Extracellular Matrix Glycoprotein-Derived Synthetic Peptides Differentially Modulate Glioma and Sarcoma Cell Migration

Exploring the interaction between extracellular matrix components in a 3D organoid disease model to replicate the pathophysiology of breast cancer

In vitro models are necessary to study the pathophysiology of the disease and the development of effective, tailored treatment methods owing to the complexity and heterogeneity of breast cancer and the large population affected by it. The cellular connections and tumor microenvironments observed in vivo are often not recapitulated in conventional two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures. Therefore, developing 3D in vitro models that mimic the complex architecture and physiological circumstances of breast tumors is crucial for advancing our understanding of the illness. A 3D scaffold-free in vitro disease model mimics breast cancer pathophysiology by allowing cells to self-assemble/pattern into 3D structures, in contrast with other 3D models that rely on artificial scaffolds. It is possible that this model, whether applied to breast tumors using patient-derived primary cells (fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and cancer cells), can accurately replicate the observed heterogeneity. The complicated interactions between different cell types are modelled by integrating critical components of the tumor microenvironment, such as the extracellular matrix, vascular endothelial cells, and tumor growth factors. Tissue interactions, immune cell infiltration, and the effects of the milieu on drug resistance can be studied using this scaffold-free 3D model. The scaffold-free 3D in vitro disease model for mimicking tumor pathophysiology in breast cancer is a useful tool for studying the molecular basis of the disease, identifying new therapeutic targets, and evaluating treatment modalities. It provides a more physiologically appropriate high-throughput platform for screening large compound library in a 96-384 well format. We critically discussed the rapid development of personalized treatment strategies and accelerated drug screening platforms to close the gap between traditional 2D cell culture and in vivo investigations.

Strategic outline of interventions targeting extracellular matrix for promoting healthy longevity

The extracellular matrix (ECM), composed of interlinked proteins outside of cells, is an important component of the human body that helps maintain tissue architecture and cellular homeostasis. As people age, the ECM undergoes changes that can lead to age-related morbidity and mortality. Despite its importance, ECM aging remains understudied in the field of geroscience. In this review, we discuss the core concepts of ECM integrity, outline the age-related challenges and subsequent pathologies and diseases, summarize diagnostic methods detecting a faulty ECM, and provide strategies targeting ECM homeostasis. To conceptualize this, we built a technology research tree to hierarchically visualize possible research sequences for studying ECM aging. This strategic framework will hopefully facilitate the development of future research on interventions to restore ECM integrity, which could potentially lead to the development of new drugs or therapeutic interventions promoting health during aging.

NELL1 Regulates the Matrisome to Promote Osteosarcoma Progression

Sarcomas produce an abnormal extracellular matrix (ECM), which in turn provides instructive cues for cell growth and invasion. Neural EGF like-like molecule 1 (NELL1) is a secreted glycoprotein characterized by its nonneoplastic osteoinductive effects, yet it is highly expressed in skeletal sarcomas. Here, we show that genetic deletion of NELL1 markedly reduces invasive behavior across human osteosarcoma (OS) cell lines. NELL1 deletion resulted in reduced OS disease progression, inhibiting metastasis and improving survival in a xenograft mouse model. These observations were recapitulated with Nell1 conditional knockout in mouse models of p53/Rb-driven sarcomagenesis, which reduced tumor frequency and extended tumor-free survival. Transcriptomic and phosphoproteomic analyses demonstrated that NELL1 loss skews the expression of matricellular proteins associated with reduced FAK signaling. Culturing NELL1 knockout sarcoma cells on wild-type OS-enriched matricellular proteins reversed the phenotypic and signaling changes induced by NELL1 deficiency. In sarcoma patients, high expression of NELL1 correlated with decreased overall survival. These findings in mouse and human models suggest that NELL1 expression alters the sarcoma ECM, thereby modulating cellular invasive potential and prognosis. Disruption of NELL1 signaling may represent a novel therapeutic approach to short-circuit sarcoma disease progression.

SIGNIFICANCE

NELL1 modulates the sarcoma matrisome to promote tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis, identifying the matrix-associated protein as an orchestrator of cell-ECM interactions in sarcomagenesis and disease progression.

Advancements in 3D Cell Culture Systems for Personalizing Anti-Cancer Therapies

Over 90% of potential anti-cancer drug candidates results in translational failures in clinical trials. The main reason for this failure can be attributed to the non-accurate pre-clinical models that are being currently used for drug development and in personalised therapies. To ensure that the assessment of drug efficacy and their mechanism of action have clinical translatability, the complexity of the tumor microenvironment needs to be properly modelled. 3D culture models are emerging as a powerful research tool that recapitulates in vivo characteristics. Technological advancements in this field show promising application in improving drug discovery, pre-clinical validation, and precision medicine. In this review, we discuss the significance of the tumor microenvironment and its impact on therapy success, the current developments of 3D culture, and the opportunities that advancements that in vitro technologies can provide to improve cancer therapeutics.

High expression of GALNT7 promotes invasion and proliferation of glioma cells

Polypeptide-N-acetyl-galactosaminlytransferase 7 (GALNT7), a member of the GalNAc-transferase family, has not been previously evaluated as a prognostic factor of glioblastoma (GBM) or low-grade glioma (LGG). Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database and bioinformatics analyses, the expression of GALNT7 was demosntrated to be higher in GBM and LGG tissues than in normal brain tissue. The expression levels of GANLT7 were associated with age, tumor grade, survival rate, disease-free survival time and overall survival time. Gene correlation and gene-set enrichment analyses suggested that GALNT7 may affect the proliferative and invasive abilities of glioma cells through multiple signaling pathways, including regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, the janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway, cell adhesion molecules and extracellular matrix receptor interaction pathways. Furthermore, 5 target genes of GALNT7 involved in these signaling pathways were identified, including Crk, Rac family small GTPase 1, STAT3, poliovirus receptor and Tenascin C. In summary, high expression of GALNT7 was associated with poor prognosis of glioma, and may be used as an effective biomarker of glioma.

Knockdown of DIXDC1 Inhibits the Proliferation and Migration of Human Glioma Cells

DIX domain containing 1 (DIXDC1), the human homolog of coiled-coil-DIX1 (Ccd1), is a positive regulator of Wnt signaling pathway. Recently, it was found to act as a candidate oncogene in colon cancer, non-small-cell lung cancer, and gastric cancer. In this study, we aimed to investigate the clinical significance of DIXDC1 expression in human glioma and its biological function in glioma cells. Western blot and immunohistochemistry analysis showed that DIXDC1 was overexpressed in glioma tissues and glioma cell lines. The expression level of DIXDC1 was evidently linked to glioma pathological grade and Ki-67 expression. Kaplan-Meier curve showed that high expression of DIXDC1 may lead to poor outcome of glioma patients. Serum starvation and refeeding assay indicated that the expression of DIXDC1 was associated with cell cycle. To determine whether DIXDC1 could regulate the proliferation and migration of glioma cells, we transfected glioma cells with interfering RNA-targeting DIXDC1; investigated cell proliferation with Cell Counting Kit (CCK)-8, flow cytometry assays, and colony formation analyses; and investigated cell migration with wound healing assays and transwell assays. According to our data, knockdown of DIXDC1 significantly inhibited proliferation and migration of glioma cells. These data implied that DIXDC1 might participate in the development of glioma, suggesting that DIXDC1 can become a potential therapeutic strategy for glioma.