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Manna D, Reghupaty SC, Camarena MDC, Mendoza RG, Subler MA, Koblinski JE, Martin R, Dozmorov MG, Mukhopadhyay ND, Liu J, Qu X, Das SK, Lai Z, Windle JJ, Fisher PB, Sarkar D. Melanoma differentiation associated gene-9/syndecan binding protein promotes hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatology 2023; 78:1727-1741. [PMID: 36120720 DOI: 10.1002/hep.32797] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The oncogene Melanoma differentiation associated gene-9/syndecan binding protein (MDA-9/SDCBP) is overexpressed in many cancers, promoting aggressive, metastatic disease. However, the role of MDA-9 in regulating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been well studied. APPROACH AND RESULTS To unravel the function of MDA-9 in HCC, we generated and characterized a transgenic mouse with hepatocyte-specific overexpression of MDA-9 (Alb/MDA-9). Compared with wild-type (WT) littermates, Alb/MDA-9 mice demonstrated significantly higher incidence of N-nitrosodiethylamine/phenobarbital-induced HCC, with marked activation and infiltration of macrophages. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) in naive WT and Alb/MDA-9 hepatocytes identified activation of signaling pathways associated with invasion, angiogenesis, and inflammation, especially NF-κB and integrin-linked kinase signaling pathways. In nonparenchymal cells purified from naive livers, single-cell RNA-seq showed activation of Kupffer cells and macrophages in Alb/MDA-9 mice versus WT mice. A robust increase in the expression of Secreted phosphoprotein 1 (Spp1/osteopontin) was observed upon overexpression of MDA-9. Inhibition of NF-κB pathway blocked MDA-9-induced Spp1 induction, and knock down of Spp1 resulted in inhibition of MDA-9-induced macrophage migration, as well as angiogenesis. CONCLUSIONS Alb/MDA-9 is a mouse model with MDA-9 overexpression in any tissue type. Our findings unravel an HCC-promoting role of MDA-9 mediated by NF-κB and Spp1 and support the rationale of using MDA-9 inhibitors as a potential treatment for aggressive HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debashri Manna
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
| | - Saranya Chidambaranathan Reghupaty
- C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
| | - Maria Del Carmen Camarena
- C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
| | - Rachel G Mendoza
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
| | - Mark A Subler
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
| | - Jennifer E Koblinski
- Massey Cancer Center , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
- Department of Pathology , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
| | - Rebecca Martin
- Massey Cancer Center , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
| | - Mikhail G Dozmorov
- Department of Biostatistics , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
| | - Nitai D Mukhopadhyay
- Department of Biostatistics , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
| | - Jinze Liu
- Department of Biostatistics , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
| | - Xufeng Qu
- Massey Cancer Center , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
| | - Swadesh K Das
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
- Massey Cancer Center , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
- Virginia Commonwealth University Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
| | - Zhao Lai
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute , University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio , San Antonio , Texas , USA
| | - Jolene J Windle
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
- Massey Cancer Center , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
- Virginia Commonwealth University Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
| | - Paul B Fisher
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
- Massey Cancer Center , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
- Virginia Commonwealth University Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
| | - Devanand Sarkar
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
- Massey Cancer Center , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
- Virginia Commonwealth University Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA
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Reghupaty SC, Kanwal S, Mendoza RG, Davis E, Li H, Lai Z, Dozmorov MG, Faison MO, Siddiqui RA, Sarkar D. Dysregulation of Type I Interferon (IFN-I) Signaling: A Potential Contributor to Racial Disparity in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4283. [PMID: 37686559 PMCID: PMC10486472 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15174283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
African-American (AA)/Black hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients have increased incidence and decreased survival rates compared to non-Hispanic (White) patients, the underlying molecular mechanism of which is not clear. Analysis of existing RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and in-house RNA-sequencing of 14 White and 18 AA/Black HCC patients revealed statistically significant activation of type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling pathway in AA/Black patients. A four-gene signature of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) showed increased expression in AA/Black HCC tumors versus White. HCC is a disease of chronic inflammation, and IFN-Is function as pro-inflammatory cytokines. We tested efficacy of ginger extract (GE), a dietary compound known for anti-inflammatory properties, on HCC cell lines derived from White (HepG2), AA/Black (Hep3B and O/20) and Asian (HuH-7) patients. GE exhibited a significantly lower IC50 on Hep3B and O/20 cells than on HepG2 and HuH-7 cells. The GE treatment inhibited the activation of downstream mediators of IFN-I signaling pathways and expression of ISGs in all four HCC cells. Our data suggest that ginger can potentially attenuate IFN-I-mediated signaling pathways in HCC, and cells from AA/Black HCC patients may be more sensitive to ginger. AA/Black HCC patients might benefit from a holistic diet containing ginger.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sadia Kanwal
- Food and Nutrition Science Laboratory, College of Agriculture, Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA 23806, USA; (S.K.); (H.L.)
| | - Rachel G. Mendoza
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA;
| | - Eva Davis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA;
| | - Haiwen Li
- Food and Nutrition Science Laboratory, College of Agriculture, Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA 23806, USA; (S.K.); (H.L.)
| | - Zhao Lai
- Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA;
| | - Mikhail G. Dozmorov
- Department of Biostatistics and Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA;
| | - Milton Omar Faison
- Department of Biology, Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA 23806, USA;
| | - Rafat Ali Siddiqui
- Food and Nutrition Science Laboratory, College of Agriculture, Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA 23806, USA; (S.K.); (H.L.)
| | - Devanand Sarkar
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Massey Cancer Center, VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
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Manna D, Reghupaty SC, Mendoza RG, Camarena MD, Subler MA, Koblinski J, Martin R, Dozmorov MG, Das SK, Windle JJ, Fisher PB, Sarkar D. Abstract 920: Melanoma differentiation associated gene-9/syndecan binding protein (mda-9/sdcbp): A positive regulator of hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major clinical challenge because of increasing rates of incidence and mortality, and high resistance to standard radio- and chemotherapy. Identification of novel molecules regulating HCC facilitates development of targeted therapies having a lasting impact on HCC patient survival. The oncogene MDA-9/SDCBP promotes tumorigenesis and metastasis in many cancers. In The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), 8% of HCC patients show amplification of MDA-9 gene. However, the role of MDA-9 in regulating HCC has not been well-studied.
Objective: To unravel the function of MDA-9 in HCC using a transgenic mouse model with hepatocyte-specific overexpression of MDA-9 (Alb/MDA-9).
Study design: Alb/MDA-9 mice were generated in B6/CBA background by using the mouse albumin promoter/enhancer element to drive human MDA-9 expression. N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN)/phenobarbital (PB) was used for induction of HCC. Tumor immune profile was analyzed by Opal multiplex staining and flow cytometry. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed to analyze MDA-9-mediated gene regulation.
Results: At 18 months of age, none of the WT mice developed liver tumor, while one male and one female Alb/MDA-9 mice (n = 11) developed one isolated tumor each, suggesting that MDA-9 may not be a strong driver oncogene, rather it might promote HCC progression once tumor is initiated. Indeed, at 32 weeks after induction of HCC using DEN/PB, tumor burden in the livers of Alb/MDA-9 mice was significantly higher compared to WT. These tumors showed loss of hepatic architecture and hepatocyte ballooning, features of HCC. Increased staining for the proliferation marker PCNA, HCC markers AFP and cytokeratin, and angiogenesis marker CD31 in tumor sections, and significantly increased levels of serum liver enzymes, AST and ALT, were observed in Alb/MDA-9 mice vs WT. Macrophage-mediated inflammation plays a central role in HCC. Compared to WT, Alb/MDA-9 tumors showed marked infiltration of CD11b+ myeloid cells, FoxP3+ T regulatory cells and F4/80+ macrophages. RNA-seq in naïve WT and Alb/MDA-9 hepatocytes identified activation of signaling pathways associated with invasion, angiogenesis and inflammation.
Conclusions: MDA-9 overexpression in hepatocytes promotes HCC by stimulating inflammation, angiogenesis and immune modulation. Studies are ongoing to obtain in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which MDA-9 exerts these pleiotropic effects. This study was supported by NIH/NCI Grant 1R01CA244993-01 (DS and PBF).
Citation Format: Debashri Manna, Saranya Chidambaranathan Reghupaty, Rachel Gredler Mendoza, Maria Del Camarena, Mark A. Subler, Jennifer Koblinski, Rebecca Martin, Mikhail G. Dozmorov, Swadesh K. Das, Jolene J. Windle, Paul B. Fisher, Devanand Sarkar. Melanoma differentiation associated gene-9/syndecan binding protein (mda-9/sdcbp): A positive regulator of hepatocellular carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 920.
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Rajesh Y, Reghupaty SC, Mendoza RG, Manna D, Banerjee I, Subler MA, Weldon K, Lai Z, Giashuddin S, Fisher PB, Sanyal AJ, Martin RK, Dozmorov MG, Windle JJ, Sarkar D. Dissecting the Balance Between Metabolic and Oncogenic Functions of Astrocyte-Elevated Gene-1/Metadherin. Hepatol Commun 2022; 6:561-575. [PMID: 34741448 PMCID: PMC8870024 DOI: 10.1002/hep4.1834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Obesity is an enormous global health problem, and obesity-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is contributing to a rising incidence and mortality for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Increase in de novo lipogenesis and decrease in fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) underlie hepatic lipid accumulation in NASH. Astrocyte-elevated gene-1/metadherin (AEG-1) overexpression contributes to both NASH and HCC. AEG-1 harbors an LXXLL motif through which it blocks activation of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPARα), a key regulator of FAO. To better understand the role of LXXLL motif in mediating AEG-1 function, using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 technology, we generated a mouse model (AEG-1-L24K/L25H) in which the LXXLL motif in AEG-1 was mutated to LXXKH. We observed increased activation of PPARα in AEG-1-L24K/L25H livers providing partial protection from high-fat diet-induced steatosis. Interestingly, even with equal gene dosage levels, compared with AEG-1-wild-type livers, AEG-1-L24K/L25H livers exhibited increase in levels of lipogenic enzymes, mitogenic activity and inflammation, which are attributes observed when AEG-1 is overexpressed. These findings indicate that while LXXLL motif favors steatotic activity of AEG-1, it keeps in check inflammatory and oncogenic functions, thus maintaining a homeostasis in AEG-1 function. AEG-1 is being increasingly appreciated as a viable target for ameliorating NASH and NASH-HCC, and as such, in-depth understanding of the functions and molecular attributes of this molecule is essential. Conclusion: The present study unravels the unique role of the LXXLL motif in mediating the balance between the metabolic and oncogenic functions of AEG-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yetirajam Rajesh
- Department of Human and Molecular GeneticsVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA
| | | | - Rachel G Mendoza
- Department of Human and Molecular GeneticsVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA
| | - Debashri Manna
- Department of Human and Molecular GeneticsVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA
| | - Indranil Banerjee
- Department of Human and Molecular GeneticsVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA
| | - Mark A Subler
- Department of Human and Molecular GeneticsVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA
| | - Korri Weldon
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research InstituteUniversity of Texas Health Science Center San AntonioSan AntonioTXUSA
| | - Zhao Lai
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research InstituteUniversity of Texas Health Science Center San AntonioSan AntonioTXUSA
| | - Shah Giashuddin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineNew York Presbyterian Health System at Weill Cornell Medical CollegeNew YorkNYUSA
| | - Paul B Fisher
- Department of Human and Molecular GeneticsVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA.,Massey Cancer CenterVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA.,VCU Institute of Molecular MedicineVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA
| | - Arun J Sanyal
- Department of Internal MedicineVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA
| | - Rebecca K Martin
- Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA
| | - Mikhail G Dozmorov
- Department of BiostatisticsVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA
| | - Jolene J Windle
- Department of Human and Molecular GeneticsVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA.,Massey Cancer CenterVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA
| | - Devanand Sarkar
- Department of Human and Molecular GeneticsVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA.,Massey Cancer CenterVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA.,VCU Institute of Molecular MedicineVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVAUSA
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Abstract
The rapid increase in the incidence of obesity contributes to a parallel increase in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Monocyte-derived macrophages, recruited from the bone marrow to the liver, promote NASH-related inflammation and fibrosis. In addition, adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) release pro-inflammatory cytokines (PICs) which stimulate adipose tissue lipolysis liberating free fatty acids (FFAs) that can accumulate in the liver as triglycerides (TGs), thereby inducing steatosis. As such, bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) function as an essential tool to study the pathogenesis of NASH. BMDMs are primary bone marrow-derived cells which are differentiated into macrophages in vitro in the presence of growth factors. Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) is required for the proliferation and differentiation of committed myeloid progenitors into cells of the macrophage/monocyte lineage. Here, we describe a protocol for the isolation of mouse bone marrow cells and subsequent macrophage differentiation in which bone marrow cells are cultured in the presence of M-CSF, supplemented either by conditioned medium from L929 cells or in purified form. The efficiency of the differentiation is confirmed by immunofluorescent staining of macrophage surface antigen F4/80. The BMDMs serve as an excellent ex vivo model for a variety of studies, including hepatocyte-macrophage and adipocyte-macrophage cross-talk regulating NASH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Mendoza
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Indranil Banerjee
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Debashri Manna
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | | | - Rajesh Yetirajam
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Devanand Sarkar
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
- VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
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Reghupaty SC, Sarkar D. Current Status of Gene Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11091265. [PMID: 31466358 PMCID: PMC6770843 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11091265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer related deaths world-wide. Liver transplantation, surgical resection, trans-arterial chemoembolization, and radio frequency ablation are effective strategies to treat early stage HCC. Unfortunately, HCC is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage and there are not many treatment options for late stage HCC. First-line therapy for late stage HCC includes sorafenib and lenvatinib. However, these treatments provide only an approximate three month increase in survival. Besides, they cannot specifically target cancer cells that lead to a wide array of side effects. Patients on these drugs develop resistance within a few months and have to rely on second-line therapy that includes regorafenib, pembrolizumab, nivolumab, and cabometyx. These disadvantages make gene therapy approach to treat HCC an attractive option. The two important questions that researchers have been trying to answer in the last 2-3 decades are what genes should be targeted and what delivery systems should be used. The objective of this review is to analyze the changing landscape of HCC gene therapy, with a focus on these two questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saranya Chidambaranathan Reghupaty
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Massey Cancer Center, VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Devanand Sarkar
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Massey Cancer Center, VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
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Reghupaty SC, Mendoza R, Sarkar D. AEG-1 targeting for inhibiting inflammation: potential anti-HCC strategy. Oncotarget 2019; 10:629-630. [PMID: 30774759 PMCID: PMC6363015 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.26602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Saranya Chidambaranathan Reghupaty
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Massey Cancer Center, VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Rachel Mendoza
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Massey Cancer Center, VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Devanand Sarkar
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Massey Cancer Center, VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
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