to improve the survival rate and reduce adverse events in patients with neuroblastoma, a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of tumorigenesis, resistance to therapies or relapse, identifying biomarkers of response to each specific drug, and developing predictive preclinical models of the tumor can lead to further breakthroughs in the treatment of neuroblastoma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Parmida Sadat Pezeshki
- Cancer Immunology Project (CIP), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.,School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Aysan Moeinafshar
- Cancer Immunology Project (CIP), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.,School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Faezeh Ghaemdoust
- Cancer Immunology Project (CIP), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.,School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sepideh Razi
- Cancer Immunology Project (CIP), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.,School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahsa Keshavarz-Fathi
- Cancer Immunology Project (CIP), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.,School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nima Rezaei
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Cancer Immunology Project (CIP), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Quinn CH, Beierle AM, Beierle EA. Artificial Tumor Microenvironments in Neuroblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13071629. [PMID: 33915765 PMCID: PMC8037559 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13071629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Children with high-risk neuroblastoma have limited therapeutic options poor survival rates. The neuroblastoma tumor microenvironment contributes the lack of response to many interventions so innovative methods are needed to study the effects of the tumor microenvironment on new therapies. In this manuscript, we review the current literature related to the components of the tumor microenvironment and to the use of three-dimensional printing as modality to study cancer. This review highlights the potential for using three-dimensional printing to create an artificial tumor microenvironment in the presence of neuroblastoma to provide improved preclinical testing of novel therapies. Abstract In the quest to advance neuroblastoma therapeutics, there is a need to have a deeper understanding of the tumor microenvironment (TME). From extracellular matrix proteins to tumor associated macrophages, the TME is a robust and diverse network functioning in symbiosis with the solid tumor. Herein, we review the major components of the TME including the extracellular matrix, cytokines, immune cells, and vasculature that support a more aggressive neuroblastoma phenotype and encumber current therapeutic interventions. Contemporary treatments for neuroblastoma are the result of traditional two-dimensional culture studies and in vivo models that have been translated to clinical trials. These pre-clinical studies are costly, time consuming, and neglect the study of cofounding factors such as the contributions of the TME. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has become a novel approach to studying adult cancers and is just now incorporating portions of the TME and advancing to study pediatric solid. We review the methods of 3D bioprinting, how researchers have included TME pieces into the prints, and highlight present studies using neuroblastoma. Ultimately, incorporating the elements of the TME that affect neuroblastoma responses to therapy will improve the development of innovative and novel treatments. The use of 3D bioprinting to achieve this aim will prove useful in developing optimal therapies for children with neuroblastoma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Colin H. Quinn
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35205, USA;
| | - Andee M. Beierle
- Division of Radiation Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35205, USA;
| | - Elizabeth A. Beierle
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35205, USA;
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Rodrigo MAM, Michalkova H, Strmiska V, Casar B, Crespo P, de Los Rios V, Ignacio Casal J, Haddad Y, Guran R, Eckschlager T, Pokorna P, Heger Z, Adam V. Metallothionein-3 promotes cisplatin chemoresistance remodelling in neuroblastoma. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5496. [PMID: 33750814 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84185-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Metallothionein-3 has poorly characterized functions in neuroblastoma. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is a major regimen to treat neuroblastoma, but its clinical efficacy is limited by chemoresistance. We investigated the impact of human metallothionein-3 (hMT3) up-regulation in neuroblastoma cells and the mechanisms underlying the cisplatin-resistance. We confirmed the cisplatin-metallothionein complex formation using mass spectrometry. Overexpression of hMT3 decreased the sensitivity of neuroblastoma UKF-NB-4 cells to cisplatin. We report, for the first time, cisplatin-sensitive human UKF-NB-4 cells remodelled into cisplatin-resistant cells via high and constitutive hMT3 expression in an in vivo model using chick chorioallantoic membrane assay. Comparative proteomic analysis demonstrated that several biological pathways related to apoptosis, transport, proteasome, and cellular stress were involved in cisplatin-resistance in hMT3 overexpressing UKF-NB-4 cells. Overall, our data confirmed that up-regulation of hMT3 positively correlated with increased cisplatin-chemoresistance in neuroblastoma, and a high level of hMT3 could be one of the causes of frequent tumour relapses.
Collapse
|
29
|
Wienke J, Dierselhuis MP, Tytgat GAM, Künkele A, Nierkens S, Molenaar JJ. The immune landscape of neuroblastoma: Challenges and opportunities for novel therapeutic strategies in pediatric oncology. Eur J Cancer 2020; 144:123-150. [PMID: 33341446 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2020.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Immunotherapy holds great promise for the treatment of pediatric cancers. In neuroblastoma, the recent implementation of anti-GD2 antibody Dinutuximab into the standard of care has improved patient outcomes substantially. However, 5-year survival rates are still below 50% in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma, which has sparked investigations into novel immunotherapeutic approaches. T cell-engaging therapies such as immune checkpoint blockade, antibody-mediated therapy and adoptive T cell therapy have proven remarkably successful in a range of adult cancers but still meet challenges in pediatric oncology. In neuroblastoma, their limited success may be due to several factors. Neuroblastoma displays low immunogenicity due to its low mutational load and lack of MHC-I expression. Tumour infiltration by T and NK cells is especially low in high-risk neuroblastoma and is prognostic for survival. Only a small fraction of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes shows tumour reactivity. Moreover, neuroblastoma tumours employ a variety of immune evasion strategies, including expression of immune checkpoint molecules, induction of immunosuppressive myeloid and stromal cells, as well as secretion of immunoregulatory mediators, which reduce infiltration and reactivity of immune cells. Overcoming these challenges will be key to the successful implementation of novel immunotherapeutic interventions. Combining different immunotherapies, as well as personalised strategies, may be promising approaches. We will discuss the composition, function and prognostic value of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in neuroblastoma, reflect on challenges for immunotherapy, including a lack of TIL reactivity and tumour immune evasion strategies, and highlight opportunities for immunotherapy and future perspectives with regard to state-of-the-art developments in the tumour immunology space.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Judith Wienke
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | | | | | - Annette Künkele
- Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt - Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Nierkens
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jan J Molenaar
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Abstract
Informative and realistic mouse models of high-risk neuroblastoma are central to understanding mechanisms of tumour initiation, progression, and metastasis. They also play vital roles in validating tumour drivers and drug targets, as platforms for assessment of new therapies and in the generation of drug sensitivity data that can inform treatment decisions for individual patients. This review will describe genetically engineered mouse models of specific subsets of high-risk neuroblastoma, the development of patient-derived xenograft models that more broadly represent the diversity and heterogeneity of the disease, and models of primary and metastatic disease. We discuss the research applications, advantages, and limitations of each model type, the importance of model repositories and data standards for supporting reproducible, high-quality research, and potential future directions for neuroblastoma mouse models.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alvin Kamili
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Caroline Atkinson
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Toby N Trahair
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia
| | - Jamie I Fletcher
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia. .,School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Kleftogiannis D, Ho D, Liew JX, Poon PSY, Gan A, Ng RC, Tan BK, Tay KH, Lim SH, Tan GS, Shih CC, Lim TK, Lee AS, Tan IB, Yap YS, Ng SB. Detection of genomic alterations in breast cancer with circulating tumour DNA sequencing. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16774. [PMID: 33033274 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72818-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Analysis of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has opened new opportunities for characterizing tumour mutational landscapes with many applications in genomic-driven oncology. We developed a customized targeted cfDNA sequencing approach for breast cancer (BC) using unique molecular identifiers (UMIs) for error correction. Our assay, spanning a 284.5 kb target region, is combined with a novel freely-licensed bioinformatics pipeline that provides detection of low-frequency variants, and reliable identification of copy number variations (CNVs) directly from plasma DNA. We first evaluated our pipeline on reference samples. Then in a cohort of 35 BC patients our approach detected actionable driver and clonal variants at low variant frequency levels in cfDNA that were concordant (77%) with sequencing of primary and/or metastatic solid tumour sites. We also detected ERRB2 gene CNVs used for HER2 subtype classification with 80% precision compared to immunohistochemistry. Further, we evaluated fragmentation profiles of cfDNA in BC and observed distinct differences compared to data from healthy individuals. Our results show that the developed assay addresses the majority of tumour associated aberrations directly from plasma DNA, and thus may be used to elucidate genomic alterations in liquid biopsy studies.
Collapse
|