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Xie J, Kuriakose T, Bianski B, Twarog N, Savage E, Xu K, Zhu X, He C, Hansen B, Wang H, High A, Li Y, Rehg JE, Tillman HS, Freeman BB, Rankovic Z, Onar-Thomas A, Fan Y, Wu G, Peng J, Miller S, Baker SJ, Shelat AA, Tinkle CL. ATM inhibition enhances the efficacy of radiation across distinct molecular subgroups of pediatric high-grade glioma. Neuro Oncol 2023; 25:1828-1841. [PMID: 36971093 PMCID: PMC10547515 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noad064] [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] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pediatric high-grade glioma (pHGG) is largely incurable and accounts for most brain tumor-related deaths in children. Radiation is a standard therapy, yet the benefit from this treatment modality is transient, and most children succumb to disease within 2 years. Recent large-scale genomic studies suggest that pHGG has alterations in DNA damage response (DDR) pathways that induce resistance to DNA damaging agents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential and molecular consequences of combining radiation with selective DDR inhibition in pHGG. METHODS We conducted an unbiased screen in pHGG cells that combined radiation with clinical candidates targeting the DDR and identified the ATM inhibitor AZD1390. Subsequently, we profiled AZD1390 + radiation in an extensive panel of early passage pHGG cell lines, mechanistically characterized response to the combination in vitro in sensitive and resistant cells and evaluated the combination in vivo using TP53 wild-type and TP53 mutant orthotopic xenografts. RESULTS AZD1390 significantly potentiated radiation across molecular subgroups of pHGG by increasing mutagenic nonhomologous end joining and augmenting genomic instability. In contrast to previous reports, ATM inhibition significantly improved the efficacy of radiation in both TP53 wild-type and TP53 mutant isogenic cell lines and distinct orthotopic xenograft models. Furthermore, we identified a novel mechanism of resistance to AZD1390 + radiation that was marked by an attenuated ATM pathway response which dampened sensitivity to ATM inhibition and induced synthetic lethality with ATR inhibition. CONCLUSIONS Our study supports the clinical evaluation of AZD1390 in combination with radiation in pediatric patients with HGG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Xie
- Department of Radiation Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
| | - Teneema Kuriakose
- Department of Radiation Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
| | - Brandon Bianski
- Department of Radiation Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
| | - Nathaniel Twarog
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | - Evan Savage
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | - Ke Xu
- Center for Applied Bioinformatics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, USA
| | - Xiaoyan Zhu
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | - Chen He
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | - Baranda Hansen
- Center for Advanced Genome Engineering, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | - Hong Wang
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | - Anthony High
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | - Yuxin Li
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | - Jerold E Rehg
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | | | - Burgess B Freeman
- Preclinical Pharmacokinetic Shared Resource, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | - Zoran Rankovic
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | - Arzu Onar-Thomas
- Department of Biostatistics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | - Yiping Fan
- Center for Applied Bioinformatics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, USA
| | - Gang Wu
- Center for Applied Bioinformatics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, USA
| | - Junmin Peng
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | - Shondra Miller
- Center for Advanced Genome Engineering, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | - Suzanne J Baker
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | - Anang A Shelat
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
| | - Christopher L Tinkle
- Department of Radiation Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
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2
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Jonchere B, Williams J, Zindy F, Liu J, Robinson S, Farmer DM, Min J, Yang L, Stripay JL, Wang Y, Freeman BB, Yu J, Shelat AA, Rankovic Z, Roussel MF. Combination of Ribociclib with BET-Bromodomain and PI3K/mTOR Inhibitors for Medulloblastoma Treatment In Vitro and In Vivo. Mol Cancer Ther 2023; 22:37-51. [PMID: 36318650 PMCID: PMC9808370 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-21-0896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Despite improvement in the treatment of medulloblastoma over the last years, numerous patients with MYC- and MYCN-driven tumors still fail current therapies. Medulloblastomas have an intact retinoblastoma protein RB, suggesting that CDK4/6 inhibition might represent a therapeutic strategy for which drug combination remains understudied. We conducted high-throughput drug combination screens in a Group3 (G3) medulloblastoma line using the CDK4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) ribociclib at IC20, referred to as an anchor, and 87 oncology drugs approved by FDA or in clinical trials. Bromodomain and extra terminal (BET) and PI3K/mTOR inhibitors potentiated ribociclib inhibition of proliferation in an established cell line and freshly dissociated tumor cells from intracranial xenografts of G3 and Sonic hedgehog (SHH) medulloblastomas in vitro. A reverse combination screen using the BET inhibitor JQ1 as anchor, revealed CDK4/6i as the most potentiating drugs. In vivo, ribociclib showed single-agent activity in medulloblastoma models whereas JQ1 failed to show efficacy due to high clearance and insufficient free brain concentration. Despite in vitro synergy, combination of ribociclib with the PI3K/mTOR inhibitor paxalisib did not significantly improve the survival of G3 and SHH medulloblastoma-bearing mice compared with ribociclib alone. Molecular analysis of ribociclib and paxalisib-treated tumors revealed that E2F targets and PI3K/AKT/MTORC1 signaling genes were depleted, as expected. Importantly, in one untreated G3MB model HD-MB03, the PI3K/AKT/MTORC1 gene set was enriched in vitro compared with in vivo suggesting that the pathway displayed increased activity in vitro. Our data illustrate the difficulty in translating in vitro findings in vivo. See related article in Mol Cancer Ther (2022) 21(8):1306-1317.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Jonchere
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Justin Williams
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Frederique Zindy
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Jingjing Liu
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Sarah Robinson
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Dana M. Farmer
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Jaeki Min
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology Chemical Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Lei Yang
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology Chemical Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Jennifer L. Stripay
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Yingzhe Wang
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology Preclinical PK Shared Resource, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Burgess B. Freeman
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology Preclinical PK Shared Resource, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Jiyang Yu
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Anang A. Shelat
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology Chemical Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Zoran Rankovic
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology Chemical Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Martine F. Roussel
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
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3
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Gringmuth M, Walther J, Greiser S, Toussaint M, Schwalm B, Kool M, Kortmann RD, Glasow A, Patties I. Enhanced Survival of High-Risk Medulloblastoma-Bearing Mice after Multimodal Treatment with Radiotherapy, Decitabine, and Abacavir. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073815. [PMID: 35409174 PMCID: PMC8998934 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Children with high-risk SHH/TP53-mut and Group 3 medulloblastoma (MB) have a 5-year overall survival of only 40%. Innovative approaches to enhance survival while preventing adverse effects are urgently needed. We investigated an innovative therapy approach combining irradiation (RT), decitabine (DEC), and abacavir (ABC) in a patient-derived orthotopic SHH/TP53-mut and Group 3 MB mouse model. MB-bearing mice were treated with DEC, ABC and RT. Mouse survival, tumor growth (BLI, MRT) tumor histology (H/E), proliferation (Ki-67), and endothelial (CD31) staining were analyzed. Gene expression was examined by microarray and RT-PCR (Ki-67, VEGF, CD31, CD15, CD133, nestin, CD68, IBA). The RT/DEC/ABC therapy inhibited tumor growth and enhanced mouse survival. Ki-67 decreased in SHH/TP53-mut MBs after RT, DEC, RT/ABC, and RT/DEC/ABC therapy. CD31 was higher in SHH/TP53-mut compared to Group 3 MBs and decreased after RT/DEC/ABC. Microarray analyses showed a therapy-induced downregulation of cell cycle genes. By RT-PCR, no therapy-induced effect on stem cell fraction or immune cell invasion/activation could be shown. We showed for the first time that RT/DEC/ABC therapy improves survival of orthotopic SHH/TP53-mut and Group 3 MB-bearing mice without inducing adverse effects suggesting the potential for an adjuvant application of this multimodal therapy approach in the human clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieke Gringmuth
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Leipzig, Stephanstraße 9a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (M.G.); (R.-D.K.); (A.G.)
| | - Jenny Walther
- Fraunhofer Center for Microelectronic and Optical Systems for Biomedicine, Herman-Hollerith-Straße 3, 99099 Erfurt, Germany; (J.W.); (S.G.)
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Perlickstraße 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sebastian Greiser
- Fraunhofer Center for Microelectronic and Optical Systems for Biomedicine, Herman-Hollerith-Straße 3, 99099 Erfurt, Germany; (J.W.); (S.G.)
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Perlickstraße 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Magali Toussaint
- Department of Neuroradiopharmaceuticals, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Research Site Leipzig, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany;
| | - Benjamin Schwalm
- Hopp Children’s Cancer Center (KiTZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 430, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (B.S.); (M.K.)
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marcel Kool
- Hopp Children’s Cancer Center (KiTZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 430, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (B.S.); (M.K.)
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Heidelberglaan 25, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Rolf-Dieter Kortmann
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Leipzig, Stephanstraße 9a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (M.G.); (R.-D.K.); (A.G.)
| | - Annegret Glasow
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Leipzig, Stephanstraße 9a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (M.G.); (R.-D.K.); (A.G.)
| | - Ina Patties
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Leipzig, Stephanstraße 9a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (M.G.); (R.-D.K.); (A.G.)
- Correspondence:
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4
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Abbas Z, George C, Ancliffe M, Howlett M, Jones AC, Kuchibhotla M, Wechsler-Reya RJ, Gottardo NG, Endersby R. Conventional Therapies Deplete Brain-Infiltrating Adaptive Immune Cells in a Mouse Model of Group 3 Medulloblastoma Implicating Myeloid Cells as Favorable Immunotherapy Targets. Front Immunol 2022; 13:837013. [PMID: 35309309 PMCID: PMC8928748 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.837013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Medulloblastoma is the most common childhood brain cancer. Mainstay treatments of radiation and chemotherapy have not changed in decades and new treatment approaches are crucial for the improvement of clinical outcomes. To date, immunotherapies for medulloblastoma have been unsuccessful, and studies investigating the immune microenvironment of the disease and the impact of current therapies are limited. Preclinical models that recapitulate both the disease and immune environment are essential for understanding immune-tumor interactions and to aid the identification of new and effective immunotherapies. Using an immune-competent mouse model of aggressive Myc-driven medulloblastoma, we characterized the brain immune microenvironment and changes induced in response to craniospinal irradiation, or the medulloblastoma chemotherapies cyclophosphamide or gemcitabine. The role of adaptive immunity in disease progression and treatment response was delineated by comparing survival outcomes in wildtype C57Bl/6J and in mice deficient in Rag1 that lack mature T and B cells. We found medulloblastomas in wildtype and Rag1-deficient mice grew equally fast, and that craniospinal irradiation and chemotherapies extended survival equally in wildtype and Rag1-deficient mice, suggesting that tumor growth and treatment response is independent of T and B cells. Medulloblastomas were myeloid dominant, and in wildtype mice, craniospinal irradiation and cyclophosphamide depleted T and B cells in the brain. Gemcitabine treatment was found to minimally alter the immune populations in the brain, resulting only in a depletion of neutrophils. Intratumorally, we observed an abundance of Iba1+ macrophages, and we show that CD45high cells comprise the majority of immune cells within these medulloblastomas but found that existing markers are insufficient to clearly delineate resident microglia from infiltrating macrophages. Ultimately, brain resident and peripheral macrophages dominate the brain and tumor microenvironment and are not depleted by standard-of-care medulloblastoma therapies. These populations therefore present a favorable target for immunotherapy in combination with front-line treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Abbas
- Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,Brain Tumour Research Program, Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Courtney George
- Brain Tumour Research Program, Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia.,School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Mathew Ancliffe
- Brain Tumour Research Program, Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia.,School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Meegan Howlett
- Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,Brain Tumour Research Program, Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Anya C Jones
- Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,Cancer Centre Core Research, Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Mani Kuchibhotla
- Brain Tumour Research Program, Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Robert J Wechsler-Reya
- NCI-Designated Cancer Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Nicholas G Gottardo
- Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,Brain Tumour Research Program, Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia.,Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Oncology and Haematology, Perth Children's Hospital, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Raelene Endersby
- Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,Brain Tumour Research Program, Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia
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5
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Vatner R, James CD, Sathiaseelan V, Bondra KM, Kalapurakal JA, Houghton PJ. Radiation therapy and molecular-targeted agents in preclinical testing for immunotherapy, brain tumors, and sarcomas: Opportunities and challenges. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2021; 68 Suppl 2:e28439. [PMID: 32827353 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.28439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Despite radiation therapy (RT) being an integral part of the treatment of most pediatric cancers and the recent discovery of novel molecular-targeted agents (MTAs) in this era of precision medicine with the potential to improve the therapeutic ratio of modern chemoradiotherapy regimens, there are only a few preclinical trials being conducted to discover novel radiosensitizers and radioprotectors. This has resulted in a paucity of translational clinical trials combining RT and novel MTAs. This report describes the opportunities and challenges of investigating RT together with MTAs in preclinical testing for immunotherapy, brain tumors, and sarcomas in pediatric oncology. We discuss the need for improving the collaboration between radiation oncologists, biologists, and physicists to improve the reliability, reproducibility, and translational potential of RT-based preclinical research. Current translational clinical trials using RT and MTAs for immunotherapy, brain tumors, and sarcomas are described. The technologic advances in experimental RT, availability of novel experimental tumor models, advances in immunology and tumor biology, and the discovery of novel MTAs together hold considerable promise for good quality preclinical and clinical multimodality research to improve the current rates of survival and toxicity in children afflicted with cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralph Vatner
- Radiation Oncology, University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | | | | | - Kathryn M Bondra
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas, San Antonio, Texas
| | | | - Peter J Houghton
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas, San Antonio, Texas
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6
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Wijaya J, Gose T, Schuetz JD. Using Pharmacology to Squeeze the Life Out of Childhood Leukemia, and Potential Strategies to Achieve Breakthroughs in Medulloblastoma Treatment. Pharmacol Rev 2020; 72:668-691. [PMID: 32571983 PMCID: PMC7312347 DOI: 10.1124/pr.118.016824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Eliminating cancer was once thought of as a war. This analogy is still apt today; however, we now realize that cancer is a much more formidable enemy than scientists originally perceived, and in some cases, it harbors a profound ability to thwart our best efforts to defeat it. However, before we were aware of the complexity of cancer, chemotherapy against childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was successful because it applied the principles of pharmacology. Herein, we provide a historic perspective of the experience at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In 1962, when the hospital opened, fewer than 3% of patients experienced durable cure. Through judicious application of pharmacologic principles (e.g., combination therapy with agents using different mechanisms of action) plus appropriate drug scheduling, dosing, and pharmacodynamics, the survival of patients with ALL now exceeds 90%. We contrast this approach to treating ALL with the contemporary approach to treating medulloblastoma, in which genetics and molecular signatures are being used to guide the development of more-efficacious treatment strategies with minimal toxicity. Finally, we highlight the emerging technologies that can sustain and propel the collaborative efforts to squeeze the life out of these cancers. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Up until the early 1960s, chemotherapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia was mostly ineffective. This changed with the knowledge and implementation of rational approaches to combination therapy. Although the therapeutics of brain cancers such as medulloblastoma are not as refined (in part because of the blood-brain barrier obstacle), recent extraordinary advances in knowledge of medulloblastoma pathobiology has led to innovations in disease classification accompanied with strategies to improve therapeutic outcomes. Undoubtedly, additional novel approaches, such as immunological therapeutics, will open new avenues to further the goal of taming cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juwina Wijaya
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Tomoka Gose
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - John D Schuetz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
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7
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Wijaya J, Vo BT, Liu J, Xu B, Wu G, Wang Y, Peng J, Zhang J, Janke LJ, Orr BA, Yu J, Roussel MF, Schuetz JD. An ABC Transporter Drives Medulloblastoma Pathogenesis by Regulating Sonic Hedgehog Signaling. Cancer Res 2020; 80:1524-1537. [PMID: 31948942 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-19-2054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Mutations in Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling promote aberrant proliferation and tumor growth. SHH-medulloblastoma (MB) is among the most frequent brain tumors in children less than 3 years of age. Although key components of the SHH pathway are well-known, we hypothesized that new disease-modifying targets of SHH-MB might be identified from large-scale bioinformatics and systems biology analyses. Using a data-driven systems biology approach, we built a MB-specific interactome. The ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCC4 was identified as a modulator of SHH-MB. Accordingly, increased ABCC4 expression correlated with poor overall survival in patients with SHH-MB. Knockdown of ABCC4 expression markedly blunted the constitutive activation of the SHH pathway secondary to Ptch1 or Sufu insufficiency. In human tumor cell lines, ABCC4 knockdown and inhibition reduced full-length GLI3 levels. In a clinically relevant murine SHH-MB model, targeted ablation of Abcc4 in primary tumors significantly reduced tumor burden and extended the lifespan of tumor-bearing mice. These studies reveal ABCC4 as a potent SHH pathway regulator and a new candidate to target with the potential to improve SHH-MB therapy. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings identify ABCC4 transporter as a new target in SHH-MB, prompting the development of inhibitors or the repurporsing of existing drugs to target ABCC4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juwina Wijaya
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - BaoHan T Vo
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Jingjing Liu
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Beisi Xu
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Gang Wu
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Yao Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Junmin Peng
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.,Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Jin Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, California
| | - Laura J Janke
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Brent A Orr
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Jiyang Yu
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Martine F Roussel
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - John D Schuetz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
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8
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Stripay JL, Merchant TE, Roussel MF, Tinkle CL. Preclinical Models of Craniospinal Irradiation for Medulloblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12010133. [PMID: 31948065 PMCID: PMC7016884 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12010133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2019] [Revised: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Medulloblastoma is an embryonal tumor that shows a predilection for distant metastatic spread and leptomeningeal seeding. For most patients, optimal management of medulloblastoma includes maximum safe resection followed by adjuvant craniospinal irradiation (CSI) and chemotherapy. Although CSI is crucial in treating medulloblastoma, the realization that medulloblastoma is a heterogeneous disease comprising four distinct molecular subgroups (wingless [WNT], sonic hedgehog [SHH], Group 3 [G3], and Group 4 [G4]) with distinct clinical characteristics and prognoses has refocused efforts to better define the optimal role of CSI within and across disease subgroups. The ability to deliver clinically relevant CSI to preclinical models of medulloblastoma offers the potential to study radiation dose and volume effects on tumor control and toxicity in these subgroups and to identify subgroup-specific combination adjuvant therapies. Recent efforts have employed commercial image-guided small animal irradiation systems as well as custom approaches to deliver accurate and reproducible fractionated CSI in various preclinical models of medulloblastoma. Here, we provide an overview of the current clinical indications for, and technical aspects of, irradiation of pediatric medulloblastoma. We then review the current literature on preclinical modeling of and treatment interventions for medulloblastoma and conclude with a summary of challenges in the field of preclinical modeling of CSI for the treatment of leptomeningeal seeding tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L. Stripay
- Departments of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA; (J.L.S.); (M.F.R.)
| | - Thomas E. Merchant
- Departments of Radiation Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA;
| | - Martine F. Roussel
- Departments of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA; (J.L.S.); (M.F.R.)
| | - Christopher L. Tinkle
- Departments of Radiation Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(901)-595-8735; Fax: +1-(901)-595-3113
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9
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Patient-derived orthotopic xenografts of pediatric brain tumors: a St. Jude resource. Acta Neuropathol 2020; 140:209-225. [PMID: 32519082 PMCID: PMC7360541 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-020-02171-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Pediatric brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death in children. Patient-derived orthotopic xenografts (PDOX) of childhood brain tumors have recently emerged as a biologically faithful vehicle for testing novel and more effective therapies. Herein, we provide the histopathological and molecular analysis of 37 novel PDOX models generated from pediatric brain tumor patients treated at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Using a combination of histopathology, whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing, RNA-sequencing, and DNA methylation arrays, we demonstrate the overall fidelity and inter-tumoral molecular heterogeneity of pediatric brain tumor PDOX models. These models represent frequent as well as rare childhood brain tumor entities, including medulloblastoma, ependymoma, atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor, and embryonal tumor with multi-layer rosettes. PDOX models will be valuable platforms for evaluating novel therapies and conducting pre-clinical trials to accelerate progress in the treatment of brain tumors in children. All described PDOX models and associated datasets can be explored using an interactive web-based portal and will be made freely available to the research community upon request.
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