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Ng MF, Da Silva Viana J, Tan PJ, Britto DD, Choi SB, Kobayashi S, Samat N, Song DSS, Ogawa S, Parhar IS, Astin JW, Hogan BM, Patel V, Okuda KS. Canthin-6-One Inhibits Developmental and Tumour-Associated Angiogenesis in Zebrafish. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:108. [PMID: 38256941 PMCID: PMC10819238 DOI: 10.3390/ph17010108] [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: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Tumour-associated angiogenesis play key roles in tumour growth and cancer metastasis. Consequently, several anti-angiogenic drugs such as sunitinib and axitinib have been approved for use as anti-cancer therapies. However, the majority of these drugs target the vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA)/VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) pathway and have shown mixed outcome, largely due to development of resistances and increased tumour aggressiveness. In this study, we used the zebrafish model to screen for novel anti-angiogenic molecules from a library of compounds derived from natural products. From this, we identified canthin-6-one, an indole alkaloid, which inhibited zebrafish intersegmental vessel (ISV) and sub-intestinal vessel development. Further characterisation revealed that treatment of canthin-6-one reduced ISV endothelial cell number and inhibited proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), suggesting that canthin-6-one inhibits endothelial cell proliferation. Of note, canthin-6-one did not inhibit VEGFA-induced phosphorylation of VEGFR2 in HUVECs and downstream phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) in leading ISV endothelial cells in zebrafish, suggesting that canthin-6-one inhibits angiogenesis independent of the VEGFA/VEGFR2 pathway. Importantly, we found that canthin-6-one impairs tumour-associated angiogenesis in a zebrafish B16F10 melanoma cell xenograft model and synergises with VEGFR inhibitor sunitinib malate to inhibit developmental angiogenesis. In summary, we showed that canthin-6-one exhibits anti-angiogenic properties in both developmental and pathological contexts in zebrafish, independent of the VEGFA/VEGFR2 pathway and demonstrate that canthin-6-one may hold value for further development as a novel anti-angiogenic drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Fong Ng
- Cancer Research Malaysia, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia; (M.F.N.); (P.J.T.); (N.S.); (D.S.S.S.); (V.P.)
| | - Juliana Da Silva Viana
- Organogenesis and Cancer Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (J.D.S.V.); (S.K.); (B.M.H.)
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Pei Jean Tan
- Cancer Research Malaysia, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia; (M.F.N.); (P.J.T.); (N.S.); (D.S.S.S.); (V.P.)
| | - Denver D. Britto
- Department of Molecular Medicine & Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand; (D.D.B.); (J.W.A.)
| | - Sy Bing Choi
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;
| | - Sakurako Kobayashi
- Organogenesis and Cancer Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (J.D.S.V.); (S.K.); (B.M.H.)
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Norazwana Samat
- Cancer Research Malaysia, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia; (M.F.N.); (P.J.T.); (N.S.); (D.S.S.S.); (V.P.)
| | - Dedrick Soon Seng Song
- Cancer Research Malaysia, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia; (M.F.N.); (P.J.T.); (N.S.); (D.S.S.S.); (V.P.)
| | - Satoshi Ogawa
- Brain Research Institute, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway 47500, Selangor, Malaysia; (S.O.); (I.S.P.)
| | - Ishwar S. Parhar
- Brain Research Institute, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway 47500, Selangor, Malaysia; (S.O.); (I.S.P.)
| | - Jonathan W. Astin
- Department of Molecular Medicine & Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand; (D.D.B.); (J.W.A.)
| | - Benjamin M. Hogan
- Organogenesis and Cancer Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (J.D.S.V.); (S.K.); (B.M.H.)
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
- Division of Genomics of Development and Disease, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Vyomesh Patel
- Cancer Research Malaysia, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia; (M.F.N.); (P.J.T.); (N.S.); (D.S.S.S.); (V.P.)
| | - Kazuhide S. Okuda
- Cancer Research Malaysia, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia; (M.F.N.); (P.J.T.); (N.S.); (D.S.S.S.); (V.P.)
- Organogenesis and Cancer Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; (J.D.S.V.); (S.K.); (B.M.H.)
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
- Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Disease Research, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
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Britto DD, He J, Misa JP, Chen W, Kakadia PM, Grimm L, Herbert CD, Crosier KE, Crosier PS, Bohlander SK, Hogan BM, Hall CJ, Torres-Vázquez J, Astin JW. Plexin D1 negatively regulates zebrafish lymphatic development. Development 2022; 149:dev200560. [PMID: 36205097 PMCID: PMC9720674 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Lymphangiogenesis is a dynamic process that involves the directed migration of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) to form lymphatic vessels. The molecular mechanisms that underpin lymphatic vessel patterning are not fully elucidated and, to date, no global regulator of lymphatic vessel guidance is known. In this study, we identify the transmembrane cell signalling receptor Plexin D1 (Plxnd1) as a negative regulator of both lymphatic vessel guidance and lymphangiogenesis in zebrafish. plxnd1 is expressed in developing lymphatics and is required for the guidance of both the trunk and facial lymphatic networks. Loss of plxnd1 is associated with misguided intersegmental lymphatic vessel growth and aberrant facial lymphatic branches. Lymphatic guidance in the trunk is mediated, at least in part, by the Plxnd1 ligands, Semaphorin 3AA and Semaphorin 3C. Finally, we show that Plxnd1 normally antagonises Vegfr/Erk signalling to ensure the correct number of facial LECs and that loss of plxnd1 results in facial lymphatic hyperplasia. As a global negative regulator of lymphatic vessel development, the Sema/Plxnd1 signalling pathway is a potential therapeutic target for treating diseases associated with dysregulated lymphatic growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denver D. Britto
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Jia He
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - June P. Misa
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Wenxuan Chen
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Purvi M. Kakadia
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
- Leukaemia and Blood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Lin Grimm
- Organogenesis and Cancer Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne 3000, Australia
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia
| | - Caitlin D. Herbert
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Kathryn E. Crosier
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Philip S. Crosier
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Stefan K. Bohlander
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
- Leukaemia and Blood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Benjamin M. Hogan
- Organogenesis and Cancer Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne 3000, Australia
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia
| | - Christopher J. Hall
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Jesús Torres-Vázquez
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Jonathan W. Astin
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
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Abstract
Tumor angiogenesis is a key target of anti-cancer therapy and this method has been developed to provide a new model to study this process in vivo. A zebrafish xenograft is created by implanting mammalian tumor cells into the perivitelline space of two days-post-fertilization zebrafish embryos, followed by measuring the extent of the angiogenic response observed at an experimental endpoint up to two days post-implantation. The key advantage to this method is the ability to accurately quantitate the zebrafish host angiogenic response to the graft. This enables detailed examination of the molecular mechanisms as well as the host vs tumor contribution to the angiogenic response. The xenografted embryos can be subjected to a variety of treatments, such as incubation with potential anti-angiogenesis drugs, in order to investigate strategies to inhibit tumor angiogenesis. The angiogenic response can also be live-imaged in order to examine more dynamic cellular processes. The relatively undemanding experimental technique, cheap maintenance costs of zebrafish and short experimental timeline make this model especially useful for the development of strategies to manipulate tumor angiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denver D Britto
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland
| | - Christopher J Hall
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland
| | - Jonathan W Astin
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland;
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Britto DD, Wyroba B, Chen W, Lockwood RA, Tran KB, Shepherd PR, Hall CJ, Crosier KE, Crosier PS, Astin JW. Macrophages enhance Vegfa-driven angiogenesis in an embryonic zebrafish tumour xenograft model. Dis Model Mech 2018; 11:dmm.035998. [PMID: 30396905 PMCID: PMC6307908 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.035998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumour angiogenesis has long been a focus of anti-cancer therapy; however, anti-angiogenic cancer treatment strategies have had limited clinical success. Tumour-associated myeloid cells are believed to play a role in the resistance of cancer towards anti-angiogenesis therapy, but the mechanisms by which they do this are unclear. An embryonic zebrafish xenograft model has been developed to investigate the mechanisms of tumour angiogenesis and as an assay to screen anti-angiogenic compounds. In this study, we used cell ablation techniques to remove either macrophages or neutrophils and assessed their contribution towards zebrafish xenograft angiogenesis by quantitating levels of graft vascularisation. The ablation of macrophages, but not neutrophils, caused a strong reduction in tumour xenograft vascularisation and time-lapse imaging demonstrated that tumour xenograft macrophages directly associated with the migrating tip of developing tumour blood vessels. Finally, we found that, although macrophages are required for vascularisation in xenografts that either secrete VEGFA or overexpress zebrafish vegfaa, they are not required for the vascularisation of grafts with low levels of VEGFA, suggesting that zebrafish macrophages can enhance Vegfa-driven tumour angiogenesis. The importance of macrophages to this angiogenic response suggests that this model could be used to further investigate the interplay between myeloid cells and tumour vascularisation. Summary: Zebrafish embryonic macrophages associate with the distal tips of tumour xenograft blood vessels and are required for Vegfa-driven angiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denver D Britto
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Barbara Wyroba
- Department of Cell Biochemistry, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków 30-387, Poland
| | - Wenxuan Chen
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Rhoswen A Lockwood
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Khanh B Tran
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Peter R Shepherd
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Christopher J Hall
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Kathryn E Crosier
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Philip S Crosier
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Jonathan W Astin
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
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