1
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Nguyen A, Nuñez CG, Tran TA, Girard L, Peyton M, Catalan R, Guerena C, Avila K, Drapkin BJ, Chandra R, Minna JD, Martinez ED. Jumonji histone demethylases are therapeutic targets in small cell lung cancer. Oncogene 2024:10.1038/s41388-024-03125-x. [PMID: 39154123 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-024-03125-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 07/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a recalcitrant cancer of neuroendocrine (NE) origin. Changes in therapeutic approaches against SCLC have been lacking over the decades. Here, we use preclinical models to identify a new therapeutic vulnerability in SCLC consisting of the targetable Jumonji lysine demethylase (KDM) family. We show that Jumonji demethylase inhibitors block malignant growth and that etoposide-resistant SCLC cell lines are particularly sensitive to Jumonji inhibition. Mechanistically, small molecule-mediated inhibition of Jumonji KDMs activates endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress genes, upregulates ER stress signaling, and triggers apoptotic cell death. Furthermore, Jumonji inhibitors decrease protein levels of SCLC NE markers INSM1 and Secretogranin-3 and of driver transcription factors ASCL1 and NEUROD1. Genetic knockdown of KDM4A, a Jumonji demethylase highly expressed in SCLC and a known regulator of ER stress genes, induces ER stress response genes, decreases INSM1, Secretogranin-3, and NEUROD1 and inhibits proliferation of SCLC in vitro and in vivo. Lastly, we demonstrate that two different small molecule Jumonji KDM inhibitors (pan-inhibitor JIB-04 and KDM4 inhibitor SD70) block the growth of SCLC tumor xenografts in vivo. Our study highlights the translational potential of Jumonji KDM inhibitors against SCLC, a clinically feasible approach in light of recently opened clinical trials evaluating this drug class, and establishes KDM4A as a relevant target across SCLC subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiden Nguyen
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Clarissa G Nuñez
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Tram Anh Tran
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Luc Girard
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Michael Peyton
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Rodrigo Catalan
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Cristina Guerena
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Kimberley Avila
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Benjamin J Drapkin
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Raghav Chandra
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - John D Minna
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Elisabeth D Martinez
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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2
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Duplaquet L, So K, Ying AW, Pal Choudhuri S, Li X, Xu GD, Li Y, Qiu X, Li R, Singh S, Wu XS, Hamilton S, Chien VD, Liu Q, Qi J, Somerville TDD, Heiling HM, Mazzola E, Lee Y, Zoller T, Vakoc CR, Doench JG, Forrester WC, Abrams T, Long HW, Niederst MJ, Drapkin BJ, Kadoch C, Oser MG. Mammalian SWI/SNF complex activity regulates POU2F3 and constitutes a targetable dependency in small cell lung cancer. Cancer Cell 2024; 42:1352-1369.e13. [PMID: 39029464 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024]
Abstract
Small cell lung cancers (SCLCs) are composed of heterogeneous subtypes marked by lineage-specific transcription factors, including ASCL1, NEUROD1, and POU2F3. POU2F3-positive SCLCs, ∼12% of all cases, are uniquely dependent on POU2F3 itself; as such, approaches to attenuate POU2F3 expression may represent new therapeutic opportunities. Here using genome-scale screens for regulators of POU2F3 expression and SCLC proliferation, we define mSWI/SNF complexes as top dependencies specific to POU2F3-positive SCLC. Notably, chemical disruption of mSWI/SNF ATPase activity attenuates proliferation of all POU2F3-positive SCLCs, while disruption of non-canonical BAF (ncBAF) via BRD9 degradation is effective in pure non-neuroendocrine POU2F3-SCLCs. mSWI/SNF targets to and maintains accessibility over gene loci central to POU2F3-mediated gene regulatory networks. Finally, clinical-grade pharmacologic disruption of SMARCA4/2 ATPases and BRD9 decreases POU2F3-SCLC tumor growth and increases survival in vivo. These results demonstrate mSWI/SNF-mediated governance of the POU2F3 oncogenic program and suggest mSWI/SNF inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for POU2F3-positive SCLCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie Duplaquet
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Kevin So
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Biological and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Alexander W Ying
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Shreoshi Pal Choudhuri
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Department of Internal Medicine and Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Xinyue Li
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Grace D Xu
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Yixiang Li
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Xintao Qiu
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Rong Li
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Shilpa Singh
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Xiaoli S Wu
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, NY 11724, USA
| | - Seth Hamilton
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Department of Internal Medicine and Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Victor D Chien
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Department of Internal Medicine and Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Qi Liu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Jun Qi
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | | | - Hillary M Heiling
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Emanuele Mazzola
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Yenarae Lee
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Thomas Zoller
- Novartis BioMedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | | | - John G Doench
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | | | - Tinya Abrams
- Novartis BioMedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Henry W Long
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | | | - Benjamin J Drapkin
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Department of Internal Medicine and Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Cigall Kadoch
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA.
| | - Matthew G Oser
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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3
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Hamilton G, Hochmair MJ, Stickler S. Overcoming resistance in small-cell lung cancer. Expert Rev Respir Med 2024:1-12. [PMID: 39099310 DOI: 10.1080/17476348.2024.2388288] [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: 04/21/2024] [Revised: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 15% of lung cancers and has a dismal prognosis due to early dissemination and acquired chemoresistance. The initial good response to chemotherapy is followed by refractory relapses within 1-2 years. Mechanisms leading to chemoresistance are not clear and progress is poor. AREAS COVERED This article reviews the current evidence of the resistance of SCLCs at the cellular level including alteration of key proteins and the possible presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Without compelling evidence for cellular mechanisms and clinical failures of novel approaches, the study of SCLC has advanced to the role of 3D tumor cell aggregates in chemoresistance. EXPERT OPINION The scarcity of viable tumor specimen from relapsed SCLC patients has hampered the investigations of acquired chemoresistance but a panel of nine SCLC circulating tumor cell (CTC) cell lines have revealed characteristics of SCLC in the advanced refractory states. The chemoresistance of relapsed SCLC seems to be linked to the spontaneous formation of large spheroids, termed tumorospheres, which contain resistant quiescent and hypoxic cells shielded by a physical barrier. So far, drugs to tackle large tumor spheroids are in preclinical and early clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard Hamilton
- Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maximilian J Hochmair
- Department of Pneumonology, Karl Landsteiner Institute for Lung Research and Pulmonary Oncology, Klinik Floridsdorf, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sandra Stickler
- Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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4
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Drainas AP, Hsu WH, Dallas AE, Poltorack CD, Kim JW, He A, Coles GL, Baron M, Bassik MC, Sage J. GCN2 is a determinant of the response to WEE1 kinase inhibition in small-cell lung cancer. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114606. [PMID: 39120974 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114606] [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: 03/24/2024] [Revised: 06/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) are in dire need of more effective therapeutic options. Frequent disruption of the G1 checkpoint in SCLC cells creates a dependency on the G2/M checkpoint to maintain genomic integrity. Indeed, in pre-clinical models, inhibiting the G2/M checkpoint kinase WEE1 shows promise in inhibiting SCLC growth. However, toxicity and acquired resistance limit the clinical effectiveness of this strategy. Here, using CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens in vitro and in vivo, we identified multiple factors influencing the response of SCLC cells to the WEE1 kinase inhibitor AZD1775, including the GCN2 kinase and other members of its signaling pathway. Rapid activation of GCN2 upon AZD1775 treatment triggers a stress response in SCLC cells. Pharmacological or genetic activation of the GCN2 pathway enhances cancer cell killing by AZD1775. Thus, activation of the GCN2 pathway represents a promising strategy to increase the efficacy of WEE1 inhibitors in SCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandros P Drainas
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Wen-Hao Hsu
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Alec E Dallas
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Carson D Poltorack
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jun W Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Andy He
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Garry L Coles
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Maya Baron
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Julien Sage
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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5
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Zhang J, Zeng X, Guo Q, Sheng Z, Chen Y, Wan S, Zhang L, Zhang P. Small cell lung cancer: emerging subtypes, signaling pathways, and therapeutic vulnerabilities. Exp Hematol Oncol 2024; 13:78. [PMID: 39103941 DOI: 10.1186/s40164-024-00548-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/27/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a recalcitrant cancer characterized by early metastasis, rapid tumor growth and poor prognosis. In recent decades, the epidemiology, initiation and mutation characteristics of SCLC, as well as abnormal signaling pathways contributing to its progression, have been widely studied. Despite extensive investigation, fewer drugs have been approved for SCLC. Recent advancements in multi-omics studies have revealed diverse classifications of SCLC that are featured by distinct characteristics and therapeutic vulnerabilities. With the accumulation of SCLC samples, different subtypes of SCLC and specific treatments for these subtypes were further explored. The identification of different molecular subtypes has opened up novel avenues for the treatment of SCLC; however, the inconsistent and uncertain classification of SCLC has hindered the translation from basic research to clinical applications. Therefore, a comprehensives review is essential to conclude these emerging subtypes and related drugs targeting specific therapeutic vulnerabilities within abnormal signaling pathways. In this current review, we summarized the epidemiology, risk factors, mutation characteristics of and classification, related molecular pathways and treatments for SCLC. We hope that this review will facilitate the translation of molecular subtyping of SCLC from theory to clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
| | - Xiaoping Zeng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Qiji Guo
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Zhenxin Sheng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Shiyue Wan
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Lele Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
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6
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Redin E, Sridhar H, Zhan YA, Pereira Mello B, Zhong H, Durani V, Sabet A, Manoj P, Linkov I, Qiu J, Koche RP, de Stanchina E, Astorkia M, Betel D, Quintanal-Villalonga Á, Rudin CM. SMARCA4 controls state plasticity in small cell lung cancer through regulation of neuroendocrine transcription factors and REST splicing. J Hematol Oncol 2024; 17:58. [PMID: 39080761 PMCID: PMC11290012 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-024-01572-3] [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: 04/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) can be classified into transcriptional subtypes with distinct degrees of neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation. Recent evidence supports plasticity among subtypes with a bias toward adoption of low-NE states during disease progression or upon acquired chemotherapy resistance. Here, we identify a role for SMARCA4, the catalytic subunit of the SWI/SNF complex, as a regulator of subtype shift in SCLC. METHODS ATACseq and RNAseq experiments were performed in SCLC cells after pharmacological inhibition of SMARCA4. DNA binding of SMARCA4 was characterized by ChIPseq in high-NE SCLC patient derived xenografts (PDXs). Enrichment analyses were applied to transcriptomic data. Combination of FHD-286 and afatinib was tested in vitro and in a set of chemo-resistant SCLC PDXs in vivo. RESULTS SMARCA4 expression positively correlates with that of NE genes in both SCLC cell lines and patient tumors. Pharmacological inhibition of SMARCA4 with FHD-286 induces the loss of NE features and downregulates neuroendocrine and neuronal signaling pathways while activating non-NE factors. SMARCA4 binds to gene loci encoding NE-lineage transcription factors ASCL1 and NEUROD1 and alters chromatin accessibility, enhancing NE programs. Enrichment analysis applied to high-confidence SMARCA4 targets confirmed neuron related pathways as the top GO Biological processes regulated by SMARCA4 in SCLC. In parallel, SMARCA4 also controls REST, a known suppressor of the NE phenotype, by regulating SRRM4-dependent REST transcript splicing. Furthermore, SMARCA4 inhibition drives ERBB pathway activation in SCLC, rendering SCLC tumors sensitive to afatinib. CONCLUSIONS This study nominates SMARCA4 as a key regulator of the NE state plasticity and defines a novel therapeutic strategy for SCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Redin
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Harsha Sridhar
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yingqian A Zhan
- Center for Epigenetics Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Hong Zhong
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Vidushi Durani
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY, USA
| | - Amin Sabet
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Parvathy Manoj
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Irina Linkov
- Precision Pathology Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Juan Qiu
- Antitumor Assessment Core, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Richard P Koche
- Center for Epigenetics Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elisa de Stanchina
- Antitumor Assessment Core, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Maider Astorkia
- Applied Bioinformatics Core, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Doron Betel
- Applied Bioinformatics Core, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Systems Biology, Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | | | - Charles M Rudin
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY, USA.
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7
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Sakurai K, Ando T, Sakai Y, Mori Y, Nakamura S, Kato T, Ito H. PROX1 is a regulator of neuroendocrine-related gene expression in lung carcinoid. Hum Cell 2024:10.1007/s13577-024-01109-3. [PMID: 39066858 DOI: 10.1007/s13577-024-01109-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Lung neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are a diverse group of tumors characterized by neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation. Among lung NENs, lung carcinoid (LC) is a rare tumor with unique characteristics. Recent research has highlighted the importance of transcription factors (TFs) in establishing gene expression programs in lung NENs such as small cell lung carcinoma. However, the TFs that control the gene expression of LC are largely unknown. In this study, we report the expression and potential function of a TF called Prospero homeobox protein1 (PROX1) in LC. Publicly available transcriptome data suggested that PROX1 was highly expressed in LC tissues, which was confirmed by immunohistochemical analysis on a tissue microarray. Knockdown of PROX1 did not impact the cellular viability of an LC-derived cell line, NCI-H727. Meanwhile, transcriptome analysis revealed that PROX1 knockdown altered the expression of genes involved in NE differentiation. ASCL1, CHGA, CALCA, and LINC00261 were suggested as downstream genes of PROX1. These findings indicate that PROX1 may play an important role in the NE identity of LC by regulating the expression of key target genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kouhei Sakurai
- Department of Joint Research Laboratory of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan.
| | - Tatsuya Ando
- Department of Joint Research Laboratory of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Sakai
- Department of Tumor Pathology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-3192, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Mori
- School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan
| | - Satoru Nakamura
- Department of Joint Research Laboratory of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan
- Central Research Laboratory, Nitto Fuji Flour Milling Co., Ltd., Tokyo, 143-0001, Japan
| | - Taku Kato
- Department of Joint Research Laboratory of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan
| | - Hiroyasu Ito
- Department of Joint Research Laboratory of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan
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8
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Jiang S, Dai T, Li Q, Xu T, Zhang W, Sun J, Liu H. Generation of ASCL1-mCherry knock-in reporter in human embryonic stem cell line, WAe001-A-2E, using CRISPR/Cas9-based gene targeting. Stem Cell Res 2024; 80:103500. [PMID: 39059080 DOI: 10.1016/j.scr.2024.103500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Achaete-Scute Complex Homolog 1 (ASCL1) is a key regulator in the development and function of the nervous system, particularly in the process of neuronal and neuroendocrine cell differentiation. By employing the CRISPR/Cas9 system, we successfully established an ASCL1-mCherry knock-in human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line by inserting a P2A-mCherry fragment at the ASCL1 locus. The mCherry reporter effectively demonstrated the expression level of endogenous ASCL1 during the process of inducing pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNECs) from hESC. This reporter cell line holds significant value as a research tool for investigating the process of lung neuroendocrine cell differentiation, conducting drug screening, and exploring the underlying mechanisms of lung diseases associated with PNECs dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shisheng Jiang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510180, China; Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China
| | - Tiankai Dai
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China; Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China
| | - Qian Li
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China
| | - Tao Xu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510180, China; Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510180, China; Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China
| | - Jiaqi Sun
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510180, China; Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China
| | - Huisheng Liu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510180, China; College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China; Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China; Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China.
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9
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Quach H, Farrell S, Wu MJM, Kanagarajah K, Leung JWH, Xu X, Kallurkar P, Turinsky AL, Bear CE, Ratjen F, Kalish B, Goyal S, Moraes TJ, Wong AP. Early human fetal lung atlas reveals the temporal dynamics of epithelial cell plasticity. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5898. [PMID: 39003323 PMCID: PMC11246468 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50281-5] [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: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Studying human fetal lungs can inform how developmental defects and disease states alter the function of the lungs. Here, we sequenced >150,000 single cells from 19 healthy human pseudoglandular fetal lung tissues ranging between gestational weeks 10-19. We capture dynamic developmental trajectories from progenitor cells that express abundant levels of the cystic fibrosis conductance transmembrane regulator (CFTR). These cells give rise to multiple specialized epithelial cell types. Combined with spatial transcriptomics, we show temporal regulation of key signalling pathways that may drive the temporal and spatial emergence of specialized epithelial cells including ciliated and pulmonary neuroendocrine cells. Finally, we show that human pluripotent stem cell-derived fetal lung models contain CFTR-expressing progenitor cells that capture similar lineage developmental trajectories as identified in the native tissue. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive single-cell atlas of the developing human lung, outlining the temporal and spatial complexities of cell lineage development and benchmarks fetal lung cultures from human pluripotent stem cell differentiations to similar developmental window.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Quach
- Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Spencer Farrell
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ming Jia Michael Wu
- Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kayshani Kanagarajah
- Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joseph Wai-Hin Leung
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Xiaoqiao Xu
- Centre for Computational Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Prajkta Kallurkar
- Centre for Computational Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrei L Turinsky
- Centre for Computational Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christine E Bear
- Program in Molecular Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Felix Ratjen
- Program in Translational Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Brian Kalish
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sidhartha Goyal
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Theo J Moraes
- Program in Translational Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Amy P Wong
- Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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10
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Zaidi S, Park J, Chan JM, Roudier MP, Zhao JL, Gopalan A, Wadosky KM, Patel RA, Sayar E, Karthaus WR, Kates DH, Chaudhary O, Xu T, Masilionis I, Mazutis L, Chaligné R, Obradovic A, Linkov I, Barlas A, Jungbluth AA, Rekhtman N, Silber J, Manova-Todorova K, Watson PA, True LD, Morrissey C, Scher HI, Rathkopf DE, Morris MJ, Goodrich DW, Choi J, Nelson PS, Haffner MC, Sawyers CL. Single-cell analysis of treatment-resistant prostate cancer: Implications of cell state changes for cell surface antigen-targeted therapies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2322203121. [PMID: 38968122 PMCID: PMC11252802 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2322203121] [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: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Targeting cell surface molecules using radioligand and antibody-based therapies has yielded considerable success across cancers. However, it remains unclear how the expression of putative lineage markers, particularly cell surface molecules, varies in the process of lineage plasticity, wherein tumor cells alter their identity and acquire new oncogenic properties. A notable example of lineage plasticity is the transformation of prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD) to neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC)-a growing resistance mechanism that results in the loss of responsiveness to androgen blockade and portends dismal patient survival. To understand how lineage markers vary across the evolution of lineage plasticity in prostate cancer, we applied single-cell analyses to 21 human prostate tumor biopsies and two genetically engineered mouse models, together with tissue microarray analysis on 131 tumor samples. Not only did we observe a higher degree of phenotypic heterogeneity in castrate-resistant PRAD and NEPC than previously anticipated but also found that the expression of molecules targeted therapeutically, namely PSMA, STEAP1, STEAP2, TROP2, CEACAM5, and DLL3, varied within a subset of gene-regulatory networks (GRNs). We also noted that NEPC and small cell lung cancer subtypes shared a set of GRNs, indicative of conserved biologic pathways that may be exploited therapeutically across tumor types. While this extreme level of transcriptional heterogeneity, particularly in cell surface marker expression, may mitigate the durability of clinical responses to current and future antigen-directed therapies, its delineation may yield signatures for patient selection in clinical trials, potentially across distinct cancer types.
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MESH Headings
- Male
- Humans
- Single-Cell Analysis/methods
- Animals
- Mice
- Prostatic Neoplasms/genetics
- Prostatic Neoplasms/metabolism
- Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology
- Prostatic Neoplasms/drug therapy
- Antigens, Surface/metabolism
- Antigens, Surface/genetics
- Antigens, Neoplasm/metabolism
- Antigens, Neoplasm/genetics
- Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology
- Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism
- Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics
- Adenocarcinoma/genetics
- Adenocarcinoma/pathology
- Adenocarcinoma/metabolism
- Adenocarcinoma/drug therapy
- Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine/genetics
- Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine/pathology
- Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine/metabolism
- Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine/drug therapy
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
- Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant/metabolism
- Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant/pathology
- Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant/genetics
- Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant/drug therapy
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Affiliation(s)
- Samir Zaidi
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
- Department of Medicine, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Genitourinary Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Jooyoung Park
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul02841, Korea
| | - Joseph M. Chan
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | | | | | - Anuradha Gopalan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Kristine M. Wadosky
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY14263
| | - Radhika A. Patel
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA98195
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Erolcan Sayar
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA98195
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Wouter R. Karthaus
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne1015, Switzerland
| | - D. Henry Kates
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Ojasvi Chaudhary
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Tianhao Xu
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Ignas Masilionis
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Linas Mazutis
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Ronan Chaligné
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Aleksandar Obradovic
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY10032
| | - Irina Linkov
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Afsar Barlas
- Molecular Cytology Core Facility, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New YorkNY10065
| | - Achim A. Jungbluth
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Natasha Rekhtman
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Joachim Silber
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Katia Manova-Todorova
- Molecular Cytology Core Facility, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New YorkNY10065
| | - Philip A. Watson
- Research Outreach and Compliance, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Lawrence D. True
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Colm Morrissey
- Department of Urology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Howard I. Scher
- Department of Medicine, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Genitourinary Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Dana E. Rathkopf
- Department of Medicine, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Genitourinary Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Michael J. Morris
- Department of Medicine, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Genitourinary Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - David W. Goodrich
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY14263
| | - Jungmin Choi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul02841, Korea
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT06510
| | - Peter S. Nelson
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA98195
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Michael C. Haffner
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA98195
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA98195
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Charles L. Sawyers
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
- HHMI, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
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11
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Singh PNP, Gu W, Madha S, Lynch AW, Cejas P, He R, Bhattacharya S, Muñoz Gomez M, Oser MG, Brown M, Long HW, Meyer CA, Zhou Q, Shivdasani RA. Transcription factor dynamics, oscillation, and functions in human enteroendocrine cell differentiation. Cell Stem Cell 2024; 31:1038-1057.e11. [PMID: 38733993 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2024.04.015] [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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Enteroendocrine cells (EECs) secrete serotonin (enterochromaffin [EC] cells) or specific peptide hormones (non-EC cells) that serve vital metabolic functions. The basis for terminal EEC diversity remains obscure. By forcing activity of the transcription factor (TF) NEUROG3 in 2D cultures of human intestinal stem cells, we replicated physiologic EEC differentiation and examined transcriptional and cis-regulatory dynamics that culminate in discrete cell types. Abundant EEC precursors expressed stage-specific genes and TFs. Before expressing pre-terminal NEUROD1, post-mitotic precursors oscillated between transcriptionally distinct ASCL1+ and HES6hi cell states. Loss of either factor accelerated EEC differentiation substantially and disrupted EEC individuality; ASCL1 or NEUROD1 deficiency had opposing consequences on EC and non-EC cell features. These TFs mainly bind cis-elements that are accessible in undifferentiated stem cells, and they tailor subsequent expression of TF combinations that underlie discrete EEC identities. Thus, early TF oscillations retard EEC maturation to enable accurate diversity within a medically important cell lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pratik N P Singh
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Wei Gu
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Shariq Madha
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Allen W Lynch
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Paloma Cejas
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Ruiyang He
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Swarnabh Bhattacharya
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Miguel Muñoz Gomez
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Matthew G Oser
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Departments of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Myles Brown
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Departments of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Henry W Long
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Clifford A Meyer
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Qiao Zhou
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Ramesh A Shivdasani
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Departments of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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12
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Huo Z, Duan Y, Zhan D, Xu X, Zheng N, Cai J, Sun R, Wang J, Cheng F, Gao Z, Xu C, Liu W, Dong Y, Ma S, Zhang Q, Zheng Y, Lou L, Kuang D, Chu Q, Qin J, Wang G, Wang Y. Proteomic Stratification of Prognosis and Treatment Options for Small Cell Lung Cancer. GENOMICS, PROTEOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS 2024; 22:qzae033. [PMID: 38961535 DOI: 10.1093/gpbjnl/qzae033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly malignant and heterogeneous cancer with limited therapeutic options and prognosis prediction models. Here, we analyzed formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples of surgical resections by proteomic profiling, and stratified SCLC into three proteomic subtypes (S-I, S-II, and S-III) with distinct clinical outcomes and chemotherapy responses. The proteomic subtyping was an independent prognostic factor and performed better than current tumor-node-metastasis or Veterans Administration Lung Study Group staging methods. The subtyping results could be further validated using FFPE biopsy samples from an independent cohort, extending the analysis to both surgical and biopsy samples. The signatures of the S-II subtype in particular suggested potential benefits from immunotherapy. Differentially overexpressed proteins in S-III, the worst prognostic subtype, allowed us to nominate potential therapeutic targets, indicating that patient selection may bring new hope for previously failed clinical trials. Finally, analysis of an independent cohort of SCLC patients who had received immunotherapy validated the prediction that the S-II patients had better progression-free survival and overall survival after first-line immunotherapy. Collectively, our study provides the rationale for future clinical investigations to validate the current findings for more accurate prognosis prediction and precise treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zitian Huo
- Institute of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Tongji Hosptial, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Yaqi Duan
- Institute of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Tongji Hosptial, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Dongdong Zhan
- Beijing Pineal Diagnostics Co., Ltd., Beijing 102206, China
| | - Xizhen Xu
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Nairen Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Jing Cai
- Institution of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng 475001, China
| | - Ruifang Sun
- Department of Tumor Biobank, Shanxi Cancer Hospital, Taiyuan 030013, China
| | - Jianping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing 102206, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Big Data for Bio Intelligence, School of Bioinformation, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China
| | - Fang Cheng
- Beijing Pineal Diagnostics Co., Ltd., Beijing 102206, China
| | - Zhan Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Caixia Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Wanlin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yuting Dong
- Institute of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Sailong Ma
- Institute of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Tongji Hosptial, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- Institute of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Yiyun Zheng
- Institute of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Liping Lou
- Institute of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Dong Kuang
- Institute of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Qian Chu
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Jun Qin
- Beijing Pineal Diagnostics Co., Ltd., Beijing 102206, China
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Guoping Wang
- Institute of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Tongji Hosptial, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Yi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing 102206, China
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13
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Ruz-Caracuel I, Caniego-Casas T, Alonso-Gordoa T, Carretero-Barrio I, Ariño-Palao C, Santón A, Rosas M, Pian H, Molina-Cerrillo J, Luengo P, Palacios J. Transcriptomic Differences in Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma According to Grade. Endocr Pathol 2024:10.1007/s12022-024-09817-0. [PMID: 38958823 DOI: 10.1007/s12022-024-09817-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare cancer derived from neuroendocrine C-cells of the thyroid. In contrast to other neuroendocrine tumors, a histological grading system was lacking until recently. A novel two-tier grading system based on the presence of high proliferation or necrosis is associated with prognosis. Transcriptomic analysis was conducted on 21 MTCs, including 9 high-grade tumors, with known mutational status, using the NanoString Tumor Signaling 360 Panel. This analysis, covering 760 genes, revealed upregulation of the genes EGLN3, EXO1, UBE2T, UBE2C, FOXM1, CENPA, DLL3, CCNA2, SOX2, KIF23, and CDCA5 in high-grade MTCs. Major pathways differentially expressed between high-grade and low-grade MTCs were DNA damage repair, p53 signaling, cell cycle, apoptosis, and Myc signaling. Validation through qRT-PCR in 30 MTCs demonstrated upregulation of ASCL1, DLL3, and SOX2 in high-grade MTCs, a gene signature akin to small-cell lung carcinoma, molecular subgroup A. Subsequently, DLL3 expression was validated by immunohistochemistry. MTCs with DLL3 overexpression (defined as ≥ 50% of positive tumor cells) were associated with significantly lower disease-free survival (p = 0.041) and overall survival (p = 0.01). Moreover, MTCs with desmoplasia had a significantly increased expression of DLL3. Our data supports the idea that DLL3 should be further explored as a predictor of aggressive disease and poor outcomes in MTC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio Ruz-Caracuel
- Pathology Department, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, IRYCIS, 28034, Madrid, Spain.
- CIBER-Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain.
| | - Tamara Caniego-Casas
- Pathology Department, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, IRYCIS, 28034, Madrid, Spain
- CIBER-Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Teresa Alonso-Gordoa
- Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, IRYCIS, 28034, Madrid, Spain
| | - Irene Carretero-Barrio
- Pathology Department, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, IRYCIS, 28034, Madrid, Spain
- CIBER-Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
- Medicine School, Alcalá University, 28805, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Ariño-Palao
- Pathology Department, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, IRYCIS, 28034, Madrid, Spain
- Medicine School, Alcalá University, 28805, Madrid, Spain
| | - Almudena Santón
- Pathology Department, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, IRYCIS, 28034, Madrid, Spain
- CIBER-Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Rosas
- Pathology Department, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, IRYCIS, 28034, Madrid, Spain
| | - Héctor Pian
- Pathology Department, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, IRYCIS, 28034, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Molina-Cerrillo
- Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, IRYCIS, 28034, Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Luengo
- General Surgery Department, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, IRYCIS, 28034, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Palacios
- Pathology Department, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, IRYCIS, 28034, Madrid, Spain
- CIBER-Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
- Medicine School, Alcalá University, 28805, Madrid, Spain
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14
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Akbulut D, Whiting K, Teo MY, Tallman JE, Ozcan GG, Basar M, Jia L, Rammal R, Chen JF, Sarungbam J, Chen YB, Gopalan A, Fine SW, Tickoo SK, Mehra R, Baine M, Bochner BH, Pietzak EJ, Bajorin DF, Rosenberg JE, Iyer G, Solit DB, Reuter VE, Rekhtman N, Ostrovnaya I, Al-Ahmadie H. Differential NEUROD1, ASCL1, and POU2F3 Expression Defines Molecular Subsets of Bladder Small Cell/Neuroendocrine Carcinoma With Prognostic Implications. Mod Pathol 2024; 37:100557. [PMID: 38964503 DOI: 10.1016/j.modpat.2024.100557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Small cell carcinomas (SMC) of the lung are now molecularly classified based on the expression of transcriptional regulators (NEUROD1, ASCL1, POU2F3, and YAP1) and DLL3, which has emerged as an investigational therapeutic target. PLCG2 has been shown to identify a distinct subpopulation of lung SMC with stem cell-like and prometastasis features and poor prognosis. We analyzed the expression of these novel neuroendocrine markers and their association with traditional neuroendocrine markers and patient outcomes in a cohort of bladder neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) consisting of 103 SMC and 19 large cell NEC (LCNEC) assembled in tissue microarrays. Coexpression patterns were assessed and integrated with detailed clinical annotation including overall (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) and response to neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy. We identified 5 distinct molecular subtypes in bladder SMC based on the expression of ASCL1, NEUROD1, and POU2F3: ASCL1+/NEUROD1- (n = 33; 34%), ASCL1- /NEUROD1+ (n = 21; 21%), ASCL1+/NEUROD1+ (n = 17; 17%), POU2F3+ (n = 22, 22%), and ASCL1- /NEUROD1- /POU2F3- (n = 5, 5%). POU2F3+ tumors were mutually exclusive with those expressing ASCL1 and NEUROD1 and exhibited lower expression of traditional neuroendocrine markers. PLCG2 expression was noted in 33 tumors (32%) and was highly correlated with POU2F3 expression (P < .001). DLL3 expression was high in both SMC (n = 72, 82%) and LCNEC (n = 11, 85%). YAP1 expression was enriched in nonneuroendocrine components and negatively correlated with all neuroendocrine markers. In patients without metastatic disease who underwent radical cystectomy, PLCG2+ or POU2F3+ tumors had shorter RFS and OS (P < .05), but their expression was not associated with metastasis status or response to neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy. In conclusion, the NEC of the bladder can be divided into distinct molecular subtypes based on the expression of ASCL1, NEUROD1, and POU2F3. POU2F3-expressing tumors represent an ASCL1/NEUROD1-negative subset of bladder NEC characterized by lower expression of traditional neuroendocrine markers. Marker expression patterns were similar in SMC and LCNEC. Expression of PLCG2 and POU2F3 was associated with shorter RFS and OS. DLL3 was expressed at high levels in both SMC and LCNEC of the bladder, nominating it as a potential therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilara Akbulut
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York; Laboratory of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Karissa Whiting
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Min-Yuen Teo
- Genitourinary Oncology Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Jacob E Tallman
- Department of Surgery, Urology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Gamze Gokturk Ozcan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Merve Basar
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Liwei Jia
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York; Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern, Dallas, Texas
| | - Rayan Rammal
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Jie-Fu Chen
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Judy Sarungbam
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Ying-Bei Chen
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Anuradha Gopalan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Samson W Fine
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Satish K Tickoo
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Rohit Mehra
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Marina Baine
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Bernard H Bochner
- Department of Surgery, Urology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Eugene J Pietzak
- Department of Surgery, Urology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Dean F Bajorin
- Genitourinary Oncology Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Jonathan E Rosenberg
- Genitourinary Oncology Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Gopa Iyer
- Genitourinary Oncology Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - David B Solit
- Genitourinary Oncology Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Victor E Reuter
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Natasha Rekhtman
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Irina Ostrovnaya
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Hikmat Al-Ahmadie
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.
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15
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Liu Y, Wu Q, Jiang B, Hou T, Wu C, Wu M, Song H. Distinct Regulation of ASCL1 by the Cell Cycle and Chemotherapy in Small Cell Lung Cancer. Mol Cancer Res 2024; 22:613-624. [PMID: 38512021 PMCID: PMC11217739 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-23-0405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive and lethal malignancy. Achaete-scute homolog 1 (ASCL1) is essential for the initiation of SCLC in mice and the development of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNEC), which are the major cells of origin for SCLC. However, the regulatory mechanism of ASCL1 in SCLC remains elusive. Here, we found that ASCL1 expression gradually increases as the tumors grow in a mouse SCLC model, and is regulated by the cell cycle. Mechanistically, CDK2-CyclinA2 complex phosphorylates ASCL1, which results in increased proteasome-mediated ASCL1 protein degradation by E3 ubiquitin ligase HUWE1 during mitosis. TCF3 promotes the multisite phosphorylation of ASCL1 through the CDK2-CyclinA2 complex and the interaction between ASCL1 and TCF3 protects ASCL1 from degradation. The dissociation of TCF3 from ASCL1 during mitosis accelerates the degradation of ASCL1. In addition, chemotherapy drugs greatly reduce the transcription of ASCL1 in SCLC cells. Depletion of ASCL1 sensitizes SCLC cells to chemotherapy drugs. Together, our study demonstrates that ASCL1 is a cell-cycle-regulated protein and provides a theoretical basis for applying cell-cycle-related antitumor drugs in SCLC treatment. Implications:Our study revealed a novel regulatory mechanism of ASCL1 by cell cycle and chemotherapy drugs in SCLC. Treating patients with SCLC with a combination of ASCL1-targeting therapy and chemotherapy drugs could potentially be beneficial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuning Liu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qingzhe Wu
- Center for Oncology Medicine, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine, and International School of Medicine, International Institutes of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Yiwu, China
| | - Bin Jiang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Tingting Hou
- College of Pharmacy, Sanquan College of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Chuanqiang Wu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ming Wu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hai Song
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Oncology Medicine, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine, and International School of Medicine, International Institutes of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Yiwu, China
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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16
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Shrestha P, Kao S, Cheung VK, Cooper WA, van Zandwijk N, Rasko JEJ, Yeo D. Circulating tumor cells: advancing personalized therapy in small cell lung cancer patients. Mol Oncol 2024. [PMID: 38956984 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly aggressive cancer with a dismal 5-year survival of < 7%, despite the addition of immunotherapy to first-line chemotherapy. Specific tumor biomarkers, such as delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3) and schlafen11 (SLFN11), may enable the selection of more efficacious, novel immunomodulating targeted treatments like bispecific T-cell engaging monoclonal antibodies (tarlatamab) and chemotherapy with PARP inhibitors. However, obtaining a tissue biopsy sample can be challenging in SCLC. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have the potential to provide molecular insights into a patient's cancer through a "simple" blood test. CTCs have been studied for their prognostic ability in SCLC; however, their value in guiding treatment decisions is yet to be elucidated. This review explores novel and promising targeted therapies in SCLC, summarizes current knowledge of CTCs in SCLC, and discusses how CTCs can be utilized for precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prajwol Shrestha
- Li Ka Shing Cell and Gene Therapy Program, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
- Precision Oncology Program, Gene and Stem Cell Therapy Program, Centenary Institute, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
- Medical Oncology, Calvary Mater Newcastle, Waratah, Australia
| | - Steven Kao
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Australia
- Medical Oncology, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Veronica K Cheung
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Australia
- Department of Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology, NSW Health Pathology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Wendy A Cooper
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Australia
- Department of Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology, NSW Health Pathology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Australia
- School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, Australia
| | - Nico van Zandwijk
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Australia
- Cell and Molecular Therapies, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney Local Health District, Camperdown, Australia
- Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney Local Health District, Concord, Australia
| | - John E J Rasko
- Li Ka Shing Cell and Gene Therapy Program, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
- Precision Oncology Program, Gene and Stem Cell Therapy Program, Centenary Institute, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
- Cell and Molecular Therapies, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney Local Health District, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Dannel Yeo
- Li Ka Shing Cell and Gene Therapy Program, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
- Precision Oncology Program, Gene and Stem Cell Therapy Program, Centenary Institute, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
- Cell and Molecular Therapies, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney Local Health District, Camperdown, Australia
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17
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Guo CC, Lee S, Lee JG, Chen H, Zaleski M, Choi W, McConkey DJ, Wei P, Czerniak B. Molecular profile of bladder cancer progression to clinically aggressive subtypes. Nat Rev Urol 2024; 21:391-405. [PMID: 38321289 DOI: 10.1038/s41585-023-00847-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Bladder cancer is a histologically and clinically heterogenous disease. Most bladder cancers are urothelial carcinomas, which frequently develop distinct histological subtypes. Several urothelial carcinoma histological subtypes, such as micropapillary, plasmacytoid, small-cell carcinoma and sarcomatoid, show highly aggressive behaviour and pose unique challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Comprehensive genomic characterizations of the urothelial carcinoma subtypes have revealed that they probably arise from a precursor subset of conventional urothelial carcinomas that belong to different molecular subtypes - micropapillary and plasmacytoid subtypes develop along the luminal pathway, whereas small-cell and sarcomatoid subtypes evolve along the basal pathway. The subtypes exhibit distinct genomic alterations, but in most cases their biological properties seem to be primarily determined by specific gene expression profiles, including epithelial-mesenchymal transition, urothelial-to-neural lineage plasticity, and immune infiltration with distinct upregulation of immune regulatory genes. These breakthrough studies have transformed our view of bladder cancer histological subtype biology, generated new hypotheses for therapy and chemoresistance, and facilitated the discovery of new therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles C Guo
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sangkyou Lee
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - June G Lee
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Huiqin Chen
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Michael Zaleski
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Woonyoung Choi
- Johns Hopkins Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - David J McConkey
- Johns Hopkins Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Peng Wei
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Bogdan Czerniak
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
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18
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Yang F, Fan J, Yang R, Cun Y. Integrative analysis of blood transcriptome profiles in small-cell lung cancer patients for identification of novel chemotherapy resistance-related biomarkers. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1338162. [PMID: 38957470 PMCID: PMC11217175 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1338162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Chemoresistance constitutes a prevalent factor that significantly impacts thesurvival of patients undergoing treatment for smal-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Chemotherapy resistance in SCLC patients is generally classified as primary or acquired resistance, each governedby distinct mechanisms that remain inadequately researched. Methods In this study, we performed transcriptome screening of peripheral blood plasma obtainedfrom 17 patients before and after receiving combined etoposide and platinum treatment. We firs testimated pseudo-single-cell analysis using xCell and ESTIMATE and identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs), then performed network analysis to discover key hub genes involved in chemotherapy resistance. Results Our analysis showed a significant increase in class-switched memory B cell scores acrossboth chemotherapy resistance patterns, indicating their potential crucial role in mediatingresistance. Moreover, network analysis identifed PRICKLE3, TNFSFI0, ACSLl and EP300 as potential contributors to primary resistance, with SNWl, SENP2 and SMNDCl emerging assignificant factors in acquired resistance, providing valuable insights into chemotherapy resistancein SCLC. Discussion These findings offer valuable insights for understanding chemotherapy resistance and related gene signatures in SCLC, which could help further biological validation studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Yang
- Department of the Second Medical Oncology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Jinhua Fan
- Pediatric Research Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medical Research in Cognitive Development and Learning and Memory Disorders, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Runxiang Yang
- Department of the Second Medical Oncology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Yupeng Cun
- Pediatric Research Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medical Research in Cognitive Development and Learning and Memory Disorders, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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19
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Morin A, Chu C, Pavlidis P. Identifying Reproducible Transcription Regulator Coexpression Patterns with Single Cell Transcriptomics. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.15.580581. [PMID: 38559016 PMCID: PMC10979919 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.15.580581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The proliferation of single cell transcriptomics has potentiated our ability to unveil patterns that reflect dynamic cellular processes, rather than cell type compositional effects that emerge from bulk tissue samples. In this study, we leverage a broad collection of single cell RNA-seq data to identify the gene partners whose expression is most coordinated with each human and mouse transcription regulator (TR). We assembled 120 human and 103 mouse scRNA-seq datasets from the literature (>28 million cells), constructing a single cell coexpression network for each. We aimed to understand the consistency of TR coexpression profiles across a broad sampling of biological contexts, rather than examine the preservation of context-specific signals. Our workflow therefore explicitly prioritizes the patterns that are most reproducible across cell types. Towards this goal, we characterize the similarity of each TR's coexpression within and across species. We create single cell coexpression rankings for each TR, demonstrating that this aggregated information recovers literature curated targets on par with ChIP-seq data. We then combine the coexpression and ChIP-seq information to identify candidate regulatory interactions supported across methods and species. Finally, we highlight interactions for the important neural TR ASCL1 to demonstrate how our compiled information can be adopted for community use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Morin
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Chingpan Chu
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Paul Pavlidis
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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20
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Wang Z, Liu C, Zheng S, Yao Y, Wang S, Wang X, Yin E, Zeng Q, Zhang C, Zhang G, Tang W, Zheng B, Xue L, Wang Z, Feng X, Wang Y, Ying J, Xue Q, Sun N, He J. Molecular subtypes of neuroendocrine carcinomas: A cross-tissue classification framework based on five transcriptional regulators. Cancer Cell 2024; 42:1106-1125.e8. [PMID: 38788718 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) are extremely lethal malignancies that can arise at almost any anatomic site. Characterization of NECs is hindered by their rarity and significant inter- and intra-tissue heterogeneity. Herein, through an integrative analysis of over 1,000 NECs originating from 31 various tissues, we reveal their tissue-independent convergence and further unveil molecular divergence driven by distinct transcriptional regulators. Pan-tissue NECs are therefore categorized into five intrinsic subtypes defined by ASCL1, NEUROD1, HNF4A, POU2F3, and YAP1. A comprehensive portrait of these subtypes is depicted, highlighting subtype-specific transcriptional programs, genomic alterations, evolution trajectories, therapeutic vulnerabilities, and clinicopathological presentations. Notably, the newly discovered HNF4A-dominated subtype-H exhibits a gastrointestinal-like signature, wild-type RB1, unique neuroendocrine differentiation, poor chemotherapeutic response, and prevalent large-cell morphology. The proposal of uniform classification paradigm illuminates transcriptional basis of NEC heterogeneity and bridges the gap across different lineages and cytomorphological variants, in which context-dependent prevalence of subtypes underlies their phenotypic disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhanyu Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Chengming Liu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Sufei Zheng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China; Office for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Quality Control, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Yuxin Yao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Sihui Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/ National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital & Shenzhen Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Shenzhen 518116, P.R. China
| | - Xinfeng Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Enzhi Yin
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Qingpeng Zeng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Chaoqi Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Guochao Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Wei Tang
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Bo Zheng
- Department of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Liyan Xue
- Department of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Zhen Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoli Feng
- Department of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Yan Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Jianming Ying
- Department of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Qi Xue
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - Nan Sun
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China.
| | - Jie He
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, P.R. China.
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21
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Finlay JB, Ireland AS, Hawgood SB, Reyes T, Ko T, Olsen RR, Abi Hachem R, Jang DW, Bell D, Chan JM, Goldstein BJ, Oliver TG. Olfactory neuroblastoma mimics molecular heterogeneity and lineage trajectories of small-cell lung cancer. Cancer Cell 2024; 42:1086-1105.e13. [PMID: 38788720 PMCID: PMC11186085 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
The olfactory epithelium undergoes neuronal regeneration from basal stem cells and is susceptible to olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB), a rare tumor of unclear origins. Employing alterations in Rb1/Trp53/Myc (RPM), we establish a genetically engineered mouse model of high-grade metastatic ONB exhibiting a NEUROD1+ immature neuronal phenotype. We demonstrate that globose basal cells (GBCs) are a permissive cell of origin for ONB and that ONBs exhibit cell fate heterogeneity that mimics normal GBC developmental trajectories. ASCL1 loss in RPM ONB leads to emergence of non-neuronal histopathologies, including a POU2F3+ microvillar-like state. Similar to small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), mouse and human ONBs exhibit mutually exclusive NEUROD1 and POU2F3-like states, an immune-cold tumor microenvironment, intratumoral cell fate heterogeneity comprising neuronal and non-neuronal lineages, and cell fate plasticity-evidenced by barcode-based lineage tracing and single-cell transcriptomics. Collectively, our findings highlight conserved similarities between ONB and neuroendocrine tumors with significant implications for ONB classification and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- John B Finlay
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences, Duke University, Durham 27710, NC, USA
| | - Abbie S Ireland
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham 27710, NC, USA
| | - Sarah B Hawgood
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham 27710, NC, USA
| | - Tony Reyes
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham 27710, NC, USA; Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112, UT, USA
| | - Tiffany Ko
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences, Duke University, Durham 27710, NC, USA
| | - Rachelle R Olsen
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112, UT, USA
| | - Ralph Abi Hachem
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences, Duke University, Durham 27710, NC, USA
| | - David W Jang
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences, Duke University, Durham 27710, NC, USA
| | - Diana Bell
- Division of Anatomic Pathology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte 91010, CA, USA
| | - Joseph M Chan
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City 10065, NY, USA
| | - Bradley J Goldstein
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences, Duke University, Durham 27710, NC, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham 27710, NC, USA.
| | - Trudy G Oliver
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham 27710, NC, USA; Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112, UT, USA.
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22
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Chatterjee D, Svoboda RA, Huisman DH, Vieira HM, Rao C, Askew JW, Fisher KW, Lewis RE. KSR1 regulates small-cell lung carcinoma tumor initiation and cisplatin resistance. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.23.581815. [PMID: 38464216 PMCID: PMC10925196 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.23.581815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is designated a recalcitrant cancer due to its five-year relative survival rate of less than 7%. First line SCLC treatment has changed modestly in the last 40 years. The NeuroD1 subtype of SCLC (SCLC-N) commonly harbors MYC amplifications and other hallmarks of aggressive behavior. Finding novel therapeutic options that effectively eliminate residual disease observed after initial response to therapy is essential to improving SCLC patient outcome. Here we show that Kinase Suppressor of Ras 1 (KSR1), a molecular scaffold for the Raf/MEK/ERK signaling cascade is critical for clonogenicity and tumor initiation in vitro and in vivo in the highly aggressive, metastatic and therapy resistant NeuroD1 subtype of SCLC. Tumor-initiating cells (TICs) are reported as the sanctuary population within the bulk tumor responsible for therapeutic resistance and relapse. Previous studies concluded ERK activation was inhibitory to growth and tumor development. We show that signaling through KSR1 is conserved in SCLC-N and that it regulates tumor initiation through interaction with ERK. We further show that KSR1 mediates cisplatin resistance in SCLC-N cells. While 50% of control SCLC-N cells show resistance after 6 weeks of exposure to cisplatin, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated KSR1 knockout prevents resistance in >90% of SCLC-N cells. KSR1 KO also significantly enhances the ability of cisplatin to decrease SCLC-N TICs, indicating that targeting KSR1 might be selectively toxic to cells responsible for therapeutic resistance and tumor initiation. Thus, KSR1 function in SCLC-N serves as a novel model for understanding the role of KSR1-dependent signaling in normal and malignant tissues. These findings shed light on a key distinct protein responsible for regulation in SCLC-N tumors, and a potential subtype specific therapeutic target.
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Abstract
All cancers arise from normal cells whose progeny acquire the cancer-initiating mutations and epigenetic modifications leading to frank tumorigenesis. The identity of those "cells-of-origin" has historically been a source of controversy across tumor types, as it has not been possible to witness the dynamic events giving rise to human tumors. Genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of cancer provide an invaluable substitute, enabling researchers to interrogate the competence of various naive cellular compartments to initiate tumors in vivo. Researchers using these models have relied on lineage-specific promoters, knowledge of preneoplastic disease states in humans, and technical advances allowing more precise manipulations of the mouse germline. These approaches have given rise to the emerging view that multiple lineages within a given organ may generate tumors with similar histopathology. Here, we review some of the key studies leading to this conclusion in solid tumors and highlight the biological and clinical ramifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason R Pitarresi
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655, USA
| | - Ben Z Stanger
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
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24
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Choo N, Keerthikumar S, Ramm S, Ashikari D, Teng L, Niranjan B, Hedwards S, Porter LH, Goode DL, Simpson KJ, Taylor RA, Risbridger GP, Lawrence MG. Co-targeting BET, CBP, and p300 inhibits neuroendocrine signalling in androgen receptor-null prostate cancer. J Pathol 2024; 263:242-256. [PMID: 38578195 DOI: 10.1002/path.6280] [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: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
There are diverse phenotypes of castration-resistant prostate cancer, including neuroendocrine disease, that vary in their sensitivity to drug treatment. The efficacy of BET and CBP/p300 inhibitors in prostate cancer is attributed, at least in part, to their ability to decrease androgen receptor (AR) signalling. However, the activity of BET and CBP/p300 inhibitors in prostate cancers that lack the AR is unclear. In this study, we showed that BRD4, CBP, and p300 were co-expressed in AR-positive and AR-null prostate cancer. A combined inhibitor of these three proteins, NEO2734, reduced the growth of both AR-positive and AR-null organoids, as measured by changes in viability, size, and composition. NEO2734 treatment caused consistent transcriptional downregulation of cell cycle pathways. In neuroendocrine models, NEO2734 treatment reduced ASCL1 levels and other neuroendocrine markers, and reduced tumour growth in vivo. Collectively, these results show that epigenome-targeted inhibitors cause decreased growth and phenotype-dependent disruption of lineage regulators in neuroendocrine prostate cancer, warranting further development of compounds with this activity in the clinic. © 2024 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Choo
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Shivakumar Keerthikumar
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Susanne Ramm
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Victorian Centre for Functional Genomics, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Daisaku Ashikari
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Linda Teng
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Birunthi Niranjan
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Shelley Hedwards
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Laura H Porter
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - David L Goode
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Computational Cancer Biology Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kaylene J Simpson
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Victorian Centre for Functional Genomics, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Renea A Taylor
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Physiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Cabrini Institute, Cabrini Health, Malvern, Victoria, Australia
| | - Gail P Risbridger
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Cabrini Institute, Cabrini Health, Malvern, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mitchell G Lawrence
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute Cancer Program, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Cabrini Institute, Cabrini Health, Malvern, Victoria, Australia
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25
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Pekkarinen M, Nordfors K, Uusi-Mäkelä J, Kytölä V, Hartewig A, Huhtala L, Rauhala M, Urhonen H, Häyrynen S, Afyounian E, Yli-Harja O, Zhang W, Helen P, Lohi O, Haapasalo H, Haapasalo J, Nykter M, Kesseli J, Rautajoki KJ. Aberrant DNA methylation distorts developmental trajectories in atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors. Life Sci Alliance 2024; 7:e202302088. [PMID: 38499326 PMCID: PMC10948937 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (AT/RTs) are pediatric brain tumors known for their aggressiveness and aberrant but still unresolved epigenetic regulation. To better understand their malignancy, we investigated how AT/RT-specific DNA hypermethylation was associated with gene expression and altered transcription factor binding and how it is linked to upstream regulation. Medulloblastomas, choroid plexus tumors, pluripotent stem cells, and fetal brain were used as references. A part of the genomic regions, which were hypermethylated in AT/RTs similarly as in pluripotent stem cells and demethylated in the fetal brain, were targeted by neural transcriptional regulators. AT/RT-unique DNA hypermethylation was associated with polycomb repressive complex 2 and linked to suppressed genes with a role in neural development and tumorigenesis. Activity of the several NEUROG/NEUROD pioneer factors, which are unable to bind to methylated DNA, was compromised via the suppressed expression or DNA hypermethylation of their target sites, which was also experimentally validated for NEUROD1 in medulloblastomas and AT/RT samples. These results highlight and characterize the role of DNA hypermethylation in AT/RT malignancy and halted neural cell differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meeri Pekkarinen
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Prostate Cancer Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Kristiina Nordfors
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Tampere Center for Child Health Research, Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- Unit of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Joonas Uusi-Mäkelä
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Prostate Cancer Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Ville Kytölä
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Prostate Cancer Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Anja Hartewig
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Prostate Cancer Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Laura Huhtala
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Prostate Cancer Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Minna Rauhala
- Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Department of Neurosurgery, Tays Cancer Centre, Tampere University Hospital and Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Henna Urhonen
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Prostate Cancer Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Sergei Häyrynen
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Prostate Cancer Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Ebrahim Afyounian
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Prostate Cancer Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Olli Yli-Harja
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Wei Zhang
- Cancer Genomics and Precision Oncology, Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Pauli Helen
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Department of Neurosurgery, Tays Cancer Centre, Tampere University Hospital and Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Olli Lohi
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Tampere Center for Child Health Research, Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Hannu Haapasalo
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- https://ror.org/031y6w871 Fimlab Laboratories Ltd, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Joonas Haapasalo
- Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Department of Neurosurgery, Tays Cancer Centre, Tampere University Hospital and Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- https://ror.org/031y6w871 Fimlab Laboratories Ltd, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Matti Nykter
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Prostate Cancer Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Juha Kesseli
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Prostate Cancer Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Kirsi J Rautajoki
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Prostate Cancer Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- https://ror.org/033003e23 Tampere Institute for Advanced Study, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
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Trillo Aliaga P, Del Signore E, Fuorivia V, Spitaleri G, Asnaghi R, Attili I, Corvaja C, Carnevale Schianca A, Passaro A, de Marinis F. The Evolving Scenario of ES-SCLC Management: From Biology to New Cancer Therapeutics. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:701. [PMID: 38927637 PMCID: PMC11203015 DOI: 10.3390/genes15060701] [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: 04/17/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma accounting for 15% of lung cancers with dismal survival outcomes. Minimal changes in therapy and prognosis have occurred in SCLC for the past four decades. Recent progress in the treatment of extensive-stage disease (ES-SCLC) has been marked by incorporating immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) into platinum-based chemotherapy, leading to modest improvements. Moreover, few second-line-and-beyond treatment options are currently available. The main limitation for the molecular study of SCLC has been the scarcity of samples, because only very early diseases are treated with surgery and biopsies are not performed when the disease progresses. Despite all these difficulties, in recent years we have come to understand that SCLC is not a homogeneous disease. At the molecular level, in addition to the universal loss of retinoblastoma (RB) and TP53 genes, a recent large molecular study has identified other mutations that could serve as targets for therapy development or patient selection. In recent years, there has also been the identification of new genetic subtypes which have shown us how intertumor heterogeneity exists. Moreover, SCLC can also develop intratumoral heterogeneity linked mainly to the concept of cellular plasticity, mostly due to the development of resistance to therapies. The aim of this review is to quickly present the current standard of care of ES-SCLC, to focus on the molecular landscapes and subtypes of SCLC, subsequently present the most promising therapeutic strategies under investigation, and finally recap the future directions of ongoing clinical trials for this aggressive disease which still remains a challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Trillo Aliaga
- Division of Thoracic Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Via Ripamonti 435, 20141 Milan, Italy
| | - Ester Del Signore
- Division of Thoracic Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Via Ripamonti 435, 20141 Milan, Italy
| | - Valeria Fuorivia
- Division of Thoracic Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Via Ripamonti 435, 20141 Milan, Italy
- Division of New Drugs and Early Drug Development for Innovative Therapies, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, 20141 Milan, Italy
- Department of Oncology and Haematology (DIPO), University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Gianluca Spitaleri
- Division of Thoracic Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Via Ripamonti 435, 20141 Milan, Italy
| | - Riccardo Asnaghi
- Division of Thoracic Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Via Ripamonti 435, 20141 Milan, Italy
- Division of New Drugs and Early Drug Development for Innovative Therapies, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, 20141 Milan, Italy
- Department of Oncology and Haematology (DIPO), University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Ilaria Attili
- Division of Thoracic Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Via Ripamonti 435, 20141 Milan, Italy
| | - Carla Corvaja
- Division of Thoracic Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Via Ripamonti 435, 20141 Milan, Italy
| | - Ambra Carnevale Schianca
- Division of Thoracic Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Via Ripamonti 435, 20141 Milan, Italy
- Division of New Drugs and Early Drug Development for Innovative Therapies, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, 20141 Milan, Italy
- Department of Oncology and Haematology (DIPO), University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio Passaro
- Division of Thoracic Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Via Ripamonti 435, 20141 Milan, Italy
| | - Filippo de Marinis
- Division of Thoracic Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Via Ripamonti 435, 20141 Milan, Italy
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Gu Y, Benavente CA. Landscape and Treatment Options of Shapeshifting Small Cell Lung Cancer. J Clin Med 2024; 13:3120. [PMID: 38892831 PMCID: PMC11173155 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13113120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a deadly neuroendocrine malignancy, notorious for its rapid tumor growth, early metastasis, and relatively "cold" immune environment. Only standard chemotherapies and a few immune checkpoint inhibitors have been approved for SCLC treatment, revealing an urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches. Moreover, SCLC has been recently recognized as a malignancy with high intratumoral and intertumoral heterogeneity, which explains the modest response rate in some patients and the early relapse. Molecular subtypes defined by the expression of lineage-specific transcription factors (ASCL1, NEUROD1, POU2F3, and, in some studies, YAP1) or immune-related genes display different degrees of neuroendocrine differentiation, immune cell infiltration, and response to treatment. Despite the complexity of this malignancy, a few biomarkers and targets have been identified and many promising drugs are currently undergoing clinical trials. In this review, we integrate the current progress on the genomic landscape of this shapeshifting malignancy, the characteristics and treatment vulnerabilities of each subtype, and promising drugs in clinical phases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yijun Gu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA;
| | - Claudia A. Benavente
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA;
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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Zeng L, Zhang L, Yin C, Chen X, Chen X, Sun L, Sun J. Characterization of zinc finger protein 536, a neuroendocrine regulator, using pan-cancer analysis. Eur J Med Res 2024; 29:273. [PMID: 38720348 PMCID: PMC11077744 DOI: 10.1186/s40001-024-01792-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies suggested that zinc finger protein 536 (ZNF536) was abundant in the central brain and regulated neuronal differentiation. However, the role of ZNF536 in cancer has remained unclear. METHODS ZNF536 mutation, copy number alteration, DNA methylation, and RNA expression were explored using public portals. Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were utilized to analyze pathways and tumor microenvironment (TME), with a focus on prognosis in both TCGA and immunotherapy pan-cancer cohorts. Methylated ZNF536 from small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines were utilized to train with probes for conducting enrichment analysis. Single-cell RNA profile demonstrated the sublocalization and co-expression of ZNF536, and validated its targets by qPCR. RESULTS Genetic alterations in ZNF536 were found to be high-frequency and a single sample could harbor different variations. ZNF536 at chromosome 19q12 exerted a bypass effect on CCNE1, supported by CRISPR data. For lung cancer, ZNF536 mutation was associated with longer survival in primary lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), but its prognosis was poor in metastatic LUAD and SCLC. Importantly, ZNF536 mutation and amplification had opposite prognoses in Stand Up To Cancer-Mark Foundation (SU2C-MARK) LUAD cohort. ZNF536 mutation altered the patterns of genomic alterations in tumors, and had distinct impacts on the signaling pathways and TME compared to ZNF536 amplification. Additionally, ZNF536 expression was predominantly in endocrine tumors and brain tissues. High-dimensional analysis supported this finding and further revealed regulators of ZNF536. Considering that the methylation of ZNF536 was involved in the synaptic pathway associated with neuroendocrine neoplasms, demonstrating both diagnostic and prognostic value. Moreover, we experimentally verified ZNF536 upregulated neuroendocrine markers. CONCLUSIONS Our results showed that ZNF536 alterations in cancer, including variations in copy number, mutation, and methylation. We proved the involvement of ZNF536 in neuroendocrine regulation, and identified highly altered ZNF536 as a potential biomarker for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longjin Zeng
- Department of Basic Medicine, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Longyao Zhang
- Cancer Institute, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400037, People's Republic of China
| | - Chenrui Yin
- Cancer Institute, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400037, People's Republic of China
| | - Xu Chen
- Department of Medical Affairs, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400037, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiewan Chen
- Department of Basic Medicine, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Lingyou Sun
- Cancer Institute, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400037, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianguo Sun
- Cancer Institute, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400037, People's Republic of China.
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29
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Ito T. Molecular pathology of small cell lung cancer: Overview from studies on neuroendocrine differentiation regulated by ASCL1 and Notch signaling. Pathol Int 2024; 74:239-251. [PMID: 38607250 DOI: 10.1111/pin.13426] [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: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Pulmonary neuroendocrine (NE) cells are rare airway epithelial cells. The balance between Achaete-scute complex homolog 1 (ASCL1) and hairy and enhancer of split 1, one of the target molecules of the Notch signaling pathway, is crucial for NE differentiation. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly aggressive lung tumor, characterized by rapid cell proliferation, a high metastatic potential, and the acquisition of resistance to treatment. The subtypes of SCLC are defined by the expression status of NE cell-lineage transcription factors, such as ASCL1, which roles are supported by SRY-box 2, insulinoma-associated protein 1, NK2 homeobox 1, and wingless-related integration site signaling. This network reinforces NE differentiation and may induce the characteristic morphology and chemosensitivity of SCLC. Notch signaling mediates cell-fate decisions, resulting in an NE to non-NE fate switch. The suppression of NE differentiation may change the histological type of SCLC to a non-SCLC morphology. In SCLC with NE differentiation, Notch signaling is typically inactive and genetically or epigenetically regulated. However, Notch signaling may be activated after chemotherapy, and, in concert with Yes-associated protein signaling and RE1-silencing transcription factor, suppresses NE differentiation, producing intratumor heterogeneity and chemoresistance. Accumulated information on the molecular mechanisms of SCLC will contribute to further advances in the control of this recalcitrant cancer.
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Grants
- 20H03691 Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan
- 18K19489 Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan
- 16590318 Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan
- 25460439 Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan
- Smoking Research Foundation, Japan
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Affiliation(s)
- Takaaki Ito
- Department of Medical Technology, Kumamoto Health Science University Faculty of Health Sciences, Kumamoto, Japan
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Kumamoto University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto, Japan
- Department of Brain Morphogenesis, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
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30
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Pal Choudhuri S, Girard L, Lim JYS, Wise JF, Freitas B, Yang D, Wong E, Hamilton S, Chien VD, Kim YJ, Gilbreath C, Zhong J, Phat S, Myers DT, Christensen CL, Mazloom-Farsibaf H, Stanzione M, Wong KK, Hung YP, Farago AF, Meador CB, Dyson NJ, Lawrence MS, Wu S, Drapkin BJ. Acquired Cross-Resistance in Small Cell Lung Cancer due to Extrachromosomal DNA Amplification of MYC Paralogs. Cancer Discov 2024; 14:804-827. [PMID: 38386926 PMCID: PMC11061613 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-23-0656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) presents as a highly chemosensitive malignancy but acquires cross-resistance after relapse. This transformation is nearly inevitable in patients but has been difficult to capture in laboratory models. Here, we present a preclinical system that recapitulates acquired cross-resistance, developed from 51 patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. Each model was tested in vivo against three clinical regimens: cisplatin plus etoposide, olaparib plus temozolomide, and topotecan. These drug-response profiles captured hallmark clinical features of SCLC, such as the emergence of treatment-refractory disease after early relapse. For one patient, serial PDX models revealed that cross-resistance was acquired through MYC amplification on extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA). Genomic and transcriptional profiles of the full PDX panel revealed that MYC paralog amplifications on ecDNAs were recurrent in relapsed cross-resistant SCLC, and this was corroborated in tumor biopsies from relapsed patients. We conclude that ecDNAs with MYC paralogs are recurrent drivers of cross-resistance in SCLC. SIGNIFICANCE SCLC is initially chemosensitive, but acquired cross-resistance renders this disease refractory to further treatment and ultimately fatal. The genomic drivers of this transformation are unknown. We use a population of PDX models to discover that amplifications of MYC paralogs on ecDNA are recurrent drivers of acquired cross-resistance in SCLC. This article is featured in Selected Articles from This Issue, p. 695.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreoshi Pal Choudhuri
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Internal Medicine and Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Luc Girard
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Jun Yi Stanley Lim
- Children's Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Jillian F. Wise
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Braeden Freitas
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Internal Medicine and Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Di Yang
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Internal Medicine and Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Edmond Wong
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Seth Hamilton
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Internal Medicine and Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Victor D. Chien
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Internal Medicine and Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Yoon Jung Kim
- Children's Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Collin Gilbreath
- Children's Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Jun Zhong
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Sarah Phat
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - David T. Myers
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Hanieh Mazloom-Farsibaf
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Marcello Stanzione
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kwok-Kin Wong
- Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York
| | - Yin P. Hung
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Anna F. Farago
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Catherine B. Meador
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Nicholas J. Dyson
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Michael S. Lawrence
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Sihan Wu
- Children's Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Benjamin J. Drapkin
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Department of Internal Medicine and Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
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31
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Fűr GM, Nemes K, Magó É, Benő AÁ, Topolcsányi P, Moldvay J, Pongor LS. Applied models and molecular characteristics of small cell lung cancer. Pathol Oncol Res 2024; 30:1611743. [PMID: 38711976 PMCID: PMC11070512 DOI: 10.3389/pore.2024.1611743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly aggressive type of cancer frequently diagnosed with metastatic spread, rendering it surgically unresectable for the majority of patients. Although initial responses to platinum-based therapies are often observed, SCLC invariably relapses within months, frequently developing drug-resistance ultimately contributing to short overall survival rates. Recently, SCLC research aimed to elucidate the dynamic changes in the genetic and epigenetic landscape. These have revealed distinct subtypes of SCLC, each characterized by unique molecular signatures. The recent understanding of the molecular heterogeneity of SCLC has opened up potential avenues for precision medicine, enabling the development of targeted therapeutic strategies. In this review, we delve into the applied models and computational approaches that have been instrumental in the identification of promising drug candidates. We also explore the emerging molecular diagnostic tools that hold the potential to transform clinical practice and patient care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella Mihalekné Fűr
- Cancer Genomics and Epigenetics Core Group, Hungarian Centre of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM), Szeged, Hungary
| | - Kolos Nemes
- Cancer Genomics and Epigenetics Core Group, Hungarian Centre of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM), Szeged, Hungary
| | - Éva Magó
- Cancer Genomics and Epigenetics Core Group, Hungarian Centre of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM), Szeged, Hungary
- Genome Integrity and DNA Repair Core Group, Hungarian Centre of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM), Szeged, Hungary
| | - Alexandra Á. Benő
- Cancer Genomics and Epigenetics Core Group, Hungarian Centre of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM), Szeged, Hungary
| | - Petronella Topolcsányi
- Cancer Genomics and Epigenetics Core Group, Hungarian Centre of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM), Szeged, Hungary
| | - Judit Moldvay
- Department of Pulmonology, Szeged University Szent-Gyorgyi Albert Medical School, Szeged, Hungary
- 1st Department of Pulmonology, National Koranyi Institute of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Lőrinc S. Pongor
- Cancer Genomics and Epigenetics Core Group, Hungarian Centre of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM), Szeged, Hungary
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32
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Hu B, Wiesehöfer M, de Miguel FJ, Liu Z, Chan LH, Choi J, Melnick MA, Arnal Estape A, Walther Z, Zhao D, Lopez-Giraldez F, Wurtz A, Cai G, Fan R, Gettinger S, Xiao A, Yan Q, Homer R, Nguyen DX, Politi K. ASCL1 Drives Tolerance to Osimertinib in EGFR Mutant Lung Cancer in Permissive Cellular Contexts. Cancer Res 2024; 84:1303-1319. [PMID: 38359163 PMCID: PMC11142404 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-0438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
The majority of EGFR mutant lung adenocarcinomas respond well to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). However, most of these responses are partial, with drug-tolerant residual disease remaining even at the time of maximal response. This residual disease can ultimately lead to relapses, which eventually develop in most patients. To investigate the cellular and molecular properties of residual tumor cells in vivo, we leveraged patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of EGFR mutant lung cancer. Subcutaneous EGFR mutant PDXs were treated with the third-generation TKI osimertinib until maximal tumor regression. Residual tissue inevitably harbored tumor cells that were transcriptionally distinct from bulk pretreatment tumor. Single-cell transcriptional profiling provided evidence of cells matching the profiles of drug-tolerant cells present in the pretreatment tumor. In one of the PDXs analyzed, osimertinib treatment caused dramatic transcriptomic changes that featured upregulation of the neuroendocrine lineage transcription factor ASCL1. Mechanistically, ASCL1 conferred drug tolerance by initiating an epithelial-to-mesenchymal gene-expression program in permissive cellular contexts. This study reveals fundamental insights into the biology of drug tolerance, the plasticity of cells through TKI treatment, and why specific phenotypes are observed only in certain tumors. SIGNIFICANCE Analysis of residual disease following tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment identified heterogeneous and context-specific mechanisms of drug tolerance in lung cancer that could lead to the development of strategies to forestall drug resistance. See related commentary by Rumde and Burns, p. 1188.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bomiao Hu
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Marc Wiesehöfer
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | - Zongzhi Liu
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Lok-Hei Chan
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Jungmin Choi
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Mary Ann Melnick
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Anna Arnal Estape
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Zenta Walther
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Dejian Zhao
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale Center for Genome Analysis (YCGA) Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Francesc Lopez-Giraldez
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale Center for Genome Analysis (YCGA) Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Anna Wurtz
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Guoping Cai
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Rong Fan
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale School of Engineering and Applied Science, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Scott Gettinger
- Department of Medicine (Section of Medical Oncology), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Andrew Xiao
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Qin Yan
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Robert Homer
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Don X Nguyen
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Department of Medicine (Section of Medical Oncology), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Katerina Politi
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Department of Medicine (Section of Medical Oncology), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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33
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Varuzhanyan G, Chen CC, Freeland J, He T, Tran W, Song K, Wang L, Cheng D, Xu S, Dibernardo GA, Esedebe FN, Abt ER, Park JW, Memarzadeh S, Graeber T, Shirihai O, Witte O. PGC-1α drives small cell neuroendocrine cancer progression towards an ASCL1-expressing subtype with increased mitochondrial capacity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.09.588489. [PMID: 38645232 PMCID: PMC11030384 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.09.588489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Adenocarcinomas from multiple tissues can converge to treatment-resistant small cell neuroendocrine (SCN) cancers comprised of ASCL1, POU2F3, NEUROD1, and YAP1 subtypes. We investigated how mitochondrial metabolism influences SCN cancer (SCNC) progression. Extensive bioinformatics analyses encompassing thousands of patient tumors and human cancer cell lines uncovered enhanced expression of PGC-1α, a potent regulator of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), across several SCNC types. PGC-1α correlated tightly with increased expression of the lineage marker ASCL1 through a positive feedback mechanism. Analyses using a human prostate tissue-based SCN transformation system showed that the ASCL1 subtype has heightened PGC-1α expression and OXPHOS activity. PGC-1α inhibition diminished OXPHOS, reduced SCNC cell proliferation, and blocked SCN prostate tumor formation. PGC-1α overexpression enhanced OXPHOS, tripled the SCN prostate tumor formation rate, and promoted commitment to the ASCL1 lineage. These findings reveal the metabolic heterogeneity among SCNC subtypes and identify PGC-1α-induced OXPHOS as a regulator of SCNC lineage plasticity.
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34
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Yao Z, Song P, Jiao W. Pathogenic role of super-enhancers as potential therapeutic targets in lung cancer. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1383580. [PMID: 38681203 PMCID: PMC11047458 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1383580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer is still one of the deadliest malignancies today, and most patients with advanced lung cancer pass away from disease progression that is uncontrollable by medications. Super-enhancers (SEs) are large clusters of enhancers in the genome's non-coding sequences that actively trigger transcription. Although SEs have just been identified over the past 10 years, their intricate structure and crucial role in determining cell identity and promoting tumorigenesis and progression are increasingly coming to light. Here, we review the structural composition of SEs, the auto-regulatory circuits, the control mechanisms of downstream genes and pathways, and the characterization of subgroups classified according to SEs in lung cancer. Additionally, we discuss the therapeutic targets, several small-molecule inhibitors, and available treatment options for SEs in lung cancer. Combination therapies have demonstrated considerable advantages in preclinical models, and we anticipate that these drugs will soon enter clinical studies and benefit patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyuan Yao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Peng Song
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenjie Jiao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
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35
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Hiatt JB, Doebley AL, Arnold HU, Adil M, Sandborg H, Persse TW, Ko M, Wu F, Quintanal Villalonga A, Santana-Davila R, Eaton K, Dive C, Rudin CM, Thomas A, Houghton AM, Ha G, MacPherson D. Molecular phenotyping of small cell lung cancer using targeted cfDNA profiling of transcriptional regulatory regions. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadk2082. [PMID: 38598634 PMCID: PMC11006233 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk2082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
We report an approach for cancer phenotyping based on targeted sequencing of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) for small cell lung cancer (SCLC). In SCLC, differential activation of transcription factors (TFs), such as ASCL1, NEUROD1, POU2F3, and REST defines molecular subtypes. We designed a targeted capture panel that identifies chromatin organization signatures at 1535 TF binding sites and 13,240 gene transcription start sites and detects exonic mutations in 842 genes. Sequencing of cfDNA from SCLC patient-derived xenograft models captured TF activity and gene expression and revealed individual highly informative loci. Prediction models of ASCL1 and NEUROD1 activity using informative loci achieved areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) from 0.84 to 0.88 in patients with SCLC. As non-SCLC (NSCLC) often transforms to SCLC following targeted therapy, we applied our framework to distinguish NSCLC from SCLC and achieved an AUC of 0.99. Our approach shows promising utility for SCLC subtyping and transformation monitoring, with potential applicability to diverse tumor types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph B. Hiatt
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Healthcare System - Seattle Branch, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Anna-Lisa Doebley
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Henry U. Arnold
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Mohamed Adil
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Holly Sandborg
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Thomas W. Persse
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Minjeong Ko
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Feinan Wu
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Shared Resource, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Alvaro Quintanal Villalonga
- Department of Medicine, Thoracic Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rafael Santana-Davila
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Keith Eaton
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Caroline Dive
- Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Charles M. Rudin
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Graduate Program in Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College; New York, NY, USA
| | - Anish Thomas
- Developmental Therapeutics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - A. McGarry Houghton
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Gavin Ha
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - David MacPherson
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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36
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Zaidi S, Park J, Chan JM, Roudier MP, Zhao JL, Gopalan A, Wadosky KM, Patel RA, Sayar E, Karthaus WR, Henry Kates D, Chaudhary O, Xu T, Masilionis I, Mazutis L, Chaligné R, Obradovic A, Linkov I, Barlas A, Jungbluth A, Rekhtman N, Silber J, Manova–Todorova K, Watson PA, True LD, Morrissey CM, Scher HI, Rathkopf D, Morris MJ, Goodrich DW, Choi J, Nelson PS, Haffner MC, Sawyers CL. Single Cell Analysis of Treatment-Resistant Prostate Cancer: Implications of Cell State Changes for Cell Surface Antigen Targeted Therapies. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.09.588340. [PMID: 38645034 PMCID: PMC11030323 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.09.588340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Targeting cell surface molecules using radioligand and antibody-based therapies has yielded considerable success across cancers. However, it remains unclear how the expression of putative lineage markers, particularly cell surface molecules, varies in the process of lineage plasticity, wherein tumor cells alter their identity and acquire new oncogenic properties. A notable example of lineage plasticity is the transformation of prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD) to neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC)--a growing resistance mechanism that results in the loss of responsiveness to androgen blockade and portends dismal patient survival. To understand how lineage markers vary across the evolution of lineage plasticity in prostate cancer, we applied single cell analyses to 21 human prostate tumor biopsies and two genetically engineered mouse models, together with tissue microarray analysis (TMA) on 131 tumor samples. Not only did we observe a higher degree of phenotypic heterogeneity in castrate-resistant PRAD and NEPC than previously anticipated, but also found that the expression of molecules targeted therapeutically, namely PSMA, STEAP1, STEAP2, TROP2, CEACAM5, and DLL3, varied within a subset of gene-regulatory networks (GRNs). We also noted that NEPC and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) subtypes shared a set of GRNs, indicative of conserved biologic pathways that may be exploited therapeutically across tumor types. While this extreme level of transcriptional heterogeneity, particularly in cell surface marker expression, may mitigate the durability of clinical responses to novel antigen-directed therapies, its delineation may yield signatures for patient selection in clinical trials, potentially across distinct cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samir Zaidi
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Genitourinary Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Jooyoung Park
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Joseph M. Chan
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | | | | | - Anuradha Gopalan
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Kristine M. Wadosky
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Radhika A. Patel
- Divisions of Human Biology and Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Erolcan Sayar
- Divisions of Human Biology and Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Wouter R. Karthaus
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC). School of Life Sciences. EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - D. Henry Kates
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ojasvi Chaudhary
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Tianhao Xu
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ignas Masilionis
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Linas Mazutis
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ronan Chaligné
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Aleksandar Obradovic
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Irina Linkov
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Afsar Barlas
- Molecular Cytology Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Achim Jungbluth
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Natasha Rekhtman
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Joachim Silber
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Katia Manova–Todorova
- Molecular Cytology Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Philip A. Watson
- Research Outreach and Compliance, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Lawrence D. True
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Colm M. Morrissey
- Department of Urology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Howard I. Scher
- Department of Genitourinary Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Dana Rathkopf
- Department of Genitourinary Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Michael J. Morris
- Department of Genitourinary Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - David W. Goodrich
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Jungmin Choi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Peter S. Nelson
- Divisions of Human Biology and Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Michael C. Haffner
- Divisions of Human Biology and Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Charles L. Sawyers
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
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37
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Romero R, Chu T, González-Robles TJ, Smith P, Xie Y, Kaur H, Yoder S, Zhao H, Mao C, Kang W, Pulina MV, Lawrence KE, Gopalan A, Zaidi S, Yoo K, Choi J, Fan N, Gerstner O, Karthaus WR, DeStanchina E, Ruggles KV, Westcott PM, Chaligné R, Pe’er D, Sawyers CL. The neuroendocrine transition in prostate cancer is dynamic and dependent on ASCL1. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.09.588557. [PMID: 38645223 PMCID: PMC11030418 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.09.588557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Lineage plasticity is a recognized hallmark of cancer progression that can shape therapy outcomes. The underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms mediating lineage plasticity remain poorly understood. Here, we describe a versatile in vivo platform to identify and interrogate the molecular determinants of neuroendocrine lineage transformation at different stages of prostate cancer progression. Adenocarcinomas reliably develop following orthotopic transplantation of primary mouse prostate organoids acutely engineered with human-relevant driver alterations (e.g., Rb1-/-; Trp53-/-; cMyc+ or Pten-/-; Trp53-/-; cMyc+), but only those with Rb1 deletion progress to ASCL1+ neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), a highly aggressive, androgen receptor signaling inhibitor (ARSI)-resistant tumor. Importantly, we show this lineage transition requires a native in vivo microenvironment not replicated by conventional organoid culture. By integrating multiplexed immunofluorescence, spatial transcriptomics and PrismSpot to identify cell type-specific spatial gene modules, we reveal that ASCL1+ cells arise from KRT8+ luminal epithelial cells that progressively acquire transcriptional heterogeneity, producing large ASCL1+;KRT8- NEPC clusters. Ascl1 loss in established NEPC results in transient tumor regression followed by recurrence; however, Ascl1 deletion prior to transplantation completely abrogates lineage plasticity, yielding adenocarcinomas with elevated AR expression and marked sensitivity to castration. The dynamic feature of this model reveals the importance of timing of therapies focused on lineage plasticity and offers a platform for identification of additional lineage plasticity drivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Romero
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Tinyi Chu
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Tania J. González-Robles
- Institute of Systems Genetics, Department of Precision Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10061, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10061, USA
| | - Perianne Smith
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Yubin Xie
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Harmanpreet Kaur
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Sara Yoder
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Huiyong Zhao
- Antitumor Assessment Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Chenyi Mao
- Molecular Cytology Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Wenfei Kang
- Molecular Cytology Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Maria V. Pulina
- Molecular Cytology Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Kayla E. Lawrence
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Anuradha Gopalan
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Samir Zaidi
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Genitourinary Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Kwangmin Yoo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jungmin Choi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Ning Fan
- Molecular Cytology Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Olivia Gerstner
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Wouter R. Karthaus
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Elisa DeStanchina
- Antitumor Assessment Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Kelly V. Ruggles
- Institute of Systems Genetics, Department of Precision Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10061, USA
| | | | - Ronan Chaligné
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Alan and Sandra Gerry Metastasis and Tumor Ecosystems Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Dana Pe’er
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Alan and Sandra Gerry Metastasis and Tumor Ecosystems Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | - Charles L. Sawyers
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
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Silva KCS, Tambwe N, Mahfouz DH, Wium M, Cacciatore S, Paccez JD, Zerbini LF. Transcription Factors in Prostate Cancer: Insights for Disease Development and Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:450. [PMID: 38674385 PMCID: PMC11050257 DOI: 10.3390/genes15040450] [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: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/30/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) are proteins essential for the regulation of gene expression, and they regulate the genes involved in different cellular processes, such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. Although their expression is essential in normal physiological conditions, abnormal regulation of TFs plays critical role in several diseases, including cancer. In prostate cancer, the most common malignancy in men, TFs are known to play crucial roles in the initiation, progression, and resistance to therapy of the disease. Understanding the interplay between these TFs and their downstream targets provides insights into the molecular basis of prostate cancer pathogenesis. In this review, we discuss the involvement of key TFs, including the E26 Transformation-Specific (ETS) Family (ERG and SPDEF), NF-κB, Activating Protein-1 (AP-1), MYC, and androgen receptor (AR), in prostate cancer while focusing on the molecular mechanisms involved in prostate cancer development. We also discuss emerging diagnostic strategies, early detection, and risk stratification using TFs. Furthermore, we explore the development of therapeutic interventions targeting TF pathways, including the use of small molecule inhibitors, gene therapies, and immunotherapies, aimed at disrupting oncogenic TF signaling and improving patient outcomes. Understanding the complex regulation of TFs in prostate cancer provides valuable insights into disease biology, which ultimately may lead to advancing precision approaches for patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karla C. S. Silva
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Cape Town 7925, South Africa; (K.C.S.S.); (N.T.); (D.H.M.); (M.W.); (S.C.); (J.D.P.)
| | - Nadine Tambwe
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Cape Town 7925, South Africa; (K.C.S.S.); (N.T.); (D.H.M.); (M.W.); (S.C.); (J.D.P.)
- Integrative Biomedical Sciences Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
| | - Dalia H. Mahfouz
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Cape Town 7925, South Africa; (K.C.S.S.); (N.T.); (D.H.M.); (M.W.); (S.C.); (J.D.P.)
| | - Martha Wium
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Cape Town 7925, South Africa; (K.C.S.S.); (N.T.); (D.H.M.); (M.W.); (S.C.); (J.D.P.)
- Integrative Biomedical Sciences Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
| | - Stefano Cacciatore
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Cape Town 7925, South Africa; (K.C.S.S.); (N.T.); (D.H.M.); (M.W.); (S.C.); (J.D.P.)
- Integrative Biomedical Sciences Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
| | - Juliano D. Paccez
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Cape Town 7925, South Africa; (K.C.S.S.); (N.T.); (D.H.M.); (M.W.); (S.C.); (J.D.P.)
| | - Luiz F. Zerbini
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Cape Town 7925, South Africa; (K.C.S.S.); (N.T.); (D.H.M.); (M.W.); (S.C.); (J.D.P.)
- Integrative Biomedical Sciences Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
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39
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Park S, Hong TH, Hwang S, Heeke S, Gay CM, Kim J, Jung HA, Sun JM, Ahn JS, Ahn MJ, Cho JH, Choi YS, Kim J, Shim YM, Kim HK, Byers LA, Heymach JV, Choi YL, Lee SH, Park K. Comprehensive analysis of transcription factor-based molecular subtypes and their correlation to clinical outcomes in small-cell lung cancer. EBioMedicine 2024; 102:105062. [PMID: 38492534 PMCID: PMC10959651 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105062] [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: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent studies have reported the predictive and prognostic value of novel transcriptional factor-based molecular subtypes in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). We conducted an in-depth analysis pairing multi-omics data with immunohistochemistry (IHC) to elucidate the underlying characteristics associated with differences in clinical outcomes between subtypes. METHODS IHC (n = 252), target exome sequencing (n = 422), and whole transcriptome sequencing (WTS, n = 189) data generated from 427 patients (86.4% males, 13.6% females) with SCLC were comprehensively analysed. The differences in the mutation profile, gene expression profile, and inflammed signatures were analysed according to the IHC-based molecular subtype. FINDINGS IHC-based molecular subtyping, comprised of 90 limited-disease (35.7%) and 162 extensive-disease (64.3%), revealed a high incidence of ASCL1 subtype (IHC-A, 56.3%) followed by ASCL1/NEUROD1 co-expressed (IHC-AN, 17.9%), NEUROD1 (IHC-N, 12.3%), POU2F3 (IHC-P, 9.1%), triple-negative (IHC-TN, 4.4%) subtypes. IHC-based subtype showing high concordance with WTS-based subtyping and non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) clusterization method. IHC-AN subtype resembled IHC-A (rather than IHC-N) in terms of both gene expression profiles and clinical outcomes. Favourable median overall survival was observed in IHC-A (15.2 months) compared to IHC-N (8.0 months, adjusted HR 2.3, 95% CI 1.4-3.9, p = 0.002) and IHC-P (8.3 months, adjusted HR 1.7, 95% CI 0.9-3.2, p = 0.076). Inflamed tumours made up 25% of cases (including 53% of IHC-P, 26% of IHC-A, 17% of IHC-AN, but only 11% of IHC-N). Consistent with recent findings, inflamed tumours were more likely to benefit from first-line immunotherapy treatment than non-inflamed phenotype (p = 0.002). INTERPRETATION This study provides fundamental data, including the incidence and basic demographics of molecular subtypes of SCLC using both IHC and WTS from a comparably large, real-world Asian/non-Western patient cohort, showing high concordance with the previous NMF-based SCLC model. In addition, we revealed underlying biological pathway activities, immunogenicity, and treatment outcomes based on molecular subtype, possibly related to the difference in clinical outcomes, including immunotherapy response. FUNDING This work was supported by AstraZeneca, Future Medicine 2030 Project of the Samsung Medical Center [grant number SMX1240011], the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) [grant number 2020R1C1C1010626] and the 7th AstraZeneca-KHIDI (Korea Health Industry Development Institute) oncology research program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sehhoon Park
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae Hee Hong
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Soohyun Hwang
- Department of Pathology and Translational Genomics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Simon Heeke
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Carl M Gay
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jiyeon Kim
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science & Technology (SAIHST), Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun-Ae Jung
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Mu Sun
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Seok Ahn
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Myung-Ju Ahn
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Ho Cho
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Soo Choi
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jhingook Kim
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Mog Shim
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hong Kwan Kim
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Lauren Averett Byers
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - John V Heymach
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yoon-La Choi
- Department of Pathology and Translational Genomics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Se-Hoon Lee
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Health Science and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science & Technology (SAIHST), Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Keunchil Park
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
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40
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Wang Z, Zeng S, Xu C. Re: Mingxiao Feng, Andres Matoso, Gabriel Epstein, et al. Identification of Lineage-specific Transcriptional Factor-defined Molecular Subtypes in Small Cell Bladder Cancer. Eur Urol. In press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2023.05.023. Eur Urol 2024; 85:e113-e114. [PMID: 37919193 DOI: 10.1016/j.eururo.2023.08.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ziwei Wang
- Department of Urology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shuxiong Zeng
- Department of Urology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Chuanliang Xu
- Department of Urology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
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41
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Nemes K, Benő A, Topolcsányi P, Magó É, Fűr GM, Pongor LŐS. Predicting drug response of small cell lung cancer cell lines based on enrichment analysis of complex gene signatures. J Biotechnol 2024; 383:86-93. [PMID: 38280466 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2024.01.010] [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: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Advances in the field of genomics and transcriptomics have enabled researchers to identify gene signatures related to development and treatment of Small Cell Lung Cancer. In most cases, complex gene expression patterns are identified, comprising of genes with differential behavior. Most tools use single-genes as predictors of drug response, with only limited options for multi-gene use. Here we examine the potential of predicting drug response using these complex gene expression signatures by employing clustering and signal enrichment in Small Cell Lung Cancer. Our results demonstrate clustering genes from complex expression patterns helps identify differential activity of gene groups with alternate function which can then be used to predict drug response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kolos Nemes
- Cancer Genomics and Epigenetics Core Group, Hungarian Center of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM), Szeged, Hungary
| | - Alexandra Benő
- Cancer Genomics and Epigenetics Core Group, Hungarian Center of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM), Szeged, Hungary
| | - Petronella Topolcsányi
- Cancer Genomics and Epigenetics Core Group, Hungarian Center of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM), Szeged, Hungary
| | - Éva Magó
- Cancer Genomics and Epigenetics Core Group, Hungarian Center of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM), Szeged, Hungary
| | - Gabriella Mihalekné Fűr
- Cancer Genomics and Epigenetics Core Group, Hungarian Center of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM), Szeged, Hungary
| | - L Őrinc S Pongor
- Cancer Genomics and Epigenetics Core Group, Hungarian Center of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM), Szeged, Hungary.
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42
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Solta A, Ernhofer B, Boettiger K, Megyesfalvi Z, Heeke S, Hoda MA, Lang C, Aigner C, Hirsch FR, Schelch K, Döme B. Small cells - big issues: biological implications and preclinical advancements in small cell lung cancer. Mol Cancer 2024; 23:41. [PMID: 38395864 PMCID: PMC10893629 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-024-01953-9] [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: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Current treatment guidelines refer to small cell lung cancer (SCLC), one of the deadliest human malignancies, as a homogeneous disease. Accordingly, SCLC therapy comprises chemoradiation with or without immunotherapy. Meanwhile, recent studies have made significant advances in subclassifying SCLC based on the elevated expression of the transcription factors ASCL1, NEUROD1, and POU2F3, as well as on certain inflammatory characteristics. The role of the transcription regulator YAP1 in defining a unique SCLC subset remains to be established. Although preclinical analyses have described numerous subtype-specific characteristics and vulnerabilities, the so far non-existing clinical subtype distinction may be a contributor to negative clinical trial outcomes. This comprehensive review aims to provide a framework for the development of novel personalized therapeutic approaches by compiling the most recent discoveries achieved by preclinical SCLC research. We highlight the challenges faced due to limited access to patient material as well as the advances accomplished by implementing state-of-the-art models and methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Solta
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Büsra Ernhofer
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kristiina Boettiger
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Zsolt Megyesfalvi
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Semmelweis University and National Institute of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary
- National Koranyi Institute of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Simon Heeke
- Department of Thoracic Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mir Alireza Hoda
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Lang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine II, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Clemens Aigner
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Fred R Hirsch
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
- Center for Thoracic Oncology, Mount Sinai Health System, Tisch Cancer Institute, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Karin Schelch
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
- Center for Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Balazs Döme
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Semmelweis University and National Institute of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary.
- National Koranyi Institute of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
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43
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Catozzi A, Peiris-Pagès M, Humphrey S, Revill M, Morgan D, Roebuck J, Chen Y, Davies-Williams B, Lallo A, Galvin M, Pearce SP, Kerr A, Priest L, Foy V, Carter M, Caeser R, Chan J, Rudin CM, Blackhall F, Frese KK, Dive C, Simpson KL. Functional Characterisation of the ATOH1 Molecular Subtype Indicates a Pro-Metastatic Role in Small Cell Lung Cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.16.580247. [PMID: 38405859 PMCID: PMC10888785 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.16.580247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Molecular subtypes of Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) have been described based on differential expression of transcription factors (TFs) ASCL1, NEUROD1, POU2F3 and immune-related genes. We previously reported an additional subtype based on expression of the neurogenic TF ATOH1 within our SCLC Circulating tumour cell-Derived eXplant (CDX) model biobank. Here we show that ATOH1 protein was detected in 7/81 preclinical models and 16/102 clinical samples of SCLC. In CDX models, ATOH1 directly regulated neurogenesis and differentiation programs consistent with roles in normal tissues. In ex vivo cultures of ATOH1-positive CDX, ATOH1 was required for cell survival. In vivo, ATOH1 depletion slowed tumour growth and suppressed liver metastasis. Our data validate ATOH1 as a bona fide oncogenic driver of SCLC with tumour cell survival and pro-metastatic functions. Further investigation to explore ATOH1 driven vulnerabilities for targeted treatment with predictive biomarkers is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Catozzi
- Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Peiris-Pagès
- Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Sam Humphrey
- Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Mitchell Revill
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Derrick Morgan
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Jordan Roebuck
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Yitao Chen
- Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Bethan Davies-Williams
- Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Alice Lallo
- Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Melanie Galvin
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Simon P Pearce
- Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Alastair Kerr
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Lynsey Priest
- Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Medical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria Foy
- Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Medical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Mathew Carter
- Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Medical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca Caeser
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Joseph Chan
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Charles M. Rudin
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Fiona Blackhall
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Medical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Kristopher K Frese
- Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline Dive
- Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Kathryn L Simpson
- Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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44
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Heeke S, Gay CM, Estecio MR, Tran H, Morris BB, Zhang B, Tang X, Raso MG, Rocha P, Lai S, Arriola E, Hofman P, Hofman V, Kopparapu P, Lovly CM, Concannon K, De Sousa LG, Lewis WE, Kondo K, Hu X, Tanimoto A, Vokes NI, Nilsson MB, Stewart A, Jansen M, Horváth I, Gaga M, Panagoulias V, Raviv Y, Frumkin D, Wasserstrom A, Shuali A, Schnabel CA, Xi Y, Diao L, Wang Q, Zhang J, Van Loo P, Wang J, Wistuba II, Byers LA, Heymach JV. Tumor- and circulating-free DNA methylation identifies clinically relevant small cell lung cancer subtypes. Cancer Cell 2024; 42:225-237.e5. [PMID: 38278149 PMCID: PMC10982990 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy composed of distinct transcriptional subtypes, but implementing subtyping in the clinic has remained challenging, particularly due to limited tissue availability. Given the known epigenetic regulation of critical SCLC transcriptional programs, we hypothesized that subtype-specific patterns of DNA methylation could be detected in tumor or blood from SCLC patients. Using genomic-wide reduced-representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) in two cohorts totaling 179 SCLC patients and using machine learning approaches, we report a highly accurate DNA methylation-based classifier (SCLC-DMC) that can distinguish SCLC subtypes. We further adjust the classifier for circulating-free DNA (cfDNA) to subtype SCLC from plasma. Using the cfDNA classifier (cfDMC), we demonstrate that SCLC phenotypes can evolve during disease progression, highlighting the need for longitudinal tracking of SCLC during clinical treatment. These data establish that tumor and cfDNA methylation can be used to identify SCLC subtypes and might guide precision SCLC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Heeke
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Carl M Gay
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Marcos R Estecio
- Epigenetic and Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hai Tran
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Benjamin B Morris
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Bingnan Zhang
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ximing Tang
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Maria Gabriela Raso
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Pedro Rocha
- Medical Oncology Department, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Siqi Lai
- Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Edurne Arriola
- Medical Oncology Department, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Paul Hofman
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, IHU RespirERA, Nice Hospital, University Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Veronique Hofman
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, IHU RespirERA, Nice Hospital, University Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Prasad Kopparapu
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Christine M Lovly
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Kyle Concannon
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Luana Guimaraes De Sousa
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Whitney Elisabeth Lewis
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Kimie Kondo
- Epigenetic and Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Xin Hu
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Azusa Tanimoto
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Natalie I Vokes
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Monique B Nilsson
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Allison Stewart
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Maarten Jansen
- Pulmonary Department, Ziekenhuisgroep Twente, Hengelo, the Netherlands
| | - Ildikó Horváth
- National Korányi Institute of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Mina Gaga
- 7th Respiratory Medicine Department, Athens Chest Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Yael Raviv
- Department of Medicine, Pulmonology, Institute, Soroka Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | | | | | | | | | - Yuanxin Xi
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lixia Diao
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jianjun Zhang
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Peter Van Loo
- Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ignacio I Wistuba
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lauren A Byers
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - John V Heymach
- Department of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
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45
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Gardner EE, Earlie EM, Li K, Thomas J, Hubisz MJ, Stein BD, Zhang C, Cantley LC, Laughney AM, Varmus H. Lineage-specific intolerance to oncogenic drivers restricts histological transformation. Science 2024; 383:eadj1415. [PMID: 38330136 PMCID: PMC11155264 DOI: 10.1126/science.adj1415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) are thought to originate from different epithelial cell types in the lung. Intriguingly, LUAD can histologically transform into SCLC after treatment with targeted therapies. In this study, we designed models to follow the conversion of LUAD to SCLC and found that the barrier to histological transformation converges on tolerance to Myc, which we implicate as a lineage-specific driver of the pulmonary neuroendocrine cell. Histological transformations are frequently accompanied by activation of the Akt pathway. Manipulating this pathway permitted tolerance to Myc as an oncogenic driver, producing rare, stem-like cells that transcriptionally resemble the pulmonary basal lineage. These findings suggest that histological transformation may require the plasticity inherent to the basal stem cell, enabling tolerance to previously incompatible oncogenic driver programs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ethan M. Earlie
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics, and Systems Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Kate Li
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Jerin Thomas
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Melissa J. Hubisz
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics, and Systems Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
- Bioinformatics Facility, Institute of Biotechnology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
| | - Benjamin D. Stein
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
| | - Chen Zhang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Lewis C. Cantley
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
| | - Ashley M. Laughney
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics, and Systems Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Harold Varmus
- Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
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46
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Bell D. Top IHC/ISH Hacks for and Molecular Surrogates of Poorly Differentiated Sinonasal Small Round Cell Tumors. Head Neck Pathol 2024; 18:2. [PMID: 38315310 PMCID: PMC10844182 DOI: 10.1007/s12105-023-01608-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Poorly differentiated sinonasal small round cell tumors (SRCTs) are rare and heterogeneous, posing challenges in diagnosis and treatment. METHODS Recent advances in molecular findings and diagnostic refinement have promoted better understanding and management of these tumors. RESULTS The newly defined and emerging sinonasal entities demonstrate diverse morphologies, specific genomic signatures, and clinical behavior from conventional counterparts. In this review of SRCTs, emphasis is placed on the diagnostic approach with the employment of a pertinent panel of immunohistochemistry studies and/or molecular tests, fine-tuned to the latest WHO 5 classification of sinonasal/paranasal tumors and personalized treatment. CONCLUSION Specifically, this review focuses on tumors with epithelial and neuroectodermal derivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Bell
- Anatomic Pathology, Disease Team Alignment: Head and Neck, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1500 E Duarte Rd, Duarte, CA, 91010, USA.
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47
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Oser MG, MacPherson D, Oliver TG, Sage J, Park KS. Genetically-engineered mouse models of small cell lung cancer: the next generation. Oncogene 2024; 43:457-469. [PMID: 38191672 PMCID: PMC11180418 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-023-02929-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains the most fatal form of lung cancer, with patients in dire need of new and effective therapeutic approaches. Modeling SCLC in an immunocompetent host is essential for understanding SCLC pathogenesis and ultimately discovering and testing new experimental therapeutic strategies. Human SCLC is characterized by near universal genetic loss of the RB1 and TP53 tumor suppressor genes. Twenty years ago, the first genetically-engineered mouse model (GEMM) of SCLC was generated using conditional deletion of both Rb1 and Trp53 in the lungs of adult mice. Since then, several other GEMMs of SCLC have been developed coupling genomic alterations found in human SCLC with Rb1 and Trp53 deletion. Here we summarize how GEMMs of SCLC have contributed significantly to our understanding of the disease in the past two decades. We also review recent advances in modeling SCLC in mice that allow investigators to bypass limitations of the previous generation of GEMMs while studying new genes of interest in SCLC. In particular, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated somatic gene editing can accelerate how new genes of interest are functionally interrogated in SCLC tumorigenesis. Notably, the development of allograft models and precancerous precursor models from SCLC GEMMs provides complementary approaches to GEMMs to study tumor cell-immune microenvironment interactions and test new therapeutic strategies to enhance response to immunotherapy. Ultimately, the new generation of SCLC models can accelerate research and help develop new therapeutic strategies for SCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew G Oser
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - David MacPherson
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Trudy G Oliver
- Department of Pharmacology & Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Julien Sage
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Kwon-Sik Park
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA.
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48
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Lorenzi M, Resi MV, Bonanno L, Frega S, Dal Maso A, Ferro A, Guarneri V, Pasello G. Tissue and circulating biomarkers of benefit to immunotherapy in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer patients. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1308109. [PMID: 38348046 PMCID: PMC10859471 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1308109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Extensive stage-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (ES-SCLC) is an aggressive cancer with dismal prognosis. The addition of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) to platinum-based chemotherapy have been consistently demonstrated to improve outcomes and survival, becoming the new standard in first - line treatment of ES-SCLC patients. However, despite positive results reported in the pivotal trials, longer benefit appears evident only for a selected group of patients. Several predictive biomarkers have been studied so far but the prospective identification of patients more likely to experience better outcome seems to be challenging in SCLC. Indeed, classical immune predictive biomarkers as PD-L1 and tumor mutational burden (TMB) seem not to correlate with outcomes. Recently, a new molecular classification of SCLC based on differential expression of genes associated with specific clinical behaviors and therapeutic vulnerability have been presented suggesting a new field to be investigated. Despite the achievements, these studies focused mainly on inter-tumoral heterogeneity, limiting the exploration of intra-tumoral heterogeneity and cell to cell interactions. New analysis methods are ongoing in order to explore subtypes plasticity. Analysis on single biopsies cannot catch the whole genomic profile and dynamic change of disease over time and during treatment. Moreover, the availability of tissue for translational research is limited due to the low proportion of patients undergoing surgery. In this context, liquid biopsy is a promising tool to detect reliable predictive biomarkers. Here, we reviewed the current available data on predictive role of tissue and liquid biomarkers in ES-SCLC patients receiving ICIs. We assessed latest results in terms of predictive and prognostic value of gene expression profiling in SCLC. Finally, we explored the role of liquid biopsy as a tool to monitor SCLC patients over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Lorenzi
- Department of Medical Oncology, Santa Chiara Hospital, Trento, Italy
| | - Maria Vittoria Resi
- Division of Medical Oncology 2, Veneto Institute of Oncology - IRCCS, Padova, Italy
- Department of Surgery, Oncology, and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Laura Bonanno
- Division of Medical Oncology 2, Veneto Institute of Oncology - IRCCS, Padova, Italy
| | - Stefano Frega
- Division of Medical Oncology 2, Veneto Institute of Oncology - IRCCS, Padova, Italy
| | - Alessandro Dal Maso
- Division of Medical Oncology 2, Veneto Institute of Oncology - IRCCS, Padova, Italy
| | - Alessandra Ferro
- Division of Medical Oncology 2, Veneto Institute of Oncology - IRCCS, Padova, Italy
| | - Valentina Guarneri
- Division of Medical Oncology 2, Veneto Institute of Oncology - IRCCS, Padova, Italy
- Department of Surgery, Oncology, and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Giulia Pasello
- Division of Medical Oncology 2, Veneto Institute of Oncology - IRCCS, Padova, Italy
- Department of Surgery, Oncology, and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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49
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Duplaquet L, So K, Ying AW, Li X, Li Y, Qiu X, Li R, Singh S, Wu XS, Liu Q, Qi J, Somerville TDD, Heiling H, Mazzola E, Lee Y, Zoller T, Vakoc CR, Doench JG, Forrester WC, Abrams T, Long HW, Niederst MJ, Kadoch C, Oser MG. Mammalian SWI/SNF complex activity regulates POU2F3 and constitutes a targetable dependency in small cell lung cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.21.576304. [PMID: 38328215 PMCID: PMC10849479 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.21.576304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Small cell lung cancers (SCLC) are comprised of heterogeneous subtypes marked by lineage-specific transcription factors, including ASCL1, NEUROD1, and POU2F3. POU2F3-positive SCLC, ∼12% of all cases, are uniquely dependent on POU2F3 itself; as such, approaches to attenuate POU2F3 expression may represent new therapeutic opportunities. Here using genome-scale screens for regulators of POU2F3 expression and SCLC proliferation, we define mSWI/SNF complexes, including non-canonical BAF (ncBAF) complexes, as top dependencies specific to POU2F3-positive SCLC. Notably, clinical-grade pharmacologic mSWI/SNF inhibition attenuates proliferation of all POU2F3-positive SCLCs, while disruption of ncBAF via BRD9 degradation is uniquely effective in pure non-neuroendocrine POU2F3-SCLCs. mSWI/SNF maintains accessibility over gene loci central to POU2F3-mediated gene regulatory networks. Finally, chemical targeting of SMARCA4/2 mSWI/SNF ATPases and BRD9 decrease POU2F3-SCLC tumor growth and increase survival in vivo . Taken together, these results characterize mSWI/SNF-mediated global governance of the POU2F3 oncogenic program and suggest mSWI/SNF inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for SCLC.
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50
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Mandl A, Jasmine S, Krueger T, Kumar R, Coleman IM, Dalrymple SL, Antony L, Rosen DM, Jing Y, Hanratty B, Patel RA, Jin-Yih L, Dias J, Celatka CA, Tapper AE, Kleppe M, Kanayama M, Speranzini V, Wang YZ, Luo J, Corey E, Sena LA, Casero RA, Lotan T, Trock BJ, Kachhap SK, Denmeade SR, Carducci MA, Mattevi A, Haffner MC, Nelson PS, Rienhoff HY, Isaacs JT, Brennen WN. LSD1 inhibition suppresses ASCL1 and de-represses YAP1 to drive potent activity against neuroendocrine prostate cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.17.576106. [PMID: 38328141 PMCID: PMC10849473 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.17.576106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1 or KDM1A ) has emerged as a critical mediator of tumor progression in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Among mCRPC subtypes, neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is an exceptionally aggressive variant driven by lineage plasticity, an adaptive resistance mechanism to androgen receptor axis-targeted therapies. Our study shows that LSD1 expression is elevated in NEPC and associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes. Using genetic approaches, we validated the on-target effects of LSD1 inhibition across various models. We investigated the therapeutic potential of bomedemstat, an orally bioavailable, irreversible LSD1 inhibitor with low nanomolar potency. Our findings demonstrate potent antitumor activity against CRPC models, including tumor regressions in NEPC patient-derived xenografts. Mechanistically, our study uncovers that LSD1 inhibition suppresses the neuronal transcriptional program by downregulating ASCL1 through disrupting LSD1:INSM1 interactions and de-repressing YAP1 silencing. Our data support the clinical development of LSD1 inhibitors for treating CRPC - especially the aggressive NE phenotype. Statement of Significance Neuroendocrine prostate cancer presents a clinical challenge due to the lack of effective treatments. Our research demonstrates that bomedemstat, a potent and selective LSD1 inhibitor, effectively combats neuroendocrine prostate cancer by downregulating the ASCL1- dependent NE transcriptional program and re-expressing YAP1.
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