Cho J, Min HY, Pei H, Wei X, Sim JY, Park SH, Hwang SJ, Lee HJ, Hong S, Shin YK, Lee HY. The ATF6-EGF Pathway Mediates the Awakening of Slow-Cycling Chemoresistant Cells and Tumor Recurrence by Stimulating Tumor Angiogenesis.
Cancers (Basel) 2020;
12:E1772. [PMID:
32630838 DOI:
10.3390/cancers12071772]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Slow-cycling cancer cells (SCCs) with a quiescence-like phenotype are believed to perpetrate cancer relapse and progression. However, the mechanisms that mediate SCC-derived tumor recurrence are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the mechanisms underlying cancer recurrence after chemotherapy, focusing on the interplay between SCCs and the tumor microenvironment. We established a preclinical model of SCCs by exposing non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells to either the proliferation-dependent dye carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE) or chemotherapeutic drugs. An RNA sequencing analysis revealed that the established SCCs exhibited the upregulation of a group of genes, especially epidermal growth factor (EGF). Increases in the number of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-positive vascular endothelial cells and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation were found in NSCLC cell line- and patient-derived xenograft tumors that progressed upon chemotherapy. EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors effectively suppressed the migration and tube formation of vascular endothelial cells. Furthermore, activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) induced the upregulation of EGF, and its antagonism effectively suppressed these SCC-mediated events and inhibited tumor recurrence after chemotherapy. These results suggest that the ATF6-EGF signaling axis in SCCs functions to trigger the angiogenesis switch in residual tumors after chemotherapy and is thus a driving force for the switch from SCCs to actively cycling cancer cells, leading to tumor recurrence.
Collapse