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Steen EA, Basilaia M, Kim W, Getz T, Gustafson JL, Zage PE. Targeting the RET tyrosine kinase in neuroblastoma: A review and application of a novel selective drug design strategy. Biochem Pharmacol 2023; 216:115751. [PMID: 37595672 PMCID: PMC10911250 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023]
Abstract
The RET (REarranged during Transfection) gene, which encodes for a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase, is an established oncogene associated with the etiology and progression of multiple types of cancer. Oncogenic RET mutations and rearrangements resulting in gene fusions have been identified in many adult cancers, including medullary and papillary thyroid cancers, lung adenocarcinomas, colon and breast cancers, and many others. While genetic RET aberrations are much less common in pediatric solid tumors, increased RET expression has been shown to be associated with poor prognosis in children with solid tumors such as neuroblastoma, prompting an interest in RET inhibition as a form of therapy for these children. A number of kinase inhibitors currently in use for patients with cancer have RET inhibitory activity, but these inhibitors also display activity against other kinases, resulting in unwanted side effects and limiting their safety and efficacy. Recent efforts have been focused on developing more specific RET inhibitors, but due to high levels of conservation between kinase binding pockets, specificity remains a drug design challenge. Here, we review the background of RET as a potential therapeutic target in neuroblastoma tumors and the results of recent preclinical studies and clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of RET inhibition in adults and children. We also present a novel approach to drug discovery leveraging the chemical phenomenon of atropisomerism to develop specific RET inhibitors and present preliminary data demonstrating the efficacy of a novel RET inhibitor against neuroblastoma tumor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica A Steen
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology-Oncology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - Mariam Basilaia
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - William Kim
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - Taelor Getz
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology-Oncology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - Jeffrey L Gustafson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
| | - Peter E Zage
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology-Oncology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA; Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA.
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Siaw JT, Gabre JL, Uçkun E, Vigny M, Zhang W, Van den Eynden J, Hallberg B, Palmer RH, Guan J. Loss of RET Promotes Mesenchymal Identity in Neuroblastoma Cells. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13081909. [PMID: 33921066 PMCID: PMC8071449 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13081909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant activation of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) drives neuroblastoma (NB). Previous work identified the RET receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) as a downstream target of ALK activity in NB models. We show here that ALK activation in response to ALKAL2 ligand results in the rapid phosphorylation of RET in NB cells, providing additional insight into the contribution of RET to the ALK-driven gene signature in NB. To further address the role of RET in NB, RET knockout (KO) SK-N-AS cells were generated by CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering. Gene expression analysis of RET KO NB cells identified a reprogramming of NB cells to a mesenchymal (MES) phenotype that was characterized by increased migration and upregulation of the AXL and MNNG HOS transforming gene (MET) RTKs, as well as integrins and extracellular matrix components. Strikingly, the upregulation of AXL in the absence of RET reflects the development timeline observed in the neural crest as progenitor cells undergo differentiation during embryonic development. Together, these findings suggest that a MES phenotype is promoted in mesenchymal NB cells in the absence of RET, reflective of a less differentiated developmental status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim T. Siaw
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden; (J.T.S.); (J.L.G.); (E.U.); (B.H.); (R.H.P.)
| | - Jonatan L. Gabre
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden; (J.T.S.); (J.L.G.); (E.U.); (B.H.); (R.H.P.)
- Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
| | - Ezgi Uçkun
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden; (J.T.S.); (J.L.G.); (E.U.); (B.H.); (R.H.P.)
| | - Marc Vigny
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie, UPMC, INSERM UMRS-839, 75005 Paris, France;
| | - Wancun Zhang
- Department of Pediatric Oncology Surgery, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450018, China;
| | - Jimmy Van den Eynden
- Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden; (J.T.S.); (J.L.G.); (E.U.); (B.H.); (R.H.P.)
| | - Ruth H. Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden; (J.T.S.); (J.L.G.); (E.U.); (B.H.); (R.H.P.)
| | - Jikui Guan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden; (J.T.S.); (J.L.G.); (E.U.); (B.H.); (R.H.P.)
- Department of Pediatric Oncology Surgery, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450018, China;
- Correspondence:
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Sanmartín E, Yáñez Y, Fornés-Ferrer V, Zugaza JL, Cañete A, Castel V, Font de Mora J. TIAM1 variants improve clinical outcome in neuroblastoma. Oncotarget 2018; 8:45286-45297. [PMID: 28423360 PMCID: PMC5542186 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.16787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Identification of tumor driver mutations is crucial for improving clinical outcome using a personalized approach to the treatment of cancer. Neuroblastoma is a tumor of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system for which only a few driver alterations have been described including MYCN amplification and ALK mutations. We assessed 106 primary neuroblastoma tumors by next generation sequencing using a customized amplicon-based gene panel. Our results reveal that genetic variants in TIAM1 gene associate with better clinical outcome, suggesting a role for these TIAM1 variants in preventing progression of this disease. The detected variants are located within the different domains of TIAM1 that signal to the upstream regulator RAS and downstream effector molecules MYC and RAC, which are all implicated in neuroblastoma etiology and progression. Clinical outcome was improved in tumors where a TIAM1 variant was present concomitantly with either ALK mutation or MYCN amplification. Given the function of these signaling molecules in cell survival, proliferation, differentiation and neurite outgrowth, our data suggest that the TIAM1-mediated network is essential to neuroblastoma and thus, inhibiting TIAM1 reflects a rational strategy for improving therapy efficacy in neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Sanmartín
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Valencia, Spain
| | - Yania Yáñez
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, València, Spain.,Precision Oncology Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Valencia, Spain
| | | | - José L Zugaza
- Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain.,Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Bizkaia Science and Technology Park, Zamudio, Spain.,IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Adela Cañete
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, València, Spain.,Precision Oncology Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Valencia, Spain
| | - Victoria Castel
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, València, Spain.,Precision Oncology Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Valencia, Spain
| | - Jaime Font de Mora
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Valencia, Spain.,Precision Oncology Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Valencia, Spain
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Ruan H, Luo H, Wang J, Ji X, Zhang Z, Wu J, Zhang X, Wu X. Smoothened-independent activation of hedgehog signaling by rearranged during transfection promotes neuroblastoma cell proliferation and tumor growth. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2016; 1860:1961-72. [PMID: 27316313 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2016.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2016] [Revised: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rearranged during transfection (RET) proto-oncogene encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase for glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) signaling, and high RET expression is closely related to the tumorigenesis and malignancy of neuroblastoma(NB). METHODS We have investigated whether RET signals through hedgehog (HH) pathway in NB cell proliferation and tumor growth by in vitro cell culture and in vivo xenograft approaches. RESULTS The key members of both GDNF/RET and HH/GLI pathways are expressed in NB cell lines to different extents. Knockdown of RET in NB cells significantly attenuates the activity of HH signaling, whereas overexpression of RET robustly enhances the output of transcriptional activation by HH. Likewise, activation of RET by GDNF induces HH signaling, whereas knockdown of RET attenuates both basal and GDNF-induced activities of HH signaling. Moreover, protein kinase B lies on the downstream of GDNF/RET signaling module to inhibit the GSK3β, resulting in activation of HH signaling. Furthermore, either knockdown of RET by shRNA or inhibition of HH pathway by cyclopamine attenuates not only basal but also GDNF-induced proliferation of SH-SY5Y cells, and knockdown of either RET or smoothened in SH-SY5Y cell xenografts significantly attenuated the tumor growth. Finally, inhibition of HH signaling by GLI1 and GLI2 inhibitor, Gant61, reduces not only basal but also RET-induced proliferation of SH-SY5Y cells and outgrowth of xenografts. CONCLUSION GDNF/RET/AKT/GSK3β signaling module activates HH pathway to stimulate NB cells proliferation and tumor outgrowth. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Targeting HH pathway is a rational approach for therapeutic intervention of NB with high RET expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongfeng Ruan
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Huan Luo
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Jirong Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xing Ji
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Zhongmiao Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Junsong Wu
- Department of Emergence, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Xianning Zhang
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
| | - Ximei Wu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
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Martucciello G, Lerone M, Bricco L, Tonini GP, Lombardi L, Del Rossi CG, Bernasconi S. Multiple endocrine neoplasias type 2B and RET proto-oncogene. Ital J Pediatr 2012; 38:9. [PMID: 22429913 PMCID: PMC3368781 DOI: 10.1186/1824-7288-38-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2012] [Accepted: 03/19/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 2B (MEN 2B) is an autosomal dominant complex oncologic neurocristopathy including medullary thyroid carcinoma, pheochromocytoma, gastrointestinal disorders, marphanoid face, and mucosal multiple ganglioneuromas. Medullary thyroid carcinoma is the major cause of mortality in MEN 2B syndrome, and it often appears during the first years of life. RET proto-oncogene germline activating mutations are causative for MEN 2B. The 95% of MEN 2B patients are associated with a point mutation in exon 16 (M918/T). A second point mutation at codon 883 has been found in 2%-3% of MEN 2B cases. RET proto-oncogene is also involved in different neoplastic and not neoplastic neurocristopathies. Other RET mutations cause MEN 2A syndrome, familial medullary thyroid carcinoma, or Hirschsprung's disease. RET gene expression is also involved in Neuroblastoma. The main diagnosis standards are the acetylcholinesterase study of rectal mucosa and the molecular analysis of RET. In our protocol the rectal biopsy is, therefore, the first approach. RET mutation detection offers the possibility to diagnose MEN 2B predisposition at a pre-clinical stage in familial cases, and to perform an early total prophylactic thyroidectomy. The surgical treatment of MEN 2B is total thyroidectomy with cervical limphadenectomy of the central compartment of the neck. When possible, this intervention should be performed with prophylactic aim before 1 year of age in patients with molecular genetic diagnosis. Recent advances into the mechanisms of RET proto-oncogene signaling and pathways of RET signal transduction in the development of MEN 2 and MTC will allow new treatment possibilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Martucciello
- University of Genova, Associate Professor of Pediatric Surgery - DIPE, Via Gaslini, 5 Genova (16147), Italy
| | - Margherita Lerone
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetic, Istituto G. Gaslini, Genova (16147), Italy
| | - Lara Bricco
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetic, Istituto G. Gaslini, Genova (16147), Italy
| | - Gian Paolo Tonini
- Traslational Oncopathology National Cancer Research Institute, Genova (16100), Italy
| | - Laura Lombardi
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Ospedale Maggiore, Via Antonio Gramsci 14, Parma (43010), Italy
| | - Carmine G Del Rossi
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Ospedale Maggiore, Via Antonio Gramsci 14, Parma (43010), Italy
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Hansford LM, Marshall GM. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family ligands reduce the sensitivity of neuroblastoma cells to pharmacologically induced cell death, growth arrest and differentiation. Neurosci Lett 2006; 389:77-82. [PMID: 16125842 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2005.07.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2005] [Revised: 06/21/2005] [Accepted: 07/14/2005] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family of ligands play essential roles in promoting normal neural crest differentiation during embryogenesis, and, may have a therapeutic role in malignancies of neural crest origin, such as neuroblastoma. However, we report here that GDNF and neurturin blocked the growth inhibitory and neuritogenic effects of all-trans-retinoic acid in neuroblastoma cells in vitro. GDNF caused neuroblastoma cells to proliferate in the presence of a range of cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents at low concentrations. Thus, our findings suggest a role for GDNF signaling in promoting resistance to differentiation or cytotoxic therapy of neuroblastoma, and, preclude their use in this neural crest tumor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loen M Hansford
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Sydney, Australia
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