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Yang J, Bergdorf K, Yan C, Luo W, Chen SC, Ayers GD, Liu Q, Liu X, Boothby M, Weiss VL, Groves SM, Oleskie AN, Zhang X, Maeda DY, Zebala JA, Quaranta V, Richmond A. CXCR2 expression during melanoma tumorigenesis controls transcriptional programs that facilitate tumor growth. Mol Cancer 2023; 22:92. [PMID: 37270599 PMCID: PMC10239119 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01789-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Though the CXCR2 chemokine receptor is known to play a key role in cancer growth and response to therapy, a direct link between expression of CXCR2 in tumor progenitor cells during induction of tumorigenesis has not been established. METHODS To characterize the role of CXCR2 during melanoma tumorigenesis, we generated tamoxifen-inducible tyrosinase-promoter driven BrafV600E/Pten-/-/Cxcr2-/- and NRasQ61R/INK4a-/-/Cxcr2-/- melanoma models. In addition, the effects of a CXCR1/CXCR2 antagonist, SX-682, on melanoma tumorigenesis were evaluated in BrafV600E/Pten-/- and NRasQ61R/INK4a-/- mice and in melanoma cell lines. Potential mechanisms by which Cxcr2 affects melanoma tumorigenesis in these murine models were explored using RNAseq, mMCP-counter, ChIPseq, and qRT-PCR; flow cytometry, and reverse phosphoprotein analysis (RPPA). RESULTS Genetic loss of Cxcr2 or pharmacological inhibition of CXCR1/CXCR2 during melanoma tumor induction resulted in key changes in gene expression that reduced tumor incidence/growth and increased anti-tumor immunity. Interestingly, after Cxcr2 ablation, Tfcp2l1, a key tumor suppressive transcription factor, was the only gene significantly induced with a log2 fold-change greater than 2 in these three different melanoma models. CONCLUSIONS Here, we provide novel mechanistic insight revealing how loss of Cxcr2 expression/activity in melanoma tumor progenitor cells results in reduced tumor burden and creation of an anti-tumor immune microenvironment. This mechanism entails an increase in expression of the tumor suppressive transcription factor, Tfcp2l1, along with alteration in the expression of genes involved in growth regulation, tumor suppression, stemness, differentiation, and immune modulation. These gene expression changes are coincident with reduction in the activation of key growth regulatory pathways, including AKT and mTOR.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Yang
- TVHS Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA
| | - K Bergdorf
- TVHS Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA
| | - C Yan
- TVHS Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA
| | - W Luo
- TVHS Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA
| | - S C Chen
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37203-1742, USA
| | - G D Ayers
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37203-1742, USA
| | - Q Liu
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37203-1742, USA
| | - X Liu
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37203-1742, USA
| | - M Boothby
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - V L Weiss
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - S M Groves
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - A N Oleskie
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA
| | - X Zhang
- Department of Genomic Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - D Y Maeda
- Syntrix Pharmaceuticals, Auburn, WA, 98001, USA
| | - J A Zebala
- Syntrix Pharmaceuticals, Auburn, WA, 98001, USA
| | - V Quaranta
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, TN, 37240, Nashville, USA
| | - A Richmond
- TVHS Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA.
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Adkins BD, Barlow AB, Jack A, Schultenover SJ, Desouki MM, Coogan AC, Weiss VL. Characteristic findings of cervical Papanicolaou tests from transgender patients on androgen therapy: Challenges in detecting dysplasia. Cytopathology 2018; 29:281-287. [PMID: 29488269 DOI: 10.1111/cyt.12525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The characteristic features of Papanicolaou (Pap) tests collected from female-to-male (FTM) transgender patients on androgen therapy have not been well defined in the literature. FTM transgender patients require cervical cancer screening with the same recommended frequency as cis-gender females. Dysplasia remains challenging to differentiate from atrophy. Without pertinent history, the atrophic findings in younger transgender patients can be misinterpreted as high-grade dysplasia. METHODS A review of all cervical Pap tests of transgender patients receiving androgen therapy (2010-2017) was performed. Bethesda diagnosis, cytomorphological features, HPV testing and cervical biopsy results were reviewed. RESULTS Eleven transgender patients receiving androgen therapy were identified with 23 cervical Pap tests, 11 HPV tests and five cervical biopsies performed. A review of the Pap tests demonstrated: 57% negative for intraepithelial lesion; 13% unsatisfactory; 13% atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance; 13% atypical squamous cells - cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion; and 4% high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. The rates of abnormal tests were higher than our age-matched cis-gender atrophic cohort rates of unsatisfactory (0.5%), atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (7%), atypical squamous cells-cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (0%) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (0.5%). The cytological findings from liquid-based preparations included dispersed and clustered parabasal-type cells, scattered degenerated cells, smooth evenly dispersed chromatin, and occasional mild nuclear enlargement and irregularity. Dysplastic cells had larger nuclei, hyperchromatic clumped chromatin, and more irregular nuclear contours. CONCLUSIONS The evaluation of dysplasia can be challenging on Pap tests from transgender patients on androgen therapy. The cohort evaluated had higher rates of unsatisfactory and abnormal Pap tests. Pathologists should be familiar with the distinctive cytomorphological changes in the Pap tests from patients on androgen therapy to evaluate them appropriately.
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Affiliation(s)
- B D Adkins
- Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - A B Barlow
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - A Jack
- Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - S J Schultenover
- Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - M M Desouki
- Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - A C Coogan
- Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - V L Weiss
- Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
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