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Mayall JR, Horvat JC, Mangan NE, Chevalier A, McCarthy H, Hampsey D, Donovan C, Brown AC, Matthews AY, de Weerd NA, de Geus ED, Starkey MR, Kim RY, Daly K, Goggins BJ, Keely S, Maltby S, Baldwin R, Foster PS, Boyle MJ, Tanwar PS, Huntington ND, Hertzog PJ, Hansbro PM. Interferon-epsilon is a novel regulator of NK cell responses in the uterus. EMBO Mol Med 2024; 16:267-293. [PMID: 38263527 PMCID: PMC10897320 DOI: 10.1038/s44321-023-00018-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The uterus is a unique mucosal site where immune responses are balanced to be permissive of a fetus, yet protective against infections. Regulation of natural killer (NK) cell responses in the uterus during infection is critical, yet no studies have identified uterine-specific factors that control NK cell responses in this immune-privileged site. We show that the constitutive expression of IFNε in the uterus plays a crucial role in promoting the accumulation, activation, and IFNγ production of NK cells in uterine tissue during Chlamydia infection. Uterine epithelial IFNε primes NK cell responses indirectly by increasing IL-15 production by local immune cells and directly by promoting the accumulation of a pre-pro-like NK cell progenitor population and activation of NK cells in the uterus. These findings demonstrate the unique features of this uterine-specific type I IFN and the mechanisms that underpin its major role in orchestrating innate immune cell protection against uterine infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jemma R Mayall
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Jay C Horvat
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Niamh E Mangan
- Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Departments of Molecular and Translational Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
| | - Anne Chevalier
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Huw McCarthy
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Daniel Hampsey
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Chantal Donovan
- Centre for Inflammation, Centenary Institute and University of Technology Sydney, Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia
| | - Alexandra C Brown
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Antony Y Matthews
- Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Departments of Molecular and Translational Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
| | - Nicole A de Weerd
- Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Departments of Molecular and Translational Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
| | - Eveline D de Geus
- Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Departments of Molecular and Translational Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
| | - Malcolm R Starkey
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Immunology and Pathology, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
| | - Richard Y Kim
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Centre for Inflammation, Centenary Institute and University of Technology Sydney, Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia
| | - Katie Daly
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Bridie J Goggins
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Simon Keely
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Steven Maltby
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Rennay Baldwin
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Paul S Foster
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Michael J Boyle
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases Unit, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, 2305, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- Gynecology Oncology Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Nicholas D Huntington
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
| | - Paul J Hertzog
- Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Departments of Molecular and Translational Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
| | - Philip M Hansbro
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia.
- Centre for Inflammation, Centenary Institute and University of Technology Sydney, Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia.
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Jamaluddin MFB, Day T, Tanwar PS, Marzol A, Scurry J. Mass Spectrometry Proteomic Analysis of Four p53 Patterns in Differentiated Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia. J Low Genit Tract Dis 2023; 27:146-151. [PMID: 36622249 DOI: 10.1097/lgt.0000000000000720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The histopathologic diagnostic criteria of differentiated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (dVIN), the precursor of human papillomavirus-independent squamous cell carcinoma, are basal atypia, a negative or non-block-positive p16, and a supportive p53 immunohistochemistry (IHC). Several different patterns of supportive p53 IHC have been described. This study aims to determine the relationship between p53 IHC patterns and mass spectrometry analysis of cellular proteins in dVIN. METHODS Four patterns of p53 IHC were studied: overexpression, cytoplasmic, wild type, and intermediate expression between wild type and overexpression. For each pattern, tissue samples of 4 examples were subjected to mass spectrometry. RESULTS The protein profile within each p53 IHC pattern shared common features. Each of the 4 p53 patterns had a distinguishable protein profile when compared with the other 3 patterns. CONCLUSIONS The distinguishable protein profiles in different p53 IHC patterns suggest diverse mechanisms of TP53 dysfunction. Subtyping dVIN by p53 IHC is worthy of further study because varied protein expression profiles may translate into different clinical behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Fairuz B Jamaluddin
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Alexandra Marzol
- New South Wales Health, Pathology North, John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia
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Lawson EF, Ghosh A, Blanch V, Grupen CG, Aitken RJ, Lim R, Drury HR, Baker MA, Gibb Z, Tanwar PS. Establishment and characterisation of oviductal organoids from farm and companion animals. Biol Reprod 2023:7077433. [PMID: 36917225 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioad030] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Organoid technology has provided a unique opportunity to study early human development and decipher various steps involved in the pathogenesis of disease. The technology is already used in clinics to improve human patient outcomes. However, limited knowledge of the methodologies required to establish organoid culture systems in domestic animals has slowed the advancement and application of organoid technology in veterinary medicine. This is particularly true for the field of reproduction and the application of assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Here, we have developed a platform to grow oviductal organoids from five domestic species - bovine, porcine, equine, feline, and canine. The organoids were grown progressively from single cells derived from the enzymatic digestion of freshly collected infundibular/fimbrial samples. The addition of WNT, TGFβ, BMP, ROCK, and Notch signalling pathway activators or inhibitors to the organoid culture medium suggested remarkable conservation of the molecular signals involved in oviductal epithelial development and differentiation across species. The gross morphology of organoids from all the domestic species was initially similar. However, some differences in size, complexity, and growth rate were subsequently observed and described. After 21 days, well-defined and synchronized motile ciliated cells were observed in organoids. Histopathologically, oviductal organoids mimicked their respective native tissue. In summary, we have carried out a detailed cross-species comparison of oviductal organoids, which would be valuable in advancing our knowledge of oviduct physiology and, potentially, help in increasing the success of assisted reproductive technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwina F Lawson
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Arnab Ghosh
- Global Centre for Gynaecological Diseases, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Victoria Blanch
- Global Centre for Gynaecological Diseases, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Christopher G Grupen
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW, Australia
| | - R John Aitken
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Rebecca Lim
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Hannah R Drury
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Mark A Baker
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Zamira Gibb
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- Global Centre for Gynaecological Diseases, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
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Kumar M, Sahoo SS, Jamaluddin MFB, Tanwar PS. Loss of liver kinase B1 in human seminoma. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1081110. [PMID: 36969070 PMCID: PMC10036840 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1081110] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Testicular cancer is a common malignancy of young males and is believed to be originated from defective embryonic or adult germ cells. Liver kinase B1 (LKB1) is a serine/threonine kinase and a tumor suppressor gene. LKB1 is a negative regulator of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, often inactivated in many human cancer types. In this study, we investigated the involvement of LKB1 in the pathogenesis of testicular germ cell cancer. We performed immunodetection of LKB1 protein in human seminoma samples. A 3D culture model of human seminoma was developed from TCam-2 cells, and two mTOR inhibitors were tested for their efficacy against these cancer cells. Western blot and mTOR protein arrays were used to show that these inhibitors specifically target the mTOR pathway. Examination of LKB1 showed reduced expression in germ cell neoplasia in situ lesions and seminoma compared to adjacent normal-appearing seminiferous tubules where the expression of this protein was present in the majority of germ cell types. We developed a 3D culture model of seminoma using TCam-2 cells, which also showed reduced levels of LKB1 protein. Treatment of TCam-2 cells in 3D with two well-known mTOR inhibitors resulted in reduced proliferation and survival of TCam-2 cells. Overall, our results support that downregulation or loss of LKB1 marks the early stages of the pathogenesis of seminoma, and the suppression of downstream signaling to LKB1 might be an effective therapeutic strategy against this cancer type.
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Brown Y, Hua S, Tanwar PS. Extracellular Matrix in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer: Advances in Understanding of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Biology. Matrix Biol 2023; 118:16-46. [PMID: 36781087 DOI: 10.1016/j.matbio.2023.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [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: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023]
Abstract
High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is notoriously known as the "silent killer" of post-menopausal women as it has an insidious progression and is the deadliest gynaecological cancer. Although a dual origin of HGSOC is now widely accepted, there is growing evidence that most cases of HGSOC originate from the fallopian tube epithelium. In this review, we will address the fallopian tube origin and involvement of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in HGSOC development. There is limited research on the role of ECM at the earliest stages of HGSOC carcinogenesis. Here we aim to synthesise current understanding on the contribution of ECM to each stage of HGSOC development and progression, beginning at serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC) precursor lesions and proceeding across key events including dissemination of tumourigenic fallopian tube epithelial cells to the ovary, survival of these cells in peritoneal fluid as multicellular aggregates, and colonisation of the ovary. Likewise, as part of the metastatic series of events, serous ovarian cancer cells survive travel in peritoneal fluid, attach to, migrate across the mesothelium and invade into the sub-mesothelial matrix of secondary sites in the peritoneal cavity. Halting cancer at the pre-metastatic stage and finding ways to stop the dissemination of ovarian cancer cells from the primary site is critical for improving patient survival. The development of drug resistance also contributes to poor survival statistics in HGSOC. In this review, we provide an update on the involvement of the ECM in metastasis and drug resistance in HGSOC. Interplay between different cell-types, growth factor gradients as well as evolving ECM composition and organisation, creates microenvironment conditions that promote metastatic progression and drug resistance of ovarian cancer cells. By understanding ECM involvement in the carcinogenesis and chemoresistance of HGSOC, this may prompt ideas for further research for developing new early diagnostic tests and therapeutic strategies for HGSOC with the end goal of improving patient health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yazmin Brown
- Global Centre for Gynaecological Diseases, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.; Cancer Detection and Therapy Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia..
| | - Susan Hua
- Therapeutic Targeting Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.; Precision Medicine Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- Global Centre for Gynaecological Diseases, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.; Cancer Detection and Therapy Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia..
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6
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Jamaluddin MFB, Nagendra PB, Ko YA, Bajwa P, Scott RJ, Nahar P, Tanwar PS. Prevalence and clinical significance of co-existing mutations in MED12 and FH in uterine fibroids of Australian women. Front Reprod Health 2023; 5:1081092. [PMID: 37113812 PMCID: PMC10126294 DOI: 10.3389/frph.2023.1081092] [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: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Uterine fibroids are exceedingly common benign tumours of the female reproductive system and cause severe symptoms, including acute pain, bleeding, and infertility. Fibroids are frequently associated with genetic alterations affecting mediator complex subunit 12 (MED12), fumarate hydratase (FH), high mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) and collagen, type IV alpha 5 and alpha 6 (COL4A5-COL4A6). Recently, we reported MED12 exon 2 mutations in 39 out of 65 uterine fibroids (60%) from 14 Australian patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the status of FH mutations in MED12 mutation-positive and mutation-negative uterine fibroids. FH mutation screening of altogether 65 uterine fibroids and corresponding adjacent normal myometrium (n = 14) was carried out by Sanger sequencing. Three out of 14 patients displayed somatic mutations in FH exon 1 in addition to harbouring MED12 mutation in uterine fibroids. This study is the first to report that the mutations in MED12 and FH co-exist in uterine fibroids of Australian women.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Fairuz B. Jamaluddin
- Global Centre for Gynecological Diseases, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Prathima B. Nagendra
- Global Centre for Gynecological Diseases, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Yi-An Ko
- Global Centre for Gynecological Diseases, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Preety Bajwa
- Global Centre for Gynecological Diseases, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Rodney J. Scott
- Global Centre for Gynecological Diseases, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Division of Molecular Medicine, NSW Health Pathology, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Pravin Nahar
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Department of Maternity and Gynaecology, John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Pradeep S. Tanwar
- Global Centre for Gynecological Diseases, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Correspondence: Pradeep S. Tanwar
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Ghosh A, Syed SM, Kumar M, Carpenter TJ, Teixeira JM, Houairia N, Negi S, Tanwar PS. In Vivo Cell Fate Tracing Provides No Evidence for Mesenchymal to Epithelial Transition in Adult Fallopian Tube and Uterus. Cell Rep 2021; 31:107631. [PMID: 32402291 PMCID: PMC8094408 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET) is thought to be involved in the maintenance, repair, and carcinogenesis of the fallopian tube (oviduct) and uterine epithelium. However, conclusive evidence for the conversion of mesenchymal cells to epithelial cells in these organs is lacking. Using embryonal cell lineage tracing with reporters driven by mesenchymal cell marker genes of the female reproductive tract (AMHR2, CSPG4, and PDGFRβ), we show that these reporters are also expressed by some oviductal and uterine epithelial cells at birth. These mesenchymal reporter-positive epithelial cells are maintained in adult mice across multiple pregnancies, respond to ovarian hormones, and form organoids. However, no labeled epithelial cells are present in any oviductal or uterine epithelia when mesenchymal cell labeling was induced in adult mice. Organoids developed from mice labeled in adulthood were also negative for mesenchymal reporters. Collectively, our work found no definitive evidence of MET in the adult fallopian tube and uterine epithelium. Mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET) is postulated to be involved in the maintenance and regeneration of the epithelium of female reproductive organs. Here, Ghosh et al. report no definitive evidence of MET in the adult epithelium of oviduct and uterus using in vivo cell lineage tracing and organoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnab Ghosh
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305, Australia
| | - Shafiq M Syed
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305, Australia
| | - Manish Kumar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305, Australia
| | - Tyler J Carpenter
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Jose M Teixeira
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Nathaniel Houairia
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305, Australia
| | - Sumedha Negi
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305, Australia.
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Ferdoushi A, Li X, Griffin N, Faulkner S, Jamaluddin MFB, Gao F, Jiang CC, van Helden DF, Tanwar PS, Jobling P, Hondermarck H. Schwann Cell Stimulation of Pancreatic Cancer Cells: A Proteomic Analysis. Front Oncol 2020; 10:1601. [PMID: 32984024 PMCID: PMC7477957 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.01601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [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: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Schwann cells (SCs), the glial component of peripheral nerves, have been identified as promoters of pancreatic cancer (PC) progression, but the molecular mechanisms are unclear. In the present study, we aimed to identify proteins released by SCs that could stimulate PC growth and invasion. Proteomic analysis of human primary SC secretome was performed using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, and a total of 13,796 unique peptides corresponding to 1,470 individual proteins were identified. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment were conducted using the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery. Metabolic and cell–cell adhesion pathways showed the highest levels of enrichment, a finding in line with the supportive role of SCs in peripheral nerves. We identified seven SC-secreted proteins that were validated by western blot. The involvement of these SC-secreted proteins was further demonstrated by using blocking antibodies. PC cell proliferation and invasion induced by SC-conditioned media were decreased using blocking antibodies against the matrix metalloproteinase-2, cathepsin D, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, and galectin-1. Blocking antibodies against the proteoglycan biglycan, galectin-3 binding protein, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 decreased only the proliferation but not the invasion of PC cells. Together, this study delineates the secretome of human SCs and identifies proteins that can stimulate PC cell growth and invasion and therefore constitute potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aysha Ferdoushi
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton, NSW, Australia.,Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Tangail, Bangladesh
| | - Xiang Li
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton, NSW, Australia
| | - Nathan Griffin
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton, NSW, Australia
| | - Sam Faulkner
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton, NSW, Australia
| | - M Fairuz B Jamaluddin
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton, NSW, Australia
| | - Fangfang Gao
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton, NSW, Australia
| | - Chen Chen Jiang
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton, NSW, Australia.,School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Dirk F van Helden
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton, NSW, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton, NSW, Australia
| | - Phillip Jobling
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton, NSW, Australia
| | - Hubert Hondermarck
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton, NSW, Australia
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Abstract
Healthy vaginal epithelium is essential for normal reproductive functions and protects against infectious diseases. Here, we present a protocol for developing mouse vaginal organoids from single epithelial cells. These organoids recapitulate both functional and structural characteristics of vagina in situ. This model is a powerful tool for investigating how vaginal microbiome or chemicals in contraceptives and personal hygiene products interact with stem cells and alter the epithelial dynamics, which will lead to new insights into the pathogenesis of vaginal diseases. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Ali et al. (2020). A detailed methodology for generating and propagating vaginal organoids Vaginal organoids functionally recapitulate in vivo vaginal epithelium A procedure to maintain long-term cultures of vaginal organoids
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayesha Ali
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
- Corresponding author
| | - Shafiq M. Syed
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Pradeep S. Tanwar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
- Corresponding author
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Syed SM, Tanwar PS. Axin2 + endometrial stem cells: the source of endometrial regeneration and cancer. Mol Cell Oncol 2020; 7:1729681. [PMID: 32391423 DOI: 10.1080/23723556.2020.1729681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Menstruation is one of the basic but poorly understood life processes in primates during which females shed inner uterine lining every month only to be completely regenerated back within a week. The definitive evidence for the existence and/or identity of stem cells responsible for this process has remained elusive for more than six decades now. Recently, we reported Axin2, a classical Wnt reporter gene, as a marker for endometrial stem cells that also serve as the cells of origin for endometrial cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shafiq M Syed
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
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11
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Ali A, Syed SM, Jamaluddin MFB, Colino-Sanguino Y, Gallego-Ortega D, Tanwar PS. Cell Lineage Tracing Identifies Hormone-Regulated and Wnt-Responsive Vaginal Epithelial Stem Cells. Cell Rep 2020; 30:1463-1477.e7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
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12
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Syed SM, Kumar M, Ghosh A, Tomasetig F, Ali A, Whan RM, Alterman D, Tanwar PS. Endometrial Axin2 + Cells Drive Epithelial Homeostasis, Regeneration, and Cancer following Oncogenic Transformation. Cell Stem Cell 2019; 26:64-80.e13. [PMID: 31883834 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2019.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [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: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The remarkable regenerative capacity of the endometrium (the inner lining of the uterus) is essential for the sustenance of mammalian life. Over the years, the role of stem cells in endometrial functions and their pathologies has been suggested; however, the identity and location of such stem cells remain unclear. Here, we used in vivo lineage tracing to show that endometrial epithelium self-renews during development, growth, and regeneration and identified Axin2, a classical Wnt reporter gene, as a marker of long-lived bipotent epithelial progenitors that reside in endometrial glands. Axin2-expressing cells are responsible for epithelial regeneration in vivo and for endometrial organoid development in vitro. Ablation of Axin2+ cells severely impairs endometrial homeostasis and compromises its regeneration. More important, upon oncogenic transformation, these cells can lead to endometrial cancer. These findings provide valuable insights into the cellular basis of endometrial functions and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shafiq M Syed
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305, Australia
| | - Manish Kumar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305, Australia
| | - Arnab Ghosh
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305, Australia
| | - Florence Tomasetig
- Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Ayesha Ali
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305, Australia
| | - Renee M Whan
- Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Dariusz Alterman
- School of Engineering, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305, Australia.
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13
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Brown Y, Hua S, Tanwar PS. Extracellular matrix-mediated regulation of cancer stem cells and chemoresistance. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2019; 109:90-104. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2019.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Revised: 02/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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14
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Goad J, Ko YA, Kumar M, Jamaluddin MFB, Tanwar PS. Oestrogen fuels the growth of endometrial hyperplastic lesions initiated by overactive Wnt/β-catenin signalling. Carcinogenesis 2019; 39:1105-1116. [PMID: 29912292 DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgy079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Unopposed oestrogen is responsible for approximately 80% of all the endometrial cancers. The relationship between unopposed oestrogen and endometrial cancer was indicated by the increase in the number of endometrial cancer cases due to the widespread use of oestrogen replacement therapy. Approximately 30% of the endometrial cancer patients have mutations in the Wnt signalling pathway. How the unbalanced ratios of ovarian hormones and the mutations in Wnt signalling pathway interact to cause endometrial cancer is currently unclear. To study this, we have developed a uterine epithelial cell-specific inducible cre mouse model and used 3D in vitro culture of human endometrial cancer cell lines. We showed that activating mutations in the Wnt signalling pathway for a prolonged period leads to endometrial hyperplasia but not endometrial cancer. Interestingly, unopposed oestrogen and activating mutations in Wnt signalling together drive the progression of endometrial hyperplasia to endometrial cancer. We have provided evidence that progesterone can be used as a targeted therapy against endometrial cancer cases presented with the activating mutations in Wnt signalling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyoti Goad
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales Australia
| | - Yi-An Ko
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales Australia
| | - Manish Kumar
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales Australia
| | - M Fairuz B Jamaluddin
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales Australia
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15
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Jamaluddin MFB, Nahar P, Tanwar PS. Proteomic Characterization of the Extracellular Matrix of Human Uterine Fibroids. Endocrinology 2018; 159:2656-2669. [PMID: 29788081 DOI: 10.1210/en.2018-00151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Uterine leiomyomas (fibroids) are the most common benign tumors that are associated with increased production of extracellular matrix (ECM). Excessive ECM deposition plays a major role in the enlargement and stiffness of these tumors and contributes to clinical symptoms, such as abnormal bleeding and abdominal pain. However, no study so far has explored the global composition of the ECM of fibroids and normal myometrium. In this study, we performed a systematic ECM enrichment procedure and comparative proteomic analyses to profile the ECM composition of genetically annotated different-sized fibroids (small, medium, and large) and adjacent normal myometrium (ANM). Our matrisome analysis identified a combined total of 108, 126, 126, and 130 unique ECM and ECM-associated proteins with a confidence corresponding to a false discovery rate <1% in ANM and in small, medium, and large fibroids, respectively. The majority of fibroid ECM proteins belong to the core matrisome that includes glycoproteins, collagens, and proteoglycans. Considering that the small-sized fibroids represent the initial stages of leiomyogenesis, we highlighted some of the most abundant and important upregulated ECM proteins in small fibroids (i.e., POSTN, TNC, COL3A1, COL24A1, and ASPN). Furthermore, we revealed 30 unique ECM proteins that exist only in fibroids but that are not present in ANM regardless of MED12 mutation. We propose that some of the proteins identified represent potential novel ECM drug targets that may change the paradigm of fibroid treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Fairuz B Jamaluddin
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pravin Nahar
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Maternity and Gynecology, John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
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16
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhransu S Sahoo
- Gynecology Oncology Group, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- Gynecology Oncology Group, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
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17
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Jamaluddin MFB, Nagendra PB, Nahar P, Oldmeadow C, Tanwar PS. Proteomic Analysis Identifies Tenascin-C Expression Is Upregulated in Uterine Fibroids. Reprod Sci 2018; 26:476-486. [PMID: 29730954 DOI: 10.1177/1933719118773420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Uterine leiomyomas (fibroids) are the most common gynecological tumors, which are enriched in the extracellular matrix (ECM). Fibroids are leading cause of abnormal uterine bleeding and hysterectomy. One of the major questions yet to be answered is the overproduction of specific ECM components in human uterine fibroids, particularly in relation to mutations in the driver gene mediator complex subunit 12 ( MED12). Surgical specimens from 14 patients with uterine leiomyoma having fibroids and corresponding adjacent normal myometrium (ANM) were utilized to analyze genetic and proteomic expression patterns in the tissue samples. MED12 mutations in the fibroids were screened by Sanger sequencing. iTRAQ was used to label the peptides in small-, medium-, and large-sized fibroid samples of annotated MED12 mutation from the same patient. The mixtures of the peptides were fractionated by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to identify the differential expression proteins. Using isobaric tagged-based quantitative mass spectrometry on 3 selected patients, ECM-related protein tenascin-C (TNC) was observed significantly upregulated (>1.5-fold) with a confidence corresponding to false discovery rate (FDR) <1% in small-, medium-, and large-sized fibroid samples regardless of MED12 mutation status. The TNC was validated on additional patient samples using Western blotting (WB) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) and confirmed significant overexpression of this protein in fibroids compared to matched ANM. Proteomic analyses have identified the increased ECM protein expression, TNC, as a hallmark of uterine fibroids regardless of MED12 mutations. Further functional studies focusing on the upregulated ECM proteins in leiomyogenesis will lead to the identification of novel ECM drug targets for fibroid treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Fairuz B Jamaluddin
- 1 School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Prathima B Nagendra
- 1 School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pravin Nahar
- 2 School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.,3 Department of Maternity and Gynaecology, John Hunter Hospital, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Christopher Oldmeadow
- 4 Clinical Research Design, Information Technology and Statistical Support (CReDITSS) Unit, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- 1 School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
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18
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Nagendra PB, Goad J, Nielsen S, Rassam L, Lombard JM, Nahar P, Tanwar PS. Ovarian hormones through Wnt signalling regulate the growth of human and mouse ovarian cancer initiating lesions. Oncotarget 2018; 7:64836-64853. [PMID: 27588493 PMCID: PMC5323120 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.11711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [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: 08/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most deadly gynaecological disease largely because the majority of patients are asymptomatic and diagnosed at later stages when cancer has spread to other vital organs. Therefore, the initial stages of this disease are poorly characterised. Women with BRCA1/2 mutations have a genetic predisposition for developing OC, but not all of these women develop the disease. Epidemiological findings show that lifestyle factors such as contraceptive use and pregnancy, a progesterone dominant state, decrease the risk of getting OC. How ovarian hormones modify the risk of OC is currently unclear. Our study identifies activated Wnt signalling to be a marker for precursor lesions of OC and successfully develops a mouse model that mimics the earliest events in pathogenesis of OC by constitutively activating βcatenin. Using this model and human OC cells, we show that oestrogen promotes and progesterone suppresses the growth of OC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prathima B Nagendra
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jyoti Goad
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sarah Nielsen
- Hunter Cancer Biobank, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Loui Rassam
- Hunter Cancer Biobank, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.,Hunter Area Pathology Services, Calvary Mater Newcastle, Waratah, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Janine M Lombard
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.,Department of Medical Oncology, Gynaecology Oncology, Calvary Mater Newcastle, Waratah, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pravin Nahar
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.,Gynaecology and Obstetrics, John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
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19
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Kumar M, Atkins J, Cairns M, Ali A, Tanwar PS. Germ cell-specific sustained activation of Wnt signalling perturbs spermatogenesis in aged mice, possibly through non-coding RNAs. Oncotarget 2018; 7:85709-85727. [PMID: 27992363 PMCID: PMC5349868 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.13920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 12/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Dysregulated Wnt signalling is associated with human infertility and testicular cancer. However, the role of Wnt signalling in male germ cells remains poorly understood. In this study, we first confirmed the activity of Wnt signalling in mouse, dog and human testes. To determine the physiological importance of the Wnt pathway, we developed a mouse model with germ cell-specific constitutive activation of βcatenin. In young mutants, similar to controls, germ cell development was normal. However, with age, mutant testes showed defective spermatogenesis, progressive germ cell loss, and flawed meiotic entry of spermatogonial cells. Flow sorting confirmed reduced germ cell populations at the leptotene/zygotene stages of meiosis in mutant group. Using thymidine analogues-based DNA double labelling technique, we further established decline in germ cell proliferation and differentiation. Overactivation of Wnt/βcatenin signalling in a spermatogonial cell line resulted in reduced cell proliferation, viability and colony formation. RNA sequencing analysis of testes revealed significant alterations in the non-coding regions of mutant mouse genome. One of the novel non-coding RNAs was switched on in mutant testes compared to controls. QPCR analysis confirmed upregulation of this unique non-coding RNA in mutant testis. In summary, our results highlight the significance of Wnt signalling in male germ cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manish Kumar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Joshua Atkins
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Murray Cairns
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ayesha Ali
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
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20
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Jamaluddin MFB, Ko YA, Kumar M, Brown Y, Bajwa P, Nagendra PB, Skerrett-Byrne DA, Hondermarck H, Baker MA, Dun MD, Scott RJ, Nahar P, Tanwar PS. Proteomic Profiling of Human Uterine Fibroids Reveals Upregulation of the Extracellular Matrix Protein Periostin. Endocrinology 2018; 159:1106-1118. [PMID: 29244110 DOI: 10.1210/en.2017-03018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The central characteristic of uterine fibroids is excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), which contributes to fibroid growth and bulk-type symptoms. Despite this, very little is known about patterns of ECM protein expression in fibroids and whether these are influenced by the most common genetic anomalies, which relate to MED12. We performed extensive genetic and proteomic analyses of clinically annotated fibroids and adjacent normal myometrium to identify the composition and expression patterns of ECM proteins in MED12 mutation-positive and mutation-negative uterine fibroids. Genetic sequencing of tissue samples revealed MED12 alterations in 39 of 65 fibroids (60%) from 14 patients. Using isobaric tagged-based quantitative mass spectrometry on three selected patients (n = 9 fibroids), we observed a common set of upregulated (>1.5-fold) and downregulated (<0.66-fold) proteins in small, medium, and large fibroid samples of annotated MED12 status. These two sets of upregulated and downregulated proteins were the same in all patients, regardless of variations in fibroid size and MED12 status. We then focused on one of the significant upregulated ECM proteins and confirmed the differential expression of periostin using western blotting and immunohistochemical analysis. Our study defined the proteome of uterine fibroids and identified that increased ECM protein expression, in particular periostin, is a hallmark of uterine fibroids regardless of MED12 mutation status. This study sets the foundation for further investigations to analyze the mechanisms regulating ECM overexpression and the functional role of upregulated ECM proteins in leiomyogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Fairuz B Jamaluddin
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Yi-An Ko
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Manish Kumar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Yazmin Brown
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Preety Bajwa
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Prathima B Nagendra
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - David A Skerrett-Byrne
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Hubert Hondermarck
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mark A Baker
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Matt D Dun
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Rodney J Scott
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pravin Nahar
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Maternity and Gynaecology, John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
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21
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Kumar M, Tanwar PS. Canonical Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Regulates Postnatal Mouse Epididymal Development But Does Not Affect Epithelial Cell Differentiation. Endocrinology 2017; 158:4286-4299. [PMID: 29029059 DOI: 10.1210/en.2017-00519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The epithelial lining of the epididymis establishes an optimal environment in which spermatozoa acquire the ability to fertilize an oocyte. This highly specialized organ develops from a simple embryonic tube known as the Wolffian duct (WD). How the simple columnar epithelium of WD acquires the complex features of the adult epididymal epithelium is currently unclear. During these first few weeks after birth, the epididymal epithelium undergoes major changes and by 5 weeks consists of four different cell types. The main objective of this study was to evaluate potential roles of Wnt signaling during postnatal epididymal development and differentiation. To analyze the activity of Wnt signaling during postnatal development, we evaluated the epididymis of TCFGFP mice, a Wnt reporter mouse model. Wnt signaling activity as indicated by green fluorescent protein expression was detected in the whole epididymis of TCFGFP mice during the first 2 weeks of life but was localized only to the caput region by 5 weeks of age. Using a genetic cell lineage tracing approach, we showed that all four of the epididymal epithelial cell types originated from the simple columnar epithelium of WD. To delineate the functional significance of epithelial Wnt signaling in epididymal development and differentiation, we generated a mouse model in which β-catenin (Ctnnb1) was specifically ablated from the epididymal epithelium upon administration of doxycycline. Genetic suppression of epithelial Wnt/β-catenin signaling inhibited epididymal development by affecting cell proliferation but had no effect on epithelial cell differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manish Kumar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Australia
- Priority Centre for Reproductive Sciences, University of Newcastle, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Australia
- Priority Centre for Reproductive Sciences, University of Newcastle, Australia
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22
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Bajwa P, Nagendra PB, Nielsen S, Sahoo SS, Bielanowicz A, Lombard JM, Wilkinson JE, Miller RA, Tanwar PS. Age related increase in mTOR activity contributes to the pathological changes in ovarian surface epithelium. Oncotarget 2017; 7:19214-27. [PMID: 27036037 PMCID: PMC4991377 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.8468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Accepted: 03/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is a disease of older women. However, the molecular mechanisms of ovarian aging and their contribution to the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer are currently unclear. mTOR signalling is a major regulator of aging as suppression of this pathway extends lifespan in model organisms. Overactive mTOR signalling is present in up to 80% of ovarian cancer samples and is associated with poor prognosis. This study examined the role of mTOR signalling in age-associated changes in ovarian surface epithelium (OSE). Histological examination of ovaries from both aged mice and women revealed OSE cell hyperplasia, papillary growth and inclusion cysts. These pathological lesions expressed bonafide markers of ovarian cancer precursor lesions, Pax8 and Stathmin 1, and were presented with elevated mTOR signalling. To understand whether overactive mTOR signalling is responsible for the development of these pathological changes, we analysed ovaries of the Pten trangenic mice and found significant reduction in OSE lesions compared to controls. Furthermore, pharmacological suppression of mTOR signalling significantly decreased OSE hyperplasia in aged mice. Treatment with mTOR inhibitors reduced human ovarian cancer cell viability, proliferation and colony forming ability. Collectively, we have established the role of mTOR signalling in age-related OSE pathologies and initiation of ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Preety Bajwa
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Prathima B Nagendra
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Subhransu S Sahoo
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Amanda Bielanowicz
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Janine M Lombard
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.,Division of Gynaecology Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, Calvary Mater Newcastle, Waratah, New South Wales, Australia
| | - J Erby Wilkinson
- Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Richard A Miller
- Department of Pathology and Geriatrics Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, New South Wales, Australia
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23
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Sahoo SS, Lombard JM, Ius Y, O'Sullivan R, Wood LG, Nahar P, Jaaback K, Tanwar PS. Adipose-Derived VEGF-mTOR Signaling Promotes Endometrial Hyperplasia and Cancer: Implications for Obese Women. Mol Cancer Res 2017; 16:309-321. [PMID: 29133593 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-17-0466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Revised: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Obesity is responsible for increased morbidity and mortality in endometrial cancer. Despite the positive correlation of body mass index (BMI) or obesity in endometrial carcinogenesis, the contribution of adipose tissue to the pathogenesis of endometrial hyperplasia and cancer is unclear. This study clarifies the role of adipocytes in the pathogenesis of endometrial cancer by demonstrating that adipocyte-conditioned medium (ACM) increases proliferation, migration, and survival of endometrial cancer cells compared with preadipocyte-conditioned medium (PACM). Comparative cytokine array analysis of ACM and PACM reveal upregulation of a group of cytokines belonging to the VEGF signaling pathway in ACM. VEGF protein expression is upregulated in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in obese patients, which is correlated with increased tumor growth in an in vivo xenograft model. The increased tumor size is mechanistically associated with the activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, a downstream target of VEGF signaling, and its suppression decreased the growth-promoting effects of VAT on endometrial cancer cells. Similar to the human model systems, pathologic changes in endometrial cells in a hyperphagic obese mouse model are associated with increased body weight and hyperactive mTOR signaling. Analysis of human tissue specimens depicts increased in tumor vasculature and VEGF-mTOR activity in obese endometrial cancer patients compared with nonobese patients. Collectively, these results provide evidence that VEGF-mTOR signaling drives endometrial cell growth leading to hyperplasia and cancer.Implications: Adipocyte-derived VEGF-mTOR signaling may be an attractive therapeutic target against endometrial cancer in obese women. Mol Cancer Res; 16(2); 309-21. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhransu S Sahoo
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Janine M Lombard
- Department of Medical Oncology, Calvary Mater Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Yvette Ius
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Rachel O'Sullivan
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Lisa G Wood
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pravin Nahar
- Department of Maternity and Gynecology, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kenneth Jaaback
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. .,School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.,Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.,Cancer Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
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24
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Ko YA, Jamaluddin MFB, Adebayo M, Bajwa P, Scott RJ, Dharmarajan AM, Nahar P, Tanwar PS. Extracellular matrix (ECM) activates β-catenin signaling in uterine fibroids. Reproduction 2017; 155:61-71. [PMID: 29066531 DOI: 10.1530/rep-17-0339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Revised: 09/16/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies showed that genetic aberrations in the MED12 gene, probably through the canonical WNT/β-catenin pathway, lead to the pathogenesis of uterine fibroids. However, a comprehensive analysis of the WNT pathway in MED12-mutated and MED12-wild-type fibroids has not been performed. The objective of this study was to determine the status of the WNT pathway in human fibroids. We performed Sanger sequencing to define the MED12 mutational status of fibroids and normal myometrium samples. qPCR arrays were carried out to determine the status of the WNT signaling pathway in MED12-mutated and MED12-wild-type fibroids. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to monitor the expression of β-catenin. We showed that β-catenin expression was increased in fibroids compared to the adjacent myometrium samples. However, β-catenin expression showed no correlation with MED12 mutation status. Of all the WNT signaling components, WNT inhibitors showed the greatest differences in expression between fibroids and controls. WIF1, a WNT inhibitor, was identified as the most significantly upregulated gene in fibroids. We cultured primary fibroid cells on hydrogels of known stiffness to decipher the influence of biomechanical cues on β-catenin expression and revealed increased levels of β-catenin when cells were cultured on a stiffer surface. In conclusion, our data showed that β-catenin expression in fibroids occurs independently of MED12 mutations. Biomechanical changes upregulate β-catenin expression in fibroids, providing an attractive avenue for developing new treatments for this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-An Ko
- School of Biomedical Sciences and PharmacyUniversity of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - M Fairuz B Jamaluddin
- School of Biomedical Sciences and PharmacyUniversity of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mariam Adebayo
- School of Biomedical Sciences and PharmacyUniversity of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Preety Bajwa
- School of Biomedical Sciences and PharmacyUniversity of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Rodney J Scott
- School of Biomedical Sciences and PharmacyUniversity of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.,Division of Molecular MedicineNSW Health Pathology, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Arunasalam M Dharmarajan
- Stem Cell and Cancer Biology LaboratorySchool of Biomedical Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Pravin Nahar
- School of Medicine and Public HealthUniversity of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.,Department of Maternity and GynecologyJohn Hunter Hospital, New Lambton, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and PharmacyUniversity of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
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Ghosh A, Syed SM, Tanwar PS. In vivo genetic cell lineage tracing reveals that oviductal secretory cells self-renew and give rise to ciliated cells. J Cell Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1242/jcs.210344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
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Ghosh A, Syed SM, Tanwar PS. In vivo genetic cell lineage tracing reveals that oviductal secretory cells self-renew and give rise to ciliated cells. Development 2017; 144:3031-3041. [PMID: 28743800 DOI: 10.1242/dev.149989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The epithelial lining of the fallopian tube is vital for fertility, providing nutrition to gametes and facilitating their transport. It is composed of two major cell types: secretory cells and ciliated cells. Interestingly, human ovarian cancer precursor lesions primarily consist of secretory cells. It is unclear why secretory cells are the dominant cell type in these lesions. Additionally, the underlying mechanisms governing fallopian tube epithelial homoeostasis are unknown. In the present study, we showed that across the different developmental stages of mouse oviduct, secretory cells are the most frequently dividing cells of the oviductal epithelium. In vivo genetic cell lineage tracing showed that secretory cells not only self-renew, but also give rise to ciliated cells. Analysis of a Wnt reporter mouse model and various Wnt target genes showed that the Wnt signaling pathway is involved in oviductal epithelial homoeostasis. By developing two triple-transgenic mouse models, we showed that Wnt/β-catenin signaling is essential for self-renewal as well as the differentiation of secretory cells. In summary, our results provide mechanistic insight into oviductal epithelial homoeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnab Ghosh
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
| | - Shafiq M Syed
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
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Goad J, Ko YA, Syed SM, Crossingham YJ, Tanwar PS. Data on the mRNA expression by in situ hybridization of Wnt signaling pathway members in the mouse uterus. Data Brief 2017; 12:208-212. [PMID: 28443299 PMCID: PMC5393313 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2017.03.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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: 02/02/2017] [Revised: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling plays an important role in uterine organogenesis and oncogenesis. Our mRNA expression data documents the expression of various Wnt pathway members during the key stages of uterine epithelial gland development. Our data illustrates the expression of Wnt signaling inhibitors (Axin2, Sfrp2, Sfrp4, Dkk1 and Dkk3) in mice uteri at postnatal day 6 (PND 6) and day 15 (PND 15). They also describe the expression pattern of the Wnt ligands (Wnt1, Wnt2, Wnt2b, Wnt3, Wnt3a, Wnt5b, Wnt7b, Wnt8a, Wnt8b, Wnt9a, Wnt9b, Wnt10a and Wnt10b) in mice uteri with or without progesterone treatment. Detailed interpretation and discussion of these data is presented in the research article entitled “Differential Wnt signaling activity limits epithelial gland development to the anti-mesometrial side of the mouse uterus” [1].
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyoti Goad
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Yi-An Ko
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Shafiq M Syed
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Yazmin J Crossingham
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia
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Affiliation(s)
- Preety Bajwa
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Subhransu S. Sahoo
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pradeep S. Tanwar
- Gynaecology Oncology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
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Goad J, Ko YA, Kumar M, Syed SM, Tanwar PS. Differential Wnt signaling activity limits epithelial gland development to the anti-mesometrial side of the mouse uterus. Dev Biol 2017; 423:138-151. [PMID: 28153546 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2017.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [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: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In mice, implantation always occurs towards the antimesometrial side of the uterus, while the placenta develops at the mesometrial side. What determines this particular orientation of the implanting blastocyst remains unclear. Uterine glands are critical for implantation and pregnancy. In this study, we showed that uterine gland development and active Wnt signaling activity is limited to the antimesometrial side of the uterus. Dkk2, a known antagonist of Wnt signaling, is only present at the mesometrial side of the uterus. Imaging of whole uterus, thick uterine sections (100-1000µm), and individual glands revealed that uterine glands are simple tubes with branches that are directly connected to the luminal epithelium and are only present towards the antimesometrial side of the uterus. By developing a unique mouse model targeting the uterine epithelium, we demonstrated that Wnt/β-catenin signaling is essential for prepubertal gland formation and normal implantation, but dispensable for postpartum gland development and regeneration. Our results for the first time have provided a probable explanation for the antimesometrial bias for implantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyoti Goad
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Yi-An Ko
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Manish Kumar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Shafiq M Syed
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Pradeep S Tanwar
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia.
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Kumar M, Syed SM, Taketo MM, Tanwar PS. Epithelial Wnt/βcatenin signalling is essential for epididymal coiling. Dev Biol 2016; 412:234-49. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2016.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2015] [Revised: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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Tanwar PS, Mohapatra G, Chiang S, Engler DA, Zhang L, Kaneko-Tarui T, Ohguchi Y, Birrer MJ, Teixeira JM. Loss of LKB1 and PTEN tumor suppressor genes in the ovarian surface epithelium induces papillary serous ovarian cancer. Carcinogenesis 2013; 35:546-53. [PMID: 24170201 DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgt357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Epithelial ovarian cancer presents mostly with serous, endometrioid or mucinous histology but is treated as a single disease. The development of histotype-specific therapy has been challenging because of the relative lack of studies attributing disrupted pathways to a distinct histotype differentiation. mTOR activation is frequently associated with poor prognosis in serous ovarian cancer, which is the most common and most deadly histotype. However, the mechanisms dysregulating mTOR in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer are unknown. We detected copy number loss and correlated lower expression levels of LKB1, TSC1, TSC2 and PTEN tumor suppressor genes for upstream regulators of mTOR activity in up to 80% in primary ovarian serous tumor databases, with LKB1 allelic loss-predominant. Reduced LKB1 protein was usually associated with increased mTOR activity in both serous ovarian cancer cell lines and primary tumors. Conditional deletion of Lkb1 in murine ovarian surface epithelial (OSE) cells caused papillary hyperplasia and shedding but not tumors. Simultaneous deletion of Lkb1 and Pten, however, led to development of high-grade ovarian serous histotype tumors with 100% penetrance that expressed WT1, ERα, PAX8, TP53 and cytokeratin 8, typical markers used in the differential diagnosis of serous ovarian cancer. Neither hysterectomy nor salpingectomy interfered with progression of ovarian tumorigenesis, suggesting that neither uterine nor Fallopian tube epithelial cells were contributing to tumorigenesis. These results implicate LKB1 loss in the OSE in the pathogenesis of serous ovarian cancer and provide a compelling rationale for investigating the therapeutic potential of targeting LKB1 signaling in patients with this deadly disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep S Tanwar
- Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology
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Tanwar PS, Kaneko-Tarui T, Lee HJ, Zhang L, Teixeira JM. PTEN loss and HOXA10 expression are associated with ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma differentiation and progression. Carcinogenesis 2012; 34:893-901. [PMID: 23276799 DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgs405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Epithelial ovarian cancer is a heterogeneous disease that is subdivided into five major histotypes but the mechanisms driving their differentiation are not clear. Mutations in adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and β-catenin are commonly observed in the human ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma (OEA) patients. However, the mechanisms subsequent to APC deletion in ovarian tumorigenesis have not been well characterized. We have conditionally deleted APC in the murine ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) and showed that its loss leads to development of epithelial inclusion cysts. High-grade OEAs with tightly packed villoglandular histology were observed in older APC-deleted mice. Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) expression was elevated in the early lesions but lost after progression to the more advanced tumors. Knockdown of APC or expression of a gain-of-function β-catenin similarly induced human OSE cells to develop tumors with endometrioid histology in xenografts. Expression of HOXA10 was induced in both the advanced APC-deleted murine tumors and in the tumor xenografts of human OSE cells with knocked-down APC. These results show that reduced APC activity is sufficient to induce formation of epithelial inclusion cysts and support OEA development and suggest that induced HOXA10 expression and loss of PTEN are key mechanisms driving endometrioid histotype differentiation and progression.
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MESH Headings
- Adenocarcinoma/genetics
- Adenomatous Polyposis Coli/genetics
- Animals
- Carcinoma, Endometrioid/genetics
- Carcinoma, Endometrioid/metabolism
- Carcinoma, Endometrioid/pathology
- Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial
- Cell Differentiation
- Cell Transformation, Neoplastic/genetics
- Disease Progression
- Female
- Homeobox A10 Proteins
- Homeodomain Proteins/genetics
- Humans
- Mice
- Mice, Knockout
- Neoplasm Transplantation
- Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial/genetics
- Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial/pathology
- Ovarian Neoplasms/genetics
- Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology
- Ovary/pathology
- PTEN Phosphohydrolase/genetics
- Transplantation, Heterologous
- Tumor Cells, Cultured
- Wnt Signaling Pathway/genetics
- beta Catenin/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep S Tanwar
- Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Tanwar PS, Commandeur AE, Zhang L, Taketo MM, Teixeira JM. The Müllerian inhibiting substance type 2 receptor suppresses tumorigenesis in testes with sustained β-catenin signaling. Carcinogenesis 2012; 33:2351-61. [PMID: 22962306 DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgs281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Dysregulated WNT/β-catenin signaling in murine testes results in a phenotype with complete germ cell loss that resembles human Sertoli cell-only syndrome. In other systems, including the ovary, dysregulated WNT/β-catenin induces tumorigenesis but no tumors are observed in the mutant testes without deletion of a tumor suppressor, such as phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). Müllerian inhibiting substance (MIS, also known as AMH), a member of the transforming growth factor-β family of growth factors responsible for Müllerian duct regression in fetal males, has been shown to inhibit tumor growth in vitro and in vivo but its role as an endogenous tumor suppressor has never been reported. We have deleted the MIS type 2 receptor (MISR2), and thus MIS signaling, in mice with dysregulated WNT/β-catenin and show that these mice develop testicular stromal tumors with 100% penetrance within a few months postnatal. The tumors are highly proliferative and have characteristics of either Sertoli cell tumors or progenitor Leydig cell tumors based on their marker profiles and histology. Phosphorylated Sma and mothers against decapentaplegic-related homolog 1/5/8 is absent in the tumors and β-catenin target genes are induced. The tumor suppressor TP53 is also highly expressed in the tumors, as is phosphorylated γH2AX, which is indicative of DNA damage. The phenotype of these tumors closely resembles those observed when PTEN is also deleted in mice with dysregulated WNT/β-catenin. Tumorigenesis in these mice provides conclusive evidence that physiological MIS signaling is a tumor suppressor mechanism and suggests that targeted treatment of MISR2-expressing cancers with therapeutic MIS should have a beneficial effect on tumor progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep S Tanwar
- Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Tanwar PS, Kaneko-Tarui T, Zhang L, Tanaka Y, Crum CP, Teixeira JM. Stromal liver kinase B1 [STK11] signaling loss induces oviductal adenomas and endometrial cancer by activating mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex 1. PLoS Genet 2012; 8:e1002906. [PMID: 22916036 PMCID: PMC3420942 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2012] [Accepted: 07/03/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Germline mutations of the Liver Kinase b1 (LKB1/STK11) tumor suppressor gene have been linked to Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome (PJS), an autosomal-dominant, cancer-prone disorder in which patients develop neoplasms in several organs, including the oviduct, ovary, and cervix. We have conditionally deleted Lkb1 in Müllerian duct mesenchyme-derived cells of the female reproductive tract and observed expansion of the stromal compartment and hyperplasia and/or neoplasia of adjacent epithelial cells throughout the reproductive tract with paratubal cysts and adenomyomas in oviducts and, eventually, endometrial cancer. Examination of the proliferation marker phospho-histone H3 and mammalian Target Of Rapamycin Complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway members revealed increased proliferation and mTORC1 activation in stromal cells of both the oviduct and uterus. Treatment with rapamycin, an inhibitor of mTORC1 activity, decreased tumor burden in adult Lkb1 mutant mice. Deletion of the genes for Tuberous Sclerosis 1 (Tsc1) or Tsc2, regulators of mTORC1 that are downstream of LKB1 signaling, in the oviductal and uterine stroma phenocopies some of the defects observed in Lkb1 mutant mice, confirming that dysregulated mTORC1 activation in the Lkb1-deleted stroma contributes to the phenotype. Loss of PTEN, an upstream regulator of mTORC1 signaling, along with Lkb1 deletion significantly increased tumor burden in uteri and induced tumorigenesis in the cervix and vagina. These studies show that LKB1/TSC1/TSC2/mTORC1 signaling in mesenchymal cells is important for the maintenance of epithelial integrity and suppression of carcinogenesis in adjacent epithelial cells. Because similar changes in the stromal population are also observed in human oviductal/ovarian adenoma and endometrial adenocarcinoma patients, we predict that dysregulated mTORC1 activity by upstream mechanisms similar to those described in these model systems contributes to the pathogenesis of these human diseases. Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome patients have autosomal dominant mutations in the LKB1/STK11 gene and are prone to developing cancer, predominantly in the intestinal tract but also in other tissues, including the reproductive tracts and gonads. To elucidate the mechanisms disrupted by the loss of LKB1 in the reproductive tract, we have developed a mouse model with deletion of Lkb1 specifically in stromal cells of gynecologic tissues. These mice show stromal cell expansion and develop oviductal adenomas and endometrial cancer. Deletion of either Tsc1 or Tsc2 genes, which are mutated in patients with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex and whose protein products are indirect downstream targets of LKB1 signaling, resulted in some of the same defects observed in Lkb1 mutant mice. Activation of mammalian Target Of Rapamycin Complex 1 (mTORC1), a common effector of disrupted LKB1, TSC1, and TSC2 signaling, was observed in all mutant tissues examined, suggesting that uninhibited mTORC1 activity is necessary for the phenotypes. Suppression of mTORC1 signaling by rapamycin reduced tumor burden in Lkb1 mutant mice, confirming the link between dysregulation of mTORC1 to development of the Lkb1 mutant phenotype and suggesting that therapeutic targeting of LKB1/TSC1/TSC2/mTORC1 signaling would benefit human Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome and Tuberous Sclerosis patients with reproductive tract disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep S. Tanwar
- Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Tomoko Kaneko-Tarui
- Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - LiHua Zhang
- Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Yoshihiro Tanaka
- Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Christopher P. Crum
- Division of Women's and Perinatal Pathology, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jose M. Teixeira
- Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Tanwar PS, Kaneko-Tarui T, Zhang L, Teixeira JM. Altered LKB1/AMPK/TSC1/TSC2/mTOR signaling causes disruption of Sertoli cell polarity and spermatogenesis. Hum Mol Genet 2012; 21:4394-405. [PMID: 22791749 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/dds272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Male patients with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) have defective spermatogenesis and are at increased risk of developing Sertoli cell tumors. Mutations in the Liver Kinase B1 (LKB1/STK11) gene are associated with the pathogenesis of PJS and have been identified in non-PJS patients with sporadic testicular cancers. The mechanisms controlled by LKB1 signaling in Sertoli cell functions and testicular biology have not been described. We have conditionally deleted the Lkb1 gene (Lkb1(cko)) in somatic testicular cells to define the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of the testicular phenotype observed in PJS patients. Focal vacuolization in some of the seminiferous tubules was observed in 4-week-old mutant testes but germ cell development appeared to be normal. However, similar to PJS patients, we observed progressive germ cell loss and Sertoli cell only tubules in Lkb1(cko) testes from mice older than 10 weeks, accompanied by defects in Sertoli cell polarity and testicular junctional complexes and decreased activation of the MAP/microtubule affinity regulating and focal adhesion kinases. Suppression of AMP kinase and activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling were also observed in Lkb1(cko) testes. Loss of Tsc1 or Tsc2 copies the progressive Lkb1(cko) phenotype, suggesting that dysregulated activation of mTOR contributes to the pathogenesis of the Lkb1(cko) testicular phenotype. Pten(cko) mice had a normal testicular phenotype, which could be explained by the comparative lack of mTOR activation detected. These studies describe the importance of LKB1 signaling in testicular biology and the possible molecular mechanisms driving the pathogenesis of the testicular defects observed in PJS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep S Tanwar
- Vincent Center For Reproductive Biology/Thier 931, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
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Tanaka Y, Park JH, Tanwar PS, Kaneko-Tarui T, Mittal S, Lee HJ, Teixeira JM. Deletion of tuberous sclerosis 1 in somatic cells of the murine reproductive tract causes female infertility. Endocrinology 2012; 153:404-16. [PMID: 22128018 PMCID: PMC3249683 DOI: 10.1210/en.2011-1191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Tumors develop with dysregulated activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), the kinase activity of which is kept in an inactive state by a tumor suppressor dimer containing tuberous sclerosis 1 (TSC1) and TSC2. We examined whether conditional deletion of TSC1 by a knock-in allele of the anti-Müllerian hormone type 2 receptor (Amhr2) driving Cre expression and subsequent activation of mTOR in granulosa cells and in oviductal and uterine stromal cells affects fertility in female mice. Increased phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6, a downstream target of activated mTOR, was observed in all AMHR2-expressing tissues examined, indicating loss of TSC1 activity. TSC1 deletion in granulosa cells led to the detection of significantly fewer primordial follicles in mutant mice at 12 wk, suggesting premature ovarian insufficiency, which might be related to the significantly increased time mutant mice spent in estrus. Although the number of good-quality ovulated oocytes was not significantly different compared with controls, there was a significantly higher number of degenerated oocytes after normal and superovulation, suggesting compromised oocyte quality, as well. Natural mating also showed severalfold higher numbers of degenerate bodies in the mutants that collected in bilateral swellings resembling hydrosalpinges that formed in all mice examined because of occlusion of the proximal oviduct. Attempts to transfer control embryos into mutant uteri also failed, indicating that implantation was compromised. Endometrial epithelial cells continued to proliferate, and quantitative RT-PCR showed that mucin 1 expression persisted during the window of implantation in mutant uteri, without any changes in progesterone receptor mRNA expression, suggesting a mechanism that does not involve disrupted estradiol-regulated progesterone receptor expression. Homozygous deletion of TSC1 in reproductive tract somatic tissues of mice rendered females completely infertile, which is likely due to these pleiotropic effects on follicle recruitment, oviductal development, and blastocyst implantation.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Base Sequence
- DNA Primers/genetics
- Embryo Implantation/genetics
- Embryo Implantation/physiology
- Endometrium/physiopathology
- Female
- Gene Knock-In Techniques
- Infertility, Female/genetics
- Infertility, Female/pathology
- Infertility, Female/physiopathology
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, 129 Strain
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Mice, Transgenic
- Mullerian Ducts/pathology
- Oocytes/pathology
- Oocytes/physiology
- Ovary/pathology
- Ovary/physiopathology
- Pregnancy
- Receptors, Peptide/genetics
- Receptors, Peptide/physiology
- Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta/genetics
- Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta/physiology
- TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/physiology
- Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 1 Protein
- Tumor Suppressor Proteins/deficiency
- Tumor Suppressor Proteins/genetics
- Tumor Suppressor Proteins/physiology
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshihiro Tanaka
- Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
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Tanwar PS, Zhang L, Teixeira JM. Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) is essential for maintaining the integrity of the seminiferous epithelium. Mol Endocrinol 2011; 25:1725-39. [PMID: 21816903 DOI: 10.1210/me.2011-0057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Sertoli cells provide the microenvironment necessary for germ cell development and spermatogenesis; disruption of Sertoli cell morphology or function can lead to germ cell aplasia, which is observed in testicular dysgenesis syndrome. Mutation of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene has been associated with various human cancers, including testicular cancer, but its involvement in nonmalignant testicular pathologies has not been reported. We have developed a mouse model (APC(cko)) that expresses a truncated form of APC in Sertoli cells. Despite normal embryonic and early postnatal testicular development in APC(cko) mice, premature germ cell loss and Sertoli cell-only seminiferous tubules were observed in mutant testes without affecting Sertoli cell quiescence, apoptosis, or differentiation, which were confirmed by the absence of both proliferating cell nuclear antigen, DNA strand breaks, and anti-Müllerian hormone, respectively. We show that mutant Sertoli cells lose their apical extensions, which would normally enclose germ cells during various stages of spermatogenesis, and were unable to maintain the blood-testis barrier because of disrupted expression of junctional proteins. We also observed an up-regulation of Snail and Slug, markers suggestive of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in the Sertoli cells, but tumorigenesis was not observed. No comparable phenotype was observed with Sertoli cell-specific loss-of-function mutations in β-catenin, leading us to speculate that truncation of APC in Sertoli cells results in progressive degeneration of the seminiferous tubules by a mechanism that disrupts the integrity of Sertoli cell junctions independently of APC-regulated β-catenin activities and leads to development of a Sertoli cell-only phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep S Tanwar
- Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
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Abstract
Various members of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family have been shown to regulate mammalian follicular development by affecting granulosa cell proliferation and steroidogenesis. In situ hybridization studies have shown expression of BMPR1A, BMPR1B, and BMPR2 in the granulosa cells and oocyte of most of the follicles in the ovary, suggesting that these cells have the capacity to respond to BMP signaling. Although much is known about BMP4 signaling, its expression pattern in the female reproductive tract (FRT) is still unclear. The objective of the current study was to characterize the expression of BMP4 and its downstream target proteins (pSMAD1/5/8) in the FRT. In the ovary, BMP4 protein was detected in all the stages of follicular development. Staining for pSMAD1/5/8 was observed in granulosa cells and oocytes of all the stages of follicular development including primordial follicles, suggesting that these follicles are responsive to autocrine/paracrine BMP signaling. In the uterus, BMP4 and pSMAD1/5/8 staining was observed in all three compartments and strongest expression was observed during the estrus phase. BMP4- and pSMAD1/5/8-specific staining was also observed in oviductal epithelium. Different forms (apparent MW: 50, 35, and 15 kDa) of BMP4 were detected in mouse ovary by western blot analysis. In conclusion, these results have defined BMP4 and pSMAD1/5/8 protein expression in the mouse FRT and highlighted the importance of BMP4 in folliculogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep S Tanwar
- School of Science and Technology, Center for Bioactive Discovery in Health and Ageing, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia.
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Tanwar PS, Zhang L, Teixeira J. APC (Adenomatous Polyposis Coli), a Tumor Suppressor Gene, Is Required for Maintenance of Sertoli Cell Polarity and Microtubules Integrity. Biol Reprod 2011. [DOI: 10.1093/biolreprod/85.s1.44] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Abstract
The contribution of the stromal microenvironment to the progression of endometrial cancer has not been well explored. We have conditionally expressed a mutant allele of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC(cKO)) in murine uterine stroma cells to study its effect on uterine development and function. In addition to metrorrhagia, the mice develop complex atypical endometrial gland hyperplasia that progresses to endometrial carcinoma in situ and endometrial adenocarcinoma as evidenced by myometrial invasion. Stromal cells subjacent to the carcinoma cells express alpha-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) with fewer cells expressing platelet-derived growth factor α compared with normal stromal cells, suggesting that the mutant stromal cells have acquired a more myofibroblastic phenotype, which have been described as cancer-associated fibroblasts and have been shown to induce carcinogenesis in other organ systems. Analyses of human endometrial cancer specimens showed substantial αSMA expression in the stroma compared with normal endometrial stroma cells. We also show that APC(cKO) mutant uteri and human endometrial cancer have decreased stromal levels of transforming growth factor β and bone morphogenetic protein activities and that the mutant uteri failed to respond to exogenous estradiol stimulation. The mutant stroma cells also had higher levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and stromal derived factor signaling components and diminished expression of estrogen receptor α and progesterone receptor, which is common in advanced stages of human endometrial cancer and is an indicator of poor prognosis. Our results indicate that de novo mutation or loss of heterozygosity in stromal APC is sufficient to induce endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial carcinogenesis by mechanisms that are consistent with unopposed estrogen signaling in the endometrial epithelium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep S Tanwar
- Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
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Tanwar PS, Zhang L, Tanaka Y, Taketo MM, Donahoe PK, Teixeira J. Mullerian Mesenchyme-Specific Activation of Wnt/Beta-Catenin Signaling Inhibits Mullerian Duct Regression and Contributes to Male Infertility. Biol Reprod 2010. [DOI: 10.1093/biolreprod/83.s1.91] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Tanwar PS, Kaneko-Tarui T, Zhang L, Rani P, Taketo MM, Teixeira J. Constitutive WNT/beta-catenin signaling in murine Sertoli cells disrupts their differentiation and ability to support spermatogenesis. Biol Reprod 2009; 82:422-32. [PMID: 19794154 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.109.079335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Sertoli and germ cell interactions are essential for spermatogenesis and, thus, male fertility. Sertoli cells provide a specialized microenvironment for spermatogonial stem cells to divide, allowing both self-renewal and spermatogenesis. In the present study, we used mice with a conditional activated allele of the beta-catenin gene (Ctnnb1(tm1Mmt)(/+)) in Sertoli cells expressing Cre recombinase driven by the anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH; also known as Müllerian-inhibiting substance) type II receptor promoter (Amhr2(tm3(cre)Bhr)(/+)) to show that constitutively activated beta-catenin leads to their continuous proliferation and compromised differentiation. Compared to controls, Sertoli cells in mature mutant mice continue to express high levels of both AMH and glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), which normally are expressed only in immature Sertoli cells. We also show evidence that LiCl treatment, which activates endogenous nuclear beta-catenin activity, regulates both AMH and GDNF expression at the transcriptional level. The epididymides were devoid of sperm in the Amhr2(tm3(cre)Bhr)(/+);Ctnnb1(tm1Mmt)(/+) mice at all ages examined. We show that the mutant mice are infertile because of defective differentiation of germ cells and increased apoptosis, both of which are characteristic of GDNF overexpression in Sertoli cells. Constitutive activation of beta-catenin in Amhr2-null mice showed the same histology, suggesting that the phenotype was the result of persistent overexpression of GDNF. These results show that dysregulated wingless-related MMTV integration site/beta-catenin signaling in Sertoli cells inhibits their postnatal differentiation, resulting in increased germ cell apoptosis and infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep S Tanwar
- Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
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Tanwar PS, Kaneko-Tarui T, Zhang L, Rani P, Taketo MM, Teixeira J. Progressive Spermatogonial Stem Cell Loss in Mice with Constitutively Activated Beta-Catenin in Postpubertal Sertoli Cells is Associated with Persistent Expression of GDNF and MIS. Biol Reprod 2009. [DOI: 10.1093/biolreprod/81.s1.74] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Viswanathan SR, Powers JT, Einhorn W, Hoshida Y, Ng TL, Toffanin S, O'Sullivan M, Lu J, Phillips LA, Lockhart VL, Shah SP, Tanwar PS, Mermel CH, Beroukhim R, Azam M, Teixeira J, Meyerson M, Hughes TP, Llovet JM, Radich J, Mullighan CG, Golub TR, Sorensen PH, Daley GQ. Lin28 promotes transformation and is associated with advanced human malignancies. Nat Genet 2009; 41:843-8. [PMID: 19483683 PMCID: PMC2757943 DOI: 10.1038/ng.392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 654] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2009] [Accepted: 04/21/2009] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Multiple members of the let-7 family of miRNAs are often repressed in human cancers1,2, thereby promoting oncogenesis by de-repressing the targets K-Ras, c-Myc, and HMGA2 3,4. However, the mechanism by which let-7 miRNAs are coordinately repressed is unclear. The RNA-binding proteins Lin28 and Lin28B block let-7 precursors from being processed to mature miRNAs5–8, suggesting that over-expression of Lin28/Lin28B might promote malignancy via repression of let-7. Here we show that LIN28 and LIN28B are over-expressed in primary human tumors and human cancer cell lines (overall frequency ∼15%), and that over-expression is linked to repression of let-7 family miRNAs and de-repression of let-7 targets. Lin28/Lin28B facilitate cellular transformation in vitro, and over-expression is associated with advanced disease across multiple tumor types. Our work provides a mechanism for the coordinate repression of let-7 miRNAs observed in a subset of human cancers, and associates activation of LIN28/LIN28B with poor clinical prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinivas R Viswanathan
- Children's Hospital Boston, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA, USA
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Tanwar PS, Lee HJ, Zhang L, Zukerberg LR, Taketo MM, Rueda BR, Teixeira JM. Constitutive activation of Beta-catenin in uterine stroma and smooth muscle leads to the development of mesenchymal tumors in mice. Biol Reprod 2009; 81:545-52. [PMID: 19403928 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.108.075648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Leiomyomas and other mesenchymally derived tumors are the most common neoplasms of the female reproductive tract. Presently, very little is known about the etiology and progression of these tumors, which are the primary indication for hysterectomies. Dysregulated WNT signaling through beta-catenin is a well-established mechanism for tumorigenesis. We have developed a mouse model that expresses constitutively activated beta-catenin in uterine mesenchyme driven by the expression of Cre recombinase knocked into the Müllerian-inhibiting substance type II receptor promoter locus to investigate its effects on uterine endometrial stroma and myometrium. These mice show myometrial hyperplasia and develop mesenchymal tumors with 100% penetrance that exhibit histological and molecular characteristics of human leiomyomas and endometrial stromal sarcomas. By immunohistochemistry, we also show that both transforming growth factor beta and the mammalian target of rapamycin are induced by constitutive activation of beta-catenin. The prevalence of the tumors was greater in multiparous mice, suggesting that their development may be a hormonally driven process or that changes in uterine morphology during pregnancy and after parturition induce injury and repair mechanisms that stimulate tumorigenesis from stem/progenitor cells, which normally do not express constitutively activated beta-catenin. Additionally, adenomyosis and endometrial gland hyperplasia were occasionally observed in some mice. These results show evidence suggesting that dysregulated, stromal, and myometrial WNT/beta-catenin signaling has pleiotropic effects on uterine function and tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep S Tanwar
- Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology Services, and Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
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