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Domènech-Moreno E, Brandt A, Lemmetyinen TT, Wartiovaara L, Mäkelä TP, Ollila S. Tellu - an object-detector algorithm for automatic classification of intestinal organoids. Dis Model Mech 2023; 16:297124. [PMID: 36804687 PMCID: PMC10067441 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Intestinal epithelial organoids recapitulate many of the in vivo features of the intestinal epithelium, thus representing excellent research models. Morphology of the organoids based on light-microscopy images is used as a proxy to assess the biological state of the intestinal epithelium. Currently, organoid classification is manual and, therefore, subjective and time consuming, hampering large-scale quantitative analyses. Here, we describe Tellu, an object-detector algorithm trained to classify cultured intestinal organoids. Tellu was trained by manual annotation of >20,000 intestinal organoids to identify cystic non-budding organoids, early organoids, late organoids and spheroids. Tellu can also be used to quantify the relative organoid size, and can classify intestinal organoids into these four subclasses with accuracy comparable to that of trained scientists but is significantly faster and without bias. Tellu is provided as an open, user-friendly online tool to benefit the increasing number of investigations using organoids through fast and unbiased organoid morphology and size analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Domènech-Moreno
- HiLIFE-Helsinki Institute of Life Science, Yliopistonkatu 4, 00014 University of Helsinki, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Stenbäckinkatu 9 Hallintokeskus, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anders Brandt
- HiLIFE-Helsinki Institute of Life Science, Yliopistonkatu 4, 00014 University of Helsinki, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Stenbäckinkatu 9 Hallintokeskus, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Toni T Lemmetyinen
- Translational Cancer Medicine Program, University of Helsinki, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Linnea Wartiovaara
- Translational Cancer Medicine Program, University of Helsinki, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tomi P Mäkelä
- HiLIFE-Helsinki Institute of Life Science, Yliopistonkatu 4, 00014 University of Helsinki, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Stenbäckinkatu 9 Hallintokeskus, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Saara Ollila
- Translational Cancer Medicine Program, University of Helsinki, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
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2
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Pavic K, Gupta N, Omella JD, Derua R, Aakula A, Huhtaniemi R, Määttä JA, Höfflin N, Okkeri J, Wang Z, Kauko O, Varjus R, Honkanen H, Abankwa D, Köhn M, Hytönen VP, Xu W, Nilsson J, Page R, Janssens V, Leitner A, Westermarck J. Structural mechanism for inhibition of PP2A-B56α and oncogenicity by CIP2A. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1143. [PMID: 36854761 PMCID: PMC9974998 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36693-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) heterotrimer PP2A-B56α is a human tumour suppressor. However, the molecular mechanisms inhibiting PP2A-B56α in cancer are poorly understood. Here, we report molecular level details and structural mechanisms of PP2A-B56α inhibition by an oncoprotein CIP2A. Upon direct binding to PP2A-B56α trimer, CIP2A displaces the PP2A-A subunit and thereby hijacks both the B56α, and the catalytic PP2Ac subunit to form a CIP2A-B56α-PP2Ac pseudotrimer. Further, CIP2A competes with B56α substrate binding by blocking the LxxIxE-motif substrate binding pocket on B56α. Relevant to oncogenic activity of CIP2A across human cancers, the N-terminal head domain-mediated interaction with B56α stabilizes CIP2A protein. Functionally, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated single amino acid mutagenesis of the head domain blunted MYC expression and MEK phosphorylation, and abrogated triple-negative breast cancer in vivo tumour growth. Collectively, we discover a unique multi-step hijack and mute protein complex regulation mechanism resulting in tumour suppressor PP2A-B56α inhibition. Further, the results unfold a structural determinant for the oncogenic activity of CIP2A, potentially facilitating therapeutic modulation of CIP2A in cancer and other diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Pavic
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520, Turku, Finland
- Cancer Cell Biology and Drug Discovery Group, Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Nikhil Gupta
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Judit Domènech Omella
- Laboratory of Protein Phosphorylation & Proteomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rita Derua
- Laboratory of Protein Phosphorylation & Proteomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
- SyBioMa, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Anna Aakula
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Riikka Huhtaniemi
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Juha A Määttä
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33520 Tampere, Finland and Fimlab Laboratories, 33520, Tampere, Finland
| | - Nico Höfflin
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Biology III, University of Freiburg, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Juha Okkeri
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Zhizhi Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Otto Kauko
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Roosa Varjus
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Henrik Honkanen
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Daniel Abankwa
- Cancer Cell Biology and Drug Discovery Group, Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Maja Köhn
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Biology III, University of Freiburg, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
- Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Vesa P Hytönen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33520 Tampere, Finland and Fimlab Laboratories, 33520, Tampere, Finland
| | - Wenqing Xu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jakob Nilsson
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rebecca Page
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Veerle Janssens
- Laboratory of Protein Phosphorylation & Proteomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Alexander Leitner
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH Zurich, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jukka Westermarck
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520, Turku, Finland.
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, 20520, Turku, Finland.
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Beilmann-Lehtonen I, Kasurinen J, Hagström J, Kaprio T, Böckelman C, Haglund C. High tissue expression of TLRs combined with high density of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes predicts a better prognosis in colorectal cancer patients. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0280085. [PMID: 36649244 PMCID: PMC9844887 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280085] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer causes 935,000 cancer deaths yearly. High local immune cell infiltration serves as a positive prognostic factor in CRC. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) induce innate immune responses and lead to adaptive immune system activation. TLRs play protumorigenic and antitumorigenic roles. We aimed to explore the relationship between TLR immunoexpressions and the infiltration densities of T-lymphocytes in CRC. METHODS Immunohistochemical TLR2, TLR4, TLR5, and TLR7 positivity and the density of CD3- and CD8-positive cells in tumoral and stromal tissue were evaluated from the tissue microarray slides of 549 consecutive CRC surgical patients treated at Helsinki University Hospital, Finland, between 1998 and 2005. We calculated the associations and correlations using Pearson's chi-square and Spearman's correlation tests, generating survival curves using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS Positive intratumoral CD3 and CD8 densities associated with a high TLR2 expression (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively) and a high TLR4 expression (p = 0.013 and p = 0.025). A low TLR5 immunoexpression associated with negative intratumoral CD3 (p = 0.001) and CD8 (p = 0.011) and a low stromal CD3 (p = 0.001). No association or correlation emerged between TLR7 immunoexpression and CD3 or CD8 cell density. A low CD3-CD8 tumor-stroma index indicated a worse prognosis among all TLR subgroups, except the TLR7-negative subgroup. CONCLUSIONS We detected significant associations and correlations between high tissue TLR2, TLR4, and TLR5 immunoexpressions and high densities of CD3- and CD8-positive cells. Combining these markers may improve the prognostic evaluation of CRC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Beilmann-Lehtonen
- Department of Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- * E-mail:
| | - Jussi Kasurinen
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jaana Hagström
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Oral Pathology and Radiology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Tuomas Kaprio
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Oral Pathology and Radiology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Camilla Böckelman
- Department of Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Caj Haglund
- Department of Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
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Mohanasundaram P, Coelho-Rato LS, Modi MK, Urbanska M, Lautenschläger F, Cheng F, Eriksson JE. Cytoskeletal vimentin regulates cell size and autophagy through mTORC1 signaling. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001737. [PMID: 36099296 PMCID: PMC9469959 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The nutrient-activated mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase complex 1) signaling pathway determines cell size by controlling mRNA translation, ribosome biogenesis, protein synthesis, and autophagy. Here, we show that vimentin, a cytoskeletal intermediate filament protein that we have known to be important for wound healing and cancer progression, determines cell size through mTORC1 signaling, an effect that is also manifested at the organism level in mice. This vimentin-mediated regulation is manifested at all levels of mTOR downstream target activation and protein synthesis. We found that vimentin maintains normal cell size by supporting mTORC1 translocation and activation by regulating the activity of amino acid sensing Rag GTPase. We also show that vimentin inhibits the autophagic flux in the absence of growth factors and/or critical nutrients, demonstrating growth factor-independent inhibition of autophagy at the level of mTORC1. Our findings establish that vimentin couples cell size and autophagy through modulating Rag GTPase activity of the mTORC1 signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ponnuswamy Mohanasundaram
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
- Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Leila S. Coelho-Rato
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
- Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Mayank Kumar Modi
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
- Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Marta Urbanska
- Biotechnology Center, Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light & Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Franziska Lautenschläger
- Saarland University, NT Faculty, Experimental Physics, Saarbrücken, Germany
- Center for Biophysics, Saarland University, Germany
| | - Fang Cheng
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
- Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - John E. Eriksson
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
- Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
- * E-mail:
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Liikanen I, Basnet S, Quixabeira DCA, Taipale K, Hemminki O, Oksanen M, Kankainen M, Juhila J, Kanerva A, Joensuu T, Tähtinen S, Hemminki A. Oncolytic adenovirus decreases the proportion of TIM-3 + subset of tumor-infiltrating CD8 + T cells with correlation to improved survival in patients with cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:e003490. [PMID: 35193929 PMCID: PMC8867324 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oncolytic viruses are a potent form of active immunotherapy, capable of invoking antitumor T-cell responses. Meanwhile, less is known about their effects on immune checkpoints, the main targets for passive immunotherapy of cancer. T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-3 (TIM-3) is a coinhibitory checkpoint driving T-cell exhaustion in cancer. Here we investigated the effects of oncolytic adenovirus on the TIM-3 checkpoint on tumor-infiltrating immune cells and clinical impact in patients with cancer receiving oncolytic immunotherapy. METHODS Modulation of TIM-3 expression on tumor-infiltrating immune cells was studied preclinically in B16 melanoma following intratumoral treatment with Ad5/3∆24-granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor oncolytic adenovirus. We conducted a retrospective longitudinal analysis of 15 patients with advanced-stage cancer with tumor-site biopsies before and after oncolytic immunotherapy, treated in the Advanced Therapy Access Program (ISRCTN10141600, April 5, 2011). Following patient stratification with regard to TIM-3 (increase vs decrease in tumors), overall survival and imaging/marker responses were evaluated by log-rank and Fisher's test, while coinhibitory receptors/ligands, transcriptomic changes and tumor-reactive and tumor-infltrating immune cells in biopsies and blood samples were studied by microarray rank-based statistics and immunoassays. RESULTS Preclinically, TIM-3+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in B16 melanoma showed an exhausted phenotype, whereas oncolytic adenovirus treatment significantly reduced the proportion of TIM-3+ TIL subset through recruitment of less-exhausted CD8+ TIL. Decrease of TIM-3 was observed in 60% of patients, which was associated with improved overall survival over TIM-3 increase patients (p=0.004), together with evidence of clinical benefit by imaging and blood analyses. Coinhibitory T-cell receptors and ligands were consistently associated with TIM-3 changes in gene expression data, while core transcriptional exhaustion programs and T-cell dysfunction were enriched in patients with TIM-3 increase, thus identifying patients potentially benefiting from checkpoint blockade. In striking contrast, patients with TIM-3 decrease displayed an acute inflammatory signature, redistribution of tumor-reactive CD8+ lymphocytes and higher influx of CD8+ TIL into tumors, which were associated with the longest overall survival, suggesting benefit from active immunotherapy. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate a key role for the TIM-3 immune checkpoint in oncolytic adenoviral immunotherapy. Moreover, our results identify TIM-3 as a potential biomarker for oncolytic adenoviruses and create rationale for combination with passive immunotherapy for a subset of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilkka Liikanen
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Molecular Biology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
- Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Saru Basnet
- Translational Immunology Research Program, Cancer Gene Therapy Group, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Dafne C A Quixabeira
- Translational Immunology Research Program, Cancer Gene Therapy Group, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kristian Taipale
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Otto Hemminki
- Division of Urologic Oncology, Department of Surgical Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Urology, Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Minna Oksanen
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matti Kankainen
- Medical and Clinical Genetics, Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juuso Juhila
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anna Kanerva
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Siri Tähtinen
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Akseli Hemminki
- Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- TILT Biotherapeutics Ltd, Helsinki, Finland
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Stenvall CGA, Tayyab M, Grönroos TJ, Ilomäki MA, Viiri K, Ridge KM, Polari L, Toivola DM. Targeted deletion of keratin 8 in intestinal epithelial cells disrupts tissue integrity and predisposes to tumorigenesis in the colon. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 79:10. [PMID: 34951664 PMCID: PMC8709826 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-04081-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [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: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Keratin 8 (K8) is the main intestinal epithelial intermediate filament protein with proposed roles for colonic epithelial cell integrity. Here, we used mice lacking K8 in intestinal epithelial cells (floxed K8 and Villin-Cre1000 and Villin-CreERt2) to investigate the cell-specific roles of intestinal epithelial K8 for colonocyte function and pathologies. Intestinal epithelial K8 deletion decreased K8 partner proteins, K18-K20, 75-95%, and the remaining keratin filaments were located at the colonocyte apical regions with type II K7, which decreased 30%. 2-Deoxy-2-[18F]-fluoroglucose positron emission tomography in vivo imaging identified a metabolic phenotype in the lower gut of the conditional K8 knockouts. These mice developed intestinal barrier leakiness, mild diarrhea, and epithelial damage, especially in the proximal colon. Mice exhibited shifted differentiation from enterocytes to goblet cells, displayed longer crypts and an increased number of Ki67 + transit-amplifying cells in the colon. Significant proproliferative and regenerative signaling occurred in the IL-22, STAT3, and pRb pathways, with minor effects on inflammatory parameters, which, however, increased in aging mice. Importantly, colonocyte K8 deletion induced a dramatically increased sensitivity to azoxymethane-induced tumorigenesis. In conclusion, intestinal epithelial K8 plays a significant role in colonocyte epithelial integrity maintenance, proliferation regulation and tumor suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl-Gustaf A Stenvall
- Cell Biology, Biosciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, BioCity, Tykistökatu 6A, N20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Mina Tayyab
- Cell Biology, Biosciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, BioCity, Tykistökatu 6A, N20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Tove J Grönroos
- Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Medicity Research Laboratories, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Maria A Ilomäki
- Cell Biology, Biosciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, BioCity, Tykistökatu 6A, N20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Keijo Viiri
- Celiac Disease Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Karen M Ridge
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lauri Polari
- Cell Biology, Biosciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, BioCity, Tykistökatu 6A, N20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Diana M Toivola
- Cell Biology, Biosciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, BioCity, Tykistökatu 6A, N20520, Turku, Finland.
- Turku Center for Disease Modeling, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
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7
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Heino S, Fang S, Lähde M, Högström J, Nassiri S, Campbell A, Flanagan D, Raven A, Hodder M, Nasreddin N, Xue HH, Delorenzi M, Leedham S, Petrova TV, Sansom O, Alitalo K. Lef1 restricts ectopic crypt formation and tumor cell growth in intestinal adenomas. Sci Adv 2021; 7:eabj0512. [PMID: 34788095 PMCID: PMC8598008 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj0512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Somatic mutations in APC or CTNNB1 genes lead to aberrant Wnt signaling and colorectal cancer (CRC) initiation and progression via-catenin–T cell factor/lymphoid enhancer binding factor TCF/LEF transcription factors. We found that Lef1 was expressed exclusively in Apc-mutant, Wnt ligand–independent tumors, but not in ligand-dependent, serrated tumors. To analyze Lef1 function in tumor development, we conditionally deleted Lef1 in intestinal stem cells of Apcfl/fl mice or broadly from the entire intestinal epithelium of Apcfl/fl or ApcMin/+ mice. Loss of Lef1 markedly increased tumor initiation and tumor cell proliferation, reduced the expression of several Wnt antagonists, and increased Myc proto-oncogene expression and formation of ectopic crypts in Apc-mutant adenomas. Our results uncover a previously unknown negative feedback mechanism in CRC, in which ectopic Lef1 expression suppresses intestinal tumorigenesis by restricting adenoma cell dedifferentiation to a crypt-progenitor phenotype and by reducing the formation of cancer stem cell niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarika Heino
- Translational Cancer Medicine Program (CAN-PRO), iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship and Wihuri Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, HiLIFE-Helsinki Institute of Life Science, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Shentong Fang
- Translational Cancer Medicine Program (CAN-PRO), iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship and Wihuri Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, HiLIFE-Helsinki Institute of Life Science, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- School of Biopharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, P.R. China
| | - Marianne Lähde
- Translational Cancer Medicine Program (CAN-PRO), iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship and Wihuri Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, HiLIFE-Helsinki Institute of Life Science, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jenny Högström
- Translational Cancer Medicine Program (CAN-PRO), iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship and Wihuri Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, HiLIFE-Helsinki Institute of Life Science, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sina Nassiri
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andrew Campbell
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, Garscube Estate, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
| | - Dustin Flanagan
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, Garscube Estate, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
| | - Alexander Raven
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, Garscube Estate, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
| | - Michael Hodder
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, Garscube Estate, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
| | - Nadia Nasreddin
- Intestinal Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Hai-Hui Xue
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack University Medical Center, Nutley, NJ 07110, USA
| | - Mauro Delorenzi
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne and CHUV, Epalinges, Switzerland
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Simon Leedham
- Intestinal Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Tatiana V. Petrova
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne and CHUV, Epalinges, Switzerland
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Owen Sansom
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, Garscube Estate, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
| | - Kari Alitalo
- Translational Cancer Medicine Program (CAN-PRO), iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship and Wihuri Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, HiLIFE-Helsinki Institute of Life Science, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
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8
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Zheng S, Aldahdooh J, Shadbahr T, Wang Y, Aldahdooh D, Bao J, Wang W, Tang J. DrugComb update: a more comprehensive drug sensitivity data repository and analysis portal. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:W174-W184. [PMID: 34060634 PMCID: PMC8218202 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [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: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Combinatorial therapies that target multiple pathways have shown great promises for treating complex diseases. DrugComb (https://drugcomb.org/) is a web-based portal for the deposition and analysis of drug combination screening datasets. Since its first release, DrugComb has received continuous updates on the coverage of data resources, as well as on the functionality of the web server to improve the analysis, visualization and interpretation of drug combination screens. Here, we report significant updates of DrugComb, including: (i) manual curation and harmonization of more comprehensive drug combination and monotherapy screening data, not only for cancers but also for other diseases such as malaria and COVID-19; (ii) enhanced algorithms for assessing the sensitivity and synergy of drug combinations; (iii) network modelling tools to visualize the mechanisms of action of drugs or drug combinations for a given cancer sample and (iv) state-of-the-art machine learning models to predict drug combination sensitivity and synergy. These improvements have been provided with more user-friendly graphical interface and faster database infrastructure, which make DrugComb the most comprehensive web-based resources for the study of drug sensitivities for multiple diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuyu Zheng
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki FI-00290, Finland
| | - Jehad Aldahdooh
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki FI-00290, Finland
| | - Tolou Shadbahr
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki FI-00290, Finland
| | - Yinyin Wang
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki FI-00290, Finland
| | - Dalal Aldahdooh
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki FI-00290, Finland
| | - Jie Bao
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki FI-00290, Finland
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki, Helsinki FI-00290, Finland
| | - Wenyu Wang
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki FI-00290, Finland
| | - Jing Tang
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki FI-00290, Finland
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9
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Jukonen J, Moyano-Galceran L, Höpfner K, Pietilä EA, Lehtinen L, Huhtinen K, Gucciardo E, Hynninen J, Hietanen S, Grénman S, Ojala PM, Carpén O, Lehti K. Aggressive and recurrent ovarian cancers upregulate ephrinA5, a non-canonical effector of EphA2 signaling duality. Sci Rep 2021; 11:8856. [PMID: 33893375 PMCID: PMC8065122 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88382-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Erythropoietin producing hepatocellular (Eph) receptors and their membrane-bound ligands ephrins are variably expressed in epithelial cancers, with context-dependent implications to both tumor-promoting and -suppressive processes in ways that remain incompletely understood. Using ovarian cancer tissue microarrays and longitudinally collected patient cells, we show here that ephrinA5/EFNA5 is specifically overexpressed in the most aggressive high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) subtype, and increased in the HGSC cells upon disease progression. Among all the eight ephrin genes, high EFNA5 expression was most strongly associated with poor overall survival in HGSC patients from multiple independent datasets. In contrast, high EFNA3 predicted improved overall and progression-free survival in The Cancer Genome Atlas HGSC dataset, as expected for a canonical inducer of tumor-suppressive Eph receptor tyrosine kinase signaling. While depletion of either EFNA5 or the more extensively studied, canonically acting EFNA1 in HGSC cells increased the oncogenic EphA2-S897 phosphorylation, EFNA5 depletion left unaltered, or even increased the ligand-dependent EphA2-Y588 phosphorylation. Moreover, treatment with recombinant ephrinA5 led to limited EphA2 tyrosine phosphorylation, internalization and degradation compared to ephrinA1. Altogether, our results suggest a unique function for ephrinA5 in Eph-ephrin signaling and highlight the clinical potential of ephrinA5 as a cell surface biomarker in the most aggressive HGSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joonas Jukonen
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00140, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lidia Moyano-Galceran
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Katrin Höpfner
- Individualized Drug Therapy Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00140, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Elina A Pietilä
- Individualized Drug Therapy Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00140, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Laura Lehtinen
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Kaisa Huhtinen
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Erika Gucciardo
- Individualized Drug Therapy Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00140, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Johanna Hynninen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, 20521, Turku, Finland
| | - Sakari Hietanen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, 20521, Turku, Finland
| | - Seija Grénman
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, 20521, Turku, Finland
| | - Päivi M Ojala
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00140, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olli Carpén
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Kaisa Lehti
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Individualized Drug Therapy Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00140, Helsinki, Finland.
- Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491, Trondheim, Norway.
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10
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Niemelä E, Desai D, Lundsten E, Rosenholm JM, Kankaanpää P, Eriksson JE. Quantitative bioimage analytics enables measurement of targeted cellular stress response induced by celastrol-loaded nanoparticles. Cell Stress Chaperones 2019; 24:735-748. [PMID: 31079284 PMCID: PMC6629742 DOI: 10.1007/s12192-019-00999-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [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: 02/10/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The cellular stress response, which provides protection against proteotoxic stresses, is characterized by the activation of heat shock factor 1 and the formation of nuclear stress bodies (nSBs). In this study, we developed a computerized method to quantify the formation and size distribution of nSBs, as stress response induction is of interest in cancer research, neurodegenerative diseases, and in other pathophysiological processes. We employed an advanced bioimaging and analytics workflow to enable quantitative detailed subcellular analysis of cell populations even down to single-cell level. This type of detailed analysis requires automated single cell analysis to allow for detection of both size and distribution of nSBs. For specific induction of nSB we used mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) loaded with celastrol, a plant-derived triterpene with the ability to activate the stress response. To enable specific targeting, we employed folic acid functionalized nanoparticles, which yields targeting to folate receptor expressing cancer cells. In this way, we could assess the ability to quantitatively detect directed and spatio-temporal nSB induction using 2D and 3D confocal imaging. Our results demonstrate successful implementation of an imaging and analytics workflow based on a freely available, general-purpose software platform, BioImageXD, also compatible with other imaging modalities due to full 3D/4D and high-throughput batch processing support. The developed quantitative imaging analytics workflow opens possibilities for detailed stress response examination in cell populations, with significant potential in the analysis of targeted drug delivery systems related to cell stress and other cytoprotective cellular processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Niemelä
- Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Diti Desai
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Laboratory, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Emine Lundsten
- Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Jessica M. Rosenholm
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Laboratory, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Pasi Kankaanpää
- Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - John E. Eriksson
- Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
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11
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Hänninen UA, Katainen R, Tanskanen T, Plaketti RM, Laine R, Hamberg J, Ristimäki A, Pukkala E, Taipale M, Mecklin JP, Forsström LM, Pitkänen E, Palin K, Välimäki N, Mäkinen N, Aaltonen LA. Exome-wide somatic mutation characterization of small bowel adenocarcinoma. PLoS Genet 2018. [PMID: 29522538 PMCID: PMC5871010 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [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] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is an aggressive disease with limited treatment options. Despite previous studies, its molecular genetic background has remained somewhat elusive. To comprehensively characterize the mutational landscape of this tumor type, and to identify possible targets of treatment, we conducted the first large exome sequencing study on a population-based set of SBA samples from all three small bowel segments. Archival tissue from 106 primary tumors with appropriate clinical information were available for exome sequencing from a patient series consisting of a majority of confirmed SBA cases diagnosed in Finland between the years 2003–2011. Paired-end exome sequencing was performed using Illumina HiSeq 4000, and OncodriveFML was used to identify driver genes from the exome data. We also defined frequently affected cancer signalling pathways and performed the first extensive allelic imbalance (AI) analysis in SBA. Exome data analysis revealed significantly mutated genes previously linked to SBA (TP53, KRAS, APC, SMAD4, and BRAF), recently reported potential driver genes (SOX9, ATM, and ARID2), as well as novel candidate driver genes, such as ACVR2A, ACVR1B, BRCA2, and SMARCA4. We also identified clear mutation hotspot patterns in ERBB2 and BRAF. No BRAF V600E mutations were observed. Additionally, we present a comprehensive mutation signature analysis of SBA, highlighting established signatures 1A, 6, and 17, as well as U2 which is a previously unvalidated signature. Finally, comparison of the three small bowel segments revealed differences in tumor characteristics. This comprehensive work unveils the mutational landscape and most frequently affected genes and pathways in SBA, providing potential therapeutic targets, and novel and more thorough insights into the genetic background of this tumor type. Small bowel adenocarcinoma is a rare but aggressive disease with limited treatment options. Of gastrointestinal tumors, small bowel tumors account for 3%, of which around one third are adenocarcinomas. Due to the scarcity of evidence-based treatment recommendations there is a dire need for knowledge on the biology of these tumors. Here, we performed the first large exome sequencing effort of 106 small bowel adenocarcinomas from a Finnish population-based cohort to comprehensively characterize the genetic background of this tumor type. The set included tumors from all three small bowel segments allowing us to also compare the genetic differences between these subsets. We defined significantly mutated genes and frequently affected pathways, providing potential therapeutic targets, such as BRAF, ERBB2, ERBB3, ERBB4, PIK3CA, KRAS, ATM, ACVR2A, ACVR1B, BRCA2, and SMARCA4, for this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrika A. Hänninen
- Genome-Scale Biology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Riku Katainen
- Genome-Scale Biology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tomas Tanskanen
- Genome-Scale Biology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Roosa-Maria Plaketti
- Genome-Scale Biology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Riku Laine
- Genome-Scale Biology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jiri Hamberg
- Genome-Scale Biology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ari Ristimäki
- Genome-Scale Biology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Pathology, HUSLAB, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eero Pukkala
- Finnish Cancer Registry, Institute for Statistical and Epidemiological Cancer Research, Helsinki, Finland
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
| | - Minna Taipale
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jukka-Pekka Mecklin
- Department of Surgery, Jyväskylä Central Hospital, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Linda M. Forsström
- Genome-Scale Biology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Esa Pitkänen
- Genome-Scale Biology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kimmo Palin
- Genome-Scale Biology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Niko Välimäki
- Genome-Scale Biology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Netta Mäkinen
- Genome-Scale Biology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lauri A. Aaltonen
- Genome-Scale Biology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- * E-mail:
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12
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Arpalahti L, Laitinen A, Hagström J, Mustonen H, Kokkola A, Böckelman C, Haglund C, Holmberg CI. Positive cytoplasmic UCHL5 tumor expression in gastric cancer is linked to improved prognosis. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0193125. [PMID: 29474458 PMCID: PMC5825037 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [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: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 02/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastric cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Accurate prediction of disease progression is difficult, and new biomarkers for clinical use are essential. Recently, we reported that the proteasome-associated deubiquitinating enzyme UCHL5/Uch37 is a new prognostic marker in both rectal cancer and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Here, we have assessed by immunohistochemistry UCHL5 tumor expression in gastric cancer. The study cohort comprised 650 patients, who underwent surgery in Helsinki University Hospital, Finland, between 1983 and 2009. We investigated the association of cytoplasmic UCHL5 tumor expression to assess clinicopathological parameters and patient survival. Positive cytoplasmic UCHL5 tumor immunoexpression is linked to increased survival of patients with small (<5 cm) tumors (p = 0.001), disease stages I-II (p = 0.025), and age 66 years or older (p = 0.037). UCHL5 is thus a potential marker in gastric cancer with new prognostic relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leena Arpalahti
- Research Programs Unit, Translational Cancer Biology Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Alli Laitinen
- Research Programs Unit, Translational Cancer Biology Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jaana Hagström
- Research Programs Unit, Translational Cancer Biology Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and HusLab, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Harri Mustonen
- Department of Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Arto Kokkola
- Department of Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Camilla Böckelman
- Research Programs Unit, Translational Cancer Biology Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Caj Haglund
- Research Programs Unit, Translational Cancer Biology Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Carina I. Holmberg
- Research Programs Unit, Translational Cancer Biology Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- * E-mail:
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