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Vlodavsky I, Hilwi M, Kayal Y, Soboh S, Ilan N. Impact of heparanase-2 (Hpa2) on cancer and inflammation: Advances and paradigms. FASEB J 2024; 38:e23670. [PMID: 38747803 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202400286r] [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: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
HPSE2, the gene-encoding heparanase 2 (Hpa2), is mutated in urofacial syndrome (UFS), a rare autosomal recessive congenital disease attributed to peripheral neuropathy. Hpa2 lacks intrinsic heparan sulfate (HS)-degrading activity, the hallmark of heparanase (Hpa1), yet it exhibits a high affinity toward HS, thereby inhibiting Hpa1 enzymatic activity. Hpa2 regulates selected genes that promote normal differentiation, tissue homeostasis, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, resulting in antitumor, antiangiogenic, and anti-inflammatory effects. Importantly, stress conditions induce the expression of Hpa2, thus establishing a feedback loop, where Hpa2 enhances ER stress which, in turn, induces Hpa2 expression. In most cases, cancer patients who retain high levels of Hpa2 survive longer than patients bearing Hpa2-low tumors. Experimentally, overexpression of Hpa2 attenuates the growth of tumor xenografts, whereas Hpa2 gene silencing results in aggressive tumors. Studies applying conditional Hpa2 knockout (cHpa2-KO) mice revealed an essential involvement of Hpa2 contributed by the host in protecting against cancer and inflammation. This was best reflected by the distorted morphology of the Hpa2-null pancreas, including massive infiltration of immune cells, acinar to adipocyte trans-differentiation, and acinar to ductal metaplasia. Moreover, orthotopic inoculation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells into the pancreas of Hpa2-null vs. wild-type mice yielded tumors that were by far more aggressive. Likewise, intravenous inoculation of cancer cells into cHpa2-KO mice resulted in a dramatically increased lung colonization reflecting the involvement of Hpa2 in restricting the formation of a premetastatic niche. Elucidating Hpa2 structure-activity-relationships is expected to support the development of Hpa2-based therapies against cancer and inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Israel Vlodavsky
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Maram Hilwi
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yasmin Kayal
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Soaad Soboh
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Neta Ilan
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
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2
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Hilwi M, Shulman K, Naroditsky I, Feld S, Gross-Cohen M, Boyango I, Soboh S, Vornicova O, Farhoud M, Singh P, Bar-Sela G, Goldberg H, Götte M, Sharrocks AD, Li Y, Sanderson RD, Ilan N, Vlodavsky I. Nuclear localization of heparanase 2 (Hpa2) attenuates breast carcinoma growth and metastasis. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:232. [PMID: 38519456 PMCID: PMC10959965 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06596-8] [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: 11/12/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Unlike the intense research effort devoted to exploring the significance of heparanase in cancer, very little attention was given to Hpa2, a close homolog of heparanase. Here, we explored the role of Hpa2 in breast cancer. Unexpectedly, we found that patients endowed with high levels of Hpa2 exhibited a higher incidence of tumor metastasis and survived less than patients with low levels of Hpa2. Immunohistochemical examination revealed that in normal breast tissue, Hpa2 localizes primarily in the cell nucleus. In striking contrast, in breast carcinoma, Hpa2 expression is not only decreased but also loses its nuclear localization and appears diffuse in the cell cytoplasm. Importantly, breast cancer patients in which nuclear localization of Hpa2 is retained exhibited reduced lymph-node metastasis, suggesting that nuclear localization of Hpa2 plays a protective role in breast cancer progression. To examine this possibility, we engineered a gene construct that directs Hpa2 to the cell nucleus (Hpa2-Nuc). Notably, overexpression of Hpa2 in breast carcinoma cells resulted in bigger tumors, whereas targeting Hpa2 to the cell nucleus attenuated tumor growth and tumor metastasis. RNAseq analysis was performed to reveal differentially expressed genes (DEG) in Hpa2-Nuc tumors vs. control. The analysis revealed, among others, decreased expression of genes associated with the hallmark of Kras, beta-catenin, and TNF-alpha (via NFkB) signaling. Our results imply that nuclear localization of Hpa2 prominently regulates gene transcription, resulting in attenuation of breast tumorigenesis. Thus, nuclear Hpa2 may be used as a predictive parameter in personalized medicine for breast cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maram Hilwi
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Inna Naroditsky
- Departments of Pathology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
| | - Sari Feld
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Miriam Gross-Cohen
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ilanit Boyango
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Soaad Soboh
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Olga Vornicova
- Department of Oncology, Ha'amek Medical Center, Afula, Israel
| | - Malik Farhoud
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Preeti Singh
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Gil Bar-Sela
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
- Department of Oncology, Ha'amek Medical Center, Afula, Israel
| | | | - Martin Götte
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Münster University Hospital, Muenster, Germany
| | - Andrew D Sharrocks
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Yaoyong Li
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Ralph D Sanderson
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Neta Ilan
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Israel Vlodavsky
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
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Knani I, Yanku Y, Gross-Cohen M, Ilan N, Vlodavsky I. Heparanase 2 (Hpa2) attenuates the growth of human sarcoma. Matrix Biol 2022; 113:22-38. [PMID: 36122821 DOI: 10.1016/j.matbio.2022.09.003] [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: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The pro-tumorigenic properties of heparanase are well documented and established. In contrast, the role of heparanase 2 (Hpa2), a close homolog of heparanase, in cancer is not entirely clear. In carcinomas, Hpa2 is thought to attenuate tumor growth, possibly by inhibiting heparanase enzymatic activity. Here, we examine the role of Hpa2 in sarcoma, a group of rare tumors of mesenchymal origin, accounting for approximately 1% of all malignant tumors. Consistently, we found that overexpression of Hpa2 attenuates tumor growth while Hpa2 gene silencing results in bigger tumors. Mechanistically, attenuation of tumor growth by Hpa2 was associated with increased tumor stress conditions, involving ER stress, hypoxia, and JNK phosphorylation, leading to increased apoptotic cell death. In addition, overexpression of Hpa2 induces the expression of the p53 family member, p63 which, in sarcoma, functions to attenuate tumor growth. Moreover, we show that Hpa2 profoundly reduces stem cell characteristics of the sarcoma cells (stemness), most evident by failure of Hpa2 cells to grow as spheroids typical of stem cells. Likewise, expression of CD44, a well-established stem cell marker, was prominently decreased in Hpa2 cells. CD44 is also a cell surface receptor for hyaluronic acid (HA), a nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan that is enriched in connective tissues. Reduced expression of CD44 by Hpa2 may thus represent impaired cross-talk between Hpa2 and the extracellular matrix. Clinically, we found that Hpa2 is expressed by leiomyosarcoma tumor biopsies. Interestingly, nuclear localization of Hpa2 was associated with low-stage tumors. This finding opens a new direction in Hpa2 research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim Knani
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yifat Yanku
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Miriam Gross-Cohen
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Neta Ilan
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Israel Vlodavsky
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
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Beaman GM, Lopes FM, Hofmann A, Roesch W, Promm M, Bijlsma EK, Patel C, Akinci A, Burgu B, Knijnenburg J, Ho G, Aufschlaeger C, Dathe S, Voelckel MA, Cohen M, Yue WW, Stuart HM, Mckenzie EA, Elvin M, Roberts NA, Woolf AS, Newman WG. Expanding the HPSE2 Genotypic Spectrum in Urofacial Syndrome, A Disease Featuring a Peripheral Neuropathy of the Urinary Bladder. Front Genet 2022; 13:896125. [PMID: 35812751 PMCID: PMC9259970 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.896125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Urofacial (also called Ochoa) syndrome (UFS) is an autosomal recessive congenital disorder of the urinary bladder featuring voiding dysfunction and a grimace upon smiling. Biallelic variants in HPSE2, coding for the secreted protein heparanase-2, are described in around half of families genetically studied. Hpse2 mutant mice have aberrant bladder nerves. We sought to expand the genotypic spectrum of UFS and make insights into its pathobiology. Sanger sequencing, next generation sequencing and microarray analysis were performed in four previously unreported families with urinary tract disease and grimacing. In one, the proband had kidney failure and was homozygous for the previously described pathogenic variant c.429T>A, p.(Tyr143*). Three other families each carried a different novel HPSE2 variant. One had homozygous triplication of exons 8 and 9; another had homozygous deletion of exon 4; and another carried a novel c.419C>G variant encoding the missense p.Pro140Arg in trans with c.1099-1G>A, a previously reported pathogenic splice variant. Expressing the missense heparanase-2 variant in vitro showed that it was secreted as normal, suggesting that 140Arg has aberrant functionality after secretion. Bladder autonomic neurons emanate from pelvic ganglia where resident neural cell bodies derive from migrating neural crest cells. We demonstrated that, in normal human embryos, neuronal precursors near the developing hindgut and lower urinary tract were positive for both heparanase-2 and leucine rich repeats and immunoglobulin like domains 2 (LRIG2). Indeed, biallelic variants of LRIG2 have been implicated in rare UFS families. The study expands the genotypic spectrum in HPSE2 in UFS and supports a developmental neuronal pathobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenda M. Beaman
- Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Division of Evolution, Infection, and Genomics, Faculty of Biology, Medicine, and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Filipa M. Lopes
- Division of Cell Matrix Biology and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Aybike Hofmann
- Department of Pediatric Urology, KUNO Clinic St. Hedwig Clinic, University Medical Center Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Roesch
- Department of Pediatric Urology, KUNO Clinic St. Hedwig Clinic, University Medical Center Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Martin Promm
- Department of Pediatric Urology, KUNO Clinic St. Hedwig Clinic, University Medical Center Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Emilia K. Bijlsma
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Chirag Patel
- Genetic Health Queensland, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Herston, QLD, Australia
| | - Aykut Akinci
- Department of Pediatric Urology, Ankara University School of Medicine, Cebeci Children’s Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Berk Burgu
- Department of Pediatric Urology, Ankara University School of Medicine, Cebeci Children’s Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Jeroen Knijnenburg
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Gladys Ho
- Sydney Genome Diagnostics, Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Disciplines of Child and Adolescent Health and Genomic Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Christina Aufschlaeger
- Department of Pediatric Urology, KUNO Clinic St. Hedwig Clinic, University Medical Center Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Sylvia Dathe
- Department of Pediatric Urology, KUNO Clinic St. Hedwig Clinic, University Medical Center Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
- Städtisches Klinikum Dessau, Dessau-Roslau, Germany
| | | | - Monika Cohen
- Center for Human Genetics and Laboratory Diagnostics (AHC) Medical Labs Martinsried, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Wyatt W. Yue
- Biosciences Institute, Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle, United Kingdom
| | - Helen M. Stuart
- Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Division of Evolution, Infection, and Genomics, Faculty of Biology, Medicine, and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Edward A. Mckenzie
- Protein Expression Facility, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Elvin
- Peak Proteins Ltd., Macclesfield, United Kingdom
| | - Neil A. Roberts
- Division of Cell Matrix Biology and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Adrian S. Woolf
- Division of Cell Matrix Biology and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - William G. Newman
- Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Division of Evolution, Infection, and Genomics, Faculty of Biology, Medicine, and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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Liu J, Knani I, Gross-Cohen M, Hu J, Wang S, Tang L, Ilan N, Yang S, Vlodavsky I. Role of heparanase 2 (Hpa2) in gastric cancer. Neoplasia 2021; 23:966-978. [PMID: 34343822 PMCID: PMC8349917 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2021.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2021] [Revised: 07/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
We report that gastric cancer patients exhibiting high levels of heparanase 2 (Hpa2) survive longer. Similarly, mice administrated with gastric carcinoma cells engineered to overexpress Hpa2 produced smaller tumors and survived longer than mice administrated with control cells. These beneficial effects were found to associate with increased phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) that play an instrumental role in cell metabolism and is situated at the center of a tumor suppressor network. We also found that MG132, an inhibitor of the proteasome that results in proteotoxic stress, prominently enhances Hpa2 expression. Notably, Hpa2 induction by MG132 appeared to be mediated by AMPK, thus establishing a loop that feeds itself where Hpa2 enhances AMPK phosphorylation that, in turn, induces Hpa2 expression, possibly leading to attenuation of gastric tumorigenesis.
Heparanase is highly implicated in tumor metastasis due to its capacity to cleave heparan sulfate and, consequently, remodel the extracellular matrix underlying epithelial and endothelial cells. In striking contrast, only little attention was given to its close homolog, heparanase 2 (Hpa2), possibly because it lacks heparan sulfate-degrading activity typical of heparanase. We subjected sections of gastric carcinoma to immunostaining and correlated Hpa2 immunoreactivity with clinical records, including tumor grade, stage and patients' status. We over-expressed Hpa2 in gastric carcinoma cell lines and examined their tumorigenic properties in vitro and in vivo. We also evaluated the expression of Hpa2 by gastric carcinoma cells following inhibition of the proteasome, leading to proteotoxic stress, and the resulting signaling responsible for Hpa2 gene regulation. Here, we report that gastric cancer patients exhibiting high levels of Hpa2 survive longer. Similarly, mice administrated with gastric carcinoma cells engineered to over-express Hpa2 produced smaller tumors and survived longer than mice administrated with control cells. This was associated with increased phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a kinase that is situated at the center of a tumor suppressor network. We also found that MG132, an inhibitor of the proteasome that results in proteotoxic stress, prominently enhances Hpa2 expression. Notably, Hpa2 induction by MG132 appeared to be mediated by AMPK, and AMPK was found to induce the expression of Hpa2, thus establishing a loop that feeds itself where Hpa2 enhances AMPK phosphorylation that, in turn, induces Hpa2 expression, leading to attenuation of gastric tumorigenesis. These results indicate that high levels of Hpa2 in some tumors are due to stress conditions that tumors often experience due to their high rates of cell proliferation and high metabolic demands. This increase in Hpa2 levels by the stressed tumors appears critically important for patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ibrahim Knani
- Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Miriam Gross-Cohen
- Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Jiaxi Hu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Sumin Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Li Tang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Neta Ilan
- Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shiming Yang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Israel Vlodavsky
- Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
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Gross-Cohen M, Yanku Y, Kessler O, Barash U, Boyango I, Cid-Arregui A, Neufeld G, Ilan N, Vlodavsky I. Heparanase 2 (Hpa2) attenuates tumor growth by inducing Sox2 expression. Matrix Biol 2021; 99:58-71. [PMID: 34004353 DOI: 10.1016/j.matbio.2021.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The pro-tumorigenic properties of heparanase are well documented, and heparanase inhibitors are being evaluated clinically as anti-cancer therapeutics. In contrast, the role of heparanase 2 (Hpa2), a close homolog of heparanase, in cancer is largely unknown. Previously, we have reported that in head and neck cancer, high levels of Hpa2 are associated with prolonged patient survival and decreased tumor cell dissemination to regional lymph nodes, suggesting that Hpa2 functions to restrain tumorigenesis. Also, patients with high levels of Hpa2 were diagnosed as low grade and exhibited increased expression of cytokeratins, an indication that Hpa2 promotes or maintains epithelial cell differentiation and identity. To reveal the molecular mechanism underlying the tumor suppressor properties of Hpa2, and its ability to induce the expression of cytokeratin, we employed overexpression as well as gene editing (Crispr) approaches, combined with gene array and RNAseq methodologies. At the top of the list of many genes found to be affected by Hpa2 was Sox2. Here we provide evidence that silencing of Sox2 resulted in bigger tumors endowed with reduced cytokeratin levels, whereas smaller tumors were developed by cells overexpressing Sox2, suggesting that in head and neck carcinoma, Sox2 functions to inhibit tumor growth. Notably, Hpa2-null cells engineered by Crispr/Cas 9, produced bigger tumors vs control cells, and rescue of Hpa2 attenuated tumor growth. These results strongly imply that Hpa2 functions as a tumor suppressor in head and neck cancer, involving Sox2 upregulation mediated, in part, by the high-affinity interaction of Hpa2 with heparan sulfate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Gross-Cohen
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center (TICC), Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yifat Yanku
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center (TICC), Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ofra Kessler
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center (TICC), Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Uri Barash
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center (TICC), Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ilanit Boyango
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center (TICC), Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Gera Neufeld
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center (TICC), Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Neta Ilan
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center (TICC), Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Israel Vlodavsky
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center (TICC), Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
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Margulis I, Naroditsky I, Gross-Cohen M, Ilan N, Vlodavsky I, Doweck I. A Pro-Tumorigenic Effect of Heparanase 2 (Hpa2) in Thyroid Carcinoma Involves Its Localization to the Nuclear Membrane. Front Oncol 2021; 11:645524. [PMID: 33959505 PMCID: PMC8093622 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.645524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Activity of the endo-beta-glucuronidase heparanase, capable of cleaving heparan sulfate (HS), is most often elevated in many types of tumors, associating with increased tumor metastasis and decreased patients' survival. Heparanase is therefore considered to be a valid drug target, and heparanase inhibitors are being evaluated clinically in cancer patients. Heparanase 2 (Hpa2) is a close homolog of heparanase that gained very little attention, likely because it lacks HS-degrading activity typical of heparanase. The role of Hpa2 in cancer was not examined in detail. In head and neck cancer, high levels of Hpa2 are associated with decreased tumor cell dissemination to regional lymph nodes and prolonged patients' survival, suggesting that Hpa2 functions to attenuate tumor growth. Here, we examined the role of Hpa2 in normal thyroid tissue and in benign thyroid tumor, non-metastatic, and metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) utilizing immunostaining in correlation with clinicopathological parameters. Interestingly, we found that Hpa2 staining intensity does not significantly change in the transition from normal thyroid gland to benign, non-metastatic, or metastatic thyroid carcinoma. Remarkably, we observed that in some biopsies, Hpa2 is accumulating on the membrane (envelop) of the nucleus and termed this cellular localization NM (nuclear membrane). Notably, NM localization of Hpa2 occurred primarily in metastatic PTC and was associated with an increased number of positive (metastatic) lymph nodes collected at surgery. These results describe for the first time unrecognized localization of Hpa2 to the nuclear membrane, implying that in PTC, Hpa2 functions to promote tumor metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itai Margulis
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel
| | - Inna Naroditsky
- Department of Pathology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
| | - Miriam Gross-Cohen
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Neta Ilan
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Israel Vlodavsky
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ilana Doweck
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.,Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
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