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Maroni G, Bassal MA, Krishnan I, Fhu CW, Savova V, Zilionis R, Maymi VA, Pandell N, Csizmadia E, Zhang J, Storti B, Castaño J, Panella R, Li J, Gustafson CE, Fox S, Levy RD, Meyerovitz CV, Tramontozzi PJ, Vermilya K, De Rienzo A, Crucitta S, Bassères DS, Weetall M, Branstrom A, Giorgetti A, Ciampi R, Del Re M, Danesi R, Bizzarri R, Yang H, Kocher O, Klein AM, Welner RS, Bueno R, Magli MC, Clohessy JG, Ali A, Tenen DG, Levantini E. Identification of a targetable KRAS-mutant epithelial population in non-small cell lung cancer. Commun Biol 2021; 4:370. [PMID: 33854168 PMCID: PMC8046784 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01897-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths. Tumor heterogeneity, which hampers development of targeted therapies, was herein deconvoluted via single cell RNA sequencing in aggressive human adenocarcinomas (carrying Kras-mutations) and comparable murine model. We identified a tumor-specific, mutant-KRAS-associated subpopulation which is conserved in both human and murine lung cancer. We previously reported a key role for the oncogene BMI-1 in adenocarcinomas. We therefore investigated the effects of in vivo PTC596 treatment, which affects BMI-1 activity, in our murine model. Post-treatment, MRI analysis showed decreased tumor size, while single cell transcriptomics concomitantly detected near complete ablation of the mutant-KRAS-associated subpopulation, signifying the presence of a pharmacologically targetable, tumor-associated subpopulation. Our findings therefore hold promise for the development of a targeted therapy for KRAS-mutant adenocarcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Maroni
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council (CNR), Area della Ricerca di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mahmoud A Bassal
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Chee Wai Fhu
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Virginia Savova
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rapolas Zilionis
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Valerie A Maymi
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Preclinical Murine Pharmacogenetics Core, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nicole Pandell
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Preclinical Murine Pharmacogenetics Core, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eva Csizmadia
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Barbara Storti
- NEST, Scuola Normale Superiore and Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR, Pisa, Italy
| | - Julio Castaño
- Platform for Immunotherapy BST-Hospital Clinic, Banc de Sang i Teixits (BST), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Riccardo Panella
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Jia Li
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Corinne E Gustafson
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, The Lung Center and the International Mesothelioma Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sam Fox
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, The Lung Center and the International Mesothelioma Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rachel D Levy
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, The Lung Center and the International Mesothelioma Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Claire V Meyerovitz
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, The Lung Center and the International Mesothelioma Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter J Tramontozzi
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, The Lung Center and the International Mesothelioma Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kimberly Vermilya
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, The Lung Center and the International Mesothelioma Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Assunta De Rienzo
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, The Lung Center and the International Mesothelioma Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stefania Crucitta
- Unit of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Daniela S Bassères
- Biochemistry Department, Chemistry Institute, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marla Weetall
- PTC Therapeutics, 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, USA
| | - Art Branstrom
- PTC Therapeutics, 100 Corporate Court, South Plainfield, NJ, USA
| | - Alessandra Giorgetti
- Cell Biology Unit, Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Stem Cell Biology and Leukemiogenesis Group, Regenerative Medicine Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge - IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raffaele Ciampi
- Endocrine Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marzia Del Re
- Unit of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Romano Danesi
- Unit of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Ranieri Bizzarri
- NEST, Scuola Normale Superiore and Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology, and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Henry Yang
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Olivier Kocher
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Allon M Klein
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert S Welner
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Medicine, Hemathology/Oncology, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Raphael Bueno
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, The Lung Center and the International Mesothelioma Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maria Cristina Magli
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council (CNR), Area della Ricerca di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - John G Clohessy
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Preclinical Murine Pharmacogenetics Core, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Azhar Ali
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Daniel G Tenen
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Elena Levantini
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council (CNR), Area della Ricerca di Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Saponaro F, Rutigliano G, Sestito S, Bandini L, Storti B, Bizzarri R, Zucchi R. ACE2 in the Era of SARS-CoV-2: Controversies and Novel Perspectives. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:588618. [PMID: 33195436 PMCID: PMC7556165 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.588618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is related to ACE but turned out to counteract several pathophysiological actions of ACE. ACE2 exerts antihypertensive and cardioprotective effects and reduces lung inflammation. ACE2 is subjected to extensive transcriptional and post-transcriptional modulation by epigenetic mechanisms and microRNAs. Also, ACE2 expression is regulated post-translationally by glycosylation, phosphorylation, and shedding from the plasma membrane. ACE2 protein is ubiquitous across mammalian tissues, prominently in the cardiovascular system, kidney, and intestine. ACE2 expression in the respiratory tract is of particular interest, in light of the discovery that ACE2 serves as the initial cellular target of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-coronaviruses, including the recent SARS-CoV2, responsible of the COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, an intense effort has been made to elucidate the biochemical determinants of SARS-CoV2-ACE2 interaction. It has been determined that SARS-CoV2 engages with ACE2 through its spike (S) protein, which consists of two subunits: S1, that mediates binding to the host receptor; S2, that induces fusion of the viral envelope with the host cell membrane and delivery of the viral genome. Owing to the role of ACE2 in SARS-CoV2 pathogenicity, it has been speculated that medical conditions, i.e., hypertension, and/or drugs, i.e., ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, known to influence ACE2 density could alter the fate of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The debate is still open and will only be solved when results of properly designed experimental and clinical investigations will be made public. An interesting observation is, however that, upon infection, ACE2 activity is reduced either by downregulation or by shedding. These events might precipitate the so-called "cytokine storm" that characterizes the most severe COVID-19 forms. As evidence accumulates, ACE2 appears a druggable target in the attempt to limit virus entry and replication. Strategies aimed at blocking ACE2 with antibodies, small molecules or peptides, or at neutralizing the virus by competitive binding with exogenously administered ACE2, are currently under investigations. In this review, we will present an overview of the state-of-the-art knowledge on ACE2 biochemistry and pathophysiology, outlining open issues in the context of COVID-19 disease and potential experimental and clinical developments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Simona Sestito
- Department of Pathology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | | | - Barbara Storti
- NEST, Scuola Normale Superiore and CNR-NANO, Pisa, Italy
| | - Ranieri Bizzarri
- Department of Pathology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- NEST, Scuola Normale Superiore and CNR-NANO, Pisa, Italy
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Deroubaix A, Moahla B, Penny C. Monitoring of intracellular localization of Hepatitis B virus P22 protein using Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy and Airyscan. Microsc Res Tech 2020; 83:499-506. [PMID: 31926041 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.23438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess nucleo-cytoplasmic protein localization to better understand the exact intracellular localization of viral proteins involved with infections. Having determined the general protein localization of hepatitis B virus P22 precore protein, the aim was to more specifically resolve its intracellular organization. This was done using both laser scanning microscopy and Airyscan techniques. Using a 63× objective, the resolution obtained with Airyscan was increased by 1.5-fold as compared to confocal microscopy (p value <.00001).
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie Deroubaix
- Life Sciences Imaging Facility, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,HVDRU, School of Clinical Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Bongani Moahla
- HVDRU, School of Clinical Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Clement Penny
- Life Sciences Imaging Facility, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Oncology Division, School of Clinical Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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