151
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Kirchberger S, Sturtzel C, Pascoal S, Distel M. Quo natas, Danio? -Recent Progress in Modeling Cancer in Zebrafish. Front Oncol 2017; 7:186. [PMID: 28894696 PMCID: PMC5581328 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2017.00186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last decade, zebrafish has proven to be a powerful model in cancer research. Zebrafish form tumors that histologically and genetically resemble human cancers. The live imaging and cost-effective compound screening possible with zebrafish especially complement classic mouse cancer models. Here, we report recent progress in the field, including genetically engineered zebrafish cancer models, xenotransplantation of human cancer cells into zebrafish, promising approaches toward live investigation of the tumor microenvironment, and identification of therapeutic strategies by performing compound screens on zebrafish cancer models. Given the recent advances in genome editing, personalized zebrafish cancer models are now a realistic possibility. In addition, ongoing automation will soon allow high-throughput compound screening using zebrafish cancer models to be part of preclinical precision medicine approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Kirchberger
- St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Children's Cancer Research Institute, Innovative Cancer Models, Vienna, Austria
| | - Caterina Sturtzel
- St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Children's Cancer Research Institute, Innovative Cancer Models, Vienna, Austria
| | - Susana Pascoal
- St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Children's Cancer Research Institute, Innovative Cancer Models, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Distel
- St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Children's Cancer Research Institute, Innovative Cancer Models, Vienna, Austria
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152
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Feng Z, Nam S, Hamouri F, Aujard I, Ducos B, Vriz S, Volovitch M, Jullien L, Lin S, Weiss S, Bensimon D. Optical Control of Tumor Induction in the Zebrafish. Sci Rep 2017; 7:9195. [PMID: 28835665 PMCID: PMC5569104 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-09697-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The zebrafish has become an increasingly popular and valuable cancer model over the past few decades. While most zebrafish cancer models are generated by expressing mammalian oncogenes under tissue-specific promoters, here we describe a method that allows for the precise optical control of oncogene expression in live zebrafish. We utilize this technique to transiently or constitutively activate a typical human oncogene, kRASG12V, in zebrafish embryos and investigate the developmental and tumorigenic phenotypes. We demonstrate the spatiotemporal control of oncogene expression in live zebrafish, and characterize the different tumorigenic probabilities when kRASG12V is expressed transiently or constitutively at different developmental stages. Moreover, we show that light can be used to activate oncogene expression in selected tissues and single cells without tissue-specific promoters. Our work presents a novel approach to initiate and study cancer in zebrafish, and the high spatiotemporal resolution of this method makes it a valuable tool for studying cancer initiation from single cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiping Feng
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
| | - Suzy Nam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Fatima Hamouri
- Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
- IBENS, CNRS-UMR8197, INSERM-U1024, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Aujard
- École Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Département de Chimie, PASTEUR, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, ENS, CNRS, PASTEUR, Paris, France
| | - Bertrand Ducos
- Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
- IBENS, CNRS-UMR8197, INSERM-U1024, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Vriz
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology (CIRB), College de France, and CNRS UMR 7241, and INSERM U1050, Paris, France
- Department of Life Sciences, Paris-Diderot University, Sorbonne-Paris-Cité, Paris, France
| | - Michel Volovitch
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology (CIRB), College de France, and CNRS UMR 7241, and INSERM U1050, Paris, France
- Department of Biology, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Ludovic Jullien
- École Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Département de Chimie, PASTEUR, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, ENS, CNRS, PASTEUR, Paris, France
| | - Shuo Lin
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Shimon Weiss
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
| | - David Bensimon
- Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France.
- IBENS, CNRS-UMR8197, INSERM-U1024, PSL Research University, Paris, France.
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
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153
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Schachtschneider KM, Schwind RM, Newson J, Kinachtchouk N, Rizko M, Mendoza-Elias N, Grippo P, Principe DR, Park A, Overgaard NH, Jungersen G, Garcia KD, Maker AV, Rund LA, Ozer H, Gaba RC, Schook LB. The Oncopig Cancer Model: An Innovative Large Animal Translational Oncology Platform. Front Oncol 2017; 7:190. [PMID: 28879168 PMCID: PMC5572387 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2017.00190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2017] [Accepted: 08/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite an improved understanding of cancer molecular biology, immune landscapes, and advancements in cytotoxic, biologic, and immunologic anti-cancer therapeutics, cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide. More than 8.2 million deaths were attributed to cancer in 2012, and it is anticipated that cancer incidence will continue to rise, with 19.3 million cases expected by 2025. The development and investigation of new diagnostic modalities and innovative therapeutic tools is critical for reducing the global cancer burden. Toward this end, transitional animal models serve a crucial role in bridging the gap between fundamental diagnostic and therapeutic discoveries and human clinical trials. Such animal models offer insights into all aspects of the basic science-clinical translational cancer research continuum (screening, detection, oncogenesis, tumor biology, immunogenicity, therapeutics, and outcomes). To date, however, cancer research progress has been markedly hampered by lack of a genotypically, anatomically, and physiologically relevant large animal model. Without progressive cancer models, discoveries are hindered and cures are improbable. Herein, we describe a transgenic porcine model—the Oncopig Cancer Model (OCM)—as a next-generation large animal platform for the study of hematologic and solid tumor oncology. With mutations in key tumor suppressor and oncogenes, TP53R167H and KRASG12D, the OCM recapitulates transcriptional hallmarks of human disease while also exhibiting clinically relevant histologic and genotypic tumor phenotypes. Moreover, as obesity rates increase across the global population, cancer patients commonly present clinically with multiple comorbid conditions. Due to the effects of these comorbidities on patient management, therapeutic strategies, and clinical outcomes, an ideal animal model should develop cancer on the background of representative comorbid conditions (tumor macro- and microenvironments). As observed in clinical practice, liver cirrhosis frequently precedes development of primary liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma. The OCM has the capacity to develop tumors in combination with such relevant comorbidities. Furthermore, studies on the tumor microenvironment demonstrate similarities between OCM and human cancer genomic landscapes. This review highlights the potential of this and other large animal platforms as transitional models to bridge the gap between basic research and clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Regina M Schwind
- Department of Radiology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | | | | | - Mark Rizko
- College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Nasya Mendoza-Elias
- College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Paul Grippo
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Daniel R Principe
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Alex Park
- College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Nana H Overgaard
- Division of Immunology and Vaccinology, National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Gregers Jungersen
- Division of Immunology and Vaccinology, National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Kelly D Garcia
- Biologic Resources Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Ajay V Maker
- Department of Surgical Oncology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Laurie A Rund
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Howard Ozer
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Ron C Gaba
- Department of Radiology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Lawrence B Schook
- Department of Radiology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.,Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States
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154
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Pathways from senescence to melanoma: focus on MITF sumoylation. Oncogene 2017; 36:6659-6667. [PMID: 28825724 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2017.292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Revised: 07/09/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cutaneous melanoma is a deadly skin cancer that originates from melanocytes. The development of cutaneous melanoma involves a complex interaction between environmental factors, mainly ultraviolet radiation from sunlight, and genetic alterations. Melanoma can also occur from a pre-existing nevus, a benign lesion formed from melanocytes harboring oncogenic mutations that trigger proliferative arrest and senescence entry. Senescence is a potent barrier against tumor progression. As such, the acquisition of mutations that suppress senescence and promote cell division is mandatory for cancer development. This topic appears central to melanoma development because, in humans, several somatic and germline mutations are related to the control of cellular senescence and proliferative activity. Consequently, primary melanoma can be viewed as a paradigm of senescence evasion. In support of this notion, a sumoylation-defective germline mutation in microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), a master regulator of melanocyte homeostasis, is associated with the development of melanoma. Interestingly, this MITF variant has also been recently reported to negatively impact the program of senescence. This article reviews the genetic alterations that have been shown to be involved in melanoma and that alter the process of senescence to favor melanoma development. Then, the transcription factor MITF and its sumoylation-defective mutant are described. How sumoylation misregulation can change MITF activity and impact the process of senescence is discussed. Finally, the contribution of such information to the development of anti-malignant melanoma strategies is evaluated.
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155
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Scahill CM, Digby Z, Sealy IM, Wojciechowska S, White RJ, Collins JE, Stemple DL, Bartke T, Mathers ME, Patton EE, Busch-Nentwich EM. Loss of the chromatin modifier Kdm2aa causes BrafV600E-independent spontaneous melanoma in zebrafish. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1006959. [PMID: 28806732 PMCID: PMC5570503 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Revised: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
KDM2A is a histone demethylase associated with transcriptional silencing, however very little is known about its in vivo role in development and disease. Here we demonstrate that loss of the orthologue kdm2aa in zebrafish causes widespread transcriptional disruption and leads to spontaneous melanomas at a high frequency. Fish homozygous for two independent premature stop codon alleles show reduced growth and survival, a strong male sex bias, and homozygous females exhibit a progressive oogenesis defect. kdm2aa mutant fish also develop melanomas from early adulthood onwards which are independent from mutations in braf and other common oncogenes and tumour suppressors as revealed by deep whole exome sequencing. In addition to effects on translation and DNA replication gene expression, high-replicate RNA-seq in morphologically normal individuals demonstrates a stable regulatory response of epigenetic modifiers and the specific de-repression of a group of zinc finger genes residing in constitutive heterochromatin. Together our data reveal a complex role for Kdm2aa in regulating normal mRNA levels and carcinogenesis. These findings establish kdm2aa mutants as the first single gene knockout model of melanoma biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine M. Scahill
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Zsofia Digby
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Ian M. Sealy
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Sonia Wojciechowska
- MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, MRC Human Genetics Unit & The University of Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Richard J. White
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - John E. Collins
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Derek L. Stemple
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Till Bartke
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), London, United Kingdom
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Marie E. Mathers
- Department of Pathology, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - E. Elizabeth Patton
- MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, MRC Human Genetics Unit & The University of Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Elisabeth M. Busch-Nentwich
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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156
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Bootorabi F, Manouchehri H, Changizi R, Barker H, Palazzo E, Saltari A, Parikka M, Pincelli C, Aspatwar A. Zebrafish as a Model Organism for the Development of Drugs for Skin Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:ijms18071550. [PMID: 28718799 PMCID: PMC5536038 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18071550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Revised: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Skin cancer, which includes melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma, represents the most common type of cutaneous malignancy worldwide, and its incidence is expected to rise in the near future. This condition derives from acquired genetic dysregulation of signaling pathways involved in the proliferation and apoptosis of skin cells. The development of animal models has allowed a better understanding of these pathomechanisms, with the possibility of carrying out toxicological screening and drug development. In particular, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been established as one of the most important model organisms for cancer research. This model is particularly suitable for live cell imaging and high-throughput drug screening in a large-scale fashion. Thanks to the recent advances in genome editing, such as the clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) methodologies, the mechanisms associated with cancer development and progression, as well as drug resistance can be investigated and comprehended. With these unique tools, the zebrafish represents a powerful platform for skin cancer research in the development of target therapies. Here, we will review the advantages of using the zebrafish model for drug discovery and toxicological and phenotypical screening. We will focus in detail on the most recent progress in the field of zebrafish model generation for the study of melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), including cancer cell injection and transgenic animal development. Moreover, we will report the latest compounds and small molecules under investigation in melanoma zebrafish models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Bootorabi
- Biosensor Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Molecular-Cellular Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 14114 Tehran, Iran.
| | - Hamed Manouchehri
- Department of Aquaculture, Babol Branch, Islamic Azad University, 47134 Babol, Iran.
| | - Reza Changizi
- Department of Aquaculture, Babol Branch, Islamic Azad University, 47134 Babol, Iran.
| | - Harlan Barker
- Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere, 33014 Tampere, Finland.
| | - Elisabetta Palazzo
- Laboratory of Cutaneous Biology, Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41100 Modena, Italy.
| | - Annalisa Saltari
- Laboratory of Cutaneous Biology, Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41100 Modena, Italy.
| | - Mataleena Parikka
- Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere, Oral and Maxillofacial Unit, Tampere University Hospital, 33014 Tampere, Finland.
| | - Carlo Pincelli
- Laboratory of Cutaneous Biology, Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41100 Modena, Italy.
| | - Ashok Aspatwar
- Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere, 33014 Tampere, Finland.
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157
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Habbsa S, McKinstry M, Bowman TV. “Sea”-ing Is Believing: In Vivo Imaging of Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Cancer Using Zebrafish. CURRENT STEM CELL REPORTS 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s40778-017-0088-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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158
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van Rooijen E, Fazio M, Zon LI. From fish bowl to bedside: The power of zebrafish to unravel melanoma pathogenesis and discover new therapeutics. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2017; 30:402-412. [PMID: 28379616 PMCID: PMC6038924 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.12592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Melanoma is the most aggressive and deadliest form of skin cancer. A detailed knowledge of the cellular, molecular, and genetic events underlying melanoma progression is highly relevant to diagnosis, prognosis and risk stratification, and the development of new therapies. In the last decade, zebrafish have emerged as a valuable model system for the study of melanoma. Pathway conservation, coupled with the availability of robust genetic, transgenic, and chemical tools, has made the zebrafish a powerful model for identifying novel disease genes, visualizing cancer initiation, interrogating tumor-microenvironment interactions, and discovering new therapeutics that regulate melanocyte and melanoma development. In this review, we will give an overview of these studies, and highlight recent advancements that will help unravel melanoma pathogenesis and impact human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen van Rooijen
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maurizio Fazio
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- PhD program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Leonard I. Zon
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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159
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Melanocytic nevi and melanoma: unraveling a complex relationship. Oncogene 2017; 36:5771-5792. [PMID: 28604751 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2017.189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Revised: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Approximately 33% of melanomas are derived directly from benign, melanocytic nevi. Despite this, the vast majority of melanocytic nevi, which typically form as a result of BRAFV600E-activating mutations, will never progress to melanoma. Herein, we synthesize basic scientific insights and data from mouse models with common observations from clinical practice to comprehensively review melanocytic nevus biology. In particular, we focus on the mechanisms by which growth arrest is established after BRAFV600E mutation. Means by which growth arrest can be overcome and how melanocytic nevi relate to melanoma are also considered. Finally, we present a new conceptual paradigm for understanding the growth arrest of melanocytic nevi in vivo termed stable clonal expansion. This review builds upon the canonical hypothesis of oncogene-induced senescence in growth arrest and tumor suppression in melanocytic nevi and melanoma.
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160
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Brown HK, Schiavone K, Tazzyman S, Heymann D, Chico TJ. Zebrafish xenograft models of cancer and metastasis for drug discovery. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2017; 12:379-389. [PMID: 28277839 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2017.1297416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Patients with metastatic cancer suffer the highest rate of cancer-related death, but existing animal models of metastasis have disadvantages that limit our ability to understand this process. The zebrafish is increasingly used for cancer modelling, particularly xenografting of human cancer cell lines, and drug discovery, and may provide novel scientific and therapeutic insights. However, this model system remains underexploited. Areas covered: The authors discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the zebrafish xenograft model for the study of cancer, metastasis and drug discovery. They summarise previous work investigating the metastatic cascade, such as tumour-induced angiogenesis, intravasation, extravasation, dissemination and homing, invasion at secondary sites, assessing metastatic potential and evaluation of cancer stem cells in zebrafish. Expert opinion: The practical advantages of zebrafish for basic biological study and drug discovery are indisputable. However, their ability to sufficiently reproduce and predict the behaviour of human cancer and metastasis remains unproven. For this to be resolved, novel mechanisms must to be discovered in zebrafish that are subsequently validated in humans, and for therapeutic interventions that modulate cancer favourably in zebrafish to successfully translate to human clinical studies. In the meantime, more work is required to establish the most informative methods in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah K Brown
- a Department of Oncology and Metabolism , The Medical School, University of Sheffield , Sheffield , UK.,b Sarcoma Research Unit, Medical School , INSERM, European Associated Laboratory, University of Sheffield , Sheffield , UK
| | - Kristina Schiavone
- a Department of Oncology and Metabolism , The Medical School, University of Sheffield , Sheffield , UK.,b Sarcoma Research Unit, Medical School , INSERM, European Associated Laboratory, University of Sheffield , Sheffield , UK
| | - Simon Tazzyman
- a Department of Oncology and Metabolism , The Medical School, University of Sheffield , Sheffield , UK.,c The Bateson Centre for Lifecourse Biology , University of Sheffield, Western Bank , Sheffield , UK
| | - Dominique Heymann
- a Department of Oncology and Metabolism , The Medical School, University of Sheffield , Sheffield , UK.,b Sarcoma Research Unit, Medical School , INSERM, European Associated Laboratory, University of Sheffield , Sheffield , UK.,d UMR 957, Pathophysiology of Bone Resorption and Therapy of Primary Bone Tumours , Nantes University Hospital , Nantes , France.,e Faculty of Medicine , INSERM, UMR 957, Pathophysiology of Bone Resorption and Therapy of Primary Bone Tumours, Equipe Ligue 2012, University of Nantes , Nantes , France
| | - Timothy Ja Chico
- c The Bateson Centre for Lifecourse Biology , University of Sheffield, Western Bank , Sheffield , UK.,f Department of Infection, Immunity & Cardiovascular Disease , The Medical School, University of Sheffield , Sheffield , UK
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161
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Casey MJ, Modzelewska K, Anderson D, Goodman J, Boer EF, Jimenez L, Grossman D, Stewart RA. Transplantation of Zebrafish Pediatric Brain Tumors into Immune-competent Hosts for Long-term Study of Tumor Cell Behavior and Drug Response. J Vis Exp 2017. [PMID: 28570545 PMCID: PMC5607995 DOI: 10.3791/55712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor cell transplantation is an important technique to define the mechanisms controlling cancer cell growth, migration, and host response, as well as to assess potential patient response to therapy. Current methods largely depend on using syngeneic or immune-compromised animals to avoid rejection of the tumor graft. Such methods require the use of specific genetic strains that often prevent the analysis of immune-tumor cell interactions and/or are limited to specific genetic backgrounds. An alternative method in zebrafish takes advantage of an incompletely developed immune system in the embryonic brain before 3 days, where tumor cells are transplanted for use in short-term assays (i.e., 3 to 10 days). However, these methods cause host lethality, which prevents the long-term study of tumor cell behavior and drug response. This protocol describes a simple and efficient method for the long-term orthotopic transplantation of zebrafish brain tumor tissue into the fourth ventricle of a 2-day-old immune-competent zebrafish. This method allows: 1) long-term study of tumor cell behaviors, such as invasion and dissemination; 2) durable tumor response to drugs; and 3) re-transplantation of tumors for the study of tumor evolution and/or the impact of different host genetic backgrounds. In summary, this technique allows cancer researchers to assess engraftment, invasion, and growth at distant sites, as well as to perform chemical screens and cell competition assays over many months. This protocol can be extended to studies of other tumor types and can be used to elucidate mechanisms of chemoresistance and metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattie J Casey
- Department of Oncological Sciences and Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine
| | - Katarzyna Modzelewska
- Department of Oncological Sciences and Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine
| | - Daniela Anderson
- Department of Oncological Sciences and Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine
| | - James Goodman
- Department of Oncological Sciences and Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine
| | - Elena F Boer
- Department of Oncological Sciences and Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine
| | - Laura Jimenez
- Department of Oncological Sciences and Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine
| | - Douglas Grossman
- Department of Oncological Sciences and Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine; Department of Dermatology, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City
| | - Rodney A Stewart
- Department of Oncological Sciences and Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine;
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162
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Agaësse G, Barbollat-Boutrand L, El Kharbili M, Berthier-Vergnes O, Masse I. p53 targets TSPAN8 to prevent invasion in melanoma cells. Oncogenesis 2017; 6:e309. [PMID: 28368391 PMCID: PMC5520488 DOI: 10.1038/oncsis.2017.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Revised: 12/06/2016] [Accepted: 02/10/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cutaneous melanoma is a very deadly cancer because of its proclivity to metastasize. Despite the recent development of targeted and immune therapies, patient survival remains low. It is therefore crucial to enhance understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying invasion. We previously identified tetraspanin 8 (TSPAN8) as an important modulator of melanoma invasiveness, and several of its transcriptional regulators, which affect TSPAN8 expression during melanoma progression toward an invasive stage. This study found that TSPAN8 promoter contains consensus-binding sites for p53 transcription factor. We demonstrated that p53 silencing was sufficient to turn on Tspan8 expression in non-invasive melanoma cells and that p53 acts as a direct transcriptional repressor of TSPAN8. We also showed that p53 modulated matrigel invasion in melanoma cells in a TSPAN8-dependent manner. In conclusion, this study reveals p53 as a negative regulator of Tspan8 expression. As TP53 gene is rarely mutated in melanoma, it was hitherto poorly studied but its role in apoptosis and growth suppression in melanoma is increasingly becoming clear. The study highlights the importance of p53 as a regulator of melanoma invasion and the concept that reactivating p53 could provide a strategy for modulating not only proliferative but also invasive capacity in melanoma treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Agaësse
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, France.,Université Lyon 1, Lyon, France.,CNRS, UMR5534, Centre de Génétique et de Physiologie Moléculaires et Cellulaires, Villeurbanne, France
| | - L Barbollat-Boutrand
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, France.,Université Lyon 1, Lyon, France.,CNRS, UMR5534, Centre de Génétique et de Physiologie Moléculaires et Cellulaires, Villeurbanne, France
| | - M El Kharbili
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, France.,Université Lyon 1, Lyon, France.,CNRS, UMR5534, Centre de Génétique et de Physiologie Moléculaires et Cellulaires, Villeurbanne, France
| | - O Berthier-Vergnes
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, France.,Université Lyon 1, Lyon, France.,CNRS, UMR5534, Centre de Génétique et de Physiologie Moléculaires et Cellulaires, Villeurbanne, France
| | - I Masse
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, France.,Université Lyon 1, Lyon, France.,CNRS, UMR5534, Centre de Génétique et de Physiologie Moléculaires et Cellulaires, Villeurbanne, France
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163
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Spira A, Yurgelun MB, Alexandrov L, Rao A, Bejar R, Polyak K, Giannakis M, Shilatifard A, Finn OJ, Dhodapkar M, Kay NE, Braggio E, Vilar E, Mazzilli SA, Rebbeck TR, Garber JE, Velculescu VE, Disis ML, Wallace DC, Lippman SM. Precancer Atlas to Drive Precision Prevention Trials. Cancer Res 2017; 77:1510-1541. [PMID: 28373404 PMCID: PMC6681830 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-16-2346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Revised: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Cancer development is a complex process driven by inherited and acquired molecular and cellular alterations. Prevention is the holy grail of cancer elimination, but making this a reality will take a fundamental rethinking and deep understanding of premalignant biology. In this Perspective, we propose a national concerted effort to create a Precancer Atlas (PCA), integrating multi-omics and immunity - basic tenets of the neoplastic process. The biology of neoplasia caused by germline mutations has led to paradigm-changing precision prevention efforts, including: tumor testing for mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency in Lynch syndrome establishing a new paradigm, combinatorial chemoprevention efficacy in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), signal of benefit from imaging-based early detection research in high-germline risk for pancreatic neoplasia, elucidating early ontogeny in BRCA1-mutation carriers leading to an international breast cancer prevention trial, and insights into the intricate germline-somatic-immunity interaction landscape. Emerging genetic and pharmacologic (metformin) disruption of mitochondrial (mt) respiration increased autophagy to prevent cancer in a Li-Fraumeni mouse model (biology reproduced in clinical pilot) and revealed profound influences of subtle changes in mt DNA background variation on obesity, aging, and cancer risk. The elaborate communication between the immune system and neoplasia includes an increasingly complex cellular microenvironment and dynamic interactions between host genetics, environmental factors, and microbes in shaping the immune response. Cancer vaccines are in early murine and clinical precancer studies, building on the recent successes of immunotherapy and HPV vaccine immune prevention. Molecular monitoring in Barrett's esophagus to avoid overdiagnosis/treatment highlights an important PCA theme. Next generation sequencing (NGS) discovered age-related clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP). Ultra-deep NGS reports over the past year have redefined the premalignant landscape remarkably identifying tiny clones in the blood of up to 95% of women in their 50s, suggesting that potentially premalignant clones are ubiquitous. Similar data from eyelid skin and peritoneal and uterine lavage fluid provide unprecedented opportunities to dissect the earliest phases of stem/progenitor clonal (and microenvironment) evolution/diversity with new single-cell and liquid biopsy technologies. Cancer mutational signatures reflect exogenous or endogenous processes imprinted over time in precursors. Accelerating the prevention of cancer will require a large-scale, longitudinal effort, leveraging diverse disciplines (from genetics, biochemistry, and immunology to mathematics, computational biology, and engineering), initiatives, technologies, and models in developing an integrated multi-omics and immunity PCA - an immense national resource to interrogate, target, and intercept events that drive oncogenesis. Cancer Res; 77(7); 1510-41. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avrum Spira
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Pathology and Bioinformatics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Matthew B Yurgelun
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ludmil Alexandrov
- Theoretical Division, Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico
| | - Anjana Rao
- Division of Signaling and Gene Expression, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California
| | - Rafael Bejar
- Department of Medicine, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Kornelia Polyak
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Marios Giannakis
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ali Shilatifard
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Olivera J Finn
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Madhav Dhodapkar
- Department of Hematology and Immunology, Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Neil E Kay
- Department of Hematology, Mayo Clinic Hospital, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Esteban Braggio
- Department of Hematology, Mayo Clinic Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Eduardo Vilar
- Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Sarah A Mazzilli
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Pathology and Bioinformatics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Timothy R Rebbeck
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Judy E Garber
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Victor E Velculescu
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Pathology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Mary L Disis
- Department of Medicine, Center for Translational Medicine in Women's Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Douglas C Wallace
- Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Scott M Lippman
- Department of Medicine, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California.
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164
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Abbosh C, Venkatesan S, Janes SM, Fitzgerald RC, Swanton C. Evolutionary dynamics in pre-invasive neoplasia. CURRENT OPINION IN SYSTEMS BIOLOGY 2017; 2:1-8. [PMID: 30603736 PMCID: PMC6312179 DOI: 10.1016/j.coisb.2017.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Mutational processes occur in normal tissues from conception throughout life. Field cancerization describes the preconditioning of an area of epithelium to tumor growth. Pre-invasive lesions may arise in these fields, however only a minority of pre-invasive neoplasia progresses to overt malignancy. Within this review we discuss recent advances in our understanding of genomic instability processes in normal tissue, describe evolutionary dynamics in pre-invasive disease and highlight current evidence describing how increasing genomic instability may drive the transition from pre-invasive to invasive disease. Appreciation of the evolutionary rulebooks that operate in pre-invasive neoplasia may facilitate screening strategies, risk-stratification of pre-invasive lesions and precipitate novel preventative treatments in at-risk patient populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Abbosh
- UCL Cancer Institute, CRUK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Paul O'Gorman Building, Huntley St., London WC1E 6DD, UK
| | - Subramanian Venkatesan
- UCL Cancer Institute, CRUK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Paul O'Gorman Building, Huntley St., London WC1E 6DD, UK
- Translational Cancer Therapeutics Lab, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT
| | - Samuel M Janes
- Lungs for Living Research Centre, UCL Respiratory, Division of Medicine, Rayne Building, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rebecca C Fitzgerald
- MRC Cancer Unit, University of Cambridge, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Charles Swanton
- UCL Cancer Institute, CRUK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Paul O'Gorman Building, Huntley St., London WC1E 6DD, UK
- Translational Cancer Therapeutics Lab, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT
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165
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Anelli V, Villefranc JA, Chhangawala S, Martinez-McFaline R, Riva E, Nguyen A, Verma A, Bareja R, Chen Z, Scognamiglio T, Elemento O, Houvras Y. Oncogenic BRAF disrupts thyroid morphogenesis and function via twist expression. eLife 2017; 6:e20728. [PMID: 28350298 PMCID: PMC5389860 DOI: 10.7554/elife.20728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Thyroid cancer is common, yet the sequence of alterations that promote tumor formation are incompletely understood. Here, we describe a novel model of thyroid carcinoma in zebrafish that reveals temporal changes due to BRAFV600E. Through the use of real-time in vivo imaging, we observe disruption in thyroid follicle structure that occurs early in thyroid development. Combinatorial treatment using BRAF and MEK inhibitors reversed the developmental effects induced by BRAFV600E. Adult zebrafish expressing BRAFV600E in thyrocytes developed invasive carcinoma. We identified a gene expression signature from zebrafish thyroid cancer that is predictive of disease-free survival in patients with papillary thyroid cancer. Gene expression studies nominated TWIST2 as a key effector downstream of BRAF. Using CRISPR/Cas9 to genetically inactivate a TWIST2 orthologue, we suppressed the effects of BRAFV600E and restored thyroid morphology and hormone synthesis. These data suggest that expression of TWIST2 plays a role in an early step of BRAFV600E-mediated transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Anelli
- Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York City, United States
| | - Jacques A Villefranc
- Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York City, United States
| | - Sagar Chhangawala
- Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York City, United States
| | - Raul Martinez-McFaline
- Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York City, United States
| | - Eleonora Riva
- Section of Endocrinology, Department of Medical Science, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Anvy Nguyen
- Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York City, United States
| | - Akanksha Verma
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, United States
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, United States
| | - Rohan Bareja
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, United States
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, United States
| | - Zhengming Chen
- Department of Healthcare Policy & Research, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, United States
| | - Theresa Scognamiglio
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York City, United States
| | - Olivier Elemento
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, United States
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, United States
| | - Yariv Houvras
- Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York City, United States
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York City, United States
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York City, United States
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166
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Kim IS, Heilmann S, Kansler ER, Zhang Y, Zimmer M, Ratnakumar K, Bowman RL, Simon-Vermot T, Fennell M, Garippa R, Lu L, Lee W, Hollmann T, Xavier JB, White RM. Microenvironment-derived factors driving metastatic plasticity in melanoma. Nat Commun 2017; 8:14343. [PMID: 28181494 PMCID: PMC5309794 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cellular plasticity is a state in which cancer cells exist along a reversible phenotypic spectrum, and underlies key traits such as drug resistance and metastasis. Melanoma plasticity is linked to phenotype switching, where the microenvironment induces switches between invasive/MITFLO versus proliferative/MITFHI states. Since MITF also induces pigmentation, we hypothesize that macrometastatic success should be favoured by microenvironments that induce a MITFHI/differentiated/proliferative state. Zebrafish imaging demonstrates that after extravasation, melanoma cells become pigmented and enact a gene expression program of melanocyte differentiation. We screened for microenvironmental factors leading to phenotype switching, and find that EDN3 induces a state that is both proliferative and differentiated. CRISPR-mediated inactivation of EDN3, or its synthetic enzyme ECE2, from the microenvironment abrogates phenotype switching and increases animal survival. These results demonstrate that after metastatic dissemination, the microenvironment provides signals to promote phenotype switching and provide proof that targeting tumour cell plasticity is a viable therapeutic opportunity. Phenotype switching is a form of plasticity that allows melanoma cancer cells that leave the primary tumour to invade secondary sites, to switch from an invasive to a proliferative state. Here the authors identify EDN3, and its synthetic enzyme ECE2, as a regulator of melanoma plasticity in the microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella S Kim
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Cancer Biology &Genetics, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Silja Heilmann
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Computational Biology, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Emily R Kansler
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Cancer Biology &Genetics, New York, New York 10065, USA.,Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Gerstner Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Yan Zhang
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Cancer Biology &Genetics, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Milena Zimmer
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Cancer Biology &Genetics, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Kajan Ratnakumar
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Cancer Biology &Genetics, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Robert L Bowman
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Cancer Biology &Genetics, New York, New York 10065, USA.,Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Gerstner Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Theresa Simon-Vermot
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Cancer Biology &Genetics, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Myles Fennell
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Cancer Biology &Genetics, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Ralph Garippa
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Cancer Biology &Genetics, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Liang Lu
- Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia 30912, USA
| | - William Lee
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Computational Biology, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Travis Hollmann
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Joao B Xavier
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Computational Biology, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Richard M White
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Cancer Biology &Genetics, New York, New York 10065, USA.,Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, New York, New York 10065, USA
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167
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Dorard C, Vucak G, Baccarini M. Deciphering the RAS/ERK pathway in vivo. Biochem Soc Trans 2017; 45:27-36. [PMID: 28202657 DOI: 10.1042/bst20160135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2016] [Revised: 11/03/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The RAS/ERK pathway has been intensely studied for about three decades, not least because of its role in human pathologies. ERK activation is observed in the majority of human cancers; in about one-third of them, it is driven by mutational activation of pathway components. The pathway is arguably one of the best targets for molecule-based pharmacological intervention, and several small-molecule inhibitors are in clinical use. Genetically engineered mouse models have greatly contributed to our understanding of signaling pathways in development, tissue homeostasis, and disease. In the specific case of the RAS/ERK pathway, they have revealed unique biological roles of structurally and functionally similar proteins, new kinase-independent effectors, and unsuspected relationships with other cascades. This short review summarizes the contribution of mouse models to our current understanding of the pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coralie Dorard
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Center for Molecular Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Georg Vucak
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Center for Molecular Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Manuela Baccarini
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Center for Molecular Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria
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168
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Kansler ER, Verma A, Langdon EM, Simon-Vermot T, Yin A, Lee W, Attiyeh M, Elemento O, White RM. Melanoma genome evolution across species. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:136. [PMID: 28173755 PMCID: PMC5297047 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3518-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2016] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer genomes evolve in both space and time, which contributes to the genetic heterogeneity that underlies tumor progression and drug resistance. In human melanoma, identifying mechanistically important events in tumor evolution is hampered due to the high background mutation rate from ultraviolet (UV) light. Cross-species oncogenomics is a powerful tool for identifying these core events, in which transgenically well-defined animal models of cancer are compared to human cancers to identify key conserved alterations. RESULTS We use a zebrafish model of tumor progression and drug resistance for cross-species genomic analysis in melanoma. Zebrafish transgenic tumors are initiated with just 2 genetic lesions, BRAFV600E and p53-/-, yet take 4-6 months to appear, at which time whole genome sequencing demonstrated >3,000 new mutations. An additional 4-month exposure to the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib resulted in a highly drug resistant tumor that showed 3 additional new DNA mutations in the genes BUB1B, PINK1, and COL16A1. These genetic changes in drug resistance are accompanied by a massive reorganization of the transcriptome, with differential RNA expression of over 800 genes, centered on alterations in cAMP and PKA signaling. By comparing both the DNA and mRNA changes to a large panel of human melanomas, we find that there is a highly significant enrichment of these alterations in human patients with vemurafenib resistant disease. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that targeting of alterations that are conserved between zebrafish and humans may offer new avenues for therapeutic intervention. The approaches described here will be broadly applicable to the diverse array of cancer models available in the zebrafish, which can be used to inform human cancer genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R Kansler
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Cancer Biology & Genetics, New York, USA
| | - Akanksha Verma
- Weill-Cornell Medical College, Institute for Computational Biomedicine, New York, USA
| | - Erin M Langdon
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Cancer Biology & Genetics, New York, USA
| | - Theresa Simon-Vermot
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Cancer Biology & Genetics, New York, USA
| | - Alexandra Yin
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Cancer Biology & Genetics, New York, USA
| | - William Lee
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Computational Biology, New York, USA
| | - Marc Attiyeh
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, New York, USA
| | - Olivier Elemento
- Weill-Cornell Medical College, Institute for Computational Biomedicine, New York, USA
| | - Richard M White
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Cancer Biology & Genetics, New York, USA. .,Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA.
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169
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Tenente IM, Hayes MN, Ignatius MS, McCarthy K, Yohe M, Sindiri S, Gryder B, Oliveira ML, Ramakrishnan A, Tang Q, Chen EY, Petur Nielsen G, Khan J, Langenau DM. Myogenic regulatory transcription factors regulate growth in rhabdomyosarcoma. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28080960 PMCID: PMC5231408 DOI: 10.7554/elife.19214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a pediatric malignacy of muscle with myogenic regulatory transcription factors MYOD and MYF5 being expressed in this disease. Consensus in the field has been that expression of these factors likely reflects the target cell of transformation rather than being required for continued tumor growth. Here, we used a transgenic zebrafish model to show that Myf5 is sufficient to confer tumor-propagating potential to RMS cells and caused tumors to initiate earlier and have higher penetrance. Analysis of human RMS revealed that MYF5 and MYOD are mutually-exclusively expressed and each is required for sustained tumor growth. ChIP-seq and mechanistic studies in human RMS uncovered that MYF5 and MYOD bind common DNA regulatory elements to alter transcription of genes that regulate muscle development and cell cycle progression. Our data support unappreciated and dominant oncogenic roles for MYF5 and MYOD convergence on common transcriptional targets to regulate human RMS growth. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19214.001
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês M Tenente
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States.,GABBA Program, Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Madeline N Hayes
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States
| | - Myron S Ignatius
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States.,Molecular Medicine, Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, San Antonio, United States
| | - Karin McCarthy
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States
| | - Marielle Yohe
- Oncogenomics Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Advanced Technology Center, National Cancer Institute, Gaithersburg, United States
| | - Sivasish Sindiri
- Oncogenomics Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Advanced Technology Center, National Cancer Institute, Gaithersburg, United States
| | - Berkley Gryder
- Oncogenomics Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Advanced Technology Center, National Cancer Institute, Gaithersburg, United States
| | - Mariana L Oliveira
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ashwin Ramakrishnan
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States
| | - Qin Tang
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States
| | - Eleanor Y Chen
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | - G Petur Nielsen
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States
| | - Javed Khan
- Oncogenomics Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Advanced Technology Center, National Cancer Institute, Gaithersburg, United States
| | - David M Langenau
- Molecular Pathology, Cancer Center, and Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United States
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170
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Baxendale S, van Eeden F, Wilkinson R. The Power of Zebrafish in Personalised Medicine. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2017; 1007:179-197. [PMID: 28840558 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-60733-7_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The goal of personalised medicine is to develop tailor-made therapies for patients in whom currently available therapeutics fail. This approach requires correlating individual patient genotype data to specific disease phenotype data and using these stratified data sets to identify bespoke therapeutics. Applications for personalised medicine include common complex diseases which may have multiple targets, as well as rare monogenic disorders, for which the target may be unknown. In both cases, whole genome sequence analysis (WGS) is discovering large numbers of disease associated mutations in new candidate genes and potential modifier genes. Currently, the main limiting factor is the determination of which mutated genes are important for disease progression and therefore represent potential targets for drug discovery. Zebrafish have gained popularity as a model organism for understanding developmental processes, disease mechanisms and more recently for drug discovery and toxicity testing. In this chapter, we will examine the diverse roles that zebrafish can make in the expanding field of personalised medicine, from generating humanised disease models to xenograft screening of different cancer cell lines, through to finding new drugs via in vivo phenotypic screens. We will discuss the tools available for zebrafish research and recent advances in techniques, highlighting the advantages and potential of using zebrafish for high throughput disease modeling and precision drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Baxendale
- The Bateson Centre, Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.
| | - Freek van Eeden
- The Bateson Centre, Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Robert Wilkinson
- The Bateson Centre, Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.,Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease, Medical School, Beech Hill Rd, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2RX, UK
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171
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Huang JM, Chikeka I, Hornyak TJ. Melanocytic Nevi and the Genetic and Epigenetic Control of Oncogene-Induced Senescence. Dermatol Clin 2017; 35:85-93. [PMID: 27890240 PMCID: PMC5391772 DOI: 10.1016/j.det.2016.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Melanocytic nevi represent benign clonal proliferations of the melanocytes in the skin that usually remain stable in size and behavior or disappear during life. Infrequently, melanocytic nevi undergo malignant transformation to melanoma. Understanding molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying oncogene-induced senescence should help identify pathways underlying melanoma development, leading to the development of new strategies for melanoma prevention and early detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Huang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 108 N. Greene St., Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Ijeuru Chikeka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 108 N. Greene St., Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Thomas J Hornyak
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 108 N. Greene St., Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; Research & Development Service, VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA; Department of Dermatology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
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172
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Hamilton L, Astell KR, Velikova G, Sieger D. A Zebrafish Live Imaging Model Reveals Differential Responses of Microglia Toward Glioblastoma Cells In Vivo. Zebrafish 2016; 13:523-534. [PMID: 27779463 PMCID: PMC5124743 DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2016.1339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and deadliest form of brain cancer. Glioblastomas are infiltrated by a high number of microglia, which promote tumor growth and surrounding tissue invasion. However, it is unclear how microglia and glioma cells physically interact and if there are differences, depending on glioma cell type. Hence, we have developed a novel live imaging assay to study microglia-glioma interactions in vivo in the zebrafish brain. We transplanted well-established human glioblastoma cell lines, U87 and U251, into transgenic zebrafish lines with labelled macrophages/microglia. Our confocal live imaging results show distinct interactions between microglia and U87, as well as U251 glioblastoma cells that differ in number and nature. Importantly these interactions do not appear to be antitumoral as zebrafish microglia do not engulf and phagocytose the human glioblastoma cells. Finally, xenotransplants into the irf8-/- zebrafish mutant that lacks microglia, as well as pharmacological inhibition of the CSF-1 receptor (CSF-1R) on microglia, confirm a prominent role for zebrafish microglia in promoting human glioblastoma cell growth. This new model will be an important tool for drug screening and the development of future immunotherapeutics targeting microglia within glioma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lloyd Hamilton
- Centre for Neuroregeneration, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Katy R Astell
- Centre for Neuroregeneration, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Gergana Velikova
- Centre for Neuroregeneration, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Dirk Sieger
- Centre for Neuroregeneration, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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173
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Moore JC, Tang Q, Yordán NT, Moore FE, Garcia EG, Lobbardi R, Ramakrishnan A, Marvin DL, Anselmo A, Sadreyev RI, Langenau DM. Single-cell imaging of normal and malignant cell engraftment into optically clear prkdc-null SCID zebrafish. J Exp Med 2016; 213:2575-2589. [PMID: 27810924 PMCID: PMC5110017 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20160378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell transplantation into immunodeficient mice has revolutionized our understanding of regeneration, stem cell self-renewal, and cancer; yet models for direct imaging of engrafted cells has been limited. Here, we characterize zebrafish with mutations in recombination activating gene 2 (rag2), DNA-dependent protein kinase (prkdc), and janus kinase 3 (jak3). Histology, RNA sequencing, and single-cell transcriptional profiling of blood showed that rag2 hypomorphic mutant zebrafish lack T cells, whereas prkdc deficiency results in loss of mature T and B cells and jak3 in T and putative Natural Killer cells. Although all mutant lines engraft fluorescently labeled normal and malignant cells, only the prkdc mutant fish reproduced as homozygotes and also survived injury after cell transplantation. Engraftment into optically clear casper, prkdc-mutant zebrafish facilitated dynamic live cell imaging of muscle regeneration, repopulation of muscle stem cells within their endogenous niche, and muscle fiber fusion at single-cell resolution. Serial imaging approaches also uncovered stochasticity in fluorescently labeled leukemia regrowth after competitive cell transplantation into prkdc mutant fish, providing refined models to assess clonal dominance and progression in the zebrafish. Our experiments provide an optimized and facile transplantation model, the casper, prkdc mutant zebrafish, for efficient engraftment and direct visualization of fluorescently labeled normal and malignant cells at single-cell resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C Moore
- Molecular Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Qin Tang
- Molecular Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Nora Torres Yordán
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Finola E Moore
- Molecular Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Elaine G Garcia
- Molecular Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Riadh Lobbardi
- Molecular Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Ashwin Ramakrishnan
- Molecular Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Dieuwke L Marvin
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129
| | - Anthony Anselmo
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Ruslan I Sadreyev
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - David M Langenau
- Molecular Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139
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174
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Laux DW, Kelly L, Bravo IR, Ramezani T, Feng Y. Live imaging the earliest host innate immune response to preneoplastic cells using a zebrafish inducible KalTA4-ER T2/UAS system. Methods Cell Biol 2016; 138:137-150. [PMID: 28129841 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2016.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
As cancers develop, transformed cells hijack various host mechanisms and manipulate them to create a dynamic tumor microenvironment, which supports tumor growth. This protumorigenic microenvironment is made up of many different cell types, including transformed cells, fibroblasts, inflammatory cells, and endothelial cells, the interactions of which have been shown to play a role in sustaining tumor growth. Multiple reports implicate the inflammatory cells of the tumor microenvironment as having both pro- and antitumorigenic roles, the balance of which is vital for the progression of the tumor, and while our understanding of established cancers has vastly increased since the turn of the 21st Century, our knowledge of these cellular interactions at the earliest stages of cancer initiation and development remains relatively limited. This is largely due to difficulties in monitoring these processes in vivo and in real time. Since the late nineties, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) has emerged as a vital model organism, allowing studies of previously unattainable stages of tumor initiation in a vertebrate model system. Using genetic and live-imaging approaches, this model system can be used both independently to monitor stages of tumor progression from the earliest initiation stages and incorporated into previously established systems to investigate the interactions between cancer cells and the various cell types of the tumor microenvironment, including inflammatory cells. Here, we describe the use of an inducible KalTA4-ERT2/UAS expression system in zebrafish, which allows spatial and temporal control of preneoplastic cell (PNC) growth and monitoring of innate immune cells in response to the developing PNC microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- D W Laux
- University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - L Kelly
- University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | | | - T Ramezani
- University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Y Feng
- University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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175
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Ni C, Narzt MS, Nagelreiter IM, Zhang CF, Larue L, Rossiter H, Grillari J, Tschachler E, Gruber F. Autophagy deficient melanocytes display a senescence associated secretory phenotype that includes oxidized lipid mediators. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2016; 81:375-382. [PMID: 27732890 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2016.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Revised: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Autophagy is a recycling program which allows cells to adapt to metabolic needs and to stress. Defects in autophagy can affect metabolism, aging, proteostasis and inflammation. Autophagy pathway genes, including autophagy related 7 (Atg7), have been associated with the regulation of skin pigmentation, and autophagy defects disturb the biogenesis and transport of melanosomes in melanocytes as well as transfer and processing of melanin into keratinocytes. We have previously shown that mice whose melanocytes or keratinocytes lack Atg7 (and thus autophagy) as a result of specific gene knockout still retained functioning melanosome synthesis and transfer, and displayed only moderate reduction of pigmentation. In cell culture the Atg7 deficient melanocytes were prone to premature senescence and dysregulation of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) signaling. To elucidate the biochemical basis of this phenotype, we performed a study on global gene expression, protein secretion and phospholipid composition in Atg7 deficient versus Atg7 expressing melanocytes. In cell culture Atg7 deficient melanocytes showed a pro-inflammatory gene expression signature and secreted higher levels of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand -1,-2,-10 and -12 (Cxcl1, Cxcl2, Cxcl10, Cxcl12), which are implicated in the pathogenesis of pigmentary disorders and expressed higher amounts of matrix metalloproteinases -3 and -13 (Mmp3, Mmp13). The analysis of membrane phospholipid composition identified an increase in the arachidonic- to linoleic acid ratio in the autophagy deficient cells, as well as an increase in oxidized phospholipid species that act as danger associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). The secretion of inflammation related factors suggests that autophagy deficient melanocytes display a senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP), and we propose oxidized lipid mediators as novel components of this SASP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunya Ni
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Grürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Department of Dermatology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Marie-Sophie Narzt
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Grürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for the Biotechnology of Skin Aging, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ionela-Mariana Nagelreiter
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Grürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for the Biotechnology of Skin Aging, Vienna, Austria
| | - Cheng Feng Zhang
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Grürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Department of Dermatology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lionel Larue
- Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, Developmental Genetics of Melanocytes, Orsay, France; CNRS UMR3347, Orsay, France; INSERM U1021, Orsay, France
| | - Heidemarie Rossiter
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Grürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Johannes Grillari
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for the Biotechnology of Skin Aging, Vienna, Austria; Department of Biotechnology, BOKU-VIBT University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Erwin Tschachler
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Grürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Florian Gruber
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Grürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for the Biotechnology of Skin Aging, Vienna, Austria.
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176
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Abstract
Tissue or cell transplantation is an invaluable technique with a multitude of applications including studying the developmental potential of certain cell populations, dissecting cell-environment interactions, and identifying stem cells. One key technical requirement for performing transplantation assays is the capability of distinguishing the transplanted donor cells from the endogenous host cells and tracing the donor cells over time. The zebrafish has emerged as an excellent model organism for performing transplantation assays, thanks in part to the transparency of embryos and even adults when pigment mutants are employed. Using transgenic techniques and fast-evolving imaging technology, fluorescence-labeled donor cells can be readily identified and studied during development in vivo. In this chapter, we will discuss the rationale of different types of zebrafish transplantation in both embryos and adults and then focus on four detailed methods of transplantation: blastula/gastrula transplantation for mosaic analysis, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, chemical screening using a transplantation model, and tumor transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Gansner
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - M Dang
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - M Ammerman
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - L I Zon
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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177
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Schartl M, Walter RB. Xiphophorus and Medaka Cancer Models. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2016; 916:531-52. [PMID: 27165369 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-30654-4_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Besides recently developed zebrafish cancer models, other fish species have been employed for many years as cancer models in laboratory studies. Two models, namely in Xiphophorus and medaka have proven useful in providing important clues to cancer etiology. Medaka is a complementary model to zebrafish in many areas of research since it offers similar resources and experimental tools. Xiphophorus provides the advantages of a natural ("evolutionary mutant") model with established genetics. Xiphophorus hybrids can develop spontaneous and radiation or carcinogen induced cancers. This chapter describes the tumor models in both species, which mainly focus on melanoma, and summarizes the main findings and future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred Schartl
- Physiologische Chemie, Universität Würzburg, Biozentrum, Am Hubland, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany. .,Texas Institute for Advanced Study and Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, 100 Butler Hall, College Station, Texas, 77843-3258, USA.
| | - Ronald B Walter
- Chemistry and Biochemistry, 419A Centennial Hall, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666-4616, USA
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178
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Roh MR, Eliades P, Gupta S, Tsao H. Genetics of melanocytic nevi. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2016; 28:661-72. [PMID: 26300491 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.12412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Melanocytic nevi are a benign clonal proliferation of cells expressing the melanocytic phenotype, with heterogeneous clinical and molecular characteristics. In this review, we discuss the genetics of nevi by salient nevi subtypes: congenital melanocytic nevi, acquired melanocytic nevi, blue nevi, and Spitz nevi. While the molecular etiology of nevi has been less thoroughly studied than melanoma, it is clear that nevi and melanoma share common driver mutations. Acquired melanocytic nevi harbor oncogenic mutations in BRAF, which is the predominant oncogene associated with melanoma. Congenital melanocytic nevi and blue nevi frequently harbor NRAS mutations and GNAQ mutations, respectively, while Spitz and atypical Spitz tumors often exhibit HRAS and kinase rearrangements. These initial 'driver' mutations are thought to trigger the establishment of benign nevi. After this initial phase of the cell proliferation, a senescence program is executed, causing termination of nevi growth. Only upon the emergence of additional tumorigenic alterations, which may provide an escape from oncogene-induced senescence, can malignant progression occur. Here, we review the current literature on the pathobiology and genetics of nevi in the hope that additional studies of nevi promise to inform our understanding of the transition from benign neoplasm to malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mi Ryung Roh
- Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Dermatology, Cutaneous Biology Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Philip Eliades
- Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sameer Gupta
- Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hensin Tsao
- Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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179
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Rajan V, Dellaire G, Berman JN. Modeling Leukemogenesis in the Zebrafish Using Genetic and Xenograft Models. Methods Mol Biol 2016; 1451:171-89. [PMID: 27464808 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3771-4_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
The zebrafish is a widely accepted model to study leukemia. The major advantage of studying leukemogenesis in zebrafish is attributed to its short life cycle and superior imaging capacity. This chapter highlights using transgenic- and xenograft-based models in zebrafish to study a specific leukemogenic mutation and analyze therapeutic responses in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinothkumar Rajan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, B3H 4R2
| | - Graham Dellaire
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, 5850/5980 University Ave, Halifax, Canada, B3H 4R2.,Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, B3H 4R2
| | - Jason N Berman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, B3H 4R2. .,Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, 5850/5980 University Ave, Halifax, Canada, B3H 4R2. .,Department of Pediatrics, IWK Health Centre/Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, B3H 4R2.
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180
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Abstract
Melanomas on sun-exposed skin are heterogeneous tumours, which can be subtyped on the basis of their cumulative levels of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. A melanocytic neoplasm can also be staged by how far it has progressed, ranging from a benign neoplasm, such as a naevus, to a malignant neoplasm, such as a metastatic melanoma. Each subtype of melanoma can evolve through distinct evolutionary trajectories, passing through (or sometimes skipping over) various stages of transformation. This Review delineates several of the more common progression trajectories that occur in the patient setting and proposes models for tumour evolution that integrate genetic, histopathological, clinical and biological insights from the melanoma literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Hunter Shain
- University of California, San Francisco, Departments of Dermatology and Pathology and Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Box 3111, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Boris C Bastian
- University of California, San Francisco, Departments of Dermatology and Pathology and Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Box 3111, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
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181
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Dang M, Henderson RE, Garraway LA, Zon LI. Long-term drug administration in the adult zebrafish using oral gavage for cancer preclinical studies. Dis Model Mech 2016; 9:811-20. [PMID: 27482819 PMCID: PMC4958307 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.024166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Zebrafish are a major model for chemical genetics, and most studies use embryos when investigating small molecules that cause interesting phenotypes or that can rescue disease models. Limited studies have dosed adults with small molecules by means of water-borne exposure or injection techniques. Challenges in the form of drug delivery-related trauma and anesthesia-related toxicity have excluded the adult zebrafish from long-term drug efficacy studies. Here, we introduce a novel anesthetic combination of MS-222 and isoflurane to an oral gavage technique for a non-toxic, non-invasive and long-term drug administration platform. As a proof of principle, we established drug efficacy of the FDA-approved BRAFV600E inhibitor, Vemurafenib, in adult zebrafish harboring BRAFV600E melanoma tumors. In the model, adult casper zebrafish intraperitoneally transplanted with a zebrafish melanoma cell line (ZMEL1) and exposed to daily sub-lethal dosing at 100 mg/kg of Vemurafenib for 2 weeks via oral gavage resulted in an average 65% decrease in tumor burden and a 15% mortality rate. In contrast, Vemurafenib-resistant ZMEL1 cell lines, generated in culture from low-dose drug exposure for 4 months, did not respond to the oral gavage treatment regimen. Similarly, this drug treatment regimen can be applied for treatment of primary melanoma tumors in the zebrafish. Taken together, we developed an effective long-term drug treatment system that will allow the adult zebrafish to be used to identify more effective anti-melanoma combination therapies and opens up possibilities for treating adult models of other diseases. Summary: We have developed the first long-term drug delivery system in the adult zebrafish using oral gavage, and offer a foundation for future preclinical studies of cancer therapeutics in adult zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Dang
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02138, USA
| | - Rachel E Henderson
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Levi A Garraway
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02138, USA Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Leonard I Zon
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02138, USA
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182
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Aya F, Fernandez-Martinez A, Gaba L, Victoria I, Tosca M, Pineda E, Gascon P, Prat A, Arance A. Sequential treatment with immunotherapy and BRAF inhibitors in BRAF-mutant advanced melanoma. Clin Transl Oncol 2016; 19:119-124. [PMID: 27147251 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-016-1514-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Immunotherapy (IT) agents and BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) are effective treatments for patients with advanced BRAF-mutant melanoma although the optimal sequence remains to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of two different cohorts of patients treated with BRAFi first, then IT or the reverse sequence. PATIENTS AND METHODS This is a retrospective study on two groups of patients: a cohort was treated first with BRAFi followed by immunotherapy (BRAFi-IT) and the other cohort with the reverse sequence (IT-BRAFi). Baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes were compared between the two cohorts. RESULTS A total of 25 patients were included in the study. Sixteen patients were given BRAFi-IT sequence and nine received IT-BRAFi sequence. No differences were observed in the characteristics of patients prior to each treatment between cohorts. Objective response rate (ORR) achieved by BRAFi were not different among groups. ORR achieved by IT was higher when administered after BRAFi (43.8 vs 0 %). Survival rates at 1-2 years were similar in both cohorts and median overall survival was not different for BRAFi-IT and IT-BRAFi (log rank test p = 0.97). CONCLUSIONS No differences were observed in OS between the two cohorts. These results support the indistinct use of IT or BRAFi as initial treatment in patients with metastatic BRAF-mutant melanoma, although higher rate of response to IT was observed when administered after BRAFi. Prospective randomized clinical trials are needed on this issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Aya
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain. .,Translational Genomics and Targeted Therapeutics in Solid Tumors, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.
| | - A Fernandez-Martinez
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain.,Translational Genomics and Targeted Therapeutics in Solid Tumors, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - L Gaba
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain.,Translational Genomics and Targeted Therapeutics in Solid Tumors, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - I Victoria
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain.,Translational Genomics and Targeted Therapeutics in Solid Tumors, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Tosca
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain.,Translational Genomics and Targeted Therapeutics in Solid Tumors, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - E Pineda
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain.,Translational Genomics and Targeted Therapeutics in Solid Tumors, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - P Gascon
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Prat
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain.,Translational Genomics and Targeted Therapeutics in Solid Tumors, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Arance
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain.,Translational Genomics and Targeted Therapeutics in Solid Tumors, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
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183
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Wellbrock C, Arozarena I. The Complexity of the ERK/MAP-Kinase Pathway and the Treatment of Melanoma Skin Cancer. Front Cell Dev Biol 2016; 4:33. [PMID: 27200346 PMCID: PMC4846800 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2016.00033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2016] [Accepted: 04/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The central role played by the ERK/MAPK pathway downstream of RAS in human neoplasias is best exemplified in the context of melanoma skin cancer. Signaling through the MAPK pathway is crucial for the proliferation of melanocytes, the healthy pigment cells that give rise to melanoma. However, hyper-activation of the MAPK-pathway is found in over 90% of melanomas with approximately 50% of all patients displaying mutations in the kinase BRAF, and approximately 28% of all patients harboring mutations in the MAPK-pathway up-stream regulator NRAS. This finding has led to the development of BRAF and MEK inhibitors whose application in the clinic has shown unprecedented survival responses. Unfortunately the responses to MAPK pathway inhibitors are transient with most patients progressing within a year and a median progression free survival of 7-10 months. The disease progression is due to the development of drug-resistance based on various mechanisms, many of them involving a rewiring of the MAPK pathway. In this article we will review the complexity of MAPK signaling in melanocytic cells as well as the mechanisms of action of different MAPK-pathway inhibitors and their correlation with clinical response. We will reflect on mechanisms of innate and acquired resistance that limit patient's response, with a focus on the MAPK signaling network. Because of the resurgence of antibody-based immune-therapies there is a growing feeling of failure in the targeted therapy camp. However, recent studies have revealed new windows of therapeutic opportunity for melanoma sufferers treated with drugs targeting the MAPK pathway, and these opportunities will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Wellbrock
- Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, The University of ManchesterManchester, UK
| | - Imanol Arozarena
- School of Applied Sciences, University of HuddersfieldHuddersfield, UK
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184
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Wojciechowska S, van Rooijen E, Ceol C, Patton EE, White RM. Generation and analysis of zebrafish melanoma models. Methods Cell Biol 2016; 134:531-49. [PMID: 27312504 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2016.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The rapid emergence of the zebrafish as a cancer model has been aided by advances in genetic, chemical, and imaging technologies. Melanoma in particular highlights both the power and challenges associated with cancer modeling in zebrafish. This chapter focuses on the lessons that have emerged from the melanoma models as paradigmatic of what will apply to nearly all cancer models in the zebrafish system. We specifically focus on methodologies related to germline and mosaic transgenic melanoma generation, and how these can be used to deeply interrogate additional cooperating oncogenes or tumor suppressors. These transgenic tumors can in turn be used to generate zebrafish-specific, stable melanoma cell lines which can be fluorescently labeled, modified by cDNA/CRISPR techniques, and used for detailed in vivo imaging of cancer progression in real time. These zebrafish melanoma models are beginning to elucidate both cell intrinsic and microenvironmental factors in melanoma that have broader implications for human disease. We envision that nearly all of the techniques described here can be applied to other zebrafish cancer models, and likely expanded beyond what we describe here.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Wojciechowska
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, and The University of Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Centre, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - E van Rooijen
- Stem Cell Program and the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, MA, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - C Ceol
- Program in Molecular Medicine and Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - E E Patton
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, and The University of Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Centre, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - R M White
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
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185
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Kato S, Lippman SM, Flaherty KT, Kurzrock R. The Conundrum of Genetic "Drivers" in Benign Conditions. J Natl Cancer Inst 2016; 108:djw036. [PMID: 27059373 PMCID: PMC5017937 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djw036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Accepted: 01/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in deep genomic sequencing have identified a spectrum of cancer-specific passenger and driver aberrations. Clones with driver anomalies are believed to be positively selected during carcinogenesis. Accumulating evidence, however, shows that genomic alterations, such as those in BRAF, RAS, EGFR, HER2, FGFR3, PIK3CA, TP53, CDKN2A, and NF1/2, all of which are considered hallmark drivers of specific cancers, can also be identified in benign and premalignant conditions, occasionally at frequencies higher than in their malignant counterparts. Targeting these genomic drivers can produce dramatic responses in advanced cancer, but the effects on their benign counterparts are less clear. This benign-malignant phenomenon is well illustrated in studies of BRAF V600E mutations, which are paradoxically more frequent in benign nevi (∼80%) than in dysplastic nevi (∼60%) or melanoma (∼40%-45%). Similarly, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 is more commonly overexpressed in ductal carcinoma in situ (∼27%-56%) when compared with invasive breast cancer (∼11%-20%). FGFR3 mutations in bladder cancer also decrease with tumor grade (low-grade tumors, ∼61%; high-grade, ∼11%). “Driver” mutations also occur in nonmalignant settings: TP53 mutations in synovial tissue from rheumatoid arthritis and FGFR3 mutations in seborrheic keratosis. The latter observations suggest that the oncogenicity of these alterations may be tissue context–dependent. The conversion of benign conditions to premalignant disease may involve other genetic events and/or epigenetic reprogramming. Putative driver mutations can also be germline and associated with increased cancer risk (eg, germline RAS or TP53 alterations), but germline FGFR3 or NF2 abnormalities do not predispose to malignancy. We discuss the enigma of genetic “drivers” in benign and premalignant conditions and the implications for prevention strategies and theories of tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shumei Kato
- Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (SK); Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy and Division of Hematology and Oncology, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA (SML, RK); Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA (KTF)
| | - Scott M Lippman
- Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (SK); Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy and Division of Hematology and Oncology, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA (SML, RK); Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA (KTF)
| | - Keith T Flaherty
- Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (SK); Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy and Division of Hematology and Oncology, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA (SML, RK); Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA (KTF)
| | - Razelle Kurzrock
- Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (SK); Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy and Division of Hematology and Oncology, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA (SML, RK); Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA (KTF)
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186
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Affiliation(s)
- Soufiane Boumahdi
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Biologie Humaine et Moléculaire, Brussels B-1070, Belgium
| | - Cédric Blanpain
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Biologie Humaine et Moléculaire, Brussels B-1070, Belgium. WELBIO, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels B-1070, Belgium.
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187
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Braf V600E mutation in melanoma: translational current scenario. Clin Transl Oncol 2016; 18:863-71. [DOI: 10.1007/s12094-015-1469-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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188
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Kaufman CK, Mosimann C, Fan ZP, Yang S, Thomas AJ, Ablain J, Tan JL, Fogley RD, van Rooijen E, Hagedorn EJ, Ciarlo C, White RM, Matos DA, Puller AC, Santoriello C, Liao EC, Young RA, Zon LI. A zebrafish melanoma model reveals emergence of neural crest identity during melanoma initiation. Science 2016; 351:aad2197. [PMID: 26823433 PMCID: PMC4868069 DOI: 10.1126/science.aad2197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 277] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2015] [Accepted: 12/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The "cancerized field" concept posits that cancer-prone cells in a given tissue share an oncogenic mutation, but only discreet clones within the field initiate tumors. Most benign nevi carry oncogenic BRAF(V600E) mutations but rarely become melanoma. The zebrafish crestin gene is expressed embryonically in neural crest progenitors (NCPs) and specifically reexpressed in melanoma. Live imaging of transgenic zebrafish crestin reporters shows that within a cancerized field (BRAF(V600E)-mutant; p53-deficient), a single melanocyte reactivates the NCP state, revealing a fate change at melanoma initiation in this model. NCP transcription factors, including sox10, regulate crestin expression. Forced sox10 overexpression in melanocytes accelerated melanoma formation, which is consistent with activation of NCP genes and super-enhancers leading to melanoma. Our work highlights NCP state reemergence as a key event in melanoma initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles K Kaufman
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital Boston, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Christian Mosimann
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zürich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Zi Peng Fan
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Computational and Systems Biology Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Song Yang
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital Boston, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Andrew J Thomas
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital Boston, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Julien Ablain
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital Boston, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Justin L Tan
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital Boston, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rachel D Fogley
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital Boston, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ellen van Rooijen
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital Boston, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Elliott J Hagedorn
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital Boston, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Christie Ciarlo
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital Boston, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Richard M White
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10075, USA
| | - Dominick A Matos
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Ann-Christin Puller
- Research Institute Children's Cancer Center Hamburg and Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cristina Santoriello
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital Boston, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Eric C Liao
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Richard A Young
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Leonard I Zon
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital Boston, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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189
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Lin CY, Chiang CY, Tsai HJ. Zebrafish and Medaka: new model organisms for modern biomedical research. J Biomed Sci 2016; 23:19. [PMID: 26822757 PMCID: PMC4730764 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-016-0236-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2015] [Accepted: 01/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although they are primitive vertebrates, zebrafish (Danio rerio) and medaka (Oryzias latipes) have surpassed other animals as the most used model organisms based on their many advantages. Studies on gene expression patterns, regulatory cis-elements identification, and gene functions can be facilitated by using zebrafish embryos via a number of techniques, including transgenesis, in vivo transient assay, overexpression by injection of mRNAs, knockdown by injection of morpholino oligonucleotides, knockout and gene editing by CRISPR/Cas9 system and mutagenesis. In addition, transgenic lines of model fish harboring a tissue-specific reporter have become a powerful tool for the study of biological sciences, since it is possible to visualize the dynamic expression of a specific gene in the transparent embryos. In particular, some transgenic fish lines and mutants display defective phenotypes similar to those of human diseases. Therefore, a wide variety of fish model not only sheds light on the molecular mechanisms underlying disease pathogenesis in vivo but also provides a living platform for high-throughput screening of drug candidates. Interestingly, transgenic model fish lines can also be applied as biosensors to detect environmental pollutants, and even as pet fish to display beautiful fluorescent colors. Therefore, transgenic model fish possess a broad spectrum of applications in modern biomedical research, as exampled in the following review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Yung Lin
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Mackay Medical College, No.46, Section 3, Zhongzheng Rd., Sanzhi Dist., New Taipei City, 252, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Yi Chiang
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Mackay Medical College, No.46, Section 3, Zhongzheng Rd., Sanzhi Dist., New Taipei City, 252, Taiwan
| | - Huai-Jen Tsai
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Mackay Medical College, No.46, Section 3, Zhongzheng Rd., Sanzhi Dist., New Taipei City, 252, Taiwan.
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190
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Imaging tumour cell heterogeneity following cell transplantation into optically clear immune-deficient zebrafish. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10358. [PMID: 26790525 PMCID: PMC4735845 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/02/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancers contain a wide diversity of cell types that are defined by differentiation states, genetic mutations and altered epigenetic programmes that impart functional diversity to individual cells. Elevated tumour cell heterogeneity is linked with progression, therapy resistance and relapse. Yet, imaging of tumour cell heterogeneity and the hallmarks of cancer has been a technical and biological challenge. Here we develop optically clear immune-compromised rag2E450fs(casper) zebrafish for optimized cell transplantation and direct visualization of fluorescently labelled cancer cells at single-cell resolution. Tumour engraftment permits dynamic imaging of neovascularization, niche partitioning of tumour-propagating cells in embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, emergence of clonal dominance in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and tumour evolution resulting in elevated growth and metastasis in BRAFV600E-driven melanoma. Cell transplantation approaches using optically clear immune-compromised zebrafish provide unique opportunities to uncover biology underlying cancer and to dynamically visualize cancer processes at single-cell resolution in vivo. Direct visualisation of heterogeneous cell populations in live animals has been challenging. Here, the authors optimize cell transplantation into optically clear immune-deficient zebrafish, and use intravital imaging to track and to assess functional diversity of individual cancer cells in vivo.
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191
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Abstract
Zebrafish cancer models have greatly advanced our understanding of malignancy in humans. This is made possible due to the unique advantages of the zebrafish model including ex vivo development and large clutch sizes, which enable large-scale genetic and chemical screens. Transparency of the embryo and the creation of adult zebrafish devoid of pigmentation (casper) have permitted unprecedented ability to dynamically visualize cancer progression in live animals. When coupled with fluorescent reporters and transgenic approaches that drive oncogenesis, it is now possible to label entire or subpopulations of cancer cells and follow cancer growth in near real-time. Here, we will highlight aspects of in vivo imaging using the zebrafish and how it has enhanced our understanding of the fundamental aspects of tumor initiation, self-renewal, neovascularization, tumor cell heterogeneity, invasion and metastasis. Importantly, we will highlight the contribution of cancer imaging in zebrafish for drug discovery.
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192
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Allograft Cancer Cell Transplantation in Zebrafish. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2016; 916:265-87. [PMID: 27165358 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-30654-4_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Allogeneic cell transplantation is the transfer of cells from one individual into another of the same species and has become an indispensable technique for studying development, immunology, regeneration and cancer biology. In experimental settings, tumor cell engraftment into immunologically competent recipients has greatly increased our understanding of the mechanisms that drive self-renewal, progression and metastasis in vivo. Zebrafish have quickly emerged as a powerful genetic model of cancer that has benefited greatly from allogeneic transplantation. Efficient engraftment can be achieved by transplanting cells into either early larval stage zebrafish that have not yet developed a functional acquired immune system or adult zebrafish following radiation or chemical ablation of the immune system. Alternatively, transplantation can be completed in adult fish using either clonal syngeneic strains or newly-generated immune compromised zebrafish models that have mutations in genes required for proper immune cell function. Here, we discuss the current state of cell transplantation as it pertains to zebrafish cancer and the available models used for dissecting important processes underlying cancer. We will also use the zebrafish model to highlight the power of cell transplantation, including its capacity to dynamically assess functional heterogeneity within individual cancer cells, visualize cancer progression and evolution, assess tumor-propagating potential and self-renewal, image cancer cell invasion and dissemination and identify novel therapies for treating cancer.
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193
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Ceol CJ, Houvras Y. Uncharted Waters: Zebrafish Cancer Models Navigate a Course for Oncogene Discovery. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2016; 916:3-19. [PMID: 27165347 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-30654-4_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Over a decade has elapsed since the first genetically-engineered zebrafish cancer model was described. During this time remarkable progress has been made. Sophisticated genetic tools have been built to generate oncogene expressing cancers and characterize multiple models of solid and blood tumors. These models have led to unique insights into mechanisms of tumor initiation and progression. New drug targets have been identified, particularly through the functional analysis of cancer genomes. Now in the second decade, zebrafish cancer models are poised for even faster growth as they are used in high-throughput genetic analyses to elucidate key mechanisms underlying critical cancer phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig J Ceol
- Program in Molecular Medicine and Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
| | - Yariv Houvras
- Departments of Surgery and Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
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194
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Zhu S, Thomas Look A. Neuroblastoma and Its Zebrafish Model. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2016; 916:451-78. [PMID: 27165366 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-30654-4_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma, an important developmental tumor arising in the peripheral sympathetic nervous system (PSNS), accounts for approximately 10 % of all cancer-related deaths in children. Recent genomic analyses have identified a spectrum of genetic alterations in this tumor. Amplification of the MYCN oncogene is found in 20 % of cases and is often accompanied by mutational activation of the ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinase) gene, suggesting their cooperation in tumor initiation and spread. Understanding how complex genetic changes function together in oncogenesis has been a continuing and daunting task in cancer research. This challenge was addressed in neuroblastoma by generating a transgenic zebrafish model that overexpresses human MYCN and activated ALK in the PSNS, leading to tumors that closely resemble human neuroblastoma and new opportunities to probe the mechanisms that underlie the pathogenesis of this tumor. For example, coexpression of activated ALK with MYCN in this model triples the penetrance of neuroblastoma and markedly accelerates tumor onset, demonstrating the interaction of these modified genes in tumor development. Further, MYCN overexpression induces adrenal sympathetic neuroblast hyperplasia, blocks chromaffin cell differentiation, and ultimately triggers a developmentally-timed apoptotic response in the hyperplastic sympathoadrenal cells. In the context of MYCN overexpression, activated ALK provides prosurvival signals that block this apoptotic response, allowing continued expansion and oncogenic transformation of hyperplastic neuroblasts, thus promoting progression to neuroblastoma. This application of the zebrafish model illustrates its value in rational assessment of the multigenic changes that define neuroblastoma pathogenesis and points the way to future studies to identify novel targets for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shizhen Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cancer Center and Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55902, USA.
| | - A Thomas Look
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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195
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Abstract
The zebrafish has emerged as an important model for studying cancer biology. Identification of DNA, RNA and chromatin abnormalities can give profound insight into the mechanisms of tumorigenesis and the there are many techniques for analyzing the genomes of these tumors. Here, I present an overview of the available technologies for analyzing tumor genomes in the zebrafish, including array based methods as well as next-generation sequencing technologies. I also discuss the ways in which zebrafish tumor genomes can be compared to human genomes using cross-species oncogenomics, which act to filter genomic noise and ultimately uncover central drivers of malignancy. Finally, I discuss downstream analytic tools, including network analysis, that can help to organize the alterations into coherent biological frameworks that can then be investigated further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard M White
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 415 East 68th Street, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
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196
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Astin JW, Crosier PS. Lymphatics, Cancer and Zebrafish. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2016; 916:199-218. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-30654-4_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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197
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Chernyavskaya Y, Kent B, Sadler KC. Zebrafish Discoveries in Cancer Epigenetics. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2016; 916:169-97. [PMID: 27165354 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-30654-4_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The cancer epigenome is fundamentally different than that of normal cells. How these differences arise in and contribute to carcinogenesis is not known, and studies using model organisms such as zebrafish provide an opportunity to address these important questions. Modifications of histones and DNA comprise the complex epigenome, and these influence chromatin structure, genome stability and gene expression, all of which are fundamental to the cellular changes that cause cancer. The cancer genome atlas covers the wide spectrum of genetic changes associated with nearly every cancer type, however, this catalog is currently uni-dimensional. As the pattern of epigenetic marks and chromatin structure in cancer cells is described and overlaid on the mutational landscape, the map of the cancer genome becomes multi-dimensional and highly complex. Two major questions remain in the field: (1) how the epigenome becomes repatterned in cancer and (2) which of these changes are cancer-causing. Zebrafish provide a tractable in vivo system to monitor the epigenome during transformation and to identify epigenetic drivers of cancer. In this chapter, we review principles of cancer epigenetics and discuss recent work using zebrafish whereby epigenetic modifiers were established as cancer driver genes, thus providing novel insights into the mechanisms of epigenetic reprogramming in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yelena Chernyavskaya
- Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1020, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Division of Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1020, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Brandon Kent
- Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1020, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Division of Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1020, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- School of Biomedical Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1020, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Kirsten C Sadler
- Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1020, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Division of Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1020, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- School of Biomedical Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1020, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Biology Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Campus, 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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198
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Abstract
Zebrafish embryos can be obtained for research purposes in large numbers at low cost and embryos develop externally in limited space, making them highly suitable for high-throughput cancer studies and drug screens. Non-invasive live imaging of various processes within the larvae is possible due to their transparency during development, and a multitude of available fluorescent transgenic reporter lines.To perform high-throughput studies, handling large amounts of embryos and larvae is required. With such high number of individuals, even minute tasks may become time-consuming and arduous. In this chapter, an overview is given of the developments in the automation of various steps of large scale zebrafish cancer research for discovering important cancer pathways and drugs for the treatment of human disease. The focus lies on various tools developed for cancer cell implantation, embryo handling and sorting, microfluidic systems for imaging and drug treatment, and image acquisition and analysis. Examples will be given of employment of these technologies within the fields of toxicology research and cancer research.
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199
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Abstract
Melanoma skin cancer is a potentially deadly disease in humans and has remained extremely difficult to treat once it has metastasized. In just the last 10 years, a number of models of melanoma have been developed in the zebrafish that are biologically faithful to the human disease and have already yielded important insights into the fundamental biology of melanoma and offered new potential avenues for treatment. With the diversity and breadth of the molecular genetic tools available in the zebrafish, these melanoma models will continue to be refined and expanded upon to keep pace with the rapidly evolving field of melanoma biology.
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200
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Abstract
Zebrafish cancer models have provided critical insight into understanding the link between aberrant developmental pathways and tumorigenesis. The unique strengths of zebrafish as compared to other vertebrate model systems include the combination of fecundity, readily available and efficient transgenesis techniques, transparency that facilitates in vivo cell lineage tracing, and amenability for high-throughput applications. In addition to early embryo readouts, zebrafish can develop tumors at ages ranging from 2 weeks old to adulthood. Tumorigenesis is driven by genetically introducing oncogenes using selected promoter/tissue-specific expression, with either mosaic expression or with the generation of a stable transgenic line. Here, we detail a research pipeline to facilitate the study of human oncogenes in zebrafish systems. The goals of this approach are to identify conserved developmental pathways that may be critical for tumor development and to create platforms for testing novel therapies.
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