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Izumi M, Fujii M, Kobayashi IS, Ho V, Kashima Y, Udagawa H, Costa DB, Kobayashi SS. Integrative single-cell RNA-seq and spatial transcriptomics analyses reveal diverse apoptosis-related gene expression profiles in EGFR-mutated lung cancer. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:580. [PMID: 39122703 PMCID: PMC11316060 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06940-y] [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: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
In EGFR-mutated lung cancer, the duration of response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is limited by the development of acquired drug resistance. Despite the crucial role played by apoptosis-related genes in tumor cell survival, how their expression changes as resistance to EGFR-TKIs emerges remains unclear. Here, we conduct a comprehensive analysis of apoptosis-related genes, including BCL-2 and IAP family members, using single-cell RNA sequence (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomics (ST). scRNA-seq of EGFR-mutated lung cancer cell lines captures changes in apoptosis-related gene expression following EGFR-TKI treatment, most notably BCL2L1 upregulation. scRNA-seq of EGFR-mutated lung cancer patient samples also reveals high BCL2L1 expression, specifically in tumor cells, while MCL1 expression is lower in tumors compared to non-tumor cells. ST analysis of specimens from transgenic mice with EGFR-driven lung cancer indicates spatial heterogeneity of tumors and corroborates scRNA-seq findings. Genetic ablation and pharmacological inhibition of BCL2L1/BCL-XL overcome or delay EGFR-TKI resistance. Overall, our findings indicate that BCL2L1/BCL-XL expression is important for tumor cell survival as EGFR-TKI resistance emerges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motohiro Izumi
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Masanori Fujii
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Ikei S Kobayashi
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Vivian Ho
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Yukie Kashima
- Division of Translational Genomics, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, 277-8577, Japan
| | - Hibiki Udagawa
- Division of Translational Genomics, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, 277-8577, Japan
- Department of Thoracic Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, 277-8577, Japan
| | - Daniel B Costa
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Susumu S Kobayashi
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
- Division of Translational Genomics, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, 277-8577, Japan.
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, 113-8431, Japan.
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Sakuma Y, Hirai S, Sumi T, Niki T, Yamaguchi M. Dual inhibition of KIF11 and BCL2L1 induces apoptosis in lung adenocarcinoma cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 678:84-89. [PMID: 37619315 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.08.039] [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: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) mostly depends on EGFR for survival and consequently responds well to EGFR inhibitors. However, resistance to the drugs develops almost universally during treatment. We previously demonstrated that EGFR-mutant LUAD cell lines, HCC827 and H1975, have subpopulations of cells, which we termed HCC827 GR2 and H1975 WR7 cells, that can thrive independently of EGFR signaling. These EGFR-independent EGFR-mutant cancer cells are difficult to treat because they lack sensitivity to EGFR inhibitors. Therefore, the development of novel strategies to target EGFR-independent EGFR-mutant LUAD is particularly important. We found that high expression of kinesin family member 11 (KIF11) correlated with poor survival in patients with LUAD. We also observed that KIF11 silencing caused cell cycle arrest at G2/M in HCC827 GR2 and H1975 WR7 cells. Furthermore, dual silencing of KIF11 plus BCL2L1, an anti-apoptotic BCL2 family member, in these two EGFR-independent sublines resulted in marked apoptosis levels. Dual inhibition of KIF11 plus BCL2L1 also induced apoptosis in HCC827 and H1975 parental cells and a KRAS-mutant LUAD cell line, H441. These findings collectively suggest that dual inhibition of KIF11 plus BCL2L1 may be a new approach for the treatment of LUAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuji Sakuma
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
| | - Sachie Hirai
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Sumi
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Hakodate Goryoukaku Hospital, Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Toshiro Niki
- Division of Integrative Pathology, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsue, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Miki Yamaguchi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
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Vaidya S, Mohod A, Eedara AC, Andugulapati SB, Pabbaraja S. Synthesis and Characterization of a New Cationic Lipid: Efficient siRNA Delivery and Anticancer Activity of Survivin-siRNA Lipoplexes for the Treatment of Lung and Breast Cancers. ChemMedChem 2023; 18:e202300097. [PMID: 37306531 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202300097] [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: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Survivin has been shown to be widely expressed in most tumor cells, including lung and breast cancers. Due to limited siRNA delivery, it is more challenging to target survivin using knockdown-based techniques. Designing and developing new, bifunctional chemical molecules with both selective anti-proliferative activity and effective siRNA transfection capabilities by targeting a particular gene is important to treat aggressive tumors like triple-negative breast tumors (TNBC). The cationic lipids deliver small interfering RNA (siRNA) and also display inherent anti-cancer activities; therefore, cationic lipid therapies have become very popular for treating malignant cancers. In the current study, we attempted to synthesize a series of acid-containing cationic lipids, anthranilic acid-containing mef lipids, and indoleacetic acid-containing etodo lipids etc. Further, we elucidated their bi-functional activity for their anticancer activity and survivin siRNA-mediated anti-cancer activity. Our results showed that lipoplexes with siRNA-Etodo: Dotap (ED) and siRNA-Mef: Dotap (MD) exhibited homogeneous particle size and positive zeta potential. Further, biological investigations resulted in enhanced survivin siRNA delivery with high stability, improved transfection efficiency, and anti-cancer activity. Additionally, our findings showed that survivin siRNA lipoplexes (ED and MD) in A549 cells and 4T1 cells exhibited stronger survivin knockdown, enhanced apoptosis, and G1 or G2/M phase arrest in both cell types. In vivo results revealed that treatment with survivin complexed lipoplexes significantly reduced tumor growth and tumor weight compared to control. Thus, our novel quaternary amine-based liposome formulations are predicted to open up new possibilities in the development of a simple and widely utilized platform for siRNA delivery and anti-cancer activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Vaidya
- Department of Organic Synthesis and Process Chemistry, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad, 500007, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Annie Mohod
- Department of Applied Biology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad, 500007, India
| | - Abhisheik Chowdary Eedara
- Department of Applied Biology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad, 500007, India
| | - Sai Balaji Andugulapati
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
- Department of Applied Biology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad, 500007, India
| | - Srihari Pabbaraja
- Department of Organic Synthesis and Process Chemistry, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad, 500007, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
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Dual inhibition of BCL2L1 and MCL1 is highly effective against RET fusion-positive or MET exon 14 skipping mutation-positive lung adenocarcinoma cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2022; 630:24-29. [PMID: 36126466 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.09.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs), especially lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs), harbor several driver mutations against which highly effective tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are available. Although TKIs are generally effective against certain NSCLCs, primary or acquired resistance almost always develops. Driver mutations include RET fusion (∼1-2% of NSCLC cases) and MET exon 14 skipping mutation (METΔex14; ∼3-4%). Surprisingly, the LUAD cell line LC-2/ad with CCDC6-RET fusion thrived independently of RET signaling, and Hs-746T cells harboring METΔex14 plus amplification survived MET silencing. However, these two cell lines were highly sensitive to dual silencing of the representative anti-apoptotic BCL2 family members BCL2L1 and MCL1, undergoing extensive apoptosis in monolayer or 3D on-top culture systems. Moreover, we found that most LUAD cell lines and tissues expressed high levels of BCL2L1 and MCL1 mRNA but extremely low levels of BCL2. Together, these findings suggest that inhibiting BCL2L1 plus MCL1 may represent a new approach to treating LUAD cells irrespective of their driver mutations.
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Li M, Li S, Li Y, Li X, Yang G, Li M, Xie Y, Su W, Wu J, Jia L, Li S, Ma W, Li H, Guo N, Yu P. Cationic liposomes co-deliver chemotherapeutics and siRNA for the treatment of breast cancer. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 233:114198. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Sakuma Y, Hirai S, Sumi T, Tada M, Kojima T, Niki T, Yamaguchi M. MCL1 inhibition enhances the efficacy of docetaxel against airway-derived squamous cell carcinoma cells. Exp Cell Res 2021; 406:112763. [PMID: 34358524 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2021.112763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
MCL1 is an anti-apoptotic BCL2 family member that is often overexpressed in various malignant tumors. However, few reports have described the role of MCL1 in squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) derived from airways including the lung. In this study, we examined whether MCL1 could be a novel druggable target for airway-derived SqCC, for which effective molecular targeted drugs are unavailable. We searched the Kaplan-Meier Plotter database and found that high MCL1 mRNA expression was significantly associated with shorter survival in patients with lower airway (lung) or upper airway (head and neck) derived SqCC. We also explored the Expression Atlas database and learned that authentic lung SqCC cell lines expressing both TP63 and KRT5 mRNA were extremely sparse among the publicly available "lung SqCC cell lines", with an exception being HARA cells. HARA cells were highly dependent on MCL1 for survival, and MCL1-depleted cells were not able to grow, and even declined in number, upon docetaxel (DTX) exposure in vitro and in vivo. Similar in vitro experimental findings, including those in a 3D culture model, were also obtained using Detroit 562 pharyngeal SqCC cells. These findings suggested that combined treatment with MCL1 silencing plus DTX appears highly effective against airway-derived SqCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuji Sakuma
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South 1, West 17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan.
| | - Sachie Hirai
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South 1, West 17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Sumi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South 1, West 17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan; Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South 1, West 17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan
| | - Makoto Tada
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South 1, West 17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan; Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South 1, West 17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan
| | - Takashi Kojima
- Department of Cell Science, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South 1, West 17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan
| | - Toshiro Niki
- Division of Integrative Pathology, Jichi Medical University, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, 329-0498, Japan
| | - Miki Yamaguchi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South 1, West 17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan
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Pericyte-myofibroblast transition in the human lung. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 528:269-275. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.05.091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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