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Cigliano A, Gigante I, Serra M, Vidili G, Simile MM, Steinmann S, Urigo F, Cossu E, Pes GM, Dore MP, Ribback S, Milia EP, Pizzuto E, Mancarella S, Che L, Pascale RM, Giannelli G, Evert M, Chen X, Calvisi DF. HSF1 is a prognostic determinant and therapeutic target in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:253. [PMID: 39243039 PMCID: PMC11378393 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-03177-7] [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: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 08/29/2024] [Indexed: 09/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a lethal primary liver tumor characterized by clinical aggressiveness, poor prognosis, and scarce therapeutic possibilities. Therefore, new treatments are urgently needed to render this disease curable. Since cumulating evidence supports the oncogenic properties of the Heat Shock Factor 1 (HSF1) transcription factor in various cancer types, we investigated its pathogenetic and therapeutic relevance in iCCA. METHODS Levels of HSF1 were evaluated in a vast collection of iCCA specimens. The effects of HSF1 inactivation on iCCA development in vivo were investigated using three established oncogene-driven iCCA mouse models. In addition, the impact of HSF1 suppression on tumor cells and tumor stroma was assessed in iCCA cell lines, human iCCA cancer-associated fibroblasts (hCAFs), and patient-derived organoids. RESULTS Human preinvasive, invasive, and metastatic iCCAs displayed widespread HSF1 upregulation, which was associated with a dismal prognosis of the patients. In addition, hydrodynamic injection of a dominant-negative form of HSF1 (HSF1dn), which suppresses HSF1 activity, significantly delayed cholangiocarcinogenesis in AKT/NICD, AKT/YAP, and AKT/TAZ mice. In iCCA cell lines, iCCA hCAFs, and patient-derived organoids, administration of the HSF1 inhibitor KRIBB-11 significantly reduced proliferation and induced apoptosis. Cell death was profoundly augmented by concomitant administration of the Bcl-xL/Bcl2/Bcl-w inhibitor ABT-263. Furthermore, KRIBB-11 reduced mitochondrial bioenergetics and glycolysis of iCCA cells. CONCLUSIONS The present data underscore the critical pathogenetic, prognostic, and therapeutic role of HSF1 in cholangiocarcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Cigliano
- Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, via P. Manzella 4, Sassari, 07100, Italy
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Isabella Gigante
- National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Marina Serra
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Gianpaolo Vidili
- Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, via P. Manzella 4, Sassari, 07100, Italy
| | - Maria M Simile
- Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, via P. Manzella 4, Sassari, 07100, Italy
| | - Sara Steinmann
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Francesco Urigo
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Eleonora Cossu
- Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, via P. Manzella 4, Sassari, 07100, Italy
| | - Giovanni M Pes
- Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, via P. Manzella 4, Sassari, 07100, Italy
| | - Maria P Dore
- Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, via P. Manzella 4, Sassari, 07100, Italy
| | - Silvia Ribback
- Institute of Pathology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Egle P Milia
- Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, via P. Manzella 4, Sassari, 07100, Italy
| | - Elena Pizzuto
- National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Serena Mancarella
- National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Li Che
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Rosa M Pascale
- Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, via P. Manzella 4, Sassari, 07100, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Giannelli
- National Institute of Gastroenterology, IRCCS "Saverio de Bellis", Castellana Grotte, Italy
| | - Matthias Evert
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Xin Chen
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, USA
| | - Diego F Calvisi
- Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, via P. Manzella 4, Sassari, 07100, Italy.
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Williams I, DeHart H, O'Malley M, Walker B, Ulhaskumar V, Ray H, Delaney JR, Nephew KP, Carpenter RL. MYC and HSF1 Cooperate to Drive PLK1 inhibitor Sensitivity in High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.11.598486. [PMID: 38915574 PMCID: PMC11195273 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.11.598486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is a deadly female cancer with high rates of recurrence. The primary treatment strategy for patients is platinum-based therapy regimens that almost universally develop resistance. Consequently, new therapeutic avenues are needed to overcome the plateau that current therapies have on patient outcomes. We describe a gene amplification involving both HSF1 and MYC, wherein these two genes on chromosome 8q are co-amplified in over 7% of human tumors that is enriched to over 30% of patients with ovarian cancer. We further found that HSF1 and MYC transcriptional activity is correlated in human tumors and ovarian cancer cell lines, suggesting they may cooperate in ovarian cancer cells. CUT&RUN for HSF1 and MYC in co-amplified ovarian cancer cells revealed that HSF1 and MYC have overlapping binding at a substantial number of locations throughout the genome where their binding peaks are near identical. Consistent with these data, a protein-protein interaction between HSF1 and MYC was detected in ovarian cancer cells, implying these two transcription factors have a molecular cooperation. Further supporting their cooperation, growth of HSF1-MYC co-amplified ovarian cancer cells were found to be dependent on both HSF1 and MYC. In an attempt to identify a therapeutic target that could take advantage of this dependency on both HSF1 and MYC, PLK1 was identified as being correlated with HSF1 and MYC in primary human tumor specimens, consistent with a previously established effect of PLK1 on HSF1 and MYC protein levels. Targeting PLK1 with the compound volasertib (BI-6727) revealed a greater than 200-fold increased potency of volasertib in HSF1-MYC co-amplified ovarian cancer cells compared to ovarian cancer cells wild-type HSF1 and MYC copy number, which extended to several growth assays, including spheroid growth. Volasertib, and other PLK1 inhibitors, have not shown great success in clinical trials and this study suggests that targeting PLK1 may be viable in a precision medicine approach using HSF1-MYC co-amplification as a biomarker for response.
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Xu M, Senanayaka D, Zhao R, Chigumira T, Tripathi A, Tones J, Lackner RM, Wondisford AR, Moneysmith LN, Hirschi A, Craig S, Alishiri S, O'Sullivan RJ, Chenoweth DM, Reiter NJ, Zhang H. TERRA-LSD1 phase separation promotes R-loop formation for telomere maintenance in ALT cancer cells. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2165. [PMID: 38461301 PMCID: PMC10925046 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46509-z] [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: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024] Open
Abstract
The telomere repeat-containing RNA (TERRA) forms R-loops to promote homology-directed DNA synthesis in the alternative lengthening of telomere (ALT) pathway. Here we report that TERRA contributes to ALT via interacting with the lysine-specific demethylase 1A (LSD1 or KDM1A). We show that LSD1 localizes to ALT telomeres in a TERRA dependent manner and LSD1 function in ALT is largely independent of its demethylase activity. Instead, LSD1 promotes TERRA recruitment to ALT telomeres via RNA binding. In addition, LSD1 and TERRA undergo phase separation, driven by interactions between the RNA binding properties of LSD1 and the G-quadruplex structure of TERRA. Importantly, the formation of TERRA-LSD1 condensates enriches the R-loop stimulating protein Rad51AP1 and increases TERRA-containing R-loops at telomeres. Our findings suggest that LSD1-TERRA phase separation enhances the function of R-loop regulatory molecules for ALT telomere maintenance, providing a mechanism for how the biophysical properties of histone modification enzyme-RNA interactions impact chromatin function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Xu
- Department of Biology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Dulmi Senanayaka
- Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, 53233, USA
| | - Rongwei Zhao
- Department of Biology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Tafadzwa Chigumira
- Department of Biology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Astha Tripathi
- Department of Biology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Jason Tones
- Department of Biology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Rachel M Lackner
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19014, USA
| | - Anne R Wondisford
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Laurel N Moneysmith
- Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, 53233, USA
| | - Alexander Hirschi
- Cepheid Diagnostics, 904 E. Caribbean Dr., Sunnyvale, California, 94089, USA
| | - Sara Craig
- Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, 53233, USA
| | - Sahar Alishiri
- Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, 53233, USA
| | - Roderick J O'Sullivan
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - David M Chenoweth
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19014, USA
| | - Nicholas J Reiter
- Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, 53233, USA
| | - Huaiying Zhang
- Department of Biology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
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Nikotina AD, Vladimirova SA, Kokoreva NE, Nevdakha VA, Lazarev VF, Kuznetcova LS, Komarova EY, Suezov RV, Efremov S, Leonova E, Kartsev VG, Aksenov ND, Margulis BA, Guzhova IV. Novel mechanism of drug resistance triggered by tumor-associated macrophages through Heat Shock Factor-1 activation. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2024; 73:25. [PMID: 38280079 PMCID: PMC10821977 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-023-03612-2] [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: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Macrophages constitute a major part of tumor microenvironment, and most of existing data demonstrate their ruling role in the development of anti-drug resistance of cancer cell. One of the most powerful protection system is based on heat shock proteins whose synthesis is triggered by activated Heat Shock Factor-1 (HSF1); the inhibition of the HSF1 with CL-43 sensitized A549 lung cancer cells to the anti-cancer effect of etoposide. Notably, analyzing A549 tumor xenografts in mice we observed nest-like pattern of co-localization of A549 cells demonstrating enhanced expression of HSF1 with macrophages, and decided to check whether the above arrangement has a functional value for both cell types. It was found that the incubation of A549 or DLD1 colon cancer cells with either human monocytes or THP1 monocyte-like cells activated HSF1 and increased resistance to etoposide. Importantly, the same effect was shown when primary cultures of colon tumors were incubated with THP1 cells or with human monocytes. To prove that HSF1 is implicated in enhanced resistance caused by monocytic cells, we generated an A549 cell subline devoid of HSF1 which did not respond to incubation with THP1 cells. The pharmacological inhibition of HSF1 with CL-43 also abolished the effect of THP1 cells on primary tumor cells, highlighting a new target of tumor-associated macrophages in a cell proteostasis mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina D Nikotina
- Laboratory of Cell Protection Mechanisms, Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Snezhana A Vladimirova
- Laboratory of Cell Protection Mechanisms, Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Nadezhda E Kokoreva
- Laboratory of Cell Protection Mechanisms, Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Valeria A Nevdakha
- Laboratory of Cell Protection Mechanisms, Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Vladimir F Lazarev
- Laboratory of Cell Protection Mechanisms, Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Liubov S Kuznetcova
- Laboratory of Cell Protection Mechanisms, Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Elena Y Komarova
- Laboratory of Cell Protection Mechanisms, Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Roman V Suezov
- Laboratory of Cell Protection Mechanisms, Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
- Department of Gastroenterology, Center for Tumor- and Immune Biology, Philipps University of Marburg, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Sergei Efremov
- Saint-Petersburg State University Hospital, 190103, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Elizaveta Leonova
- Saint-Petersburg State University Hospital, 190103, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | | | - Nikolay D Aksenov
- Laboratory of Cell Protection Mechanisms, Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Boris A Margulis
- Laboratory of Cell Protection Mechanisms, Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Irina V Guzhova
- Laboratory of Cell Protection Mechanisms, Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia.
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Ram BM, Dai C. Detection of the DNA binding of transcription factors in situ at the single-cell resolution in cultured cells by proximity ligation assay. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102692. [PMID: 37917578 PMCID: PMC10651771 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102692] [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: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) play a pivotal role in gene expression, and their DNA binding is the prerequisite to instigating gene transcription. Here, we present a protocol that exploits the proximity ligation assay technique to measure the DNA-binding activities of TFs in situ at the single-cell resolution. We describe steps for immunostaining with specific antibodies against double-stranded DNA and the TFs of interest, probe incubation, proximity ligation, and signal amplification. We then detail procedures for imaging and image analysis. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Dai et al. (2015)1 and Xu et al. (2023).2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Babul Moni Ram
- Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
| | - Chengkai Dai
- Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
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