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Hedegger K, Algül H, Lesina M, Blutke A, Schmid RM, Schneider MR, Dahlhoff M. Unraveling ERBB network dynamics upon betacellulin signaling in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in mice. Mol Oncol 2020; 14:1653-1669. [PMID: 32335999 PMCID: PMC7400790 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) will soon belong to the top three cancer killers. The only approved specific PDAC therapy targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Although EGFR is a crucial player in PDAC development, EGFR-based therapy is disappointing. In this study, we evaluated the role of the EGFR ligand betacellulin (BTC) in PDAC. The expression of BTC was investigated in human pancreatic cancer specimen. Then, we generated a BTC knockout mouse model by CRISPR/Cas9 technology and a BTC overexpression model. Both models were crossed with the Ptf1aCre/+ ;KRASG12D/+ (KC) mouse model (B-/- KC or BKC, respectively). In addition, EGFR, ERBB2, and ERBB4 were investigated by the pancreas-specific deletion of each receptor using the Cre-loxP system. Tumor initiation and progression were analyzed in all mouse lines, and the underlying molecular biology of PDAC was investigated at different time points. BTC is expressed in human and murine PDAC. B-/- KC mice showed a decelerated PDAC progression, associated with decreased EGFR activation. BKC mice developed severe PDAC with a poor survival rate. The dramatically increased BTC-mediated tumor burden was EGFR-dependent, but also ERBB4 and ERBB2 were involved in PDAC development or progression, as depletion of EGFR, ERBB2, or ERBB4 significantly improved the survival rate of BTC-mediated PDAC. BTC increases PDAC tumor burden dramatically by enhanced RAS activation. EGFR signaling, ERBB2 signaling, and ERBB4 signaling are involved in accelerated PDAC development mediated by BTC indicating that targeting the whole ERBB family, instead of a single receptor, is a promising strategy for the development of future PDAC therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Hedegger
- Institute of Molecular Animal Breeding and BiotechnologyGene Center of the LMU MunichGermany
| | - Hana Algül
- Second Department of Internal MedicineKlinikum rechts der IsarTechnical University of MunichGermany
| | - Marina Lesina
- Second Department of Internal MedicineKlinikum rechts der IsarTechnical University of MunichGermany
| | - Andreas Blutke
- Research Unit Analytical PathologyHelmholtz Zentrum MünchenNeuherbergGermany
| | - Roland M. Schmid
- Second Department of Internal MedicineKlinikum rechts der IsarTechnical University of MunichGermany
| | - Marlon R. Schneider
- Institute of Molecular Animal Breeding and BiotechnologyGene Center of the LMU MunichGermany
| | - Maik Dahlhoff
- Institute of Molecular Animal Breeding and BiotechnologyGene Center of the LMU MunichGermany
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Beyond the Genomic Mutation: Rethinking the Molecular Biomarkers of K-RAS Dependency in Pancreatic Cancers. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21145023. [PMID: 32708716 PMCID: PMC7404119 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21145023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Oncogenic v-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (K-RAS) plays a key role in the development and maintenance of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The targeting of K-RAS would be beneficial to treat tumors whose growth depends on active K-RAS. The analysis of K-RAS genomic mutations is a clinical routine; however, an emerging question is whether the mutational status is able to identify tumors effectively dependent on K-RAS for tailoring targeted therapies. With the emergence of novel K-RAS inhibitors in clinical settings, this question is relevant. Several studies support the notion that the K-RAS mutation is not a sufficient biomarker deciphering the effective dependency of the tumor. Transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles of tumors, while revealing K-RAS signaling complexity and K-RAS-driven molecular pathways crucial for PDAC growth, are opening the opportunity to specifically identify K-RAS-dependent- or K-RAS-independent tumor subtypes by using novel molecular biomarkers. This would help tumor selection aimed at tailoring therapies against K-RAS. In this review, we will present studies about how the K-RAS mutation can also be interpreted in a state of K-RAS dependency, for which it is possible to identify specific K-RAS-driven molecular biomarkers in certain PDAC subtypes, beyond the genomic K-RAS mutational status.
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53
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Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of KRAS mutant cell lines. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10149. [PMID: 32576853 PMCID: PMC7311523 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66797-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Oncogenic RAS mutations are associated with DNA methylation changes that alter gene expression to drive cancer. Recent studies suggest that DNA methylation changes may be stochastic in nature, while other groups propose distinct signaling pathways responsible for aberrant methylation. Better understanding of DNA methylation events associated with oncogenic KRAS expression could enhance therapeutic approaches. Here we analyzed the basal CpG methylation of 11 KRAS-mutant and dependent pancreatic cancer cell lines and observed strikingly similar methylation patterns. KRAS knockdown resulted in unique methylation changes with limited overlap between each cell line. In KRAS-mutant Pa16C pancreatic cancer cells, while KRAS knockdown resulted in over 8,000 differentially methylated (DM) CpGs, treatment with the ERK1/2-selective inhibitor SCH772984 showed less than 40 DM CpGs, suggesting that ERK is not a broadly active driver of KRAS-associated DNA methylation. KRAS G12V overexpression in an isogenic lung model reveals >50,600 DM CpGs compared to non-transformed controls. In lung and pancreatic cells, gene ontology analyses of DM promoters show an enrichment for genes involved in differentiation and development. Taken all together, KRAS-mediated DNA methylation are stochastic and independent of canonical downstream effector signaling. These epigenetically altered genes associated with KRAS expression could represent potential therapeutic targets in KRAS-driven cancer.
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54
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Identification of a potent and selective covalent Pin1 inhibitor. Nat Chem Biol 2020; 16:979-987. [PMID: 32483379 PMCID: PMC7442691 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-020-0550-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase NIMA-interacting 1 (Pin1) is commonly overexpressed in human cancers, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). While Pin1 is dispensable for viability in mice, it is required for activated Ras to induce tumorigenesis, suggesting a role for Pin1 inhibitors in Ras-driven tumors, such as PDAC. We report the development of rationally designed peptide inhibitors that covalently target Cys113, a highly conserved cysteine located in the Pin1 active site. The inhibitors were iteratively optimized for potency, selectivity, and cell permeability to give BJP-06–005-3, a versatile tool compound with which to probe Pin1 biology and interrogate its role in cancer. In parallel to inhibitor development, we employed genetic and chemical-genetic strategies to assess the consequences of Pin1 loss in human PDAC cell lines. We demonstrate that Pin1 cooperates with mutant KRAS to promote transformation in PDAC, and that Pin1 inhibition impairs cell viability over time in PDAC cell lines.
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55
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Gao Q, Ouyang W, Kang B, Han X, Xiong Y, Ding R, Li Y, Wang F, Huang L, Chen L, Wang D, Dong X, Zhang Z, Li Y, Ze B, Hou Y, Yang H, Ma Y, Gu Y, Chao CC. Selective targeting of the oncogenic KRAS G12S mutant allele by CRISPR/Cas9 induces efficient tumor regression. Am J Cancer Res 2020; 10:5137-5153. [PMID: 32308773 PMCID: PMC7163449 DOI: 10.7150/thno.42325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale: KRAS is one of the most frequently mutated oncogenes in cancers. The protein's picomolar affinity for GTP/GDP and smooth protein structure resulting in the absence of known allosteric regulatory sites makes its genomic-level activating mutations a difficult but attractive target. Methods: Two CRISPR systems, genome-editing CRISPR/SpCas9 and transcription-regulating dCas9-KRAB, were developed to deplete the KRAS G12S mutant allele or repress its transcription, respectively, with the goal of treating KRAS-driven cancers. Results: SpCas9 and dCas9-KRAB systems with a sgRNA targeting the mutant allele blocked the expression of the mutant KRAS gene, leading to an inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. Local adenoviral injections using SpCas9 and dCas9-KRAB systems suppressed tumor growth in vivo. The gene-depletion system (SpCas9) performed more effectively than the transcription-suppressing system (dCas9-KRAB) on tumor inhibition. Application of both Cas9 systems to wild-type KRAS tumors did not affect cell proliferation. Furthermore, through bioinformatic analysis of 31555 SNP mutations of the top 20 cancer driver genes, the data showed that our mutant-specific editing strategy could be extended to a reference list of oncogenic mutations with high editing potentials. This pipeline could be applied to analyze the distribution of PAM sequences and survey the best alternative targets for gene editing. Conclusion: We successfully developed both gene-depletion and transcription-suppressing systems to specifically target an oncogenic KRAS mutant allele that led to significant tumor regression. These findings show the potential of CRISPR-based strategies for the treatment of tumors with driver gene mutations.
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56
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Ma X, Shou P, Smith C, Chen Y, Du H, Sun C, Porterfield Kren N, Michaud D, Ahn S, Vincent B, Savoldo B, Pylayeva-Gupta Y, Zhang S, Dotti G, Xu Y. Interleukin-23 engineering improves CAR T cell function in solid tumors. Nat Biotechnol 2020; 38:448-459. [PMID: 32015548 PMCID: PMC7466194 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-019-0398-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cytokines that stimulate T cell proliferation, such as interleukin (IL)-15, have been explored as a means of boosting the antitumor activity of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. However, constitutive cytokine signaling in T cells and activation of bystander cells may cause toxicity. IL-23 is a two-subunit cytokine known to promote proliferation of memory T cells and T helper type 17 cells. We found that, upon T cell antigen receptor (TCR) stimulation, T cells upregulated the IL-23 receptor and the IL-23α p19 subunit, but not the p40 subunit. We engineered expression of the p40 subunit in T cells (p40-Td cells) and obtained selective proliferative activity in activated T cells via autocrine IL-23 signaling. In comparison to CAR T cells, p40-Td CAR T cells showed improved antitumor capacity in vitro, with increased granzyme B and decreased PD-1 expression. In two xenograft and two syngeneic solid tumor mouse models, p40-Td CAR T cells showed superior efficacy in comparison to CAR T cells and attenuated side effects in comparison to CAR T cells expressing IL-18 or IL-15.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Cell Hypoxia/genetics
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cell Proliferation
- Humans
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods
- Interleukin-12 Subunit p40/genetics
- Interleukin-12 Subunit p40/metabolism
- Interleukin-23/genetics
- Interleukin-23/metabolism
- Lymphocyte Activation
- Mice
- Neoplasms/immunology
- Neoplasms/therapy
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/genetics
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/metabolism
- Receptors, Interleukin/genetics
- Receptors, Interleukin/metabolism
- STAT3 Transcription Factor/metabolism
- Signal Transduction/genetics
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingcong Ma
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Oncology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an, Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Peishun Shou
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Christof Smith
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Yuhui Chen
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Hongwei Du
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Chuang Sun
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Nancy Porterfield Kren
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Daniel Michaud
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Sarah Ahn
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Benjamin Vincent
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Barbara Savoldo
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Shuqun Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an, Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Gianpietro Dotti
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Yang Xu
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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57
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Schizas D, Charalampakis N, Kole C, Economopoulou P, Koustas E, Gkotsis E, Ziogas D, Psyrri A, Karamouzis MV. Immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer: A 2020 update. Cancer Treat Rev 2020; 86:102016. [PMID: 32247999 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2020.102016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 250] [Impact Index Per Article: 62.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC) is associated with extremely poor prognosis and remains a lethal malignancy. The main cure for PAC is surgical resection. Further treatment modalities, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other locoregional therapies provide low survival rates. Currently, many clinical trials seek to assess the efficacy of immunotherapeutic strategies in PAC, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines, adoptive cell transfer, combinations with other immunotherapeutic agents, chemoradiotherapy or other molecularly targeted agents; however, none of these studies have shown practice changing results. There seems to be a synergistic effect with increased response rates when a combinatorial approach of immunotherapy in conjunction with other modalities is being exploited. In this review, we illustrate the current role of immunotherapy in PAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrios Schizas
- First Department of Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Christo Kole
- First Department of Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Panagiota Economopoulou
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Medical Oncology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Evangelos Koustas
- Molecular Oncology Unit, Department of Biological Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Efthymios Gkotsis
- First Department of Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Ziogas
- First Department of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Amanda Psyrri
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Medical Oncology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Michalis V Karamouzis
- Molecular Oncology Unit, Department of Biological Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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58
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Gomes-Filho SM, Dos Santos EO, Bertoldi ERM, Scalabrini LC, Heidrich V, Dazzani B, Levantini E, Reis EM, Bassères DS. Aurora A kinase and its activator TPX2 are potential therapeutic targets in KRAS-induced pancreatic cancer. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2020; 43:445-460. [PMID: 32193808 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-020-00498-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Oncogenic KRAS mutations are found in over 90% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs). As yet, however, no effective therapies are available for KRAS-induced malignancies. Therefore, research aimed at the identification of KRAS targets with therapeutic potential is warranted. Our goal was to investigate Aurora A (AURKA) and targeting protein for Xklp2 (TPX2) as potential therapeutic targets in PDAC. METHODS AURKA and TPX2 expression was assessed using RNAseq and qRT-PCR in PDAC patient samples and matched non-tumor pancreatic tissues. Publicly available PDAC datasets were used to investigate associations of AURKA and TPX2 expression levels with patient survival and the presence of KRAS mutations. Next, we used an Aurora kinase inhibitor, or KRAS, AURKA and TPX2 targeting using RNA interference in KRAS-mutant PDAC cells and, subsequently, analyzed their clonogenic and anchorage-independent growth and migration. RESULTS We found that relative to matched non-tumor tissues, PDAC tumors displayed significantly higher expression levels of AURKA and TPX2. In addition, we found that AURKA and TPX2 were co-expressed in PDAC datasets, and that high expression levels of AURKA and TPX2 were associated with a shorter patient survival and with the presence of oncogenic KRAS mutations. In addition, we found that siRNA-mediated KRAS targeting in KRAS-mutant PDAC cells reduced AURKA and TPX2 expression. Furthermore, targeting AURKA or TPX2 in KRAS-mutant PDAC cells reduced their clonogenic and anchorage-independent growth, as well their migration. CONCLUSIONS From our data we conclude that AURKA and TPX2 may act as KRAS biomarkers in PDAC that can predict a worse prognosis, and that AURKA or TPX2 targeting in PDAC cells may reduce their transformed phenotype. These results indicate that AURKA and TPX2 may serve as promising targets to be explored for KRAS-mutant PDAC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandro Mascena Gomes-Filho
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 748, Bloco 12 inferior, sala 1200, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil
| | | | - Ester Risério Matos Bertoldi
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 748, Bloco 12 inferior, sala 1200, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Luiza Coimbra Scalabrini
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 748, Bloco 12 inferior, sala 1200, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Vitor Heidrich
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 748, Bloco 12 inferior, sala 1200, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Bianca Dazzani
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 748, Bloco 12 inferior, sala 1200, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Elena Levantini
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Institute of Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy
| | - Eduardo Moraes Reis
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 748, Bloco 12 inferior, sala 1200, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Daniela Sanchez Bassères
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 748, Bloco 12 inferior, sala 1200, São Paulo, SP, 05508-000, Brazil.
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59
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Arnold L, Alexiadis V, Watanaskul T, Zarrabi V, Poole J, Singh V. Clinical validation of qPCR Target Selector™ assays using highly specific switch-blockers for rare mutation detection. J Clin Pathol 2020; 73:648-655. [PMID: 32132121 DOI: 10.1136/jclinpath-2019-206381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
AIMS The identification of actionable DNA mutations associated with a patient's tumour is critical for devising a targeted, personalised cancer treatment strategy. However, these molecular analyses are typically performed using tissue obtained via biopsy, which involves substantial risk and is often not feasible. In addition, biopsied tissue does not always reflect tumour heterogeneity, and sequential biopsies to track disease progression (eg, emergence of drug resistance mutations) are not well tolerated. To overcome these and other biopsy-associated limitations, we have developed non-invasive 'liquid biopsy' technologies to enable the molecular characterisation of a patient's cancer using peripheral blood samples. METHODS The Target Selector ctDNA platform uses a real-time PCR-based approach, coupled with DNA sequencing, to identify cancer-associated genetic mutations within circulating tumour DNA. This is accomplished via a patented blocking approach suppressing wild-type DNA amplification, while allowing specific amplification of mutant alleles. RESULTS To promote the clinical uptake of liquid biopsy technologies, it is first critical to demonstrate concordance between results obtained via liquid and traditional biopsy procedures. Here, we focused on three genes frequently mutated in cancer: EGFR (Del19, L858, and T790), BRAF (V600) and KRAS (G12/G13). For each Target Selector assay, we demonstrated extremely high accuracy, sensitivity and specificity compared with results obtained from tissue biopsies. Overall, we found between 93% and 96% concordance to blinded tissue samples across 127 clinical assays. CONCLUSIONS The switch-blocker technology reported here offers a highly effective method for non-invasively determining the molecular signatures of patients with cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyle Arnold
- Research and Development, Biocept Inc, San Diego, California, USA.,Aegea Biotechnologies, San Diego, California, USA
| | | | - Tim Watanaskul
- Research and Development, Biocept Inc, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Vahid Zarrabi
- Department of Molecular Pathology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jason Poole
- Research and Development, Biocept Inc, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Veena Singh
- Clinical Laboratory, Biocept Inc, San Diego, California, USA
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60
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Buscail L, Bournet B, Cordelier P. Role of oncogenic KRAS in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2020; 17:153-168. [PMID: 32005945 DOI: 10.1038/s41575-019-0245-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 373] [Impact Index Per Article: 93.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is predicted to be the second most common cause of death within the next 10 years. The prognosis for this disease is poor despite diagnostic progress and new chemotherapeutic regimens. The oncogenic KRAS mutation is the major event in pancreatic cancer; it confers permanent activation of the KRAS protein, which acts as a molecular switch to activate various intracellular signalling pathways and transcription factors inducing cell proliferation, migration, transformation and survival. Several laboratory methods have been developed to detect KRAS mutations in biological samples, including digital droplet PCR (which displays high sensitivity). Clinical studies have revealed that a KRAS mutation assay in fine-needle aspiration material combined with cytopathology increases the sensitivity, accuracy and negative predictive value of cytopathology for a positive diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. In addition, the presence of KRAS mutations in serum and plasma (liquid biopsies) correlates with a worse prognosis. The presence of mutated KRAS can also have therapeutic implications, whether at the gene level per se, during its post-translational maturation, interaction with nucleotides and after activation of the various oncogenic signals. Further pharmacokinetic and toxicological studies on new molecules are required, especially small synthetic molecules, before they can be used in the therapeutic arsenal for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis Buscail
- Department of Gastroenterology, University of Toulouse III, Rangueil Hospital, Toulouse, France. .,INSERM UMR 1037, Toulouse Centre for Cancer Research, University of Toulouse III, Toulouse, France.
| | - Barbara Bournet
- Department of Gastroenterology, University of Toulouse III, Rangueil Hospital, Toulouse, France.,INSERM UMR 1037, Toulouse Centre for Cancer Research, University of Toulouse III, Toulouse, France
| | - Pierre Cordelier
- INSERM UMR 1037, Toulouse Centre for Cancer Research, University of Toulouse III, Toulouse, France
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61
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Almeida PP, Cardoso CP, de Freitas LM. PDAC-ANN: an artificial neural network to predict pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma based on gene expression. BMC Cancer 2020; 20:82. [PMID: 32005189 PMCID: PMC6995241 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-020-6533-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) presents high mortality and metastatic potential, there is a lack of effective therapies and a low survival rate for this disease. This PDAC scenario urges new strategies for diagnosis, drug targets, and treatment. METHODS We performed a gene expression microarray meta-analysis of the tumor against normal tissues in order to identify differentially expressed genes (DEG) shared among all datasets, named core-genes (CG). We confirmed the CG protein expression in pancreatic tissue through The Human Protein Atlas. It was selected five genes with the highest area under the curve (AUC) among these proteins with expression confirmed in the tumor group to train an artificial neural network (ANN) to classify samples. RESULTS This microarray included 461 tumor and 187 normal samples. We identified a CG composed of 40 genes, 39 upregulated, and one downregulated. The upregulated CG included proteins and extracellular matrix receptors linked to actin cytoskeleton reorganization. With the Human Protein Atlas, we verified that fourteen genes of the CG are translated, with high or medium expression in most of the pancreatic tumor samples. To train our ANN, we selected the best genes (AHNAK2, KRT19, LAMB3, LAMC2, and S100P) to classify the samples based on AUC using mRNA expression. The network classified tumor samples with an f1-score of 0.83 for the normal samples and 0.88 for the PDAC samples, with an average of 0.86. The PDAC-ANN could classify the test samples with a sensitivity of 87.6 and specificity of 83.1. CONCLUSION The gene expression meta-analysis and confirmation of the protein expression allow us to select five genes highly expressed PDAC samples. We could build a python script to classify the samples based on RNA expression. This software can be useful in the PDAC diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Palloma Porto Almeida
- Núcleo de Biointegração, Instituto Multidisciplinar em Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, Brazil
| | - Cristina Padre Cardoso
- Núcleo de Biointegração, Instituto Multidisciplinar em Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, Brazil
- Faculdade Santo Agostinho, Vitória da Conquista, Brazil
| | - Leandro Martins de Freitas
- Núcleo de Biointegração, Instituto Multidisciplinar em Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, Brazil.
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62
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Lieu EL, Nguyen T, Rhyne S, Kim J. Amino acids in cancer. Exp Mol Med 2020; 52:15-30. [PMID: 31980738 PMCID: PMC7000687 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-020-0375-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 400] [Impact Index Per Article: 100.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 11/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Over 90 years ago, Otto Warburg's seminal discovery of aerobic glycolysis established metabolic reprogramming as one of the first distinguishing characteristics of cancer1. The field of cancer metabolism subsequently revealed additional metabolic alterations in cancer by focusing on central carbon metabolism, including the citric acid cycle and pentose phosphate pathway. Recent reports have, however, uncovered substantial non-carbon metabolism contributions to cancer cell viability and growth. Amino acids, nutrients vital to the survival of all cell types, experience reprogrammed metabolism in cancer. This review outlines the diverse roles of amino acids within the tumor and in the tumor microenvironment. Beyond their role in biosynthesis, they serve as energy sources and help maintain redox balance. In addition, amino acid derivatives contribute to epigenetic regulation and immune responses linked to tumorigenesis and metastasis. Furthermore, in discussing the transporters and transaminases that mediate amino acid uptake and synthesis, we identify potential metabolic liabilities as targets for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth L. Lieu
- 0000 0001 2175 0319grid.185648.6Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Tu Nguyen
- 0000 0001 2175 0319grid.185648.6Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Shawn Rhyne
- 0000 0001 2175 0319grid.185648.6Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Jiyeon Kim
- 0000 0001 2175 0319grid.185648.6Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
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63
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Degirmenci U, Wang M, Hu J. Targeting Aberrant RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK Signaling for Cancer Therapy. Cells 2020; 9:E198. [PMID: 31941155 PMCID: PMC7017232 DOI: 10.3390/cells9010198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 296] [Impact Index Per Article: 74.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 12/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK (MAPK) signaling cascade is essential for cell inter- and intra-cellular communication, which regulates fundamental cell functions such as growth, survival, and differentiation. The MAPK pathway also integrates signals from complex intracellular networks in performing cellular functions. Despite the initial discovery of the core elements of the MAPK pathways nearly four decades ago, additional findings continue to make a thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of this pathway challenging. Considerable effort has been focused on the regulation of RAF, especially after the discovery of drug resistance and paradoxical activation upon inhibitor binding to the kinase. RAF activity is regulated by phosphorylation and conformation-dependent regulation, including auto-inhibition and dimerization. In this review, we summarize the recent major findings in the study of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK signaling cascade, particularly with respect to the impact on clinical cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ufuk Degirmenci
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Research, National Cancer Centre Singapore, 11 Hospital Crescent, Singapore 169610, Singapore
| | - Mei Wang
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore 169857, Singapore
| | - Jiancheng Hu
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Research, National Cancer Centre Singapore, 11 Hospital Crescent, Singapore 169610, Singapore
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore 169857, Singapore
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64
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Manaswiyoungkul P, de Araujo ED, Gunning PT. Targeting prenylation inhibition through the mevalonate pathway. RSC Med Chem 2020; 11:51-71. [PMID: 33479604 PMCID: PMC7485146 DOI: 10.1039/c9md00442d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein prenylation is a critical mediator in several diseases including cancer and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Therapeutic intervention has focused primarily on directly targeting the prenyltransferase enzymes, FTase and GGTase I and II. To date, several drugs have advanced to clinical trials and while promising, they have yet to gain approval in a medical setting due to off-target effects and compensatory mechanisms activated by the body which results in drug resistance. While the development of dual inhibitors has mitigated undesirable side effects, potency remains sub-optimal for clinical development. An alternative approach involves antagonizing the upstream mevalonate pathway enzymes, FPPS and GGPPS, which mediate prenylation as well as cholesterol synthesis. The development of these inhibitors presents novel opportunities for dual inhibition of cancer-driven prenylation as well as cholesterol accumulation. Herein, we highlight progress towards the development of inhibitors against the prenylation machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pimyupa Manaswiyoungkul
- Department of Chemistry , University of Toronto , 80 St. George Street , Toronto , Ontario M5S 3H6 , Canada
| | - Elvin D de Araujo
- Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences , University of Toronto Mississauga , 3359 Mississauga Rd N. , Mississauga , Ontario L5L 1C6 , Canada .
| | - Patrick T Gunning
- Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences , University of Toronto Mississauga , 3359 Mississauga Rd N. , Mississauga , Ontario L5L 1C6 , Canada .
- Department of Chemistry , University of Toronto , 80 St. George Street , Toronto , Ontario M5S 3H6 , Canada
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65
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Hoo WPY, Siak PY, In LLA. Overview of Current Immunotherapies Targeting Mutated KRAS Cancers. Curr Top Med Chem 2019; 19:2158-2175. [PMID: 31483231 DOI: 10.2174/1568026619666190904163524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The occurrence of somatic substitution mutations of the KRAS proto-oncogene is highly prevalent in certain cancer types, which often leads to constant activation of proliferative pathways and subsequent neoplastic transformation. It is often seen as a gateway mutation in carcinogenesis and has been commonly deemed as a predictive biomarker for poor prognosis and relapse when conventional chemotherapeutics are employed. Additionally, its mutational status also renders EGFR targeted therapies ineffective owing to its downstream location. Efforts to discover new approaches targeting this menacing culprit have been ongoing for years without much success, and with incidences of KRAS positive cancer patients being on the rise, researchers are now turning towards immunotherapies as the way forward. In this scoping review, recent immunotherapeutic developments and advances in both preclinical and clinical studies targeting K-ras directly or indirectly via its downstream signal transduction machinery will be discussed. Additionally, some of the challenges and limitations of various K-ras targeting immunotherapeutic approaches such as vaccines, adoptive T cell therapies, and checkpoint inhibitors against KRAS positive cancers will be deliberated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winfrey Pui Yee Hoo
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Pui Yan Siak
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Lionel L A In
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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66
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Wang Z, Li Y, Zhan S, Zhang L, Zhang S, Tang Q, Li M, Tan Z, Liu S, Xing X. SMAD4 Y353C promotes the progression of PDAC. BMC Cancer 2019; 19:1037. [PMID: 31684910 PMCID: PMC6829834 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-019-6251-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background SMAD4 is frequently inactivated and associated with a poor prognosis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Abnormal SMAD4 expression also plays an important role in the malignant progression of PDAC. Methods We investigated SMAD4 status in PDAC by immunohistochemical methods to explore the relationships between SMAD4 expression and clinicopathological features and then detected SMAD4 mutations by Sanger sequencing in 95 patients with PDAC to identify new mutation sites in PDAC. We further evaluated the effects of a missense mutation, Y353C, in the SMAD4 MH2 domain, on cell proliferation and migration in vitro. Results Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of SMAD4 in PDAC carcinoma tissue was significantly lower than that in normal pancreatic tissue, and negative SMAD4 expression was closely related to tumour diameter, staging, lymph node metastasis and differentiation. Sanger sequencing analysis showed that the rate of SMAD4 mutation was 11.8% in 85 PDAC cases, and the novel SMAD4 Y353C missense mutation identified in this study promoted cell migration and invasion without affecting cell proliferation in vitro. Furthermore, SMAD4 Y353C resulted in reduced expression of E-cadherin and increased expression of Vimentin compared with wild-type SMAD4 overexpression. Conclusion This study supports the key role of SMAD4 as a tumour suppressor gene in PDAC and shows that SMAD4 Y353C is associated with poor progression of PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zusen Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yongxing Li
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Shixiong Zhan
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Lu Zhang
- Prenatal Diagnosis Center, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Shun Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qian Tang
- Prenatal Diagnosis Center, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Miaomiao Li
- Prenatal Diagnosis Center, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Zhen Tan
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Shiguo Liu
- Prenatal Diagnosis Center, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
| | - Xiaoming Xing
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
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Luo Y, He Y, Ye X, Song J, Wang Q, Li Y, Xie X. High Expression of Long Noncoding RNA HOTAIRM1 is Associated with the Proliferation and Migration in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Pathol Oncol Res 2019; 25:1567-1577. [PMID: 30613920 DOI: 10.1007/s12253-018-00570-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an incurable malignancy. Long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) HOTAIRM1 (HOX antisense intergenic RNA myeloid 1) has been shown to play important roles in the progression of several type cancers. However, the exact role of HOTAIRM1 in PDAC development remains largely unknown. This study aims to evaluate the potential function of HOTAIRM1 in the development and progress of PDAC. HOTAIRM1 expression was measured by RT-qPCR in forty seven paired human PDAC tissues and five PDAC cell lines. SW1990 and PANC-1 cells were transfected with siHOTAIRM1 to achieve HOTAIRM1 silence. MTT assay and colony formation assay were used to detect the effect of HOTAIRM1 knockdown on cell proliferation. The impact of HOTAIRM1 silence on cell cycle and apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry assay. Transwell migration assay was performed to explore the influence of HOTAIRM1 downregulation on the migratory potential of PDAC cells. Western blot assay was applied to determine the expression changes of cell cycle, apoptosis, and migration-related genes before and after downregulating HOTAIRM1. HOTAIRM1 expression was abnormally upregulated in PDAC tissues and cells when compared with the control samples, and was positively associated with the expression of KRAS gene mutation. In vitro functional experiments, HOTAIRM1 expression was significantly downregulated by transfection with siHOTAIRM1 in SW1990 and PANC cell lines. HOTAIRM1 knockdown attenuated cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase, promoted cell apoptosis, and inhibited cell migration in PDAC cells by regulating related-genes expression. In conclusion, HOTAIRM1 plays a critical role in PDAC progression, which may be a novel diagnostic and rational therapeutic target for the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongyun Luo
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China
| | - Yaqin He
- Surgery Laboratory, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, 804 South Shengli Street, Yinchuan, 750004, China
| | - Xiaoping Ye
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, 804 South Shengli Street, Yinchuan, 750004, China
| | - Jianjun Song
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China
| | - Yukui Li
- Surgery Laboratory, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, 804 South Shengli Street, Yinchuan, 750004, China.
| | - Xiaoliang Xie
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, 804 South Shengli Street, Yinchuan, 750004, China.
- Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China.
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68
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Brubaker DK, Paulo JA, Sheth S, Poulin EJ, Popow O, Joughin BA, Strasser SD, Starchenko A, Gygi SP, Lauffenburger DA, Haigis KM. Proteogenomic Network Analysis of Context-Specific KRAS Signaling in Mouse-to-Human Cross-Species Translation. Cell Syst 2019; 9:258-270.e6. [PMID: 31521603 PMCID: PMC6816257 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2019.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2018] [Revised: 06/01/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The highest frequencies of KRAS mutations occur in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The ability to target downstream pathways mediating KRAS oncogenicity is limited by an incomplete understanding of the contextual cues modulating the signaling output of activated K-RAS. We performed mass spectrometry on mouse tissues expressing wild-type or mutant Kras to determine how tissue context and genetic background modulate oncogenic signaling. Mutant Kras dramatically altered the proteomes and phosphoproteomes of preneoplastic and neoplastic colons and pancreases in a context-specific manner. We developed an approach to statistically humanize the mouse networks with data from human cancer and identified genes within the humanized CRC and PDAC networks synthetically lethal with mutant KRAS. Our studies demonstrate the context-dependent plasticity of oncogenic signaling, identify non-canonical mediators of KRAS oncogenicity within the KRAS-regulated signaling network, and demonstrate how statistical integration of mouse and human datasets can reveal cross-species therapeutic insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas K Brubaker
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Joao A Paulo
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Shikha Sheth
- Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Emily J Poulin
- Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Olesja Popow
- Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Brian A Joughin
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Samantha Dale Strasser
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Alina Starchenko
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Steven P Gygi
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Douglas A Lauffenburger
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Kevin M Haigis
- Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Digestive Disease Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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69
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Parameswaran N, Bartel CA, Hernandez-Sanchez W, Miskimen KL, Smigiel JM, Khalil AM, Jackson MW. A FAM83A Positive Feed-back Loop Drives Survival and Tumorigenicity of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinomas. Sci Rep 2019; 9:13396. [PMID: 31527715 PMCID: PMC6746704 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49475-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) are deadly on account of the delay in diagnosis and dearth of effective treatment options for advanced disease. The insurmountable hurdle of targeting oncogene KRAS, the most prevalent genetic mutation in PDAC, has delayed the availability of targeted therapy for PDAC patients. An alternate approach is to target other tumour-exclusive effector proteins important in RAS signalling. The Family with Sequence Similarity 83 (FAM83) proteins are oncogenic, tumour-exclusive and function similarly to RAS, by driving the activation of PI3K and MAPK signalling. In this study we show that FAM83A expression is significantly elevated in human and murine pancreatic cancers and is essential for the growth and tumorigenesis of pancreatic cancer cells. Elevated FAM83A expression maintains essential MEK/ERK survival signalling, preventing cell death in pancreatic cancer cells. Moreover, we identified a positive feed-forward loop mediated by the MEK/ERK-activated AP-1 transcription factors, JUNB and FOSB, which is responsible for the elevated expression of oncogenic FAM83A. Our data indicates that targeting the MEK/ERK-FAM83A feed-forward loop opens up additional avenues for clinical therapy that bypass targeting of oncogenic KRAS in aggressive pancreatic cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neetha Parameswaran
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2103 Wolstein Research Building, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Courtney A Bartel
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2103 Wolstein Research Building, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Wilnelly Hernandez-Sanchez
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University, 2103 Wolstein Research Building, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Kristy L Miskimen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University, 2103 Wolstein Research Building, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Jacob M Smigiel
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2103 Wolstein Research Building, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Ahmad M Khalil
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 2103 Wolstein Research Building, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Mark W Jackson
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2103 Wolstein Research Building, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA. .,Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, 2103 Wolstein Research Building, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
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70
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Fong CYK, Burke E, Cunningham D, Starling N. Up-to-Date Tailored Systemic Treatment in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Gastroenterol Res Pract 2019; 2019:7135437. [PMID: 31582971 PMCID: PMC6748185 DOI: 10.1155/2019/7135437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite intensive research efforts, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is still regarded as an aggressive and life-limiting malignancy. Combination chemotherapy regimens that underpin the current treatment approach in the advanced setting have led to incremental survival gains in recent years but have failed to confer patients with a median overall survival that exceeds 12 months from diagnosis. Research has since focussed on understanding the role and interplay between various components of the desmoplastic stroma and tumour microenvironment, in addition to developing targeted therapies based on molecular features to improve the prognosis associated with this malignancy. This review will summarise the available systemic treatment options and discuss potential methods to refine the resolution of patient selection to enhance responses to currently available therapies. Furthermore, it will explore newer approaches anticipated to come to the fore of future clinical practice, such as agents targeting the DNA damage response and tumour microenvironment as well as immunotherapy-based combinations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emma Burke
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton SM2 5PT, UK
| | - David Cunningham
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton SM2 5PT, UK
| | - Naureen Starling
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton SM2 5PT, UK
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71
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Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: biological hallmarks, current status, and future perspectives of combined modality treatment approaches. Radiat Oncol 2019; 14:141. [PMID: 31395068 PMCID: PMC6688256 DOI: 10.1186/s13014-019-1345-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 251] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly devastating disease with poor prognosis and rising incidence. Late detection and a particularly aggressive biology are the major challenges which determine therapeutic failure. In this review, we present the current status and the recent advances in PDAC treatment together with the biological and immunological hallmarks of this cancer entity. On this basis, we discuss new concepts combining distinct treatment modalities in order to improve therapeutic efficacy and clinical outcome - with a specific focus on protocols involving radio(chemo)therapeutic approaches.
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72
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Bowers JS, Bailey SR, Rubinstein MP, Paulos CM, Camp ER. Genomics meets immunity in pancreatic cancer: Current research and future directions for pancreatic adenocarcinoma immunotherapy. Oncol Rev 2019; 13:430. [PMID: 31456872 PMCID: PMC6686121 DOI: 10.4081/oncol.2019.430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a formidable disease that needs improved therapeutic strategies. Even though immunotherapy has revolutionized treatment for various solid tumor types, it remains largely ineffective in treating individuals with PDAC. This review describes how the application of genome-wide analysis is revitalizing the field of PDAC immunotherapy. Major themes include new insights into the body’s immune response to the cancer, and key immunosuppressive elements that blunt that antitumor immunity. In particular, new evidence indicates that T cell-based antitumor immunity against PDAC is more common, and more easily generated, than previously thought. However, equally common are an array of cellular and molecular defenses employed by the tumor against those T cells. These discoveries have changed how current immunotherapies are deployed and have directed development of novel strategies to better treat this disease. Thus, the impact of genomic analysis has been two-fold: both in demonstrating the heterogeneity of immune targets and defenses in this disease, as well as providing a powerful tool for designing and identifying personalized therapies that exploit each tumor’s unique phenotype. Such personalized treatment combinations may be the key to developing successful immunotherapies for pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob S Bowers
- Department of Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina.,Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina
| | - Stefanie R Bailey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital.,Harvard Medical School
| | - Mark P Rubinstein
- Department of Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina.,Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina
| | - Chrystal M Paulos
- Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina.,Department of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina
| | - E Ramsay Camp
- Department of Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina.,Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina.,Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, South Carolina, USA
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73
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p110γ deficiency protects against pancreatic carcinogenesis yet predisposes to diet-induced hepatotoxicity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:14724-14733. [PMID: 31266893 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1813012116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is notorious for its poor survival and resistance to conventional therapies. PI3K signaling is implicated in both disease initiation and progression, and specific inhibitors of selected PI3K p110 isoforms for managing solid tumors are emerging. We demonstrate that increased activation of PI3K signals cooperates with oncogenic Kras to promote aggressive PDAC in vivo. The p110γ isoform is overexpressed in tumor tissue and promotes carcinogenesis via canonical AKT signaling. Its selective blockade sensitizes tumor cells to gemcitabine in vitro, and genetic ablation of p110γ protects against Kras-induced tumorigenesis. Diet/obesity was identified as a crucial means of p110 subunit up-regulation, and in the setting of a high-fat diet, p110γ ablation failed to protect against tumor development, showing increased activation of pAKT and hepatic damage. These observations suggest that a careful and judicious approach should be considered when targeting p110γ for therapy, particularly in obese patients.
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74
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Wang H, Li H, Hu L, Zhou J, Zhai C, Wang D, Sun X. EGFR and KRAS mutations in Chinese patients with sinonasal inverted papilloma and oncocytic papilloma. Histopathology 2019; 75:274-281. [PMID: 30916792 DOI: 10.1111/his.13868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 03/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Sinonasal inverted papilloma (SIP) and sinonasal oncocytic papilloma (SOP) are uncommon, benign epithelial neoplasms located in the sinonasal region, that have the potential for malignant transformation. A recent study reported that EGFR and KRAS mutations occurred in the majority of Western patients with SIP and SOP, respectively. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of KRAS and EGFR mutations in Chinese SIP and SOP patients, and to study the association between molecular alterations and their clinical features. METHODS AND RESULTS We retrospectively collected 80 sinonasal papilloma specimens, including 44 cases with SIP, 33 cases with SOP, and three cases with mixed sinonasal papilloma, which harboured elements of both inverted and oncocytic types. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues were used to extract genomic DNA, and EGFR and KRAS mutations were evaluated with direct Sanger sequencing. Thirty-five (78%) SIP patients harboured EGFR mutations, and all mutations were exon 20 insertions, whereas no KRAS mutations were detected. In contrast, KRAS mutations were detected in 82% of SOP patients, but no EGFR mutations were detected. Among the three mixed-type cases, two harboured both EGFR exon 20 insertions and KRAS mutations. Another case harboured a KRAS mutation, but no EGFR mutation was detected. CONCLUSION SIP and SOP are two clinical entities with different genetic mutational patterns of EGFR and KRAS. Mixed types with elements of both SIP and SOP may harbour both EGFR and KRAS mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology, Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongbing Li
- Department of Otolaryngology, Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Li Hu
- Department of Otolaryngology, Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiaying Zhou
- Department of Otolaryngology, Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Changwen Zhai
- Department of Pathology, Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dehui Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology, Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Xicai Sun
- Department of Otolaryngology, Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, Shanghai, China
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75
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Klochkov SG, Neganova ME, Yarla NS, Parvathaneni M, Sharma B, Tarasov VV, Barreto G, Bachurin SO, Ashraf GM, Aliev G. Implications of farnesyltransferase and its inhibitors as a promising strategy for cancer therapy. Semin Cancer Biol 2019; 56:128-134. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2017.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Revised: 10/14/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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76
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Lakkakula BVKS, Farran B, Lakkakula S, Peela S, Yarla NS, Bramhachari PV, Kamal MA, Saddala MS, Nagaraju GP. Small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors and pancreatic cancer—Trials and troubles. Semin Cancer Biol 2019; 56:149-167. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2018.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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77
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Chao MW, Chang LH, Tu HJ, Chang CD, Lai MJ, Chen YY, Liou JP, Teng CM, Pan SL. Combination treatment strategy for pancreatic cancer involving the novel HDAC inhibitor MPT0E028 with a MEK inhibitor beyond K-Ras status. Clin Epigenetics 2019; 11:85. [PMID: 31142371 PMCID: PMC6540419 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-019-0681-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oncogenic K-Ras signaling highly relies on the canonical Ras/MEK/ERK pathway to contribute to pancreatic cancer progression. However, numerous efforts of MEK inhibitors have failed to provide an optimal antitumor effect for pancreatic cancer in practice. The aim of the present work was to develop a more efficacious therapeutic intervention for MEK inhibitors through combination with histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor MPT0E028. METHODS The effects of combined therapy on cell viability, apoptosis, protein, and RNA expressions were determined by MTT assay, flow cytometry, western blotting, and quantitative PCR analysis. The AsPC-1 xenograft was used to assess antitumor effects in vivo. RESULTS The co-administration of MPT0E028 and MEK inhibitor yielded synergistic effects on cell viability suppression both in K-Ras mutated and wild-type pancreatic cancer cells and also markedly triggered cell apoptosis. Surprisingly, ERK and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) were activated by the long-term and low-concentration treatment of MPT0E028 or another HDAC inhibitor alone. Whereas, the pharmacological attenuation of ERK signaling dramatically abolished the MPTE028-induced p-ERK and EGFR expression. Overexpression of HDAC4, HDAC6, and MEK, respectively, reversed the cell death induced by the combined treatment. Finally, the combined treatment decreased the tumor volume in an AsPC-1 xenograft model compared to each individual treatment alone. CONCLUSIONS The synergistic anti-survival effect of the combination was suggested to occur via compensation of the MEK inhibitor for activated ERK. Our results indicate that this combination strategy could benefit patients with pancreatic cancer beyond K-Ras status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Wu Chao
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Li-Hsun Chang
- Pharmacological Institute, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Huang-Ju Tu
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chao-Di Chang
- Ph.D. Program in Biotechnology Research and Development, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Mei-Jung Lai
- Biomedical Commercialization Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ying Chen
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,The Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jing-Ping Liou
- Ph.D. Program in Biotechnology Research and Development, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Biomedical Commercialization Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Che-Ming Teng
- Pharmacological Institute, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Ph.D. Program in Biotechnology Research and Development, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shiow-Lin Pan
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. .,Ph.D. Program in Biotechnology Research and Development, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. .,Biomedical Commercialization Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. .,The Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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78
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Gatti-Mays ME, Strauss J, Donahue RN, Palena C, Del Rivero J, Redman JM, Madan RA, Marté JL, Cordes LM, Lamping E, Orpia A, Burmeister A, Wagner E, Pico Navarro C, Heery CR, Schlom J, Gulley JL. A Phase I Dose-Escalation Trial of BN-CV301, a Recombinant Poxviral Vaccine Targeting MUC1 and CEA with Costimulatory Molecules. Clin Cancer Res 2019; 25:4933-4944. [PMID: 31110074 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-19-0183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE BN-CV301 is a poxviral-based vaccine comprised of recombinant (rec.) modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA-BN-CV301; prime) and rec. fowlpox (FPV-CV301; boost). Like its predecessor PANVAC, BN-CV301 contains transgenes encoding tumor-associated antigens MUC1 and CEA as well as costimulatory molecules (B7.1, ICAM-1, and LFA-3). PANVAC was reengineered to make it safer and more antigenic. PATIENTS AND METHODS This open-label, 3+3 design, dose-escalation trial evaluated three dose levels (DL) of MVA-BN-CV301: one, two, or four subcutaneous injections of 4 × 108 infectious units (Inf.U)/0.5 mL on weeks 0 and 4. All patients received FPV-CV301 subcutaneously at 1 × 109 Inf.U/0.5 mL every 2 weeks for 4 doses, then every 4 weeks. Clinical and immune responses were evaluated. RESULTS There were no dose-limiting toxicities. Twelve patients enrolled on trial [dose level (DL) 1 = 3, DL2 = 3, DL3 = 6). Most side effects were seen with the prime doses and lessened with subsequent boosters. All treatment-related adverse events were temporary, self-limiting, grade 1/2, and included injection-site reactions and flu-like symptoms. Antigen-specific T cells to MUC1 and CEA, as well as to a cascade antigen, brachyury, were generated in most patients. Single-agent BN-CV301 produced a confirmed partial response (PR) in 1 patient and prolonged stable disease (SD) in multiple patients, most notably in KRAS-mutant gastrointestinal tumors. Furthermore, 2 patients with KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer had prolonged SD when treated with an anti-PD-L1 antibody following BN-CV301. CONCLUSIONS The BN-CV301 vaccine can be safely administered to patients with advanced cancer. Further studies of the vaccine in combination with other agents are planned.See related commentary by Repáraz et al., p. 4871.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret E Gatti-Mays
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Julius Strauss
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Renee N Donahue
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Claudia Palena
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Jaydira Del Rivero
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Jason M Redman
- Medical Oncology Service, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Ravi A Madan
- Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Jennifer L Marté
- Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Lisa M Cordes
- Oncology Clinical Pharmacy, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Elizabeth Lamping
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Alanvin Orpia
- Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, Maryland
| | | | - Eva Wagner
- Bavarian Nordic GmbH, Martinsried, Germany
| | | | | | - Jeffrey Schlom
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - James L Gulley
- Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
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79
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Wong BS, Shea DJ, Mistriotis P, Tuntithavornwat S, Law RA, Bieber JM, Zheng L, Konstantopoulos K. A Direct Podocalyxin-Dynamin-2 Interaction Regulates Cytoskeletal Dynamics to Promote Migration and Metastasis in Pancreatic Cancer Cells. Cancer Res 2019; 79:2878-2891. [PMID: 30975647 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-18-3369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The sialoglycoprotein podocalyxin is absent in normal pancreas but is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer and is associated with poor clinical outcome. Here, we investigate the role of podocalyxin in migration and metastasis of pancreatic adenocarcinomas using SW1990 and Pa03c as cell models. Although ezrin is regarded as a cytoplasmic binding partner of podocalyxin that regulates actin polymerization via Rac1 or RhoA, we did not detect podocalyxin-ezrin association in pancreatic cancer cells. Moreover, depletion of podocalyxin did not alter actin dynamics or modulate Rac1 and RhoA activities in pancreatic cancer cells. Using mass spectrometry, bioinformatics analysis, coimmunoprecipitation, and pull-down assays, we discovered a novel, direct binding interaction between the cytoplasmic tail of podocalyxin and the large GTPase dynamin-2 at its GTPase, middle, and pleckstrin homology domains. This podocalyxin-dynamin-2 interaction regulated microtubule growth rate, which in turn modulated focal adhesion dynamics and ultimately promoted efficient pancreatic cancer cell migration via microtubule- and Src-dependent pathways. Depletion of podocalyxin in a hemispleen mouse model of pancreatic cancer diminished liver metastasis without altering primary tumor size. Collectively, these findings reveal a novel mechanism by which podocalyxin facilitates pancreatic cancer cell migration and metastasis. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings reveal that a novel interaction between podocalyxin and dynamin-2 promotes migration and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells by regulating microtubule and focal adhesion dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Sheng Wong
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Institute for NanoBioTechnology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Daniel J Shea
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Panagiotis Mistriotis
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Institute for NanoBioTechnology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Soontorn Tuntithavornwat
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Robert A Law
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Jake M Bieber
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Lei Zheng
- Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Konstantinos Konstantopoulos
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. .,Institute for NanoBioTechnology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.,Johns Hopkins Physical Sciences-Oncology Center, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
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80
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Luo J, Chen XQ, Li P. The Role of TGF-β and Its Receptors in Gastrointestinal Cancers. Transl Oncol 2019; 12:475-484. [PMID: 30594036 PMCID: PMC6314240 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2018.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Revised: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Early detection of gastrointestinal tumors improves patient survival. However, patients with these tumors are typically diagnosed at an advanced stage and have poor prognosis. The incidence and mortality of gastrointestinal cancers, including esophageal, gastric, liver, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers, are increasing worldwide. Novel diagnostic and therapeutic agents are required to improve patient survival and quality of life. The tumor microenvironment, which contains nontumor cells, signaling molecules such as growth factors and cytokines, and extracellular matrix proteins, plays a critical role in cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling has dual roles in gastrointestinal tumor development and progression as both a tumor suppressor and tumor promoter. Here, we review the dynamic roles of TGF-β and its receptors in gastrointestinal tumors and provide evidence that targeting TGF-β signaling may be an effective therapeutic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwen Luo
- Oncology Department, West China Hospital of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, P.R. China
| | - Xu-Qiao Chen
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Ping Li
- Oncology Department, West China Hospital of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, P.R. China.
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81
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Carneiro-Lobo TC, Scalabrini LC, Magalhães LDS, Cardeal LB, Rodrigues FS, Dos Santos EO, Baldwin AS, Levantini E, Giordano RJ, Bassères DS. IKKβ targeting reduces KRAS-induced lung cancer angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo: A potential anti-angiogenic therapeutic target. Lung Cancer 2019; 130:169-178. [PMID: 30885340 DOI: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2019.02.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The ability of tumor cells to drive angiogenesis is an important cancer hallmark that positively correlates with metastatic potential and poor prognosis. Therefore, targeting angiogenesis is a rational therapeutic approach and dissecting proangiogenic pathways is important, particularly for malignancies driven by oncogenic KRAS, which are widespread and lack effective targeted therapies. Based on published studies showing that oncogenic RAS promotes angiogenesis by upregulating the proangiogenic NF-κB target genes IL-8 and VEGF, that NF-κB activation by KRAS requires the IKKβ kinase, and that targeting IKKβ reduces KRAS-induced lung tumor growth in vivo, but has limited effects on cell growth in vitro, we hypothesized that IKKβ targeting would reduce lung tumor growth by inhibiting KRAS-induced angiogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS To test this hypothesis, we targeted IKKβ in KRAS-mutant lung cancer cell lines either by siRNA-mediated transfection or by treatment with Compound A (CmpdA), a highly specific IKKβ inhibitor, and used in vitro and in vivo assays to evaluate angiogenesis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Both pharmacological and siRNA-mediated IKKβ targeting in lung cells reduced expression and secretion of NF-κB-regulated proangiogenic factors IL-8 and VEGF. Moreover, conditioned media from IKKβ-targeted lung cells reduced human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) migration, invasion and tube formation in vitro. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated IKKβ inhibition reduced xenograft tumor growth and vascularity in vivo. Finally, IKKβ inhibition also affects endothelial cell function in a cancer-independent manner, as IKKβ inhibition reduced pathological retinal angiogenesis in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy. Taken together, these results provide a novel mechanistic understanding of how the IKKβ pathway affects human lung tumorigenesis, indicating that IKKβ promotes KRAS-induced angiogenesis both by cancer cell-intrinsic and cancer cell-independent mechanisms, which strongly suggests IKKβ inhibition as a promising antiangiogenic approach to be explored for KRAS-induced lung cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Laura B Cardeal
- Chemistry Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Felipe Silva Rodrigues
- Chemistry Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Albert S Baldwin
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Elena Levantini
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Institute of Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy
| | - Ricardo J Giordano
- Chemistry Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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82
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Hui DHF, Tam KJ, Jiao IZF, Ong CJ. Semaphorin 3C as a Therapeutic Target in Prostate and Other Cancers. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E774. [PMID: 30759745 PMCID: PMC6386986 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20030774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The semaphorins represent a large family of signaling molecules with crucial roles in neuronal and cardiac development. While normal semaphorin function pertains largely to development, their involvement in malignancy is becoming increasingly evident. One member, Semaphorin 3C (SEMA3C), has been shown to drive a number of oncogenic programs, correlate inversely with cancer prognosis, and promote the progression of multiple different cancer types. This report surveys the body of knowledge surrounding SEMA3C as a therapeutic target in cancer. In particular, we summarize SEMA3C's role as an autocrine andromedin in prostate cancer growth and survival and provide an overview of other cancer types that SEMA3C has been implicated in including pancreas, brain, breast, and stomach. We also propose molecular strategies that could potentially be deployed against SEMA3C as anticancer agents such as biologics, small molecules, monoclonal antibodies and antisense oligonucleotides. Finally, we discuss important considerations for the inhibition of SEMA3C as a cancer therapeutic agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel H F Hui
- Vancouver Prostate Centre and Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada.
| | - Kevin J Tam
- Vancouver Prostate Centre and Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada.
| | - Ivy Z F Jiao
- Vancouver Prostate Centre and Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada.
| | - Christopher J Ong
- Vancouver Prostate Centre and Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada.
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83
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Thu PM, Zheng ZG, Zhou YP, Wang YY, Zhang X, Jing D, Cheng HM, Li J, Li P, Xu X. Phellodendrine chloride suppresses proliferation of KRAS mutated pancreatic cancer cells through inhibition of nutrients uptake via macropinocytosis. Eur J Pharmacol 2019; 850:23-34. [PMID: 30716311 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2019.01.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Revised: 01/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Despite the massive efforts to develop the treatment of pancreatic cancers, no effective application exhibits satisfactory clinical outcome. Macropinocytosis plays a critical role for continuous proliferation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In this study, we generated a screening method and identified phellodendrine chloride (PC) as a potential macropinocytosis inhibitor. PC significantly inhibited the viability of KRAS mutant pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1 and MiaPaCa-2) in a dose-dependent manner; however, it did not affect the wild type KRAS pancreatic cancer cells (BxPC-3). Further experiments indicated that PC reduced the growth of PANC-1 cells through inhibition of macropinocytosis and diminishing the intracellular glutamine level. Disruption of glutamine metabolism led to enhance the reactive oxygen species level and induce mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization in PANC-1 cells. PC treatment caused increased Bax and decreased Bcl-2 expression, along with the activation of cleaved caspase-3, 7, 9 and cleaved-PARP, thus induced mitochondrial apoptosis. Moreover, PC inhibited macropinocytosis in vivo and effectively reduced the growth of PANC-1 xenograft tumors. All together, we demonstrated that inhibition of macropinocytosis might be an effective strategy to treat pancreatic cancers. Thus, PC could be a potential compound with improved therapeutic efficacy in patients with pancreatic cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pyone Myat Thu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009 Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zu-Guo Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009 Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ya-Ping Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009 Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yan-Yan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009 Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009 Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Dan Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009 Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hui-Min Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009 Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ji Li
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, 200040 Shanghai, China.
| | - Ping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009 Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Xiaojun Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009 Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Discovery for Metabolic Diseases, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009 Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
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84
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Zhou Q, Xia S, Guo F, Hu F, Wang Z, Ni Y, Wei T, Xiang H, Shang D. Transforming growth factor-β in pancreatic diseases: Mechanisms and therapeutic potential. Pharmacol Res 2019; 142:58-69. [PMID: 30682425 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2019.01.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Revised: 12/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic diseases, such as acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer, are common gastrointestinal diseases resulting in the development of local and systemic complications with a high risk of death. Numerous studies have examined pancreatic diseases over the past few decades; however, the pathogenesis remains unclear, and there is a lack of effective treatment options. Recently, emerging evidence has suggested that transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) exerts controversial functions in apoptosis, inflammatory responses, and carcinogenesis, indicating its complex role in the pathogenesis of pancreas-associated disease. Therefore, a further understanding of relevant TGF-β signalling will provide new ideas and potential therapeutic targets for preventing disease progression. This is the first systematic review of recent data from animal and human clinical studies focusing on TGF-β signalling in pancreas damage and diseases. This information may aid in the development of therapeutic agents for regulating TGF-β in this pathology to prevent or treat pancreatic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Zhou
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China; Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Shilin Xia
- Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Fangyue Guo
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Fenglin Hu
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Zhizhou Wang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Yujia Ni
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Tianfu Wei
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Hong Xiang
- Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
| | - Dong Shang
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China; Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
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85
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Liu H, Sun M, Liu Z, Kong C, Kong W, Ye J, Gong J, Huang DCS, Qian F. KRAS-enhanced macropinocytosis and reduced FcRn-mediated recycling sensitize pancreatic cancer to albumin-conjugated drugs. J Control Release 2019; 296:40-53. [PMID: 30653981 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2018] [Revised: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a dominantly (~95%) KRAS-mutant cancer that has extremely poor prognosis, in part this is due to its strong intrinsic resistance towards almost all therapeutic agents. PDAC relies heavily on KRAS-transformed metabolism, including enhanced macropinocytosis and catabolism of extracellular albumin, to maintain its proliferation and progression. However, it has yet to be validated that whether such transformed metabolism could be exploited for the drug delivery to open therapeutic windows of cytotoxic agents in KRAS-mutant PDAC. In this study, we attempt to answer this question by focusing on the impact of two critical regulators of albumin catabolism, KRAS and the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), on the sensitivity of PDAC to doxorubicin (DOX, a model cytotoxic agent) and albumin-conjugated doxorubicin (DOX-ALB). Using cell lines and cell-derived xenografts with different KRAS genotypes and FcRn levels, we demonstrated that KRAS-enhanced macropinocytosis and reduced FcRn expression sensitize PDAC to DOX-ALB but not free DOX. In both in vitro and in vivo comparsion, the DOX-ALB demonstrated ~10 times enlarged therapeutic window compared with free DOX, in PDAC with KRAS mutation and reduced FcRn level, two events appear to occur simultaneously in the investigated PDAC. In summary, we conclude that albumin conjugation is an exploitable drug delivery strategy that significantly opens the therapeutic windows of otherwise undevelopable anti-cancer agents for KRAS-mutant PDAC therapy, and creates a new landscape for clinical evaluation and future translation of such compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiqin Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Mengnan Sun
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Zhengsheng Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Chao Kong
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Weijian Kong
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Junxiao Ye
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jianan Gong
- Departments of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Australia; The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - David C S Huang
- Departments of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Australia; The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Feng Qian
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
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Görgülü K, Diakopoulos KN, Ai J, Schoeps B, Kabacaoglu D, Karpathaki AF, Ciecielski KJ, Kaya-Aksoy E, Ruess DA, Berninger A, Kowalska M, Stevanovic M, Wörmann SM, Wartmann T, Zhao Y, Halangk W, Voronina S, Tepikin A, Schlitter AM, Steiger K, Artati A, Adamski J, Aichler M, Walch A, Jastroch M, Hartleben G, Mantzoros CS, Weichert W, Schmid RM, Herzig S, Krüger A, Sainz B, Lesina M, Algül H. Levels of the Autophagy-Related 5 Protein Affect Progression and Metastasis of Pancreatic Tumors in Mice. Gastroenterology 2019; 156:203-217.e20. [PMID: 30296435 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.09.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2017] [Revised: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Cells in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) undergo autophagy, but its effects vary with tumor stage and genetic factors. We investigated the consequences of varying levels of the autophagy related 5 (Atg5) protein on pancreatic tumor formation and progression. METHODS We generated mice that express oncogenic Kras in primary pancreatic cancer cells and have homozygous disruption of Atg5 (A5;Kras) or heterozygous disruption of Atg5 (A5+/-;Kras), and compared them with mice with only oncogenic Kras (controls). Pancreata were analyzed by histology and immunohistochemistry. Primary tumor cells were isolated and used to perform transcriptome, metabolome, intracellular calcium, extracellular cathepsin activity, and cell migration and invasion analyses. The cells were injected into wild-type littermates, and orthotopic tumor growth and metastasis were monitored. Atg5 was knocked down in pancreatic cancer cell lines using small hairpin RNAs; cell migration and invasion were measured, and cells were injected into wild-type littermates. PDAC samples were obtained from independent cohorts of patients and protein levels were measured on immunoblot and immunohistochemistry; we tested the correlation of protein levels with metastasis and patient survival times. RESULTS A5+/-;Kras mice, with reduced Atg5 levels, developed more tumors and metastases, than control mice, whereas A5;Kras mice did not develop any tumors. Cultured A5+/-;Kras primary tumor cells were resistant to induction and inhibition of autophagy, had altered mitochondrial morphology, compromised mitochondrial function, changes in intracellular Ca2+ oscillations, and increased activity of extracellular cathepsin L and D. The tumors that formed in A5+/-;Kras mice contained greater numbers of type 2 macrophages than control mice, and primary A5+/-;Kras tumor cells had up-regulated expression of cytokines that regulate macrophage chemoattraction and differentiation into M2 macrophage. Knockdown of Atg5 in pancreatic cancer cell lines increased their migratory and invasive capabilities, and formation of metastases following injection into mice. In human PDAC samples, lower levels of ATG5 associated with tumor metastasis and shorter survival time. CONCLUSIONS In mice that express oncogenic Kras in pancreatic cells, heterozygous disruption of Atg5 and reduced protein levels promotes tumor development, whereas homozygous disruption of Atg5 blocks tumorigenesis. Therapeutic strategies to alter autophagy in PDAC should consider the effects of ATG5 levels to avoid the expansion of resistant and highly aggressive cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kivanc Görgülü
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Kalliope N Diakopoulos
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Jiaoyu Ai
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Benjamin Schoeps
- Institute of Molecular Immunology and Experimental Oncology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Derya Kabacaoglu
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Angeliki-Faidra Karpathaki
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Katrin J Ciecielski
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Ezgi Kaya-Aksoy
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Dietrich A Ruess
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Alexandra Berninger
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Marlena Kowalska
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Marija Stevanovic
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Sonja M Wörmann
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas Wartmann
- Klinik für Chirurgie Bereich Experimentelle Operative Medizin, Universitätsklinikum Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Yue Zhao
- Klinik für Chirurgie Bereich Experimentelle Operative Medizin, Universitätsklinikum Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Walter Halangk
- Klinik für Chirurgie Bereich Experimentelle Operative Medizin, Universitätsklinikum Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Svetlana Voronina
- Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Alexey Tepikin
- Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Anna Melissa Schlitter
- Institute of Pathology, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany and German Cancer Consortium, Munich, Germany
| | - Katja Steiger
- Institute of Pathology, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany and German Cancer Consortium, Munich, Germany; Comparative Experimental Pathology, Institute of Pathology, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Artati
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, Genome Analysis Centre, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Jerzy Adamski
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, Genome Analysis Centre, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany; Institute for Diabetes and Cancer, German Center for Diabetes Research, Neuherberg, Germany; Lehrstuhl für Experimentelle Genetik, Technische Universität München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Michaela Aichler
- Research Unit Analytical Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Axel Walch
- Research Unit Analytical Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Martin Jastroch
- Helmholtz Diabetes Center and German Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Götz Hartleben
- Institute for Diabetes and Cancer, German Center for Diabetes Research, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Christos S Mantzoros
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Wilko Weichert
- Institute of Pathology, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany and German Cancer Consortium, Munich, Germany
| | - Roland M Schmid
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Stephan Herzig
- Institute for Diabetes and Cancer, German Center for Diabetes Research, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Achim Krüger
- Institute of Molecular Immunology and Experimental Oncology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Bruno Sainz
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Autónoma University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marina Lesina
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
| | - Hana Algül
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
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87
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Haq F, Sung YN, Park I, Kayani MA, Yousuf F, Hong SM, Ahn SM. FGFR1 expression defines clinically distinct subtypes in pancreatic cancer. J Transl Med 2018; 16:374. [PMID: 30593273 PMCID: PMC6311038 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-018-1743-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The clinical significance of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) protein expression in pancreatic cancer is largely unknown. In this study, we aimed investigate the clinical significance of FGFR1 expression in pancreatic cancer. Methods First, we investigated the relationship between FGFR pathway gene expression and clinicopathological data in three pancreatic cancer cohorts containing 313 cases. Subsequently, to confirm the findings from the discovery cohorts, we performed immunohistochemistry (IHC) of FGFR1 protein in a validation cohort of 205 pancreatic cancer cases. Results In discovery cohort 1, FGFR1 and Klotho beta (KLB) overexpression was associated with low tumor stage (P < 0.05), low tumor grade (P < 0.05), and better overall survival. Multivariate analysis predicted FGFR1 (P < 0.05) as a prognostic factor for better overall survival. In discovery cohorts 2 and 3, only FGFR1 overexpression was associated with better overall survival (P < 0.05). In the validation cohort, there were 15.7% and 61% strong and weak/moderate FGFR1-positive cases, respectively. FGFR1-positive cases showed better overall survival than FGFR1-negative cases (P < 0.05). Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed FGFR1 positivity as an independent prognostic factor for better overall survival in pancreatic cancer patients (hazard ratio 0.677, 95% confidence interval 0.471–0.972, P = 0.035). Conclusions FGFR1 expression, as estimated by IHC, may be used to define clinically distinct subtypes in pancreatic cancer. Moreover, FGFR1-based subclassification of pancreatic cancer may lead to new therapeutic approaches for the FGFR1-positive subtype. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12967-018-1743-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhan Haq
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - You-Na Sung
- Department of Pathology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Olympic-Ro 43Gil 88, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Inkeun Park
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Faizah Yousuf
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Seung-Mo Hong
- Department of Pathology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Olympic-Ro 43Gil 88, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sung-Min Ahn
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Genome Medicine and Science, College of Medicine, Gachon Institute of Genome Medicine and Science, Gachon University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea.
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88
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The Modulatory Role of MicroRNA-873 in the Progression of KRAS-Driven Cancers. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2018; 14:301-317. [PMID: 30654191 PMCID: PMC6348737 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2018.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Revised: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
KRAS is one of the most frequently mutated proto-oncogenes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and aberrantly activated in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). A profound role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the pathogenesis of human cancer is being uncovered, including in cancer therapy. Using in silico prediction algorithms, we identified miR-873 as a potential regulator of KRAS, and we investigated its role in PDAC and TNBC. We found that reduced miR-873 expression is associated with shorter patient survival in both cancers. miR-873 expression is significantly repressed in PDAC and TNBC cell lines and inversely correlated with KRAS levels. We demonstrate that miR-873 directly bound to the 3′ UTR of KRAS mRNA and suppressed its expression. Notably, restoring miR-873 expression induced apoptosis; recapitulated the effects of KRAS inhibition on cell proliferation, colony formation, and invasion; and suppressed the activity of ERK and PI3K/AKT, while overexpression of KRAS rescued the effects mediated by miR-873. Moreover, in vivo delivery of miR-873 nanoparticles inhibited KRAS expression and tumor growth in PDAC and TNBC tumor models. In conclusion, we provide the first evidence that miR-873 acts as a tumor suppressor by targeting KRAS and that miR-873-based gene therapy may be a therapeutic strategy in PDAC and TNBC.
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89
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Park S, Kim D, Wu G, Jung H, Park JA, Kwon HJ, Lee Y. A peptide-CpG-DNA-liposome complex vaccine targeting TM4SF5 suppresses growth of pancreatic cancer in a mouse allograft model. Onco Targets Ther 2018; 11:8655-8672. [PMID: 30584324 PMCID: PMC6284540 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s186606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Patients with pancreatic cancer have a poor prognosis and are usually diagnosed at a late stage. Because TM4SF5 is known to be overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma, colon cancer, and pancreatic cancer, it is considered as one of the candidate molecular targets for an anticancer strategies. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate possible utility of TM4SF5 to treat pancreatic cancer using a mouse allograft model. Materials and methods We analyzed expression of TM4SF5 in pancreatic cancer tissues using immunohistochemistry. We established a mouse pancreatic cancer cell line stably expressing TM4SF5 and identified the effect of TM4SF5 expression in vitro. We used the CpG-DNA-peptide-liposome complex as a peptide vaccine and investigated antitumor effects of the vaccine in a mouse model with TM4SF5 expressing pancreatic cells. To investigate the function of produced antibody, we evaluated effects of the anti-TM4SF5 monoclonal antibody in vitro in terms of cell growth and migration properties. Results Immunohistochemical analysis showed that 36.4% of pancreatic cancer tissue samples expressed TM4SF5. Expression of TM4SF5 induced increased cell proliferation and motility in vitro. Injection of the TM4SF5 peptide vaccine induced the production of anti-hTM4SF5 antibodies and reduced the growth of pancreatic tumors in mice established by subcutaneous injection of the TM4SF5-expressing mouse pancreatic cancer cell line. The treatment of TM4SF5-expressing cells with the anti-hTM4SF5 monoclonal antibody reduced cell growth, modulated the expression of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition markers Vimentin and E-cadherin, and decreased cell motility in vitro. Conclusion Our results showed that the TM4SF5 peptide vaccine had a protective effect against pancreatic tumors expressing TM4SF5, and this effect was mediated, at least in part, by the production and suppressive function of the anti-TM4SF5 antibodies. Therefore, we suggest that targeting TM4SF5 could be a novel strategy to prevent or treat pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangkyu Park
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk 28644, Republic of Korea, .,Biotechnology Research Institute, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk 28644, Republic of Korea,
| | - Dongbum Kim
- Center for Medical Science Research, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Republic of Korea,
| | - Guang Wu
- Center for Medical Science Research, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Republic of Korea, .,School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China,
| | - Harry Jung
- Center for Medical Science Research, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Republic of Korea,
| | - Jeong-A Park
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk 28644, Republic of Korea, .,Biotechnology Research Institute, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk 28644, Republic of Korea,
| | - Hyung-Joo Kwon
- Center for Medical Science Research, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Republic of Korea, .,Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Republic of Korea
| | - Younghee Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk 28644, Republic of Korea, .,Biotechnology Research Institute, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk 28644, Republic of Korea,
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90
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Immunotherapy, Radiotherapy, and Hyperthermia: A Combined Therapeutic Approach in Pancreatic Cancer Treatment. Cancers (Basel) 2018; 10:cancers10120469. [PMID: 30486519 PMCID: PMC6316720 DOI: 10.3390/cancers10120469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Revised: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer (PC) has the highest mortality rate amongst all other cancers in both men and women, with a one-year relative survival rate of 20%, and a five-year relative survival rate of 8% for all stages of PC combined. The Whipple procedure, or pancreaticoduodenectomy, can increase survival for patients with resectable PC, however, less than 20% of patients are candidates for surgery at time of presentation. Most of the patients are diagnosed with advanced PC, often with regional and distant metastasis. In these advanced cases, chemotherapy and radiation have shown limited tumor control, and PC continues to be refractory to treatment and results in a poor survival outcome. In recent years, there has been intensive research on checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy for PC, however, PC is characterized with dense stromal tissue and a tumor microenvironment (TME) that is highly immunosuppressive, which makes immunotherapy less effective. Interestingly, when immunotherapy is combined with radiation therapy (RT) and loco-regional hyperthermia (HT), it has demonstrated enhanced tumor responses. HT improves tumor killing via a variety of mechanisms, targeting both the tumor and the TME. Targeted HT raises the temperature of the tumor and surrounding tissues to 42–43 °C and makes the tumor more immunoresponsive. HT can also modulate the immune system of the TME by inducing and synthesizing heat shock proteins (HSP), which also activate an anti-tumor response. It is well known that HT can enhance RT-induced DNA damage in cancer cells and simultaneously help to oxygenate hypoxic regions. Thus, it is envisaged that combined HT and RT might have immunomodulatory effects in the PC-TME, making PC more responsive to immunotherapies. Moreover, the combined tripartite approach of immunotherapy, RT, and HT could reduce the overall toxicity associated with each individual therapy, while concomitantly enhancing the immunotherapeutic effect of overall individual therapies to treat local and metastatic PC. Thus, the use of a tripartite combinatorial approach could be promising and more efficacious than monotherapy or dual therapy to treat and increase the survival of the PC patients.
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91
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Pishvaian MJ, Garrido-Laguna I, Liu SV, Multani PS, Chow-Maneval E, Rolfo C. Entrectinib in TRK and ROS1 Fusion-Positive Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer. JCO Precis Oncol 2018; 2:1-7. [PMID: 35135135 DOI: 10.1200/po.18.00039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Pishvaian
- Michael J. Pishvaian and Stephen V. Liu, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC; Ignacio Garrido-Laguna, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Pratik S. Multani and Edna Chow-Maneval, Ignyta, San Diego, CA; and Christian Rolfo, Antwerp University Hospital and Center of Oncological Research, Antwerp University, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ignacio Garrido-Laguna
- Michael J. Pishvaian and Stephen V. Liu, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC; Ignacio Garrido-Laguna, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Pratik S. Multani and Edna Chow-Maneval, Ignyta, San Diego, CA; and Christian Rolfo, Antwerp University Hospital and Center of Oncological Research, Antwerp University, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Stephen V Liu
- Michael J. Pishvaian and Stephen V. Liu, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC; Ignacio Garrido-Laguna, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Pratik S. Multani and Edna Chow-Maneval, Ignyta, San Diego, CA; and Christian Rolfo, Antwerp University Hospital and Center of Oncological Research, Antwerp University, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Pratik S Multani
- Michael J. Pishvaian and Stephen V. Liu, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC; Ignacio Garrido-Laguna, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Pratik S. Multani and Edna Chow-Maneval, Ignyta, San Diego, CA; and Christian Rolfo, Antwerp University Hospital and Center of Oncological Research, Antwerp University, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Edna Chow-Maneval
- Michael J. Pishvaian and Stephen V. Liu, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC; Ignacio Garrido-Laguna, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Pratik S. Multani and Edna Chow-Maneval, Ignyta, San Diego, CA; and Christian Rolfo, Antwerp University Hospital and Center of Oncological Research, Antwerp University, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Christian Rolfo
- Michael J. Pishvaian and Stephen V. Liu, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC; Ignacio Garrido-Laguna, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Pratik S. Multani and Edna Chow-Maneval, Ignyta, San Diego, CA; and Christian Rolfo, Antwerp University Hospital and Center of Oncological Research, Antwerp University, Antwerp, Belgium
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92
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Saponara E, Visentin M, Baschieri F, Seleznik G, Martinelli P, Esposito I, Buschmann J, Chen R, Parrotta R, Borgeaud N, Bombardo M, Malagola E, Caflisch A, Farhan H, Graf R, Sonda S. Serotonin uptake is required for Rac1 activation in Kras-induced acinar-to-ductal metaplasia in the pancreas. J Pathol 2018; 246:352-365. [PMID: 30058725 DOI: 10.1002/path.5147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Revised: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which is the primary cause of pancreatic cancer mortality, is poorly responsive to currently available interventions. Identifying new targets that drive PDAC formation and progression is critical for developing alternative therapeutic strategies to treat this lethal malignancy. Using genetic and pharmacological approaches, we investigated in vivo and in vitro whether uptake of the monoamine serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] is required for PDAC development. We demonstrated that pancreatic acinar cells have the ability to readily take up 5-HT in a transport-mediated manner. 5-HT uptake promoted activation of the small GTPase Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1), which is required for transdifferentiation of acinar cells into acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM), a key determinant in PDAC development. Consistent with the central role played by Rac1 in ADM formation, inhibition of the 5-HT transporter Sert (Slc6a4) with fluoxetine reduced ADM formation both in vitro and in vivo in a cell-autonomous manner. In addition, fluoxetine treatment profoundly compromised the stromal reaction and affected the proliferation and lipid metabolism of malignant PDAC cells. We propose that Sert is a promising therapeutic target to counteract the early event of ADM, with the potential to stall the initiation and progression of pancreatic carcinogenesis. Copyright © 2018 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrica Saponara
- Department of Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michele Visentin
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Baschieri
- Institute Gustave Roussy, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Villejuif, France
| | - Gitta Seleznik
- Department of Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Paola Martinelli
- Institute for Cancer Research, Medical University, Wien, Austria
| | - Irene Esposito
- Institut für Pathologie, University Hospital of Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Johanna Buschmann
- Division of Plastic and Hand Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rong Chen
- Department of Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rossella Parrotta
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Thorax und Lungen Tumor Zentrum, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nathalie Borgeaud
- Department of Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marta Bombardo
- Department of Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ermanno Malagola
- Department of Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Amedeo Caflisch
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hesso Farhan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Rolf Graf
- Department of Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sabrina Sonda
- Department of Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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93
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Henry KE, Dacek MM, Dilling TR, Caen JD, Fox IL, Evans MJ, Lewis JS. A PET Imaging Strategy for Interrogating Target Engagement and Oncogene Status in Pancreatic Cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2018; 25:166-176. [PMID: 30228208 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-18-1485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2018] [Revised: 08/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most deadly cancers, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 10%. Physicians often rely on biopsy or CT to guide treatment decisions, but these techniques fail to reliably measure the actions of therapeutic agents in PDAC. KRAS mutations are present in >90% of PDAC and are connected to many signaling pathways through its oncogenic cascade, including extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) and MYC. A key downstream event of MYC is transferrin receptor (TfR), which has been identified as a biomarker for cancer therapeutics and imaging. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN In this study, we aimed to test whether zirconium-89 transferrin ([89Zr]Zr-Tf) could measure changes in MYC depending on KRAS status of PDAC, and assess target engagement of anti-MYC and anti-ERK-targeted therapies. RESULTS Mice bearing iKras*p53* tumors showed significantly higher (P < 0.05) uptake of [89Zr]Zr-Tf in mice withdrawn from inducible oncogenic KRAS. A therapy study with JQ1 showed a statistically significant decrease (P < 0.05) of [89Zr]Zr-Tf uptake in drug versus vehicle-treated mice bearing Capan-2 and Suit-2 xenografts. IHC analysis of resected PDAC tumors reflects the data observed via PET imaging and radiotracer biodistribution. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates that [89Zr]Zr-Tf is a valuable tool to noninvasively assess oncogene status and target engagement of small-molecule inhibitors downstream of oncogenic KRAS, allowing a quantitative assessment of drug delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly E Henry
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Megan M Dacek
- Program of Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.,Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - Thomas R Dilling
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Jonathan D Caen
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Ian L Fox
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Michael J Evans
- Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Jason S Lewis
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York. .,Program of Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.,Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York.,Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York.,Radiochemistry and Molecular Imaging Probes Core, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
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94
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Krulikas LJ, McDonald IM, Lee B, Okumu DO, East MP, Gilbert TSK, Herring LE, Golitz BT, Wells CI, Axtman AD, Zuercher WJ, Willson TM, Kireev D, Yeh JJ, Johnson GL, Baines AT, Graves LM. Application of Integrated Drug Screening/Kinome Analysis to Identify Inhibitors of Gemcitabine-Resistant Pancreatic Cancer Cell Growth. SLAS DISCOVERY : ADVANCING LIFE SCIENCES R & D 2018; 23:850-861. [PMID: 29742358 PMCID: PMC6102050 DOI: 10.1177/2472555218773045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Continuous exposure of a pancreatic cancer cell line MIA PaCa-2 (MiaS) to gemcitabine resulted in the formation of a gemcitabine-resistant subline (MiaR). In an effort to discover kinase inhibitors that inhibited MiaR growth, MiaR cells were exposed to kinase inhibitors (PKIS-1 library) in a 384-well screening format. Three compounds (UNC10112721A, UNC10112652A, and UNC10112793A) were identified that inhibited the growth of MiaR cells by more than 50% (at 50 nM). Two compounds (UNC10112721A and UNC10112652A) were classified as cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors, whereas UNC10112793A was reported to be a PLK inhibitor. Dose-response experiments supported the efficacy of these compounds to inhibit growth and increase apoptosis in 2D cultures of these cells. However, only UNC10112721A significantly inhibited the growth of 3D spheroids composed of MiaR cells and GFP-tagged cancer-associated fibroblasts. Multiplexed inhibitor bead (MIB)-mass spectrometry (MS) kinome competition experiments identified CDK9, CLK1-4, DYRK1A, and CSNK1 as major kinase targets for UNC10112721A in MiaR cells. Another CDK9 inhibitor (CDK-IN-2) replicated the growth inhibitory effects of UNC10112721A, whereas inhibitors against the CLK, DYRK, or CSNK1 kinases had no effect. In summary, these studies describe a coordinated approach to discover novel kinase inhibitors, evaluate their efficacy in 3D models, and define their specificity against the kinome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linas J. Krulikas
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Ian M. McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Benjamin Lee
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Denis O. Okumu
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Michael P. East
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Thomas S. K. Gilbert
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Laura E. Herring
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Brian T. Golitz
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Carrow I. Wells
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Allison D. Axtman
- Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - William J. Zuercher
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Timothy M. Willson
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Dmitri Kireev
- Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jen Jen Yeh
- Lineberger Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Gary L. Johnson
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | | | - Lee M. Graves
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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95
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Hu J, Kwak KJ, Shi J, Yu B, Sheng Y, Lee LJ. Overhang molecular beacons encapsulated in tethered cationic lipoplex nanoparticles for detection of single-point mutation in extracellular vesicle-associated RNAs. Biomaterials 2018; 183:20-29. [PMID: 30145409 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.08.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2018] [Revised: 08/17/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Detection of specific extracellular RNAs has been developed for non-invasive cancer diagnosis. However, accurate and efficient identification of RNAs with single-point mutation in cancer cells-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) is challenging. Herein, we present a unique overhang molecular beacon with internal dye (Ohi-MB) with a stable hairpin structure, fast hybridization kinetics and single mismatch specificity. Ohi-MBs are encapsulated in cationic lipoplex nanoparticles (CLNs) that are tethered on a gold coated glass slide as a chip, which can capture circulating EVs and detect encapsulated target RNAs in-situ in a single step. The capability of detection of single-point mutation by CLN-Ohi-MB is demonstrated in artificial EVs and cancer cells. This CLN-Ohi-MB biochip could quantify single-point mutations in KRAS mRNA (G12C, G12D, G12V) in pancreatic cancer cell-derived EVs and single-point mutations in EGFR mRNA (L858R and T790M) in lung cancer cell-derived EVs with high specificity, not achievable by conventional molecular probes. We show that CLN-Ohi-MB biochip could selectively and sensitively identify single-point mutations in KRAS mRNA in human serum EVs, distinguishing pancreatic cancer patients with different mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaming Hu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science & Institute of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
| | - Kwang Joo Kwak
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Junfeng Shi
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Bohao Yu
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science & Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yan Sheng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science & Institute of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
| | - Ly James Lee
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
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96
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Jiang H, Xu M, Li L, Grierson P, Dodhiawala P, Highkin M, Zhang D, Li Q, Wang-Gillam A, Lim KH. Concurrent HER or PI3K Inhibition Potentiates the Antitumor Effect of the ERK Inhibitor Ulixertinib in Preclinical Pancreatic Cancer Models. Mol Cancer Ther 2018; 17:2144-2155. [PMID: 30065098 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-17-1142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2017] [Revised: 04/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Effective treatment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an urgent, unmet medical need. Targeting KRAS, the oncogene that is present in >95% of PDAC, is a heavily pursued strategy, but remains unsuccessful in the clinic. Therefore, targeting key effector cascades of KRAS oncoprotein, particularly the mitogenic RAF-MEK-ERK pathway, represents the next best strategy. However, RAF or MEK inhibitors have failed to show clinical efficacy in PDAC. Several studies have shown that cancer cells treated with RAF or MEK inhibitors adopt multiple mechanisms to reactivate ERK signaling. Therefore, development of ERK-specific inhibitors carries the promise to effectively abrogate this pathway. Ulixertinib (or BVD-523) is a first-in-class ERK-specific inhibitor that has demonstrated promising antitumor activity in a phase I clinical trial for advanced solid tumors with NRAS and BRAF mutations, providing a strong rationale to test this inhibitor in PDAC. In this study, we show that ulixertinib effectively inhibits in vitro growth of multiple PDAC lines and potentiates the cytotoxic effect of gemcitabine. Moreover, we found that PDAC cells treated with ulixertinib upregulates the parallel PI3K-AKT pathway through activating the HER/ErbB family proteins. Concurrent inhibition of PI3K or HER proteins synergizes with ulixertinib in suppressing PDAC cell growth in vitro and in vivo Overall, our study provides the preclinical rationale for testing combinations of ulixertinib with chemotherapy or PI3K and HER inhibitors in PDAC patients. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(10); 2144-55. ©2018 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmei Jiang
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Mai Xu
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Lin Li
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Patrick Grierson
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Paarth Dodhiawala
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Maureen Highkin
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Daoxiang Zhang
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Qiong Li
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri.,Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Andrea Wang-Gillam
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri.
| | - Kian-Huat Lim
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri.
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97
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Lin JR, Izar B, Wang S, Yapp C, Mei S, Shah PM, Santagata S, Sorger PK. Highly multiplexed immunofluorescence imaging of human tissues and tumors using t-CyCIF and conventional optical microscopes. eLife 2018; 7:e31657. [PMID: 29993362 PMCID: PMC6075866 DOI: 10.7554/elife.31657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 371] [Impact Index Per Article: 61.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The architecture of normal and diseased tissues strongly influences the development and progression of disease as well as responsiveness and resistance to therapy. We describe a tissue-based cyclic immunofluorescence (t-CyCIF) method for highly multiplexed immuno-fluorescence imaging of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens mounted on glass slides, the most widely used specimens for histopathological diagnosis of cancer and other diseases. t-CyCIF generates up to 60-plex images using an iterative process (a cycle) in which conventional low-plex fluorescence images are repeatedly collected from the same sample and then assembled into a high-dimensional representation. t-CyCIF requires no specialized instruments or reagents and is compatible with super-resolution imaging; we demonstrate its application to quantifying signal transduction cascades, tumor antigens and immune markers in diverse tissues and tumors. The simplicity and adaptability of t-CyCIF makes it an effective method for pre-clinical and clinical research and a natural complement to single-cell genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Ren Lin
- Laboratory of Systems PharmacologyHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at HarvardHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Benjamin Izar
- Laboratory of Systems PharmacologyHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at HarvardHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of Medical OncologyDana-Farber Cancer InstituteBostonUnited States
- Broad Institute of MIT and HarvardCambridgeUnited States
| | - Shu Wang
- Laboratory of Systems PharmacologyHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Harvard Graduate Program in BiophysicsHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Clarence Yapp
- Laboratory of Systems PharmacologyHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Shaolin Mei
- Laboratory of Systems PharmacologyHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of Medical OncologyDana-Farber Cancer InstituteBostonUnited States
| | - Parin M Shah
- Department of Medical OncologyDana-Farber Cancer InstituteBostonUnited States
| | - Sandro Santagata
- Laboratory of Systems PharmacologyHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at HarvardHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of PathologyBrigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of Oncologic PathologyDana-Farber Cancer InstituteBostonUnited States
| | - Peter K Sorger
- Laboratory of Systems PharmacologyHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at HarvardHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
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98
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99
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α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate impairs pancreatic cancer cells by stimulating the p38 signaling pathway. Cell Signal 2018; 47:101-108. [PMID: 29609037 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2018.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Revised: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Multiple studies are currently targeting dysregulated cancer cell metabolism with distinct combinations of inhibitors. In this study, we evaluated in pancreatic cancer cells metformin, which blocks oxidative phosphorylation, in combination with α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate, which has been reported to inhibit the export of lactate from the cytosol. The combination of metformin with α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate had a major inhibitory effect on the migration of 6606PDA cells. Monotherapy with α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate and especially the combination with metformin also caused significant inhibition of cell proliferation and induced cell death. α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate in combination with metformin reduced the export of lactate significantly, whereas α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate monotherapy only modestly influenced lactate export. None of these two drugs inhibited the expression of distinct glycolytic enzymes. Interestingly, α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate rather inhibited the ERK and very strongly stimulated the p38 signaling pathway in 6606PDA as well as in 7265PDA cells. In addition, the inhibition of the p38 signaling pathway by PH-797804 partially reversed the effect of α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate on cell apoptosis in both cell lines. We conclude that α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate monotherapy and especially the combinatorial therapy with metformin has strong anti-cancerous effects. α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate causes cancer cell apoptosis by a novel mechanism for this drug, namely the stimulation of the p38 signaling pathway.
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100
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Silvestris N, Brunetti O, Pinto R, Petriella D, Argentiero A, Fucci L, Tommasi S, Danza K, De Summa S. Immunological mutational signature in adenosquamous cancer of pancreas: an exploratory study of potentially therapeutic targets. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2018; 22:453-461. [PMID: 29561217 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2018.1456530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Adenosquamous cancer of pancreas (ASCP) is a rare variant of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC). It is characterized by poor prognosis and lacks of literature data supporting the choice of systemic therapies. The role of immunotherapy for this malignancy is still unknown. In this study, we evaluated any differences between immune-related genes of PDAC and its adenosquamous variant with the aim to characterize these histothistotypes and eventually identify potential biomarkers useful for an immune-therapy approach in ASCP. METHODS We compared the mutational status of a customized gene panel, including 41 genes involved in immunity checkpoint, inflammation and control of leukocytes, B and T cells proliferation of PDAC and ASCP. Moreover, we evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1). RESULTS We observed a status of 'hypermutation' of genes included in our panel in ASCP (22/41 mutated genes). Furtheremore, PD-L1 was found to be expressed in about 15% of the squamous component of ASCP tissue. CONCLUSION Due to genetic characteristics and to PD-L1 expression in ASCP compared to PDAC tissue, we can conclude that ASCP presents a potential sensitivity to immunological therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Silvestris
- a Medical Oncology Unit and Scientific Directorate , Istituto Tumori "Giovanni Paolo II" , Bari , Italy
| | - Oronzo Brunetti
- b Medical Oncology Unit , Hospital of Barletta , Barletta , Italy
| | - Rosamaria Pinto
- c Pharmacogenetics and Molecular Diagnostic Unit , Istituto Tumori "Giovanni Paolo II" , Bari , Italy
| | - Daniela Petriella
- c Pharmacogenetics and Molecular Diagnostic Unit , Istituto Tumori "Giovanni Paolo II" , Bari , Italy
| | | | - Livia Fucci
- e Histopathological Unit , Istituto Tumori "Giovanni Paolo II" , Bari , Italy
| | - Stefania Tommasi
- c Pharmacogenetics and Molecular Diagnostic Unit , Istituto Tumori "Giovanni Paolo II" , Bari , Italy
| | - Katia Danza
- c Pharmacogenetics and Molecular Diagnostic Unit , Istituto Tumori "Giovanni Paolo II" , Bari , Italy
| | - Simona De Summa
- c Pharmacogenetics and Molecular Diagnostic Unit , Istituto Tumori "Giovanni Paolo II" , Bari , Italy
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