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Cardenas RP, Zyoud A, McIntyre A, Alberio R, Mongan NP, Allegrucci C. NANOG controls testicular germ cell tumour stemness through regulation of MIR9-2. Stem Cell Res Ther 2024; 15:128. [PMID: 38693576 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-024-03724-1] [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: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) represent a clinical challenge; they are most prevalent in young individuals and are triggered by molecular mechanisms that are not fully understood. The origin of TGCTs can be traced back to primordial germ cells that fail to mature during embryonic development. These cells express high levels of pluripotency factors, including the transcription factor NANOG which is highly expressed in TGCTs. Gain or amplification of the NANOG locus is common in advanced tumours, suggesting a key role for this master regulator of pluripotency in TGCT stemness and malignancy. METHODS In this study, we analysed the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) that are regulated by NANOG in TGCTs via integrated bioinformatic analyses of data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and NANOG chromatin immunoprecipitation in human embryonic stem cells. Through gain-of-function experiments, MIR9-2 was further investigated as a novel tumour suppressor regulated by NANOG. After transfection with MIR9-2 mimics, TGCT cells were analysed for cell proliferation, invasion, sensitivity to cisplatin, and gene expression signatures by RNA sequencing. RESULTS For the first time, we identified 86 miRNAs regulated by NANOG in TGCTs. Among these, 37 miRNAs were differentially expressed in NANOG-high tumours, and they clustered TGCTs according to their subtypes. Binding of NANOG within 2 kb upstream of the MIR9-2 locus was associated with a negative regulation. Low expression of MIR9-2 was associated with tumour progression and MIR9-2-5p was found to play a role in the control of tumour stemness. A gain of function of MIR9-2-5p was associated with reduced proliferation, invasion, and sensitivity to cisplatin in both embryonal carcinoma and seminoma tumours. MIR9-2-5p expression in TGCT cells significantly reduced the expression of genes regulating pluripotency and cell division, consistent with its functional effect on reducing cancer stemness. CONCLUSIONS This study provides new molecular insights into the role of NANOG as a key determinant of pluripotency in TGCTs through the regulation of MIR9-2-5p, a novel epigenetic modulator of cancer stemness. Our data also highlight the potential negative feedback mediated by MIR9-2-5p on NANOG expression, which could be exploited as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of TGCTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan P Cardenas
- SVMS, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Ahmad Zyoud
- SVMS, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Alan McIntyre
- School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
- Centre for Cancer Sciences and Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Ramiro Alberio
- School of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- SVMS, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK
- Centre for Cancer Sciences and Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Cinzia Allegrucci
- SVMS, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK.
- Centre for Cancer Sciences and Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
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Lashen A, Algethami M, Alqahtani S, Shoqafi A, Sheha A, Jeyapalan JN, Mongan NP, Rakha EA, Madhusudan S. The Clinicopathological Significance of the Cyclin D1/E1-Cyclin-Dependent Kinase (CDK2/4/6)-Retinoblastoma (RB1/pRB1) Pathway in Epithelial Ovarian Cancers. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4060. [PMID: 38612869 PMCID: PMC11012085 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25074060] [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: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK2, CDK4, CDK6), cyclin D1, cyclin E1 and phosphorylated retinoblastoma (pRB1) are key regulators of the G1/S cell cycle checkpoint and may influence platinum response in ovarian cancers. CDK2/4/6 inhibitors are emerging targets in ovarian cancer therapeutics. In the current study, we evaluated the prognostic and predictive significance of the CDK2/4/6-cyclin D1/E1-pRB1 axis in clinical ovarian cancers (OC). The CDK2/4/6, cyclin D1/E1 and RB1/pRB1 protein expression were investigated in 300 ovarian cancers and correlated with clinicopathological parameters and patient outcomes. CDK2/4/6, cyclin D1/E1 and RB1 mRNA expression were evaluated in the publicly available ovarian TCGA dataset. We observed nuclear and cytoplasmic staining for CDK2/4/6, cyclins D1/E1 and RB1/pRB1 in OCs with varying percentages. Increased nuclear CDK2 and nuclear cyclin E1 expression was linked with poor progression-free survival (PFS) and a shorter overall survival (OS). Nuclear CDK6 was associated with poor OS. The cytoplasmic expression of CDK4, cyclin D1 and cyclin E1 also has predictive and/or prognostic significance in OCs. In the multivariate analysis, nuclear cyclin E1 was an independent predictor of poor PFS. Tumours with high nuclear cyclin E1/high nuclear CDK2 have a worse PFS and OS. Detailed bioinformatics in the TCGA cohort showed a positive correlation between cyclin E1 and CDK2. We also showed that cyclin-E1-overexpressing tumours are enriched for genes involved in insulin signalling and release. Our data not only identified the prognostic/predictive significance of these key cell cycle regulators but also demonstrate the importance of sub-cellular localisation. CDK2 targeting in cyclin-E1-amplified OCs could be a rational approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayat Lashen
- Naaz Coker Ovarian Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK; (A.L.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.S.); (A.S.); (J.N.J.); (N.P.M.); (E.A.R.)
- Department of Pathology, Nottingham University Hospital, City Campus, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
| | - Mashael Algethami
- Naaz Coker Ovarian Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK; (A.L.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.S.); (A.S.); (J.N.J.); (N.P.M.); (E.A.R.)
| | - Shatha Alqahtani
- Naaz Coker Ovarian Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK; (A.L.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.S.); (A.S.); (J.N.J.); (N.P.M.); (E.A.R.)
| | - Ahmed Shoqafi
- Naaz Coker Ovarian Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK; (A.L.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.S.); (A.S.); (J.N.J.); (N.P.M.); (E.A.R.)
| | - Amera Sheha
- Naaz Coker Ovarian Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK; (A.L.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.S.); (A.S.); (J.N.J.); (N.P.M.); (E.A.R.)
| | - Jennie N. Jeyapalan
- Naaz Coker Ovarian Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK; (A.L.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.S.); (A.S.); (J.N.J.); (N.P.M.); (E.A.R.)
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Cancer Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Nigel P. Mongan
- Naaz Coker Ovarian Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK; (A.L.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.S.); (A.S.); (J.N.J.); (N.P.M.); (E.A.R.)
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Cancer Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Emad A. Rakha
- Naaz Coker Ovarian Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK; (A.L.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.S.); (A.S.); (J.N.J.); (N.P.M.); (E.A.R.)
| | - Srinivasan Madhusudan
- Naaz Coker Ovarian Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK; (A.L.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.S.); (A.S.); (J.N.J.); (N.P.M.); (E.A.R.)
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
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Brown TJ, Rutland CS, Choi KK, Tse F, Peffers MJ, Mongan NP, Arkill KP, Ritchie A, Clarke PA, Ratan H, Allegrucci C, Grabowska AM, James V. Modulation of the pre-metastatic bone niche: molecular changes mediated by bone-homing prostate cancer extracellular vesicles. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1354606. [PMID: 38455075 PMCID: PMC10919403 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1354606] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Prostate cancer (PCa) is a leading male malignancy worldwide, often progressing to bone metastasis, with limited curative options. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as key players in cancer communication and metastasis, promoting the formation of supportive microenvironments in distant sites. Our previous studies have highlighted the role of PCa EVs in modulating osteoblasts and facilitating tumor progression. However, the early pre-metastatic changes induced by PCa EVs within the bone microenvironment remain poorly understood. To investigate the early effects of repeated exposure to PCa EVs in vivo, mimicking EVs being shed from the primary tumor, PCa EVs isolated from cell line PC3MLuc2a were fluorescently labelled and repeatedly administered via tail vein injection to adult CD1 NuNu male mice for a period of 4 weeks. In vivo imagining, histological analysis and gene expression profiling were performed to assess the impact of PCa EVs on the bone microenvironment. We demonstrate for the first time that PCa EVs home to both bone and lymph nodes following repeated exposures. Furthermore, the accumulation of EVs within the bone leads to distinct molecular changes indicative of disrupted bone homeostasis (e.g., changes to signaling pathways such as Paxillin p = 0.0163, Estrogen Receptor p = 0.0271, RHOA p = 0.0287, Ribonucleotide reductase p = 0.0307 and ERK/MAPK p = 0.0299). Changes in key regulators of these pathways were confirmed in vitro on human osteoblasts. In addition, our data compares the known gene signature of osteocytes and demonstrates a high proportion of overlap (52.2%), suggesting a potential role for this cell type in response to PCa EV exposure. No changes in bone histology or immunohistochemistry were detected, indicating that PCa EV mediated changes were induced at the molecular level. This study provides novel insights into the alterations induced by PCa EVs on the bone microenvironment. The observed molecular changes indicate changes in key pathways and suggest a role for osteocytes in these EV mediated early changes to bone. Further research to understand these early events may aid in the development of targeted interventions to disrupt the metastatic cascade in PCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J. Brown
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Catrin S. Rutland
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Katie K. Choi
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Feng Tse
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Mandy J. Peffers
- Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Nigel P. Mongan
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kenton P. Arkill
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Alison Ritchie
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Philip A. Clarke
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Hari Ratan
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Cinzia Allegrucci
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Anna M. Grabowska
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria James
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
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4
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Makhlouf S, Quinn C, Toss M, Alsaleem M, Atallah NM, Ibrahim A, Rutland CS, Mongan NP, Rakha EA. Quantitative expression of oestrogen receptor in breast cancer: Clinical and molecular significance. Eur J Cancer 2024; 197:113473. [PMID: 38103327 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2023.113473] [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] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oestrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer (BC) patients are eligible for endocrine therapy (ET), regardless of ER immunohistochemical expression level. There is a wide spectrum of ER expression and the response to ET is not uniform. This study aimed to assess the clinical and molecular consequences of ER heterogeneity with respect to ET-response. METHODS ER expression, categorised by percentage and staining intensity in a large BC cohort (n = 7559) was correlated with clinicopathological parameters and patient ET response. The Cancer Genome Atlas Data BC cohort (n = 1047) was stratified by ER expression and transcriptomic analysis completed to better understand the molecular basis of ER heterogeneity. RESULTS The quantitative proportional increase in ER expression was positively associated with favourable prognostic parameters. Tumours with 1-9% ER expression were characteristically similar to ER-negative (<1%) tumours. Maximum ET-response was observed in tumours with 100% ER expression, with responses significantly different to tumours exhibiting ER at < 100% and significantly decreased survival rates were observed in tumours with 50% and 10% of ER expression. The Histochemical-score (H-score), which considers both staining intensity and percentage, added significant prognostic value over ER percentage alone with significant outcome differences observed at H-scores of 30, 100 and 200. There was a positive correlation between ER expression and ESR1 mRNA expression and expression of ER-regulated genes. Pathway analysis identified differential expression in key cancer-related pathways in different ER-positive groups. CONCLUSION ET-response is statistically proportionally related to ER expression with significant differences observed at 10%, 50% and 100%. The H-score adds prognostic and predictive information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shorouk Makhlouf
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Cecily Quinn
- Irish National Breast Screening Programme and Department of Histopathology, St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Michael Toss
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Histopathology, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Sheffield, UK
| | - Mansour Alsaleem
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Unit of Scientific Research, Applied College, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nehal M Atallah
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt
| | - Asmaa Ibrahim
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Catrin S Rutland
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Biodiscovery Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Emad A Rakha
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Histopathology, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK; Department of Pathology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
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5
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Lashen A, Al-Kawaz A, Jeyapalan JN, Alqahtani S, Shoqafi A, Algethami M, Toss M, Green AR, Mongan NP, Sharma S, Akbari MR, Rakha EA, Madhusudan S. Immune infiltration, aggressive pathology, and poor survival outcomes in RECQL helicase deficient breast cancers. Neoplasia 2024; 47:100957. [PMID: 38134458 PMCID: PMC10777014 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2023.100957] [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] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
RECQL is essential for genomic stability. Here, we evaluated RECQL in 449 pure ductal carcinomas in situ (DCIS), 152 DCIS components of mixed DCIS/invasive breast cancer (IBC) tumors, 157 IBC components of mixed DCIS/IBC and 50 normal epithelial terminal ductal lobular units (TDLUs). In 726 IBCs, CD8+, FOXP3+, IL17+, PDL1+, PD1+ T-cell infiltration (TILs) were investigated in RECQL deficient and proficient cancers. Tumor mutation burden (TMB) was evaluated in five RECQL germ-line mutation carriers with IBC by genome sequencing. Compared with normal epithelial cells, a striking reduction in nuclear RECQL in DCIS was evident with aggressive pathology and poor survival. In RECQL deficient IBCs, CD8+, FOXP3+, IL17+ or PDL1+ TILs were linked with aggressive pathology and shorter survival. In germline RECQL mutation carriers, increased TMB was observed in 4/5 tumors. We conclude that RECQL loss is an early event in breast cancer and promote immune cell infiltration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayat Lashen
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Abdulbaqi Al-Kawaz
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK; Department of Pathology, Nottingham University Hospital, City Campus, Hucknall Road, Nottingham NG51PB, UK
| | - Jennie N Jeyapalan
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Shatha Alqahtani
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Ahmed Shoqafi
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Mashael Algethami
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Michael Toss
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK; Department of Pathology, Nottingham University Hospital, City Campus, Hucknall Road, Nottingham NG51PB, UK
| | - Andrew R Green
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK; Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Sudha Sharma
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, Howard University, 520 W Street, NW, Washington, DC 20059, USA
| | - Mohammad R Akbari
- Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Toronto, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Emad A Rakha
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK; Department of Pathology, Nottingham University Hospital, City Campus, Hucknall Road, Nottingham NG51PB, UK
| | - Srinivasan Madhusudan
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK; Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham NG51PB, UK.
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Kubala JM, Laursen KB, Schreiner R, Williams RM, van der Mijn JC, Crowley MJ, Mongan NP, Nanus DM, Heller DA, Gudas LJ. NDUFA4L2 reduces mitochondrial respiration resulting in defective lysosomal trafficking in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Cancer Biol Ther 2023; 24:2170669. [PMID: 36722045 PMCID: PMC9897797 DOI: 10.1080/15384047.2023.2170669] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), activation of hypoxic signaling induces NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone) 1 alpha subcomplex, 4-like 2 (NDUFA4L2) expression. Over 90% of ccRCCs exhibit overexpression of NDUFA4L2, which we previously showed contributes to ccRCC proliferation and survival. The function of NDUFA4L2 in ccRCC has not been fully elucidated. NDUFA4L2 was reported to reduce mitochondrial respiration via mitochondrial complex I inhibition. We found that NDUFA4L2 expression in human ccRCC cells increases the extracellular acidification rate, indicative of elevated glycolysis. Conversely, NDUFA4L2 expression in non-cancerous kidney epithelial cells decreases oxygen consumption rate while increasing extracellular acidification rate, suggesting that a Warburg-like effect is induced by NDUFA4L2 alone. We performed mass-spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics of NDUFA4L2 associated complexes. Comparing RCC4-P (parental) ccRCC cells with RCC4 in which NDUFA4L2 is knocked out by CRISPR-Cas9 (RCC4-KO-643), we identified 3,215 proteins enriched in the NDUFA4L2 immunoprecipitates. Among the top-ranking pathways were "Metabolic Reprogramming in Cancer" and "Glycolysis Activation in Cancer (Warburg Effect)." We also show that NDUFA4L2 enhances mitochondrial fragmentation, interacts with lysosomes, and increases mitochondrial-lysosomal associations, as assessed by high-resolution fluorescence microscopy and live cell imaging. We identified 161 lysosomal proteins, including Niemann-Pick Disease Type C Intracellular Cholesterol Transporters 1 and 2 (NPC1, NPC2), that are associated with NDUFA4L2 in RCC4-P cells. RCC4-P cells have larger and decreased numbers of lysosomes relative to RCC4 NDUFA4L2 knockout cells. These findings suggest that NDUFA4L2 regulates mitochondrial-lysosomal associations and potentially lysosomal size and abundance. Consequently, NDUFA4L2 may regulate not only mitochondrial, but also lysosomal functions in ccRCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaclyn M. Kubala
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Ryan Schreiner
- Division of Regenerative Medicine Research, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ryan M. Williams
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, the City College of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Michael J. Crowley
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics, and Systems Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nigel P. Mongan
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Center for Cancer Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - David M. Nanus
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Urology; New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daniel A. Heller
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics, and Systems Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lorraine J. Gudas
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Urology; New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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7
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Kurozumi S, Seki N, Narusawa E, Honda C, Tokuda S, Nakazawa Y, Yokobori T, Katayama A, Mongan NP, Rakha EA, Oyama T, Fujii T, Shirabe K, Horiguchi J. Identification of MicroRNAs Associated with Histological Grade in Early-Stage Invasive Breast Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:35. [PMID: 38203206 PMCID: PMC10779190 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010035] [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: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to identify microRNAs associated with histological grade using comprehensive microRNA analysis data obtained by next-generation sequencing from early-stage invasive breast cancer. RNA-seq data from normal breast and breast cancer samples were compared to identify candidate microRNAs with differential expression using bioinformatics. A total of 108 microRNAs were significantly differentially expressed in normal breast and breast cancer tissues. Using clinicopathological information and microRNA sequencing data of 430 patients with breast cancer from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), the differences in candidate microRNAs between low- and high-grade tumors were identified. Comparing the expression of the 108 microRNAs between low- and high-grade cases, 25 and 18 microRNAs were significantly upregulated and downregulated, respectively, in high-grade cases. Clustering analysis of the TCGA cohort using these 43 microRNAs identified two groups strongly predictive of histological grade. miR-3677 is a microRNA upregulated in high-grade breast cancer. The outcome analysis revealed that patients with high miR-3677 expression had significantly worse prognosis than those with low miR-3677 expression. This study shows that microRNAs are associated with histological grade in early-stage invasive breast cancer. These findings contribute to the elucidation of a new mechanism of breast cancer growth regulated by specific microRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sasagu Kurozumi
- Department of Breast Surgery, International University of Health and Welfare, Chiba 286-8520, Japan
- Department of General Surgical Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma 371-8511, Japan (T.F.)
| | - Naohiko Seki
- Department of Functional Genomics, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-8670, Japan;
| | - Eriko Narusawa
- Department of General Surgical Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma 371-8511, Japan (T.F.)
| | - Chikako Honda
- Department of General Surgical Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma 371-8511, Japan (T.F.)
| | - Shoko Tokuda
- Department of General Surgical Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma 371-8511, Japan (T.F.)
| | - Yuko Nakazawa
- Department of General Surgical Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma 371-8511, Japan (T.F.)
| | - Takehiko Yokobori
- Initiative for Advanced Research, Gunma University, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
| | - Ayaka Katayama
- Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma 371-8511, Japan (T.O.)
| | - Nigel P. Mongan
- Biodiscovery Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Emad A. Rakha
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- Pathology Department, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha P.O. Box 3050, Qatar
| | - Tetsunari Oyama
- Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma 371-8511, Japan (T.O.)
| | - Takaaki Fujii
- Department of General Surgical Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma 371-8511, Japan (T.F.)
| | - Ken Shirabe
- Department of General Surgical Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma 371-8511, Japan (T.F.)
| | - Jun Horiguchi
- Department of Breast Surgery, International University of Health and Welfare, Chiba 286-8520, Japan
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Atallah NM, Haque M, Quinn C, Toss MS, Makhlouf S, Ibrahim A, Green AR, Alsaleem M, Rutland CS, Allegrucci C, Mongan NP, Rakha E. Characterisation of luminal and triple-negative breast cancer with HER2 Low protein expression. Eur J Cancer 2023; 195:113371. [PMID: 37897865 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2023.113371] [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: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Breast cancer (BC) expressing low levels of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 Low) is an emerging category that needs further refining. This study aims to provide a comprehensive clinico-pathological and molecular profile of HER2 Low BC including response to therapy and patient outcome in the adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings. METHODS Two different independent and well-characterised BC cohorts were included. Nottingham cohort (A) (n = 5744) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) BC cohort (B) (n = 854). The clinical, molecular, biological and immunological profile of HER2 Low BC was investigated. Transcriptomic and pathway enrichment analyses were performed on the TCGA BC cohort and validated through next-generation sequencing in a subset of Nottingham cases. RESULTS Ninety percent of HER2 Low tumours were hormone receptor (HR) positive (HR+), enriched with luminal intrinsic molecular subtype, lacking significant expression of HER2 oncogenic signalling genes and of favourable clinical behaviour compared to HER2 negative (HER2-) BC. In HR+ BC, no significant prognostic differences were detected between HER2 Low and HER2- tumours. However, in HR- BC, HER2 Low tumours were less aggressive with longer patient survival. Transcriptomic data showed that the majority of HR- /HER2 Low tumours were of luminal androgen receptor (LAR) intrinsic subtype, enriched with T-helper lymphocytes, activated dendritic cells and tumour associated neutrophils, while most HR-/HER2- tumours were basal-like, enriched with tumour associated macrophages. CONCLUSION HER2 Low BC is mainly driven by HR signalling in HR+ tumours. HR-/HER2 Low tumours tend to be enriched with LAR genes with a unique immune profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nehal M Atallah
- Translational Medical Science, School of Medicine, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Egypt
| | - Maria Haque
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK
| | - Cecily Quinn
- University College Dublin, School of Medicine, St Vincent's Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Michael S Toss
- Translational Medical Science, School of Medicine, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK; Histopathology Department, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK
| | - Shorouk Makhlouf
- Translational Medical Science, School of Medicine, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt
| | - Asmaa Ibrahim
- Translational Medical Science, School of Medicine, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK; Department of Pathology, Suez Canal University, Egypt
| | - Andrew R Green
- Translational Medical Science, School of Medicine, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Mansour Alsaleem
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK; Unit of Scientific Research, Applied College, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia
| | - Catrin S Rutland
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK
| | - Cinzia Allegrucci
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK; Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK; Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Emad Rakha
- Translational Medical Science, School of Medicine, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Egypt; Pathology Department, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
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9
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Atallah NM, Alsaleem M, Toss MS, Mongan NP, Rakha E. Differential response of HER2-positive breast cancer to anti-HER2 therapy based on HER2 protein expression level. Br J Cancer 2023; 129:1692-1705. [PMID: 37740038 PMCID: PMC10646129 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-023-02426-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increasing data indicate that HER2-positive (HER2 + ) breast cancer (BC) subtypes exhibit differential responses to targeted anti-HER2 therapy. This study aims to investigate these differences and the potential underlying molecular mechanisms. METHODS A large cohort of BC patients (n = 7390) was utilised. The clinicopathological characteristics and differential gene expression (DGE) of HER2+ immunohistochemical (IHC) subtypes, specifically HER2 IHC 3+ and IHC 2 + /Amplified, were assessed and correlated with pathological complete response (pCR) and survival in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings, respectively. The role of oestrogen receptor (ER) status was also investigated. RESULTS Compared to HER2 IHC 3+ tumours, BC patients with IHC 2 + /Amplified showed a significantly lower pCR rate (22% versus 57%, P < 0.001), shorter survival regardless of HER2 gene copy number, were less classified as HER2 enriched, and enriched for trastuzumab resistance and ER signalling pathway genes. ER positivity significantly decreased response to anti-HER2 therapy in IHC 2 + /Amplified, but not in IHC 3 + BC patients. CONCLUSION In HER2 + BC, overexpression of HER2 protein is the driver of the oncogenic pathway, and it is the main predictor of response to anti-HER2 therapy. ER signalling pathways are more dominant in BC with equivocal HER2 expression. personalised anti-HER2 therapy based on IHC classes should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- N M Atallah
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shibin el Kom, Egypt
| | - M Alsaleem
- Unit of Scientific Research, Applied College, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - M S Toss
- Histopathology Department, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK
| | - N P Mongan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - E Rakha
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shibin el Kom, Egypt.
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10
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Makhlouf S, Wahab N, Toss M, Ibrahim A, Lashen AG, Atallah NM, Ghannam S, Jahanifar M, Lu W, Graham S, Mongan NP, Bilal M, Bhalerao A, Snead D, Minhas F, Raza SEA, Rajpoot N, Rakha E. Evaluation of tumour infiltrating lymphocytes in luminal breast cancer using artificial intelligence. Br J Cancer 2023; 129:1747-1758. [PMID: 37777578 PMCID: PMC10667537 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-023-02451-3] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are a prognostic parameter in triple-negative and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer (BC). However, their role in luminal (oestrogen receptor positive and HER2 negative (ER + /HER2-)) BC remains unclear. In this study, we used artificial intelligence (AI) to assess the prognostic significance of TILs in a large well-characterised cohort of luminal BC. METHODS Supervised deep learning model analysis of Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E)-stained whole slide images (WSI) was applied to a cohort of 2231 luminal early-stage BC patients with long-term follow-up. Stromal TILs (sTILs) and intratumoural TILs (tTILs) were quantified and their spatial distribution within tumour tissue, as well as the proportion of stroma involved by sTILs were assessed. The association of TILs with clinicopathological parameters and patient outcome was determined. RESULTS A strong positive linear correlation was observed between sTILs and tTILs. High sTILs and tTILs counts, as well as their proximity to stromal and tumour cells (co-occurrence) were associated with poor clinical outcomes and unfavourable clinicopathological parameters including high tumour grade, lymph node metastasis, large tumour size, and young age. AI-based assessment of the proportion of stroma composed of sTILs (as assessed visually in routine practice) was not predictive of patient outcome. tTILs was an independent predictor of worse patient outcome in multivariate Cox Regression analysis. CONCLUSION AI-based detection of TILs counts, and their spatial distribution provides prognostic value in luminal early-stage BC patients. The utilisation of AI algorithms could provide a comprehensive assessment of TILs as a morphological variable in WSIs beyond eyeballing assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shorouk Makhlouf
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Noorul Wahab
- Tissue Image Analytics Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Michael Toss
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Histopathology, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Sheffield, UK
| | - Asmaa Ibrahim
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Ayat G Lashen
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt
| | - Nehal M Atallah
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt
| | - Suzan Ghannam
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Histology and cell biology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | | | - Wenqi Lu
- Tissue Image Analytics Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Simon Graham
- Tissue Image Analytics Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Biodiscovery Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Mohsin Bilal
- Tissue Image Analytics Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Abhir Bhalerao
- Tissue Image Analytics Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - David Snead
- University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, Coventry, UK
| | - Fayyaz Minhas
- Tissue Image Analytics Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | | | - Nasir Rajpoot
- Tissue Image Analytics Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
| | - Emad Rakha
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
- Department of Histopathology, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.
- Department of Pathology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
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11
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Atallah NM, Wahab N, Toss MS, Makhlouf S, Ibrahim AY, Lashen AG, Ghannam S, Mongan NP, Jahanifar M, Graham S, Bilal M, Bhalerao A, Ahmed Raza SE, Snead D, Minhas F, Rajpoot N, Rakha E. Deciphering the Morphology of Tumor-Stromal Features in Invasive Breast Cancer Using Artificial Intelligence. Mod Pathol 2023; 36:100254. [PMID: 37380057 DOI: 10.1016/j.modpat.2023.100254] [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: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Tumor-associated stroma in breast cancer (BC) is complex and exhibits a high degree of heterogeneity. To date, no standardized assessment method has been established. Artificial intelligence (AI) could provide an objective morphologic assessment of tumors and stroma, with the potential to identify new features not discernible by visual microscopy. In this study, we used AI to assess the clinical significance of (1) stroma-to-tumor ratio (S:TR) and (2) the spatial arrangement of stromal cells, tumor cell density, and tumor burden in BC. Whole-slide images of a large cohort (n = 1968) of well-characterized luminal BC cases were examined. Region and cell-level annotation was performed, and supervised deep learning models were applied for automated quantification of tumor and stromal features. S:TR was calculated in terms of surface area and cell count ratio, and the S:TR heterogeneity and spatial distribution were also assessed. Tumor cell density and tumor size were used to estimate tumor burden. Cases were divided into discovery (n = 1027) and test (n = 941) sets for validation of the findings. In the whole cohort, the stroma-to-tumor mean surface area ratio was 0.74, and stromal cell density heterogeneity score was high (0.7/1). BC with high S:TR showed features characteristic of good prognosis and longer patient survival in both the discovery and test sets. Heterogeneous spatial distribution of S:TR areas was predictive of worse outcome. Higher tumor burden was associated with aggressive tumor behavior and shorter survival and was an independent predictor of worse outcome (BC-specific survival; hazard ratio: 1.7, P = .03, 95% CI, 1.04-2.83 and distant metastasis-free survival; hazard ratio: 1.64, P = .04, 95% CI, 1.01-2.62) superior to absolute tumor size. The study concludes that AI provides a tool to assess major and subtle morphologic stromal features in BC with prognostic implications. Tumor burden is more prognostically informative than tumor size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nehal M Atallah
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Egypt
| | - Noorul Wahab
- Tissue Image Analytics Centre, University of Warwick, Conventry, UK
| | - Michael S Toss
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Histopathology Department, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK
| | - Shorouk Makhlouf
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt
| | - Asmaa Y Ibrahim
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt
| | - Ayat G Lashen
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Egypt
| | - Suzan Ghannam
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Biodiscovery Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK; Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York
| | | | - Simon Graham
- Tissue Image Analytics Centre, University of Warwick, Conventry, UK
| | - Mohsin Bilal
- Tissue Image Analytics Centre, University of Warwick, Conventry, UK
| | - Abhir Bhalerao
- Tissue Image Analytics Centre, University of Warwick, Conventry, UK
| | | | - David Snead
- Cellular Pathology, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, UK
| | - Fayyaz Minhas
- Tissue Image Analytics Centre, University of Warwick, Conventry, UK
| | - Nasir Rajpoot
- Tissue Image Analytics Centre, University of Warwick, Conventry, UK.
| | - Emad Rakha
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Egypt; Pathology Department, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
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12
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Makhlouf S, Althobiti M, Toss M, Muftah AA, Mongan NP, Lee AHS, Green AR, Rakha EA. The Clinical and Biological Significance of Estrogen Receptor-Low Positive Breast Cancer. Mod Pathol 2023; 36:100284. [PMID: 37474005 DOI: 10.1016/j.modpat.2023.100284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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: 02/04/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Estrogen receptor (ER) status in breast cancer (BC) is determined using immunohistochemistry (IHC) with nuclear expression in ≥1% of cells defined as ER-positive. BC with 1%-9% expression (ER-low-positive), is a clinically and biologically unique subgroup. In this study, we hypothesized that ER-low-positive BC represents a heterogeneous group with a mixture of ER-positive and ER-negative tumor, which may explain their divergent clinical behavior. A large BC cohort (n = 8171) was investigated and categorized into 3 groups: ER-low-positive (1%-9%), ER-positive (≥10%), and ER-negative (<1%) where clinicopathological and outcome characteristics were compared. A subset of ER-low-positive cases was further evaluated using IHC, RNAscope, and RT-qPCR. PAM50 subtyping and ESR1 mRNA expression levels were assessed in ER-low-positive cases within The Cancer Genome Atlas data set. The reliability of image analysis software in assessment of ER expression in the ER-low-positive category was also assessed. ER-low-positive tumors constituted <2% of BC cases examined and showed significant clinicopathological similarity to ER-negative tumors. Most of these tumors were nonluminal types showing low ESR1 mRNA expression. Further validation of ER status revealed that 45% of these tumors were ER-negative with repeated IHC staining and confirmed by RNAscope and RT-qPCR. ER-low-positive tumors diagnosed on needle core biopsy were enriched with false-positive ER staining. BCs with 10% ER behaved similar to ER-positive, rather than ER-negative or low-positive BCs. Moderate concordance was found in assessment of ER-low-positive tumors, and this was not improved by image analysis. Routinely diagnosed ER-low-positive BC includes a proportion of ER-negative cases. We recommend repeat testing of BC showing 1%-9% ER expression and using a cutoff ≥10% expression to define ER positivity to help better inform treatment decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shorouk Makhlouf
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Maryam Althobiti
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Shaqra University, Shaqra, Saudi Arabia
| | - Michael Toss
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom; Department of Histopathology, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Abir A Muftah
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Benghazi, Benghazi, Libya
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Biodiscovery Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom; Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Andrew H S Lee
- Department of Histopathology, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew R Green
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Emad A Rakha
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom; Department of Histopathology, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, United Kingdom; Department of Pathology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
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13
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Lashen AG, Toss MS, Wootton L, Green AR, Mongan NP, Madhusudan S, Rakha E. Characteristics and prognostic significance of polo-like kinase-1 (PLK1) expression in breast cancer. Histopathology 2023; 83:414-425. [PMID: 37222669 DOI: 10.1111/his.14960] [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: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
AIM Polo-like kinase-1 (PLK1) plays a crucial role in cell cycle progression, and it is considered a potential therapeutic target in many cancers. Although the role of PLK1 is well established in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) as an oncogene, its role in luminal BC is still controversial. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic and predictive role of PLK1 in BC and its molecular subtypes. METHODS A large BC cohort (n = 1208) were immunohistochemically stained for PLK1. The association with clinicopathological, molecular subtypes, and survival data was analysed. PLK1 mRNA was evaluated in the publicly available datasets (n = 6774), including The Cancer Genome Atlas and the Kaplan-Meier Plotter tool. RESULTS 20% of the study cohort showed high cytoplasmic PLK1 expression. High PLK1 expression was significantly associated with a better outcome in the whole cohort, luminal BC. In contrast, high PLK1 expression was associated with a poor outcome in TNBC. Multivariate analyses indicated that high PLK1 expression is independently associated with longer survival in luminal BC, and in poorer prognosis in TNBC. At the mRNA levels, PLK1 expression was associated with short survival in TNBC consistent with the protein expression. However, in luminal BC, its prognostic value significantly varies between cohorts. CONCLUSION The prognostic role of PLK1 in BC is molecular subtype-dependent. As PLK1 inhibitors are introduced to clinical trials for several cancer types, our study supports evaluation of the pharmacological inhibition of PLK1 as an attractive therapeutic target in TNBC. However, in luminal BC, PLK1 prognostic role remains controversial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayat G Lashen
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin El Kom, Egypt
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Michael S Toss
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Histopathology, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Louisa Wootton
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Andrew R Green
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Srinivasan Madhusudan
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham, UK
| | - Emad Rakha
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin El Kom, Egypt
- Department of Pathology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
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14
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Ghannam SF, Rutland CS, Allegrucci C, Mongan NP, Rakha E. Encapsulated papillary carcinoma of the breast: does it have a native basement membrane? Histopathology 2023; 83:376-393. [PMID: 37232543 DOI: 10.1111/his.14939] [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: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Encapsulated papillary carcinoma (EPC) is surrounded by a thick fibrous capsule-like structure, which is interpreted as a thickened basement membrane (BM). This study aimed to describe the geometric characteristics of the EPC capsule and to refine whether it is an expansion of the BM or a stromal reactive process. MATERIAL AND METHODS In all, 100 cases were divided into four groups: EPC, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), normal breast tissue and invasive tumours, with an additional encapsulated papillary thyroid carcinoma (EPTC) control group. Representative slides from each case were stained with picrosirius red (PSR) stain and examined using polarised microscopy. Images were analysed using ImageJ, CT-FIRE, and Curve align image analysis programmes. RESULTS Compared to the normal and DCIS BM, the EPC group showed a significant increase of collagen fibre width, straightness, and density, and a decrease of fibre length. The EPC capsule showed less alignment of fibres with a more perpendicular arrangement, and it was enriched with disorganised collagen type I (stromal collagen) fibres. Compared to other groups, the EPC capsule showed significant variation in the thickness, evenness, distribution of collagen fibres, and significant intracapsular heterogeneity. Compared to BM-like material in the invasive group, the EPC capsule showed a higher density of collagen fibres with longer, straighter, and more aligned fibres, but there was no difference in the distribution of both collagen types I and III. Conversely, compared to EPTC, there were no differences between both EPC and EPTC capsules except that the fibres in the EPC capsule were straighter. Although differences between normal ducts and lobules and DCIS BM collagen fibre density, straightness, orientation, and alignment were detected, both were significantly different from EPC capsule. CONCLUSION This study provided evidence that the EPC capsule is a reactive process rather than a thickened native BM characteristic of normal and in situ lesions, which provides further evidence that EPC is an indolent invasive carcinoma based on capsule characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzan F Ghannam
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Catrin S Rutland
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Cinzia Allegrucci
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Emad Rakha
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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15
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Alblihy A, Ali R, Algethami M, Ritchie AA, Shoqafi A, Alqahtani S, Mesquita KA, Toss MS, Ordóñez-Morán P, Jeyapalan JN, Dekker L, Salerno M, Hartsuiker E, Grabowska AM, Rakha EA, Mongan NP, Madhusudan S. Selective Killing of BRCA2-Deficient Ovarian Cancer Cells via MRE11 Blockade. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10966. [PMID: 37446144 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310966] [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: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The MRE11 nuclease is essential during DNA damage recognition, homologous recombination, and replication. BRCA2 plays important roles during homologous recombination and replication. Here, we show that effecting an MRE11 blockade using a prototypical inhibitor (Mirin) induces synthetic lethality (SL) in BRCA2-deficient ovarian cancer cells, HeLa cells, and 3D spheroids compared to BRCA2-proficient controls. Increased cytotoxicity was associated with double-strand break accumulation, S-phase cell cycle arrest, and increased apoptosis. An in silico analysis revealed Mirin docking onto the active site of MRE11. While Mirin sensitises DT40 MRE11+/- cells to the Top1 poison SN-38, it does not sensitise nuclease-dead MRE11 cells to this compound confirming that Mirin specifically inhibits Mre11 nuclease activity. MRE11 knockdown reduced cell viability in BRCA2-deficient PEO1 cells but not in BRCA2-proficient PEO4 cells. In a Mirin-resistant model, we show the downregulation of 53BP1 and DNA repair upregulation, leading to resistance, including in in vivo xenograft models. In a clinical cohort of human ovarian tumours, low levels of BRCA2 expression with high levels of MRE11 co-expression were linked with worse progression-free survival (PFS) (p = 0.005) and overall survival (OS) (p = 0.001). We conclude that MRE11 is an attractive SL target, and the pharmaceutical development of MRE11 inhibitors for precision oncology therapeutics may be of clinical benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adel Alblihy
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Reem Ali
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Mashael Algethami
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Alison A Ritchie
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Ahmed Shoqafi
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Shatha Alqahtani
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Katia A Mesquita
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Michael S Toss
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Paloma Ordóñez-Morán
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Jennie N Jeyapalan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Lodewijk Dekker
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Martina Salerno
- North West Cancer Research Institute, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Edgar Hartsuiker
- North West Cancer Research Institute, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Anna M Grabowska
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Emad A Rakha
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
- Department of Pathology, Nottingham University Hospitals, City Campus, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Srinivasan Madhusudan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
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16
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Baron F, Zhang M, Archer N, Bellows E, Knight HM, Welham S, Rutland CS, Mongan NP, Hayes CJ, Fray RG, Bodi Z. The importance of m 6A topology in chicken embryo mRNA: a precise mapping of m 6A at the conserved chicken β-actin zipcode. RNA 2023; 29:777-789. [PMID: 36810234 PMCID: PMC10187669 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079615.123] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) in mRNA regulates almost every stage in the mRNA life cycle, and the development of methodologies for the high-throughput detection of methylated sites in mRNA using m6A-specific methylated RNA immunoprecipitation with next-generation sequencing (MeRIPSeq) or m6A individual-nucleotide-resolution cross-linking and immunoprecipitation (miCLIP) have revolutionized the m6A research field. Both of these methods are based on immunoprecipitation of fragmented mRNA. However, it is well documented that antibodies often have nonspecific activities, thus verification of identified m6A sites using an antibody-independent method would be highly desirable. We mapped and quantified the m6A site in the chicken β-actin zipcode based on the data from chicken embryo MeRIPSeq results and our RNA-Epimodification Detection and Base-Recognition (RedBaron) antibody-independent assay. We also demonstrated that methylation of this site in the β-actin zipcode enhances ZBP1 binding in vitro, while methylation of a nearby adenosine abolishes binding. This suggests that m6A may play a role in regulating localized translation of β-actin mRNA, and the ability of m6A to enhance or inhibit a reader protein's RNA binding highlights the importance of m6A detection at nucleotide resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis Baron
- School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom
- School of Chemistry, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Mi Zhang
- School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom
| | - Nathan Archer
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom
| | - Eleanor Bellows
- School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom
| | - Helen M Knight
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Queen's Medical Center, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Welham
- School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom
| | - Catrin S Rutland
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher J Hayes
- School of Chemistry, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Rupert G Fray
- School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom
| | - Zsuzsa Bodi
- School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom
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17
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Talhouni S, Fadhil W, Mongan NP, Field L, Hunter K, Makhsous S, Maciel-Guerra A, Kaur N, Nestarenkaite A, Laurinavicius A, Willcox BE, Dottorini T, Spendlove I, Jackson AM, Ilyas M, Ramage JM. Activated tissue resident memory T-cells (CD8+CD103+CD39+) uniquely predict survival in left sided "immune-hot" colorectal cancers. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1057292. [PMID: 37251410 PMCID: PMC10213916 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1057292] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Characterization of the tumour immune infiltrate (notably CD8+ T-cells) has strong predictive survival value for cancer patients. Quantification of CD8 T-cells alone cannot determine antigenic experience, as not all infiltrating T-cells recognize tumour antigens. Activated tumour-specific tissue resident memory CD8 T-cells (TRM) can be defined by the co-express of CD103, CD39 and CD8. We investigated the hypothesis that the abundance and localization of TRM provides a higher-resolution route to patient stratification. Methods A comprehensive series of 1000 colorectal cancer (CRC) were arrayed on a tissue microarray, with representative cores from three tumour locations and the adjacent normal mucosa. Using multiplex immunohistochemistry we quantified and determined the localization of TRM. Results Across all patients, activated TRM were an independent predictor of survival, and superior to CD8 alone. Patients with the best survival had immune-hot tumours heavily infiltrated throughout with activated TRM. Interestingly, differences between right- and left-sided tumours were apparent. In left-sided CRC, only the presence of activated TRM (and not CD8 alone) was prognostically significant. Patients with low numbers of activated TRM cells had a poor prognosis even with high CD8 T-cell infiltration. In contrast, in right-sided CRC, high CD8 T-cell infiltration with low numbers of activated TRM was a good prognosis. Conclusion The presence of high intra-tumoural CD8 T-cells alone is not a predictor of survival in left-sided CRC and potentially risks under treatment of patients. Measuring both high tumour-associated TRM and total CD8 T-cells in left-sided disease has the potential to minimize current under-treatment of patients. The challenge will be to design immunotherapies, for left-sided CRC patients with high CD8 T-cells and low activate TRM,that result in effective immune responses and thereby improve patient survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahd Talhouni
- Cancer Immunology Group, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| | - Wakkas Fadhil
- Academic Unit of Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Nigel P. Mongan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Lara Field
- Cancer Immunology Group, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Kelly Hunter
- Birmingham Tissue Analytics, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Sogand Makhsous
- Cancer Immunology Group, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Alexandre Maciel-Guerra
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, United Kingdom
| | - Nayandeep Kaur
- Cancer Immunology Group, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ausrine Nestarenkaite
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Arvydas Laurinavicius
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Benjamin E. Willcox
- Birmingham Tissue Analytics, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Tania Dottorini
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Spendlove
- Cancer Immunology Group, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew M. Jackson
- Host-Tumour Interactions Group, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Mohammad Ilyas
- Academic Unit of Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Judith M. Ramage
- Cancer Immunology Group, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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18
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Brownlie J, Kulkarni S, Algethami M, Jeyapalan JN, Mongan NP, Rakha EA, Madhusudan S. Targeting DNA damage repair precision medicine strategies in cancer. Curr Opin Pharmacol 2023; 70:102381. [PMID: 37148685 DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2023.102381] [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: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
DNA repair targeted therapeutics is a promising precision medicine strategy in cancer. The development and clinical use of PARP inhibitors has transformed lives for many patients with BRCA germline deficient breast and ovarian cancer as well as platinum sensitive epithelial ovarian cancers. However, lessons learnt from the clinical use of PARP inhibitors also confirm that not all patients respond either due to intrinsic or acquired resistance. Therefore, the search for additional synthetic lethality approaches is an active area of translational and clinical research. Here, we review the current clinical state of PARP inhibitors and other evolving DNA repair targets including ATM, ATR, WEE1 inhibitors and others in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliette Brownlie
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Sanat Kulkarni
- Department of Medicine, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals, Lyndon, West Bromwich B71 4HJ, UK
| | - Mashael Algethami
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Jennie N Jeyapalan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Emad A Rakha
- Department of Pathology, Nottingham University Hospital, City Campus, Hucknall Road, Nottingham NG51PB, UK
| | - Srinivasan Madhusudan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 3RD, UK; Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham NG51PB, UK.
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19
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Lashen AG, Toss MS, Mongan NP, Green AR, Rakha EA. The clinical value of progesterone receptor expression in luminal breast cancer: A study of a large cohort with long-term follow-up. Cancer 2023; 129:1183-1194. [PMID: 36653923 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.34655] [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] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The routine assessment of progesterone receptor (PR) expression in breast cancer (BC) remains controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the role of PR expression in luminal BC, with emphasis on the definition of positivity and its prognostic significance as compared to Ki67 expression. METHODS A large cohort (n = 1924) of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive/HER2-negative BC was included. PR was immunohistochemically (IHC) stained on full face sections and core needle biopsies (CNB) where the optimal scoring cutoff was evaluated. In addition, the association of PR with other clinicopathological factors, cellular proliferation, disease outcome, and response to adjuvant therapy were analyzed. RESULTS Although several cutoffs showed prognostic significance, the optimal cutoff to categorize PR expression into two clinically distinct prognostic groups on CNB was 10%. PR negativity showed a significant association with features of aggressive tumor behavior and poor outcome. Multivariate analyses indicated that the association between PR negativity and poor outcome was independent of tumor grade, size, node stage, and Ki67. PR negativity showed independent association with shorter survival in patients who received endocrine therapy whereas Ki67did not. CONCLUSION PR IHC expression provides independent prognostic value superior to Ki67. Routine assessment of PR expression in BC using 10% cutoff in the clinical setting is recommended. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY In this study, we have established an optimal approach to determine the prognostic value of progesterone receptor expression in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients. To do this, the levels of progesterone receptor were measured in a large cohort of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients. We have refined the definition of progesterone receptor positivity in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. We show that progesterone receptor expression adds prognostic and predictive value of endocrine therapy in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients, and our results show that the absence of progesterone receptor is associated with poorer outcomes independent of tumor grade, size, node stage, and Ki67 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayat G Lashen
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin El Kom, Egypt
| | - Michael S Toss
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Histopathology, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust, Sheffield, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Andrew R Green
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Emad A Rakha
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin El Kom, Egypt
- Department of Pathology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
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20
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Algethami M, Toss MS, Woodcock CL, Jaipal C, Brownlie J, Shoqafi A, Alblihy A, Mesquita KA, Green AR, Mongan NP, Jeyapalan JN, Rakha EA, Madhusudan S. Unravelling the clinicopathological and functional significance of replication protein A (RPA) heterotrimeric complex in breast cancers. NPJ Breast Cancer 2023; 9:18. [PMID: 36997566 PMCID: PMC10063624 DOI: 10.1038/s41523-023-00524-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Replication Protein A (RPA), a heterotrimeric complex consisting of RPA1, 2, and 3 subunits, is a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-binding protein that is critically involved in replication, checkpoint regulation and DNA repair. Here we have evaluated RPA in 776 pure ductal carcinomas in situ (DCIS), 239 DCIS that co-exist with invasive breast cancer (IBC), 50 normal breast tissue and 4221 IBC. Transcriptomic [METABRIC cohort (n = 1980)] and genomic [TCGA cohort (n = 1090)] evaluations were completed. Preclinically, RPA deficient cells were tested for cisplatin sensitivity and Olaparib induced synthetic lethality. Low RPA linked to aggressive DCIS, aggressive IBC, and shorter survival outcomes. At the transcriptomic level, low RPA tumours overexpress pseudogene/lncRNA as well as genes involved in chemical carcinogenesis, and drug metabolism. Low RPA remains linked with poor outcome. RPA deficient cells are sensitive to cisplatin and Olaparib induced synthetic lethality. We conclude that RPA directed precision oncology strategy is feasible in breast cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mashael Algethami
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Michael S Toss
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
- Department of Pathology, Nottingham University Hospital, City Campus, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, NG51PB, UK
| | - Corinne L Woodcock
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Cancer Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Chandar Jaipal
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Juliette Brownlie
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Ahmed Shoqafi
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Adel Alblihy
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
- Medical Center, King Fahad Security College (KFSC), Riyadh, 11461, Saudi Arabia
| | - Katia A Mesquita
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Andrew R Green
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Jennie N Jeyapalan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
- Department of Pathology, Nottingham University Hospital, City Campus, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, NG51PB, UK
| | - Emad A Rakha
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
- Medical Center, King Fahad Security College (KFSC), Riyadh, 11461, Saudi Arabia
| | - Srinivasan Madhusudan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK.
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham, NG51PB, UK.
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21
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Lashen AG, Toss MS, Ghannam SF, Makhlouf S, Green A, Mongan NP, Rakha E. Expression, assessment and significance of Ki67 expression in breast cancer: an update. J Clin Pathol 2023; 76:357-364. [PMID: 36813558 DOI: 10.1136/jcp-2022-208731] [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: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Ki67 expression is one of the most important and cost-effective surrogate markers to assess for tumour cell proliferation in breast cancer (BC). The Ki67 labelling index has prognostic and predictive value in patients with early-stage BC, particularly in the hormone receptor-positive, HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2)-negative (luminal) tumours. However, many challenges exist in using Ki67 in routine clinical practice and it is still not universally used in the clinical setting. Addressing these challenges can potentially improve the clinical utility of Ki67 in BC. In this article, we review the function, immunohistochemical (IHC) expression, methods for scoring and interpretation of results as well as address several challenges of Ki67 assessment in BC. The prodigious attention associated with use of Ki67 IHC as a prognostic marker in BC resulted in high expectation and overestimation of its performance. However, the realisation of some pitfalls and disadvantages, which are expected with any similar markers, resulted in an increasing criticism of its clinical use. It is time to consider a pragmatic approach and weigh the benefits against the weaknesses and identify factors to achieve the best clinical utility. Here we highlight the strengths of its performance and provide some insights to overcome the existing challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayat Gamal Lashen
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.,Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin El Kom, Egypt
| | - Michael S Toss
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.,Department of pathology, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK
| | - Suzan Fathy Ghannam
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.,Department of Histology, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Shorouk Makhlouf
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.,Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Andrew Green
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.,Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.,Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Emad Rakha
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK .,Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin El Kom, Egypt.,Pathology Department, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
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22
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Lothion-Roy J, Haigh DB, Harris AE, Metzler VM, Alsaleem M, Toss MS, Kariri Y, Ntekim A, Robinson BD, Khani F, Gudas LJ, Allegrucci C, James VH, Madhusudan S, Mather M, Emes RD, Archer N, Fray RG, Rakha E, Jeyapalan JN, Rutland CS, Mongan NP, Woodcock CL. Clinical and molecular significance of the RNA m 6A methyltransferase complex in prostate cancer. Front Genet 2023; 13:1096071. [PMID: 36733939 PMCID: PMC9887525 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1096071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant internal mRNA modification and is dynamically regulated through distinct protein complexes that methylate, demethylate, and/or interpret the m6A modification. These proteins, and the m6A modification, are involved in the regulation of gene expression, RNA stability, splicing and translation. Given its role in these crucial processes, m6A has been implicated in many diseases, including in cancer development and progression. Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most commonly diagnosed non-cutaneous cancer in men and recent studies support a role for m6A in PCa. Despite this, the literature currently lacks an integrated analysis of the expression of key components of the m6A RNA methyltransferase complex, both in PCa patients and in well-established cell line models. For this reason, this study used immunohistochemistry and functional studies to investigate the mechanistic and clinical significance of the METTL3, METTL14, WTAP and CBLL1 components of the m6A methyltransferase complex in PCa specimens and cell lines. Expression of METTL3 and CBLL1, but not METTL14 and WTAP, was associated with poorer PCa patient outcomes. Expression of METTL3, METTL14, WTAP and CBLL1 was higher in PCa cells compared with non-malignant prostate cells, with the highest expression seen in castrate-sensitive, androgen-responsive PCa cells. Moreover, in PCa cell lines, expression of METTL3 and WTAP was found to be androgen-regulated. To investigate the mechanistic role(s) of the m6A methyltransferase complex in PCa cells, short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated knockdown coupled with next generation sequencing was used to determine the transcriptome-wide roles of METTL3, the catalytic subunit of the m6A methyltransferase complex. Functional depletion of METTL3 resulted in upregulation of the androgen receptor (AR), together with 134 AR-regulated genes. METTL3 knockdown also resulted in altered splicing, and enrichment of cell cycle, DNA repair and metabolic pathways. Collectively, this study identified the functional and clinical significance of four essential m6A complex components in PCa patient specimens and cell lines for the first time. Further studies are now warranted to determine the potential therapeutic relevance of METTL3 inhibitors in development to treat leukaemia to benefit patients with PCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Lothion-Roy
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Daisy B. Haigh
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Anna E. Harris
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Veronika M. Metzler
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Mansour Alsaleem
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,Department of Applied Medical Science, Applied College, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia
| | - Michael S. Toss
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Yousif Kariri
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, Shaqra University, Shaqra, Saudi Arabia
| | - Atara Ntekim
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom,Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Ibadan, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Brian D. Robinson
- Department of Pathology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Francesca Khani
- Department of Pathology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Lorraine J. Gudas
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Cinzia Allegrucci
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria H. James
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Srinivasan Madhusudan
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Melissa Mather
- Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Richard D. Emes
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Nathan Archer
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Rupert G. Fray
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Emad Rakha
- School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jennie N. Jeyapalan
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Catrin S. Rutland
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Nigel P. Mongan
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom,Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States,*Correspondence: Nigel P. Mongan, , ; Corinne L. Woodcock,
| | - Corinne L. Woodcock
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom,*Correspondence: Nigel P. Mongan, , ; Corinne L. Woodcock,
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23
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Ghannam SF, Rutland CS, Allegrucci C, Mongan NP, Rakha E. Defining invasion in breast cancer: the role of basement membrane. J Clin Pathol 2023; 76:11-18. [PMID: 36253088 DOI: 10.1136/jcp-2022-208584] [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: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Basement membrane (BM) is an amorphous, sheet-like structure separating the epithelium from the stroma. BM is characterised by a complex structure comprising collagenous and non-collagenous proteoglycans and glycoproteins. In the breast, the thickness, density and composition of the BM around the ductal lobular system vary during differing development stages. In pathological conditions, the BM provides a physical barrier that separates proliferating intraductal epithelial cells from the surrounding stroma, and its absence or breach in malignant lesions is a hallmark of invasion and metastases. Currently, diagnostic services often use special stains and immunohistochemistry (IHC) to identify the BM in order to distinguish in situ from invasive lesions. However, distinguishing BM on stained sections, and differentiating the native BM from the reactive capsule or BM-like material surrounding some invasive malignant breast tumours is challenging. Although diagnostic use of the BM is being replaced by myoepithelial cell IHC markers, BM is considered by many to be a useful marker to distinguish in situ from invasive lesions in ambiguous cases. In this review, the structure, function and biological and clinical significance of the BM are discussed in relation to the various breast lesions with emphasis on how to distinguish the native BM from alternative pathological tissue mimicking its histology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzan F Ghannam
- Division of cancer and stem cells, school of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Histology and Cell Biology, Suez Canal University Faculty of Medicine, Ismailia, Egypt
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Catrin Sian Rutland
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Cinzia Allegrucci
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Emad Rakha
- Division of cancer and stem cells, school of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Histopathology,school of Medicine, University of Nottingham School of Medicine, Nottingham, UK
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24
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Metzler VM, de Brot S, Haigh DB, Woodcock CL, Lothion-Roy J, Harris AE, Nilsson EM, Ntekim A, Persson JL, Robinson BD, Khani F, Laursen KB, Gudas LJ, Toss MS, Madhusudan S, Rakha E, Heery DM, Rutland CS, Mongan NP, Jeyapalan JN. The KDM5B and KDM1A lysine demethylases cooperate in regulating androgen receptor expression and signalling in prostate cancer. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1116424. [PMID: 37152294 PMCID: PMC10154691 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1116424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methylation is key epigenetic mark associated with active transcription and is a substrate for the KDM1A/LSD1 and KDM5B/JARID1B lysine demethylases. Increased expression of KDM1A and KDM5B is implicated in many cancer types, including prostate cancer (PCa). Both KDM1A and KDM5B interact with AR and promote androgen regulated gene expression. For this reason, there is great interested in the development of new therapies targeting KDM1A and KDM5B, particularly in the context of castrate resistant PCa (CRPC), where conventional androgen deprivation therapies and androgen receptor signalling inhibitors are no longer effective. As there is no curative therapy for CRPC, new approaches are urgently required to suppress androgen signalling that prevent, delay or reverse progression to the castrate resistant state. While the contribution of KDM1A to PCa is well established, the exact contribution of KDM5B to PCa is less well understood. However, there is evidence that KDM5B is implicated in numerous pro-oncogenic mechanisms in many different types of cancer, including the hypoxic response, immune evasion and PI3/AKT signalling. Here we elucidate the individual and cooperative functions of KDM1A and KDM5B in PCa. We show that KDM5B mRNA and protein expression is elevated in localised and advanced PCa. We show that the KDM5 inhibitor, CPI-455, impairs androgen regulated transcription and alternative splicing. Consistent with the established role of KDM1A and KDM5B as AR coregulators, we found that individual pharmacologic inhibition of KDM1A and KDM5 by namoline and CPI-455 respectively, impairs androgen regulated transcription. Notably, combined inhibition of KDM1A and KDM5 downregulates AR expression in CRPC cells. Furthermore, combined KDM1A and KDM5 inhibition impairs PCa cell proliferation and invasion more than individual inhibition of KDM1A and KDM5B. Collectively our study has identified individual and cooperative mechanisms involving KDM1A and KDM5 in androgen signalling in PCa. Our findings support the further development of KDM1A and KDM5B inhibitors to treat advanced PCa. Further work is now required to confirm the therapeutic feasibility of combined inhibition of KDM1A and KDM5B as a novel therapeutic strategy for targeting AR positive CRPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika M. Metzler
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Simone de Brot
- COMPATH, Institute of Animal Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Daisy B. Haigh
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Corinne L. Woodcock
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | | | - Anna E. Harris
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Emeli M. Nilsson
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Atara Ntekim
- Department of Oncology, University Hospital Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Jenny L. Persson
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Malmö Universitet, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Brian D. Robinson
- Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Francesca Khani
- Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kristian B. Laursen
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Lorraine J. Gudas
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Michael S. Toss
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | | | - Emad Rakha
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - David M. Heery
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Catrin S. Rutland
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Nigel P. Mongan
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Nigel P. Mongan, , ; Jennie N. Jeyapalan,
| | - Jennie N. Jeyapalan
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Nigel P. Mongan, , ; Jennie N. Jeyapalan,
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25
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Algethami M, Kulkarni S, Sadiq MT, Tang HKC, Brownlie J, Jeyapalan JN, Mongan NP, Rakha EA, Madhusudan S. Towards Personalized Management of Ovarian Cancer. Cancer Manag Res 2022; 14:3469-3483. [PMID: 36545222 PMCID: PMC9762171 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s366681] [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] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite advances in surgery and chemotherapy, the overall outcomes for patients with advanced ovarian cancer remain poor. Although initial response rates to platinum-based chemotherapy is about 60-80%, most patients will have recurrence and succumb to the disease. However, a DNA repair-directed precision medicine strategy has recently generated real hope in improving survival. The clinical development of PARP inhibitors has transformed lives for many patients with BRCA germline-deficient and/or platinum-sensitive epithelial ovarian cancers. Antiangiogenic agents and intraperitoneal chemotherapy approaches may also improve outcomes in patients. Moreover, evolving immunotherapeutic opportunities could also positively impact patient outcomes. Here we review the current clinical state of PARP inhibitors and other clinically viable targeted approaches in ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mashael Algethami
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Sanat Kulkarni
- Department of Medicine, City Hospital, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, Birmingham, B18 7QH, UK
| | - Maaz T Sadiq
- Cancer Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, Birmingham, B15 2GW, UK
| | - Hiu K C Tang
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham, NG51PB, UK
| | - Juliette Brownlie
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Jennie N Jeyapalan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Emad A Rakha
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Srinivasan Madhusudan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK,Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham, NG51PB, UK,Correspondence: Srinivasan Madhusudan, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University Park, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK, Tel +44(0)115 823 1850, Fax +44(0)115 823 1849, Email
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26
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Atallah NM, Toss MS, Green AR, Mongan NP, Ball G, Rakha EA. Refining the definition of HER2-low class in invasive breast cancer. Histopathology 2022; 81:770-785. [PMID: 36030496 PMCID: PMC9826019 DOI: 10.1111/his.14780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emerging evidence indicates that breast cancer (BC) patients whose tumours express HER2 protein without HER2 gene amplification (HER2-low), can benefit from antibody-drug conjugates (ADC). However, the current definition of HER2-low BC remains incomplete with low rates of concordance. This study aims to refine HER2-low definition with emphasis on distinguishing HER2 score 0 from score 1+ to identify patients who are eligible for ADC. METHODS A BC cohort (n = 363) with HER2 IHC scores 0, 1+ and 2+ (without HER2 gene amplification) and available HER2 mRNA was included. HER2 staining intensity, pattern and subcellular localisation were reassessed. Artificial neural network analysis was applied to cluster the cohort and to distinguish HER2 score 0 from 1+. Reproducibility and reliability of the refined criteria were tested. RESULTS HER2 IHC score 1+ was refined as membranous staining in invasive cells as either: (1) faint intensity in ≥ 20% of cells regardless the circumferential completeness, (2) weak complete staining in ≤ 10%, (3) weak incomplete staining in > 10% and (4) moderate incomplete staining in ≤ 10%. Based on this, 63% of the HER2-negative cases were reclassified as positive (HER2-low). The refined score showed perfect observer agreement compared to the moderate agreement in the original clinical scores. Similar results were generated when the refined score was applied on the independent BC cohorts. A proposal to refine the definition of other HER2 classes is presented. CONCLUSION This study refined the definition of HER2-low BC based on correlation with HER2 mRNA and distinguished between HER2 IHC score 1+ and score 0 tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nehal M Atallah
- Department of HistopathologySchool of Medicine, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University, Hospitals NHS TrustNottinghamUK,Department of PathologyFaculty of Medicine, Menoufia UniversityMenoufiaEgypt,Division of Cancer and Stem CellsBiodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Michael S Toss
- Division of Cancer and Stem CellsBiodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of NottinghamNottinghamUK,Histopathology DepartmentRoyal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustSheffieldUK
| | - Andrew R Green
- Division of Cancer and Stem CellsBiodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and SciencesUniversity of NottinghamSutton BoningtonUK
| | - Graham Ball
- Division of Life SciencesNottingham Trent UniversityNottinghamUK
| | - Emad A Rakha
- Department of HistopathologySchool of Medicine, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University, Hospitals NHS TrustNottinghamUK,Department of PathologyFaculty of Medicine, Menoufia UniversityMenoufiaEgypt
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27
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Lashen A, Toss MS, Green AR, Mongan NP, Rakha E. Ki67 assessment in invasive luminal breast cancer: a comparative study between different scoring methods. Histopathology 2022; 81:786-798. [PMID: 35997652 PMCID: PMC9826086 DOI: 10.1111/his.14781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ki67 reflects the proliferation activity in breast cancer (BC). However, an optimal method for its assessment in clinical settings has yet to be robustly defined. In this study we compared several methods to score Ki67 to identify a reliable and reproducible method for routine practice. METHODS Sections from luminal BC cohort (n = 1662) were immunohistochemically stained with Ki67 and were assessed for the percentage, pattern, and intensity of expression. Ki67 positivity was evaluated using three methods: (i) quantification of Ki67-positive cells among 1000 invasive tumour cells within hotspot, (ii) average estimation of Ki67 within a defined hotspot, and (iii) average estimation of Ki67 positivity within the whole section. Time required for scoring, interobserver agreement and association with outcome were determined. RESULTS The mean percentage of Ki67 expression per 1000 cells method was 16%, while the mean value of Ki67 scores using the average estimation within hotspot and whole slide were 14% and 12%, respectively. Quantification of Ki67-positive cells within 1000 cells had the highest degree of consistency between observers, and the highest hazard ratio predicting patient outcome when compared to using different common Ki67 cutoffs, which was independent of the other two methods. Granular pattern of Ki67 expression was associated with poorer outcome as compared to the other patterns. CONCLUSION Assessment of Ki67 expression using quantification positive cells among 1000 tumour cells is an optimal method to achieve high reliability and reproducibility. Comment on the predominant Ki67 expression pattern would add prognostic and predictive value in luminal BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayat Lashen
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of MedicineUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK,Department of Pathology, Faculty of MedicineMenoufia UniversityShebin El KomEgypt,Nottingham Breast Cancer Research CentreUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Michael S Toss
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of MedicineUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK,Nottingham Breast Cancer Research CentreUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK,Department of HistopathologySheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust SheffieldUK
| | - Andrew R Green
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of MedicineUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK,Nottingham Breast Cancer Research CentreUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and SciencesUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK,Department of PharmacologyWeill Cornell MedicineNew YorkUSA
| | - Emad Rakha
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of MedicineUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK,Department of Pathology, Faculty of MedicineMenoufia UniversityShebin El KomEgypt,Nottingham Breast Cancer Research CentreUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
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28
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Kariri YA, Joseph C, Alsaleem MA, Elsharawy KA, Alsaeed S, Toss MS, Mongan NP, Green AR, Rakha EA. Mechanistic and Clinical Evidence Supports a Key Role for Cell Division Cycle Associated 5 (CDCA5) as an Independent Predictor of Outcome in Invasive Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14225643. [PMID: 36428736 PMCID: PMC9688237 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14225643] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cell Division Cycle Associated 5 (CDCA5) plays a role in the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway involving cell division, cancer cell migration and apoptosis. This study aims to assess the prognostic and biological value of CDCA5 in breast cancer (BC). METHODS The biological and prognostic value of CDCA5 were evaluated at mRNA (n = 5109) and protein levels (n = 614) utilizing multiple well-characterized early stage BC cohorts. The effects of CDCA5 knockdown (KD) on multiple oncogenic assays were assessed in vitro using a panel of BC cell lines. RESULTS this study examined cohorts showed that high CDCA5 expression was correlated with features characteristic of aggressive behavior and poor prognosis, including the presence of high grade, large tumor size, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), hormone receptor negativity and HER2 positivity. High CDCA5 expression, at both mRNA and protein levels, was associated with shorter BC-specific survival independent of other variables (p = 0.034, Hazard ratio (HR) = 1.6, 95% CI; 1.1-2.3). In line with the clinical data, in vitro models indicated that CDCA5 depletion results in a marked decrease in BC cell invasion and migration abilities and a significant accumulation of the BC cells in the G2/M-phase. CONCLUSIONS These results provide evidence that CDCA5 plays an important role in BC development and metastasis and could be used as a potential biomarker to predict disease progression in BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yousif A. Kariri
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University Park Campus, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, Shaqra University, Shaqra 11961, Saudi Arabia
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Chitra Joseph
- School of Medicine, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
| | - Mansour A. Alsaleem
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University Park Campus, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- Department of Applied Medical Science, Applied College, Qassim University, Unayzah 56435, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khloud A. Elsharawy
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University Park Campus, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Damietta University, Damietta 34517, Egypt
| | - Sami Alsaeed
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University Park Campus, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Northern Border University, Arar 73244, Saudi Arabia
| | - Michael S. Toss
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- School of Medicine, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
| | - Nigel P. Mongan
- Biodiscovery Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Andrew R. Green
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University Park Campus, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Emad A. Rakha
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University Park Campus, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- School of Medicine, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
- Correspondence: or ; Tel.: +44-0115-9691169; Fax: +44-0115-9627768
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29
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Haigh DB, Woodcock CL, Lothion-Roy J, Harris AE, Metzler VM, Persson JL, Robinson BD, Khani F, Alsaleem M, Ntekim A, Madhusudan S, Davis MB, Laursen KB, Gudas LJ, Rutland CS, Toss MS, Archer N, Bodi Z, Rakha EA, Fray RG, Jeyapalan JN, Mongan NP. The METTL3 RNA Methyltransferase Regulates Transcriptional Networks in Prostate Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14205148. [PMID: 36291932 PMCID: PMC9600477 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14205148] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Prostate cancer is driven by androgen receptor-regulated transcription and is a leading cause of cancer deaths. For this reason, androgen deprivation therapies are commonly used to treat advanced prostate cancer. These treatments are often effective for short durations before the emergence of treatment resistance and disease progression to castrate resistant prostate cancer or neuroendocrine-like disease. The aim of this study was to address whether new therapies targeting the epitranscriptome may suppress androgen signalling and thus represent a novel approach to prostate cancer treatment. Abstract Prostate cancer (PCa) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths and is driven by aberrant androgen receptor (AR) signalling. For this reason, androgen deprivation therapies (ADTs) that suppress androgen-induced PCa progression either by preventing androgen biosynthesis or via AR signalling inhibition (ARSi) are common treatments. The N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification is involved in regulating mRNA expression, translation, and alternative splicing, and through these mechanisms has been implicated in cancer development and progression. RNA-m6A is dynamically regulated by the METTL3 RNA methyltransferase complex and the FTO and ALKBH5 demethylases. While there is evidence supporting a role for aberrant METTL3 in many cancer types, including localised PCa, the wider contribution of METTL3, and by inference m6A, in androgen signalling in PCa remains poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the expression of METTL3 in PCa patients and study the clinical and functional relevance of METTL3 in PCa. It was found that METTL3 is aberrantly expressed in PCa patient samples and that siRNA-mediated METTL3 knockdown or METTL3-pharmacological inhibition significantly alters the basal and androgen-regulated transcriptome in PCa, which supports targeting m6A as a novel approach to modulate androgen signalling in PCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisy B. Haigh
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Corinne L. Woodcock
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Jennifer Lothion-Roy
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Anna E. Harris
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Veronika M. Metzler
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Jenny L. Persson
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Malmö Universitet, 202 04 Malmö, Sweden
| | - Brian D. Robinson
- Department of Pathology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Francesca Khani
- Department of Pathology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Mansour Alsaleem
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- Department of Applied Medical Science, Applied College, Qassim University, Unayzah 51911, Qassim, Saudi Arabia
| | - Atara Ntekim
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University College Hospital, University of Ibadan, Ibadan 200132, Nigeria
| | - Srinivasan Madhusudan
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Melissa B. Davis
- Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | | | - Lorraine J. Gudas
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Catrin S. Rutland
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Michael S. Toss
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Nathan Archer
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Zsuzsanna Bodi
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Emad A. Rakha
- School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Rupert G. Fray
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Jennie N. Jeyapalan
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Nigel P. Mongan
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Correspondence: or
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30
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Jeyapalan JN, James V, Gardner DS, Lothion‐Roy JH, Mongan NP, Rutland CS. Impact of COVID-19 on student attainment and pedagogical needs when undertaking independent scientific research. Anat Histol Embryol 2022; 52:93-100. [PMID: 35869816 PMCID: PMC9349675 DOI: 10.1111/ahe.12842] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Research is often an essential component of completing a veterinary medicine degree, with universities worldwide aiming to teach students a variety of techniques and general research comprehension and skills. As universities worldwide navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, it was often necessary to move towards distance learning, this was employed for the research module at The University of Nottingham, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science. Following completion of their independent research project, each student cohort was sent a student evaluation of the module questionnaire and quantitative and qualitative analysis was undertaken. In addition, assessment outcomes based on dissertation grade, supervisor grade and overall module score were analysed quantitatively. This was conducted on both the individual cohorts and between the pre- and peri-pandemic groups, ranging from 2017-2018 through to 2021-2022 cohorts. The students received increased dissertation and supervisor grades (by nearly 6%) during the 2021-2022 peri-pandemic cohort, when compared to the pre-pandemic cohorts, but did differ significantly compared to the 2020-2021 cohort. The pre- and peri-pandemic Likert-scale ratings for module organisation and assessment criteria were similar, workload management and the ability to explore concepts and ideas was reduced in the peri-pandemic cohorts, whereas the accessibility to resources was increased in the peri-pandemic students compared to those taught prior to the pandemic. Student feedback can provide essential information when designing and managing research projects and when compared to assessment grades it can help us understand attainment, essential information when providing a quality university level education whilst supporting student welfare following the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennie N. Jeyapalan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Medical FacultyUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Victoria. James
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Medical FacultyUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - David S. Gardner
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Medical FacultyUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Jennifer H. Lothion‐Roy
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Medical FacultyUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Nigel P. Mongan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Medical FacultyUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Catrin Sian Rutland
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Medical FacultyUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
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31
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Alblihy A, Ali R, Algethami M, Shoqafi A, Toss MS, Brownlie J, Tatum NJ, Hickson I, Moran PO, Grabowska A, Jeyapalan JN, Mongan NP, Rakha EA, Madhusudan S. Targeting Mre11 overcomes platinum resistance and induces synthetic lethality in XRCC1 deficient epithelial ovarian cancers. NPJ Precis Oncol 2022; 6:51. [PMID: 35853939 PMCID: PMC9296550 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-022-00298-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Platinum resistance is a clinical challenge in ovarian cancer. Platinating agents induce DNA damage which activate Mre11 nuclease directed DNA damage signalling and response (DDR). Upregulation of DDR may promote chemotherapy resistance. Here we have comprehensively evaluated Mre11 in epithelial ovarian cancers. In clinical cohort that received platinum- based chemotherapy (n = 331), Mre11 protein overexpression was associated with aggressive phenotype and poor progression free survival (PFS) (p = 0.002). In the ovarian cancer genome atlas (TCGA) cohort (n = 498), Mre11 gene amplification was observed in a subset of serous tumours (5%) which correlated highly with Mre11 mRNA levels (p < 0.0001). Altered Mre11 levels was linked with genome wide alterations that can influence platinum sensitivity. At the transcriptomic level (n = 1259), Mre11 overexpression was associated with poor PFS (p = 0.003). ROC analysis showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.642 for response to platinum-based chemotherapy. Pre-clinically, Mre11 depletion by gene knock down or blockade by small molecule inhibitor (Mirin) reversed platinum resistance in ovarian cancer cells and in 3D spheroid models. Importantly, Mre11 inhibition was synthetically lethal in platinum sensitive XRCC1 deficient ovarian cancer cells and 3D-spheroids. Selective cytotoxicity was associated with DNA double strand break (DSB) accumulation, S-phase cell cycle arrest and increased apoptosis. We conclude that pharmaceutical development of Mre11 inhibitors is a viable clinical strategy for platinum sensitization and synthetic lethality in ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adel Alblihy
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
- Medical Center, King Fahad Security College (KFSC), Riyadh, 11461, Saudi Arabia
| | - Reem Ali
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Mashael Algethami
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Ahmed Shoqafi
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Michael S Toss
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
- Department of Pathology, Nottingham University Hospitals, City Hospital Campus, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, UK
| | - Juliette Brownlie
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Natalie J Tatum
- Cancer Research UK Newcastle Drug Discovery Unit, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Ian Hickson
- Cancer Research UK Newcastle Drug Discovery Unit, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Paloma Ordonez Moran
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Anna Grabowska
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Jennie N Jeyapalan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, 10065, NY, USA
| | - Emad A Rakha
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
- Department of Pathology, Nottingham University Hospitals, City Hospital Campus, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, UK
| | - Srinivasan Madhusudan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK.
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham, NG51PB, UK.
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32
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Sharpe BP, Hayden A, Manousopoulou A, Cowie A, Walker RC, Harrington J, Izadi F, Breininger SP, Gibson J, Pickering O, Jaynes E, Kyle E, Saunders JH, Parsons SL, Ritchie AA, Clarke PA, Collier P, Mongan NP, Bates DO, Yacqub-Usman K, Garbis SD, Walters Z, Rose-Zerilli M, Grabowska AM, Underwood TJ. Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors enhance chemotherapy in preclinical models of esophageal adenocarcinoma by targeting cancer-associated fibroblasts. Cell Rep Med 2022; 3:100541. [PMID: 35732148 PMCID: PMC9244979 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
The chemotherapy resistance of esophageal adenocarcinomas (EACs) is underpinned by cancer cell extrinsic mechanisms of the tumor microenvironment (TME). We demonstrate that, by targeting the tumor-promoting functions of the predominant TME cell type, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) with phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5i), we can enhance the efficacy of standard-of-care chemotherapy. In ex vivo conditions, PDE5i prevent the transdifferentiation of normal fibroblasts to CAF and abolish the tumor-promoting function of established EAC CAFs. Using shotgun proteomics and single-cell RNA-seq, we reveal PDE5i-specific regulation of pathways related to fibroblast activation and tumor promotion. Finally, we confirm the efficacy of PDE5i in combination with chemotherapy in close-to-patient and in vivo PDX-based model systems. These findings demonstrate that CAFs drive chemotherapy resistance in EACs and can be targeted by repurposing PDE5i, a safe and well-tolerated class of drug administered to millions of patients world-wide to treat erectile dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin P Sharpe
- School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Room CS B2, MP824, Somers Cancer Research Building, University Hospital Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Annette Hayden
- School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Room CS B2, MP824, Somers Cancer Research Building, University Hospital Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | | | - Andrew Cowie
- School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Room CS B2, MP824, Somers Cancer Research Building, University Hospital Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Robert C Walker
- School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Room CS B2, MP824, Somers Cancer Research Building, University Hospital Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Jack Harrington
- School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Room CS B2, MP824, Somers Cancer Research Building, University Hospital Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Fereshteh Izadi
- School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Room CS B2, MP824, Somers Cancer Research Building, University Hospital Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK; Centre for NanoHealth, Swansea University Medical School, Singleton Campus, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Stella P Breininger
- School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Room CS B2, MP824, Somers Cancer Research Building, University Hospital Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Jane Gibson
- School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Room CS B2, MP824, Somers Cancer Research Building, University Hospital Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Oliver Pickering
- School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Room CS B2, MP824, Somers Cancer Research Building, University Hospital Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Eleanor Jaynes
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Ewan Kyle
- School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Room CS B2, MP824, Somers Cancer Research Building, University Hospital Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - John H Saunders
- Ex Vivo Cancer Pharmacology Centre of Excellence, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Salford M6 8HD, UK
| | - Simon L Parsons
- Ex Vivo Cancer Pharmacology Centre of Excellence, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Hucknall Road, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
| | - Alison A Ritchie
- Ex Vivo Cancer Pharmacology Centre of Excellence, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Philip A Clarke
- Ex Vivo Cancer Pharmacology Centre of Excellence, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Pamela Collier
- Ex Vivo Cancer Pharmacology Centre of Excellence, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA; Biodiscovery Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
| | - David O Bates
- Ex Vivo Cancer Pharmacology Centre of Excellence, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Kiren Yacqub-Usman
- Ex Vivo Cancer Pharmacology Centre of Excellence, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | | | - Zoë Walters
- School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Room CS B2, MP824, Somers Cancer Research Building, University Hospital Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Matthew Rose-Zerilli
- School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Room CS B2, MP824, Somers Cancer Research Building, University Hospital Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Anna M Grabowska
- Ex Vivo Cancer Pharmacology Centre of Excellence, School of Medicine, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Timothy J Underwood
- School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Room CS B2, MP824, Somers Cancer Research Building, University Hospital Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
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33
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Wang T, Sarwar M, Whitchurch JB, Collins HM, Green T, Semenas J, Ali A, Roberts CJ, Morris RD, Hubert M, Chen S, El-Schich Z, Wingren AG, Grundström T, Lundmark R, Mongan NP, Gunhaga L, Heery DM, Persson JL. PIP5K1α is Required for Promoting Tumor Progression in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:798590. [PMID: 35386201 PMCID: PMC8979106 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.798590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
PIP5K1α has emerged as a promising drug target for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), as it acts upstream of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to promote prostate cancer (PCa) growth, survival and invasion. However, little is known of the molecular actions of PIP5K1α in this process. Here, we show that siRNA-mediated knockdown of PIP5K1α and blockade of PIP5K1α action using its small molecule inhibitor ISA-2011B suppress growth and invasion of CRPC cells. We demonstrate that targeted deletion of the N-terminal domain of PIP5K1α in CRPC cells results in reduced growth and migratory ability of cancer cells. Further, the xenograft tumors lacking the N-terminal domain of PIP5K1α exhibited reduced tumor growth and aggressiveness in xenograft mice as compared to that of controls. The N-terminal domain of PIP5K1α is required for regulation of mRNA expression and protein stability of PIP5K1α. This suggests that the expression and oncogenic activity of PIP5K1α are in part dependent on its N-terminal domain. We further show that PIP5K1α acts as an upstream regulator of the androgen receptor (AR) and AR target genes including CDK1 and MMP9 that are key factors promoting growth, survival and invasion of PCa cells. ISA-2011B exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on AR target genes including CDK1 and MMP9 in CRPC cells with wild-type PIP5K1α and in CRPC cells lacking the N-terminal domain of PIP5K1α. These results indicate that the growth of PIP5K1α-dependent tumors is in part dependent on the integrity of the N-terminal sequence of this kinase. Our study identifies a novel functional mechanism involving PIP5K1α, confirming that PIP5K1α is an intriguing target for cancer treatment, especially for treatment of CRPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyan Wang
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Martuza Sarwar
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | | | - Hilary M Collins
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Tami Green
- Umeå Centre for Molecular Medicine (UCMM), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Julius Semenas
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Amjad Ali
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | | | - Ryan D Morris
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Madlen Hubert
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology (IMB), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Pharmacy, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sa Chen
- Department of Medical Biosciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Zahra El-Schich
- Department of Biomedical Science, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Anette G Wingren
- Department of Biomedical Science, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden
| | | | - Richard Lundmark
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology (IMB), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Lena Gunhaga
- Umeå Centre for Molecular Medicine (UCMM), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - David M Heery
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jenny L Persson
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Biomedical Science, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden
- Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Clinical Research Centre in Malmö, Malmö, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Jenny L Persson,
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34
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Benjamin DN, O'Donovan TR, Laursen KB, Orfali N, Cahill MR, Mongan NP, Gudas LJ, McKenna SL. All- Trans-Retinoic Acid Combined With Valproic Acid Can Promote Differentiation in Myeloid Leukemia Cells by an Autophagy Dependent Mechanism. Front Oncol 2022; 12:848517. [PMID: 35280824 PMCID: PMC8907478 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.848517] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive blood cancer with an overall survival of 30%. One form of AML, acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has become more than 90% curable with differentiation therapy, consisting of all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (ATO). Application of differentiation therapy to other AML subtypes would be a major treatment advance. Recent studies have indicated that autophagy plays a key role in the differentiation of ATRA-responsive APL cells. In this study, we have investigated whether differentiation could be enhanced in ATRA resistant cells by promoting autophagy induction with valproic acid (VPA). ATRA sensitive (NB4) and resistant leukemia cells (NB4R and THP-1) were co-treated with ATRA and valproic acid, followed by assessment of autophagy and differentiation. The combination of VPA and ATRA induced autophagic flux and promoted differentiation in ATRA-sensitive and -resistant cell lines. shRNA knockdown of ATG7 and TFEB autophagy regulators impaired both autophagy and differentiation, demonstrating the importance of autophagy in the combination treatment. These data suggest that ATRA combined with valproic acid can promote differentiation in myeloid leukemia cells by mechanism involving autophagy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalyia N Benjamin
- Cancer Research, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Department of Haematology, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.,Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | | | - Kristian B Laursen
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Nina Orfali
- Department of Haematology, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Mary R Cahill
- Department of Haematology, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, United States.,Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Lorraine J Gudas
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
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35
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Kurozumi S, Kaira K, Matsumoto H, Kurosumi M, Yokobori T, Kanai Y, Sekine C, Honda C, Katayama A, Furuya M, Shiino S, Makiguchi T, Mongan NP, Rakha EA, Oyama T, Fujii T, Shirabe K, Horiguchi J. Association of L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) with the immune system and prognosis in invasive breast cancer. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2742. [PMID: 35177712 PMCID: PMC8854643 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06615-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1), also referred to as SLC7A5, is believed to regulate tumor metabolism and be associated with tumor proliferation. In invasive breast cancer, we clinicopathologically investigated the utility of LAT1 expression. LAT1 expression was evaluated via immunohistochemistry analyses in 250 breast cancer patients undergoing long-term follow-up. We assessed the relationships between LAT1 expression and patient outcomes and clinicopathological factors. Breast cancer-specific survival stratified by LAT1 expression was assessed. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive patients with metastasis received trastuzumab therapy. The density of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) was evaluated according to the International Working Group guidelines. In the current study, high LAT1 expression was significantly correlated with estrogen receptor (ER) negativity, progesterone receptor negativity, high histological grade, increased TILs, and programmed death ligand 1 positivity. Among the ER-positive and HER2-negative patients, high LAT1 was an independent indicator of poor outcomes (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.97; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.16-7.62; p = 0.023). Moreover, high LAT1 expression was an independent poor prognostic factor in luminal B-like breast cancer with aggressive features (HR = 3.39; 95% CI 1.35-8.52; p = 0.0094). In conclusion, high LAT1 expression could be used to identify a subgroup of invasive breast cancer characterized by aggressive behavior and high tumor immunoreaction. Our findings suggest that LAT1 might be a candidate therapeutic target for breast cancer patients, particularly those with luminal B-like type breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sasagu Kurozumi
- Department of Breast Surgery, International University of Health and Welfare, 852, Hatakeda, Narita, Chiba, 286-8520, Japan. .,Department of General Surgical Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan.
| | - Kyoichi Kaira
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Comprehensive Cancer Center, International Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan
| | | | | | - Takehiko Yokobori
- Gunma University Initiative for Advanced Research (GIAR), Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Yoshikatsu Kanai
- Division of Bio-System Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Chikako Sekine
- Department of Breast Surgery, International University of Health and Welfare, 852, Hatakeda, Narita, Chiba, 286-8520, Japan
| | - Chikako Honda
- Department of General Surgical Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Ayaka Katayama
- Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Mio Furuya
- Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Sho Shiino
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Takaya Makiguchi
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Plastic Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Biodiscovery Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Emad A Rakha
- Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Tetsunari Oyama
- Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Takaaki Fujii
- Department of General Surgical Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Ken Shirabe
- Department of General Surgical Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Jun Horiguchi
- Department of Breast Surgery, International University of Health and Welfare, 852, Hatakeda, Narita, Chiba, 286-8520, Japan
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36
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Kariri Y, Toss MS, Alsaleem M, Elsharawy KA, Joseph C, Mongan NP, Green AR, Rakha EA. Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 2C (UBE2C) is a poor prognostic biomarker in invasive breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2022; 192:529-539. [PMID: 35124721 PMCID: PMC8960565 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-022-06531-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Background
The Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 2C (UBE2C) is essential for the ubiquitin–proteasome system and is involved in cancer cell migration and apoptosis. This study aimed to determine the prognostic value of UBE2C in invasive breast cancer (BC).
Methods
UBE2C was evaluated using the Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (n = 1980), The Cancer Genome Atlas (n = 854) and Kaplan–Meier Plotter (n = 3951) cohorts. UBE2C protein expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry in the BC cohort (n = 619). The correlation between UBE2C, clinicopathological parameters and patient outcome was assessed.
Results
High UBE2C mRNA and protein expressions were correlated with features of poor prognosis, including high tumour grade, large size, the presence of lymphovascular invasion, hormone receptor negativity and HER2 positivity. High UBE2C mRNA expression showed a negative association with E-cadherin, and a positive association with adhesion molecule N-cadherin, matrix metalloproteinases and cyclin-related genes. There was a positive correlation between high UBE2C protein expression and cell cycle-associated biomarkers, p53, Ki67, EGFR and PI3K. High UBE2C protein expression was an independent predictor of poor outcome (p = 0.011, HR = 1.45, 95% CI; 1.10–1.93).
Conclusion
This study indicates that UBE2C is an independent prognostic biomarker in BC. These results warrant further functional validation for UBE2C as a potential therapeutic target in BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yousif Kariri
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, Shaqra University, 33, Shaqra, 11961, Saudi Arabia
| | - Michael S Toss
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Mansour Alsaleem
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
- Department of Applied Medical Science, Applied Collage in Unazyzah, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khloud A Elsharawy
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Damietta University, Damietta, 34517, Egypt
| | - Chitra Joseph
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Biodiscovery Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Andrew R Green
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Emad A Rakha
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
- Department of Histopathology, Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust, City Hospital Campus, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, UK.
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37
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Pinel GD, Horder JL, King JR, McIntyre A, Mongan NP, López GG, Benest AV. Endothelial Cell RNA-Seq Data: Differential Expression and Functional Enrichment Analyses to Study Phenotypic Switching. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2441:369-426. [PMID: 35099752 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2059-5_29] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
RNA-seq is a common approach used to explore gene expression data between experimental conditions or cell types and ultimately leads to information that can shed light on the biological processes involved and inform further hypotheses. While the protocols required to generate samples for sequencing can be performed in most research facilities, the resulting computational analysis is often an area in which researchers have little experience. Here we present a user-friendly bioinformatics workflow which describes the methods required to take raw data produced by RNA sequencing to interpretable results. Widely used and well documented tools are applied. Data quality assessment and read trimming were performed by FastQC and Cutadapt, respectively. Following this, STAR was utilized to map the trimmed reads to a reference genome and the alignment was analyzed by Qualimap. The subsequent mapped reads were quantified by featureCounts. DESeq2 was used to normalize and perform differential expression analysis on the quantified reads, identifying differentially expressed genes and preparing the data for functional enrichment analysis. Gene set enrichment analysis identified enriched gene sets from the normalized count data and clusterProfiler was used to perform functional enrichment against the GO, KEGG, and Reactome databases. Example figures of the functional enrichment analysis results were also generated. The example data used in the workflow are derived from HUVECs, an in vitro model used in the study of endothelial cells, published and publicly available for download from the European Nucleotide Archive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Díez Pinel
- Neuronal and Vascular Biology Group, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Joseph L Horder
- Endothelial Quiescence Group, Centre for Cancer Sciences, Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - John R King
- School of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Alan McIntyre
- Hypoxia and Acidosis Group, Center for Cancer Sciences, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gonzalo Gómez López
- Bioinformatics Unit, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrew V Benest
- Endothelial Quiescence Group, Centre for Cancer Sciences, Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
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Harris AE, Metzler VM, Lothion-Roy J, Varun D, Woodcock CL, Haigh DB, Endeley C, Haque M, Toss MS, Alsaleem M, Persson JL, Gudas LJ, Rakha E, Robinson BD, Khani F, Martin LM, Moyer JE, Brownlie J, Madhusudan S, Allegrucci C, James VH, Rutland CS, Fray RG, Ntekim A, de Brot S, Mongan NP, Jeyapalan JN. Exploring anti-androgen therapies in hormone dependent prostate cancer and new therapeutic routes for castration resistant prostate cancer. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:1006101. [PMID: 36263323 PMCID: PMC9575553 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1006101] [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] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Androgen deprivation therapies (ADTs) are important treatments which inhibit androgen-induced prostate cancer (PCa) progression by either preventing androgen biosynthesis (e.g. abiraterone) or by antagonizing androgen receptor (AR) function (e.g. bicalutamide, enzalutamide, darolutamide). A major limitation of current ADTs is they often remain effective for limited durations after which patients commonly progress to a lethal and incurable form of PCa, called castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) where the AR continues to orchestrate pro-oncogenic signalling. Indeed, the increasing numbers of ADT-related treatment-emergent neuroendocrine-like prostate cancers (NePC), which lack AR and are thus insensitive to ADT, represents a major therapeutic challenge. There is therefore an urgent need to better understand the mechanisms of AR action in hormone dependent disease and the progression to CRPC, to enable the development of new approaches to prevent, reverse or delay ADT-resistance. Interestingly the AR regulates distinct transcriptional networks in hormone dependent and CRPC, and this appears to be related to the aberrant function of key AR-epigenetic coregulator enzymes including the lysine demethylase 1 (LSD1/KDM1A). In this review we summarize the current best status of anti-androgen clinical trials, the potential for novel combination therapies and we explore recent advances in the development of novel epigenetic targeted therapies that may be relevant to prevent or reverse disease progression in patients with advanced CRPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna E. Harris
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Veronika M. Metzler
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer Lothion-Roy
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Dhruvika Varun
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Corinne L. Woodcock
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Daisy B. Haigh
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Chantelle Endeley
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Haque
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Michael S. Toss
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Mansour Alsaleem
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Department of Applied Medical Science, Applied College, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jenny L. Persson
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Malmö Universitet, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Lorraine J. Gudas
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Emad Rakha
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Brian D. Robinson
- Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Francesca Khani
- Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Laura M. Martin
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Jenna E. Moyer
- Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Juliette Brownlie
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Srinivasan Madhusudan
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Cinzia Allegrucci
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria H. James
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Catrin S. Rutland
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Rupert G. Fray
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Atara Ntekim
- Department of Oncology, University Hospital Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
- *Correspondence: Jennie N. Jeyapalan, ; Nigel P. Mongan, ; ; Atara Ntekim,
| | - Simone de Brot
- Comparative Pathology Platform (COMPATH), Institute of Animal Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Nigel P. Mongan
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Jennie N. Jeyapalan, ; Nigel P. Mongan, ; ; Atara Ntekim,
| | - Jennie N. Jeyapalan
- University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Jennie N. Jeyapalan, ; Nigel P. Mongan, ; ; Atara Ntekim,
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Ryman‐Tubb T, Lothion‐Roy JH, Metzler VM, Harris AE, Robinson BD, Rizvanov AA, Jeyapalan JN, James VH, England G, Rutland CS, Persson JL, Kenner L, Rubin MA, Mongan NP, de Brot S. Comparative pathology of dog and human prostate cancer. Vet Med Sci 2022; 8:110-120. [PMID: 34628719 PMCID: PMC8788985 DOI: 10.1002/vms3.642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Though relatively rare in dogs, prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common non-cutaneous cancer in men. Human and canine prostate glands share many functional, anatomical and physiological features. Due to these similarities, canine PCa has been proposed as a model for PCa in men. PCa is typically androgen-dependent at diagnosis in men and for this reason, androgen deprivation therapies (ADT) are important treatments for advanced PCa in men. In contrast, there is some evidence that PCa is diagnosed more commonly in castrate dogs, at which point, limited therapeutic options are available. In men, a major limitation of current ADT is that progression to a lethal and incurable form of PCa, termed castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), is common. There is, therefore, an urgent need for a better understanding of the mechanism of PCa initiation and progression to CRPC to enable the development of novel therapeutic approaches. This review focuses on the functional, physiological, endocrine and histopathological similarities and differences in the prostate gland of these species. In particular, we focus on common physiological roles for androgen signalling in the prostate of men and dogs, we review the short- and longer-term effects of castration on PCa incidence and progression in the dog and relate how this knowledge may be relevant to understanding the mechanisms of CRPC in men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby Ryman‐Tubb
- BioDiscovery InstituteSchool of Veterinary Medicine and ScienceUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Jennifer H. Lothion‐Roy
- BioDiscovery InstituteSchool of Veterinary Medicine and ScienceUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Veronika M. Metzler
- BioDiscovery InstituteSchool of Veterinary Medicine and ScienceUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Anna E. Harris
- BioDiscovery InstituteSchool of Veterinary Medicine and ScienceUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | | | - Albert A. Rizvanov
- BioDiscovery InstituteSchool of Veterinary Medicine and ScienceUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and ScienceKazan Federal UniversityKazanTatarstanRussia
| | - Jennie N. Jeyapalan
- BioDiscovery InstituteSchool of Veterinary Medicine and ScienceUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Victoria H. James
- BioDiscovery InstituteSchool of Veterinary Medicine and ScienceUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Gary England
- BioDiscovery InstituteSchool of Veterinary Medicine and ScienceUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Catrin S. Rutland
- BioDiscovery InstituteSchool of Veterinary Medicine and ScienceUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Jenny L. Persson
- Department of Molecular BiologyUmeå UniversitetUmeåSweden
- Department of Biomedical SciencesMalmö UniversitetMalmöSweden
| | - Lukas Kenner
- Department of Experimental PathologyLaboratory Animal Pathology Medical University WienViennaAustria
| | - Mark A. Rubin
- Bern Center for Precision MedicineUniversity of Bern and InselspitalBernSwitzerland
- Department of BioMedical ResearchUniversity of Bern and InselspitalBernSwitzerland
| | - Nigel P. Mongan
- BioDiscovery InstituteSchool of Veterinary Medicine and ScienceUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
- Department of PharmacologyWeill Cornell MedicineNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Simone de Brot
- BioDiscovery InstituteSchool of Veterinary Medicine and ScienceUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
- COMPATH, Institute of Animal PathologyUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
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40
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Lashen A, Toss MS, Alsaleem M, Green AR, Mongan NP, Rakha E. The characteristics and clinical significance of atypical mitosis in breast cancer. Mod Pathol 2022; 35:1341-1348. [PMID: 35501336 PMCID: PMC9514994 DOI: 10.1038/s41379-022-01080-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [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: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Atypical mitosis is considered a feature of malignancy, however, its significance in breast cancer (BC) remains elusive. Here, we aimed to assess the clinical value of atypical mitoses in BC and to explore their underlying molecular features. Atypical and typical mitotic figures were quantified and correlated with clinicopathological variables in a large cohort of primary BC tissue sections (n = 846) using digitalized hematoxylin and eosin whole-slide images (WSIs). In addition, atypical mitoses were assessed in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) BC dataset (n = 1032) and were linked to the genetic alterations and pathways. In this study, the median of typical mitoses was 17 per 3 mm2 (range 0-120 mitoses), while the median of atypical mitoses was 4 (range 0-103 mitoses). High atypical mitoses were significantly associated with parameters characteristic of aggressive tumor behavior. The total number of mitoses, and a high atypical-to-typical mitoses ratio (>0.27) were associated with poor BC specific survival (BCSS), (p = 0.04 and 0.01, respectively). The atypical-to-typical mitoses ratio dichotomized triple negative-BC (TNBC) patients into two distinct groups in terms of the association with the outcome, while the overall number of mitoses was not. Moreover, TNBC patients with high atypical-to-typical mitoses ratio treated with adjuvant chemotherapy were associated with shorter survival (p = 0.003). Transcriptomic analysis of the TCGA-BRCA cohort dichotomized based on atypical mitoses identified 2494 differentially expressed genes. These included genes linked to pathways involved in chromosomal localization and segregation, centrosome assembly, spindle and microtubule formation, regulation of cell cycle and DNA repair. To conclude, the atypical-to-typical mitoses ratio has prognostic value independent of the overall mitotic count in BC patients and could predict the response to chemotherapy in TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayat Lashen
- grid.4563.40000 0004 1936 8868Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK ,grid.411775.10000 0004 0621 4712Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin El Kom, Egypt
| | - Michael S. Toss
- grid.4563.40000 0004 1936 8868Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Mansour Alsaleem
- grid.4563.40000 0004 1936 8868Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK ,grid.412602.30000 0000 9421 8094Department of Applied Medical Science, Applied College, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia
| | - Andrew R Green
- grid.4563.40000 0004 1936 8868Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK ,grid.4563.40000 0004 1936 8868Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Nigel P. Mongan
- grid.4563.40000 0004 1936 8868School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK ,grid.5386.8000000041936877XDepartment of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY USA
| | - Emad Rakha
- Academic Unit for Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK. .,Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin El Kom, Egypt.
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41
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Larsson PF, Karlsson R, Sarwar M, Miftakhova R, Wang T, Syed Khaja AS, Semenas J, Chen S, Hedblom A, Ali A, Ekström‐Holka K, Simoulis A, Kumar A, Wingren AG, Robinson B, Nyunt Wai S, Mongan NP, Heery DM, Öhlund D, Grundström T, Ødum N, Persson JL. FcγRIIIa receptor interacts with androgen receptor and PIP5K1α to promote growth and metastasis of prostate cancer. Mol Oncol 2021; 16:2496-2517. [PMID: 34932854 PMCID: PMC9251882 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13166] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Low‐affinity immunoglobulin gamma Fc region receptor III‐A (FcγRIIIa) is a cell surface protein that belongs to a family of Fc receptors that facilitate the protective function of the immune system against pathogens. However, the role of FcγRIIIa in prostate cancer (PCa) progression remained unknown. In this study, we found that FcγRIIIa expression was present in PCa cells and its level was significantly higher in metastatic lesions than in primary tumors from the PCa cohort (P = 0.006). PCa patients with an elevated level of FcγRIIIa expression had poorer biochemical recurrence (BCR)‐free survival compared with those with lower FcγRIIIa expression, suggesting that FcγRIIIa is of clinical importance in PCa. We demonstrated that overexpression of FcγRIIIa increased the proliferative ability of PCa cell line C4‐2 cells, which was accompanied by the upregulation of androgen receptor (AR) and phosphatidylinositol‐4‐phosphate 5‐kinase alpha (PIP5Kα), which are the key players in controlling PCa progression. Conversely, targeted inhibition of FcγRIIIa via siRNA‐mediated knockdown or using its inhibitory antibody suppressed growth of xenograft PC‐3 and PC‐3M prostate tumors and reduced distant metastasis in xenograft mouse models. We further showed that elevated expression of AR enhanced FcγRIIIa expression, whereas inhibition of AR activity using enzalutamide led to a significant downregulation of FcγRIIIa protein expression. Similarly, inhibition of PIP5K1α decreased FcγRIIIa expression in PCa cells. FcγRIIIa physically interacted with PIP5K1α and AR via formation of protein–protein complexes, suggesting that FcγRIIIa is functionally associated with AR and PIP5K1α in PCa cells. Our study identified FcγRIIIa as an important factor in promoting PCa growth and invasion. Further, the elevated activation of FcγRIII and AR and PIP5K1α pathways may cooperatively promote PCa growth and invasion. Thus, FcγRIIIa may serve as a potential new target for improved treatment of metastatic and castration‐resistant PCa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard Karlsson
- Department of Molecular Biology Umeå University Umeå Sweden
- Division of Experimental Cancer Research Department of Translational Medicine Lund University Clinical Research Centre Malmö Sweden
| | - Martuza Sarwar
- Department of Molecular Biology Umeå University Umeå Sweden
| | | | - Tianyan Wang
- Department of Molecular Biology Umeå University Umeå Sweden
| | | | - Julius Semenas
- Department of Molecular Biology Umeå University Umeå Sweden
| | - Sa Chen
- Department of Molecular Biology Umeå University Umeå Sweden
| | - Andreas Hedblom
- Department of Molecular Biology Umeå University Umeå Sweden
- Division of Experimental Cancer Research Department of Translational Medicine Lund University Clinical Research Centre Malmö Sweden
| | - Amjad Ali
- Department of Molecular Biology Umeå University Umeå Sweden
| | | | - Athanasios Simoulis
- Department of Clinical Pathology and Cytology Skåne University Hospital Malmö Sweden
| | - Anjani Kumar
- Department of Molecular Biology Umeå University Umeå Sweden
| | | | - Brian Robinson
- Department of Pathology Weill Cornell Medical College New York NY USA
| | - Sun Nyunt Wai
- Department of Molecular Biology Umeå University Umeå Sweden
- Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR) Umeå University Umeå Sweden
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences
| | - David M Heery
- School of Pharmacy University of Nottingham Nottingham United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Öhlund
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, and Department of Radiation Sciences Umeå University Umeå Sweden
| | | | - Niels Ødum
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Jenny L Persson
- Department of Molecular Biology Umeå University Umeå Sweden
- Division of Experimental Cancer Research Department of Translational Medicine Lund University Clinical Research Centre Malmö Sweden
- Faculty of Biomedicine Malmö University Malmö Sweden
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42
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Alblihy A, Shoqafi A, Toss MS, Algethami M, Harris AE, Jeyapalan JN, Abdel-Fatah T, Servante J, Chan SYT, Green A, Mongan NP, Rakha EA, Madhusudan S. Untangling the clinicopathological significance of MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 complex in sporadic breast cancers. NPJ Breast Cancer 2021; 7:143. [PMID: 34782604 PMCID: PMC8593132 DOI: 10.1038/s41523-021-00350-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [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: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) complex is critical for genomic stability. Although germline mutations in MRN may increase breast cancer susceptibility, such mutations are extremely rare. Here, we have conducted a comprehensive clinicopathological study of MRN in sporadic breast cancers. We have protein expression profiled for MRN and a panel of DNA repair factors involved in double-strand break repair (BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, CHK2, ATR, Chk1, pChk1, RAD51, γH2AX, RPA1, RPA2, DNA-PKcs), RECQ DNA helicases (BLM, WRN, RECQ1, RECQL4, RECQ5), nucleotide excision repair (ERCC1) and base excision repair (SMUG1, APE1, FEN1, PARP1, XRCC1, Pol β) in 1650 clinical breast cancers. The prognostic significance of MRE11, RAD50 and NBS1 transcripts and their microRNA regulators (hsa-miR-494 and hsa-miR-99b) were evaluated in large clinical datasets. Expression of MRN components was analysed in The Cancer Genome Atlas breast cancer cohort. We show that low nuclear MRN is linked to aggressive histopathological phenotypes such as high tumour grade, high mitotic index, oestrogen receptor- and high-risk Nottingham Prognostic Index. In univariate analysis, low nuclear MRE11 and low nuclear RAD50 were associated with poor survival. In multivariate analysis, low nuclear RAD50 remained independently linked with adverse clinical outcomes. Low RAD50 transcripts were also linked with reduced survival. In contrast, overexpression of hsa-miR-494 and hsa-miR-99b microRNAs was associated with poor survival. We observed large-scale genome-wide alterations in MRN-deficient tumours contributing to aggressive behaviour. We conclude that MRN status may be a useful tool to stratify tumours for precision medicine strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adel Alblihy
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
- Medical Center, King Fahad Security College (KFSC), Riyadh, 11461, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed Shoqafi
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Michael S Toss
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
- Department of Pathology, Nottingham University Hospitals, City Hospital Campus, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, UK
| | - Mashael Algethami
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Anna E Harris
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Jennie N Jeyapalan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Tarek Abdel-Fatah
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, City Hospital Campus, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, UK
| | | | - Stephen Y T Chan
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, City Hospital Campus, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, UK
| | - Andrew Green
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
| | - Emad A Rakha
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK
- Department of Pathology, Nottingham University Hospitals, City Hospital Campus, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, UK
| | - Srinivasan Madhusudan
- Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK.
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, City Hospital Campus, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, UK.
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43
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Lashen AG, Toss MS, Katayama A, Gogna R, Mongan NP, Rakha EA. Assessment of proliferation in breast cancer: cell cycle or mitosis? An observational study. Histopathology 2021; 79:1087-1098. [PMID: 34455622 DOI: 10.1111/his.14542] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Proliferation is an important indicator of breast cancer (BC) prognosis, but is assessed using different approaches. Not all cells in the cell cycle are committed to division. This study aimed to characterise quantitative differences between BC cells in the cell cycle and those in mitosis and assess their relationship with other pathological parameters. METHODS AND RESULTS A cohort of BC sections (n = 621) was stained with haematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemistry for Ki-67. The proportion of mitotic cells and Ki-67-positive cells was assessed in the same areas. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) BC cohort was used to assess MKI-67 transcriptome level and its association with the mitotic counts. The mean proportion of BC cells in the cell cycle was 24% (range = 1-90%), while the mean proportion of BC cells in mitosis was 5% (range = 0-73%). A low proportion of mitoses to whole cycling cells was associated with low histological grade tumours and the luminal A molecular subtype, while tumours with a high proportion of mitoses to the overall cycling cells were associated with triple-negative subtype, larger tumour size, grade 3 tumours and lymph node metastasis. The high mitosis/low Ki-67-positive cells tumours showed a significant association with variables of poor prognosis, including high-grade and triple-negative subtypes. CONCLUSION The proportion of BC cells in the cell cycle and mitosis is variable. We show that not only the number of cells in the cell cycle or mitosis, but also the difference between them, provides valuable information on tumour aggressiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayat G Lashen
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.,Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin El Kom, Egypt
| | - Michael S Toss
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Ayaka Katayama
- Diagnostic Pathology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebaashi, Japan
| | - Rajan Gogna
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.,School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Emad A Rakha
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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Rutland CS, Cockcroft JM, Lothion-Roy J, Harris AE, Jeyapalan JN, Simpson S, Alibhai A, Bailey C, Ballard-Reisch AC, Rizvanov AA, Dunning MD, de Brot S, Mongan NP. Immunohistochemical Characterisation of GLUT1, MMP3 and NRF2 in Osteosarcoma. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:704598. [PMID: 34414229 PMCID: PMC8369506 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.704598] [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: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Osteosarcoma (OSA) is an aggressive bone malignancy. Unlike many other malignancies, OSA outcomes have not improved in recent decades. One challenge to the development of better diagnostic and therapeutic methods for OSA has been the lack of well characterized experimental model systems. Spontaneous OSA in dogs provides a good model for the disease seen in people and also remains an important veterinary clinical challenge. We recently used RNA sequencing and qRT-PCR to provide a detailed molecular characterization of OSA relative to non-malignant bone in dogs. We identified differential mRNA expression of the solute carrier family 2 member 1 (SLC2A1/GLUT1), matrix metallopeptidase 3 (MMP3) and nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (NFE2L2/NRF2) genes in canine OSA tissue in comparison to paired non-tumor tissue. Our present work characterizes protein expression of GLUT1, MMP3 and NRF2 using immunohistochemistry. As these proteins affect key processes such as Wnt activation, heme biosynthesis, glucose transport, understanding their expression and the enriched pathways and gene ontologies enables us to further understand the potential molecular pathways and mechanisms involved in OSA. This study further supports spontaneous OSA in dogs as a model system to inform the development of new methods to diagnose and treat OSA in both dogs and people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catrin S Rutland
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - James M Cockcroft
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer Lothion-Roy
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Anna E Harris
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jennie N Jeyapalan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Siobhan Simpson
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Aziza Alibhai
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Clara Bailey
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | | | - Albert A Rizvanov
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia
| | - Mark D Dunning
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, Solihull, United Kingdom
| | - Simone de Brot
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,COMPATH, Institute of Animal Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
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45
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Ali R, Alabdullah M, Algethami M, Alblihy A, Miligy I, Shoqafi A, Mesquita KA, Abdel-Fatah T, Chan SYT, Chiang PW, Mongan NP, Rakha EA, Tomkinson AE, Madhusudan S. Ligase 1 is a predictor of platinum resistance and its blockade is synthetically lethal in XRCC1 deficient epithelial ovarian cancers. Am J Cancer Res 2021; 11:8350-8361. [PMID: 34373746 PMCID: PMC8344016 DOI: 10.7150/thno.51456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [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] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale: The human ligases (LIG1, LIG3 and LIG4) are essential for the maintenance of genomic integrity by catalysing the formation of phosphodiester bonds between adjacent 5′-phosphoryl and 3′-hydroxyl termini at single and double strand breaks in duplex DNA molecules generated either directly by DNA damage or during replication, recombination, and DNA repair. Whether LIG1, LIG3 and LIG4 can influence ovarian cancer pathogenesis and therapeutics is largely unknown. Methods: We investigated LIG1, LIG3 and LIG4 expression in clinical cohorts of epithelial ovarian cancers [protein level (n=525) and transcriptional level (n=1075)] and correlated to clinicopathological features and survival outcomes. Pre-clinically, platinum sensitivity was investigated in LIG1 depleted ovarian cancer cells. A small molecule inhibitor of LIG1 (L82) was tested for synthetic lethality application in XRCC1, BRCA2 or ATM deficient cancer cells. Results: LIG1 and LIG3 overexpression linked with aggressive phenotypes, platinum resistance and poor progression free survival (PFS). In contrast, LIG4 deficiency was associated with platinum resistance and worse PFS. In a multivariate analysis, LIG1 was independently associated with adverse outcome. In ovarian cancer cell lines, LIG1 depletion increased platinum cytotoxicity. L82 monotherapy was synthetically lethal in XRCC1 deficient ovarian cancer cells and 3D-spheroids. Increased cytotoxicity was linked with accumulation of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), S-phase cell cycle arrest and increased apoptotic cells. L82 was also selectively toxic in BRCA2 deficient or ATM deficient cancer cells and 3D-spheroids. Conclusions: We provide evidence that LIG1 is an attractive target for personalization of ovarian cancer therapy.
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de Brot S, Lothion-Roy J, Grau-Roma L, White E, Guscetti F, Rubin MA, Mongan NP. Histological and immunohistochemical investigation of canine prostate carcinoma with identification of common intraductal carcinoma component. Vet Comp Oncol 2021; 20:38-49. [PMID: 33963663 PMCID: PMC9292867 DOI: 10.1111/vco.12704] [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: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
A limited number of species, including men and dogs, spontaneously develop prostate cancer (PC). The histological and molecular relevance of canine PC as a model for the disease in men remains controversial. To address this challenge, this study aimed to assess the histomorphology and expression of basal cell, urothelial and neuroendocrine markers [p63, high molecular weight cytokeratin (HMWCK), Uroplakin 3 (UPIII), neuron‐specific enolase (NSE)] in canine PC (n = 41). Based on histomorphology, 10/41 (24%), 21/41 (51%) and 9/41 (22%) were classified as adenocarcinoma (AC), urothelial carcinoma (UC), and mixed carcinoma, respectively. Tumour inflammation was common, frequently severe [20/41 (49%)], and associated with neutering (p < .02) and urothelial differentiation (p < .02). Most (36/40, 90%) cancers contained only rare cells with basal cell marker expression or were negative. The expression of UPIII was absent or weak in the majority (33/38, 87%) of tumours, with moderate to strong staining in the remaining cases. NSE expression in PC was rare and limited to 2/14 (14%) cases. Tumour extension into benign ducts and glands was a common finding with presence in 17/39 (44%) of carcinomas with and without urothelial differentiation. In conclusion, we confirm that canine PC is characterized by absent or weak expression of basal cell and urothelial markers. Although rare, NSE expression, potentially indicating neuroendocrine differentiation, is reported for the first time in canine PCa. Intraductal carcinoma of the prostate with concurrent invasive PCa (IDCP‐inv) is a frequent, not previously described, finding in dogs with PC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone de Brot
- COMPATH, Institute of Animal Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jennifer Lothion-Roy
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.,BioDiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Llorenç Grau-Roma
- COMPATH, Institute of Animal Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Emily White
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Franco Guscetti
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mark A Rubin
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Bern Center for Precision Medicine, University of Bern and Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- BioDiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.,Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA
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47
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Alsaleem M, Kurozumi S, Bhardwaj K, Monteiro C, Joosten SEP, Green AR, Fujii T, Shirabe K, Ellis IO, Rakha EA, Mongan NP, Heery DM, Zwart W, Oesterreich S, Johnston SJ. Abstract PS6-11: Targetable ERBB2 mutation status is an independent marker of adverse prognosis in estrogen receptor positive, ERBB2 non-amplified primary lobular breast carcinoma: Validation using a novel gene signature of HER2 activation. Cancer Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs20-ps6-11] [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] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) accounts for 10-15% of primary breast cancer and is typically ER+ and ERBB2 non-amplified. There is preclinical evidence that somatic ERBB2 mutation may provide an alternative and tractable mechanism for upregulation of HER2 activity in tumors that do not express HER2 by current clinical criteria. Using large public datasets, we previously demonstrated that targetable ERBB2 mutations are enriched in ILC versus invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and are an independent prognostic factor in ILC (HR=3.7, 95% CI 1.2-11.0; p=0.021)*. We next hypothesized that a gene expression signature incorporating HER2 activity due to ERBB2 mutation and / or amplification would validate the prognostic signal we found in ILC.
To derive a novel gene expression signature of HER2 activity that accounted for the effect of potentially targetable ERBB2 mutations in ERBB2 non-amplified tumors, we applied a weighted average difference method to gene expression data in cases from the METABRIC 2012 (N=1,980) and TCGA 2015 (N=817) cohorts. To compare our novel gene expression signature with an established signature of HER2 activity, we performed multivariate regression modeling of response to neratinib, a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor of HER1, 2 and 4, using pharmacogenomic data accessed via the CellMinerCDB online portal.
We show that our novel HER2 pathway signature score uniquely enriches for ERBB2 mutated tumors. Using a Cox regression model and stratifying gene expression scores into upper versus lower quartiles, we were able to validate the prognostic signal of ERBB2 mutations in ILC tumors (HR for 10-year OS in ILC=2.3, 95% CI 1.04-5.05; p=0.040). In contrast, no relationship was found between ERBB2 mutation status or novel HER2 pathway enrichment score and patient outcome in cases of IDC.
We conclude that ERBB2 mutations that are enriched in ILC provide a robust biomarker of HER2 pathway activation and can be detected via gene expression signature. Novel clinical trials of HER2-targeted therapy in ERBB2 non-amplified primary ILC are warranted.
*Reference: Kurozumi S et al, Cancer Research 2019, 80(4) suppl: SABCS 2019 Abstract P1-18-06 and medRxiv 2020.01.24.20018622
Citation Format: Mansour Alsaleem, Sasagu Kurozumi, Kartikeya Bhardwaj, Cintia Monteiro, Stacey EP Joosten, Andrew R Green, Takaaki Fujii, Ken Shirabe, Ian O Ellis, Emad A Rakha, Nigel P Mongan, David M Heery, Wilbert Zwart, Steffi Oesterreich, Simon J Johnston. Targetable ERBB2 mutation status is an independent marker of adverse prognosis in estrogen receptor positive, ERBB2 non-amplified primary lobular breast carcinoma: Validation using a novel gene signature of HER2 activation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS6-11.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Takaaki Fujii
- 2Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Ken Shirabe
- 2Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
| | - Ian O Ellis
- 1University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Emad A Rakha
- 1University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | | | - David M Heery
- 1University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Wilbert Zwart
- 3Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Steffi Oesterreich
- 4Womens Cancer Research Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and Magee-Women Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA
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48
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Alblihy A, Alabdullah ML, Ali R, Algethami M, Toss MS, Mongan NP, Rakha EA, Madhusudan S. Clinicopathological and Functional Evaluation Reveal NBS1 as a Predictor of Platinum Resistance in Epithelial Ovarian Cancers. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9010056. [PMID: 33435622 PMCID: PMC7826685 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9010056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Platinum resistance seriously impacts on the survival outcomes of patients with ovarian cancers. Platinum-induced DNA damage is processed through DNA repair. NBS1 is a key DNA repair protein. Here, we evaluated the role of NBS1 in ovarian cancers. NBS1 expression was investigated in clinical cohorts (protein level (n = 331) and at the transcriptomic level (n = 1259)). Pre-clinically, sub-cellular localization of NBS1 at baseline and following cisplatin therapy was tested in platinum resistant (A2780cis, PEO4) and sensitive (A2780, PEO1) ovarian cancer cells. NBS1 was depleted and cisplatin sensitivity was investigated in A2780cis and PEO4 cells. Nuclear NBS1 overexpression was associated with platinum resistance (p = 0.0001). In univariate and multivariate analysis, nuclear NBS1 overexpression was associated with progression free survival (PFS) (p-values = 0.003 and 0.017, respectively) and overall survival (OS) (p-values = 0.035 and 0.009, respectively). NBS1 mRNA overexpression was linked with poor PFS (p = 0.011). Pre-clinically, following cisplatin treatment, we observed nuclear localization of NBS1 in A2780cis and PEO4 compared to A2780 and PEO1 cells. NBS1 depletion increased cisplatin cytotoxicity, which was associated with accumulation of double strand breaks (DSBs), S-phase cell cycle arrest, and increased apoptosis. NBS1 is a predictor of platinum sensitivity and could aid stratification of ovarian cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adel Alblihy
- Translational Oncology, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK; (A.A.); (M.L.A.); (R.A.); (M.A.)
- Medical Center, King Fahad Security College (KFSC), Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia
| | - Muslim L. Alabdullah
- Translational Oncology, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK; (A.A.); (M.L.A.); (R.A.); (M.A.)
- Academic Pathology, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK; (M.S.T.); (E.A.R.)
| | - Reem Ali
- Translational Oncology, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK; (A.A.); (M.L.A.); (R.A.); (M.A.)
| | - Mashael Algethami
- Translational Oncology, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK; (A.A.); (M.L.A.); (R.A.); (M.A.)
| | - Michael S. Toss
- Academic Pathology, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK; (M.S.T.); (E.A.R.)
| | - Nigel P. Mongan
- School Veterinary Medicine and Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK;
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Emad A. Rakha
- Academic Pathology, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK; (M.S.T.); (E.A.R.)
| | - Srinivasan Madhusudan
- Translational Oncology, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK; (A.A.); (M.L.A.); (R.A.); (M.A.)
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
- Correspondence:
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Alblihy A, Alabdullah ML, Toss MS, Algethami M, Mongan NP, Rakha EA, Madhusudan S. RAD50 deficiency is a predictor of platinum sensitivity in sporadic epithelial ovarian cancers. Mol Biomed 2020; 1:19. [PMID: 35006434 PMCID: PMC8607373 DOI: 10.1186/s43556-020-00023-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrinsic or acquired resistance seriously limits the use of platinating agents in advanced epithelial ovarian cancers. Increased DNA repair capacity is a key route to platinum resistance. RAD50 is a critical component of the MRN complex, a ‘first responder’ to DNA damage and essential for the repair of DSBs and stalled replication forks. We hypothesised a role for RAD50 in ovarian cancer pathogenesis and therapeutics. Clinicopathological significance of RAD50 expression was evaluated in clinical cohorts of ovarian cancer at the protein level (n = 331) and at the transcriptomic level (n = 1259). Sub-cellular localization of RAD50 at baseline and following cisplatin therapy was tested in platinum resistant (A2780cis, PEO4) and sensitive (A2780, PEO1) ovarian cancer cells. RAD50 was depleted and cisplatin sensitivity was investigated in A2780cis and PEO4 cells. RAD50 deficiency was associated with better progression free survival (PFS) at the protein (p = 0.006) and transcriptomic level (p < 0.001). Basal level of RAD50 was higher in platinum resistant cells. Following cisplatin treatment, increased nuclear localization of RAD50 was evident in A2780cis and PEO4 compared to A2780 and PEO1 cells. RAD50 depletion using siRNAs in A2780cis and PEO4 cells increased cisplatin cytotoxicity, which was associated with accumulation of DSBs, S-phase cell cycle arrest and increased apoptosis. We provide evidence that RAD50 deficiency is a predictor of platinum sensitivity. RAD50 expression-based stratification and personalization could be viable clinical strategy in ovarian cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adel Alblihy
- Translational Oncology, Division of Cancer & Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, NG51PB, UK
| | - Muslim L Alabdullah
- Translational Oncology, Division of Cancer & Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, NG51PB, UK.,Academic Pathology, Division of Cancer & Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, NG51PB, UK
| | - Michael S Toss
- Academic Pathology, Division of Cancer & Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, NG51PB, UK
| | - Mashael Algethami
- Translational Oncology, Division of Cancer & Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, NG51PB, UK
| | - Nigel P Mongan
- Faculty of medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Cancer Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK.,Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Emad A Rakha
- Academic Pathology, Division of Cancer & Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, NG51PB, UK
| | - Srinivasan Madhusudan
- Translational Oncology, Division of Cancer & Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, NG51PB, UK. .,Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham, NG51PB, UK. .,Division of Cancer & Stem Cells, School of Medicine, Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 3RD, UK.
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50
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Joseph C, Alsaleem MA, Toss MS, Kariri YA, Althobiti M, Alsaeed S, Aljohani AI, Narasimha PL, Mongan NP, Green AR, Rakha EA. The ITIM-Containing Receptor: Leukocyte-Associated Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor-1 (LAIR-1) Modulates Immune Response and Confers Poor Prognosis in Invasive Breast Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 13:E80. [PMID: 33396670 PMCID: PMC7795350 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13010080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [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: 11/29/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The leukocyte-associated immunoglobulin-like receptor-1 (LAIR-1) plays a role in immune response homeostasis, extracellular matrix remodelling and it is overexpressed in many high-grade cancers. This study aimed to elucidate the biological and prognostic role of LAIR-1 in invasive breast cancer (BC). METHODS The biological and prognostic effect of LAIR-1 was evaluated at the mRNA and protein levels using well-characterised multiple BC cohorts. Related signalling pathways were evaluated using in silico differential gene expression and siRNA knockdown were used for functional analyses. RESULTS High LAIR-1 expression either in mRNA or protein levels were associated with high tumour grade, poor Nottingham Prognostic Index, hormone receptor negativity, immune cell infiltrates and extracellular matrix remodelling elements. High LAIR-1 protein expression was an independent predictor of shorter BC-specific survival and distant metastasis-free survival in the entire BC cohort and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)+ subtype. Pathway analysis highlights LAIR-1 association with extracellular matrix remodelling-receptor interaction, and cellular proliferation. Depletion of LAIR-1 using siRNA significantly reduced cell proliferation and invasion capability in HER2+ BC cell lines. CONCLUSION High expression of LAIR-1 is associated with poor clinical outcome in BC. Association with immune cells and immune checkpoint markers warrant further studies to assess the underlying mechanistic roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chitra Joseph
- School of Medicine, The University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK;
| | - Mansour A. Alsaleem
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; (M.A.A.); (Y.A.K.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.I.A.); (P.L.N.); (N.P.M.); (A.R.G.)
- Department of Applied Medical Sciences, Unayzah Community College, Qassim University, Unayzah 56435, Saudi Arabia
| | - Michael S. Toss
- School of Medicine, The University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK;
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; (M.A.A.); (Y.A.K.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.I.A.); (P.L.N.); (N.P.M.); (A.R.G.)
| | - Yousif A. Kariri
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; (M.A.A.); (Y.A.K.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.I.A.); (P.L.N.); (N.P.M.); (A.R.G.)
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, Shaqra University 33, Shaqra 11961, Saudi Arabia
| | - Maryam Althobiti
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; (M.A.A.); (Y.A.K.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.I.A.); (P.L.N.); (N.P.M.); (A.R.G.)
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, Shaqra University 33, Shaqra 11961, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sami Alsaeed
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; (M.A.A.); (Y.A.K.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.I.A.); (P.L.N.); (N.P.M.); (A.R.G.)
| | - Abrar I. Aljohani
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; (M.A.A.); (Y.A.K.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.I.A.); (P.L.N.); (N.P.M.); (A.R.G.)
| | - Pavan L. Narasimha
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; (M.A.A.); (Y.A.K.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.I.A.); (P.L.N.); (N.P.M.); (A.R.G.)
| | - Nigel P. Mongan
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; (M.A.A.); (Y.A.K.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.I.A.); (P.L.N.); (N.P.M.); (A.R.G.)
| | - Andrew R. Green
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; (M.A.A.); (Y.A.K.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.I.A.); (P.L.N.); (N.P.M.); (A.R.G.)
| | - Emad A. Rakha
- School of Medicine, The University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK;
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; (M.A.A.); (Y.A.K.); (M.A.); (S.A.); (A.I.A.); (P.L.N.); (N.P.M.); (A.R.G.)
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