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Rocca A, Kholodenko BN. Can Systems Biology Advance Clinical Precision Oncology? Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:6312. [PMID: 34944932 PMCID: PMC8699328 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13246312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Precision oncology is perceived as a way forward to treat individual cancer patients. However, knowing particular cancer mutations is not enough for optimal therapeutic treatment, because cancer genotype-phenotype relationships are nonlinear and dynamic. Systems biology studies the biological processes at the systems' level, using an array of techniques, ranging from statistical methods to network reconstruction and analysis, to mathematical modeling. Its goal is to reconstruct the complex and often counterintuitive dynamic behavior of biological systems and quantitatively predict their responses to environmental perturbations. In this paper, we review the impact of systems biology on precision oncology. We show examples of how the analysis of signal transduction networks allows to dissect resistance to targeted therapies and inform the choice of combinations of targeted drugs based on tumor molecular alterations. Patient-specific biomarkers based on dynamical models of signaling networks can have a greater prognostic value than conventional biomarkers. These examples support systems biology models as valuable tools to advance clinical and translational oncological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Rocca
- Hygiene and Public Health, Local Health Unit of Romagna, 47121 Forlì, Italy
| | - Boris N. Kholodenko
- Systems Biology Ireland, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland
- Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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2
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Reeh H, Rudolph N, Billing U, Christen H, Streif S, Bullinger E, Schliemann-Bullinger M, Findeisen R, Schaper F, Huber HJ, Dittrich A. Response to IL-6 trans- and IL-6 classic signalling is determined by the ratio of the IL-6 receptor α to gp130 expression: fusing experimental insights and dynamic modelling. Cell Commun Signal 2019; 17:46. [PMID: 31101051 PMCID: PMC6525395 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-019-0356-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interleukin-6 is a pleiotropic cytokine with high clinical relevance and an important mediator of cellular communication, orchestrating both pro- and anti-inflammatory processes. Interleukin-6-induced signalling is initiated by binding of IL-6 to the IL-6 receptor α and subsequent binding to the signal transducing receptor subunit gp130. This active receptor complex initiates signalling through the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription pathway. Of note, IL-6 receptor α exists in a soluble and a transmembrane form. Binding of IL-6 to membrane-bound IL-6 receptor α induces anti-inflammatory classic signalling, whereas binding of IL-6 to soluble IL-6 receptor α induces pro-inflammatory trans-signalling. Trans-signalling has been described to be markedly stronger than classic signalling. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that drive differences between trans- and classic signalling is important for the design of trans-signalling-specific therapies. These differences will be addressed here using a combination of dynamic mathematical modelling and molecular biology. METHODS We apply an iterative systems biology approach using set-based modelling and validation approaches combined with quantitative biochemical and cell biological analyses. RESULTS The combination of experimental analyses and dynamic modelling allows to relate the observed differences between IL-6-induced trans- and classic signalling to cell-type specific differences in the expression and ratios of the individual subunits of the IL-6 receptor complex. Canonical intracellular Jak/STAT signalling is indifferent in IL-6-induced trans- and classic signalling. CONCLUSION This study contributes to the understanding of molecular mechanisms of IL-6 signal transduction and underlines the power of combined dynamical modelling, model-based validation and biological experiments. The opposing pro- and anti-inflammatory responses initiated by IL-6 trans- and classic signalling depend solely on the expression ratios of the subunits of the entire receptor complex. By pointing out the importance of the receptor expression ratio for the strength of IL-6 signalling this study lays a foundation for future precision medicine approaches that aim to selectively block pro-inflammatory trans-signalling. Furthermore, the derived models can be used for future therapy design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heike Reeh
- Department of Systems Biology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Nadine Rudolph
- Department of Systems Theory and Automatic Control, Institute for Automation Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Billing
- Department of Systems Biology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Henrike Christen
- Department of Systems Biology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Streif
- Department of Systems Theory and Automatic Control, Institute for Automation Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany.,Automatic Control and System Dynamics Laboratory, Institute of Automation, Chemnitz University of Technology, Reichenhainer Straße 70, 09107, Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Eric Bullinger
- Department of Systems Theory and Automatic Control, Institute for Automation Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Monica Schliemann-Bullinger
- Department of Systems Theory and Automatic Control, Institute for Automation Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Rolf Findeisen
- Department of Systems Theory and Automatic Control, Institute for Automation Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Fred Schaper
- Department of Systems Biology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Heinrich J Huber
- Department of Systems Theory and Automatic Control, Institute for Automation Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany.,Comuptational Biology, Discovery Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma, Birkendorfer Straße 65, 88400, Biberach, Germany
| | - Anna Dittrich
- Department of Systems Biology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany.
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Singh R, Letai A, Sarosiek K. Regulation of apoptosis in health and disease: the balancing act of BCL-2 family proteins. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2019; 20:175-193. [PMID: 30655609 PMCID: PMC7325303 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-018-0089-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1084] [Impact Index Per Article: 216.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The loss of vital cells within healthy tissues contributes to the development, progression and treatment outcomes of many human disorders, including neurological and infectious diseases as well as environmental and medical toxicities. Conversely, the abnormal survival and accumulation of damaged or superfluous cells drive prominent human pathologies such as cancers and autoimmune diseases. Apoptosis is an evolutionarily conserved cell death pathway that is responsible for the programmed culling of cells during normal eukaryotic development and maintenance of organismal homeostasis. This pathway is controlled by the BCL-2 family of proteins, which contains both pro-apoptotic and pro-survival members that balance the decision between cellular life and death. Recent insights into the dynamic interactions between BCL-2 family proteins and how they control apoptotic cell death in healthy and diseased cells have uncovered novel opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Importantly, the development of both positive and negative small-molecule modulators of apoptosis is now enabling researchers to translate the discoveries that have been made in the laboratory into clinical practice to positively impact human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rumani Singh
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Lab for Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anthony Letai
- Lab for Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Kristopher Sarosiek
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
- Lab for Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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4
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Fujikura D, Miyazaki T. Programmed Cell Death in the Pathogenesis of Influenza. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19072065. [PMID: 30012970 PMCID: PMC6073994 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19072065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Revised: 07/04/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Influenza is a respiratory disease induced by infection by the influenza virus, which is a member of Orthomyxoviridae family. This infectious disease has serious impacts on public health systems and results in considerable mortality and economic costs throughout the world. Based on several experimental studies, massive host immune reaction is associated with the disease severity of influenza. Programmed cell death is typically induced during virus infection as a consequence of host immune reaction to limit virus spread by eliminating niches for virus propagation without causing inflammation. However, in some viral infectious diseases, such as influenza, in the process of immune reaction, aberrant induction of programmed cell death disturbs the maintenance of organ function. Current reports show that there are different types of programmed cell death that vary in terms of molecular mechanisms and/or associations with inflammation. In addition, these novel types of programmed cell death are associated with pathogenesis rather than suppressing virus propagation in the disease course. Here, we review our current understanding of mechanisms of programmed cell death in the pathogenesis of influenza.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Fujikura
- Center for Advanced Research and Education (CARE), Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1 Midorigaoka-Higashi, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan.
| | - Tadaaki Miyazaki
- Department of Probiotics Immunology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, North-15, West-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0815, Japan.
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5
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Wang JW, Zhang YN, Sze SK, van de Weg SM, Vernooij F, Schoneveld AH, Tan SH, Versteeg HH, Timmers L, Lam CSP, de Kleijn DPV. Lowering Low-Density Lipoprotein Particles in Plasma Using Dextran Sulphate Co-Precipitates Procoagulant Extracellular Vesicles. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 19:ijms19010094. [PMID: 29286309 PMCID: PMC5796044 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19010094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Revised: 12/23/2017] [Accepted: 12/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid membrane vesicles involved in several biological processes including coagulation. Both coagulation and lipid metabolism are strongly associated with cardiovascular events. Lowering very-low- and low-density lipoprotein ((V)LDL) particles via dextran sulphate LDL apheresis also removes coagulation proteins. It remains unknown, however, how coagulation proteins are removed in apheresis. We hypothesize that plasma EVs that contain high levels of coagulation proteins are concomitantly removed with (V)LDL particles by dextran sulphate apheresis. For this, we precipitated (V)LDL particles from human plasma with dextran sulphate and analyzed the abundance of coagulation proteins and EVs in the precipitate. Coagulation pathway proteins, as demonstrated by proteomics and a bead-based immunoassay, were over-represented in the (V)LDL precipitate. In this precipitate, both bilayer EVs and monolayer (V)LDL particles were observed by electron microscopy. Separation of EVs from (V)LDL particles using density gradient centrifugation revealed that almost all coagulation proteins were present in the EVs and not in the (V)LDL particles. These EVs also showed a strong procoagulant activity. Our study suggests that dextran sulphate used in LDL apheresis may remove procoagulant EVs concomitantly with (V)LDL particles, leading to a loss of coagulation proteins from the blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiong-Wei Wang
- Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 119228 Singapore, Singapore.
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, National University Heart Centre Singapore, 117599 Singapore, Singapore.
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 117593 Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Ya-Nan Zhang
- Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 119228 Singapore, Singapore.
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, National University Heart Centre Singapore, 117599 Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Siu Kwan Sze
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637551 Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Sander M van de Weg
- Experimental Cardiology Laboratory, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Flora Vernooij
- Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 119228 Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Arjan H Schoneveld
- Experimental Cardiology Laboratory, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Sock-Hwee Tan
- Department of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 117599 Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Henri H Versteeg
- Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Centre, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Leo Timmers
- Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Carolyn S P Lam
- National Heart Centre Singapore, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 169857 Singapore, Singapore.
- Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Dominique P V de Kleijn
- Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 119228 Singapore, Singapore.
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, National University Heart Centre Singapore, 117599 Singapore, Singapore.
- Experimental Cardiology Laboratory, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Department of Vascular Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Netherlands Heart Institute, 3511 EP Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Veltman D, Laeremans T, Passante E, Huber HJ. Signal transduction analysis of the NLRP3-inflammasome pathway after cellular damage and its paracrine regulation. J Theor Biol 2016; 415:125-136. [PMID: 28017802 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Revised: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Activation of the NLRP3-inflammasome pathway and production of the inflammatory cytokine IL-1B after cellular damage caused by infarct or infection is a key process in several diseases such as acute myocardial infarction and inflammatory bowel disease. However, while the molecular triggers of the NLRP3-pathway after cellular damage are well known, the mechanisms that sustain or confine its activity are currently under investigation. We present here an Ordinary Differential Equation-based model that investigates the mechanisms of inflammasome activation and regulation in monocytes to predict IL-1β activation kinetics upon a two-step activation by Damage-Associate-Molecular-Particles (DAMP) and extracellular ATP. Assuming both activation signals to be concomitantly present or present with a delay of 12h, the model predicted a transient IL-1β activation at different concentration levels dependent on signal synchronisation. Introducing a positive feedback loop mediated by active IL-1β resulted in a sustained IL-1β activation, hence arguing for a paracrine signalling between inflammatory cells to guarantee a temporally stable inflammatory response. We then investigate mechanisms that control termination of inflammation using two recently identified molecular intervention points in the inflammasome pathway. We found that a more upstream regulation, by attenuating production of the IL-1β-proform, was more potent in attenuating active IL-1β production than direct inhibition of the NLRP3-inflammasome. Interestingly, ablating this upstream negative feedback led to a high variability of IL-1β production in monocytes from different subjects, consistent with a recent pre-clinical study. We finally discuss the relevance and implications of our findings in disease models of acute myocardial infarction and spontaneous colitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Veltman
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Thessa Laeremans
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Egle Passante
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Univ. of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
| | - Heinrich J Huber
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Institute for Automation Engineering (IFAT), Laboratory for Systems Theory and Automatic Control, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39106 Magdeburg - Germany.
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7
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Kankeu C, Clarke K, Passante E, Huber HJ. Doxorubicin-induced chronic dilated cardiomyopathy-the apoptosis hypothesis revisited. J Mol Med (Berl) 2016; 95:239-248. [PMID: 27933370 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-016-1494-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2016] [Revised: 11/17/2016] [Accepted: 11/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (DOX) has significantly increased survival rates of pediatric and adult cancer patients. However, 10% of pediatric cancer survivors will 10-20 years later develop severe dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), whereby the exact molecular mechanisms of disease progression after this long latency time remain puzzling. We here revisit the hypothesis that elevated apoptosis signaling or its increased likelihood after DOX exposure can lead to an impairment of cardiac function and cause a cardiac dilation. Based on recent literature evidence, we first argue why a dilated phenotype can occur when little apoptosis is detected. We then review findings suggesting that mature cardiomyocytes are protected against DOX-induced apoptosis downstream, but not upstream of mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilisation (MOMP). This lack of MOMP induction is proposed to alter the metabolic phenotype, induce hypertrophic remodeling, and lead to functional cardiac impairment even in the absence of cardiomyocyte apoptosis. We discuss findings that DOX exposure can lead to increased sensitivity to further cardiomyocyte apoptosis, which may cause a gradual loss in cardiomyocytes over time and a compensatory hypertrophic remodeling after treatment, potentially explaining the long lag time in disease onset. We finally note similarities between DOX-exposed cardiomyocytes and apoptosis-primed cancer cells and propose computational system biology as a tool to predict patient individual DOX doses. In conclusion, combining recent findings in rodent hearts and cardiomyocytes exposed to DOX with insights from apoptosis signal transduction allowed us to obtain a molecularly deeper insight in this delayed and still enigmatic pathology of DCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Kankeu
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kylie Clarke
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Egle Passante
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Univ. of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
| | - Heinrich J Huber
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. .,Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 123 St Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland.
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8
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Besenhard MO, Jarzabek M, O'Farrell AC, Callanan JJ, Prehn JH, Byrne AT, Huber HJ. Modelling tumour cell proliferation from vascular structure using tissue decomposition into avascular elements. J Theor Biol 2016; 402:129-43. [PMID: 27155046 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.04.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2015] [Revised: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 04/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Computer models allow the mechanistically detailed study of tumour proliferation and its dependency on nutrients. However, the computational study of large vascular tumours requires detailed information on the 3-dimensional vessel network and rather high computation times due to complex geometries. This study puts forward the idea of partitioning vascularised tissue into connected avascular elements that can exchange cells and nutrients between each other. Our method is able to rapidly calculate the evolution of proliferating as well as dead and quiescent cells, and hence a proliferative index, from a given amount and distribution of vascularisation of arbitrary complexity. Applying our model, we found that a heterogeneous vessel distribution provoked a higher proliferative index, suggesting increased malignancy, and increased the amount of dead cells compared to a more static tumour environment when a homogenous vessel distribution was assumed. We subsequently demonstrated that under certain amounts of vascularisation, cell proliferation may even increase when vessel density decreases, followed by a subsequent decrease of proliferation. This effect was due to a trade-off between an increase in compensatory proliferation for replacing dead cells and a decrease of cell population due to lack of oxygen supply in lowly vascularised tumours. Findings were illustrated by an ectopic colorectal cancer mouse xenograft model. Our presented approach can be in the future applied to study the effect of cytostatic, cytotoxic and anti-angiogenic chemotherapy and is ideally suited for translational systems biology, where rapid interaction between theory and experiment is essential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian O Besenhard
- Centre for Systems Medicine and Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland; Research Centre Pharmaceutical Engineering (RCPE) GmbH, Inffeldgasse 13, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Monika Jarzabek
- Centre for Systems Medicine and Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Alice C O'Farrell
- Centre for Systems Medicine and Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - John J Callanan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, St Kitts, West Indies
| | - Jochen Hm Prehn
- Centre for Systems Medicine and Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Annette T Byrne
- Centre for Systems Medicine and Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland; UCD School of Biomolecular & Biomedical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.
| | - Heinrich J Huber
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, Box 911, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Microvesicles, in general, and exosomes together with their delivered content in particular, are now being widely recognized as key players in atherosclerosis. We have previously reviewed the role of microvesicles in atherosclerosis pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy. Here, we focus on the roles of exosomes and discuss their emergent role in mediating activation and response to inflammation, vessel infiltration and induction of coagulation. We will finally give an outlook to discuss novel detection techniques and systems biology based data analyses to investigate exosome-mediated cell-to-cell communication. RECENT FINDINGS Recent research points to a role of exosomes in delivering apoptotic and inflammatory content between blood cells and vascular cells, with a potential contribution of exosomes secreted by adipose tissue. An atheroprotective role of exosomes in response to coagulation that may contrast with the procoagulatory role of platelet-derived larger microvesicles is envisaged. New detection and separation methods and systems biology techniques are emerging. CONCLUSION We project that the development of novel detection, separation and analysis mechanism and systems-based analysis methods will further unravel the paracrine and endocrine 'communication protocol' between cellular players in atherosclerosis, mediating inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heinrich J. Huber
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Atherosclerosis and Metabolism Unit
- Cardiovascular Systems Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Paul Holvoet
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Atherosclerosis and Metabolism Unit
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