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Martín Moyano P, Němec V, Paruch K. Cdc-Like Kinases (CLKs): Biology, Chemical Probes, and Therapeutic Potential. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E7549. [PMID: 33066143 PMCID: PMC7593917 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21207549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein kinases represent a very pharmacologically attractive class of targets; however, some members of the family still remain rather unexplored. The biology and therapeutic potential of cdc-like kinases (CLKs) have been explored mainly over the last decade and the first CLK inhibitor, compound SM08502, entered clinical trials only recently. This review summarizes the biological roles and therapeutic potential of CLKs and their heretofore published small-molecule inhibitors, with a focus on the compounds' potential to be utilized as quality chemical biology probes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Martín Moyano
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic; (P.M.M.); (V.N.)
| | - Václav Němec
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic; (P.M.M.); (V.N.)
- International Clinical Research Center, Center for Biomolecular and Cellular Engineering, St. Anne’s University Hospital in Brno, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kamil Paruch
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic; (P.M.M.); (V.N.)
- International Clinical Research Center, Center for Biomolecular and Cellular Engineering, St. Anne’s University Hospital in Brno, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic
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Huang J, Sachdeva M, Xu E, Robinson TJ, Luo L, Ma Y, Williams NT, Lopez O, Cervia LD, Yuan F, Qin X, Zhang D, Owzar K, Gokgoz N, Seto A, Okada T, Singer S, Andrulis IL, Wunder JS, Lazar AJ, Rubin BP, Pipho K, Mello SS, Giudice J, Kirsch DG. The Long Noncoding RNA NEAT1 Promotes Sarcoma Metastasis by Regulating RNA Splicing Pathways. Mol Cancer Res 2020; 18:1534-1544. [PMID: 32561656 PMCID: PMC7541426 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-19-1170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Soft-tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare malignancies showing lineage differentiation toward diverse mesenchymal tissues. Half of all high-grade STSs develop lung metastasis with a median survival of 15 months. Here, we used a genetically engineered mouse model that mimics undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) to study the molecular mechanisms driving metastasis. High-grade sarcomas were generated with Cre recombinase technology using mice with conditional mutations in Kras and Trp53 (KP) genes. After amputation of the limb bearing the primary tumor, mice were followed for the development of lung metastasis. Using RNA-sequencing of matched primary KP tumors and lung metastases, we found that the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) Nuclear Enriched Abundant Transcript 1 (Neat1) is significantly upregulated in lung metastases. Furthermore, NEAT1 RNA ISH of human UPS showed that NEAT1 is upregulated within a subset of lung metastases compared with paired primary UPS. Remarkably, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of Neat1 suppressed the ability of KP tumor cells to colonize the lungs. To gain insight into the underlying mechanisms by which the lncRNA Neat1 promotes sarcoma metastasis, we pulled down Neat1 RNA and used mass spectrometry to identify interacting proteins. Interestingly, most Neat1 interacting proteins are involved in RNA splicing regulation. In particular, KH-Type Splicing Regulatory Protein (KHSRP) interacts with Neat1 and is associated with poor prognosis of human STS. Moreover, depletion of KHSRP suppressed the ability of KP tumor cells to colonize the lungs. Collectively, these results suggest that Neat1 and its interacting proteins, which regulate RNA splicing, are involved in mediating sarcoma metastasis. IMPLICATIONS: Understanding that lncRNA NEAT1 promotes sarcoma metastasis, at least in part, through interacting with the RNA splicing regulator KHSRP may translate into new therapeutic approaches for sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianguo Huang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Mohit Sachdeva
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Eric Xu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Timothy J Robinson
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Lixia Luo
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Yan Ma
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Nerissa T Williams
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Omar Lopez
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Lisa D Cervia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Fan Yuan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Xiaodi Qin
- Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Dadong Zhang
- Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Kouros Owzar
- Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
- Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Nalan Gokgoz
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew Seto
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tomoyo Okada
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Samuel Singer
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Irene L Andrulis
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jay S Wunder
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- University of Toronto Musculoskeletal Oncology Unit, and Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Alexander J Lazar
- Departments of Pathology, Genomic Medicine, and Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Brian P Rubin
- Robert J. Tomsich Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Krista Pipho
- University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York
| | | | - Jimena Giudice
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, School of Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- McAllister Heart Institute, School of Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - David G Kirsch
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
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Escobar-Hoyos LF, Penson A, Kannan R, Cho H, Pan CH, Singh RK, Apken LH, Hobbs GA, Luo R, Lecomte N, Babu S, Pan FC, Alonso-Curbelo D, Morris JP, Askan G, Grbovic-Huezo O, Ogrodowski P, Bermeo J, Saglimbeni J, Cruz CD, Ho YJ, Lawrence SA, Melchor JP, Goda GA, Bai K, Pastore A, Hogg SJ, Raghavan S, Bailey P, Chang DK, Biankin A, Shroyer KR, Wolpin BM, Aguirre AJ, Ventura A, Taylor B, Der CJ, Dominguez D, Kümmel D, Oeckinghaus A, Lowe SW, Bradley RK, Abdel-Wahab O, Leach SD. Altered RNA Splicing by Mutant p53 Activates Oncogenic RAS Signaling in Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Cell 2020; 38:198-211.e8. [PMID: 32559497 PMCID: PMC8028848 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2020.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is driven by co-existing mutations in KRAS and TP53. However, how these mutations collaborate to promote this cancer is unknown. Here, we uncover sequence-specific changes in RNA splicing enforced by mutant p53 which enhance KRAS activity. Mutant p53 increases expression of splicing regulator hnRNPK to promote inclusion of cytosine-rich exons within GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), negative regulators of RAS family members. Mutant p53-enforced GAP isoforms lose cell membrane association, leading to heightened KRAS activity. Preventing cytosine-rich exon inclusion in mutant KRAS/p53 PDACs decreases tumor growth. Moreover, mutant p53 PDACs are sensitized to inhibition of splicing via spliceosome inhibitors. These data provide insight into co-enrichment of KRAS and p53 mutations and therapeutics targeting this mechanism in PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa F Escobar-Hoyos
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Department of Biology, Research Group Genetic Toxicology and Cytogenetics, School of Natural Sciences and Education, Universidad del Cauca, Popayán, Colombia; Department of Pathology, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, New York, NY 11794, USA.
| | - Alex Penson
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Marie-José and Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ram Kannan
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cancer Biology & Genetics Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Hana Cho
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Chun-Hao Pan
- Department of Pathology, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, New York, NY 11794, USA
| | - Rohit K Singh
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Lisa H Apken
- Institute of Molecular Tumor Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - G Aaron Hobbs
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Renhe Luo
- Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Nicolas Lecomte
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Sruthi Babu
- Department of Pathology, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, New York, NY 11794, USA
| | - Fong Cheng Pan
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Direna Alonso-Curbelo
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Marie-José and Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - John P Morris
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Marie-José and Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Gokce Askan
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Olivera Grbovic-Huezo
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Marie-José and Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Paul Ogrodowski
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cancer Biology & Genetics Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Jonathan Bermeo
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Joseph Saglimbeni
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Cristian D Cruz
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Yu-Jui Ho
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cancer Biology & Genetics Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Sharon A Lawrence
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Jerry P Melchor
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Grant A Goda
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Karen Bai
- Department of Pathology, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, New York, NY 11794, USA
| | - Alessandro Pastore
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Simon J Hogg
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Srivatsan Raghavan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Peter Bailey
- Department of General Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 110, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg 69120, Germany; Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Bearsden, G61 1Q, Glasgow, UK
| | - David K Chang
- The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, and the Cancer Research Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Department of Surgery, Bankstown Hospital, Eldridge Road, Bankstown, Sydney, NSW, Australia; South Western Sydney Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Liverpool, NSW, Australia
| | - Andrew Biankin
- Department of General Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 110, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg 69120, Germany; Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Bearsden, G61 1Q, Glasgow, UK; The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, and the Cancer Research Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Department of Surgery, Bankstown Hospital, Eldridge Road, Bankstown, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Kenneth R Shroyer
- Department of Pathology, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, New York, NY 11794, USA
| | - Brian M Wolpin
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Andrew J Aguirre
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Andrea Ventura
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cancer Biology & Genetics Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Barry Taylor
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Marie-José and Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Channing J Der
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Daniel Dominguez
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Daniel Kümmel
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Andrea Oeckinghaus
- Institute of Molecular Tumor Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Scott W Lowe
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cancer Biology & Genetics Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | - Robert K Bradley
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Seattle, Seattle, WA 98109-1024, USA
| | - Omar Abdel-Wahab
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Steven D Leach
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Dartmouth Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Lebanon, NH 03766, USA.
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54
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Slusher AL, Kim JJJ, Ludlow AT. The Role of Alternative RNA Splicing in the Regulation of hTERT, Telomerase, and Telomeres: Implications for Cancer Therapeutics. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E1514. [PMID: 32531916 PMCID: PMC7352778 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12061514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative RNA splicing impacts the majority (>90%) of eukaryotic multi-exon genes, expanding the coding capacity and regulating the abundance of gene isoforms. Telomerase (hTERT) is a key example of a gene that is alternatively spliced during human fetal development and becomes dysregulated in nearly all cancers. Approximately 90% of human tumors use telomerase to synthesize de novo telomere repeats and obtain telomere-dependent cellular immortality. Paradigm shifting data indicates that hTERT alternative splicing, in addition to transcription, plays an important role in the regulation of active telomerase in cells. Our group and others are pursuing the basic science studies to progress this emerging area of telomerase biology. Recent evidence demonstrates that switching splicing of hTERT from the telomerase activity producing full-length hTERT isoform to alternatively spliced, non-coding isoforms may be a novel telomerase inhibition strategy to prevent cancer growth and survival. Thus, the goals of this review are to detail the general roles of telomerase in cancer development, explore the emerging regulatory mechanisms of alternative RNA splicing of the hTERT gene in various somatic and cancer cell types, define the known and potential roles of hTERT splice isoforms in cancer cell biology, and provide insight into new treatment strategies targeting hTERT in telomerase-positive cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Andrew T. Ludlow
- School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (A.L.S.); (J.J.K.)
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Athanasiou AT, Nussbaumer T, Kummer S, Hofer M, Johnston IG, Staltner M, Allmer DM, Scott MC, Vogl C, Fenger JM, Modiano JF, Walter I, Steinborn R. S100A4 mRNA-protein relationship uncovered by measurement noise reduction. J Mol Med (Berl) 2020; 98:735-749. [PMID: 32296879 PMCID: PMC7241963 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-020-01898-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 10/30/2022]
Abstract
Intrinsic biological fluctuation and/or measurement error can obscure the association of gene expression patterns between RNA and protein levels. Appropriate normalization of reverse-transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) data can reduce technical noise in transcript measurement, thus uncovering such relationships. The accuracy of gene expression measurement is often challenged in the context of cancer due to the genetic instability and "splicing weakness" involved. Here, we sequenced the poly(A) cancer transcriptome of canine osteosarcoma using mRNA-Seq. Expressed sequences were resolved at the level of two consecutive exons to enable the design of exon-border spanning RT-qPCR assays and ranked for stability based on the coefficient of variation (CV). Using the same template type for RT-qPCR validation, i.e. poly(A) RNA, avoided skewing of stability assessment by circular RNAs (circRNAs) and/or rRNA deregulation. The strength of the relationship between mRNA expression of the tumour marker S100A4 and its proportion score of quantitative immunohistochemistry (qIHC) was introduced as an experimental readout to fine-tune the normalization choice. Together with the essential logit transformation of qIHC scores, this approach reduced the noise of measurement as demonstrated by uncovering a highly significant, strong association between mRNA and protein expressions of S100A4 (Spearman's coefficient ρ = 0.72 (p = 0.006)). KEY MESSAGES: • RNA-seq identifies stable pairs of consecutive exons in a heterogeneous tumour. • Poly(A) RNA templates for RT-qPCR avoid bias from circRNA and rRNA deregulation. • HNRNPL is stably expressed across various cancer tissues and osteosarcoma. • Logit transformed qIHC score better associates with mRNA amount. • Quantification of minor S100A4 mRNA species requires poly(A) RNA templates and dPCR.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas Nussbaumer
- Computational Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefan Kummer
- VetBioBank, VetCore, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Hofer
- Genomics Core Facility, VetCore, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - Iain G Johnston
- Department of Mathematics, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Moritz Staltner
- Genomics Core Facility, VetCore, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniela M Allmer
- Genomics Core Facility, VetCore, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - Milcah C Scott
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, 425 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Claus Vogl
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Department for Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - Joelle M Fenger
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, 1900 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Jaime F Modiano
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, 425 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Ingrid Walter
- VetBioBank, VetCore, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Pathology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ralf Steinborn
- Genomics Core Facility, VetCore, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210, Vienna, Austria.
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Fischer S, Di Liddo A, Taylor K, Gerhardus JS, Sobczak K, Zarnack K, Weigand JE. Muscleblind-like 2 controls the hypoxia response of cancer cells. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2020; 26:648-663. [PMID: 32127384 PMCID: PMC7161353 DOI: 10.1261/rna.073353.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Hypoxia is a hallmark of solid cancers, supporting proliferation, angiogenesis, and escape from apoptosis. There is still limited understanding of how cancer cells adapt to hypoxic conditions and survive. We analyzed transcriptome changes of human lung and breast cancer cells under chronic hypoxia. Hypoxia induced highly concordant changes in transcript abundance, but divergent splicing responses, underlining the cell type-specificity of alternative splicing programs. While RNA-binding proteins were predominantly reduced, hypoxia specifically induced muscleblind-like protein 2 (MBNL2). Strikingly, MBNL2 induction was critical for hypoxia adaptation by controlling the transcript abundance of hypoxia response genes, such as vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) MBNL2 depletion reduced the proliferation and migration of cancer cells, demonstrating an important role of MBNL2 as cancer driver. Hypoxia control is specific for MBNL2 and not shared by its paralog MBNL1. Thus, our study revealed MBNL2 as central mediator of cancer cell responses to hypoxia, regulating the expression and alternative splicing of hypoxia-induced genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Fischer
- Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, 64287, Germany
| | - Antonella Di Liddo
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, 60438, Germany
| | - Katarzyna Taylor
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, 61-614, Poland
| | - Jamina S Gerhardus
- Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, 64287, Germany
| | - Krzysztof Sobczak
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, 61-614, Poland
| | - Kathi Zarnack
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, 60438, Germany
| | - Julia E Weigand
- Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, 64287, Germany
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57
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Clayton EA, Rishishwar L, Huang TC, Gulati S, Ban D, McDonald JF, Jordan IK. An atlas of transposable element-derived alternative splicing in cancer. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190342. [PMID: 32075558 PMCID: PMC7061986 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Transposable element (TE)-derived sequences comprise more than half of the human genome, and their presence has been documented to alter gene expression in a number of different ways, including the generation of alternatively spliced transcript isoforms. Alternative splicing has been associated with tumorigenesis for a number of different cancers. The objective of this study was to broadly characterize the role of human TEs in generating alternatively spliced transcript isoforms in cancer. To do so, we screened for the presence of TE-derived sequences co-located with alternative splice sites that are differentially used in normal versus cancer tissues. We analysed a comprehensive set of alternative splice variants characterized for 614 matched normal-tumour tissue pairs across 13 cancer types, resulting in the discovery of 4820 TE-generated alternative splice events distributed among 723 cancer-associated genes. Short interspersed nuclear elements (Alu) and long interspersed nuclear elements (L1) were found to contribute the majority of TE-generated alternative splice sites in cancer genes. A number of cancer-associated genes, including MYH11, WHSC1 and CANT1, were shown to have overexpressed TE-derived isoforms across a range of cancer types. TE-derived isoforms were also linked to cancer-specific fusion transcripts, suggesting a novel mechanism for the generation of transcriptome diversity via trans-splicing mediated by dispersed TE repeats. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Crossroads between transposons and gene regulation'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan A. Clayton
- Integrated Cancer Research Center, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Lavanya Rishishwar
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- PanAmerican Bioinformatics Institute, Cali, Colombia
- Applied Bioinformatics Laboratory, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tzu-Chuan Huang
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Saurabh Gulati
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Dongjo Ban
- Integrated Cancer Research Center, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - John F. McDonald
- Integrated Cancer Research Center, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - I. King Jordan
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- PanAmerican Bioinformatics Institute, Cali, Colombia
- Applied Bioinformatics Laboratory, Atlanta, GA, USA
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58
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Belluti S, Rigillo G, Imbriano C. Transcription Factors in Cancer: When Alternative Splicing Determines Opposite Cell Fates. Cells 2020; 9:E760. [PMID: 32244895 PMCID: PMC7140685 DOI: 10.3390/cells9030760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) is a finely regulated mechanism for transcriptome and proteome diversification in eukaryotic cells. Correct balance between AS isoforms takes part in molecular mechanisms that properly define spatiotemporal and tissue specific transcriptional programs in physiological conditions. However, several diseases are associated to or even caused by AS alterations. In particular, multiple AS changes occur in cancer cells and sustain the oncogenic transcriptional program. Transcription factors (TFs) represent a key class of proteins that control gene expression by direct binding to DNA regulatory elements. AS events can generate cancer-associated TF isoforms with altered activity, leading to sustained proliferative signaling, differentiation block and apoptosis resistance, all well-known hallmarks of cancer. In this review, we focus on how AS can produce TFs isoforms with opposite transcriptional activities or antagonistic functions that severely impact on cancer biology. This summary points the attention to the relevance of the analysis of TFs splice variants in cancer, which can allow patients stratification despite the presence of interindividual genetic heterogeneity. Recurrent TFs variants that give advantage to specific cancer types not only open the opportunity to use AS transcripts as clinical biomarkers but also guide the development of new anti-cancer strategies in personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Carol Imbriano
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi 213/D, 41125 Modena, Italy; (S.B.); (G.R.)
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59
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Fujikura K, Yoshida M, Uesaka K. Transcriptome complexity in intravascular NK/T-cell lymphoma. J Clin Pathol 2020; 73:671-675. [PMID: 32188628 DOI: 10.1136/jclinpath-2020-206461] [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: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Intravascular NK/T-cell lymphoma (IVNKTCL) is a rare disease, which is characterised by exclusive growth of large cells within the lumen of small vessels, Epstein-Barr virus infection and somatic mutations in epigenetic regulator genes. Here, we elucidate the transcriptomic complexity of IVNKTCL. METHODS IVNKTCL cases were retrieved from a single-centre cohort of 25 intravascular lymphomas. RNA-seq and whole exome sequencing (WES) were performed to analyse transcriptomic abnormalities and mutations in splicing factors. RESULTS Approximately 88% of the total reads from the RNA-seq were considered exonic, while the remaining reads (12%) were mapped to intronic or intergenic regions. We detected 28,941 alternative splicing events, some of which would produce abnormal proteins rarely found in normal cells. The detected events also included tumour-specific splicing alterations in oncogenes and tumour suppressors (e.g., HRAS, MDM2 and VEGFA). WES identified premature termination mutations or copy number losses in a total of 15 splicing regulator genes, including SF3B5, SRSF12 and TNPO3. CONCLUSIONS This study raises the possibility that IVNKTCL may be driven by multiple complex regulatory loops, including non-exonic expression and aberrant splicing, in addition to defects in epigenetic regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Fujikura
- Department of Pathology, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, Kobe, Japan .,Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Makoto Yoshida
- Department of Pathology, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, Kobe, Japan
| | - Kazuma Uesaka
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
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60
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Clayton EA, Khalid S, Ban D, Wang L, Jordan IK, McDonald JF. Tumor suppressor genes and allele-specific expression: mechanisms and significance. Oncotarget 2020; 11:462-479. [PMID: 32064050 PMCID: PMC6996918 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.27468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent findings indicate that allele-specific expression (ASE) at specific cancer driver gene loci may be of importance in onset/progression of the disease. Of particular interest are loss-of-function (LOF) of tumor suppressor gene (TSGs) alleles. While LOF tumor suppressor mutations are typically considered to be recessive, if these mutant alleles can be significantly differentially expressed relative to wild-type alleles in heterozygotes, the clinical consequences could be significant. LOF TSG alleles are shown to be segregating at high frequencies in world-wide populations of normal/healthy individuals. Matched sets of normal and tumor tissues isolated from 233 cancer patients representing four diverse tumor types demonstrate functionally important changes in patterns of ASE in individuals heterozygous for LOF TSG alleles associated with cancer onset/progression. While a variety of molecular mechanisms were identified as potentially contributing to changes in ASE patterns in cancer, changes in DNA copy number and allele-specific alternative splicing possibly mediated by antisense RNA emerged as predominant factors. In conclusion, LOF TSGs are segregating in human populations at significant frequencies indicating that many otherwise healthy individuals are at elevated risk of developing cancer. Changes in ASE between normal and cancer tissues indicates that LOF TSG alleles may contribute to cancer onset/progression even when heterozygous with wild-type functional alleles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan A. Clayton
- Integrated Cancer Research Center, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Shareef Khalid
- Integrated Cancer Research Center, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Dongjo Ban
- Integrated Cancer Research Center, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Lu Wang
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- PanAmerican Bioinformatics Institute, Cali, Colombia
| | - I. King Jordan
- Integrated Cancer Research Center, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- PanAmerican Bioinformatics Institute, Cali, Colombia
- Applied Bioinformatics Laboratory, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - John F. McDonald
- Integrated Cancer Research Center, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
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61
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Dong X, Chen R. Understanding aberrant RNA splicing to facilitate cancer diagnosis and therapy. Oncogene 2019; 39:2231-2242. [PMID: 31819165 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-019-1138-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Almost all genes in normal cells undergo alternative RNA splicing to generate a greater extent of diversification of gene products for normal cellular functions. RNA splicing is tightly regulated and closely interplays with genetic and epigenetic machinery. While DNA polymorphism and somatic mutations modulate alternative splicing patterns, RNA splicing also controls genomic stability, chromatin organization, and transcriptome. Tumor cells, in turn, often take advantage of aberrant RNA splicing to develop, grow and progress into therapy-resistant tumors. Understanding alternative RNA splicing in tumor cells would, therefore, provide us opportunities to gain further insights into tumor biology, identify diagnostic or prognosis biomarkers, as well as to design effective therapeutic means to control tumor progression. Here, we provide an overview of RNA splicing mechanisms and use prostate cancer as an example to review recent advancements in our understanding of RNA splicing in cancer progression and therapy resistance. We also discuss emerging diagnostic and therapeutic potentials of RNA splicing events or RNA splicing factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuesen Dong
- Department of Urologic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, 2660 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3Z6, Canada. .,The Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver General Hospital, 2660 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3Z6, Canada.
| | - Ruiqi Chen
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 27 King's College Circle 8, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A1, Canada
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