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Petrescu DI, Yustein JT, Dasgupta A. Preclinical models for the study of pediatric solid tumors: focus on bone sarcomas. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1388484. [PMID: 39091911 PMCID: PMC11291195 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1388484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Sarcomas comprise between 10-15% of all pediatric malignancies. Osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma are the two most common pediatric bone tumors diagnosed in children and young adults. These tumors are commonly treated with surgery and/or radiation therapy and combination chemotherapy. However, there is a strong need for the development and utilization of targeted therapeutic methods to improve patient outcomes. Towards accomplishing this goal, pre-clinical models for these unique malignancies are of particular importance to design and test experimental therapeutic strategies prior to being introduced to patients due to their origination site and propensity to metastasize. Pre-clinical models offer several advantages for the study of pediatric sarcomas with unique benefits and shortcomings dependent on the type of model. This review addresses the types of pre-clinical models available for the study of pediatric solid tumors, with special attention to the bone sarcomas osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Isabel Petrescu
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jason T. Yustein
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Atreyi Dasgupta
- The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, Houston, TX, United States
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2
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Lim WC, Marques Da Costa ME, Godefroy K, Jacquet E, Gragert L, Rondof W, Marchais A, Nhiri N, Dalfovo D, Viard M, Labaied N, Khan AM, Dessen P, Romanel A, Pasqualini C, Schleiermacher G, Carrington M, Zitvogel L, Scoazec JY, Geoerger B, Salmon J. Divergent HLA variations and heterogeneous expression but recurrent HLA loss-of- heterozygosity and common HLA-B and TAP transcriptional silencing across advanced pediatric solid cancers. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1265469. [PMID: 38318504 PMCID: PMC10839790 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1265469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system is a major factor controlling cancer immunosurveillance and response to immunotherapy, yet its status in pediatric cancers remains fragmentary. We determined high-confidence HLA genotypes in 576 children, adolescents and young adults with recurrent/refractory solid tumors from the MOSCATO-01 and MAPPYACTS trials, using normal and tumor whole exome and RNA sequencing data and benchmarked algorithms. There was no evidence for narrowed HLA allelic diversity but discordant homozygosity and allele frequencies across tumor types and subtypes, such as in embryonal and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma MYCN and 11q subtypes, and high-grade glioma, and several alleles may represent protective or susceptibility factors to specific pediatric solid cancers. There was a paucity of somatic mutations in HLA and antigen processing and presentation (APP) genes in most tumors, except in cases with mismatch repair deficiency or genetic instability. The prevalence of loss-of-heterozygosity (LOH) ranged from 5.9 to 7.7% in HLA class I and 8.0 to 16.7% in HLA class II genes, but was widely increased in osteosarcoma and glioblastoma (~15-25%), and for DRB1-DQA1-DQB1 in Ewing sarcoma (~23-28%) and low-grade glioma (~33-50%). HLA class I and HLA-DR antigen expression was assessed in 194 tumors and 44 patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) by immunochemistry, and class I and APP transcript levels quantified in PDXs by RT-qPCR. We confirmed that HLA class I antigen expression is heterogeneous in advanced pediatric solid tumors, with class I loss commonly associated with the transcriptional downregulation of HLA-B and transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) genes, whereas class II antigen expression is scarce on tumor cells and occurs on immune infiltrating cells. Patients with tumors expressing sufficient HLA class I and TAP levels such as some glioma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma and non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft-tissue sarcoma cases may more likely benefit from T cell-based approaches, whereas strategies to upregulate HLA expression, to expand the immunopeptidome, and to target TAP-independent epitopes or possibly LOH might provide novel therapeutic opportunities in others. The consequences of HLA class II expression by immune cells remain to be established. Immunogenetic profiling should be implemented in routine to inform immunotherapy trials for precision medicine of pediatric cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan Ching Lim
- INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- Bioinformatics Platform, AMMICA, INSERM US23/CNRS UMS3655, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- School of Data Sciences, Perdana University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Karine Godefroy
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Translational Research Laboratory and Biobank, AMMICA, INSERM US23/CNRS UMS3655, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Eric Jacquet
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR2301, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Loren Gragert
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Windy Rondof
- INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- Bioinformatics Platform, AMMICA, INSERM US23/CNRS UMS3655, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Antonin Marchais
- INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- Bioinformatics Platform, AMMICA, INSERM US23/CNRS UMS3655, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Naima Nhiri
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR2301, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Davide Dalfovo
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Mathias Viard
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, United States
- Laboratory of Integrative Cancer Immunology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Nizar Labaied
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Translational Research Laboratory and Biobank, AMMICA, INSERM US23/CNRS UMS3655, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Asif M. Khan
- School of Data Sciences, Perdana University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Philippe Dessen
- Bioinformatics Platform, AMMICA, INSERM US23/CNRS UMS3655, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Alessandro Romanel
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Claudia Pasqualini
- INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Oncology, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Gudrun Schleiermacher
- INSERM U830, Recherche Translationnelle en Oncologie Pédiatrique (RTOP), and SIREDO Oncology Center (Care, Innovation and Research for Children and AYA with Cancer), PSL Research University, Institut Curie, Paris, France
| | - Mary Carrington
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, United States
- Laboratory of Integrative Cancer Immunology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Laurence Zitvogel
- INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Jean-Yves Scoazec
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Translational Research Laboratory and Biobank, AMMICA, INSERM US23/CNRS UMS3655, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Birgit Geoerger
- INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Oncology, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Jerome Salmon
- INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
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3
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Tanaka M, Nakamura T. Targeting epigenetic aberrations of sarcoma in CRISPR era. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2023; 62:510-525. [PMID: 36967299 DOI: 10.1002/gcc.23142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Sarcomas are rare malignancies that exhibit diverse biological, genetic, morphological, and clinical characteristics. Genetic alterations, such as gene fusions, mutations in transcriptional machinery components, histones, and DNA methylation regulatory molecules, play an essential role in sarcomagenesis. These mutations induce and/or cooperate with specific epigenetic aberrations required for the growth and maintenance of sarcomas. Appropriate mouse models have been developed to clarify the significance of genetic and epigenetic interactions in sarcomas. Studies using the mouse models for human sarcomas have demonstrated major advances in our understanding the developmental processes as well as tumor microenvironment of sarcomas. Recent technological progresses in epigenome editing will not only improve the studies using animal models but also provide a direct clue for epigenetic therapies. In this manuscript, we review important epigenetic aberrations in sarcomas and their representative mouse models, current methods of epigenetic editing using CRISPR/dCas9 systems, and potential applications in sarcoma studies and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miwa Tanaka
- Project for Cancer Epigenomics, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuro Nakamura
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
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Tanaka M, Homme M, Teramura Y, Kumegawa K, Yamazaki Y, Yamashita K, Osato M, Maruyama R, Nakamura T. HEY1-NCOA2 expression modulates chondrogenic differentiation and induces mesenchymal chondrosarcoma in mice. JCI Insight 2023; 8:160279. [PMID: 37212282 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.160279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma affects adolescents and young adults, and most cases usually have the HEY1::NCOA2 fusion gene. However, the functional role of HEY1-NCOA2 in the development and progression of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma remains largely unknown. This study aimed to clarify the functional role of HEY1-NCOA2 in transformation of the cell of origin and induction of typical biphasic morphology of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma. We generated a mouse model for mesenchymal chondrosarcoma by introducing HEY1-NCOA2 into mouse embryonic superficial zone (eSZ) followed by subcutaneous transplantation into nude mice. HEY1-NCOA2 expression in eSZ cells successfully induced subcutaneous tumors in 68.9% of recipients, showing biphasic morphologies and expression of Sox9, a master regulator of chondrogenic differentiation. ChIP sequencing analyses indicated frequent interaction between HEY1-NCOA2 binding peaks and active enhancers. Runx2, which is important for differentiation and proliferation of the chondrocytic lineage, is invariably expressed in mouse mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, and interaction between HEY1-NCOA2 and Runx2 is observed using NCOA2 C-terminal domains. Although Runx2 knockout resulted in significant delay in tumor onset, it also induced aggressive growth of immature small round cells. Runx3, which is also expressed in mesenchymal chondrosarcoma and interacts with HEY1-NCOA2, replaced the DNA-binding property of Runx2 only in part. Treatment with the HDAC inhibitor panobinostat suppressed tumor growth both in vitro and in vivo, abrogating expression of genes downstream of HEY1-NCOA2 and Runx2. In conclusion, HEY1::NCOA2 expression modulates the transcriptional program in chondrogenic differentiation, affecting cartilage-specific transcription factor functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miwa Tanaka
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
- Project for Cancer Epigenomics, The Cancer Institute, and
| | - Mizuki Homme
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yasuyo Teramura
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kohei Kumegawa
- Project for Cancer Epigenomics, The Cancer Institute, and
| | - Yukari Yamazaki
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kyoko Yamashita
- Department of Pathology, The Cancer Institute Hospital, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Motomi Osato
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Reo Maruyama
- Project for Cancer Epigenomics, The Cancer Institute, and
| | - Takuro Nakamura
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
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5
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Tanaka M, Chuaychob S, Homme M, Yamazaki Y, Lyu R, Yamashita K, Ae K, Matsumoto S, Kumegawa K, Maruyama R, Qu W, Miyagi Y, Yokokawa R, Nakamura T. ASPSCR1::TFE3 orchestrates the angiogenic program of alveolar soft part sarcoma. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1957. [PMID: 37029109 PMCID: PMC10082046 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37049-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a soft part malignancy affecting adolescents and young adults. ASPS is characterized by a highly integrated vascular network, and its high metastatic potential indicates the importance of ASPS's prominent angiogenic activity. Here, we find that the expression of ASPSCR1::TFE3, the fusion transcription factor causatively associated with ASPS, is dispensable for in vitro tumor maintenance; however, it is required for in vivo tumor development via angiogenesis. ASPSCR1::TFE3 is frequently associated with super-enhancers (SEs) upon its DNA binding, and the loss of its expression induces SE-distribution dynamic modification related to genes belonging to the angiogenesis pathway. Using epigenomic CRISPR/dCas9 screening, we identify Pdgfb, Rab27a, Sytl2, and Vwf as critical targets associated with reduced enhancer activities due to the ASPSCR1::TFE3 loss. Upregulation of Rab27a and Sytl2 promotes angiogenic factor-trafficking to facilitate ASPS vascular network construction. ASPSCR1::TFE3 thus orchestrates higher ordered angiogenesis via modulating the SE activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miwa Tanaka
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
- Project for Cancer Epigenomics, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Surachada Chuaychob
- Department of Micro Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Mizuki Homme
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
- Division of Cell Biology, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukari Yamazaki
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ruyin Lyu
- Department of Micro Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kyoko Yamashita
- Division of Pathology, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keisuke Ae
- Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Cancer Institute Hospital, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Seiichi Matsumoto
- Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Cancer Institute Hospital, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kohei Kumegawa
- Project for Cancer Epigenomics, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Reo Maruyama
- Project for Cancer Epigenomics, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Wei Qu
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Yohei Miyagi
- Molecular Pathology and Genetics Division, Kanagawa Cancer Center Research Institute, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Ryuji Yokokawa
- Department of Micro Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takuro Nakamura
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
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Isoyama S, Tamaki N, Noguchi Y, Okamura M, Yoshimatsu Y, Kondo T, Suzuki T, Yaguchi SI, Dan S. Subtype-selective induction of apoptosis in translocation-related sarcoma cells induced by PUMA and BIM upon treatment with pan-PI3K inhibitors. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:169. [PMID: 36849535 PMCID: PMC9971170 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-05690-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
Translocation-related sarcomas (TRSs) harbor an oncogenic fusion gene generated by chromosome translocation and account for approximately one-third of all sarcomas; however, effective targeted therapies have yet to be established. We previously reported that a pan-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, ZSTK474, was effective for the treatment of sarcomas in a phase I clinical trial. We also demonstrated the efficacy of ZSTK474 in a preclinical model, particularly in cell lines from synovial sarcoma (SS), Ewing's sarcoma (ES) and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS), all of which harbor chromosomal translocations. ZSTK474 selectively induced apoptosis in all these sarcoma cell lines, although the precise mechanism underlying the induction of apoptosis remained unclear. In the present study, we aimed to determine the antitumor effect of PI3K inhibitors, particularly with regards to the induction of apoptosis, against various TRS subtypes using cell lines and patient-derived cells (PDCs). All of the cell lines derived from SS (six), ES (two) and ARMS (one) underwent apoptosis accompanied by the cleavage of poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. We also observed apoptotic progression in PDCs from SS, ES and clear cell sarcoma (CCS). Transcriptional analyses revealed that PI3K inhibitors triggered the induction of PUMA and BIM and the knockdown of these genes by RNA interference efficiently suppressed apoptosis, suggesting their functional involvement in the progression of apoptosis. In contrast, TRS-derived cell lines/PDCs from alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS), CIC-DUX4 sarcoma and dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans failed to undergo apoptosis nor induce PUMA and BIM expression, as well as cell lines derived from non-TRSs and carcinomas. Thus, we conclude that PI3K inhibitors induce apoptosis in selective TRSs such as ES and SS via the induction of PUMA and BIM and the subsequent loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. This represents proof of concept for PI3K-targeted therapy, particularly such TRS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sho Isoyama
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-8550, Japan
| | - Naomi Tamaki
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-8550, Japan
| | - Yutaka Noguchi
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-8550, Japan
| | - Mutsumi Okamura
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-8550, Japan
| | - Yuki Yoshimatsu
- Department of Patient-derived Cancer Model, Tochigi Cancer Center, 4-9-13 Yohnan, Utsunomiya, Tochigi, 320-0834, Japan
- Division of Rare Cancer Research, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan
| | - Tadashi Kondo
- Division of Rare Cancer Research, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan
| | - Takeshi Suzuki
- Division of Functional Genomics, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-1192, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichi Yaguchi
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-8550, Japan
- OHARA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., 36F St. Luke's Tower, 8-1 Akashi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-6591, Japan
| | - Shingo Dan
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-8550, Japan.
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7
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Lu DY, Ellegast JM, Ross KN, Malone CF, Lin S, Mabe NW, Dharia NV, Meyer A, Conway A, Su AH, Selich-Anderson J, Taslim C, Byrum AK, Seong BKA, Adane B, Gray NS, Rivera MN, Lessnick SL, Stegmaier K. The ETS transcription factor ETV6 constrains the transcriptional activity of EWS-FLI to promote Ewing sarcoma. Nat Cell Biol 2023; 25:285-297. [PMID: 36658220 PMCID: PMC9928584 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-022-01059-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) are frequently mutated in cancer. Paediatric cancers exhibit few mutations genome-wide but frequently harbour sentinel mutations that affect TFs, which provides a context to precisely study the transcriptional circuits that support mutant TF-driven oncogenesis. A broadly relevant mechanism that has garnered intense focus involves the ability of mutant TFs to hijack wild-type lineage-specific TFs in self-reinforcing transcriptional circuits. However, it is not known whether this specific type of circuitry is equally crucial in all mutant TF-driven cancers. Here we describe an alternative yet central transcriptional mechanism that promotes Ewing sarcoma, wherein constraint, rather than reinforcement, of the activity of the fusion TF EWS-FLI supports cancer growth. We discover that ETV6 is a crucial TF dependency that is specific to this disease because it, counter-intuitively, represses the transcriptional output of EWS-FLI. This work discovers a previously undescribed transcriptional mechanism that promotes cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Y Lu
- Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jana M Ellegast
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kenneth N Ross
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Clare F Malone
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Shan Lin
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nathaniel W Mabe
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Neekesh V Dharia
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ashleigh Meyer
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Amy Conway
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Angela H Su
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Julia Selich-Anderson
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Cenny Taslim
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Andrea K Byrum
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Bo Kyung A Seong
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Biniam Adane
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Miguel N Rivera
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Stephen L Lessnick
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and BMT, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Kimberly Stegmaier
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA.
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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8
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Yu L, Davis IJ, Liu P. Regulation of EWSR1-FLI1 Function by Post-Transcriptional and Post-Translational Modifications. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:382. [PMID: 36672331 PMCID: PMC9857208 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15020382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma is the second most common bone tumor in childhood and adolescence. Currently, first-line therapy includes multidrug chemotherapy with surgery and/or radiation. Although most patients initially respond to chemotherapy, recurrent tumors become treatment refractory. Pathologically, Ewing sarcoma consists of small round basophilic cells with prominent nuclei marked by expression of surface protein CD99. Genetically, Ewing sarcoma is driven by a fusion oncoprotein that results from one of a small number of chromosomal translocations composed of a FET gene and a gene encoding an ETS family transcription factor, with ~85% of tumors expressing the EWSR1::FLI1 fusion. EWSR1::FLI1 regulates transcription, splicing, genome instability and other cellular functions. Although a tumor-specific target, EWSR1::FLI1-targeted therapy has yet to be developed, largely due to insufficient understanding of EWSR1::FLI1 upstream and downstream signaling, and the challenges in targeting transcription factors with small molecules. In this review, we summarize the contemporary molecular understanding of Ewing sarcoma, and the post-transcriptional and post-translational regulatory mechanisms that control EWSR1::FLI1 function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Yu
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Ian J. Davis
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Genetics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Pengda Liu
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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9
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Sánchez-Molina S, Figuerola-Bou E, Sánchez-Margalet V, de la Cruz-Merino L, Mora J, de Álava Casado E, García-Domínguez DJ, Hontecillas-Prieto L. Ewing Sarcoma Meets Epigenetics, Immunology and Nanomedicine: Moving Forward into Novel Therapeutic Strategies. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:5473. [PMID: 36358891 PMCID: PMC9658520 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14215473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing Sarcoma (EWS) is an aggressive bone and soft tissue tumor that mainly affects children, adolescents, and young adults. The standard therapy, including chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy, has substantially improved the survival of EWS patients with localized disease. Unfortunately, this multimodal treatment remains elusive in clinics for those patients with recurrent or metastatic disease who have an unfavorable prognosis. Consistently, there is an urgent need to find new strategies for patients that fail to respond to standard therapies. In this regard, in the last decade, treatments targeting epigenetic dependencies in tumor cells and the immune system have emerged into the clinical scenario. Additionally, recent advances in nanomedicine provide novel delivery drug systems, which may address challenges such as side effects and toxicity. Therefore, therapeutic strategies stemming from epigenetics, immunology, and nanomedicine yield promising alternatives for treating these patients. In this review, we highlight the most relevant EWS preclinical and clinical studies in epigenetics, immunotherapy, and nanotherapy conducted in the last five years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Sánchez-Molina
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
- Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elisabet Figuerola-Bou
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
- Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Víctor Sánchez-Margalet
- Clinical Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
| | - Luis de la Cruz-Merino
- Oncology Service, Department of Medicines, School of Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
| | - Jaume Mora
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
- Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Enrique de Álava Casado
- Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/University of Seville/CIBERONC, 41013 Seville, Spain
- Pathology Unit, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/University of Seville/CIBERONC, 41013 Seville, Spain
- Department of Normal and Pathological Cytology and Histology, School of Medicine, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
| | - Daniel José García-Domínguez
- Clinical Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
- Oncology Service, Department of Medicines, School of Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
| | - Lourdes Hontecillas-Prieto
- Clinical Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
- Oncology Service, Department of Medicines, School of Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
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10
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Regulation of Metastasis in Ewing Sarcoma. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14194902. [PMID: 36230825 PMCID: PMC9563756 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14194902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma (EwS) is a type of bone and soft tissue tumor in children and adolescents. Over 85% of cases are caused by the expression of fusion protein EWSR1-FLI1 generated by chromosome translocation. Acting as a potent chimeric oncoprotein, EWSR1-FLI1 binds to chromatin, changes the epigenetic states, and thus alters the expression of a large set of genes. Several studies have revealed that the expression level of EWSR1-FLI1 is variable and dynamic within and across different EwS cell lines and primary tumors, leading to tumoral heterogeneity. Cells with high EWSR1-FLI1 expression (EWSR1-FLI1-high) proliferate in an exponential manner, whereas cells with low EWSR1-FLI1 expression (EWSR1-FLI1-low) tend to have a strong propensity to migrate, invade, and metastasize. Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The continuous evolution of EwS research has revealed some of the molecular underpinnings of this dissemination process. In this review, we discuss the molecular signatures that contribute to metastasis.
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11
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Abstract
Undifferentiated small round cell sarcomas (SRCSs) of bone and soft tissue comprise a heterogeneous group of highly aggressive tumours associated with a poor prognosis, especially in metastatic disease. SRCS entities mainly occur in the third decade of life and can exhibit striking disparities regarding preferentially affected sex and tumour localization. SRCSs comprise new entities defined by specific genetic abnormalities, namely EWSR1-non-ETS fusions, CIC-rearrangements or BCOR genetic alterations, as well as EWSR1-ETS fusions in the prototypic SRCS Ewing sarcoma. These gene fusions mainly encode aberrant oncogenic transcription factors that massively rewire the transcriptome and epigenome of the as yet unknown cell or cells of origin. Additional mutations or copy number variants are rare at diagnosis and, depending on the tumour entity, may involve TP53, CDKN2A and others. Histologically, these lesions consist of small round cells expressing variable levels of CD99 and specific marker proteins, including cyclin B3, ETV4, WT1, NKX3-1 and aggrecan, depending on the entity. Besides locoregional treatment that should follow standard protocols for sarcoma management, (neo)adjuvant treatment is as yet ill-defined but generally follows that of Ewing sarcoma and is associated with adverse effects that might compromise quality of life. Emerging studies on the molecular mechanisms of SRCSs and the development of genetically engineered animal models hold promise for improvements in early detection, disease monitoring, treatment-related toxicity, overall survival and quality of life.
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12
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Oxidative and Antioxidative Status Expressed as OSI Index and GSH/GSSG Ratio in Children with Bone Tumors after Anticancer Therapy Completion. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11061663. [PMID: 35329989 PMCID: PMC8955670 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11061663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Aims. There are no data on the redox status of children with bone tumors in complete disease remission. Therefore, the presented study examined the reduced/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio, total oxidant capacity (TOC) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) values as well as the oxidative stress index (OSI) for assessing alterations in the oxidant/antioxidant balance in 35 children with osteosarcoma or Ewing’s sarcoma after anticancer therapy completion (median 14 months) compared with a control group. Methods. GSH, GSSG, TOC, TAC concentrations and bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) activity were evaluated by immunoenzymatic (ELISA) and enzymatic methods. Results. We found no differences in serum BALP activity between all survivors with bone tumors and the control group. Patients with osteosarcoma after anticancer therapy completion had significantly higher values of TAC, GSH and the GSH/GSSG ratio as well as GSSG than healthy subjects. In patients with Ewing’s sarcoma, we found significantly higher values of TOC concentration compared with healthy children. In addition, survivors with Ewing’s sarcoma had higher TOC concentrations and OSI index values (p < 0.01), but a lower GSH/GSSG ratio (p < 0.05) than survivors with osteosarcoma. A positive correlation between TOC and the post-therapy period was observed in survivors. Conclusions. We found that in survivors with bone tumors, a disturbed balance between prooxidants and antioxidants persists after the completion of anticancer treatment. Moreover, an increased TOC value together with the post-therapy period may suggest increasing oxidative processes in survivors with bone tumors after treatment. Further observations will allow assessment of the relationship between the oxidant/antioxidant status and the predisposition of survivors to bone neoplastic disease recurrence.
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13
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Ramachandran B, Rajkumar T, Gopisetty G. Challenges in modeling EWS-FLI1-driven transgenic mouse model for Ewing sarcoma. Am J Transl Res 2021; 13:12181-12194. [PMID: 34956445 PMCID: PMC8661172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
EWS-FLI1 is a master regulator of Ewing sarcoma (ES) oncogenesis. Although EWS-FLI1 represents a clear therapeutic target, targeted therapeutic inhibitors are lacking. Scientific literature has indicated accumulating information pertaining to EWS-FLI1 translocation, pathogenesis, function, oncogenic partnerships, and potential clinical relevance. However, attempts to develop EWS-FLI1-driven human-like ES mouse models or in vivo systems ended up with limited success. Establishing such models as preclinical screening tools may accelerate the development of EWS-FLI1 targeted therapeutic inhibitors. This review summarizes the current scenario, which focuses on the limitations, challenges, and possible reasons for past failures in model development and also plausible interim alternatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balaji Ramachandran
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Institute (W.I.A) No. 38, Sardar Patel Road, Adyar, Chennai 600036, India
| | - Thangarajan Rajkumar
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Institute (W.I.A) No. 38, Sardar Patel Road, Adyar, Chennai 600036, India
| | - Gopal Gopisetty
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Institute (W.I.A) No. 38, Sardar Patel Road, Adyar, Chennai 600036, India
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14
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Kurata M, Onishi I, Takahara T, Yamazaki Y, Ishibashi S, Goitsuka R, Kitamura D, Takita J, Hayashi Y, Largaesapda DA, Kitagawa M, Nakamura T. C/EBPβ induces B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and cooperates with BLNK mutations. Cancer Sci 2021; 112:4920-4930. [PMID: 34653294 PMCID: PMC8645713 DOI: 10.1111/cas.15164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BLNK (BASH/SLP‐65) encodes an adaptor protein that plays an important role in B‐cell receptor (BCR) signaling. Loss‐of‐function mutations in this gene are observed in human pre‐B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and a subset of Blnk knock‐out (KO) mice develop pre‐B‐ALL. To understand the molecular mechanism of the Blnk mutation‐associated pre‐B‐ALL development, retroviral tagging was applied to KO mice using the Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV). The Blnk mutation that significantly accelerated the onset of MoMLV‐induced leukemia and increased the incidence of pre‐B‐ALL Cebpb was identified as a frequent site of retroviral integration, suggesting that its upregulation cooperates with Blnk mutations. Transgenic expression of the liver‐enriched activator protein (LAP) isoform of Cebpb reduced the number of mature B‐lymphocytes in the bone marrow and inhibited differentiation at the pre‐BI stage. Furthermore, LAP expression significantly accelerated leukemogenesis in Blnk KO mice and alone acted as a B‐cell oncogene. Furthermore, an inverse relationship between BLNK and C/EBPβ expression was also noted in human pre‐B‐ALL cases, and the high level of CEBPB expression was associated with short survival periods in patients with BLNK‐downregulated pre‐B‐ALL. These results indicate the association between the C/EBPβ transcriptional network and BCR signaling in pre‐B‐ALL development and leukemogenesis. This study gives insight into ALL progression and suggests that the BCR/C/EBPβ pathway can be a therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morito Kurata
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Comprehensive Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Iichiro Onishi
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Comprehensive Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomoko Takahara
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukari Yamazaki
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sachiko Ishibashi
- Department of Comprehensive Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryo Goitsuka
- Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda, Japan
| | - Daisuke Kitamura
- Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda, Japan
| | - Junko Takita
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yasuhide Hayashi
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Gunma Children's Medical Center, Shibukawa, Japan
| | - David A Largaesapda
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Masanobu Kitagawa
- Department of Comprehensive Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuro Nakamura
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
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15
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Sole A, Grossetête S, Heintzé M, Babin L, Zaïdi S, Revy P, Renouf B, De Cian A, Giovannangeli C, Pierre-Eugène C, Janoueix-Lerosey I, Couronné L, Kaltenbach S, Tomishima M, Jasin M, Grünewald TGP, Delattre O, Surdez D, Brunet E. Unraveling Ewing sarcoma tumorigenesis originating from patient-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Cancer Res 2021; 81:4994-5006. [PMID: 34341072 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-20-3837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma (EwS) is characterized by pathognomonic translocations, most frequently fusing EWSR1 with FLI1. An estimated 30% of EwS tumors also display genetic alterations in STAG2, TP53, or CDKN2A (SPC). Numerous attempts to develop relevant EwS models from primary human cells have been unsuccessful in faithfully recapitulating the phenotypic, transcriptomic and epigenetic features of EwS. In this study, by engineering the t(11;22)(q24;q12) translocation together with a combination of SPC mutations, we generated a wide collection of immortalized cells (EWIma cells) tolerating EWSR1-FLI1 expression from primary mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) derived from an EwS patient. Within this model, SPC alterations strongly favored EwS oncogenicity. Xenograft experiments with independent EWIma cells induced tumors and metastases in mice, which displayed bona fide features of EwS. EWIma cells presented balanced but also more complex translocation profiles mimicking chromoplexy, which is frequently observed in EwS and other cancers. Collectively, these results demonstrate that bone marrow-derived MSCs are a source of origin for EwS and also provide original experimental models to investigate Ewing sarcomagenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Sole
- Laboratory of Genome Dynamics in the Immune System,INSERM, UMR 1163, Imagine Institute for Genetic Diseases
| | | | - Maxime Heintzé
- Laboratory of Genome Dynamics in the Immune System,INSERM, UMR 1163, Imagine Institute for Genetic Diseases
| | | | | | | | | | - Anne De Cian
- INSERM U1154, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle
| | | | | | | | | | - Sophie Kaltenbach
- Cytogenetics, H�'pital Necker - Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique - H�'pitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Université Paris Descartes Sorbonne Cité
| | | | - Maria Jasin
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
| | - Thomas G P Grünewald
- Division of Translational Pediatric Sarcoma Research, German Cancer Research Center
| | - Olivier Delattre
- Genetics and biology of pediatric tumors, Institut Curie - Centre de Recherche
| | - Didier Surdez
- INSERM U830, Équipe Labellisé LNCC, PSL Université, SIREDO Oncology Centre, Institut Curie, Institute Curie
| | - Erika Brunet
- Laboratory of Genome Dynamics in the Immune System,INSERM, UMR 1163, Imagine Institute for Genetic Diseases
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16
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Tanaka M, Nakamura T. Modeling fusion gene-associated sarcoma: Advantages for understanding sarcoma biology and pathology. Pathol Int 2021; 71:643-654. [PMID: 34265156 DOI: 10.1111/pin.13142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Disease-specific gene fusions are reportedly major driver mutations in approximately 30% of bone and soft tissue sarcomas. Most fusion genes encode transcription factors or co-factors that regulate downstream target genes, altering cell growth, lineage commitment, and differentiation. Given the limitations of investigating their functions in vitro, the generation of mouse models expressing fusion genes in the appropriate cellular lineages is pivotal. Therefore, we generated a series of mouse models by introducing fusion genes into embryonic mesenchymal progenitors. This review describes mouse models of Ewing, synovial, alveolar soft part, and CIC-rearranged sarcomas. Furthermore, we describe the similarities between these models and their human counterparts. These models provide remarkable advantages to identify cells-of-origin, specific collaborators of fusion genes, angiogenesis key factors, or diagnostic biomarkers. Finally, we discuss the relationship between fusion proteins and the epigenetic background as well as the possible role of the super-enhancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miwa Tanaka
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuro Nakamura
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
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17
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Damerell V, Pepper MS, Prince S. Molecular mechanisms underpinning sarcomas and implications for current and future therapy. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2021; 6:246. [PMID: 34188019 PMCID: PMC8241855 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-021-00647-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Sarcomas are complex mesenchymal neoplasms with a poor prognosis. Their clinical management is highly challenging due to their heterogeneity and insensitivity to current treatments. Although there have been advances in understanding specific genomic alterations and genetic mutations driving sarcomagenesis, the underlying molecular mechanisms, which are likely to be unique for each sarcoma subtype, are not fully understood. This is in part due to a lack of consensus on the cells of origin, but there is now mounting evidence that they originate from mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs). To identify novel treatment strategies for sarcomas, research in recent years has adopted a mechanism-based search for molecular markers for targeted therapy which has included recapitulating sarcomagenesis using in vitro and in vivo MSC models. This review provides a comprehensive up to date overview of the molecular mechanisms that underpin sarcomagenesis, the contribution of MSCs to modelling sarcomagenesis in vivo, as well as novel topics such as the role of epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition (EMT)/mesenchymal-to-epithelial-transition (MET) plasticity, exosomes, and microRNAs in sarcomagenesis. It also reviews current therapeutic options including ongoing pre-clinical and clinical studies for targeted sarcoma therapy and discusses new therapeutic avenues such as targeting recently identified molecular pathways and key transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Damerell
- Division of Cell Biology, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Michael S Pepper
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Department of Immunology, SAMRC Extramural Unit for Stem Research and Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Sharon Prince
- Division of Cell Biology, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa.
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18
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Preclinical In Vivo Modeling of Pediatric Sarcoma-Promises and Limitations. J Clin Med 2021; 10:jcm10081578. [PMID: 33918045 PMCID: PMC8069549 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10081578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Pediatric sarcomas are an extremely heterogeneous group of genetically distinct diseases. Despite the increasing knowledge on their molecular makeup in recent years, true therapeutic advancements are largely lacking and prognosis often remains dim, particularly for relapsed and metastasized patients. Since this is largely due to the lack of suitable model systems as a prerequisite to develop and assess novel therapeutics, we here review the available approaches to model sarcoma in vivo. We focused on genetically engineered and patient-derived mouse models, compared strengths and weaknesses, and finally explored possibilities and limitations to utilize these models to advance both biological understanding as well as clinical diagnosis and therapy.
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19
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Kannan S, Lock I, Ozenberger BB, Jones KB. Genetic drivers and cells of origin in sarcomagenesis. J Pathol 2021; 254:474-493. [DOI: 10.1002/path.5617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarmishta Kannan
- Departments of Orthopaedics and Oncological Sciences Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine Salt Lake City UT USA
| | - Ian Lock
- Departments of Orthopaedics and Oncological Sciences Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine Salt Lake City UT USA
| | - Benjamin B Ozenberger
- Departments of Orthopaedics and Oncological Sciences Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine Salt Lake City UT USA
| | - Kevin B Jones
- Departments of Orthopaedics and Oncological Sciences Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine Salt Lake City UT USA
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20
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Abstract
Modeling Ewing sarcoma is challenging, since overexpression of EWS-FLI1 induces apoptosis and is not sufficient for tumor induction. It is therefore important to obtain the cell-of-origin of Ewing sarcoma that is tolerant of EWS-FLI1 expression. Here we describe the generation of the EWS-FLI1-expressing mouse model for Ewing sarcoma by selecting embryonic chondrogenic progenitor, eSZ cells that contain Ewing sarcoma precursors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miwa Tanaka
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuro Nakamura
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.
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21
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Identification of Novel Fusion Genes in Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma and Their Implication in the Generation of a Mouse Model. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12092345. [PMID: 32825119 PMCID: PMC7565474 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12092345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusion genes induced by chromosomal aberrations are common mutations causally associated with bone and soft tissue sarcomas (BSTS). These fusions are usually disease type-specific, and identification of the fusion genes greatly helps in making precise diagnoses and determining therapeutic directions. However, there are limitations in detecting unknown fusion genes or rare fusion variants when using standard fusion gene detection techniques, such as reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). In the present study, we have identified 19 novel fusion genes using target RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) in 55 cases of round or spindle cell sarcomas in which no fusion genes were detected by RT-PCR. Subsequent analysis using Sanger sequencing confirmed that seven out of 19 novel fusion genes would produce functional fusion proteins. Seven fusion genes detected in this study affect signal transduction and are ideal targets of small molecule inhibitors. YWHAE-NTRK3 expression in mouse embryonic mesenchymal cells (eMCs) induced spindle cell sarcoma, and the tumor was sensitive to the TRK inhibitor LOXO-101 both in vitro and in vivo. The combination of target RNA-seq and generation of an ex vivo mouse model expressing novel fusions provides important information both for sarcoma biology and the appropriate diagnosis of BSTS.
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22
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Oncogenic hijacking of a developmental transcription factor evokes vulnerability toward oxidative stress in Ewing sarcoma. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2423. [PMID: 32415069 PMCID: PMC7228971 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16244-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma (EwS) is an aggressive childhood cancer likely originating from mesenchymal stem cells or osteo-chondrogenic progenitors. It is characterized by fusion oncoproteins involving EWSR1 and variable members of the ETS-family of transcription factors (in 85% FLI1). EWSR1-FLI1 can induce target genes by using GGAA-microsatellites as enhancers. Here, we show that EWSR1-FLI1 hijacks the developmental transcription factor SOX6 – a physiological driver of proliferation of osteo-chondrogenic progenitors – by binding to an intronic GGAA-microsatellite, which promotes EwS growth in vitro and in vivo. Through integration of transcriptome-profiling, published drug-screening data, and functional in vitro and in vivo experiments including 3D and PDX models, we discover that constitutively high SOX6 expression promotes elevated levels of oxidative stress that create a therapeutic vulnerability toward the oxidative stress-inducing drug Elesclomol. Collectively, our results exemplify how aberrant activation of a developmental transcription factor by a dominant oncogene can promote malignancy, but provide opportunities for targeted therapy. Ewing sarcoma is characterized by the fusion of EWSR1 and FLI1. Here, the authors show that EWSR1-FLI1 increases the activity of the developmental transcription factor SOX6, which promotes tumor growth but also increases sensitivity to oxidative stress.
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23
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Kovar H, Bierbaumer L, Radic-Sarikas B. The YAP/TAZ Pathway in Osteogenesis and Bone Sarcoma Pathogenesis. Cells 2020; 9:E972. [PMID: 32326412 PMCID: PMC7227004 DOI: 10.3390/cells9040972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
YAP and TAZ are intracellular messengers communicating multiple interacting extracellular biophysical and biochemical cues to the transcription apparatus in the nucleus and back to the cell/tissue microenvironment interface through the regulation of cytoskeletal and extracellular matrix components. Their activity is negatively and positively controlled by multiple phosphorylation events. Phenotypically, they serve an important role in cellular plasticity and lineage determination during development. As they regulate self-renewal, proliferation, migration, invasion and differentiation of stem cells, perturbed expression of YAP/TAZ signaling components play important roles in tumorigenesis and metastasis. Despite their high structural similarity, YAP and TAZ are functionally not identical and may play distinct cell type and differentiation stage-specific roles mediated by a diversity of downstream effectors and upstream regulatory molecules. However, YAP and TAZ are frequently looked at as functionally redundant and are not sufficiently discriminated in the scientific literature. As the extracellular matrix composition and mechanosignaling are of particular relevance in bone formation during embryogenesis, post-natal bone elongation and bone regeneration, YAP/TAZ are believed to have critical functions in these processes. Depending on the differentiation stage of mesenchymal stem cells during endochondral bone development, YAP and TAZ serve distinct roles, which are also reflected in bone tumors arising from the mesenchymal lineage at different developmental stages. Efforts to clinically translate the wealth of available knowledge of the pathway for cancer diagnostic and therapeutic purposes focus mainly on YAP and TAZ expression and their role as transcriptional co-activators of TEAD transcription factors but rarely consider the expression and activity of pathway modulatory components and other transcriptional partners of YAP and TAZ. As there is a growing body of evidence for YAP and TAZ as potential therapeutic targets in several cancers, we here interrogate the applicability of this concept to bone tumors. To this end, this review aims to summarize our current knowledge of YAP and TAZ in cell plasticity, normal bone development and bone cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heinrich Kovar
- St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (L.B.); (B.R.-S.)
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical University Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Lisa Bierbaumer
- St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (L.B.); (B.R.-S.)
| | - Branka Radic-Sarikas
- St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (L.B.); (B.R.-S.)
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24
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Cooperation between SS18-SSX1 and miR-214 in Synovial Sarcoma Development and Progression. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12020324. [PMID: 32019274 PMCID: PMC7072427 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12020324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
SS18-SSX fusion proteins play a central role in synovial sarcoma development, although, the genetic network and mechanisms of synovial sarcomagenesis remain unknown. We established a new ex vivo synovial sarcoma mouse model through retroviral-mediated gene transfer of SS18-SSX1 into mouse embryonic mesenchymal cells followed by subcutaneous transplantation into nude mice. This approach successfully induced subcutaneous tumors in 100% recipients, showing invasive proliferation of short spindle tumor cells with occasional biphasic appearance. Cytokeratin expression was observed in epithelial components in tumors and expression of TLE1 and BCL2 was also shown. Gene expression profiling indicated SWI/SNF pathway modulation by SS18-SSX1 introduction into mesenchymal cells and Tle1 and Atf2 upregulation in tumors. These findings indicate that the model exhibits phenotypes typical of human synovial sarcoma. Retroviral tagging of the tumor identified 15 common retroviral integration sites within the Dnm3 locus as the most frequent in 30 mouse synovial sarcomas. miR-199a2 and miR-214 upregulation within the Dnm3 locus was observed. SS18-SSX1 and miR-214 cointroduction accelerated sarcoma onset, indicating that miR-214 is a cooperative oncomiR in synovial sarcomagenesis. miR-214 functions in a cell non-autonomous manner, promoting cytokine gene expression (e.g., Cxcl15/IL8). Our results emphasize the role of miR-214 in tumor development and disease progression.
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25
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Parsa C, Orlando R, Marcus M, Guo J, Rupani R. Highly aggressive undifferentiated small round blue cell tumor of foot with unique SMARCA1, KAT6A and NAV3 mutations. J Surg Case Rep 2019; 2019:rjz245. [PMID: 31807268 PMCID: PMC6889755 DOI: 10.1093/jscr/rjz245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Malignancies characterized histologically by high-grade monotonous small round blue cells (SRBCs) belong to a heterogeneous group of neoplasms often referred to as Ewing family of tumors. The most common molecular confirmation of these neoplasms is by fusions between EWSR1 gene on chromosome 22 and the ETS family of transcription factors, including FLI1 gene (11q24) and the ERG (21q22), that are implicated in the development of different tissues as well as cancer progression. In this article, we present a case of highly aggressive extraskeletal SRBC tumor involving the foot of a 24-year-old male with sole molecular findings of mutations in KAT6A, NAV3 and SMARCA1 genes with high expression of soft tissue markers (COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1) and MYC mRNA. To our knowledge, this unique mutational pattern has not previously been described in SRBCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyrus Parsa
- Department of Pathology, Western University of Health Sciences, 309 E. 2nd St., Pomona, CA, USA
| | - Robert Orlando
- Department of Pathology, Beverly Hospital, 309 W. Beverly Blvd., Montebello, CA, USA
| | - Michael Marcus
- Department of Surgery, Beverly Hospital, 309 W. Beverly Blvd., Montebello, CA, USA
| | - Jin Guo
- Department of Pathology, Western University of Health Sciences, 309 E. 2nd St., Pomona, CA, USA
| | - Ravin Rupani
- Department of Internal Medicine, Oncology, Beverly Hospital, 309 W. Beverly Blvd., Montebello, CA, USA
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26
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The Regulation of Bone Metabolism and Disorders by Wnt Signaling. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20225525. [PMID: 31698687 PMCID: PMC6888566 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20225525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 197] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 11/03/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt, a secreted glycoprotein, has an approximate molecular weight of 40 kDa, and it is a cytokine involved in various biological phenomena including ontogeny, morphogenesis, carcinogenesis, and maintenance of stem cells. The Wnt signaling pathway can be classified into two main pathways: canonical and non-canonical. Of these, the canonical Wnt signaling pathway promotes osteogenesis. Sclerostin produced by osteocytes is an inhibitor of this pathway, thereby inhibiting osteogenesis. Recently, osteoporosis treatment using an anti-sclerostin therapy has been introduced. In this review, the basics of Wnt signaling, its role in bone metabolism and its involvement in skeletal disorders have been covered. Furthermore, the clinical significance and future scopes of Wnt signaling in osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and neoplasia are discussed.
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27
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Kyriazoglou A, Tsironis G, Liontos M, Papakosta A, Mahaira L, Thomakos N, Morphopoulos G, Papaspyrou I, Bamias A. Ewing's sarcoma of the cervix: A case report of an unusual diagnosis in pregnancy treated with surgery, adjuvant VIDE and radiotherapy. Oncol Lett 2019; 17:5529-5535. [PMID: 31186774 PMCID: PMC6507342 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2019.10267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing's sarcoma of the cervix is a rare entity and presents with considerable challenges in diagnosis and therapy. Herein, we report a case of a cervical Ewing's sarcoma presenting with FIGO stage Ib, diagnosed during the first trimester of the patient's pregnancy. Imaging with CT scans, MRI of her abdomen and PET-CT verified the locoregional extension of the tumor. The diagnosis was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and molecular analysis. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and RT-PCR detected the pathognomonic EWS/FLI fusion gene. Favorable prognostic factors regarding the stage, clinocopathological and molecular characteristics of the tumor are also described. Due to the rarity of the disease, at present, there is no universal consensus on the optimal therapeutic approach. The literature has been reviewed and the therapeutic schemes and available clinical data have been discussed. The patient presented in this case report was treated aggressively with tri-modality therapy and underwent radical hysterectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy with Vincristine-Ifosfamide-Doxorubicin-Etoposide and radiotherapy. The patient remains free of this disease 42 months following the diagnosis of her tumor.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Georgios Tsironis
- Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, 11528 Athens, Greece
| | - Michalis Liontos
- Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, 11528 Athens, Greece
| | - Alexandra Papakosta
- Department of Genetics, Agios Savvas Hospital, Alexandra Hospital, 11528 Athens, Greece
| | - Luisa Mahaira
- Department of Genetics, Agios Savvas Hospital, Alexandra Hospital, 11528 Athens, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Thomakos
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Alexandra Hospital, 11528 Athens, Greece
| | | | - Irene Papaspyrou
- Department of Pathology, Alexandra Hospital, 11528 Athens, Greece
| | - Aristotelis Bamias
- Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, 11528 Athens, Greece
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28
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Carmagnani Pestana R, Groisberg R, Roszik J, Subbiah V. Precision Oncology in Sarcomas: Divide and Conquer. JCO Precis Oncol 2019; 3:PO.18.00247. [PMID: 32914012 PMCID: PMC7446356 DOI: 10.1200/po.18.00247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of rare malignancies that exhibit remarkable heterogeneity, with more than 50 subtypes recognized. Advances in next-generation sequencing technology have resulted in the discovery of genetic events in these mesenchymal tumors, which in addition to enhancing understanding of the biology, have opened up avenues for molecularly targeted therapy and immunotherapy. This review focuses on how incorporation of next-generation sequencing has affected drug development in sarcomas and strategies for optimizing precision oncology for these rare cancers. In a significant percentage of soft tissue sarcomas, which represent up to 40% of all sarcomas, specific driver molecular abnormalities have been identified. The challenge to evaluate these mutations across rare cancer subtypes requires the careful characterization of these genetic alterations to further define compelling drivers with therapeutic implications. Novel models of clinical trial design also are needed. This shift would entail sustained efforts by the sarcoma community to move from one-size-fits-all trials, in which all sarcomas are treated similarly, to divide-and-conquer subtype-specific strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Roman Groisberg
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Jason Roszik
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Vivek Subbiah
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
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29
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Anatomic Origin of Osteochondrogenic Progenitors Impacts Sensitivity to EWS-FLI1-Induced Transformation. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11030313. [PMID: 30845695 PMCID: PMC6468467 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11030313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcomas predominantly arise in pelvic and stylopod bones (i.e., femur and humerus), likely as a consequence of EWS-FLI1 oncogene-induced transformation of mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSCs). MSCs located in the embryonic superficial zone cells (eSZ) of limbs express anatomically distinct posterior Hox genes. Significantly, high expression of posterior HOXD genes, especially HOXD13, is a hallmark of Ewing sarcoma. These data drove our hypothesis that Hox genes in posterior skeleton MSCs contribute to Ewing sarcoma tumorigenesis. We isolated eSZ cells from stylopod and zeugopod (i.e., tibia/fibula, radius/ulna) bones, from wild-type and Hoxd13 mutant embryos, and tested the impact of EWS-FLI1 transduction on cell proliferation, gene expression, and tumorigenicity. Our data demonstrate that both stylopod and zeugopod eSZ cells tolerate EWS-FLI1 but that stylopod eSZ cells are relatively more susceptible, demonstrating changes in proliferation and gene expression consistent with initiation of malignant transformation. Significantly, loss of Hoxd13 had no impact, showing that it is dispensable for the initiation of EWS-FLI1-induced transformation in mouse MSCs. These findings show that MSCs from anatomically distinct sites are differentially susceptible to EWS-FLI1-induced transformation, supporting the premise that the dominant presentation of Ewing sarcoma in pelvic and stylopod bones is attributable to anatomically-defined differences in MSCs.
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30
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Fleming JT, Brignola E, Chen L, Guo Y, Zhao S, Wang Q, Li B, Correa H, Ermilov AN, Dlugosz AA, Chiang C. Insight into the Etiology of Undifferentiated Soft Tissue Sarcomas from a Novel Mouse Model. Mol Cancer Res 2019; 17:1024-1035. [PMID: 30683671 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-18-0117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Aberrant activation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway has been linked to the formation of numerous cancer types, including the myogenic soft tissue sarcoma, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (eRMS). Here, we report PCG2, a novel mouse model in which human GLI2A, a constitutive activator of Hedgehog signaling, induced undifferentiated sarcomas that were phenotypically divergent from eRMS. Rather, sarcomas arising in PCG2 mice featured some characteristics that were reminiscent of Ewing sarcoma. Even though it is widely understood that Ewing sarcoma formation is driven by EWS-ETS gene fusions, a genetically defined mouse model is not well-established. While EWS-ETS gene fusions were not present in PCG2 sarcomas, precluding their designation as Ewing sarcoma, we did find that GLI2A induced expression of known EWS-ETS gene targets essential to Ewing pathogenesis, most notably, Nkx2.2. Moreover, we found that naïve mesenchymal progenitors originate tumors in PCG2 mice. Altogether, our work provides a novel genetic mouse model, which directly connects oncogenic Hedgehog activity to the etiology of undifferentiated soft tissue sarcomas for the first time. IMPLICATIONS: The finding that activation of Gli2 transcription factor is sufficient to induce Ewing-like sarcomas provides a direct transformative role of the Hedgehog signaling pathway in undifferentiated soft tissue sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan T Fleming
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Emily Brignola
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Lei Chen
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Yan Guo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Shilin Zhao
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Quan Wang
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Bingshan Li
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Hernán Correa
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Alexandre N Ermilov
- Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Andrzej A Dlugosz
- Departments of Dermatology and Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Chin Chiang
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.
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31
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Tavakkoli M, Mueller L. Cutaneous Ewing Sarcoma and Ewing Sarcoma of the Bone: Distinct Diseases. Case Rep Oncol 2018; 11:729-734. [PMID: 30519175 PMCID: PMC6276761 DOI: 10.1159/000492667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma is an aggressive mesenchymal malignancy. It is the second most common bone tumor among children and adolescents and less commonly presents as a soft tissue or primary skin lesion. Cutaneous Ewing sarcoma has only been reported in case reports and case series. In this article, we describe a 12-year-old Hispanic female cured of localized, cutaneous Ewing sarcoma (pT1aN0M0) at the 40-month follow-up following surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy according to the COG AEWS1031 protocol for Ewing sarcoma of the bone. To our knowledge, this is the first article to provide a potential biological explanation for the differences in the prognosis of Ewing sarcoma of the bone, soft tissue, and skin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Montreh Tavakkoli
- New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
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32
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Namatame N, Tamaki N, Yoshizawa Y, Okamura M, Nishimura Y, Yamazaki K, Tanaka M, Nakamura T, Semba K, Yamori T, Yaguchi SI, Dan S. Antitumor profile of the PI3K inhibitor ZSTK474 in human sarcoma cell lines. Oncotarget 2018; 9:35141-35161. [PMID: 30416685 PMCID: PMC6205545 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.26216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Treatment of patients with advanced sarcoma remains challenging due to lack of effective medicine, with the development of novel drugs being of keen interest. A pan-PI3K inhibitor, ZSTK474, has been evaluated in clinical trials against a range of advanced solid tumors, with clinical benefit shown in sarcoma patients. In the present study, we developed a panel of 14 human sarcoma cell lines and investigated the antitumor effect of 24 anticancer agents including ZSTK474, other PI3K inhibitors, and those clinically used for sarcoma treatment. ZSTK474 exhibited a similar antiproliferative profile to other PI3K inhibitors but was clearly different from the other drugs examined. Indeed, ZSTK474 inhibited PI3K-downstream pathways, in parallel to growth inhibition, in all cell lines examined, showing proof-of-concept of PI3K inhibition. In addition, ZSTK474 induced apoptosis selectively in Ewing's sarcoma (RD-ES and A673), alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (SJCRH30) and synovial sarcoma (SYO-1, Aska-SS and Yamato-SS) cell lines, all of which harbor chromosomal translocation and resulting oncogenic fusion genes, EWSR1-FLI1, PAX3-FOXO1 and SS18-SSX, respectively. Finally, animal experiments confirmed the antitumor activity of ZSTK474 in vivo, with superior efficacy observed in translocation-positive cells. These results suggest that ZSTK474 could be a promising drug candidate for treating sarcomas, especially those harboring chromosomal translocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nachi Namatame
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.,R&D Center, Zenyaku Kogyo Co. Ltd, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naomi Tamaki
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuya Yoshizawa
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mutsumi Okamura
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yumiko Nishimura
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kanami Yamazaki
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Miwa Tanaka
- Division of Carcinogenesis, Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuro Nakamura
- Division of Carcinogenesis, Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kentaro Semba
- Department of Life Science and Medical Bioscience, School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takao Yamori
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.,Present address: Center for Product Evaluation, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichi Yaguchi
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.,R&D Center, Zenyaku Kogyo Co. Ltd, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shingo Dan
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
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33
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Shimizu R, Tanaka M, Tsutsumi S, Aburatani H, Yamazaki Y, Homme M, Kitagawa Y, Nakamura T. EWS-FLI1 regulates a transcriptional program in cooperation with Foxq1 in mouse Ewing sarcoma. Cancer Sci 2018; 109:2907-2918. [PMID: 29945296 PMCID: PMC6125457 DOI: 10.1111/cas.13710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
EWS-FLI1 constitutes an oncogenic transcription factor that plays key roles in Ewing sarcoma development and maintenance. We have recently succeeded in generating an ex vivo mouse model for Ewing sarcoma by introducing EWS-FLI1 into embryonic osteochondrogenic progenitors. The model well recapitulates the biological characteristics, small round cell morphology, and gene expression profiles of human Ewing sarcoma. Here, we clarified the global DNA binding properties of EWS-FLI1 in mouse Ewing sarcoma. GGAA microsatellites were found to serve as binding sites of EWS-FLI1 albeit with less frequency than that in human Ewing sarcoma; moreover, genomic distribution was not conserved between human and mouse. Nevertheless, EWS-FLI1 binding sites within GGAA microsatellites were frequently associated with the histone H3K27Ac enhancer mark, suggesting that EWS-FLI1 could affect global gene expression by binding its target sites. In particular, the Fox transcription factor binding motif was frequently observed within EWS-FLI1 peaks and Foxq1 was identified as the cooperative partner that interacts with the EWS portion of EWS-FLI1. Trib1 and Nrg1 were demonstrated as target genes that are co-regulated by EWS-FLI1 and Foxq1, and are important for cell proliferation and survival of Ewing sarcoma. Collectively, our findings present novel aspects of EWS-FLI1 function as well as the importance of GGAA microsatellites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rikuka Shimizu
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Oral Diagnosis and Medicine, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Miwa Tanaka
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shuichi Tsutsumi
- Genome Science Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Aburatani
- Genome Science Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukari Yamazaki
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mizuki Homme
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshimasa Kitagawa
- Department of Oral Diagnosis and Medicine, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Takuro Nakamura
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
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34
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Grünewald TGP, Cidre-Aranaz F, Surdez D, Tomazou EM, de Álava E, Kovar H, Sorensen PH, Delattre O, Dirksen U. Ewing sarcoma. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2018; 4:5. [PMID: 29977059 DOI: 10.1038/s41572-018-0003-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 442] [Impact Index Per Article: 73.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma is the second most frequent bone tumour of childhood and adolescence that can also arise in soft tissue. Ewing sarcoma is a highly aggressive cancer, with a survival of 70-80% for patients with standard-risk and localized disease and ~30% for those with metastatic disease. Treatment comprises local surgery, radiotherapy and polychemotherapy, which are associated with acute and chronic adverse effects that may compromise quality of life in survivors. Histologically, Ewing sarcomas are composed of small round cells expressing high levels of CD99. Genetically, they are characterized by balanced chromosomal translocations in which a member of the FET gene family is fused with an ETS transcription factor, with the most common fusion being EWSR1-FLI1 (85% of cases). Ewing sarcoma breakpoint region 1 protein (EWSR1)-Friend leukaemia integration 1 transcription factor (FLI1) is a tumour-specific chimeric transcription factor (EWSR1-FLI1) with neomorphic effects that massively rewires the transcriptome. Additionally, EWSR1-FLI1 reprogrammes the epigenome by inducing de novo enhancers at GGAA microsatellites and by altering the state of gene regulatory elements, creating a unique epigenetic signature. Additional mutations at diagnosis are rare and mainly involve STAG2, TP53 and CDKN2A deletions. Emerging studies on the molecular mechanisms of Ewing sarcoma hold promise for improvements in early detection, disease monitoring, lower treatment-related toxicity, overall survival and quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G P Grünewald
- Max-Eder Research Group for Pediatric Sarcoma Biology, Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany. .,Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany. .,German Cancer Consortium, partner site Munich, Munich, Germany. .,German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Florencia Cidre-Aranaz
- Max-Eder Research Group for Pediatric Sarcoma Biology, Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany. .,Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany. .,German Cancer Consortium, partner site Munich, Munich, Germany. .,German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Didier Surdez
- INSERM U830, Équipe Labellisé LNCC, PSL Université, SIREDO Oncology Centre, Institut Curie, Paris, France
| | - Eleni M Tomazou
- Children's Cancer Research Institute, St Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Vienna, Austria
| | - Enrique de Álava
- Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, Virgen del Rocío University Hospital/CSIC/University of Seville/CIBERONC, Seville, Spain
| | - Heinrich Kovar
- Children's Cancer Research Institute, St Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Pediatrics, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Poul H Sorensen
- British Columbia Cancer Research Centre and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Olivier Delattre
- INSERM U830, Équipe Labellisé LNCC, PSL Université, SIREDO Oncology Centre, Institut Curie, Paris, France
| | - Uta Dirksen
- German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.,Cooperative Ewing Sarcoma Study group, Essen University Hospital, Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium, partner site Essen, Essen, Germany
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35
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Hoang NT, Acevedo LA, Mann MJ, Tolani B. A review of soft-tissue sarcomas: translation of biological advances into treatment measures. Cancer Manag Res 2018; 10:1089-1114. [PMID: 29785138 PMCID: PMC5955018 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s159641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Soft-tissue sarcomas are rare malignant tumors arising from connective tissues and have an overall incidence of about five per 100,000 per year. While this diverse family of malignancies comprises over 100 histological subtypes and many molecular aberrations are prevalent within specific sarcomas, very few are therapeutically targeted. Instead of utilizing molecular signatures, first-line sarcoma treatment options are still limited to traditional surgery and chemotherapy, and many of the latter remain largely ineffective and are plagued by disease resistance. Currently, the mechanism of sarcoma oncogenesis remains largely unknown, thus necessitating a better understanding of pathogenesis. Although substantial progress has not occurred with molecularly targeted therapies over the past 30 years, increased knowledge about sarcoma biology could lead to new and more effective treatment strategies to move the field forward. Here, we discuss biological advances in the core molecular determinants in some of the most common soft-tissue sarcomas - liposarcoma, angiosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, and synovial sarcoma - with an emphasis on emerging genomic and molecular pathway targets and immunotherapeutic treatment strategies to combat this confounding disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngoc T Hoang
- Thoracic Oncology Program, Department of Surgery, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Luis A Acevedo
- Thoracic Oncology Program, Department of Surgery, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Michael J Mann
- Thoracic Oncology Program, Department of Surgery, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Bhairavi Tolani
- Thoracic Oncology Program, Department of Surgery, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
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36
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Minas TZ, Surdez D, Javaheri T, Tanaka M, Howarth M, Kang HJ, Han J, Han ZY, Sax B, Kream BE, Hong SH, Çelik H, Tirode F, Tuckermann J, Toretsky JA, Kenner L, Kovar H, Lee S, Sweet-Cordero EA, Nakamura T, Moriggl R, Delattre O, Üren A. Combined experience of six independent laboratories attempting to create an Ewing sarcoma mouse model. Oncotarget 2018; 8:34141-34163. [PMID: 27191748 PMCID: PMC5470957 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.9388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Accepted: 05/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma (ES) involves a tumor-specific chromosomal translocation that produces the EWS-FLI1 protein, which is required for the growth of ES cells both in vitro and in vivo. However, an EWS-FLI1-driven transgenic mouse model is not currently available. Here, we present data from six independent laboratories seeking an alternative approach to express EWS-FLI1 in different murine tissues. We used the Runx2, Col1a2.3, Col1a3.6, Prx1, CAG, Nse, NEFL, Dermo1, P0, Sox9 and Osterix promoters to target EWS-FLI1 or Cre expression. Additional approaches included the induction of an endogenous chromosomal translocation, in utero knock-in, and the injection of Cre-expressing adenovirus to induce EWS-FLI1 expression locally in multiple lineages. Most models resulted in embryonic lethality or developmental defects. EWS-FLI1-induced apoptosis, promoter leakiness, the lack of potential cofactors, and the difficulty of expressing EWS-FLI1 in specific sites were considered the primary reasons for the failed attempts to create a transgenic mouse model of ES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsion Zewdu Minas
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Didier Surdez
- Genetics and Biology of Cancers Unit, Institut Curie Research Center, PSL Research University, Île-de-France, Paris, France.,INSERM U830, Institut Curie Research Center, Île-de-France, Paris, France
| | | | - Miwa Tanaka
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Michelle Howarth
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States of America
| | - Hong-Jun Kang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
| | - Jenny Han
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Zhi-Yan Han
- Genetics and Biology of Cancers Unit, Institut Curie Research Center, PSL Research University, Île-de-France, Paris, France.,INSERM U830, Institut Curie Research Center, Île-de-France, Paris, France
| | - Barbara Sax
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research, Vienna, Austria
| | - Barbara E Kream
- Department of Medicine, and Genetics and Genome Sciences, University of Connecticut Health Science Center, Farmington, CT, United States of America
| | - Sung-Hyeok Hong
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Haydar Çelik
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Franck Tirode
- Genetics and Biology of Cancers Unit, Institut Curie Research Center, PSL Research University, Île-de-France, Paris, France.,INSERM U830, Institut Curie Research Center, Île-de-France, Paris, France
| | - Jan Tuckermann
- Institute of Comparative Molecular Endocrinology (CME), University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Jeffrey A Toretsky
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Lukas Kenner
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research, Vienna, Austria.,Clinical Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Pathology of Laboratory Animals (UPLA), University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Heinrich Kovar
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Children´s Cancer Research Institute, St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sean Lee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
| | - E Alejandro Sweet-Cordero
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States of America
| | - Takuro Nakamura
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Richard Moriggl
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research, Vienna, Austria.,Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.,Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Olivier Delattre
- Genetics and Biology of Cancers Unit, Institut Curie Research Center, PSL Research University, Île-de-France, Paris, France.,INSERM U830, Institut Curie Research Center, Île-de-France, Paris, France.,Unité de génétique somatique, Institut Curie, Île-de-France, Paris, France
| | - Aykut Üren
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States of America
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37
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Brown HK, Schiavone K, Gouin F, Heymann MF, Heymann D. Biology of Bone Sarcomas and New Therapeutic Developments. Calcif Tissue Int 2018; 102:174-195. [PMID: 29238848 PMCID: PMC5805807 DOI: 10.1007/s00223-017-0372-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Bone sarcomas are tumours belonging to the family of mesenchymal tumours and constitute a highly heterogeneous tumour group. The three main bone sarcomas are osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma and chondrosarcoma each subdivided in diverse histological entities. They are clinically characterised by a relatively high morbidity and mortality, especially in children and adolescents. Although these tumours are histologically, molecularly and genetically heterogeneous, they share a common involvement of the local microenvironment in their pathogenesis. This review gives a brief overview of their specificities and summarises the main therapeutic advances in the field of bone sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah K Brown
- Department of Oncology and Metabolism, Medical School, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield, S10 2RX, UK
- European Associated Laboratory, "Sarcoma Research Unit", INSERM, Medical School, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield, S10 2RX, UK
| | - Kristina Schiavone
- Department of Oncology and Metabolism, Medical School, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield, S10 2RX, UK
- European Associated Laboratory, "Sarcoma Research Unit", INSERM, Medical School, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield, S10 2RX, UK
| | - François Gouin
- European Associated Laboratory, "Sarcoma Research Unit", Faculty of Medicine, INSERM, UMR1238, INSERM, Nantes, France
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Nantes, 44035, Nantes, France
| | - Marie-Françoise Heymann
- Department of Oncology and Metabolism, Medical School, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield, S10 2RX, UK
- Institut de Cancérologie de l'Ouest, site René Gauducheau, INSERM, UMR 1232, 44805, Saint-Herblain, France
- European Associated Laboratory, "Sarcoma Research Unit", INSERM, Medical School, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield, S10 2RX, UK
| | - Dominique Heymann
- Department of Oncology and Metabolism, Medical School, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield, S10 2RX, UK.
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Nantes, 44035, Nantes, France.
- Institut de Cancérologie de l'Ouest, site René Gauducheau, INSERM, UMR 1232, 44805, Saint-Herblain, France.
- European Associated Laboratory, "Sarcoma Research Unit", INSERM, Medical School, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield, S10 2RX, UK.
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38
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Hernandez-Muñoz I, Figuerola E, Sanchez-Molina S, Rodriguez E, Fernández-Mariño AI, Pardo-Pastor C, Bahamonde MI, Fernández-Fernández JM, García-Domínguez DJ, Hontecillas-Prieto L, Lavarino C, Carcaboso AM, de Torres C, Tirado OM, de Alava E, Mora J. RING1B contributes to Ewing sarcoma development by repressing the NaV1.6 sodium channel and the NF-κB pathway, independently of the fusion oncoprotein. Oncotarget 2018; 7:46283-46300. [PMID: 27317769 PMCID: PMC5216798 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.10092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2015] [Accepted: 05/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma (ES) is an aggressive tumor defined by EWSR1 gene fusions that behave as an oncogene. Here we demonstrate that RING1B is highly expressed in primary ES tumors, and its expression is independent of the fusion oncogene. RING1B-depleted ES cells display an expression profile enriched in genes functionally involved in hematological development but RING1B depletion does not induce cellular differentiation. In ES cells, RING1B directly binds the SCN8A sodium channel promoter and its depletion results in enhanced Nav1.6 expression and function. The signaling pathway most significantly modulated by RING1B is NF-κB. RING1B depletion results in enhanced p105/p50 expression, which sensitizes ES cells to apoptosis by FGFR/SHP2/STAT3 blockade. Reduced NaV1.6 function protects ES cells from apoptotic cell death by maintaining low NF-κB levels. Our findings identify RING1B as a trait of the cell-of-origin and provide a potential targetable vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elisabeth Figuerola
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, 08950-Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sara Sanchez-Molina
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, 08950-Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eva Rodriguez
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, 08950-Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ana Isabel Fernández-Mariño
- Laboratori de Fisiologia Molecular, Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003-Barcelona, Spain.,Present Affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Biomolecular Chemistry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison-53705, USA
| | - Carlos Pardo-Pastor
- Laboratori de Fisiologia Molecular, Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003-Barcelona, Spain
| | - María Isabel Bahamonde
- Laboratori de Fisiologia Molecular, Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003-Barcelona, Spain
| | - José M Fernández-Fernández
- Laboratori de Fisiologia Molecular, Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003-Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel J García-Domínguez
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocio/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, 41013-Seville, Spain
| | - Lourdes Hontecillas-Prieto
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocio/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, 41013-Seville, Spain
| | - Cinzia Lavarino
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, 08950-Barcelona, Spain
| | - Angel M Carcaboso
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, 08950-Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carmen de Torres
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, 08950-Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oscar M Tirado
- Sarcoma Research Group, Laboratori d'Oncología Molecular, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08908-Barcelona, Spain
| | - Enrique de Alava
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocio/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, 41013-Seville, Spain
| | - Jaume Mora
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, 08950-Barcelona, Spain
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39
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von Heyking K, Roth L, Ertl M, Schmidt O, Calzada-Wack J, Neff F, Lawlor ER, Burdach S, Richter GH. The posterior HOXD locus: Its contribution to phenotype and malignancy of Ewing sarcoma. Oncotarget 2018; 7:41767-41780. [PMID: 27363011 PMCID: PMC5173095 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.9702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 05/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Microarray analysis revealed genes of the posterior HOXD locus normally involved in bone formation to be over-expressed in primary Ewing sarcoma (ES). The expression of posterior HOXD genes was not influenced via ES pathognomonic EWS/ETS translocations. However, knock down of the dickkopf WNT signaling pathway inhibitor 2 (DKK2) resulted in a significant suppression of HOXD10, HOXD11 and HOXD13 while over-expression of DKK2 and stimulation with factors of the WNT signaling pathway such as WNT3a, WNT5a or WNT11 increased their expression. RNA interference demonstrated that individual HOXD genes promoted chondrogenic differentiation potential, and enhanced expression of the bone-associated gene RUNX2. Furthermore, HOXD genes increased the level of the osteoblast- and osteoclast-specific genes, osteocalcin (BGLAP) and platelet-derived growth factor beta polypeptide (PDGFB), and may further regulate endochondral bone development via induction of parathyroid hormone-like hormone (PTHLH). Additionally, HOXD11 and HOXD13 promoted contact independent growth of ES, while in vitro invasiveness of ES lines was enhanced by all 3 HOXD genes investigated and seemed mediated via matrix metallopeptidase 1 (MMP1). Consequently, knock down of HOXD11 or HOXD13 significantly suppressed lung metastasis in a xeno-transplant model in immune deficient mice, providing overall evidence that posterior HOXD genes promote clonogenicity and metastatic potential of ES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina von Heyking
- Laboratory for Functional Genomics and Transplantation Biology, Children's Cancer Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCCM), and German Translational Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Munich, Germany
| | - Laura Roth
- Laboratory for Functional Genomics and Transplantation Biology, Children's Cancer Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCCM), and German Translational Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Munich, Germany
| | - Miriam Ertl
- Laboratory for Functional Genomics and Transplantation Biology, Children's Cancer Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCCM), and German Translational Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Munich, Germany
| | - Oxana Schmidt
- Laboratory for Functional Genomics and Transplantation Biology, Children's Cancer Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCCM), and German Translational Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Munich, Germany
| | - Julia Calzada-Wack
- Institute of Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Frauke Neff
- Institute of Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Elizabeth R Lawlor
- Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Stefan Burdach
- Laboratory for Functional Genomics and Transplantation Biology, Children's Cancer Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCCM), and German Translational Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Munich, Germany
| | - Guenther Hs Richter
- Laboratory for Functional Genomics and Transplantation Biology, Children's Cancer Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCCM), and German Translational Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Munich, Germany
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40
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Regulation of influenza virus replication by Wnt/β-catenin signaling. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0191010. [PMID: 29324866 PMCID: PMC5764324 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 12/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Wnt/β-catenin signaling is an essential pathway in cell cycle control. Dysregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway during viral infection has been reported. In this study, we examined the effect of modulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling during influenza virus infection. The activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by Wnt3a increased influenza virus mRNA and virus production in in vitro in mouse lung epithelial E10 cells and mRNA expresson of influenza virus genes in vivo in the lungs of mice infected with influenza virus A/Puerto Rico/8/34. However, the inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by iCRT14 reduced virus titer and viral gene expression in human lung epithelial A549 cells and viral replication in primary mouse alveolar epithelial cells infected with different influenza virus strains. Knockdown of β-catenin also reduced viral protein expression and virus production. iCRT14 acts at the early stage of virus replication. Treatment with iCRT14 inhibited the expression of the viral genes (vRNA, cRNA and mRNA) evaluated in this study. The intraperitoneal administration of iCRT14 reduced viral load, improved clinical signs, and partially protected mice from influenza virus infection.
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41
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Tanaka M, Yoshimoto T, Nakamura T. A double-edged sword: The world according to Capicua in cancer. Cancer Sci 2017; 108:2319-2325. [PMID: 28985030 PMCID: PMC5715262 DOI: 10.1111/cas.13413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Revised: 09/24/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
CIC/Capicua is an HMG‐box transcription factor that is well conserved during evolution. CIC recognizes the T(G/C)AATG(A/G)A sequence and represses its target genes, such as PEA3 family genes. The receptor tyrosine kinase/RAS/MAPK signals downregulate CIC and relieves CIC's target genes from the transrepressional activity; CIC thus acts as an important downstream molecule of the pathway and as a tumor suppressor. CIC loss‐of‐function mutations are frequently observed in several human neoplasms such as oligodendroglioma, and lung and gastric carcinoma. CIC is also involved in chromosomal translocation‐associated gene fusions in highly aggressive small round cell sarcoma that is biologically and clinically distinct from Ewing sarcoma. In these mutations, PEA3 family genes and other important target genes are upregulated, inducing malignant phenotypes. Downregulation of CIC abrogates the effect of MAPK inhibitors, suggesting its potential role as an important modifier of molecular target therapies for cancer. These data reveal the importance of CIC as a key molecule in signal transduction, carcinogenesis, and developing novel therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miwa Tanaka
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toyoki Yoshimoto
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Pathology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuro Nakamura
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
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42
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von Heyking K, Calzada-Wack J, Göllner S, Neff F, Schmidt O, Hensel T, Schirmer D, Fasan A, Esposito I, Müller-Tidow C, Sorensen PH, Burdach S, Richter GHS. The endochondral bone protein CHM1 sustains an undifferentiated, invasive phenotype, promoting lung metastasis in Ewing sarcoma. Mol Oncol 2017; 11:1288-1301. [PMID: 28319320 PMCID: PMC5579336 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Revised: 02/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcomas (ES) are highly malignant, osteolytic bone or soft tissue tumors, which are characterized by EWS–ETS translocations and early metastasis to lung and bone. In this study, we investigated the role of the BRICHOS chaperone domain‐containing endochondral bone protein chondromodulin I (CHM1) in ES pathogenesis. CHM1 is significantly overexpressed in ES, and chromosome immunoprecipitation (ChIP) data demonstrate CHM1 to be directly bound by an EWS–ETS translocation, EWS‐FLI1. Using RNA interference, we observed that CHM1 promoted chondrogenic differentiation capacity of ES cells but decreased the expression of osteolytic genes such as HIF1A,IL6,JAG1, and VEGF. This was in line with the induction of the number of tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP+)‐stained osteoclasts in an orthotopic model of local tumor growth after CHM1 knockdown, indicating that CHM1‐mediated inhibition of osteomimicry might play a role in homing, colonization, and invasion into bone tissues. We further demonstrate that CHM1 enhanced the invasive potential of ES cells in vitro. This invasiveness was in part mediated via CHM1‐regulated matrix metallopeptidase 9 expression and correlated with the observation that, in an xenograft mouse model, CHM1 was essential for the establishment of lung metastases. This finding is in line with the observed increase in CHM1 expression in patient specimens with ES lung metastases. Our results suggest that CHM1 seems to have pleiotropic functions in ES, which need to be further investigated, but appears to be essential for the invasive and metastatic capacities of ES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina von Heyking
- Laboratory for Functional Genomics and Transplantation Biology, Children's Cancer Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich (CCCM), German Translational Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Munich, Germany
| | - Julia Calzada-Wack
- Institute of Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Centre for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Stefanie Göllner
- Department of Medicine IV, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Halle, Germany
| | - Frauke Neff
- Institute of Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Centre for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Oxana Schmidt
- Laboratory for Functional Genomics and Transplantation Biology, Children's Cancer Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich (CCCM), German Translational Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Munich, Germany
| | - Tim Hensel
- Laboratory for Functional Genomics and Transplantation Biology, Children's Cancer Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich (CCCM), German Translational Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Munich, Germany
| | - David Schirmer
- Laboratory for Functional Genomics and Transplantation Biology, Children's Cancer Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich (CCCM), German Translational Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Munich, Germany
| | - Annette Fasan
- Laboratory for Functional Genomics and Transplantation Biology, Children's Cancer Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich (CCCM), German Translational Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Munich, Germany
| | | | - Carsten Müller-Tidow
- Department of Medicine IV, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Halle, Germany.,Department of Medicine V, Hematology, Oncology and Rheumatology, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Poul H Sorensen
- Department of Molecular Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Research Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Stefan Burdach
- Laboratory for Functional Genomics and Transplantation Biology, Children's Cancer Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich (CCCM), German Translational Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Munich, Germany
| | - Günther H S Richter
- Laboratory for Functional Genomics and Transplantation Biology, Children's Cancer Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich (CCCM), German Translational Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Munich, Germany
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43
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Pridgeon MG, Grohar PJ, Steensma MR, Williams BO. Wnt Signaling in Ewing Sarcoma, Osteosarcoma, and Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors. Curr Osteoporos Rep 2017. [PMID: 28647886 DOI: 10.1007/s11914-017-0377-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Wnt signaling plays a central role in development and homeostasis, and its dysregulation is a common event in many types of human cancer. Here we explore in detail the contributions of Wnt signaling to the initiation and maintenance of three types of saroma: Ewing sarcoma, osteosarcoma, and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. This review provides an overview of the Wnt signaling pathway and explores in detail the current knowledge about its role in the initiation or maintenance of three tumor types: Ewing sarcoma, osteosarcoma, and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. RECENT FINDINGS Recent work has assessed the role(s) of Wnt signaling within these cell types. This review provides an overview of the mechanistic insights that have been gained from a number of recent studies to set the foundation for potential therapeutic applications. Wnt signaling has emerged as a potentially critical pathway in maintaining the growth of these types of tumors. Given the fact that many new inhibitors of the pathway have recently or will soon enter Phase 1 clinical trials, it is likely that assessment of their activity in these tumor types will occur in human patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew G Pridgeon
- Grand Rapids Medical Education Partners, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Spectrum Health Cancer Center, Spectrum Health System, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Helen De Vos Children's Hospital, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Patrick J Grohar
- Spectrum Health Cancer Center, Spectrum Health System, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Helen De Vos Children's Hospital, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Center for Cancer and Cell Biology, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Matthew R Steensma
- Spectrum Health Cancer Center, Spectrum Health System, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Helen De Vos Children's Hospital, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Center for Cancer and Cell Biology, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Department of Surgery, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Bart O Williams
- Center for Cancer and Cell Biology, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA.
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44
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Yoshimoto T, Tanaka M, Homme M, Yamazaki Y, Takazawa Y, Antonescu CR, Nakamura T. CIC-DUX4 Induces Small Round Cell Sarcomas Distinct from Ewing Sarcoma. Cancer Res 2017; 77:2927-2937. [PMID: 28404587 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-16-3351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
CIC-DUX4 sarcoma (CDS) or CIC-rearranged sarcoma is a subcategory of small round cell sarcoma resembling the morphological phenotypes of Ewing sarcoma (ES). However, recent clinicopathologic and molecular genetic analyses indicate that CDS is an independent disease entity from ES. Few ancillary markers have been used in the differential diagnosis of CDS, and additional CDS-specific biomarkers are needed for more definitive classification. Here, we report the generation of an ex vivo mouse model for CDS by transducing embryonic mesenchymal cells (eMC) with human CIC-DUX4 cDNA. Recipient mice transplanted with eMC-expressing CIC-DUX4 rapidly developed an aggressive, undifferentiated sarcoma composed of small round to short spindle cells. Gene-expression profiles of CDS and eMC revealed upregulation of CIC-DUX4 downstream genes such as PEA3 family genes, Ccnd2, Crh, and Zic1 IHC analyses for both mouse and human tumors showed that CCND2 and MUC5AC are reliable biomarkers to distinguish CDS from ES. Gene silencing of CIC-DUX4 as well as Ccnd2, Ret, and Bcl2 effectively inhibited CDS tumor growth in vitro The CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib and the soft tissue sarcoma drug trabectedin also blocked the growth of mouse CDS. In summary, our mouse model provides important biological information about CDS and provides a useful platform to explore biomarkers and therapeutic agents for CDS. Cancer Res; 77(11); 2927-37. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toyoki Yoshimoto
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Pathology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo Japan
| | - Miwa Tanaka
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mizuki Homme
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukari Yamazaki
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yutaka Takazawa
- Division of Pathology, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo Japan
| | - Cristina R Antonescu
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Takuro Nakamura
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.
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45
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Sun H, Lin DC, Cao Q, Pang B, Gae DD, Lee VKM, Lim HJ, Doan N, Said JW, Gery S, Chow M, Mayakonda A, Forscher C, Tyner JW, Koeffler HP. Identification of a Novel SYK/c-MYC/MALAT1 Signaling Pathway and Its Potential Therapeutic Value in Ewing Sarcoma. Clin Cancer Res 2017; 23:4376-4387. [DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-16-2185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Revised: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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46
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Kovar H, Amatruda J, Brunet E, Burdach S, Cidre-Aranaz F, de Alava E, Dirksen U, van der Ent W, Grohar P, Grünewald TGP, Helman L, Houghton P, Iljin K, Korsching E, Ladanyi M, Lawlor E, Lessnick S, Ludwig J, Meltzer P, Metzler M, Mora J, Moriggl R, Nakamura T, Papamarkou T, Radic Sarikas B, Rédini F, Richter GHS, Rossig C, Schadler K, Schäfer BW, Scotlandi K, Sheffield NC, Shelat A, Snaar-Jagalska E, Sorensen P, Stegmaier K, Stewart E, Sweet-Cordero A, Szuhai K, Tirado OM, Tirode F, Toretsky J, Tsafou K, Üren A, Zinovyev A, Delattre O. The second European interdisciplinary Ewing sarcoma research summit--A joint effort to deconstructing the multiple layers of a complex disease. Oncotarget 2017; 7:8613-24. [PMID: 26802024 PMCID: PMC4890991 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.6937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 01/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite multimodal treatment, long term outcome for patients with Ewing sarcoma is still poor. The second “European interdisciplinary Ewing sarcoma research summit” assembled a large group of scientific experts in the field to discuss their latest unpublished findings on the way to the identification of novel therapeutic targets and strategies. Ewing sarcoma is characterized by a quiet genome with presence of an EWSR1-ETS gene rearrangement as the only and defining genetic aberration. RNA-sequencing of recently described Ewing-like sarcomas with variant translocations identified them as biologically distinct diseases. Various presentations adressed mechanisms of EWS-ETS fusion protein activities with a focus on EWS-FLI1. Data were presented shedding light on the molecular underpinnings of genetic permissiveness to this disease uncovering interaction of EWS-FLI1 with recently discovered susceptibility loci. Epigenetic context as a consequence of the interaction between the oncoprotein, cell type, developmental stage, and tissue microenvironment emerged as dominant theme in the discussion of the molecular pathogenesis and inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity of Ewing sarcoma, and the difficulty to generate animal models faithfully recapitulating the human disease. The problem of preclinical development of biologically targeted therapeutics was discussed and promising perspectives were offered from the study of novel in vitro models. Finally, it was concluded that in order to facilitate rapid pre-clinical and clinical development of novel therapies in Ewing sarcoma, the community needs a platform to maintain knowledge of unpublished results, systems and models used in drug testing and to continue the open dialogue initiated at the first two Ewing sarcoma summits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heinrich Kovar
- Children's Cancer Research Institute, St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Pediatrics, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - James Amatruda
- Departments of Pediatrics, Molecular Biology and Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Erika Brunet
- Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, INSERM U1154, CNRS 7196, Paris, France
| | - Stefan Burdach
- Children's Cancer Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University and Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich (CCCM), Munich, Germany
| | - Florencia Cidre-Aranaz
- Unidad de Tumores Sólidos Infantiles, Área de Genética Humana, Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Raras, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Enrique de Alava
- Institute of Biomedicine of Sevilla (IBiS), Virgen del Rocio University Hospital /CSIC/University de Sevilla, Department of Pathology, Seville, Spain
| | - Uta Dirksen
- University Children´s Hospital Muenster, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Muenster, Germany
| | - Wietske van der Ent
- INSERM U830, Laboratoire de Génétique et Biologie des Cancers, Institut Curie, Paris, France.,Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Patrick Grohar
- Van Andel Institute, Center for Cancer and Cell Biology and Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Thomas G P Grünewald
- Laboratory for Pediatric Sarcoma Biology, Institute of Pathology of the LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Lee Helman
- Center for Cancer Rearch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MA, USA
| | - Peter Houghton
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Kristiina Iljin
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Espoo, Finland
| | - Eberhard Korsching
- Institute of Bioinformatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
| | - Marc Ladanyi
- Department of Pathology and Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elizabeth Lawlor
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Stephen Lessnick
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders, Nationwide Children's Hospital, and the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Joseph Ludwig
- Department of Sarcoma Medical Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Paul Meltzer
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Markus Metzler
- Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jaume Mora
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Richard Moriggl
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research, Vienna, Austria.,Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine and Medical University, Vienna, Austria
| | - Takuro Nakamura
- Division of Carcinogenesis, The Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Branka Radic Sarikas
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Guenther H S Richter
- Children's Cancer Research Center and Department of Pediatrics, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University and Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich (CCCM), Munich, Germany
| | - Claudia Rossig
- University Children´s Hospital Muenster, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Muenster, Germany
| | - Keri Schadler
- Department of Pediatrics Research, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Beat W Schäfer
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katia Scotlandi
- CRS Development of Biomolecular Therapies, Experimental Oncology Lab, Rizzoli Institute, Bologna, Italy
| | - Nathan C Sheffield
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anang Shelat
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis,TN, USA
| | | | - Poul Sorensen
- Department of Molecular Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Research Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kimberly Stegmaier
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Stewart
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Alejandro Sweet-Cordero
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Karoly Szuhai
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Oscar M Tirado
- Sarcoma Research Group, Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Franck Tirode
- INSERM U830, Laboratoire de Génétique et Biologie des Cancers, Institut Curie, Paris, France
| | - Jeffrey Toretsky
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Kalliopi Tsafou
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Aykut Üren
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Andrei Zinovyev
- INSERM U830, Laboratoire de Génétique et Biologie des Cancers, Institut Curie, Paris, France.,INSERM, U900, Paris, France.,Ecole des Mines ParisTech, Fontainbleau, France
| | - Olivier Delattre
- INSERM U830, Laboratoire de Génétique et Biologie des Cancers, Institut Curie, Paris, France
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47
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Tanaka M, Homme M, Yamazaki Y, Shimizu R, Takazawa Y, Nakamura T. Modeling Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma Unveils Novel Mechanisms of Metastasis. Cancer Res 2016; 77:897-907. [DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-16-2486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Revised: 11/05/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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48
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Targeting the EWS-ETS transcriptional program by BET bromodomain inhibition in Ewing sarcoma. Oncotarget 2016; 7:1451-63. [PMID: 26623725 PMCID: PMC4811472 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.6385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Ewing sarcomas (ES) are highly malignant bone or soft tissue tumors. Genetically, ES are defined by balanced chromosomal EWS/ETS translocations, which give rise to chimeric proteins (EWS-ETS) that generate an oncogenic transcriptional program associated with altered epigenetic marks throughout the genome. By use of an inhibitor (JQ1) blocking BET bromodomain binding proteins (BRDs) we strikingly observed a strong down-regulation of the predominant EWS-ETS protein EWS-FLI1 in a dose dependent manner. This was further enhanced by co-treatment with an inhibitor of the PI3K pathway. Microarray analysis further revealed JQ1 treatment to block a typical ES associated expression program. The effect on this expression program was mimicked by RNA interference with BRD3 or BRD4 expression, indicating that the EWS-FLI1 mediated expression profile is at least in part mediated via such epigenetic readers. Consequently, contact dependent and independent proliferation of different ES lines was strongly inhibited. Mechanistically, treatment of ES resulted in a partial arrest of the cell cycle as well as induction of apoptosis. Tumor development was suppressed dose dependently in a xeno-transplant model in immune deficient mice, overall indicating that ES may be susceptible to treatment with epigenetic inhibitors blocking BET bromodomain activity and the associated pathognomonic EWS-ETS transcriptional program.
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49
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He T, Surdez D, Rantala JK, Haapa-Paananen S, Ban J, Kauer M, Tomazou E, Fey V, Alonso J, Kovar H, Delattre O, Iljin K. High-throughput RNAi screen in Ewing sarcoma cells identifies leucine rich repeats and WD repeat domain containing 1 (LRWD1) as a regulator of EWS-FLI1 driven cell viability. Gene 2016; 596:137-146. [PMID: 27760381 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2016.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Revised: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 10/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
A translocation leading to the formation of an oncogenic EWS-ETS fusion protein defines Ewing sarcoma. The most frequent gene fusion, present in 85 percent of Ewing sarcomas, is EWS-FLI1. Here, a high-throughput RNA interference screen was performed to identify genes whose function is critical for EWS-FLI1 driven cell viability. In total, 6781 genes were targeted by siRNA molecules and the screen was performed both in presence and absence of doxycycline-inducible expression of the EWS-FLI1 shRNA in A673/TR/shEF Ewing sarcoma cells. The Leucine rich repeats and WD repeat Domain containing 1 (LRWD1) targeting siRNA pool was the strongest hit reducing cell viability only in EWS-FLI1 expressing Ewing sarcoma cells. LRWD1 had been previously described as a testis specific gene with only limited information on its function. Analysis of LRWD1 mRNA levels in patient samples indicated that high expression associated with poor overall survival in Ewing sarcoma. Gene ontology analysis of LRWD1 co-expressed genes in Ewing tumors revealed association with DNA replication and analysis of differentially expressed genes in LRWD1 depleted Ewing sarcoma cells indicated a role in connective tissue development and cellular morphogenesis. Moreover, EWS-FLI1 repressed genes with repressive H3K27me3 chromatin marks were highly enriched among LRWD1 target genes in A673/TR/shEF Ewing sarcoma cells, suggesting that LRWD1 contributes to EWS-FLI1 driven transcriptional regulation. Taken together, we have identified LRWD1 as a novel regulator of EWS-FLI1 driven cell viability in A673/TR/shEF Ewing sarcoma cells, shown association between high LRWD1 mRNA expression and aggressive disease and identified processes by which LRWD1 may promote oncogenesis in Ewing sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao He
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Turku, Finland
| | - Didier Surdez
- Institut Curie, Unité de génétique somatique, Paris, France; Genetics and Biology of Cancers Unit, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Paris, France; INSERM U830, Institut Curie Research Center, Paris, France
| | | | | | - Jozef Ban
- Children's Cancer Research Institute, St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maximilian Kauer
- Children's Cancer Research Institute, St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eleni Tomazou
- Children's Cancer Research Institute, St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Vienna, Austria
| | - Vidal Fey
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Turku, Finland
| | - Javier Alonso
- Unidad de Tumores Sólidos Infantiles, Área de Genética Humana, Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Raras, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Heinrich Kovar
- Children's Cancer Research Institute, St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Vienna, Austria; Department of Pediatrics, Medical University, Vienna, Austria
| | - Olivier Delattre
- Institut Curie, Unité de génétique somatique, Paris, France; Genetics and Biology of Cancers Unit, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Paris, France; INSERM U830, Institut Curie Research Center, Paris, France; Institut Curie Genomics of Excellence (ICGex) Platform, Institut Curie Research Center, Paris, France
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50
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Increased survival and cell cycle progression pathways are required for EWS/FLI1-induced malignant transformation. Cell Death Dis 2016; 7:e2419. [PMID: 27735950 PMCID: PMC5133963 DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2016.268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2016] [Revised: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma (ES) is the second most frequent childhood bone cancer driven by the EWS/FLI1 (EF) fusion protein. Genetically defined ES models are needed to understand how EF expression changes bone precursor cell differentiation, how ES arises and through which mechanisms of inhibition it can be targeted. We used mesenchymal Prx1-directed conditional EF expression in mice to study bone development and to establish a reliable sarcoma model. EF expression arrested early chondrocyte and osteoblast differentiation due to changed signaling pathways such as hedgehog, WNT or growth factor signaling. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) expressing EF showed high self-renewal capacity and maintained an undifferentiated state despite high apoptosis. Blocking apoptosis through enforced BCL2 family member expression in MSCs promoted efficient and rapid sarcoma formation when transplanted to immunocompromised mice. Mechanistically, high BCL2 family member and CDK4, but low P53 and INK4A protein expression synergized in Ewing-like sarcoma development. Functionally, knockdown of Mcl1 or Cdk4 or their combined pharmacologic inhibition resulted in growth arrest and apoptosis in both established human ES cell lines and EF-transformed mouse MSCs. Combinatorial targeting of survival and cell cycle progression pathways could counteract this aggressive childhood cancer.
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