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Marquez-Palencia M, Reza Herrera L, Parida PK, Ghosh S, Kim K, Das NM, Gonzalez-Ericsson PI, Sanders ME, Mobley BC, Diegeler S, Aguilera TA, Peng Y, Lewis CM, Arteaga CL, Hanker AB, Whitehurst AW, Lorens JB, Brekken RA, Davis AJ, Malladi S. AXL/WRNIP1 Mediates Replication Stress Response and Promotes Therapy Resistance and Metachronous Metastasis in HER2+ Breast Cancer. Cancer Res 2024; 84:675-687. [PMID: 38190717 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-1459] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Therapy resistance and metastatic progression are primary causes of cancer-related mortality. Disseminated tumor cells possess adaptive traits that enable them to reprogram their metabolism, maintain stemness, and resist cell death, facilitating their persistence to drive recurrence. The survival of disseminated tumor cells also depends on their ability to modulate replication stress in response to therapy while colonizing inhospitable microenvironments. In this study, we discovered that the nuclear translocation of AXL, a TAM receptor tyrosine kinase, and its interaction with WRNIP1, a DNA replication stress response factor, promotes the survival of HER2+ breast cancer cells that are resistant to HER2-targeted therapy and metastasize to the brain. In preclinical models, knocking down or pharmacologically inhibiting AXL or WRNIP1 attenuated protection of stalled replication forks. Furthermore, deficiency or inhibition of AXL and WRNIP1 also prolonged metastatic latency and delayed relapse. Together, these findings suggest that targeting the replication stress response, which is a shared adaptive mechanism in therapy-resistant and metastasis-initiating cells, could reduce metachronous metastasis and enhance the response to standard-of-care therapies. SIGNIFICANCE Nuclear AXL and WRNIP1 interact and mediate replication stress response, promote therapy resistance, and support metastatic progression, indicating that targeting the AXL/WRNIP1 axis is a potentially viable therapeutic strategy for breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio Marquez-Palencia
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Luis Reza Herrera
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Pravat Kumar Parida
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Suvranil Ghosh
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Kangsan Kim
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Nikitha M Das
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Paula I Gonzalez-Ericsson
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Melinda E Sanders
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Bret C Mobley
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Sebastian Diegeler
- Department of Radiation Oncology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Todd A Aguilera
- Department of Radiation Oncology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Yan Peng
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Cheryl M Lewis
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Carlos L Arteaga
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Ariella B Hanker
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | | | - James B Lorens
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rolf A Brekken
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery and Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Anthony J Davis
- Department of Radiation Oncology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Srinivas Malladi
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
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Dhakal S, Bougnaud S, Lorens JB, Gausdal G, Moutoussamy EE, Gabra H. Abstract 2087: AXL inhibition enhances Type 1 interferon (IFN) response and potentiates chemo-immunotherapy. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-2087] [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
Chemotherapy elicits anti-tumor immune responses by inducing immunogenic tumor cell death, targeting suppressive immune cells and activating Type 1 interferon (IFN) responses (1, 2, 3). Chemotherapeutic agents lead to cGAS - STING cytosolic DNA sensing pathway activation that results in Type 1 IFN release (4). IFN receptor (IFNAR1, IFNAR2) signaling mimics viral immune responses, is associated with clinical benefit (5, 6) and is exploited by chemo-immunotherapies (7, 8). The receptor tyrosine kinase AXL is associated with immune evasion and immunotherapy resistance (8). AXL serves as a critical regulatory checkpoint for TLR-induced IFN responses in dendritic cells, macrophages and natural killer cells (9, 10). IFN receptor signaling induces AXL expression (11) and AXL activation on dendritic cells is targeted by viruses (e.g. Zika) to abrogate IFN responses and inhibit anti-viral immunity. AXL serves as an IFN-response checkpoint by blocking IFNAR1 and IFNAR2 signaling. We hypothesized that tumor cells exploit AXL signaling to abrogate Type 1 IFN responses and inhibit antitumor immunity. We evaluated whether AXL inhibition promotes Type 1 IFN signalling and enhances immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy.
AXL kinase inhibition (bemcentinib) in combination with chemotherapy (doxorubicin) increased IFN response gene expression in mammary carcinoma and melanoma cell lines. In vivo, bemcentinib treatment potentiated the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment in combination with intratumoral doxorubicin injection (i.t) in the syngeneic myeloid derived suppressor cell (MDSC)- rich refractory mammary adenocarcinoma 4T1 model. In addition, bemcentinib treatment in conjunction with i.t. doxorubicin enhanced Type 1 IFN response, reduced cancer stemness and epithelial to mesenchymal (EMT) gene expression in this model. Furthermore, this combination treatment regimen sensitized the immune checkpoint inhibitor refractory Braf-mutant melanoma (YUMM1.7) by enhancing the type 1 IFN response resulting in significantly improved median overall survival. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that bemcentinib potentiates chemo-immunotherapy by enhancing tumor Type 1 IFN response and dampening EMT.
References: 1) Galluzzi, Can Cell 2015. 2) Yan, Front Immunol 2018. 3) Fitzgerald, Nat Immun 2003. 4) Platanias, Nature Rev Immun 2005. 5) Sistigu, Nat Med. 2014. 6) Zitvogel L, Nature Rev Immun 2015. 7) Lazzari, Ther Adv Med Onc 2018. 8) Emens, CIR 2015. 9) Aguilera, Clin Can Res 2017. 10) Rothlin, Cell 2007. 11) Huang, Eur J Immunol 2015. 12) Cruz, JCI Insight. 2019.
Citation Format: Sushil Dhakal, Sébastien Bougnaud, James B. Lorens, Gro Gausdal, Emmanuel E. Moutoussamy, Hani Gabra. AXL inhibition enhances Type 1 interferon (IFN) response and potentiates chemo-immunotherapy [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 2087.
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Magnus Grøndal S, Hodneland Nilsson L, Blø M, Boniecka A, Milde E, Jackson A, Gausdal G, Lorens JB. MO434: Bemcentinib Targets Macrophage and Mesangial Cells in Renal Fibrosis. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/ndt/gfac070.048] [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: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Renal fibrosis, a progressive process of extracellular matrix accumulation leading to renal failure, lacks effective treatment. Expression of the AXL receptor tyrosine kinase has been implicated in kidney injury and mesangial proliferation [1]. Inhibition of AXL signalling with the selective AXL kinase inhibitor bemcentinib reduces fibrosis and inflammation in murine models of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) and in glomerulonephritis [2, 3].
METHOD
Male C57Bl/6 mice were subjected to UUO for 3 or 15 days and treated twice daily with vehicle or bemcentinib (50 mg/kg) by oral gavage. Kidneys were divided into pieces that were either dissociated into single cells for mass cytometry analysis or subjected to Sirius Red staining to evaluate collagen deposition. Samples for mass cytometry were stained with a 45-plex antibody panel, acquired on Helios, then cleaned and analysed using UMAP [4] for dimensionality reduction and PARC [5] for clustering. The effect of ligation was modelled with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) using centered log-ratio transformed cluster compositions to predict the number of days of ligation. LASSO is a regression method that prevents overfitting by penalizing variables and is commonly used for variable selection.
RESULTS
Sirius Red staining confirmed, as previously published, reduced fibrosis development in kidneys from bemcentinib treated animals compared to the vehicle following 15 days of UUO. No significant effect of bemcentinib was observed after 3 days of obstruction.
Mass cytometry analysis yielded 31 clusters representing immune, endothelial, pericyte, mesangial and epithelial cells from proximal tubules, loop of Henle, distal tubules and collecting duct. AXL was expressed by pericytes, endothelial cells, mesangial cells and macrophages. Modelling with LASSO suggested that the most important feature of ligation was the expansion of mesangial cells. Bemcentinib treatment did not result in any significant changes in non-ligated kidneys and kidneys ligated for 3 days. At 15 days, post-bemcentinib treatment, the number of mesangial cells and macrophages decreased, while the number of epithelial cells comprising the proximal tubules and loop of Henle increased. The LASSO model estimation corresponded to an apparent reduction in disease progression of 30% (corresponding to day 10 or 11 post-ligation).
CONCLUSION
AXL targeting macrophages and mesangial cells delays the progression of kidney fibrosis in the UUO model and represents a valid approach to treat kidney disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - James B Lorens
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway
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Engelsen AST, Lotsberg ML, Abou Khouzam R, Thiery JP, Lorens JB, Chouaib S, Terry S. Dissecting the Role of AXL in Cancer Immune Escape and Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Inhibition. Front Immunol 2022; 13:869676. [PMID: 35572601 PMCID: PMC9092944 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.869676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [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: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The development and implementation of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICI) in clinical oncology have significantly improved the survival of a subset of cancer patients with metastatic disease previously considered uniformly lethal. However, the low response rates and the low number of patients with durable clinical responses remain major concerns and underscore the limited understanding of mechanisms regulating anti-tumor immunity and tumor immune resistance. There is an urgent unmet need for novel approaches to enhance the efficacy of ICI in the clinic, and for predictive tools that can accurately predict ICI responders based on the composition of their tumor microenvironment. The receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) AXL has been associated with poor prognosis in numerous malignancies and the emergence of therapy resistance. AXL is a member of the TYRO3-AXL-MERTK (TAM) kinase family. Upon binding to its ligand GAS6, AXL regulates cell signaling cascades and cellular communication between various components of the tumor microenvironment, including cancer cells, endothelial cells, and immune cells. Converging evidence points to AXL as an attractive molecular target to overcome therapy resistance and immunosuppression, supported by the potential of AXL inhibitors to improve ICI efficacy. Here, we review the current literature on the prominent role of AXL in regulating cancer progression, with particular attention to its effects on anti-tumor immune response and resistance to ICI. We discuss future directions with the aim to understand better the complex role of AXL and TAM receptors in cancer and the potential value of this knowledge and targeted inhibition for the benefit of cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnete S. T. Engelsen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Maria L. Lotsberg
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Raefa Abou Khouzam
- Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
| | - Jean-Paul Thiery
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
- Inserm, UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Villejuif, France
| | - James B. Lorens
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Salem Chouaib
- Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
- Inserm, UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Villejuif, France
- Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
- Faculty of Medicine, University Paris Sud, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Stéphane Terry
- Inserm, UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Villejuif, France
- Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
- Faculty of Medicine, University Paris Sud, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
- Research Department, Inovarion, Paris, France
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5
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Lotsberg ML, Røsland GV, Rayford AJ, Dyrstad SE, Ekanger CT, Lu N, Frantz K, Stuhr LEB, Ditzel HJ, Thiery JP, Akslen LA, Lorens JB, Engelsen AST. Intrinsic Differences in Spatiotemporal Organization and Stromal Cell Interactions Between Isogenic Lung Cancer Cells of Epithelial and Mesenchymal Phenotypes Revealed by High-Dimensional Single-Cell Analysis of Heterotypic 3D Spheroid Models. Front Oncol 2022; 12:818437. [PMID: 35530312 PMCID: PMC9076321 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.818437] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The lack of inadequate preclinical models remains a limitation for cancer drug development and is a primary contributor to anti-cancer drug failures in clinical trials. Heterotypic multicellular spheroids are three-dimensional (3D) spherical structures generated by self-assembly from aggregates of two or more cell types. Compared to traditional monolayer cell culture models, the organization of cells into a 3D tissue-like structure favors relevant physiological conditions with chemical and physical gradients as well as cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions that recapitulate many of the hallmarks of cancer in situ. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are prevalent in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), yet various mechanisms of acquired resistance, including epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), limit the clinical benefit of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFRi). Improved preclinical models that incorporate the complexity induced by epithelial-to-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) are urgently needed to advance new therapeutics for clinical NSCLC management. This study was designed to provide a thorough characterization of multicellular spheroids of isogenic cancer cells of various phenotypes and demonstrate proof-of-principle for the applicability of the presented spheroid model to evaluate the impact of cancer cell phenotype in drug screening experiments through high-dimensional and spatially resolved imaging mass cytometry (IMC) analyses. First, we developed and characterized 3D homotypic and heterotypic spheroid models comprising EGFRi-sensitive or EGFRi-resistant NSCLC cells. We observed that the degree of EMT correlated with the spheroid generation efficiency in monocultures. In-depth characterization of the multicellular heterotypic spheroids using immunohistochemistry and high-dimensional single-cell analyses by IMC revealed intrinsic differences between epithelial and mesenchymal-like cancer cells with respect to self-sorting, spatiotemporal organization, and stromal cell interactions when co-cultured with fibroblasts. While the carcinoma cells harboring an epithelial phenotype self-organized into a barrier sheet surrounding the fibroblasts, mesenchymal-like carcinoma cells localized to the central hypoxic and collagen-rich areas of the compact heterotypic spheroids. Further, deep-learning-based single-cell segmentation of IMC images and application of dimensionality reduction algorithms allowed a detailed visualization and multiparametric analysis of marker expression across the different cell subsets. We observed a high level of heterogeneity in the expression of EMT markers in both the carcinoma cell populations and the fibroblasts. Our study supports further application of these models in pre-clinical drug testing combined with complementary high-dimensional single-cell analyses, which in turn can advance our understanding of the impact of cancer-stroma interactions and epithelial phenotypic plasticity on innate and acquired therapy resistance in NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria L. Lotsberg
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Gro V. Røsland
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Austin J. Rayford
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- BerGenBio, Bergen, Norway
| | - Sissel E. Dyrstad
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Camilla T. Ekanger
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ning Lu
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kirstine Frantz
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Linda E. B. Stuhr
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Henrik J. Ditzel
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Oncology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Jean Paul Thiery
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
- Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, UMR 1186, Inserm, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Lars A. Akslen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Section for Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - James B. Lorens
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Agnete S. T. Engelsen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- *Correspondence: Agnete S. T. Engelsen,
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Li H, Liu Z, Liu L, Zhang H, Han C, Girard L, Park H, Zhang A, Dong C, Ye J, Rayford A, Peyton M, Li X, Avila K, Cao X, Hu S, Alam MM, Akbay EA, Solis LM, Behrens C, Hernandez-Ruiz S, Lu W, Wistuba I, Heymach JV, Chisamore M, Micklem D, Gabra H, Gausdal G, Lorens JB, Li B, Fu YX, Minna JD, Brekken RA. AXL targeting restores PD-1 blockade sensitivity of STK11/LKB1 mutant NSCLC through expansion of TCF1 + CD8 T cells. Cell Rep Med 2022; 3:100554. [PMID: 35492873 PMCID: PMC9040166 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [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] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Mutations in STK11/LKB1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are associated with poor patient responses to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), and introduction of a Stk11/Lkb1 (L) mutation into murine lung adenocarcinomas driven by mutant Kras and Trp53 loss (KP) resulted in an ICB refractory syngeneic KPL tumor. Mechanistically this occurred because KPL mutant NSCLCs lacked TCF1-expressing CD8 T cells, a phenotype recapitulated in human STK11/LKB1 mutant NSCLCs. Systemic inhibition of Axl results in increased type I interferon secretion from dendritic cells that expanded tumor-associated TCF1+PD-1+CD8 T cells, restoring therapeutic response to PD-1 ICB in KPL tumors. This was observed in syngeneic immunocompetent mouse models and in humanized mice bearing STK11/LKB1 mutant NSCLC human tumor xenografts. NSCLC-affected individuals with identified STK11/LKB1 mutations receiving bemcentinib and pembrolizumab demonstrated objective clinical response to combination therapy. We conclude that AXL is a critical targetable driver of immune suppression in STK11/LKB1 mutant NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiyu Li
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-8593, USA
- Cancer Biology Graduate Program, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Zhida Liu
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9072, USA
| | - Longchao Liu
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9072, USA
| | - Hongyi Zhang
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Chuanhui Han
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9072, USA
| | - Luc Girard
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-8593, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Hyunsil Park
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-8593, USA
| | - Anli Zhang
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9072, USA
| | - Chunbo Dong
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9072, USA
| | - Jianfeng Ye
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Austin Rayford
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Michael Peyton
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-8593, USA
| | - Xiaoguang Li
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9072, USA
| | - Kimberley Avila
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-8593, USA
| | - Xuezhi Cao
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9072, USA
| | - Shuiqing Hu
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Md Maksudul Alam
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9072, USA
| | - Esra A. Akbay
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9072, USA
| | - Luisa M. Solis
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Carmen Behrens
- Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Sharia Hernandez-Ruiz
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Wei Lu
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ignacio Wistuba
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - John V. Heymach
- Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - James B. Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Bo Li
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Immunology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yang-Xin Fu
- Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9072, USA
- Department of Immunology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - John D. Minna
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-8593, USA
- Cancer Biology Graduate Program, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Rolf A. Brekken
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-8593, USA
- Cancer Biology Graduate Program, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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7
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Ekanger CT, Zhou F, Bohan D, Lotsberg ML, Ramnefjell M, Hoareau L, Røsland GV, Lu N, Aanerud M, Gärtner F, Salminen PR, Bentsen M, Halvorsen T, Ræder H, Akslen LA, Langeland N, Cox R, Maury W, Stuhr LEB, Lorens JB, Engelsen AST. Human Organotypic Airway and Lung Organoid Cells of Bronchiolar and Alveolar Differentiation Are Permissive to Infection by Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 Respiratory Virus. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:841447. [PMID: 35360113 PMCID: PMC8964279 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.841447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [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: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to the initiation of unprecedented research efforts to understand the pathogenesis mediated by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). More knowledge is needed regarding the cell type-specific cytopathology and its impact on cellular tropism. Furthermore, the impact of novel SARS-CoV-2 mutations on cellular tropism, alternative routes of entry, the impact of co-infections, and virus replication kinetics along the respiratory tract remains to be explored in improved models. Most applied virology models are not well suited to address the remaining questions, as they do not recapitulate the histoarchitecture and cellular composition of human respiratory tissues. The overall aim of this work was to establish from single biopsy specimens, a human adult stem cell-derived organoid model representing the upper respiratory airways and lungs and explore the applicability of this model to study respiratory virus infection. First, we characterized the organoid model with respect to growth pattern and histoarchitecture, cellular composition, and functional characteristics. Next, in situ expression of viral entry receptors, including influenza virus-relevant sialic acids and SARS-CoV-2 entry receptor ACE2 and TMPRSS2, were confirmed in organoids of bronchiolar and alveolar differentiation. We further showed successful infection by pseudotype influenza A H7N1 and H5N1 virus, and the ability of the model to support viral replication of influenza A H7N1 virus. Finally, successful infection and replication of a clinical isolate of SARS-CoV-2 were confirmed in the organoids by TCID50 assay and immunostaining to detect intracellular SARS-CoV-2 specific nucleocapsid and dsRNA. The prominent syncytia formation in organoid tissues following SARS-CoV-2 infection mimics the findings from infected human tissues in situ. We conclude that the human organotypic model described here may be particularly useful for virology studies to evaluate regional differences in the host response to infection. The model contains the various cell types along the respiratory tract, expresses respiratory virus entry factors, and supports successful infection and replication of influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2. Thus, the model may serve as a relevant and reliable tool in virology and aid in pandemic preparedness, and efficient evaluation of antiviral strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Tvedt Ekanger
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Bergen, Norway
- The Influenza Centre, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Fan Zhou
- The Influenza Centre, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Dana Bohan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Maria Lie Lotsberg
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Bergen, Norway
| | - Maria Ramnefjell
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Laurence Hoareau
- Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Pediatrics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Gro Vatne Røsland
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ning Lu
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Bergen, Norway
| | - Marianne Aanerud
- Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Thoracic Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Fabian Gärtner
- Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Thoracic Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Pirjo Riitta Salminen
- Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Heart Disease, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Mariann Bentsen
- Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Pediatrics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Thomas Halvorsen
- Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Pediatrics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Helge Ræder
- Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Pediatrics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Lars A. Akslen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Nina Langeland
- Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rebecca Cox
- The Influenza Centre, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Microbiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Wendy Maury
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | | | - James B. Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Bergen, Norway
| | - Agnete S. T. Engelsen
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Bergen, Norway
- *Correspondence: Agnete S. T. Engelsen,
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8
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Liu XZ, Rulina A, Choi MH, Pedersen L, Lepland J, Takle ST, Madeleine N, Peters SD, Wogsland CE, Grøndal SM, Lorens JB, Goodarzi H, Lønning PE, Knappskog S, Molven A, Halberg N. C/EBPB-dependent adaptation to palmitic acid promotes tumor formation in hormone receptor negative breast cancer. Nat Commun 2022; 13:69. [PMID: 35013251 PMCID: PMC8748947 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27734-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidemiological studies have established a positive association between obesity and the incidence of postmenopausal breast cancer. Moreover, it is known that obesity promotes stem cell-like properties of breast cancer cells. However, the cancer cell-autonomous mechanisms underlying this correlation are not well defined. Here we demonstrate that obesity-associated tumor formation is driven by cellular adaptation rather than expansion of pre-existing clones within the cancer cell population. While there is no correlation with specific mutations, cellular adaptation to obesity is governed by palmitic acid (PA) and leads to enhanced tumor formation capacity of breast cancer cells. This process is governed epigenetically through increased chromatin occupancy of the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBPB). Obesity-induced epigenetic activation of C/EBPB regulates cancer stem-like properties by modulating the expression of key downstream regulators including CLDN1 and LCN2. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that obesity drives cellular adaptation to PA drives tumor initiation in the obese setting through activation of a C/EBPB dependent transcriptional network. Obesity is linked to cancer risk in post-menopausal breast cancer. At the molecular level this is governed by cellular adaption to palmitic acid through epigenetic activation of a C/EBPB-dependent transcriptional network that drives tumor formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Zheng Liu
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5020, Bergen, Norway
| | - Anastasiia Rulina
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5020, Bergen, Norway
| | - Man Hung Choi
- Gade Laboratory for Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, N-5020, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, N-5021, Bergen, Norway
| | - Line Pedersen
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5020, Bergen, Norway
| | - Johanna Lepland
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5020, Bergen, Norway
| | - Sina T Takle
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5020, Bergen, Norway
| | - Noelly Madeleine
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5020, Bergen, Norway
| | | | | | | | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5020, Bergen, Norway
| | - Hani Goodarzi
- Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Per E Lønning
- Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, N-5020, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Oncology, Haukeland University Hospital, N-5021, Bergen, Norway
| | - Stian Knappskog
- Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, N-5020, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Oncology, Haukeland University Hospital, N-5021, Bergen, Norway
| | - Anders Molven
- Gade Laboratory for Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, N-5020, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, N-5021, Bergen, Norway
| | - Nils Halberg
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5020, Bergen, Norway.
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9
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Bohan D, Van Ert H, Ruggio N, Rogers KJ, Badreddine M, Aguilar Briseño JA, Elliff JM, Rojas Chavez RA, Gao B, Stokowy T, Christakou E, Kursula P, Micklem D, Gausdal G, Haim H, Minna J, Lorens JB, Maury W. Phosphatidylserine receptors enhance SARS-CoV-2 infection. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009743. [PMID: 34797899 PMCID: PMC8641883 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [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: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Phosphatidylserine (PS) receptors enhance infection of many enveloped viruses through virion-associated PS binding that is termed apoptotic mimicry. Here we show that this broadly shared uptake mechanism is utilized by SARS-CoV-2 in cells that express low surface levels of ACE2. Expression of members of the TIM (TIM-1 and TIM-4) and TAM (AXL) families of PS receptors enhance SARS-CoV-2 binding to cells, facilitate internalization of fluorescently-labeled virions and increase ACE2-dependent infection of SARS-CoV-2; however, PS receptors alone did not mediate infection. We were unable to detect direct interactions of the PS receptor AXL with purified SARS-CoV-2 spike, contrary to a previous report. Instead, our studies indicate that the PS receptors interact with PS on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 virions. In support of this, we demonstrate that: 1) significant quantities of PS are located on the outer leaflet of SARS-CoV-2 virions, 2) PS liposomes, but not phosphatidylcholine liposomes, reduced entry of VSV/Spike pseudovirions and 3) an established mutant of TIM-1 which does not bind to PS is unable to facilitate entry of SARS-CoV-2. As AXL is an abundant PS receptor on a number of airway lines, we evaluated small molecule inhibitors of AXL signaling such as bemcentinib for their ability to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection. Bemcentinib robustly inhibited virus infection of Vero E6 cells as well as multiple human lung cell lines that expressed AXL. This inhibition correlated well with inhibitors that block endosomal acidification and cathepsin activity, consistent with AXL-mediated uptake of SARS-CoV-2 into the endosomal compartment. We extended our observations to the related betacoronavirus mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), showing that inhibition or ablation of AXL reduces MHV infection of murine cells. In total, our findings provide evidence that PS receptors facilitate infection of the pandemic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and suggest that inhibition of the PS receptor AXL has therapeutic potential against SARS-CoV-2. Phosphatidylserine (PS) receptors bind PS and mediate uptake of apoptotic bodies. Many enveloped viruses utilize this PS/PS receptor mechanism to adhere to and internalize into the endosomal compartment of cells. For viruses that have a mechanism(s) of endosomal escape, apoptotic mimicry is a productive route of virus entry. This clever use of this uptake mechanism by enveloped viruses is termed apoptotic mimicry. We evaluated if PS receptors serve as cell surface receptors for SARS-CoV-2 and found that the PS receptors, AXL, TIM-1 and TIM-4, facilitated virus infection when the SARS-CoV-2 cognate receptor, ACE2, was present. Consistent with the established mechanism of PS receptor utilization by other viruses, PS liposomes competed with SARS-CoV-2 for binding and entry. PS is readily detectable on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 virions, and contrary to prior reports we were unable to identify any interaction between AXL and SARS-CoV-2 spike. Pharmacological inhibition of AXL activity and knockout of AXL expression suggest it is the preferred PS receptor during SARS-CoV-2 entry. We propose that AXL is an under-appreciated but potentially important host factor facilitating SARS-CoV-2 entry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Bohan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Hanora Van Ert
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Natalie Ruggio
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Kai J. Rogers
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Mohammad Badreddine
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - José A. Aguilar Briseño
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Jonah M. Elliff
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | | | - Boning Gao
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Tomasz Stokowy
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Eleni Christakou
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway
| | - Petri Kursula
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Biocenter Oulu & Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | | | | | - Hillel Haim
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - John Minna
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - James B. Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Wendy Maury
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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10
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Terry S, Dalban C, Rioux Leclercq N, Adam J, Meylan M, Buart S, Bougoüin A, Lespagnol A, Dugay F, Colina Moreno I, Lacroix G, Lorens JB, Gausdal G, Fridman WH, Mami-Chouaib F, Chaput N, Beuselinck B, Chabaud S, Barros Monteiro J, Vano Y, Escudier B, Sautes-Fridman C, Albiges L, Chouaib S. Association of AXL and PD-L1 expression with clinical outcomes in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma treated with PD-1 blockade. Clin Cancer Res 2021; 27:6749-6760. [PMID: 34407968 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-21-0972] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE A minority of patients currently respond to single agent immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) and strategies to increase response rates are urgently needed. AXL is receptor tyrosine kinase commonly associated with drug-resistance and poor prognosis in many cancer types including in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Recent experimental cues in breast, pancreatic and lung cancer models have linked AXL with immune suppression and resistance to antitumor immunity. However, its role in intrinsic and acquired resistance to ICB remains largely unexplored. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN In this study, tumoral expression of AXL was examined in ccRCC specimens from 316 metastatic patients receiving PD-1 inhibitor, nivolumab, in the GETUG AFU 26 NIVOREN trial after failure of anti-angiogenic therapy. We assessed associations between AXL and patient outcomes following PD-1 blockade, as well as the relationship with various markers including PD-L1, VEGFA, the immune markers CD3, CD8, CD163, CD20, and the mutational status of the tumor suppressor gene VHL Results: Our results show that high AXL expression levels in tumor cells is associated with lower response rates and a trend to shorter progression-free survival following anti-PD-1 treatment. AXL expression was strongly associated with tumor PD-L1 expression, especially in tumors with VHL inactivation. Moreover, patients with tumors displaying concomitant PD-L1 expression and high AXL expression had the worst overall survival. CONCLUSIONS Our findings propose AXL as candidate factor of resistance to PD-1 blockade, and provide compelling support for screening both AXL and PD-L1 expression in the management of advanced ccRCC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Maxime Meylan
- Inflammation, complement & cancer, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers
| | | | - Antoine Bougoüin
- Inflammation, Complement and Cancer, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers
| | - Alexandra Lespagnol
- Department of Somatic Cancer Genetics, Pontchaillou Hospital, CHU de Rennes, Rennes, France
| | | | | | - Guillaume Lacroix
- Inflammation, Complement and Cancer, Cordeliers Research Center, INSERM UMRS 1138
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Catherine Sautes-Fridman
- Laboratoire Inflammation, complement et cancer, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Inserm UMRS 1138
| | - Laurence Albiges
- Department of Cancer Medicine, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris Saclay
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11
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Hoel A, Osman T, Hoel F, Elsaid H, Chen T, Landolt L, Babickova J, Tronstad KJ, Lorens JB, Gausdal G, Marti HP, Furriol J. Axl-inhibitor bemcentinib alleviates mitochondrial dysfunction in the unilateral ureter obstruction murine model. J Cell Mol Med 2021; 25:7407-7417. [PMID: 34219376 PMCID: PMC8335678 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.16769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Renal fibrosis is a progressive histological manifestation leading to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. In previous work, we showed that Bemcentinib, an Axl receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, reduced fibrosis development. In this study, to investigate its effects on mitochondrial dysfunction in renal fibrosis, we analysed genome‐wide transcriptomics data from a unilateral ureter obstruction (UUO) murine model in the presence or absence of bemcentinib (n = 6 per group) and SHAM‐operated (n = 4) mice. Kidney ligation resulted in dysregulation of mitochondria‐related pathways, with a significant reduction in the expression of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), fatty acid oxidation (FAO), citric acid cycle (TCA), response to reactive oxygen species and amino acid metabolism‐related genes. Bemcentinib treatment increased the expression of these genes. In contrast, AKT/PI3K signalling pathway genes were up‐regulated upon UUO, but bemcentinib largely inhibited their expression. At the functional level, ligation reduced mitochondrial biomass, which was increased upon bemcentinib treatment. Serum metabolomics analysis also showed a normalizing amino acid profile in UUO, compared with SHAM‐operated mice following bemcentinib treatment. Our data suggest that mitochondria and mitochondria‐related pathways are dramatically affected by UUO surgery and treatment with Axl‐inhibitor bemcentinib partially reverses these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- August Hoel
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Tarig Osman
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Fredrik Hoel
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Hassan Elsaid
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Tony Chen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Lea Landolt
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Janka Babickova
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | | | - James B Lorens
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Biomedicine, Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Hans-Peter Marti
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Jessica Furriol
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
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12
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Bohan D, Ert HV, Ruggio N, Rogers KJ, Badreddine M, Aguilar Briseño JA, Rojas Chavez RA, Gao B, Stokowy T, Christakou E, Micklem D, Gausdal G, Haim H, Minna J, Lorens JB, Maury W. Phosphatidylserine Receptors Enhance SARS-CoV-2 Infection: AXL as a Therapeutic Target for COVID-19. bioRxiv 2021. [PMID: 34159331 PMCID: PMC8219095 DOI: 10.1101/2021.06.15.448419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Phosphatidylserine (PS) receptors are PS binding proteins that mediate uptake of apoptotic bodies. Many enveloped viruses utilize this PS/PS receptor mechanism to adhere to and internalize into the endosomal compartment of cells and this is termed apoptotic mimicry. For viruses that have a mechanism(s) of endosomal escape, apoptotic mimicry is a productive route of virus entry. We evaluated if PS receptors serve as cell surface receptors for SARS-CoV-2 and found that the PS receptors, AXL, TIM-1 and TIM-4, facilitated virus infection when low concentrations of the SARS-CoV-2 cognate receptor, ACE2, was present. Consistent with the established mechanism of PS receptor utilization by other viruses, PS liposomes competed with SARS-CoV-2 for binding and entry. We demonstrated that this PS receptor enhances SARS-CoV-2 binding to and infection of an array of human lung cell lines and is an under-appreciated but potentially important host factor facilitating SARS-CoV-2 entry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Bohan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
| | - Hanora Van Ert
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
| | - Natalie Ruggio
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
| | - Kai J Rogers
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
| | - Mohammad Badreddine
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
| | | | | | - Boning Gao
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Tomasz Stokowy
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen Norway
| | - Eleni Christakou
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen Norway.,BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway
| | | | | | - Hillel Haim
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
| | - John Minna
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen Norway
| | - Wendy Maury
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
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13
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Nilsson LH, Grøndal SM, Blø M, Boniecka A, VanderHoeven B, Landolt LZ, Osman TAH, Micklem D, Marti HP, Lorens JB, Jackson A, Gausdal G. MO074TILVESTAMAB, A FUNCTION-BLOCKING MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY INHIBITOR OF AXL RTK SIGNALLING, LIMITS THE ONSET OF RENAL FIBROTIC CHANGES IN HUMAN KIDNEYS EX VIVO. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/ndt/gfab078.0010] [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: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background and Aims
Interstitial fibrosis, characterised by the accumulation of extracellular matrix in the cortical interstitium, is directly correlated with progressive chronic kidney disease secondary to inflammatory, immunologic, obstructive or metabolic causes. An invariant histologic marker of this progression is the accumulation of fibroblasts, with the phenotypic appearance of activated myofibroblasts expressing alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA) within intracellular contractile stress fibres. Once present, these myofibroblasts are prognostic indicators of expansion of fibrotic matrix and progressive tubular atrophy, leading towards end-stage disease.
The Receptor Tyrosine Kinase AXL is involved in a range of kidney pathologies, with increased activity associated with Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) and tubular proliferation following podocyte loss. In mice treated with an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, enhancement of AXL expression is localised to tubular segments within the medulla and there is evidence of parallel regulatory control of ACE and AXL. We have demonstrated enhanced expression of AXL and the mesenchymal marker, vimentin in diseased human kidney tissue secondary to diabetes or hypertension.
Targeting AXL with a small-molecule inhibitor has previously been reported to attenuate fibrosis and reduce inflammation in the unilateral ureteric-outflow obstruction (UUO) model of kidney fibrosis in mice (Landolt et al., 2019). Tilvestamab is a novel function blocking humanized anti-AXL antibody. Tilvestamab blocks GAS6-mediated AXL receptor activation in fibroblasts and renal tubule epithelial cells and mediates AXL receptor internalization and degradation.
In this study we aimed to further characterise AXL as a target in CKD and to investigate anti-fibrotic efficacy of tilvestamab.
Method
Eight weeks old male C57BL/6 mice underwent UUO operation. After 15 days, kidneys were dissociated and stained with a high dimensional single cell mass cytometry 33 markers antibody panel. Data were analysed using JMP Genomics (v.8.2).
Precision Cut Kidney Slices (PCKSs) from explanted human kidney tissue were propagated in a bioreactor (Paish et al., 2019, FibroFind, UK). PCKS were incubated for 72hrs in the presence of investigational drugs. Secreted collagen1a1 were quantified by ELISA. RNA was reverse transcribed to cDNA and used in qPCRs to measure Col1a1 and αSMA. FFPE sections were stained for αSMA. High magnification images were taken of each slide and analysed for surface area covered by the stain.
Results
Expression pattern of AXL during development of kidney fibrosis in the UUO model was investigated using a mass cytometry antibody panel designed for identifying subpopulations of immune cells as well as cell populations of the fibrotic stroma. Two predominant cell populations were affected by ligation; the mesenchymal and the immune island. AXL was a marker characterising several of the key populations that expanded upon ligation supporting a role for AXL in kidney fibrosis pathogenesis.
In an ex vivo model of human PCKS, tilvestamab dose-dependently reduced the levels of αSMA. When combined with the lower of two doses of the ACE inhibitor enalapril, the lowest dose of tilvestamab synergized to reduce αSMA levels further as well as reducing secreted Collagen 1a1.
Conclusion
AXL expression is induced in key cell populations during development of kidney fibrosis supporting AXL as a novel target in CKD. Tilvestamab represents a promising strategy for the pharmacologic intervention of kidney fibrosis, and the potential synergy with current reno-protective therapies warrants further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Lea Zoe Landolt
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Tarig Al-Hadi Osman
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Hans-Peter Marti
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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14
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Du W, Phinney NZ, Huang H, Wang Z, Westcott J, Toombs JE, Zhang Y, Beg MS, Wilkie TM, Lorens JB, Brekken RA. AXL Is a Key Factor for Cell Plasticity and Promotes Metastasis in Pancreatic Cancer. Mol Cancer Res 2021; 19:1412-1421. [PMID: 33811159 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-20-0860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), a leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, has a high metastatic rate, and is associated with persistent immune suppression. AXL, a member of the TAM (TYRO3, AXL, MERTK) receptor tyrosine kinase family, is a driver of metastasis and immune suppression in multiple cancer types. Here we use single-cell RNA-sequencing to reveal that AXL is expressed highly in tumor cells that have a mesenchymal-like phenotype and that AXL expression correlates with classic markers of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. We demonstrate that AXL deficiency extends survival, reduces primary and metastatic burden, and enhances sensitivity to gemcitabine in an autochthonous model of PDA. PDA in AXL-deficient mice displayed a more differentiated histology, higher nucleoside transporter expression, and a more active immune microenvironment compared with PDA in wild-type mice. Finally, we demonstrate that AXL-positive poorly differentiated tumor cells are critical for PDA progression and metastasis, emphasizing the potential of AXL as a therapeutic target in PDA. IMPLICATIONS: These studies implicate AXL as a marker of undifferentiated PDA cells and a target for therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenting Du
- Department of Surgery and Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.,Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Natalie Z Phinney
- Department of Surgery and Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.,Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Huocong Huang
- Department of Surgery and Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Zhaoning Wang
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Jill Westcott
- Department of Surgery and Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Jason E Toombs
- Department of Surgery and Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Yuqing Zhang
- Department of Surgery and Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.,Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Muhammad S Beg
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Thomas M Wilkie
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rolf A Brekken
- Department of Surgery and Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. .,Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
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15
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Wogsland CE, Lien HE, Pedersen L, Hanjra P, Grondal SM, Brekken RA, Lorens JB, Halberg N. High-dimensional immunotyping of tumors grown in obese and non-obese mice. Dis Model Mech 2021; 14:dmm048977. [PMID: 33653826 PMCID: PMC8033414 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.048977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Obesity is a disease characterized by chronic low-grade systemic inflammation and has been causally linked to the development of 13 cancer types. Several studies have been undertaken to determine whether tumors evolving in obese environments adapt differential interactions with immune cells and whether this can be connected to disease outcome. Most of these studies have been limited to single-cell lines and tumor models and analysis of limited immune cell populations. Given the multicellular complexity of the immune system and its dysregulation in obesity, we applied high-dimensional suspension mass cytometry to investigate how obesity affects tumor immunity. We used a 36-marker immune-focused mass cytometry panel to interrogate the immune landscape of orthotopic syngeneic mouse models of pancreatic and breast cancer. Unanchored batch correction was implemented to enable simultaneous analysis of tumor cohorts to uncover the immunotypes of each cancer model and reveal remarkably model-specific immune regulation. In the E0771 breast cancer model, we demonstrate an important link to obesity with an increase in two T-cell-suppressive cell types and a decrease in CD8 T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara E. Wogsland
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Hilde E. Lien
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Line Pedersen
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Pahul Hanjra
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Sturla M. Grondal
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Rolf A. Brekken
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, and Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - James B. Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Nils Halberg
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen, Norway
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16
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Lotsberg ML, Rayford A, Thiery JP, Belleggia G, D'Mello Peters S, Lorens JB, Chouaib S, Terry S, Engelsen AST. Decoding cancer's camouflage: epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity in resistance to immune checkpoint blockade. Cancer Drug Resist 2020; 3:832-853. [PMID: 35582229 PMCID: PMC8992561 DOI: 10.20517/cdr.2020.41] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) of cancer cells contributes to cancer cell heterogeneity, and it is well established that EMP is a critical determinant of acquired resistance to cancer treatment modalities including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies. Here, we aimed to explore how EMP contributes to cancer cell camouflage, allowing an ever-changing population of cancer cells to pass under the radar of our immune system and consequently compromise the effect of immune checkpoint blockade therapies. The ultimate clinical benefit of any combination regimen is evidenced by the sum of the drug-induced alterations observed in the variety of cellular populations composing the tumor immune microenvironment. The finely-tuned molecular crosstalk between cancer and immune cells remains to be fully elucidated, particularly for the spectrum of malignant cells along the epithelial to mesenchymal axis. High-dimensional single cell analyses of specimens collected in ongoing clinical studies is becoming a key contributor to our understanding of these interactions. This review will explore to what extent targeting EMP in combination with immune checkpoint inhibition represents a promising therapeutic avenue within the overarching strategy to reactivate a halting cancer-immunity cycle and establish a robust host immune response against cancer cells. Therapeutic strategies currently in clinical development will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria L Lotsberg
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen 5009, Norway.,Equal contribution
| | - Austin Rayford
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen 5009, Norway.,BerGenBio ASA, Jonas Lies vei 91, Bergen 5009, Norway.,Equal contribution
| | - Jean Paul Thiery
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen 5009, Norway.,INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, Gustave Roussy, Fac. de Médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif 94805, France.,Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore.,Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore.,Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, A-STAR, Singapore, Singapore 138673, Singapore.,Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health, Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China
| | - Giuliana Belleggia
- School of Medicine, Clinical Skills Assessment Program, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
| | - Stacey D'Mello Peters
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen 5009, Norway
| | - James B Lorens
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen 5009, Norway.,BerGenBio ASA, Jonas Lies vei 91, Bergen 5009, Norway
| | - Salem Chouaib
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, Gustave Roussy, Fac. de Médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif 94805, France.,Thumbay Research Institute of Precision Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman 4184, United Arab Emirates
| | - Stephane Terry
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, Gustave Roussy, Fac. de Médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif 94805, France.,Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI, Jouy-en-Josas 78350, France
| | - Agnete S T Engelsen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen 5009, Norway.,INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, Gustave Roussy, Fac. de Médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif 94805, France
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17
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Engelsen AST, Wnuk-Lipinska K, Bougnaud S, Pelissier Vatter FA, Tiron C, Villadsen R, Miyano M, Lotsberg ML, Madeleine N, Panahandeh P, Dhakal S, Tan TZ, Peters SD, Grøndal S, Aziz SM, Nord S, Herfindal L, Stampfer MR, Sørlie T, Brekken RA, Straume O, Halberg N, Gausdal G, Thiery JP, Akslen LA, Petersen OW, LaBarge MA, Lorens JB. AXL Is a Driver of Stemness in Normal Mammary Gland and Breast Cancer. iScience 2020; 23:101649. [PMID: 33103086 PMCID: PMC7578759 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The receptor tyrosine kinase AXL is associated with epithelial plasticity in several solid tumors including breast cancer and AXL-targeting agents are currently in clinical trials. We hypothesized that AXL is a driver of stemness traits in cancer by co-option of a regulatory function normally reserved for stem cells. AXL-expressing cells in human mammary epithelial ducts co-expressed markers associated with multipotency, and AXL inhibition abolished colony formation and self-maintenance activities while promoting terminal differentiation in vitro. Axl-null mice did not exhibit a strong developmental phenotype, but enrichment of Axl + cells was required for mouse mammary gland reconstitution upon transplantation, and Axl-null mice had reduced incidence of Wnt1-driven mammary tumors. An AXL-dependent gene signature is a feature of transcriptomes in basal breast cancers and reduced patient survival irrespective of subtype. Our interpretation is that AXL regulates access to epithelial plasticity programs in MaSCs and, when co-opted, maintains acquired stemness in breast cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnete S T Engelsen
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus Grand Paris, 94800 Villejuif, France
| | | | - Sebastien Bougnaud
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Fanny A Pelissier Vatter
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Crina Tiron
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - René Villadsen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
| | - Masaru Miyano
- Biolgical Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91910, USA
| | - Maria L Lotsberg
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Noëlly Madeleine
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Pouda Panahandeh
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Sushil Dhakal
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Tuan Zea Tan
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore
| | | | - Sturla Grøndal
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Sura M Aziz
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Silje Nord
- Department of Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0310 Oslo, Norway
| | - Lars Herfindal
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Martha R Stampfer
- Biolgical Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Therese Sørlie
- Department of Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0310 Oslo, Norway
| | - Rolf A Brekken
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Oddbjørn Straume
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Department of Oncology and Medical Physics, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Nils Halberg
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Gro Gausdal
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Jean Paul Thiery
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus Grand Paris, 94800 Villejuif, France.,Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore.,Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore.,Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, A-STAR, Singapore 138673, Singapore.,Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health, Bio-island, Guangzhou, 510320, China
| | - Lars A Akslen
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Ole W Petersen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark.,Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
| | - Mark A LaBarge
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Biolgical Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91910, USA
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
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18
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Bae CA, Ham IH, Oh HJ, Lee D, Woo J, Son SY, Yoon JH, Lorens JB, Brekken RA, Kim TM, Han SU, Park WS, Hur H. Inhibiting the GAS6/AXL axis suppresses tumor progression by blocking the interaction between cancer-associated fibroblasts and cancer cells in gastric carcinoma. Gastric Cancer 2020; 23:824-836. [PMID: 32239298 DOI: 10.1007/s10120-020-01066-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The effects of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) on the progression of gastric carcinoma (GC) has recently been demonstrated. However, agents targeting the interaction between CAF and GC cells have not been applied in a clinical setting. Here, we examined if inhibition for Axl receptor tyrosine kinase (AXL) can suppress CAF-induced aggressive phenotype in GC. METHODS We investigated the function of CAF-derived growth arrest-specific 6 (GAS6), a major ligand of AXL, on the migration and proliferation of GC cells. The effect of the AXL inhibitor, BGB324, on the CAF-induced aggressive phenotype of GC cells was also investigated. In addition, we performed immunohistochemistry to examine the expression of phosphorylated AXL protein in 175 GC tissues and evaluated its correlation with the prognosis. RESULTS The qPCR and western blot analysis showed that GAS6 expression was higher in CAF relative to other cells. We found that co-culture with CAF increased the phosphorylation of AXL (P-AXL), differentiation into a mesenchymal-like phenotype, and cell survival in GC cell lines. When the expression of AXL was genetically inhibited in GC cells, the effect of CAF was reduced. BGB324, a small molecule inhibitor of AXL, suppressed the effects of CAF on GC cell lines. In GC tissues, high levels of P-AXL were significantly associated with poor overall survival (P = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS We concluded that CAF are a major source of GAS6 and that GAS6 promotes an aggressiveness through AXL activation in GC. We suggested that an AXL inhibitor may be a novel agent for GC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheong A Bae
- Department of Surgery, Ajou University School of Medicine, Cancer Biology Graduate Program, Ajou University Graduate School of Medicine, 164 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16499, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science, Graduated School of Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - In-Hye Ham
- Department of Surgery, Ajou University School of Medicine, Cancer Biology Graduate Program, Ajou University Graduate School of Medicine, 164 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16499, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye Jeong Oh
- Department of Surgery, Ajou University School of Medicine, Cancer Biology Graduate Program, Ajou University Graduate School of Medicine, 164 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16499, Republic of Korea
| | - Dagyeong Lee
- Department of Surgery, Ajou University School of Medicine, Cancer Biology Graduate Program, Ajou University Graduate School of Medicine, 164 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16499, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science, Graduated School of Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jongsu Woo
- Department of Surgery, Ajou University School of Medicine, Cancer Biology Graduate Program, Ajou University Graduate School of Medicine, 164 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16499, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science, Graduated School of Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Yong Son
- Department of Surgery, Ajou University School of Medicine, Cancer Biology Graduate Program, Ajou University Graduate School of Medicine, 164 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16499, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Hwan Yoon
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Functional RNomics Research Center, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rolf A Brekken
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Haman Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, US
| | - Tae-Min Kim
- Department of Medical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Uk Han
- Department of Surgery, Ajou University School of Medicine, Cancer Biology Graduate Program, Ajou University Graduate School of Medicine, 164 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16499, Republic of Korea
| | - Won Sang Park
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Functional RNomics Research Center, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hoon Hur
- Department of Surgery, Ajou University School of Medicine, Cancer Biology Graduate Program, Ajou University Graduate School of Medicine, 164 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyunggi-do, 16499, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Biomedical Science, Graduated School of Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
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19
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Landolt L, Furriol J, Babickova J, Ahmed L, Eikrem Ø, Skogstrand T, Scherer A, Suliman S, Leh S, Lorens JB, Gausdal G, Marti HP, Osman T. AXL targeting reduces fibrosis development in experimental unilateral ureteral obstruction. Physiol Rep 2020; 7:e14091. [PMID: 31134766 PMCID: PMC6536582 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.14091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The AXL receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) is involved in partial epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) and inflammation – both main promoters of renal fibrosis development. The study aim was to investigate the role of AXL inhibition in kidney fibrosis due to unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Eight weeks old male C57BL/6 mice underwent UUO and were treated with oral AXL inhibitor bemcentinib (n = 22), Angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI, n = 10), ACEI and bemcentinib (n = 10) or vehicle alone (n = 22). Mice were sacrificed after 7 or 15 days and kidney tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blot, ELISA, Sirius Red (SR) staining, and hydroxyproline (Hyp) quantification. RNA was extracted from frozen kidney tissues and sequenced on an Illumina HiSeq4000 platform. After 15 days the ligated bemcentinib‐treated kidneys showed less fibrosis compared to the ligated vehicle‐treated kidneys in SR analyses and Hyp quantification. Reduced IHC staining for Vimentin (VIM) and alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA), as well as reduced mRNA abundance of key regulators of fibrosis such as transforming growth factor (Tgfβ), matrix metalloproteinase 2 (Mmp2), Smad2, Smad4, myofibroblast activation (Aldh1a2, Crlf1), and EMT (Snai1,2, Twist), in ligated bemcentinib‐treated kidneys was compatible with reduced (partial) EMT induction. Furthermore, less F4/80 positive cells, less activity of pathways related to the immune system and lower abundance of MCP1, MCP3, MCP5, and TARC in ligated bemcentinib‐treated kidneys was compatible with reduction in inflammatory infiltrates by bemcentinib treatment. The AXL RTK pathway represents a promising target for pharmacologic therapy of kidney fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Landolt
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Jessica Furriol
- Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Janka Babickova
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Øystein Eikrem
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Trude Skogstrand
- Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Andreas Scherer
- Spheromics, Kontiolahti, Finland.,Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland FIMM, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Salwa Suliman
- Department of Clinical Dentistry, Center for Clinical Dental Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Sabine Leh
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Hans-Peter Marti
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Tarig Osman
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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20
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Lotsberg ML, Wnuk-Lipinska K, Terry S, Tan TZ, Lu N, Trachsel-Moncho L, Røsland GV, Siraji MI, Hellesøy M, Rayford A, Jacobsen K, Ditzel HJ, Vintermyr OK, Bivona TG, Minna J, Brekken RA, Baguley B, Micklem D, Akslen LA, Gausdal G, Simonsen A, Thiery JP, Chouaib S, Lorens JB, Engelsen AST. AXL Targeting Abrogates Autophagic Flux and Induces Immunogenic Cell Death in Drug-Resistant Cancer Cells. J Thorac Oncol 2020; 15:973-999. [PMID: 32018052 PMCID: PMC7397559 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2020.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 12/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Acquired cancer therapy resistance evolves under selection pressure of immune surveillance and favors mechanisms that promote drug resistance through cell survival and immune evasion. AXL receptor tyrosine kinase is a mediator of cancer cell phenotypic plasticity and suppression of tumor immunity, and AXL expression is associated with drug resistance and diminished long-term survival in a wide range of malignancies, including NSCLC. METHODS We aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying AXL-mediated acquired resistance to first- and third-generation small molecule EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFRi) in NSCLC. RESULTS We found that EGFRi resistance was mediated by up-regulation of AXL, and targeting AXL reduced reactivation of the MAPK pathway and blocked onset of acquired resistance to long-term EGFRi treatment in vivo. AXL-expressing EGFRi-resistant cells revealed phenotypic and cell signaling heterogeneity incompatible with a simple bypass signaling mechanism, and were characterized by an increased autophagic flux. AXL kinase inhibition by the small molecule inhibitor bemcentinib or siRNA mediated AXL gene silencing was reported to inhibit the autophagic flux in vitro, bemcentinib treatment blocked clonogenicity and induced immunogenic cell death in drug-resistant NSCLC in vitro, and abrogated the transcription of autophagy-associated genes in vivo. Furthermore, we found a positive correlation between AXL expression and autophagy-associated gene signatures in a large cohort of human NSCLC (n = 1018). CONCLUSION Our results indicate that AXL signaling supports a drug-resistant persister cell phenotype through a novel autophagy-dependent mechanism and reveals a unique immunogenic effect of AXL inhibition on drug-resistant NSCLC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria L Lotsberg
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Katarzyna Wnuk-Lipinska
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway
| | - Stéphane Terry
- INSERM UMR 1186, Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Tuan Zea Tan
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ning Lu
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Laura Trachsel-Moncho
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and Centre for Cancer Cell Reprogramming, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Gro V Røsland
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Oncology and Medical Physics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | | | | | - Austin Rayford
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kirstine Jacobsen
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Henrik J Ditzel
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; Department of Oncology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Olav K Vintermyr
- Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Trever G Bivona
- Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - John Minna
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Departments of Surgery, Pharmacology and Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Rolf A Brekken
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Departments of Surgery, Pharmacology and Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Bruce Baguley
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Lars A Akslen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Anne Simonsen
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and Centre for Cancer Cell Reprogramming, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jean Paul Thiery
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; INSERM UMR 1186, Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France; Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Biomedical Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, A-STAR, Singapore; Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China; Department of Clinical Oncology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Hong Kong University, Hong Kong
| | - Salem Chouaib
- Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine, GMU Ajman, United Arab Emirates
| | - James B Lorens
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Agnete Svendsen Tenfjord Engelsen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; INSERM UMR 1186, Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France.
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21
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Tutusaus A, de Gregorio E, Cucarull B, Cristóbal H, Aresté C, Graupera I, Coll M, Colell A, Gausdal G, Lorens JB, García de Frutos P, Morales A, Marí M. A Functional Role of GAS6/TAM in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Progression Implicates AXL as Therapeutic Target. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol 2019; 9:349-368. [PMID: 31689560 PMCID: PMC7013198 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2019.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS GAS6 signaling, through the TAM receptor tyrosine kinases AXL and MERTK, participates in chronic liver pathologies. Here, we addressed GAS6/TAM involvement in Non-Alcoholic SteatoHepatitis (NASH) development. METHODS GAS6/TAM signaling was analyzed in cultured primary hepatocytes, hepatic stellate cells (HSC) and Kupffer cells (KCs). Axl-/-, Mertk-/- and wild-type C57BL/6 mice were fed with Chow, High Fat Choline-Deficient Methionine-Restricted (HFD) or methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet. HSC activation, liver inflammation and cytokine/chemokine production were measured by qPCR, mRNA Array analysis, western blotting and ELISA. GAS6, soluble AXL (sAXL) and MERTK (sMERTK) levels were analyzed in control individuals, steatotic and NASH patients. RESULTS In primary mouse cultures, GAS6 or MERTK activation protected primary hepatocytes against lipid toxicity via AKT/STAT-3 signaling, while bemcentinib (small molecule AXL inhibitor BGB324) blocked AXL-induced fibrogenesis in primary HSCs and cytokine production in LPS-treated KCs. Accordingly; bemcentinib diminished liver inflammation and fibrosis in MCD- and HFD-fed mice. Upregulation of AXL and ADAM10/ADAM17 metalloproteinases increased sAXL in HFD-fed mice. Transcriptome profiling revealed major reduction in fibrotic- and inflammatory-related genes in HFD-fed mice after bemcentinib administration. HFD-fed Mertk-/- mice exhibited enhanced NASH, while Axl-/- mice were partially protected. In human serum, sAXL levels augmented even at initial stages, whereas GAS6 and sMERTK increased only in cirrhotic NASH patients. In agreement, sAXL increased in HFD-fed mice before fibrosis establishment, while bemcentinib prevented liver fibrosis/inflammation in early NASH. CONCLUSION AXL signaling, increased in NASH patients, promotes fibrosis in HSCs and inflammation in KCs, while GAS6 protects cultured hepatocytes against lipotoxicity via MERTK. Bemcentinib, by blocking AXL signaling and increasing GAS6 levels, reduces experimental NASH, revealing AXL as an effective therapeutic target for clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Tutusaus
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona-Spanish Council of Scientific Research, August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain,Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Estefanía de Gregorio
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona-Spanish Council of Scientific Research, August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Blanca Cucarull
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona-Spanish Council of Scientific Research, August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain,Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Helena Cristóbal
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona-Spanish Council of Scientific Research, August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina Aresté
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona-Spanish Council of Scientific Research, August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Isabel Graupera
- Liver Unit, Hospital Clínic, Biomedical Research Networking Center in Hepatic and Digestive Diseases, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mar Coll
- Liver Unit, Hospital Clínic, Biomedical Research Networking Center in Hepatic and Digestive Diseases, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Colell
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona-Spanish Council of Scientific Research, August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - James B. Lorens
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway,Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Pablo García de Frutos
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona-Spanish Council of Scientific Research, August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain,Correspondence Address correspondence to: Montserrat Marí, PhD, Albert Morales, PhD, or Pablo García de Frutos, PhD, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas de Barcelona (IIBB-CSIC), C/ Rosselló 161, 6th Floor, 08036 Barcelona, Spain. fax: +34-93-3638301.
| | - Albert Morales
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona-Spanish Council of Scientific Research, August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain,Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Group, Liver Unit, Hospital Clínic, Biomedical Research Networking Center in Hepatic and Digestive Diseases, Barcelona, Spain,Correspondence Address correspondence to: Montserrat Marí, PhD, Albert Morales, PhD, or Pablo García de Frutos, PhD, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas de Barcelona (IIBB-CSIC), C/ Rosselló 161, 6th Floor, 08036 Barcelona, Spain. fax: +34-93-3638301.
| | - Montserrat Marí
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona-Spanish Council of Scientific Research, August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain,Correspondence Address correspondence to: Montserrat Marí, PhD, Albert Morales, PhD, or Pablo García de Frutos, PhD, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas de Barcelona (IIBB-CSIC), C/ Rosselló 161, 6th Floor, 08036 Barcelona, Spain. fax: +34-93-3638301.
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22
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Terry S, Abdou A, Engelsen AST, Buart S, Dessen P, Corgnac S, Collares D, Meurice G, Gausdal G, Baud V, Saintigny P, Lorens JB, Thiery JP, Mami-Chouaib F, Chouaib S. AXL Targeting Overcomes Human Lung Cancer Cell Resistance to NK- and CTL-Mediated Cytotoxicity. Cancer Immunol Res 2019; 7:1789-1802. [PMID: 31488404 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-18-0903] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Immune resistance may arise from both genetic instability and tumor heterogeneity. Microenvironmental stresses such as hypoxia and various resistance mechanisms promote carcinoma cell plasticity. AXL, a member of the TAM (Tyro3, Axl, and Mer) receptor tyrosine kinase family, is widely expressed in human cancers and increasingly recognized for its role in cell plasticity and drug resistance. To investigate mechanisms of immune resistance, we studied multiple human lung cancer clones derived from a model of hypoxia-induced tumor plasticity that exhibited mesenchymal or epithelial features. We demonstrate that AXL expression is increased in mesenchymal lung cancer clones. Expression of AXL in the cells correlated with increased cancer cell-intrinsic resistance to both natural killer (NK)- and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-mediated killing. A small-molecule targeting AXL sensitized mesenchymal lung cancer cells to cytotoxic lymphocyte-mediated killing. Mechanistically, we showed that attenuation of AXL-dependent immune resistance involved a molecular network comprising NF-κB activation, increased ICAM1 expression, and upregulation of ULBP1 expression coupled with MAPK inhibition. Higher ICAM1 and ULBP1 tumor expression correlated with improved patient survival in two non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cohorts. These results reveal an AXL-mediated immune-escape regulatory pathway, suggest AXL as a candidate biomarker for tumor resistance to NK and CTL immunity, and support AXL targeting to optimize immune response in NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Terry
- INSERM UMR1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, EPHE, Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Abderemane Abdou
- INSERM UMR1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, EPHE, Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Agnete S T Engelsen
- INSERM UMR1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, EPHE, Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France.,Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Stéphanie Buart
- INSERM UMR1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, EPHE, Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Philippe Dessen
- Plateforme de Bioinformatique, UMS AMMICA, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | - Stéphanie Corgnac
- INSERM UMR1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, EPHE, Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Davi Collares
- NF-κB, Differentiation and Cancer, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Guillaume Meurice
- Plateforme de Bioinformatique, UMS AMMICA, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | | | - Véronique Baud
- NF-κB, Differentiation and Cancer, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Saintigny
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM, CNRS, Centre Léon Bérard, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, Lyon, France.,Department of Medical Oncology, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Jean-Paul Thiery
- INSERM UMR1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, EPHE, Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France.,Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A-STAR, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Fathia Mami-Chouaib
- INSERM UMR1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, EPHE, Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Salem Chouaib
- INSERM UMR1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, EPHE, Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France. .,Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
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23
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Røsland GV, Dyrstad SE, Tusubira D, Helwa R, Tan TZ, Lotsberg ML, Pettersen IKN, Berg A, Kindt C, Hoel F, Jacobsen K, Arason AJ, Engelsen AST, Ditzel HJ, Lønning PE, Krakstad C, Thiery JP, Lorens JB, Knappskog S, Tronstad KJ. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is associated with attenuation of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) in breast cancer through reduced expression of SDHC. Cancer Metab 2019; 7:6. [PMID: 31164982 PMCID: PMC6544948 DOI: 10.1186/s40170-019-0197-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a well-characterized process of cell plasticity that may involve metabolic rewiring. In cancer, EMT is associated with malignant progression, tumor heterogeneity, and therapy resistance. In this study, we investigated the role of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) as a potential key regulator of EMT. METHODS Associations between SDH subunits and EMT were explored in gene expression data from breast cancer patient cohorts, followed by in-depth studies of SDH suppression as a potential mediator of EMT in cultured cells. RESULTS We found an overall inverse association between EMT and the SDH subunit C (SDHC) when analyzing gene expression in breast tumors. This was particularly evident in carcinomas of basal-like molecular subtype compared to non-basal-like tumors, and a low SDHC expression level tended to have a prognostic impact in those patients. Studies in cultured cells revealed that EMT was induced by SDH inhibition through SDHC CRISPR/Cas9 knockdown or by the enzymatic inhibitor malonate. Conversely, overexpression of EMT-promoting transcription factors TWIST and SNAI2 caused decreased levels of SDHB and C and reduced rates of SDH-linked mitochondrial respiration. Cells overexpressing TWIST had reduced mitochondrial mass, and the organelles were thinner and more fragmented compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that downregulation of SDHC promotes EMT and that this is accompanied by structural remodeling of the mitochondrial organelles. This may confer survival benefits upon exposure to hostile microenvironment including oxidative stress and hypoxia during cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gro V. Røsland
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | | | - Reham Helwa
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Tuan Zea Tan
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Maria L. Lotsberg
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Anna Berg
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Charlotte Kindt
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Fredrik Hoel
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kirstine Jacobsen
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Ari J. Arason
- Biomedical Center, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Agnete S. T. Engelsen
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Henrik J. Ditzel
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Oncology, Odense University Hospital, 5000 Odense, Denmark
| | - Per E. Lønning
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Oncology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Camilla Krakstad
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Jean P. Thiery
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Biomedical Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Inserm Unit 1186 Comprehensive Cancer Center Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A-STAR, Singapore, Singapore
| | - James B. Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Stian Knappskog
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Oncology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
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24
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Loges S, Heuser M, Chromik J, Vigil CE, Paschka P, RE F, Di Renzo N, Lemoli R, Mattei D, Ben Batalla I, Hellesøy M, Micklem D, Holt RJ, Lorens K, Lorens JB, Shoaib M, Aly H, Fiedler WM, Cortes JE, Gjertsen BT. First-in class selective AXL inhibitor bemcentinib (BGB324) in combination with LDAC or decitabine exerts anti-leukaemic activity in AML patients unfit for intensive chemotherapy: Phase II open-label study. J Clin Oncol 2019. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2019.37.15_suppl.7043] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
7043 Background: The RTK AXL represents a therapeutic target promoting AML cell proliferation and survival by pleiotropic mechanisms and is a negative regulator of anti-tumour immunity. Bemcentinib is a first-in-class, highly selective, oral AXL inhibitor that has previously shown encouraging anti-leukaemic activity as a monotherapy in r/r AML and hr-MDS. Methods: A monotherapy dose-escalation and expansion part of this trial is complete. In this second, phase II part of the study, 11 and 15 AML pts unfit for intensive chemotherapy received bemcentinib at RP2D (200 mg po/d) in combination with low-dose cytarabine (LDAC) and decitabine, respectively. Median age was 77 yr (range: 50-83), median screen myeloblast count 39% (3-95%) and 2/19 (11%) of pts evaluable for FLT3 were FLT3+. Plasma protein biomarker levels were measured using the DiscoveryMap v3.3 panel (Myriad RBM) at screen and following treatment. Results: The most common TRAEs (≥ 15% of pts) were ECG QT prolongation (35%) and diarrhoea (15%). Among these, 3 were Grade 3, and none 4 or 5. All TRAEs were manageable and/or reversible. As of Feb ‘19, 9 pts (2 de novo, 1 secondary, 6 r/r) in the bemcentinib + LDAC group were evaluable for response and 4 (44%; 2 de novo + 2 relapsed) achieved rapid CRi at C2D1. Responses were durable (range: 7 – 11 cycles) in 3 of the 4 responders. A further 2 pts (22%, 1 secondary + 1 relapsed) achieved durable SD (5 and 6 cycles). mPFS among the 5 pts with durable CRi or SD was 5 months (range: 3.5-7.7). Further, at the time of writing, 11 pts (8 de novo, 3 r/r) in the bemcentinib + decitabine group were evaluable for response of which 4 (36%, all de novo) achieved CRi after ≥ 4 cycles. One additional de novo pt achieved durable SD lasting for 5 cycles. Conclusions: Bemcentinib in combination with LDAC exerted early durable responses in patients with both de novo and relapsed AML whilst the combination of bemcentinib + decitabine exerted comparably fewer and later responses in de novo AML. Soluble biomarker correlations will be presented at the meeting. Both combinations were generally well-tolerated and further exploration is warranted. Clinical trial information: NCT02488408.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Loges
- Department of Oncology, Hematology, BMT with Section Pneumology and Institute of Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Jörg Chromik
- University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Isabel Ben Batalla
- Medical Clinic and Institute of Tumor Biology, Campus Forschung, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | - James B. Lorens
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | | | - Walter M. Fiedler
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hubertus-Wald University Cancer Center, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jorge E. Cortes
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Bjorn T. Gjertsen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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25
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Felip E, Brunsvig P, Vinolas N, Ponce Aix S, Carcereny Costa E, Dómine Gomez M, Trigo Perez JM, Arriola E, Campelo RG, Spicer JF, Thompson JR, Ortega Granados AL, Holt RJ, Lorens K, Lorens JB, Shoaib M, Siddiqui A, Schmidt EV, Chisamore MJ, Krebs M. A phase II study of bemcentinib (BGB324), a first-in-class highly selective AXL inhibitor, with pembrolizumab in pts with advanced NSCLC: OS for stage I and preliminary stage II efficacy. J Clin Oncol 2019. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2019.37.15_suppl.9098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
9098 Background: AXL is an RTK implicated in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and as a resistance mechanism to multiple therapies including anti-PD1. Bemcentinib (BGB324) is a first-in-class, oral, highly selective and potent AXL inhibitor which has been demonstrated to enhance anti-PD1 therapy in the pre-clinical setting. Methods: This is a Phase II single-arm, two-Stage study with bemcentinib (200mg/d) and pembrolizumab (200 mg/q3wk) for previously treated, IO naïve pts (n = 48 in total) with Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma. The primary endpoint was ORR according to RECIST 1.1 with pre-defined minimum requirement for 18% RR in the first Stage (n = 24) to proceed to Stage 2. Secondary endpoints included DCR, PFS, OS and safety. Tumour biopsies were analysed for PD-L1 (22C3 pharmDx), AXL, and infiltrating immune cells. Results: Stage 1 completed enrolment in Apr ‘18. As of Feb ‘19, 38 pts (24 and 14 in Stage 1 and 2, respectively) have been dosed with the combination; median age 66 (range 39-79) yr, 59% male, all previously received one prior line of platinum-based chemotherapy or a licensed EGFR/ALK-directed therapy. The most common TRAEs (occurring in > 15% of pts) were transaminase increases (37%), diarrhoea (29%), and asthenia (17%). All cases of transaminase increase were reversible and resolved with concomitant administration of systemic corticosteroids and interruption of study treatments. At time of writing, Stage 1 had met the efficacy threshold to proceed to Stage 2 with continued enrolment. Among 29 pts evaluable for response 7 PRs were reported (24%). For AXL positive pts (10/21 with available biopsies), ORR was 40%. PD-L1 status was known for 5 responders: 4 pts (80%) were PD-L1 negative or weakly positive. In Stage 1, mPFS was 4.0 months (95% CI 1.9 – NR) and 5.9 months in AXL positive pts (n = 10; 3.0 - NR). mOS was not mature. Conclusions: Overall, bemcentinib in combination with pembrolizumab was well tolerated and promising clinical activity was seen, particularly in pts with AXL positive disease. Updated results will be reported at the meeting, incl 12-month OS for Stage 1 and preliminary efficacy of Stage 2. Clinical trial information: NCT03184571.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - James B. Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | | | | | | | - Matthew Krebs
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
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Sharma S, Xue Y, Xing Z, Yassin MA, Sun Y, Lorens JB, Finne-Wistrand A, Sapkota D, Mustafa K. Adenoviral mediated mono delivery of BMP2 is superior to the combined delivery of BMP2 and VEGFA in bone regeneration in a critical-sized rat calvarial bone defect. Bone Rep 2019; 10:100205. [PMID: 31193299 PMCID: PMC6525280 DOI: 10.1016/j.bonr.2019.100205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Apart from osteogenesis, neovascularization of the defect area is an important determinant for successful bone healing. Accordingly, several studies have employed the combined delivery of VEGFA and BMP2 for bone regeneration. Nevertheless, the outcomes of these studies are highly variable. The aim of our study was to compare the effectiveness of adenoviral mediated delivery of BMP2 alone and in combination with VEGFA in rat bone marrow stromal cells (rBMSC) seeded on a poly(LLA-co-CL) scaffold in angiogenesis and osteogenesis using a critical-sized rat calvarial defect model. Both mono delivery of BMP2 and the combined delivery of a lower ratio of VEGFA and BMP2 (1:4) led to up-regulation of osteogenic genes (Alpl and Runx2) and increased calcium deposition in vitro, compared with the GFP control. Micro computed tomography (microCT) analysis of the rat calvarial defect at 8 weeks showed that the mono delivery of BMP2 (43.37 ± 3.55% defect closure) was the most effective in healing the bone defect, followed by the combined delivery of BMP2 and VEGFA (27.86 ± 2.89%) and other controls. Histological and molecular analyses supported the microCT findings. Analysis of the angiogenesis, however, showed that both mono delivery of BMP2 and combined delivery of BMP2 and VEGFA had similar angiogenic effect in the calvarial defects. Examination of the key genes related to host response against the adenoviral vectors showed that the current model system was not associated with adverse immune response. Overall, the results show that the mono delivery of BMP2 was superior to the combined delivery of BMP2 and VEGFA in healing the critical-sized rat calvarial bone defect. These findings underscore the importance of appropriate growth factor combination for the successful outcome in bone regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunita Sharma
- Department of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ying Xue
- Department of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Zhe Xing
- Department of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Mohammed A Yassin
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yang Sun
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Anna Finne-Wistrand
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dipak Sapkota
- Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Kamal Mustafa
- Department of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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Poirier M, Awale M, Roelli MA, Giuffredi GT, Ruddigkeit L, Evensen L, Stooss A, Calarco S, Lorens JB, Charles RP, Reymond JL. Front Cover: Identifying Lysophosphatidic Acid Acyltransferase β (LPAAT-β) as the Target of a Nanomolar Angiogenesis Inhibitor from a Phenotypic Screen Using the Polypharmacology Browser PPB2 (ChemMedChem 2/2019). ChemMedChem 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201900013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marion Poirier
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure; University of Bern; Freiestrasse 3 3012 Bern Switzerland
| | - Mahendra Awale
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure; University of Bern; Freiestrasse 3 3012 Bern Switzerland
| | - Matthias A. Roelli
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure; University of Bern; Bühlstrasse 28 3000 Bern 9 Switzerland
| | - Guy T. Giuffredi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure; University of Bern; Freiestrasse 3 3012 Bern Switzerland
| | - Lars Ruddigkeit
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure; University of Bern; Freiestrasse 3 3012 Bern Switzerland
| | - Lasse Evensen
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO); University of Bergen; Jonas Lies vei 91 5009 Bergen Norway
| | - Amandine Stooss
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure; University of Bern; Bühlstrasse 28 3000 Bern 9 Switzerland
| | - Serafina Calarco
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure; University of Bern; Bühlstrasse 28 3000 Bern 9 Switzerland
| | - James B. Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO); University of Bergen; Jonas Lies vei 91 5009 Bergen Norway
| | - Roch-Philippe Charles
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure; University of Bern; Bühlstrasse 28 3000 Bern 9 Switzerland
| | - Jean-Louis Reymond
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure; University of Bern; Freiestrasse 3 3012 Bern Switzerland
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Bozickovic O, Skartveit L, Engelsen AST, Helland T, Jonsdottir K, Flågeng MH, Fenne IS, Janssen E, Lorens JB, Bjørkhaug L, Sagen JV, Mellgren G. A novel SRC-2-dependent regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2019; 185:57-70. [PMID: 30048685 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2018.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 07/01/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Steroid receptor coactivator 2 (SRC-2) is a nuclear receptor coactivator, important for the regulation of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-mediated transcriptional activity in breast cancer cells. However, the transcriptional role of SRC-2 in breast cancer is still ambiguous. Here we aimed to unravel a more precise transcriptional role of SRC-2 and uncover unique target genes in MCF-7 breast cancer cells, as opposed to the known oncogene SRC-3. Gene expression analyses of cells depleted of either SRC-2 or SRC-3 showed that they transcriptionally regulate mostly separate gene sets. However, individual unique gene sets were implicated in some of the same major gene ontology biological processes, such as cellular structure and development. This finding was supported by three-dimensional cell cultures, demonstrating that depletion of SRC-2 and SRC-3 changed the morphology of the cells into epithelial-like hollow acinar structures, indicating that both SRC proteins are involved in maintaining the hybrid E/M phenotype. In clinical ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer samples the expression of SRC-2 was negatively correlated with the expression of MCF-7-related luminal, cell cycle and cellular morphogenesis genes. Finally, elucidating SRC-2 unique transcriptional effects, we identified Lyn kinase (an EMT biomarker) to be upregulated exclusively after SRC-2 depletion. In conclusion, we show that both SRC-2 and SRC-3 are essential for the EMT in breast cancer cells, controlling different transcriptional niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivera Bozickovic
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, N-5021 Bergen, Norway; Hormone Laboratory, Haukeland University Hospital, N-5021 Bergen, Norway; KG Jebsen Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, N-5021 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Linn Skartveit
- Hormone Laboratory, Haukeland University Hospital, N-5021 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Agnete S T Engelsen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5009 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Thomas Helland
- Hormone Laboratory, Haukeland University Hospital, N-5021 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Kristin Jonsdottir
- Department of Pathology, Stavanger University Hospital, N-4068 Stavanger, Norway.
| | | | - Ingvild S Fenne
- Hormone Laboratory, Haukeland University Hospital, N-5021 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Emiel Janssen
- Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Stavanger, N-4036 Stavanger, Norway.
| | - James B Lorens
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5009 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Lise Bjørkhaug
- Hormone Laboratory, Haukeland University Hospital, N-5021 Bergen, Norway; KG Jebsen Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, N-5021 Bergen, Norway; Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, N-5020 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Jørn V Sagen
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, N-5021 Bergen, Norway; Hormone Laboratory, Haukeland University Hospital, N-5021 Bergen, Norway; KG Jebsen Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, N-5021 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Gunnar Mellgren
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, N-5021 Bergen, Norway; Hormone Laboratory, Haukeland University Hospital, N-5021 Bergen, Norway; KG Jebsen Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, N-5021 Bergen, Norway.
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29
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Poirier M, Awale M, Roelli MA, Giuffredi GT, Ruddigkeit L, Evensen L, Stooss A, Calarco S, Lorens JB, Charles RP, Reymond JL. Identifying Lysophosphatidic Acid Acyltransferase β (LPAAT-β) as the Target of a Nanomolar Angiogenesis Inhibitor from a Phenotypic Screen Using the Polypharmacology Browser PPB2. ChemMedChem 2018; 14:224-236. [PMID: 30520265 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201800554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
By screening a focused library of kinase inhibitor analogues in a phenotypic co-culture assay for angiogenesis inhibition, we identified an aminotriazine that acts as a cytostatic nanomolar inhibitor. However, this aminotriazine was found to be completely inactive in a whole-kinome profiling assay. To decipher its mechanism of action, we used the online target prediction tool PPB2 (http://ppb2.gdb.tools), which suggested lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase β (LPAAT-β) as a possible target for this aminotriazine as well as several analogues identified by structure-activity relationship profiling. LPAAT-β inhibition (IC50 ≈15 nm) was confirmed in a biochemical assay and by its effects on cell proliferation in comparison with a known LPAAT-β inhibitor. These experiments illustrate the value of target-prediction tools to guide target identification for phenotypic screening hits and significantly expand the rather limited pharmacology of LPAAT-β inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Poirier
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Mahendra Awale
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Matthias A Roelli
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 28, 3000, Bern 9, Switzerland
| | - Guy T Giuffredi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lars Ruddigkeit
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lasse Evensen
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5009, Bergen, Norway
| | - Amandine Stooss
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 28, 3000, Bern 9, Switzerland
| | - Serafina Calarco
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 28, 3000, Bern 9, Switzerland
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5009, Bergen, Norway
| | - Roch-Philippe Charles
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 28, 3000, Bern 9, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Louis Reymond
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Center of Competence in Research NCCR TransCure, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
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Davidsen K, Wnuk-Lipinska K, Du W, Blø M, Engelsen A, Terry S, D´mello S, Lie M, Kang J, Hodneland L, Bougnaud S, Aguilera K, Straume O, Chouaib S, Brekken RA, Gausdal G, Lorens JB. Abstract 3774: BGB324, a selective small-molecule inhibitor of receptor tyrosine kinase AXL, targets tumor immune suppression and enhances immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy. Cancer Res 2018. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2018-3774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [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
The AXL receptor tyrosine kinase is associated with poor overall survival in a wide spectrum of cancers. AXL signaling is important for tumor cell plasticity related to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), immune escape and intrinsic resistance to cytotoxic lymphocytes. AXL is expressed on several cells associated with the tumor immune microenvironment, including natural killer (NK) cells, dendritic cells and a subset of tumor-associated myeloid cells. AXL signaling enhances secretion of immune-suppressive cytokines from innate immune cells that limit antitumor immunity. Hence AXL resides uniquely at the nexus between tumor and microenvironmental antitumor immune suppression mechanisms. BGB324, a selective clinical-stage small-molecule Axl kinase inhibitor, is currently being evaluated in combination with pembrolizumab in three phase II clinical trials in patients with TNBC (NCT03184558), NSCLC (NCT03184571) and melanoma (NCT02872259). We show that BGB324 targets immune suppression mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment that improve immunotherapy in different murine tumor models. BGB324 treatment reduces myeloid-derived suppressor cells and tumor-associated macrophages, and lowers CCL11, IL-7, IL-1β, and IL-6 in murine pancreatic cancer models. This altered immune landscape is associated with increased tumor infiltration of NK and CD8+ T cells and enhanced therapy responses. Further, BGB324 targets tumor intrinsic immune resistance and enhances human CD8+ T cell and NK-cell mediated NSCLC tumor cell lysis. We are currently using high-dimensional mass cytometry analysis (CyTOF) to map adaptive Axl-dependent immune suppression during immune checkpoint blockade. Collectively these results highlight a prominent function for AXL in resistance to immune therapy and support continued clinical translation of combining BGB324 with immune checkpoint inhibitors to improve cancer treatment.
Citation Format: Kjersti Davidsen, Katarzyna Wnuk-Lipinska, Wenting Du, Magnus Blø, Agnete Engelsen, Stephane Terry, Stacey D´mello, Maria Lie, Jing Kang, Linn Hodneland, Sebastien Bougnaud, Kristina Aguilera, Oddbjørn Straume, Salem Chouaib, Rolf A. Brekken, Gro Gausdal, James B. Lorens. BGB324, a selective small-molecule inhibitor of receptor tyrosine kinase AXL, targets tumor immune suppression and enhances immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3774.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Wenting Du
- 3Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | | | | | | | | | - Maria Lie
- 1University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Jing Kang
- 1University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Rolf A. Brekken
- 3Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
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Jokela TA, Engelsen AST, Rybicka A, Pelissier Vatter FA, Garbe JC, Miyano M, Tiron C, Ferariu D, Akslen LA, Stampfer MR, Lorens JB, LaBarge MA. Microenvironment-Induced Non-sporadic Expression of the AXL and cKIT Receptors Are Related to Epithelial Plasticity and Drug Resistance. Front Cell Dev Biol 2018; 6:41. [PMID: 29719832 PMCID: PMC5913284 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2018.00041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The existence of rare cancer cells that sporadically acquire drug-tolerance through epigenetic mechanisms is proposed as one mechanism that drives cancer therapy failure. Here we provide evidence that specific microenvironments impose non-sporadic expression of proteins related to epithelial plasticity and drug resistance. Microarrays of robotically printed combinatorial microenvironments of known composition were used to make cell-based functional associations between microenvironments, which were design-inspired by normal and tumor-burdened breast tissues, and cell phenotypes. We hypothesized that specific combinations of microenvironment constituents non-sporadically impose the induction of the AXL and cKIT receptor tyrosine kinase proteins, which are known to be involved in epithelial plasticity and drug-tolerance, in an isogenic human mammary epithelial cell (HMEC) malignant progression series. Dimension reduction analysis reveals type I collagen as a dominant feature, inducing expression of both markers in pre-stasis finite lifespan HMECs, and transformed non-malignant and malignant immortal cell lines. Basement membrane-associated matrix proteins, laminin-111 and type IV collagen, suppress AXL and cKIT expression in pre-stasis and non-malignant cells. However, AXL and cKIT are not suppressed by laminin-111 in malignant cells. General linear models identified key factors, osteopontin, IL-8, and type VIα3 collagen, which significantly upregulated AXL and cKIT, as well as a plasticity-related gene expression program that is often observed in stem cells and in epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition. These factors are co-located with AXL-expressing cells in situ in normal and breast cancer tissues, and associated with resistance to paclitaxel. A greater diversity of microenvironments induced AXL and cKIT expression consistent with plasticity and drug-tolerant phenotypes in tumorigenic cells compared to normal or immortal cells, suggesting a reduced perception of microenvironment specificity in malignant cells. Microenvironment-imposed reprogramming could explain why resistant cells are seemingly persistent and rapidly adaptable to multiple classes of drugs. These results support the notion that specific microenvironments drive drug-tolerant cellular phenotypes and suggest a novel interventional avenue for preventing acquired therapy resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiina A. Jokela
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Population Sciences, Center for Cancer and Aging, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States
| | - Agnete S. T. Engelsen
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Agata Rybicka
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - James C. Garbe
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Masaru Miyano
- Department of Population Sciences, Center for Cancer and Aging, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States
| | - Crina Tiron
- Regional Institute of Oncology, Iasi, Romania
| | - Dan Ferariu
- Regional Institute of Oncology, Iasi, Romania
| | - Lars A. Akslen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Martha R. Stampfer
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - James B. Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Mark A. LaBarge
- Department of Population Sciences, Center for Cancer and Aging, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
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Haaland GS, Falk RS, Lorens JB. Lower Cancer Incidence-Warfarin Effect or Immortal Time Bias?-Reply. JAMA Intern Med 2018; 178:585-586. [PMID: 29610893 DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.0364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gry S Haaland
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ragnhild S Falk
- Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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Yule M, Wnuk-Lipinska K, Davidsen K, Blø M, Hodneland L, Engelsen A, Kang J, Lie M, Bougnaud S, Aguilera K, Ahmed L, Rybicka A, Milde Nævdal E, Deyna P, Boniecka A, Straume O, Thiery JP, Chouaib S, Brekken RA, Gausdal G, Lorens JB. Abstract OT1-01-03: A phase II multi-center study of BGB324 in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with previously treated, locally advanced and unresectable or metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) or triple negative inflammatory breast cancer (TN-IBC). Cancer Res 2018. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs17-ot1-01-03] [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. The AXL receptor tyrosine kinase is associated with poor overall survival in breast cancer. AXL signaling is an important regulator of tumor plasticity related to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stem cell traits that drive metastasis and drug resistance. Upregulation of AXL has been associated with reduced response to anti-PD-1 therapy. Signaling via AXL is also a key suppressor of the anti-tumor innate immune response, and AXL is expressed on several cells associated with the tumor immune microenvironment. Hence AXL signaling contributes uniquely to both tumor cell intrinsic and microenvironmental anti-tumor immune suppression mechanisms. We show that AXL is required for tumor immune evasion in the 4T1/Balb/C mammary adenocarcinoma model and that blocking AXL signaling with BGB324, a selective clinical-stage small molecule AXL kinase inhibitor, enhanced the effect of immune checkpoint blockade. BGB324 + anti-CTLA-4/anti-PD-1 treated tumors displayed enhanced infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and Natural Killer cells. Importantly, responding animals rejected orthotopic 4T1 tumor cell re-challenge, demonstrating sustained tumor immunity. These data provided a translational rationale for combining AXL targeted therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors to enhance anti-cancer immune response.
Study Design. BGBC007 (NCT03184558) is an open-label, single arm, multi-center phase II study designed to assess the anti-tumor activity of BGB324 in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with previously treated, locally advanced and unresectable, or metastatic TNBC or TN-IBC. Secondary objectives include safety and pharmacokinetic profile of BGB324 and pembrolizumab in combination. A single arm, extension of Simon's 2-stage design is employed with an interim and final analysis. Up to 56 evaluable patients will be enrolled. Recruitment will be halted once 28 evaluable patients have been entered to determine the Objective Response Rate (ORR, complete response and partial response). If 5 or fewer responses are observed in up to 28 patients, the trial will be terminated in favor of the null for futility. If 11 or more responses are observed, then the trial will be stopped in favor of the alternative for demonstration of activity. If 6 to 10 patients have an observed response then a further 28 patients may be evaluated. This design provides an overall power of 80.6% to test the stated null and alternative hypothesis. BGB324 will be administered orally, once daily, in a fasted state. Days 1, 2 and 3 of BGB324 administration consists of a 'loading' dose of 400 mg followed by a dose of 200 mg daily. A fixed dose of 200 mg pembrolizumab will be given by intravenous infusion over 30 minutes every 3 weeks. BGB324 and pembrolizumab will be given until disease progression, unacceptable dose toxicity, or until 106 weeks (35 cycles). Efficacy endpoints including ORR, Duration of Response, Progression Free Survival are based on tumor imaging evaluation by RECIST 1.1. Tumor specimens will be taken to assess AXL and PD-L1 expression.
Citation Format: Yule M, Wnuk-Lipinska K, Davidsen K, Blø M, Hodneland L, Engelsen A, Kang J, Lie M, Bougnaud S, Aguilera K, Ahmed L, Rybicka A, Milde Nævdal E, Deyna P, Boniecka A, Straume O, Thiery J-P, Chouaib S, Brekken RA, Gausdal G, Lorens JB. A phase II multi-center study of BGB324 in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with previously treated, locally advanced and unresectable or metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) or triple negative inflammatory breast cancer (TN-IBC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT1-01-03.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Yule
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - K Wnuk-Lipinska
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - K Davidsen
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - M Blø
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - L Hodneland
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - A Engelsen
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - J Kang
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - M Lie
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - S Bougnaud
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - K Aguilera
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - L Ahmed
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - A Rybicka
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - E Milde Nævdal
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - P Deyna
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - A Boniecka
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - O Straume
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - J-P Thiery
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - S Chouaib
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - RA Brekken
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - G Gausdal
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
| | - JB Lorens
- BerGenBio ASA, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
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Abstract
IMPORTANCE In cancer models, warfarin inhibits AXL receptor tyrosine kinase-dependent tumorigenesis and enhances antitumor immune responses at doses not reaching anticoagulation levels. This study investigates the association between warfarin use and cancer incidence in a large, unselected population-based cohort. OBJECTIVE To examine the association between warfarin use and cancer incidence. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This population-based cohort study with subgroup analysis used the Norwegian National Registry coupled with the Norwegian Prescription Database and the Cancer Registry of Norway. The cohort comprised all persons (N = 1 256 725) born between January 1, 1924, and December 31, 1954, who were residing in Norway from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2012. The cohort was divided into 2 groups-warfarin users and nonusers; persons taking warfarin for atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter were the subgroup. Data were collected from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2012. Data analysis was conducted from October 15, 2016, to January 31, 2017. EXPOSURES Warfarin use was defined as taking at least 6 months of a prescription and at least 2 years from first prescription to any cancer diagnosis. If warfarin treatment started after January 1, 2006, each person contributed person-time in the nonuser group until the warfarin user criteria were fulfilled. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Cancer diagnosis of any type during the 7-year observation period (January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2012). RESULTS Of the 1 256 725 persons in the cohort, 607 350 (48.3%) were male, 649 375 (51.7%) were female, 132 687 (10.6%) had cancer, 92 942 (7.4%) were classified as warfarin users, and 1 163 783 (92.6%) were classified as nonusers. Warfarin users were older, with a mean (SD) age of 70.2 (8.2) years, and were predominantly men (57 370 [61.7%]) as compared with nonusers, who had a mean (SD) age of 63.9 (8.6) years and were mostly women (613 803 [52.7%]). Among warfarin users and compared with nonusers, there was a significantly lower age- and sex-adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) in all cancer sites (IRR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.82-0.86) and in prevalent organ-specific sites (lung, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.75-0.86]; prostate, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.65-0.72]; and breast, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.82-1.00]). There was no observed significant effect in colon cancer (IRR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.93-1.06). In a subgroup analysis of patients with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, the IRR was lower in all cancer sites (IRR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.59-0.65) and in prevalent sites (lung, 0.39 [95% CI, 0.33-0.46]; prostate, 0.60 [95% CI, 0.55-0.66]; breast, 0.72 [95% CI, 0.59-0.87]; and colon, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.63-0.81]). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Warfarin use may have broad anticancer potential in a large, population-based cohort of persons older than 50 years. This finding could have important implications for the selection of medications for patients needing anticoagulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gry S Haaland
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ragnhild S Falk
- Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Oddbjørn Straume
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Clinical Institute 1, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Oncology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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Ludwig KF, Du W, Sorrelle NB, Wnuk-Lipinska K, Topalovski M, Toombs JE, Cruz VH, Yabuuchi S, Rajeshkumar NV, Maitra A, Lorens JB, Brekken RA. Small-Molecule Inhibition of Axl Targets Tumor Immune Suppression and Enhances Chemotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Res 2017; 78:246-255. [PMID: 29180468 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-17-1973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Revised: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl is associated with poor outcomes in pancreatic cancer (PDAC), where it coordinately mediates immune evasion and drug resistance. Here, we demonstrate that the selective Axl kinase inhibitor BGB324 targets the tumor-immune interface to blunt the aggressive traits of PDAC cells in vitro and enhance gemcitibine efficacy in vivo Axl signaling stimulates the TBK1-NFκB pathway and innate immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment. In tumor cells, BGB324 treatment drove epithelial differentiation, expression of nucleoside transporters affecting gemcitabine response, and an immune stimulatory microenvironment. Our results establish a preclinical mechanistic rationale for the clinical development of Axl inhibitors to improve the treatment of PDAC patients.Significance: These results establish a preclinical mechanistic rationale for the clinical development of AXL inhibitors to improve the treatment of PDAC patients. Cancer Res; 78(1); 246-55. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen F Ludwig
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.,Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Wenting Du
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Noah B Sorrelle
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | | | - Mary Topalovski
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Jason E Toombs
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Victoria H Cruz
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Shinichi Yabuuchi
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - N V Rajeshkumar
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Anirban Maitra
- Departments of Pathology and Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rolf A Brekken
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. .,Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
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Haaland GS, Falk RS, Straume O, Lorens JB. Abstract 3010: Broad reduction in cancer incidence in patients treated with warfarin: a prospective cohort study. Cancer Res 2017. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2017-3010] [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
Evidence shows that the vitamin K-antagonist warfarin, a popular anti-coagulant in clinical use for decades, has anti-tumor activity. This is recently attributed to disruption of post-translational modification of Gas6, the common ligand of the Axl receptor tyrosine kinase family. Gas6-Axl signaling is associated with malignancy and is required for tumoriogenesis and progression in several preclinical cancer models. Warfarin is shown to inhibit Axl signaling-dependent malignant traits and enhance anti-tumor immune responses at doses that do not achieve anticoagulation. The objective of this study is to investigate the association between warfarin use and cancer incidence in a large unselected Norwegian cohort. Our results reveal a remarkable reduction in cancer incidence associated with warfarin use across a wide range of tumor types.
METHODS
A cohort selected from the Norwegian population registry included all persons born between 1924-1954, living in Norway 2006-2012 (n=1 256 725). We cross-referenced this cohort using the unique Norwegian National ID Number to: 1) the Cancer Registry of Norway and retrieved information on all cancer cases 2006-2012; 2) information on filled warfarin prescriptions (ATC: B01AA03) from the Norwegian Prescriptions Database (2004-2012). Warfarin-use was defined > 6 months and minimum 2 years between first warfarin prescription and cancer diagnosis. We also performed a subgroup analysis on persons prescribed warfarin for atrial fibrillation/flutter (n=33 313) compared to non-users. Mantel-Haenzel method was used to calculate the incidence rate ratio (IRR), adjusting for sex and age.
RESULTS
In this cohort, 92 942 persons were classified as warfarin users, and we observed 132 687 cancer cases in the 7-year study period. We observed a significantly lower sex and age-adjusted risk for cancer development across all malignancy types in the warfarin user group compared to the non-user group (IRR: 0.842, 95% CI, 0.824-0.861). The association was similar among many cancers including major types (prostate IRR: 0.687,95% CI 0.653-0.722; lung IRR: 0.801, 95% CI 0.749-0.856; breast IRR: 0.903, 95% CI 0.817-0.998). Given the expected confounding effect of thrombotic disease on cancer incidence, we conducted a subgroup analysis among patients prescribed warfarin for atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF-group), a subgroup with reduced comorbidity. Warfarin users in the AF-group showed a stronger overall cancer risk reduction (IRR: 0.619, 95%CI 0.592-0.646), including all major cancer types, particular lung cancer. (Prostate, IRR: 0.604, 95%CI 0.552-0.662; Lung IRR: 0.391, 95%CI 0.332-0.460; Breast IRR: 0.720, 95%CI 0.594-0.871)
CONCLUSION
We show that warfarin use is associated with a broad cancer protective effect in a large unselected patient cohort. Subgroup analysis of arrhythmia patients to reduce confounders reinforced the notion that warfarin exerts important anti-tumor effects.
Citation Format: Gry S. Haaland, Ragnhild S. Falk, Oddbjørn Straume, James B. Lorens. Broad reduction in cancer incidence in patients treated with warfarin: a prospective cohort study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3010. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-3010
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Landolt L, Eikrem Ø, Strauss P, Scherer A, Lovett DH, Beisland C, Finne K, Osman T, Ibrahim MM, Gausdal G, Ahmed L, Lorens JB, Thiery JP, Tan TZ, Sekulic M, Marti HP. Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma is linked to Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition and to Fibrosis. Physiol Rep 2017; 5:e13305. [PMID: 28596300 PMCID: PMC5471444 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.13305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Revised: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) represents the most common type of kidney cancer with high mortality in its advanced stages. Our study aim was to explore the correlation between tumor epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and patient survival. Renal biopsies of tumorous and adjacent nontumorous tissue were taken with a 16 g needle from our patients (n = 26) undergoing partial or radical nephrectomy due to ccRCC RNA sequencing libraries were generated using Illumina TruSeq® Access library preparation protocol and TruSeq Small RNA library preparation kit. Next generation sequencing (NGS) was performed on Illumina HiSeq2500. Comparative analysis of matched sample pairs was done using the Bioconductor Limma/voom R-package. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and immunohistochemistry were applied to measure and visualize protein abundance. We detected an increased generic EMT transcript score in ccRCC Gene expression analysis showed augmented abundance of AXL and MMP14, as well as down-regulated expression of KL (klotho). Moreover, microRNA analyses demonstrated a positive expression correlation of miR-34a and its targets MMP14 and AXL Survival analysis based on a subset of genes from our list EMT-related genes in a publicly available dataset showed that the EMT genes correlated with ccRCC patient survival. Several of these genes also play a known role in fibrosis. Accordingly, recently published classifiers of solid organ fibrosis correctly identified EMT-affected tumor samples and were correlated with patient survival. EMT in ccRCC linked to fibrosis is associated with worse survival and may represent a target for novel therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Landolt
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Øystein Eikrem
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Philipp Strauss
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Andreas Scherer
- Spheromics, Kontiolahti, Finland
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - David H Lovett
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco VAMC University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Christian Beisland
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Urology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kenneth Finne
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Tarig Osman
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | | | | | - James B Lorens
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, Center for Cancer Biomarkers University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Jean Paul Thiery
- Department of Biomedicine, Center for Cancer Biomarkers University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology Gustave Roussy EPHE Fac. de médecine-Univ. Paris-Sud Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Tuan Zea Tan
- Science Institute of Singapore National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Miroslav Sekulic
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Hans-Peter Marti
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
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Lorens JB, Lipinska KW, Davidsen K, Blø M, Hodneland L, Engelsen A, Kang J, Lie MK, Bougnaud S, Aguilera K, Ahmed L, Rybicka A, Nævdal EM, Deyna P, Boniecka A, Straume O, Chouaib S, Brekken RA, Gausdal G. Abstract P2-04-08: BGB324, a selective small molecule inhibitor of the receptor tyrosine kinase AXL, enhances immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy in mammary adenocarcinoma. Cancer Res 2017. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs16-p2-04-08] [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
The AXL receptor tyrosine kinase is associated with poor overall survival in breast cancer. Axl signaling is an important regulator of tumor plasticity related to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stem cell traits that drive metastasis and drug resistance. Signaling via AXL is also a key suppressor of the anti-tumor innate immune response. AXL is expressed on several cells associated with the tumor immune microenvironment including natural killer cells, dendritic cells and tumor-associated macrophages. AXL is required for tumor immune evasion in mammary adenocarcinoma models and EMT-mediated resistance to cytotoxic T cell and natural killer (NK)-cell mediated cell killing. Hence AXL signaling contributes uniquely to both tumor cell intrinsic and microenvironmental anti-tumor immune suppression mechanisms in breast cancer. We evaluated whether blocking AXL signaling with BGB324, a selective clinical-stage small molecule Axl kinase inhibitor, enhances the effect of immune checkpoint blockade in the aggressive mammary adenocarcinoma (4T1) syngeneic (Balb/C) mouse modelthat display limited immunogenicity.
Immune therapy with anti-CTLA-4/anti-PD-1 increased AXL and EMT-marker expression in 4T1 tumors, and correlated with lack of response to immune therapy. Combination treatment with BGB324 (50 mg/kg bid) significantly enhanced responsiveness to anti-CTLA-4/anti-PD-1 treatment (10 mg/kg of each, 4 doses) in Balb/C mice bearing established 4T1 tumors. The combination of BGB324 + anti-CTLA-4/anti-PD-1 resulted in durable primary tumor clearance in 23 % of treated mice versus 5.6% obtained with anti-CTLA-4/anti-PD-1 alone (p=0.0157). In a separate study, BGB324 + anti-CTLA-4 treated resulted in 22% long-term primary tumor clearance while no response was observed with anti-CTLA4 treatment alone. The extensive metastasis to the lung, liver and spleen characteristic of this model were concomitantly abrogated in the animals responding to the combination treatment. In addition, BGB324 + anti-CTLA-4/anti-PD-1 treated tumors displayed enhanced infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). Enhanced presence of CTLs was also detected in spleens from animals responding to treatment. BGB324 + anti-CTLA-4/anti-PD-1 treatment increased the number of NK cells, macrophages and polymorphonuclear neutrophils, but decreased the number of mMDSC. Importantly, responding animals rejected orthotopic 4T1 tumor cell re-challenge, demonstrating sustained tumor immunity.
Together with recent results in other tumor types that support a prominent role for AXL in resistance to immune therapy and encouraging results from ongoing clinical trials with BGB324, support combining BGB324 with immune checkpoint inhibitors to improve treatment of breast cancer.
Citation Format: Lorens JB, Lipinska KW, Davidsen K, Blø M, Hodneland L, Engelsen A, Kang J, Lie MK, Bougnaud S, Aguilera K, Ahmed L, Rybicka A, Nævdal EM, Deyna P, Boniecka A, Straume O, Chouaib S, Brekken RA, Gausdal G. BGB324, a selective small molecule inhibitor of the receptor tyrosine kinase AXL, enhances immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy in mammary adenocarcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-04-08.
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Affiliation(s)
- JB Lorens
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - KW Lipinska
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - K Davidsen
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - M Blø
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - L Hodneland
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - A Engelsen
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - J Kang
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - MK Lie
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - S Bougnaud
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - K Aguilera
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - L Ahmed
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - A Rybicka
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - EM Nævdal
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - P Deyna
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - A Boniecka
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - O Straume
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - S Chouaib
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - RA Brekken
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - G Gausdal
- BerGenBio AS, Bergen, Norway; Biomedicine, Bergen, Norway; Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; INSERM Unité 1186, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, Paris, France; Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
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Terry S, Buart S, Tan TZ, Gros G, Noman MZ, Lorens JB, Mami-Chouaib F, Thiery JP, Chouaib S. Acquisition of tumor cell phenotypic diversity along the EMT spectrum under hypoxic pressure: Consequences on susceptibility to cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Oncoimmunology 2017; 6:e1271858. [PMID: 28344883 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2016.1271858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Revised: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor escape to immunosurveillance and resistance to immune attacks present a major hurdle in cancer therapy, especially in the current era of new cancer immunotherapies. We report here that hypoxia, a hallmark of most solid tumors, orchestrates carcinoma cell heterogeneity through the induction of phenotypic diversity and the acquisition of distinct epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) states. Using lung adenocarcinoma cells derived from a non-metastatic patient, we demonstrated that hypoxic stress induced phenotypic diversity along the EMT spectrum, with induction of EMT transcription factors (EMT-TFs) SNAI1, SNAI2, TWIST1, and ZEB2 in a hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1A)-dependent or -independent manner. Analysis of hypoxia-exposed tumor subclones, with pronounced epithelial or mesenchymal phenotypes, revealed that mesenchymal subclones exhibited an increased propensity to resist cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), and natural killer (NK) cell-mediated lysis by a mechanism involving defective immune synapse signaling. Additionally, targeting EMT-TFs, or inhibition of TGF-β signaling, attenuated mesenchymal subclone susceptibility to immune attack. Together, these findings uncover hypoxia-induced EMT and heterogeneity as a novel driving escape mechanism to lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity, with the potential to provide new therapeutic opportunities for cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Terry
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy, EPHE, Fac. de médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, University Paris-Saclay , Villejuif, France
| | - Stéphanie Buart
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy, EPHE, Fac. de médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, University Paris-Saclay , Villejuif, France
| | - Tuan Zea Tan
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore , Singapore
| | - Gwendoline Gros
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy, EPHE, Fac. de médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, University Paris-Saclay , Villejuif, France
| | - Muhammad Zaeem Noman
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy, EPHE, Fac. de médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, University Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France; Laboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Department of Oncology, Luxembourg Institute of Health (L.I.H), Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen , Bergen, Norway
| | - Fathia Mami-Chouaib
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy, EPHE, Fac. de médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, University Paris-Saclay , Villejuif, France
| | - Jean Paul Thiery
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy, EPHE, Fac. de médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, University Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France; Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A-STAR, Singapore
| | - Salem Chouaib
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy, EPHE, Fac. de médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, University Paris-Saclay , Villejuif, France
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40
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Abstract
A novel microsphere-based flow cytometry approach to study adherent cell signaling responses in different microenvironmental contexts at the single cell level.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Garry P. Nolan
- Baxter Laboratory in Stem Cell Biology
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology
- Stanford University
- Stanford
- USA
| | - Mark A. LaBarge
- Life Science Division
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Berkeley
- USA
| | - James B. Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine
- Center for Cancer Biomarkers
- University of Bergen
- Bergen
- Norway
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41
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Ferreira BI, Lie MK, Engelsen AST, Machado S, Link W, Lorens JB. Adaptive mechanisms of resistance to anti-neoplastic agents. Medchemcomm 2017; 8:53-66. [PMID: 30108690 PMCID: PMC6072477 DOI: 10.1039/c6md00394j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Intrinsic and acquired resistance to conventional and targeted therapeutics is a fundamental reason for treatment failure in many cancer patients. Targeted approaches to overcome chemoresistance as well as resistance to targeted approaches require in depth understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms. The anti-cancer activity of a drug can be limited by a broad variety of molecular events at different levels of drug action in a cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous manner. This review summarizes recent insights into the adaptive mechanisms used by tumours to resist therapy including cellular phenotypic plasticity, dynamic alterations of the tumour microenvironment, activation of redundant signal transduction pathways, modulation of drug target expression levels, and exploitation of pro-survival responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bibiana I Ferreira
- Centre for Biomedical Research (CBMR) , University of Algarve , Campus of Gambelas, Building 8, room 2.22 , 8005-139 Faro , Portugal
- Regenerative Medicine Program , Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine , University of Algarve , Campus de Gambelas , 8005-139 Faro , Portugal .
| | - Maria K Lie
- Department of Biomedicine , Centre for Cancer Biomarkers , University of Bergen , Jonas Lies Vei 91 , 5009 Bergen , Norway
- Department of Pathology , Haukeland University Hospital , Jonas Lies vei 65 , 5021 Bergen , Norway
| | - Agnete S T Engelsen
- Department of Biomedicine , Centre for Cancer Biomarkers , University of Bergen , Jonas Lies Vei 91 , 5009 Bergen , Norway
| | - Susana Machado
- Centre for Biomedical Research (CBMR) , University of Algarve , Campus of Gambelas, Building 8, room 2.22 , 8005-139 Faro , Portugal
- Regenerative Medicine Program , Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine , University of Algarve , Campus de Gambelas , 8005-139 Faro , Portugal .
| | - Wolfgang Link
- Centre for Biomedical Research (CBMR) , University of Algarve , Campus of Gambelas, Building 8, room 2.22 , 8005-139 Faro , Portugal
- Regenerative Medicine Program , Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine , University of Algarve , Campus de Gambelas , 8005-139 Faro , Portugal .
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine , Centre for Cancer Biomarkers , University of Bergen , Jonas Lies Vei 91 , 5009 Bergen , Norway
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Ocal O, Pashkov V, Kollipara RK, Lorens JB, Swift GH, Brekken RA, Wilkie TM. Abstract 5182: A rapid in vivo screen for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma therapeutics using the tumor marker Rgs16::GFP. Cancer Res 2016. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-5182] [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
Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDA) is the most lethal major cancer in the USA due to lack of early diagnostics and effective treatments. Activating Kras mutations (such as KrasG12D) occur early in tumor progression and are present in about 90% of PDA. Pancreatic Intraepithelial Neoplasms (PanIN) are the most common initial neoplastic lesions and those with activating Kras alleles typically progress to carcinoma in situ and metastasize.
Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTK) and G-protein Coupled Receptors (GPCR) can indirectly activate Kras and are therefore potential drug targets. We previously showed that a feedback inhibitor of GPCRs, Regulator of G-protein Signaling 16 (Rgs16), is expressed in pancreatic progenitors during embryonic development. Rgs16 expression continues postnatally in ducts and beta cells during isletogenesis but is absent in normal glycemic adults. On the other hand, Rgs16 expression returns to ducts and islet beta cells after chronic hyperglycemia in mouse models of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes mellitus. Our hypothesis is that Rgs16::GFP is induced in these pancreatic cells in response to GPCR agonists released during chronic stress. In an effort to conduct drug screens in primary duct cell culture, we investigated Rgs16::GFP expression in pancreatic neoplasia by crossing it into a mouse model of aggressive PDA, called KIC (KrasG12D; Cdkn2aL/L; Ptf1a::Cre).
In Rgs16::GFP-KIC mice, Rgs16 was expressed at the initiation of PDA in early PanINs, as early as two weeks after birth (P15), and throughout tumor progression. Rgs16::GFP expression increased with tumor mass through one month of age (P29). We used this tumor specific characteristic of Rgs16 expression to set-up a two-week in vivo quantitative assay to test chemotherapeutic drug effectiveness. In a proof-of-principle study, the standard PDA therapeutics gemcitabine and nab-Paclitaxel reduced Rgs16::GFP expression and tumor burden compared to untreated mice at P29. Targeting Axl, an RTK highly expressed in PDA, with two different inhibitors of Axl signaling, BGB324 or warfarin, in combination with gemcitabine and nab-Paclitaxel further reduced PDA initiation and progression compared to standard chemotherapy alone. Survival studies with Rgs16::GFP-KIC mice showed that treatment with gemcitabine and warfarin extended median life span about two weeks while nearly doubling the maximum life span compared to untreated group.
In summary, Rgs16::GFP-KIC mice provide an in vivo model to rapidly identify more effective PDA chemotherapeutics and treatment protocols.
Citation Format: Ozhan Ocal, Victor Pashkov, Rahul K. Kollipara, James B. Lorens, Galvin H. Swift, Rolf A. Brekken, Thomas M. Wilkie. A rapid in vivo screen for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma therapeutics using the tumor marker Rgs16::GFP. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 5182.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ozhan Ocal
- 1UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
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Gausdal G, Davidsen K, Wnuk-Lipinska K, Wiertel K, Hellesøy M, Blø M, Ahmed L, Hodneland L, Kiprijanov S, Brekken RA, Lorens JB. Abstract B014: BGB324, a selective small molecule inhibitor of the receptor tyrosine kinase AXL, enhances immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy. Cancer Immunol Res 2016. [DOI: 10.1158/2326-6074.cricimteatiaacr15-b014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [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
Signaling via the AXL receptor tyrosine kinase is a key suppressor of anti-tumor innate immune response. AXL is expressed on several cells associated with the suppressive tumor immune microenvironment including natural killer cells, dendritic cells and tumor-associated macrophages. AXL is also an important regulator of tumor plasticity related to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) that contributes to anti-tumor immune evasion. Hence AXL signaling contributes uniquely to tumor intrinsic and microenvironmental immune suppression in tumors. We therefore evaluated whether blocking AXL signaling with BGB324, a selective clinical-stage small molecule Axl kinase inhibitor, enhances the effect of immune checkpoint blockade in syngeneic cancer mouse models that display limited immunogenicity.
We measured the effect of BGB324 in combination with anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 in the mammary adenocarcinoma 4T1/Balb/C syngeneic mouse model. BGB324 (50 mg/kg bid) significantly enhanced responsiveness to anti-CTLA-4/anti-PD-1 treatment (10 mg/kg of each, 4 doses) in Balb/C mice bearing 4T1 tumors. The combination of BGB324 + anti-CTLA-4/anti-PD-1 resulted in complete tumor clearance in 46.1 % of mice versus complete tumor clearance in 11.7 % of the mice treated with anti-CTLA-4/anti-PD-1 (p = 0.0087). BGB324 + anti-CTLA-4/anti-PD-1 treated tumors displayed enhanced CD8+ T cell tumor infiltration. Combination of BGB324 with immune checkpoint inhibitors is being evaluated in additional models, and detailed interrogation of AXL-dependent immune effector cell activity in tumors is in progress.
In conclusion, AXL inhibition represents a unique opportunity to target anti-tumor immune suppressive mechanisms and supports clinical translation of BGB324 in combination with cancer immunotherapy in human cancer.
Citation Format: Gro Gausdal, Kjersti Davidsen, Katarzyna Wnuk-Lipinska, Kathleen Wiertel, Monica Hellesøy, Magnus Blø, Lavina Ahmed, Linn Hodneland, Sergej Kiprijanov, Rolf A Brekken, James B Lorens. BGB324, a selective small molecule inhibitor of the receptor tyrosine kinase AXL, enhances immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B014.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kjersti Davidsen
- 2Department of Biomedicine, Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway,
| | | | - Kathleen Wiertel
- 3Division of Surgical Oncology Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Dallas, TX
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Rolf A Brekken
- 3Division of Surgical Oncology Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Dallas, TX
| | - James B Lorens
- 2Department of Biomedicine, Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway,
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Ocal O, Pashkov V, Kollipara RK, Zolghadri Y, Cruz VH, Hale MA, Heath BR, Artyukhin AB, Christie AL, Tsoulfas P, Lorens JB, Swift GH, Brekken RA, Wilkie TM. A rapid in vivo screen for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma therapeutics. Dis Model Mech 2015; 8:1201-11. [PMID: 26438693 PMCID: PMC4610235 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.020933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [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: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, and is projected to be second by 2025. It has the worst survival rate among all major cancers. Two pressing needs for extending life expectancy of affected individuals are the development of new approaches to identify improved therapeutics, addressed herein, and the identification of early markers. PDA advances through a complex series of intercellular and physiological interactions that drive cancer progression in response to organ stress, organ failure, malnutrition, and infiltrating immune and stromal cells. Candidate drugs identified in organ culture or cell-based screens must be validated in preclinical models such as KIC (p48(Cre);LSL-Kras(G12D);Cdkn2a(f/f)) mice, a genetically engineered model of PDA in which large aggressive tumors develop by 4 weeks of age. We report a rapid, systematic and robust in vivo screen for effective drug combinations to treat Kras-dependent PDA. Kras mutations occur early in tumor progression in over 90% of human PDA cases. Protein kinase and G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling activates Kras. Regulators of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins are coincidence detectors that can be induced by multiple inputs to feedback-regulate GPCR signaling. We crossed Rgs16::GFP bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenic mice with KIC mice and show that the Rgs16::GFP transgene is a Kras(G12D)-dependent marker of all stages of PDA, and increases proportionally to tumor burden in KIC mice. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis of cultured primary PDA cells reveals characteristics of embryonic progenitors of pancreatic ducts and endocrine cells, and extraordinarily high expression of the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl, an emerging cancer drug target. In proof-of-principle drug screens, we find that weanling KIC mice with PDA treated for 2 weeks with gemcitabine (with or without Abraxane) plus inhibitors of Axl signaling (warfarin and BGB324) have fewer tumor initiation sites and reduced tumor size compared with the standard-of-care treatment. Rgs16::GFP is therefore an in vivo reporter of PDA progression and sensitivity to new chemotherapeutic drug regimens such as Axl-targeted agents. This screening strategy can potentially be applied to identify improved therapeutics for other cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ozhan Ocal
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Victor Pashkov
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Rahul K Kollipara
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yalda Zolghadri
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA Department of Basic Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Victoria H Cruz
- Department of Surgery and Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Michael A Hale
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Blake R Heath
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Alex B Artyukhin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Alana L Christie
- Simmons Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Pantelis Tsoulfas
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5009 Bergen, Norway
| | - Galvin H Swift
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Rolf A Brekken
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA Department of Surgery and Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Thomas M Wilkie
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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Kirane A, Ludwig KF, Sorrelle N, Haaland G, Sandal T, Ranaweera R, Toombs JE, Wang M, Dineen SP, Micklem D, Dellinger MT, Lorens JB, Brekken RA. Warfarin Blocks Gas6-Mediated Axl Activation Required for Pancreatic Cancer Epithelial Plasticity and Metastasis. Cancer Res 2015. [PMID: 26206560 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-14-2887-t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Repurposing "old" drugs can facilitate rapid clinical translation but necessitates novel mechanistic insight. Warfarin, a vitamin K "antagonist" used clinically for the prevention of thrombosis for more than 50 years, has been shown to have anticancer effects. We hypothesized that the molecular mechanism underlying its antitumor activity is unrelated to its effect on coagulation, but is due to inhibition of the Axl receptor tyrosine kinase on tumor cells. Activation of Axl by its ligand Gas6, a vitamin K-dependent protein, is inhibited at doses of warfarin that do not affect coagulation. Here, we show that inhibiting Gas6-dependent Axl activation with low-dose warfarin, or with other tumor-specific Axl-targeting agents, blocks the progression and spread of pancreatic cancer. Warfarin also inhibited Axl-dependent tumor cell migration, invasiveness, and proliferation while increasing apoptosis and sensitivity to chemotherapy. We conclude that Gas6-induced Axl signaling is a critical driver of pancreatic cancer progression and its inhibition with low-dose warfarin or other Axl-targeting agents may improve outcome in patients with Axl-expressing tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Kirane
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Kathleen F Ludwig
- Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Noah Sorrelle
- Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Cell Regulation Graduate Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Gry Haaland
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Tone Sandal
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Renate Ranaweera
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Jason E Toombs
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Miao Wang
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Sean P Dineen
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | | | - Michael T Dellinger
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rolf A Brekken
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
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Kirane A, Ludwig KW, Haaland G, Sandal T, Ranaweera R, Toombs JE, Sullivan LA, Wang M, Sorrelle N, Dineen SP, Dellinger MT, Lorens JB, Brekken RA. Abstract B78: Warfarin blocks Gas6-mediated Axl activation required for pancreatic tumor plasticity and metastasis. Cancer Res 2015. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.panca2014-b78] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [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
Warfarin, a vitamin K antagonist anti-coagulant in clinical use for over 50 years, is reported to exert anti-cancer effects. We hypothesized that the molecular mechanism underlying the observed anti-tumor effects of warfarin is unrelated to generalized anti-coagulation, but rather due to inhibition of the Axl receptor tyrosine kinase. Activation of Axl by its ligand Gas6, a vitamin K-dependent protein, is inhibited at doses of warfarin that do not affect coagulation. Here we document that inhibiting Gas6-mediated Axl activation with low dose warfarin blocks pancreatic cancer progression and spread. Warfarin and other Axl-targeting agents inhibit tumor progression and block spontaneous metastasis in multiple murine models of pancreatic cancer. Warfarin inhibited Axl-dependent tumor cell migration, invasiveness and proliferation while increasing apoptosis and sensitivity to chemotherapy. We demonstrate that Axl signaling is necessary for pancreatic tumor cell epithelial plasticity which is potently reversed by warfarin or selective Axl inhibition in vitro and in vivo. We anticipate Axl is a critical driver of pancreatic cancer progression and its inhibition with low dose warfarin or Axl-selective targeting agents may significantly improve outcome in patients.
Citation Format: Amanda Kirane, Kathleen W. Ludwig, Gry Haaland, Tone Sandal, Renata Ranaweera, Jason E. Toombs, Laura A. Sullivan, Miao Wang, Noah Sorrelle, Sean P. Dineen, Michael T. Dellinger, James B. Lorens, Rolf A. Brekken. Warfarin blocks Gas6-mediated Axl activation required for pancreatic tumor plasticity and metastasis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Innovations in Research and Treatment; May 18-21, 2014; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(13 Suppl):Abstract nr B78.
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Hellesøy M, Lorens JB. Cellular context-mediated Akt dynamics regulates MAP kinase signaling thresholds during angiogenesis. Mol Biol Cell 2015; 26:2698-711. [PMID: 26023089 PMCID: PMC4501366 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e14-09-1378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2014] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
This study examines the temporal regulation of Akt in endothelial cells during formation of capillary-like networks induced by cell–cell contact with vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) and vSMC-associated VEGF. Heterotypic cell–cell interaction between mural and endothelial cells alters Akt kinase protein dynamics, which regulates angiogenesis. The formation of new blood vessels by sprouting angiogenesis is tightly regulated by contextual cues that affect angiogeneic growth factor signaling. Both constitutive activation and loss of Akt kinase activity in endothelial cells impair angiogenesis, suggesting that Akt dynamics mediates contextual microenvironmental regulation. We explored the temporal regulation of Akt in endothelial cells during formation of capillary-like networks induced by cell–cell contact with vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) and vSMC-associated VEGF. Expression of constitutively active Akt1 strongly inhibited network formation, whereas hemiphosphorylated Akt1 epi-alleles with reduced kinase activity had an intermediate inhibitory effect. Conversely, inhibition of Akt signaling did not affect endothelial cell migration or morphogenesis in vSMC cocultures that generate capillary-like structures. We found that endothelial Akt activity is transiently blocked by proteasomal degradation in the presence of SMCs during the initial phase of capillary-like structure formation. Suppressed Akt activity corresponded to the increased endothelial MAP kinase signaling that was required for angiogenic endothelial morphogenesis. These results reveal a regulatory principle by which cellular context regulates Akt protein dynamics, which determines MAP kinase signaling thresholds necessary drive a morphogenetic program during angiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Hellesøy
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5009 Bergen, Norway
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5009 Bergen, Norway Center for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, N-5009 Bergen, Norway
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Virtakoivu R, Mai A, Mattila E, De Franceschi N, Imanishi SY, Corthals G, Kaukonen R, Saari M, Cheng F, Torvaldson E, Kosma VM, Mannermaa A, Muharram G, Gilles C, Eriksson J, Soini Y, Lorens JB, Ivaska J. Vimentin-ERK Signaling Uncouples Slug Gene Regulatory Function. Cancer Res 2015; 75:2349-62. [PMID: 25855378 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-14-2842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cells is a developmental process adopted during tumorigenesis that promotes metastatic capacity. In this study, we advance understanding of EMT control in cancer cells with the description of a novel vimentin-ERK axis that regulates the transcriptional activity of Slug (SNAI2). Vimentin, ERK, and Slug exhibited overlapping subcellular localization in clinical specimens of triple-negative breast carcinoma. RNAi-mediated ablation of these gene products inhibited cancer cell migration and cell invasion through a laminin-rich matrix. Biochemical analyses demonstrated direct interaction of vimentin and ERK, which promoted ERK activation and enhanced vimentin transcription. Consistent with its role as an intermediate filament, vimentin acted as a scaffold to recruit Slug to ERK and promote Slug phosphorylation at serine-87. Site-directed mutagenesis established a requirement for ERK-mediated Slug phosphorylation in EMT initiation. Together, these findings identified a pivotal step in controlling the ability of Slug to organize hallmarks of EMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reetta Virtakoivu
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. Medical Biotechnology, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Turku, Finland
| | - Anja Mai
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Elina Mattila
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. Medical Biotechnology, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Turku, Finland
| | - Nicola De Franceschi
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. Medical Biotechnology, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Turku, Finland
| | | | - Garry Corthals
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Riina Kaukonen
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. Medical Biotechnology, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Turku, Finland
| | - Markku Saari
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. Medical Biotechnology, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Turku, Finland
| | - Fang Cheng
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Elin Torvaldson
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Veli-Matti Kosma
- University of Eastern Finland, Cancer Center of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Arto Mannermaa
- University of Eastern Finland, Cancer Center of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Ghaffar Muharram
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. Medical Biotechnology, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Turku, Finland
| | | | | | - Ylermi Soini
- University of Eastern Finland, Cancer Center of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Johanna Ivaska
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. Medical Biotechnology, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Turku, Finland. Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
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Affiliation(s)
- James B Lorens
- a Department of Biomedicine and Center for Cancer Biomarkers ; University of Bergen ; Bergen , Norway
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50
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Hellesøy M, Blois AL, Tiron CE, Mannelqvist M, Akslen LA, Lorens JB. Akt1 activity regulates vessel maturation in a tissue engineering model of angiogenesis. Tissue Eng Part A 2014; 20:2590-603. [PMID: 24957363 DOI: 10.1089/ten.tea.2013.0399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Akt kinase is a central signal transduction node that integrates extracellular cues that regulate cell migratory, proliferative, and morphological functions during angiogenesis. However, how Akt activity is modulated and contributes to subsequent vessel maturation is unclear. In this study we investigated the role of Akt1 in vessel maturation using human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMVECs) expressing constitutively active and hemiphosphorylated Akt1 epi-alleles with graded kinase activity. HDMVECs expressing Akt1 epi-alleles were analyzed in vivo in a tissue engineering setting using a model of angiogenesis comprising cell-seeded poly-L-lactic acid scaffolds implanted subcutaneously into NOD/SCID murine hosts. The resultant intraimplant microvasculature was quantified for vascular parameters, including vessel diameter, perfusion, vascular density, and pericyte coverage. We found that constitutive Akt1 kinase activity in implanted HDMVECs correlated with loss of neovasculature function. Further, we found that the presence of coimplanted vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) in the implants failed to promote blood vessel growth and maturation in a graded, Akt1 kinase activity-dependent manner. These results indicate that constitutive Akt1 activity disrupts the normal blood vessel growth and maturation. Therefore, we suggest that a downregulation of Akt1 activity is necessary for vSMC-induced maturation of newly formed blood vessels to occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Hellesøy
- 1 Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen , Bergen, Norway
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