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Fraire CR, Desai K, Obalapuram UA, Mendyka LK, Rajaram V, Sebastian T, Wang Y, Onel K, Lee J, Chen KS. An imbalance between proliferation and differentiation underlies the development of microRNA-defective pineoblastoma. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.23.590638. [PMID: 38712047 PMCID: PMC11071395 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.23.590638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Mutations in the microRNA processing genes DICER1 and DROSHA drive several cancers that resemble embryonic progenitors. To understand how microRNAs regulate tumorigenesis, we ablated Drosha or Dicer1 in the developing pineal gland to emulate the pathogenesis of pineoblastoma, a brain tumor that resembles undifferentiated precursors of the pineal gland. Accordingly, these mice develop pineal tumors marked by loss of microRNAs, including the let-7/miR-98-5p family, and de-repression of microRNA target genes. Pineal tumors driven by loss of Drosha or Dicer1 mimic tumors driven by Rb1 loss, as they exhibit upregulation of S-phase genes and homeobox transcription factors that regulate pineal development. Blocking proliferation of these tumors facilitates expression of pinealocyte maturation markers, with a concomitant reduction in embryonic markers. Select embryonic markers remain elevated, however, as the microRNAs that normally repress these target genes remain absent. One such microRNA target gene is the oncofetal transcription factor Plagl2, which regulates expression of pro-growth genes, and inhibiting their signaling impairs tumor growth. Thus, we demonstrate that tumors driven by loss of microRNA processing may be therapeutically targeted by inhibiting downstream drivers of proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudette R. Fraire
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX USA
| | - Kavita Desai
- Division of Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA USA
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | | | | | - Veena Rajaram
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX USA
| | - Teja Sebastian
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX USA
| | - Yemin Wang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia and Department of Molecular Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kenan Onel
- Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York
| | - Jeon Lee
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX USA
| | - Kenneth S. Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX USA
- Children’s Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX USA
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Krivec N, Ghosh MS, Spits C. Gains of 20q11.21 in human pluripotent stem cells: Insights from cancer research. Stem Cell Reports 2024; 19:11-27. [PMID: 38157850 PMCID: PMC10828824 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The genetic abnormalities observed in hPSC cultures worldwide have been suggested to pose an important hurdle in their safe use in regenerative medicine due to the possibility of oncogenic transformation by mutant cells in the patient posttransplantation. One of the best-characterized genetic lesions in hPSCs is the gain of 20q11.21, found in 20% of hPSC lines worldwide, and strikingly, also amplified in 20% of human cancers. In this review, we have curated the existing knowledge on the incidence of this mutation in hPSCs and cancer, explored the significance of chromosome 20q11.21 amplification in cancer progression, and reviewed the oncogenic role of the genes in the smallest common region of gain, to shed light on the significance of this mutation in hPSC-based cell therapy. Lastly, we discuss the state-of-the-art strategies devised to detect aneuploidies in hPSC cultures, avoid genetic changes in vitro cultures of hPSCs, and strategies to eliminate genetically abnormal cells from culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuša Krivec
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Manjusha S Ghosh
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Claudia Spits
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium.
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