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Mieczkowska IK, Pantelaiou-Prokaki G, Prokakis E, Schmidt GE, Müller-Kirschbaum LC, Werner M, Sen M, Velychko T, Jannasch K, Dullin C, Napp J, Pantel K, Wikman H, Wiese M, Kramm CM, Alves F, Wegwitz F. Decreased PRC2 activity supports the survival of basal-like breast cancer cells to cytotoxic treatments. Cell Death Dis 2021; 12:1118. [PMID: 34845197 PMCID: PMC8630036 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-021-04407-y] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer occurring in women but also rarely develops in men. Recent advances in early diagnosis and development of targeted therapies have greatly improved the survival rate of BC patients. However, the basal-like BC subtype (BLBC), largely overlapping with the triple-negative BC subtype (TNBC), lacks such drug targets and conventional cytotoxic chemotherapies often remain the only treatment option. Thus, the development of resistance to cytotoxic therapies has fatal consequences. To assess the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms and their therapeutic potential increasing cytotoxic drug efficiency, we combined high-throughput RNA- and ChIP-sequencing analyses in BLBC cells. Tumor cells surviving chemotherapy upregulated transcriptional programs of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness. To our surprise, the same cells showed a pronounced reduction of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) activity via downregulation of its subunits Ezh2, Suz12, Rbbp7 and Mtf2. Mechanistically, loss of PRC2 activity leads to the de-repression of a set of genes through an epigenetic switch from repressive H3K27me3 to activating H3K27ac mark at regulatory regions. We identified Nfatc1 as an upregulated gene upon loss of PRC2 activity and directly implicated in the transcriptional changes happening upon survival to chemotherapy. Blocking NFATc1 activation reduced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, aggressiveness, and therapy resistance of BLBC cells. Our data demonstrate a previously unknown function of PRC2 maintaining low Nfatc1 expression levels and thereby repressing aggressiveness and therapy resistance in BLBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iga K. Mieczkowska
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Garyfallia Pantelaiou-Prokaki
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany ,grid.419522.90000 0001 0668 6902Translational Molecular Imaging, Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Evangelos Prokakis
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Geske E. Schmidt
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of Gastroenterology, GI-Oncology and Endocrinology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lukas C. Müller-Kirschbaum
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marcel Werner
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Madhobi Sen
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Taras Velychko
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Katharina Jannasch
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Clinic for Haematology and Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christian Dullin
- grid.419522.90000 0001 0668 6902Translational Molecular Imaging, Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany ,grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Clinic for Haematology and Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany ,grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Joanna Napp
- grid.419522.90000 0001 0668 6902Translational Molecular Imaging, Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany ,grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Klaus Pantel
- grid.13648.380000 0001 2180 3484Institute of Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Harriet Wikman
- grid.13648.380000 0001 2180 3484Institute of Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maria Wiese
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christof M. Kramm
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Frauke Alves
- grid.419522.90000 0001 0668 6902Translational Molecular Imaging, Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany ,grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Clinic for Haematology and Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany ,grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Florian Wegwitz
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany. .,Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
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Matzke-Ogi A, Jannasch K, Shatirishvili M, Fuchs B, Chiblak S, Morton J, Tawk B, Lindner T, Sansom O, Alves F, Warth A, Schwager C, Mier W, Kleeff J, Ponta H, Abdollahi A, Orian-Rousseau V. Inhibition of Tumor Growth and Metastasis in Pancreatic Cancer Models by Interference With CD44v6 Signaling. Gastroenterology 2016; 150:513-25.e10. [PMID: 26597578 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2015.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2015] [Revised: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Cancer cells with high metastatic potential and stem cell-like characteristics express the cell surface marker CD44. CD44 isoforms that include the v6 exon are co-receptors for the receptor tyrosine kinases MET and Vascular Endothelial Growth factor Receptor-2 (VEGFR-2). We studied CD44v6 signaling in several pancreatic cancer cell lines, and its role in tumor growth and metastasis in several models of pancreatic cancer. METHODS We analyzed the effects of v6 peptides that interfere with the co-receptor functions of CD44v6 for MET and VEGFR-2 in tumors and metastases grown from cells that express different CD44 isoforms, including CD44v6. The peptides were injected into rats with syngeneic tumors and mice with orthotopic or xenograft tumors. We also tested the effects of the peptides in mice with xenograft tumors grown from patient tumor samples and mice that express an oncogenic form of RAS and develop spontaneous pancreatic cancer (KPC mice). We measured levels of CD44v6 messenger RNA (mRNA) in pancreatic cancer tissues from 136 patients. RESULTS Xenograft tumors grown from human cancer cells injected with v6 peptides were smaller and formed fewer metastases in mice. The v6 peptide was more efficient than the MET inhibitor crizotinib and/or the VEGFR-2 inhibitor pazopanib in reducing xenograft tumor growth and metastasis. Injection of KPC mice with the v6 peptide increased their survival time. Injection of mice and rats bearing metastases with the v6 peptide induced regression of metastases. Higher levels of CD44v6 mRNA in human pancreatic tumor tissues were associated with increased expression of MET, tumor metastasis, and shorter patient survival times. CONCLUSIONS Peptide inhibitors of CD44v6 isoforms block tumor growth and metastasis in several independent models of pancreatic cancer. The v6 peptides induced regression of metastases. Levels of CD44v6 mRNA are increased, along with those of MET mRNA, in patients with metastatic pancreatic tumors, compared with nonmetastatic tumors; the increased levels correlated with shorter patient survival time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Matzke-Ogi
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany; Amcure GmbH, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Katharina Jannasch
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medicine Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marine Shatirishvili
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Beatrix Fuchs
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Sara Chiblak
- Molecular and Translational Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg Institute of Radiation Oncology, University of Heidelberg Medical School and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany; The German Cancer Consortium, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jennifer Morton
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Bouchra Tawk
- Molecular and Translational Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg Institute of Radiation Oncology, University of Heidelberg Medical School and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany; The German Cancer Consortium, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Lindner
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Owen Sansom
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Frauke Alves
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medicine Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Arne Warth
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian Schwager
- Molecular and Translational Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg Institute of Radiation Oncology, University of Heidelberg Medical School and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany; The German Cancer Consortium, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Walter Mier
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jörg Kleeff
- Department of Surgery, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Amir Abdollahi
- Molecular and Translational Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg Institute of Radiation Oncology, University of Heidelberg Medical School and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany; The German Cancer Consortium, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Véronique Orian-Rousseau
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
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Jannasch K, Wegwitz F, Lenfert E, Maenz C, Deppert W, Alves F. Chemotherapy of WAP-T mouse mammary carcinomas aggravates tumor phenotype and enhances tumor cell dissemination. Int J Cancer 2014; 137:25-36. [PMID: 25449528 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.29369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2014] [Accepted: 11/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
In this study, the effects of the standard chemotherapy, cyclophosphamide/adriamycin/5-fluorouracil (CAF) on tumor growth, dissemination and recurrence after orthotopic implantation of murine G-2 cells were analyzed in the syngeneic immunocompetent whey acidic protein-T mouse model (Wegwitz et al., PLoS One 2010; 5:e12103; Schulze-Garg et al., Oncogene 2000; 19:1028-37). Single-dose CAF treatment reduced tumor size significantly, but was not able to eradicate all tumor cells, as recurrent tumor growth was observed 4 weeks after CAF treatment. Nine days after CAF treatment, residual tumors showed features of regressive alterations and were composed of mesenchymal-like tumor cells, infiltrating immune cells and some tumor-associated fibroblasts with an intense deposition of collagen. Recurrent tumors were characterized by coagulative necrosis and less tumor cell differentiation compared with untreated tumors, suggesting a more aggressive tumor phenotype. In support, tumor cell dissemination was strongly enhanced in mice that had developed recurrent tumors in comparison with untreated controls, although only few disseminated tumor cells could be detected in various organs 9 days after CAF application. In vitro experiments revealed that CAF treatment of G-2 cells eliminates the vast majority of epithelial tumor cells, whereas tumor cells with a mesenchymal phenotype survive. These results together with the in vivo findings suggest that tumor cells that underwent epithelial-mesenchymal transition and/or exhibit stem-cell-like properties are difficult to eliminate using one round of CAF chemotherapy. The model system described here provides a valuable tool for the characterization of the effects of chemotherapeutic regimens on recurrent tumor growth and on tumor cell dissemination, thereby enabling the development and preclinical evaluation of novel therapeutic strategies to target mammary carcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Jannasch
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, University Medical Center, 37075, Goettingen, Germany
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Lenfert E, Maenz C, Heinlein C, Jannasch K, Schumacher U, Pantel K, Tolstonog GV, Deppert W, Wegwitz F. Mutant p53 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity and enhances metastasis in mammary carcinomas of WAP-T mice. Int J Cancer 2014; 136:E521-33. [PMID: 25195563 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.29186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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] [Received: 03/27/2014] [Revised: 07/31/2014] [Accepted: 08/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
To study the postulated mutant p53 (mutp53) "gain of function" effects in mammary tumor development, progression and metastasis, we crossed SV40 transgenic WAP-T mice with mutant p53 transgenic WAP-mutp53 mice. Compared to tumors in monotransgenic WAP-T mice, tumors in bitransgenic WAP-T x WAP-mutp53 mice showed higher tumor grading, enhanced vascularization, and significantly increased metastasis. Bitransgenic tumors revealed a gene signature associated with the oncogenic epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway (EMT gene signature). In cultures of WAP-T tumor-derived G-2 cancer cells, which are comprised of subpopulations displaying "mesenchymal" and "epithelial" phenotypes, this EMT gene signature was associated with the "mesenchymal" compartment. Furthermore, ectopic expression of mutp53 in G-2 cells sufficed to induce a strong EMT phenotype. In contrast to these in vitro effects, monotransgenic and bitransgenic tumors were phenotypically similar suggesting that in vivo the tumor cell phenotype might be under control of the tumor microenvironment. In support, orthotopic transplantation of G-2 cells as well as of G-2 cells expressing ectopic mutp53 into syngeneic mice resulted in tumors with a predominantly epithelial phenotype, closely similar to that of endogenous primary tumors. We conclude that induction of an EMT gene signature by mutp53 in bitransgenic tumors primarily promotes tumor cell plasticity, that is, the probability of tumor cells to undergo EMT processes under appropriate stimuli, thereby possibly increasing their potential to disseminate and metastasize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Lenfert
- Department for Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), D-20246, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Tumor Virology, Heinrich-Pette-Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, D-20251, Hamburg, Germany
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Missbach-Güntner J, Dullin C, Jannasch K, Alves F, Lotz J. Evaluation der Tumor-Vaskularisierung in Mäusen im zeitlichen Verlauf mittels innovativer CT-Technologien. ROFO-FORTSCHR RONTG 2011. [DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1279296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Twarock S, Freudenberger T, Poscher E, Dai G, Jannasch K, Dullin C, Alves F, Prenzel K, Knoefel WT, Stoecklein NH, Savani RC, Homey B, Fischer JW. Inhibition of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression by in vivo targeting of hyaluronan synthesis. Mol Cancer 2011; 10:30. [PMID: 21429221 PMCID: PMC3078897 DOI: 10.1186/1476-4598-10-30] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [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: 12/12/2010] [Accepted: 03/23/2011] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Oesophageal cancer is a highly aggressive tumour entity with at present poor prognosis. Therefore, novel treatment options are urgently needed. Hyaluronan (HA) is a polysaccharide present in the matrix of human oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Importantly, in vitro ESCC cells critically depend on HA synthesis to maintain the proliferative phenotype. The aim of the present study is (1) to study HA-synthase (HAS) expression and regulation in human ESCC, and (2) to translate the in vitro results into a mouse xenograft model of human ESCC to study the effects of systemic versus tumour targeted HAS inhibition on proliferation and distribution of tumour-bound and stromal hyaluronan. Methods mRNA expression was investigated in human ESCC biopsies by semiquantitative real-time RT PCR. Furthermore, human ESCC were xenografted into NMRI nu/nu mice. The effects on tumour progression and morphology of 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU), an inhibitor of HA-synthesis, and of lentiviral knock down of HA-synthase 3 (HAS3), the main HAS isoform in the human ESCC tissues and the human ESCC cell line used in this study, were determined. Tumour progression was monitored by calliper measurements and by flat-panel detector volume computed tomography (fpVCT). HA content, cellular composition and proliferation (Ki67) were determined histologically. Results mRNA of HAS isoform 3 (HAS3) was upregulated in human ESCC biopsies and HAS3 mRNA was positively correlated to expression of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor. EGF was also proven to be a strong inductor of HAS3 mRNA expression in vitro. During the course of seven weeks, 4-MU inhibited progression of xenograft tumours. Interestingly, remodelling of the tumour into a more differentiated phenotype and inhibition of cell proliferation were observed. Lentiviral knockdown of HAS3 in human ESCC cells prior to xenografting mimicked all effects of 4-MU treatment suggesting that hyaluronan produced by ESCC is accountable for major changes in tumour environment in vivo. Conclusions Systemic inhibition of HA-synthesis and knockdown of tumour cell HAS3 cause decreased ESCC progression accompanied by tumour stroma remodelling and may therefore be used in novel approaches to ESCC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sören Twarock
- Institut für Pharmakologie und Klinische Pharmakologie, Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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Jannasch K, Dullin C, Heinlein C, Krepulat F, Wegwitz F, Deppert W, Alves F. Detection of different tumor growth kinetics in single transgenic mice with oncogene-induced mammary carcinomas by flat-panel volume computed tomography. Int J Cancer 2009; 125:62-70. [DOI: 10.1002/ijc.24332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Alves F, Dullin C, Napp J, Missbach-Guentner J, Jannasch K, Mathejczyk J, Pardo LA, Stühmer W, Tietze LF. Concept of a selective tumour therapy and its evaluation by near-infrared fluorescence imaging and flat-panel volume computed tomography in mice. Eur J Radiol 2009; 70:286-93. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2009.01.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2009] [Accepted: 01/14/2009] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Lorenz RA, Bubb J, Davis D, Jacobson A, Jannasch K, Kramer J, Lipps J, Schlundt D. Changing behavior. Practical lessons from the diabetes control and complications trial. Diabetes Care 1996; 19:648-52. [PMID: 8725866 DOI: 10.2337/diacare.19.6.648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- R A Lorenz
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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