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Abdelrahman Z, Abdelatty A, Luo J, McKnight AJ, Wang X. Stratification of glioma based on stemness scores in bulk and single-cell transcriptomes. Comput Biol Med 2024; 175:108304. [PMID: 38663352 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108304] [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: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/15/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Brain tumours are known to have a high mortality and morbidity rate due to their localised and frequent invasive growth. The concept that glioma resistance could originate from the dissimilarity in the vulnerability of clonogenic glial stem cells to chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation has driven the scientific community to reexamine the comprehension of glioma growth and strategies that target these cells or modify their stemness. METHODS Based on the enrichment scores of 12 stemness signatures, we identified glioma subtypes in both tumour bulks and single cells by clustering analysis. Furthermore, we comprehensively compared molecular and clinical features among the glioma subtypes. RESULTS Consistently, in seven different datasets, hierarchical clustering uncovered three subtypes of glioma, termed Stem-H, Stem-M, and Stem-L, with high, medium, and low stemness signatures, respectively. Stem-H and Stem-L exhibited the most unfavorable and favourable overall and disease-free survival, respectively. Stem-H showed the highest enrichment scores of the EMT, invasion, proliferation, differentiation, and metastasis processes signatures, while Stem-L displayed the lowest. Stem-H harboured a greater proportion of late-stage tumours compared to Stem-L. Moreover, Stem-H manifested higher tumour mutation burden, DNA damage repair and cell cycle activity, intratumour heterogeneity, and a more frequent incidence of TP53 and EGFR mutations than Stem-L. In contrast, Stem-L had higher O6-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase (MGMT) methylation levels. CONCLUSION The classification of glioma based on stemness may offer new insights into the biology of the tumour, as well as more accurate clinical management of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeinab Abdelrahman
- Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health Research Group, Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Institute for Clinical Sciences A, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, BT12 6BA, UK.
| | - Alaa Abdelatty
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
| | - Jiangti Luo
- Biomedical Informatics Research Lab, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China; Cancer Genomics Research Center, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China; Big Data Research Institute, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Amy Jayne McKnight
- Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health Research Group, Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Institute for Clinical Sciences A, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, BT12 6BA, UK
| | - Xiaosheng Wang
- Biomedical Informatics Research Lab, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China; Cancer Genomics Research Center, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China; Big Data Research Institute, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China.
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2
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Zhou HY, Wang YC, Wang T, Wu W, Cao YY, Zhang BC, Wang MD, Mao P. CCNA2 and NEK2 regulate glioblastoma progression by targeting the cell cycle. Oncol Lett 2024; 27:206. [PMID: 38516683 PMCID: PMC10956385 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2024.14339] [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: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is characterized by significant heterogeneity, leading to poor survival outcomes for patients, despite the implementation of comprehensive treatment strategies. The roles of cyclin A2 (CCNA2) and NIMA related kinase 2 (NEK2) have been extensively studied in numerous cancers, but their specific functions in GBM remain to be elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the potential molecular mechanisms of CCNA2 and NEK2 in GBM. CCNA2 and NEK2 expression and prognosis in glioma were evaluated by bioinformatics methods. In addition, the distribution of CCNA2 and NEK2 expression in GBM subsets was determined using pseudo-time analysis and tricycle position of single-cell sequencing. Gene Expression Omnibus and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome databases were employed and enrichment analyses were conducted to investigate potential signaling pathways in GBM subsets and a nomogram was established to predict 1-, 2- and 3-year overall survival probability in GBM. CCNA2 and NEK2 expression levels were further validated by western blot analysis and immunohistochemical staining in GBM samples. High expression of CCNA2 and NEK2 in glioma indicates poor clinical outcomes. Single-cell sequencing of GBM revealed that these genes were upregulated in a subset of positive neural progenitor cells (P-NPCs), which showed significant proliferation and progression properties and may activate G2M checkpoint pathways. A comprehensive nomogram predicts 1-, 2- and 3-year overall survival probability in GBM by considering P-NPCs, age, chemotherapy and radiotherapy scores. CCNA2 and NEK2 regulate glioblastoma progression by targeting the cell cycle, thus indicating the potential of novel therapy directed to CCNA2 and NEK2 in GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao-Yu Zhou
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Yi-Chang Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Tuo Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Wei Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Yi-Yang Cao
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Bei-Chen Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Mao-De Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Ping Mao
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
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3
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Yang L, Tang Y, Zhang Y, Wang Y, Jiang P, Liu F, Feng N. Comprehensiveness cuproptosis related genes study for prognosis and medication sensitiveness across cancers, and validation in prostate cancer. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9570. [PMID: 38671021 PMCID: PMC11053037 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57303-8] [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: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) are important for tumor development. However, the functions of CRGs across cancers remain obscure. We performed a pan-cancer investigation to reveal the roles of CRGs across cancers. In an analysis of 26 cancers, 12 CRGs were differentially expressed, and those CRGs were found to have prognostic value across different cancer types. The expression of CRGs exhibited varied among tumors of 6 immune subtypes and were significantly correlated with the 16 sensitivities of drugs. The expression of CRGs were highly correlated with immunological subtype and tumor microenvironment (TME) of prostate cancer. We also established CRGs-related prognostic signatures that closely correlated with prognosis and drug sensitivity of prostate cancer patients. Single-cell RNA-seq revealed that several CRGs were enriched in the cancer cells. Finally, an in vitro experiment showed that elesclomol, a cuproptosis inducer, targets ferredoxin 1 and suppress cell viability in prostate cancer cells. In conclusion, we carried out a comprehensive investigation for determining CRGs in differential expression, prognosis, immunological subtype, TME, and cancer treatment sensitivity across 26 malignancies; and validated the results in prostate cancer. Our research improves pan-cancer knowledge of CRGs and identifies more effective immunotherapy strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longfei Yang
- Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
- Department of Urology, Jiangnan University Medical Center, 68 Zhongshan Road, Wuxi, 214002, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Urology, Wuxi No. 2 Hospital, Nantong University, Wuxi, China
- Department of Urology, Wuxi No. 2 Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
| | - Yifan Tang
- Department of Urology, Jiangnan University Medical Center, 68 Zhongshan Road, Wuxi, 214002, Jiangsu, China
- Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- Department of Urology, Wuxi No. 2 Hospital, Nantong University, Wuxi, China
- Department of Urology, Wuxi No. 2 Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
| | - Yuwei Zhang
- Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
- Department of Urology, Jiangnan University Medical Center, 68 Zhongshan Road, Wuxi, 214002, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Urology, Wuxi No. 2 Hospital, Nantong University, Wuxi, China
- Department of Urology, Wuxi No. 2 Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
| | - Yang Wang
- Department of Urology, Jiangnan University Medical Center, 68 Zhongshan Road, Wuxi, 214002, Jiangsu, China
- Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- Department of Urology, Wuxi No. 2 Hospital, Nantong University, Wuxi, China
- Department of Urology, Wuxi No. 2 Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
| | - Peng Jiang
- Department of Urology, Jiangnan University Medical Center, 68 Zhongshan Road, Wuxi, 214002, Jiangsu, China
- Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- Department of Urology, Wuxi No. 2 Hospital, Nantong University, Wuxi, China
- Department of Urology, Wuxi No. 2 Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
| | - Fengping Liu
- Department of Urology, Jiangnan University Medical Center, 68 Zhongshan Road, Wuxi, 214002, Jiangsu, China.
- Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
- Department of Urology, Wuxi No. 2 Hospital, Nantong University, Wuxi, China.
- Department of Urology, Wuxi No. 2 Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China.
| | - Ninghan Feng
- Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China.
- Department of Urology, Jiangnan University Medical Center, 68 Zhongshan Road, Wuxi, 214002, Jiangsu, China.
- Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
- Department of Urology, Wuxi No. 2 Hospital, Nantong University, Wuxi, China.
- Department of Urology, Wuxi No. 2 Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China.
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Zhou H, Chen M, Zhao C, Shao R, Xu Y, Zhao W. The Natural Product Secoemestrin C Inhibits Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells via p38-S100A8 Feed-Forward Regulatory Loop. Cells 2024; 13:620. [PMID: 38607060 PMCID: PMC11011747 DOI: 10.3390/cells13070620] [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: 02/24/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are closely associated with tumor initiation, metastasis, chemoresistance, and recurrence, which represent some of the primary obstacles to cancer treatment. Targeting CSCs has become an important therapeutic approach to cancer care. Secoemestrin C (Sec C) is a natural compound with strong anti-tumor activity and low toxicity. Here, we report that Sec C effectively inhibited colorectal CSCs and non-CSCs concurrently, mainly by inhibiting proliferation, self-renewal, metastasis, and drug resistance. Mechanistically, RNA-seq analysis showed that the pro-inflammation pathway of the IL17 axis was enriched, and its effector S100A8 was dramatically decreased in Sec C-treated cells, whose roles in the stemness of CSCs have not been fully clarified. We found that the overexpression of S100A8 hindered the anti-CSCs effect of Sec C, and S100A8 deficiency attenuated the stemness traits of CSCs to enhance the Sec C killing activity on them. Meanwhile, the p38 signal pathway, belonging to the IL17 downstream axis, can also mediate CSCs and counter with Sec C. Notably, we found that S100A8 upregulation increased the p38 protein level, and p38, in turn, promoted S100A8 expression. This indicated that p38 may have a mutual feedback loop with S100A8. Our study discovered that Sec C was a powerful anti-colorectal CSC agent, and that the positive feedback loop of p38-S100A8 mediated Sec C activity. This showed that Sec C could act as a promising clinical candidate in colorectal cancer treatment, and S100A8 could be a prospective drug target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, Key Laboratory of Antibiotic Bioengineering, Ministry of Health, Laboratory of Oncology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; (H.Z.); (C.Z.); (R.S.)
| | - Minghua Chen
- NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, National Center for New Microbial Drug Screening, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, 1 Tiantan Xili, Beijing 100050, China;
| | - Cong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, Key Laboratory of Antibiotic Bioengineering, Ministry of Health, Laboratory of Oncology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; (H.Z.); (C.Z.); (R.S.)
| | - Rongguang Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, Key Laboratory of Antibiotic Bioengineering, Ministry of Health, Laboratory of Oncology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; (H.Z.); (C.Z.); (R.S.)
| | - Yanni Xu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Biotechnology of Antibiotics, National Center for New Microbial Drug Screening, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, 1 Tiantan Xili, Beijing 100050, China;
| | - Wuli Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, Key Laboratory of Antibiotic Bioengineering, Ministry of Health, Laboratory of Oncology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; (H.Z.); (C.Z.); (R.S.)
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5
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Wen L, Xu K, Huang M, Pan Q. Identification of oxeiptosis-associated lncRNAs and prognosis-related signature to predict the immune status in gastric cancer. Medicine (Baltimore) 2024; 103:e37189. [PMID: 38363905 PMCID: PMC10869064 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000037189] [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: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
As a novel form of cell death, oxeiptosis is mainly caused by oxidative stress and has been defined to contribute to the cellular death program in cancer. However, the precise involvement of oxeiptosis-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) within gastric cancer (GC) remains elusive. Thus, our study was aimed to elucidate the pivotal effect of hub oxeiptosis-related lncRNAs on GC by comprehensively analyzing lncRNA and gene expression data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Subsequently, we constructed a risk signature (risk-sig) using lncRNAs and further evaluated its prognostic significance. We successfully identified thirteen lncRNAs closely related with oxeiptosis that exhibited significant relevance to the prognosis of GC, forming the foundation of our meticulously constructed risk-sig. Notably, our clinical analyses unveiled a strong correlation between the risk-sig and crucial clinical parameters including overall survival (OS), gender, TNM stage, grade, M stage, and N stage among GC patients. Intriguingly, the diagnostic accuracy of this risk-sig surpassed that of conventional clinicopathological characteristics, underscoring its potential as a highly informative prognostic tool. In-depth mechanistic investigations further illuminated a robust association between this risk-sig and fundamental biological processes such as tumor stemness, immune cell infiltration, and immune subtypes. These findings provide valuable insights into the complex interplay between oxeiptosis-related lncRNAs and the intricate molecular landscape of GC. Ultimately, leveraging the risk scores derived from our comprehensive analysis, we successfully developed a nomogram that enables accurate prediction of GC prognosis. Collectively, our study established a solid foundation for the integration of thirteen hub oxeiptosis-related lncRNAs into a clinically applicable risk-sig, potentially revolutionizing prognostic assessment in GC and facilitating the development of innovative therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Wen
- Nursing Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Kaili Xu
- Department of Operating Room, The First People’s Hospital of Linping District, Hangzhou, China
| | - Min Huang
- Department of Medicine, Zhejiang Rehabilitation Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qin Pan
- Department of Operating Room, The First People’s Hospital of Linping District, Hangzhou, China
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6
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Zechel C, Loy M, Wegner C, Dahlke E, Soetje B, Baehr L, Leppert J, Ostermaier JJ, Lueg T, Nielsen J, Elßner J, Willeke V, Marzahl S, Tronnier V, Madany Mamlouk A. Molecular signature of stem-like glioma cells (SLGCs) from human glioblastoma and gliosarcoma. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0291368. [PMID: 38306361 PMCID: PMC10836714 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and the GBM variant gliosarcoma (GS) are among the tumors with the highest morbidity and mortality, providing only palliation. Stem-like glioma cells (SLGCs) are involved in tumor initiation, progression, therapy resistance, and relapse. The identification of general features of SLGCs could contribute to the development of more efficient therapies. Commercially available protein arrays were used to determine the cell surface signature of eight SLGC lines from GBMs, one SLGC line obtained from a xenotransplanted GBM-derived SLGC line, and three SLGC lines from GSs. By means of non-negative matrix factorization expression metaprofiles were calculated. Using the cophenetic correlation coefficient (CCC) five metaprofiles (MPs) were identified, which are characterized by specific combinations of 7-12 factors. Furthermore, the expression of several factors, that are associated with GBM prognosis, GBM subtypes, SLGC differentiation stages, or neural identity was evaluated. The investigation encompassed 24 distinct SLGC lines, four of which were derived from xenotransplanted SLGCs, and included the SLGC lines characterized by the metaprofiles. It turned out that all SLGC lines expressed the epidermal growth factor EGFR and EGFR ligands, often in the presence of additional receptor tyrosine kinases. Moreover, all SLGC lines displayed a neural signature and the IDH1 wildtype, but differed in their p53 and PTEN status. Pearson Correlation analysis identified a positive association between the pluripotency factor Sox2 and the expression of FABP7, Musashi, CD133, GFAP, but not with MGMT or Hif1α. Spherical growth, however, was positively correlated with high levels of Hif1α, CDK4, PTEN, and PDGFRβ, whereas correlations with stemness factors or MGMT (MGMT expression and promoter methylation) were low or missing. Factors highly expressed by all SLGC lines, irrespective of their degree of stemness and growth behavior, are Cathepsin-D, CD99, EMMPRIN/CD147, Intβ1, the Galectins 3 and 3b, and N-Cadherin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Zechel
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Clinic Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Mira Loy
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Christiane Wegner
- Institute for Neuro- and Bioinformatics (INB), University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Eileen Dahlke
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Birga Soetje
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Laura Baehr
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Jan Leppert
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Clinic Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Johannes J. Ostermaier
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Thorben Lueg
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Jana Nielsen
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Julia Elßner
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Viktoria Willeke
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Svenja Marzahl
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Volker Tronnier
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Clinic Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Amir Madany Mamlouk
- Institute for Neuro- and Bioinformatics (INB), University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
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Dabrock A, Ernesti N, Will F, Rana M, Leinung N, Ehrich P, Tronnier V, Zechel C. RAR-Dependent and RAR-Independent RXR Signaling in Stem-like Glioma Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16466. [PMID: 38003656 PMCID: PMC10671216 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216466] [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: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Retinoic acid (RA) exerts pleiotropic effects during neural development and regulates homeostasis in the adult human brain. The RA signal may be transduced through RXR (retinoid-X receptor)-non-permissive RA receptor/RXR heterodimers or through RXR-permissive RXR heterodimers. The significance of RA signaling in malignant brain tumors such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and gliosarcoma (GS) is poorly understood. In particular, the impact RA has on the proliferation, survival, differentiation, or metabolism of GBM- or GS-derived cells with features of stem cells (SLGCs) remains elusive. In the present manuscript, six GBM- and two GS-derived SLGC lines were analyzed for their responsiveness to RAR- and RXR-selective agonists. Inhibition of proliferation and initiation of differentiation were achieved with a RAR-selective pan-agonist in a subgroup of SLGC lines, whereas RXR-selective pan-agonists (rexinoids) supported proliferation in most SLGC lines. To decipher the RAR-dependent and RAR-independent effects of RXR, the genes encoding the RAR or RXR isotypes were functionally inactivated by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing in an IDH1-/p53-positive SLGC line with good responsiveness to RA. Stemness, differentiation capacity, and growth behavior were preserved after editing. Taken together, this manuscript provides evidence about the positive impact of RAR-independent RXR signaling on proliferation, survival, and tumor metabolism in SLGCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Dabrock
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Marie-Curie Strasse 66, D-23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Natalie Ernesti
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Marie-Curie Strasse 66, D-23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Florian Will
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Marie-Curie Strasse 66, D-23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Manaf Rana
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Marie-Curie Strasse 66, D-23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Nadja Leinung
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Marie-Curie Strasse 66, D-23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Phillip Ehrich
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Marie-Curie Strasse 66, D-23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Volker Tronnier
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Clinic Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, D-23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Christina Zechel
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuro-Oncology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University Lübeck, Marie-Curie Strasse 66, D-23562 Lübeck, Germany
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Clinic Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, D-23538 Lübeck, Germany
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Inoue A, Ohnishi T, Nishikawa M, Ohtsuka Y, Kusakabe K, Yano H, Tanaka J, Kunieda T. A Narrative Review on CD44's Role in Glioblastoma Invasion, Proliferation, and Tumor Recurrence. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4898. [PMID: 37835592 PMCID: PMC10572085 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15194898] [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: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
High invasiveness is a characteristic of glioblastoma (GBM), making radical resection almost impossible, and thus, resulting in a tumor with inevitable recurrence. GBM recurrence may be caused by glioma stem-like cells (GSCs) that survive many kinds of therapy. GSCs with high expression levels of CD44 are highly invasive and resistant to radio-chemotherapy. CD44 is a multifunctional molecule that promotes the invasion and proliferation of tumor cells via various signaling pathways. Among these, paired pathways reciprocally activate invasion and proliferation under different hypoxic conditions. Severe hypoxia (0.5-2.5% O2) upregulates hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α, which then activates target genes, including CD44, TGF-β, and cMET, all of which are related to tumor migration and invasion. In contrast, moderate hypoxia (2.5-5% O2) upregulates HIF-2α, which activates target genes, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/VEGFR2, cMYC, and cyclin D1. All these genes are related to tumor proliferation. Oxygen environments around GBM can change before and after tumor resection. Before resection, the oxygen concentration at the tumor periphery is severely hypoxic. In the reparative stage after resection, the resection cavity shows moderate hypoxia. These observations suggest that upregulated CD44 under severe hypoxia may promote the migration and invasion of tumor cells. Conversely, when tumor resection leads to moderate hypoxia, upregulated HIF-2α activates HIF-2α target genes. The phenotypic transition regulated by CD44, leading to a dichotomy between invasion and proliferation according to hypoxic conditions, may play a crucial role in GBM recurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Inoue
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, 454 Shitsukawa, Toon 791-0295, Ehime, Japan; (M.N.); (Y.O.); (K.K.); (T.K.)
| | - Takanori Ohnishi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, 454 Shitsukawa, Toon 791-0295, Ehime, Japan; (M.N.); (Y.O.); (K.K.); (T.K.)
- Department of Neurosurgery, Advanced Brain Disease Center, Washoukai Sadamoto Hospital, 1-6-1 Takehara, Matsuyama 790-0052, Ehime, Japan
| | - Masahiro Nishikawa
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, 454 Shitsukawa, Toon 791-0295, Ehime, Japan; (M.N.); (Y.O.); (K.K.); (T.K.)
| | - Yoshihiro Ohtsuka
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, 454 Shitsukawa, Toon 791-0295, Ehime, Japan; (M.N.); (Y.O.); (K.K.); (T.K.)
| | - Kosuke Kusakabe
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, 454 Shitsukawa, Toon 791-0295, Ehime, Japan; (M.N.); (Y.O.); (K.K.); (T.K.)
| | - Hajime Yano
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicene, 454 Shitsukawa, Toon 791-0295, Ehime, Japan; (H.Y.); (J.T.)
| | - Junya Tanaka
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicene, 454 Shitsukawa, Toon 791-0295, Ehime, Japan; (H.Y.); (J.T.)
| | - Takeharu Kunieda
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, 454 Shitsukawa, Toon 791-0295, Ehime, Japan; (M.N.); (Y.O.); (K.K.); (T.K.)
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9
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Carlotto BS, Trevisan P, Provenzi VO, Soares FP, Rosa RFM, Varella-Garcia M, Zen PRG. PDGFRA, KIT, and KDR Gene Amplification in Glioblastoma: Heterogeneity and Clinical Significance. Neuromolecular Med 2023; 25:441-450. [PMID: 37610648 PMCID: PMC10514169 DOI: 10.1007/s12017-023-08749-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent tumor of the central nervous system, and its heterogeneity is a challenge in treatment. This study examined tumoral heterogeneity involving PDGFRA, KIT, and KDR gene amplification (GA) in 4q12 and its association with clinical parameters. Specimens from 22 GBM cases with GA for the 4q12 amplicon detected by FISH were investigated for homogeneous or heterogeneous coamplification patterns, diffuse or focal distribution of cells harboring GA throughout tumor sections, and pattern of clustering of fluorescence signals. Sixteen cases had homogenously amplification for all three genes (45.5%), for PDGFRA and KDR (22.7%), or only for PDGFRA (4.6%); six cases had heterogeneous GA patterns, with subpopulations including GA for all three genes and for two genes - PDGFRA and KDR (13.6%), or GA for all three and for only one gene - PDGFRA (9.1%) or KIT (4.6%). In 6 tumors (27.3%), GA was observed in focal tumor areas, while in the remaining 16 tumors (72.7%) it was diffusely distributed throughout the pathological specimen. Amplification was universally expressed as double minutes and homogenously stained regions. Coamplification of all three genes PDGFRA, KIT, and KDR, age ≥ 60 years, and total tumor resection were statistically associated with poor prognosis. FISH proved effective for detailed interpretation of molecular heterogeneity. The study uncovered an even more diverse range of amplification patterns involving the 4q12 oncogenes in GBM than previously described, thus highlighting a complex tumoral heterogeneity to be considered when devising more effective therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Soares Carlotto
- Graduate Program in Pathology, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS Brazil
| | - Patricia Trevisan
- Graduate Program in Pathology, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS Brazil
- Colorado Genetics Laboratory, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO USA
| | | | | | - Rafael Fabiano Machado Rosa
- Graduate Program in Pathology, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS Brazil
- Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Genetics, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS Brazil
- Irmandade da Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Porto Alegre (ISCMPA), Porto Alegre, RS Brazil
| | - Marileila Varella-Garcia
- Department of Medicine, Medical Oncology Division, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
| | - Paulo Ricardo Gazzola Zen
- Graduate Program in Pathology, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS Brazil
- Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Genetics, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS Brazil
- Irmandade da Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Porto Alegre (ISCMPA), Porto Alegre, RS Brazil
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10
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Huang J, Xu Z, Zhou C, Cheng L, Zeng H, Shen Y. 5-Methylcytosine-related lncRNAs: predicting prognosis and identifying hot and cold tumor subtypes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. World J Surg Oncol 2023; 21:180. [PMID: 37312123 DOI: 10.1186/s12957-023-03067-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: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND 5-Methylcytosine (m5C) methylation is recognized as an mRNA modification that participates in biological progression by regulating related lncRNAs. In this research, we explored the relationship between m5C-related lncRNAs (mrlncRNAs) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) to establish a predictive model. METHODS RNA sequencing and related information were obtained from the TCGA database, and patients were divided into two sets to establish and verify the risk model while identifying prognostic mrlncRNAs. Areas under the ROC curves were assessed to evaluate the predictive effectiveness, and a predictive nomogram was constructed for further prediction. Subsequently, the tumor mutation burden (TMB), stemness, functional enrichment analysis, tumor microenvironment, and immunotherapeutic and chemotherapeutic responses were also assessed based on this novel risk model. Moreover, patients were regrouped into subtypes according to the expression of model mrlncRNAs. RESULTS Assessed by the predictive risk model, patients were distinguished into the low-MLRS and high-MLRS groups, showing satisfactory predictive effects with AUCs of 0.673, 0.712, and 0.681 for the ROCs, respectively. Patients in the low-MLRS groups exhibited better survival status, lower mutated frequency, and lower stemness but were more sensitive to immunotherapeutic response, whereas the high-MLRS group appeared to have higher sensitivity to chemotherapy. Subsequently, patients were regrouped into two clusters: cluster 1 displayed immunosuppressive status, but cluster 2 behaved as a hot tumor with a better immunotherapeutic response. CONCLUSIONS Referring to the above results, we established a m5C-related lncRNA model to evaluate the prognosis, TME, TMB, and clinical treatments for HNSCC patients. This novel assessment system is able to precisely predict the patients' prognosis and identify hot and cold tumor subtypes clearly for HNSCC patients, providing ideas for clinical treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juntao Huang
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, The Affiliated Lihuili Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Ziqian Xu
- Department of Dermatology, Ningbo First Hospital, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chongchang Zhou
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, The Affiliated Lihuili Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lixin Cheng
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, The Affiliated Lihuili Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Hong Zeng
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, The Affiliated Lihuili Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yi Shen
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, The Affiliated Lihuili Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo No.2 Hospital, Ningbo, China.
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11
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Wang Y, Wang B, Ma X. A novel predictive model based on inflammatory response-related genes for predicting endometrial cancer prognosis and its experimental validation. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:204767. [PMID: 37276865 DOI: 10.18632/aging.204767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Inflammatory response is an important feature of most tumors. Local inflammation promotes tumor cell immune evasion and chemotherapeutic drug resistance. We aimed to build a prognostic model for endometrial cancer patients based on inflammatory response-related genes (IRGs). RNA sequencing and clinical data for uterine corpus endometrial cancer were obtained from TCGA datasets. LASSO-penalized Cox regression was used to obtain the risk formula of the model: the score = esum(corresponding coefficient × each gene's expression). The "ESTIMATE" and "pRRophetic" packages in R were used to evaluate the tumor microenvironment and the sensitivity of patients to chemotherapy drugs. Data sets from IMvigor210 were used to evaluate the efficacy of immunotherapy in cancer patients. For experimental verification, 37 endometrial cancer and 43 normal endometrial tissues samples were collected. The mRNA expression of the IRGs was measured using qRT-PCR. The effects of IRGs on the malignant biological behaviors of endometrial cancer were detected using CCK-8, colony formation, Transwell invasion, and apoptosis assays. We developed a novel prognostic signature comprising 13 IRGs, which is an independent prognostic marker for endometrial cancer. A nomogram was developed to predict patient survival accurately. Three key IRGs (LAMP3, MEP1A, and ROS1) were identified in this model. Furthermore, we verified the expression of the three key IRGs using qRT-PCR. Functional experiments also confirmed the influence of the three key IRGs on the malignant biological behavior of endometrial cancer. Thus, a characteristic model constructed using IRGs can predict the survival, chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity, and immunotherapy response in patients with endometrial cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Tiexi, Shenyang 110000, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Bo Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Tiexi, Shenyang 110000, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoxin Ma
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Tiexi, Shenyang 110000, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China
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12
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West TJ, Bi J, Martínez-Peña F, Curtis EJ, Gazaniga NR, Mischel PS, Lairson LL. A Cell Type Selective YM155 Prodrug Targets Receptor-Interacting Protein Kinase 2 to Induce Brain Cancer Cell Death. J Am Chem Soc 2023:10.1021/jacs.2c11715. [PMID: 37017374 PMCID: PMC10551045 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c11715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/06/2023]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most prevalent and aggressive primary central nervous system (CNS) malignancy. YM155 is a highly potent broad-spectrum anti-cancer drug that was derived from a phenotypic screen for functional inhibitors of survivin expression, but for which the relevant biomolecular target remains unknown. Presumably as a result of its lack of cell-type selectivity, YM155 has suffered from tolerability issues in the clinic. Based on its structural similarity to the GBM-selective prodrug RIPGBM, here, we report the design, synthesis, and characterization of a prodrug form of YM155, termed aYM155. aYM155 displays potent cell killing activity against a broad panel of patient-derived GBM cancer stem-like cells (IC50 = 0.7-10 nM), as well as EGFR-amplified and EGFR variant III-expressing (EGFRvIII) cell lines (IC50 = 3.8-36 nM), and becomes activated in a cell-type-dependent manner. Mass spectrometry-based analysis indicates that enhanced cell-type selectivity results from relative rates of prodrug activation in transformed versus non-transformed cell types. The prodrug strategy also facilitates transport into the brain (brain-to-plasma ratio, aYM155 = 0.56; YM155 = BLQ). In addition, we determine that the survivin-suppressing and apoptosis-inducing activities of YM155 involve its interaction with receptor-interacting protein kinase 2 (RIPK2). In an orthotopic intracranial GBM xenograft model, aYM155 prodrug significantly inhibits brain tumor growth in vivo, which correlates with cell-type selective survivin-based pharmacodynamic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J. West
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute; La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Junfeng Bi
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | | | - Ellis J. Curtis
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Medicine, UCSD School of Medicine; La Jolla, CA 92093 USA
| | - Nathalia R. Gazaniga
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute; La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute; La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Paul S. Mischel
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Sarafan ChEM-H, Stanford University; Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Luke L. Lairson
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute; La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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13
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Regulation of Cell Plasticity by Bromodomain and Extraterminal Domain (BET) Proteins: A New Perspective in Glioblastoma Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24065665. [PMID: 36982740 PMCID: PMC10055343 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BET proteins are a family of multifunctional epigenetic readers, mainly involved in transcriptional regulation through chromatin modelling. Transcriptome handling ability of BET proteins suggests a key role in the modulation of cell plasticity, both in fate decision and in lineage commitment during embryonic development and in pathogenic conditions, including cancerogenesis. Glioblastoma is the most aggressive form of glioma, characterized by a very poor prognosis despite the application of a multimodal therapy. Recently, new insights are emerging about the glioblastoma cellular origin, leading to the hypothesis that several putative mechanisms occur during gliomagenesis. Interestingly, epigenome dysregulation associated with loss of cellular identity and functions are emerging as crucial features of glioblastoma pathogenesis. Therefore, the emerging roles of BET protein in glioblastoma onco-biology and the compelling demand for more effective therapeutic strategies suggest that BET family members could be promising targets for translational breakthroughs in glioblastoma treatment. Primarily, “Reprogramming Therapy”, which is aimed at reverting the malignant phenotype, is now considered a promising strategy for GBM therapy.
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14
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Huang CH, Chang E, Zheng L, Raj JGJ, Wu W, Pisani LJ, Daldrup-Link HE. Tumor protease-activated theranostic nanoparticles for MRI-guided glioblastoma therapy. Theranostics 2023; 13:1745-1758. [PMID: 37064879 PMCID: PMC10091873 DOI: 10.7150/thno.79342] [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: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Rationale: As a cancer, Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly lethal and difficult-to-treat. With the aim of improving therapies to GBM, we developed novel and target-specific theranostic nanoparticles (TNPs) that can be selectively cleaved by cathepsin B (Cat B) to release the potent toxin monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE). Methods: We synthesized TNPs composed of a ferumoxytol-based nanoparticle carrier and a peptide prodrug with a Cat-B-responsive linker and the tubulin inhibitor MMAE. We hypothesized that intratumoral Cat B can cleave our TNPs and release MMAE to kill GBM cells. The ferumoxytol core enables in vivo drug tracking with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We incubated U87-MG GBM cells with TNPs or ferumoxytol and evaluated the TNP content in the cells with transmission electron microscopy and Prussian blue staining. In addition, we stereotaxically implanted 6- to 8-week-old nude mice with U87-MG with U87-MG GBM cells that express a fusion protein of Green Fluorescence Protein and firefly Luciferase (U87-MG/GFP-fLuc). We then treated the animals with an intravenous dose of TNPs (25 mg/kg of ferumoxytol, 0.3 mg/kg of MMAE) or control. We also evaluated the combination of TNP treatment with radiation therapy. We performed MRI before and after TNP injection. We compared the results for tumor and normal brain tissue between the TNP and control groups. We also monitored tumor growth for a period of 21 days. Results: We successfully synthesized TNPs with a hydrodynamic size of 41 ± 5 nm and a zeta potential of 6 ± 3 mV. TNP-treated cells demonstrated a significantly higher iron content than ferumoxytol-treated cells (98 ± 1% vs. 3 ± 1% of cells were iron-positive, respectively). We also found significantly fewer live attached cells in the TNP-treated group (3.8 ± 2.0 px2) than in the ferumoxytol-treated group (80.0 ± 14.5 px2, p < 0001). In vivo MRI studies demonstrated a decline in the tumor signal after TNP (T2= 28 ms) but not control (T2= 32 ms) injections. When TNP injection was combined with radiation therapy, the tumor signals dropped further (T2 = 24 ms). The combination therapy of radiation therapy and TNPs extended the median survival from 14.5 days for the control group to 45 days for the combination therapy group. Conclusion: The new cleavable TNPs reported in this work accumulate in GBM, cause tumor cell death, and have synergistic effects with radiation therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ching-Hsin Huang
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, CA, U.S.A
| | - Edwin Chang
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, CA, U.S.A
- Stanford Center for Innovation in In vivo Imaging (SCi 3 ) at Porter, Canary Center for Cancer Early Detection, Stanford University, CA, U.S.A
| | - Li Zheng
- Sarafan Chemistry, Engineering & Medicine for Human Health (Chem-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, U.S.A
| | - Joe Gerald Jesu Raj
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, CA, U.S.A
| | - Wei Wu
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, CA, U.S.A
| | - Laura J. Pisani
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, CA, U.S.A
- Stanford Center for Innovation in In vivo Imaging (SCi 3 ) at Clark, James H. Clark Center, Stanford University, CA, U.S.A
| | - Heike E. Daldrup-Link
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University, CA, U.S.A
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15
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Al-Holou WN, Wang H, Ravikumar V, Shankar S, Oneka M, Fehmi Z, Verhaak RG, Kim H, Pratt D, Camelo-Piragua S, Speers C, Wahl DR, Hollon T, Sagher O, Heth JA, Muraszko KM, Lawrence TS, de Carvalho AC, Mikkelsen T, Rao A, Rehemtulla A. Subclonal evolution and expansion of spatially distinct THY1-positive cells is associated with recurrence in glioblastoma. Neoplasia 2023; 36:100872. [PMID: 36621024 PMCID: PMC9841165 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2022.100872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Glioblastoma(GBM) is a lethal disease characterized by inevitable recurrence. Here we investigate the molecular pathways mediating resistance, with the goal of identifying novel therapeutic opportunities. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We developed a longitudinal in vivo recurrence model utilizing patient-derived explants to produce paired specimens(pre- and post-recurrence) following temozolomide(TMZ) and radiation(IR). These specimens were evaluated for treatment response and to identify gene expression pathways driving treatment resistance. Findings were clinically validated using spatial transcriptomics of human GBMs. RESULTS These studies reveal in replicate cohorts, a gene expression profile characterized by upregulation of mesenchymal and stem-like genes at recurrence. Analyses of clinical databases revealed significant association of this transcriptional profile with worse overall survival and upregulation at recurrence. Notably, gene expression analyses identified upregulation of TGFβ signaling, and more than one-hundred-fold increase in THY1 levels at recurrence. Furthermore, THY1-positive cells represented <10% of cells in treatment-naïve tumors, compared to 75-96% in recurrent tumors. We then isolated THY1-positive cells from treatment-naïve patient samples and determined that they were inherently resistant to chemoradiation in orthotopic models. Additionally, using image-guided biopsies from treatment-naïve human GBM, we conducted spatial transcriptomic analyses. This revealed rare THY1+ regions characterized by mesenchymal/stem-like gene expression, analogous to our recurrent mouse model, which co-localized with macrophages within the perivascular niche. We then inhibited TGFBRI activity in vivo which decreased mesenchymal/stem-like protein levels, including THY1, and restored sensitivity to TMZ/IR in recurrent tumors. CONCLUSIONS These findings reveal that GBM recurrence may result from tumor repopulation by pre-existing, therapy-resistant, THY1-positive, mesenchymal cells within the perivascular niche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wajd N Al-Holou
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Hanxiao Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, NCRC 520, Room 1342, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, United States; AstraZeneca, United States
| | - Visweswaran Ravikumar
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, The University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Sunita Shankar
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Morgan Oneka
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, The University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Ziad Fehmi
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | | | - Hoon Kim
- The Jackson Laboratory, Farmington, CT 06032, United States; Department of Biopharmaceutical Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
| | - Drew Pratt
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, United States
| | | | - Corey Speers
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, NCRC 520, Room 1342, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, United States
| | - Daniel R Wahl
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, NCRC 520, Room 1342, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, United States
| | - Todd Hollon
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Oren Sagher
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Jason A Heth
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Karin M Muraszko
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Theodore S Lawrence
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, NCRC 520, Room 1342, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, United States
| | - Ana C de Carvalho
- Department of Neurosurgery, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, United States
| | - Tom Mikkelsen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, United States
| | - Arvind Rao
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, NCRC 520, Room 1342, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, United States; Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, The University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Alnawaz Rehemtulla
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, NCRC 520, Room 1342, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, United States.
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16
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Wu Y, Wang H, Xiang W, Yi D. EDEM2 is a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and associated with immune infiltration in glioma: A comprehensive analysis. Front Oncol 2023; 12:1054012. [PMID: 36727065 PMCID: PMC9885217 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1054012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioma is a highly common pathological brain tumor. Misfolded protein response, which is strongly associated with the growth of cancerous tumors, is mediated by the gene, endoplasmic reticulum degradation-enhancing alpha-mannosidase-like protein 2. However, this gene has not been linked to glioma. To assess the same, we used The Cancer Genome Atlas, Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas, and Genotype-Tissue Expression datasets. The gene was overexpressed in gliomas. This overexpression was linked to unfavorable clinical characteristics, such as the World Health Organization grade, isocitrate dehydrogenase mutation, and the combined loss of the short arm chromosome 1 and the long arm of chromosome 19. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction experiments and immunohistochemistry on clinical samples from our institution verified the gene's expression and clinical importance. The Human Protein Atlas website verified the messenger ribonucleic acid expression of the gene in glioma cell lines, and immunohistochemistry verified the presence of its protein. A previous survival study indicated that its high expression is substantially related to a bad prognosis. It was identified as an independent predictor of primary glioma prognosis using multivariate Cox regression analysis. To forecast individual survival, we created a nomogram based on this (concordance-index = 0.847). Additionally, functional annotation demonstrated its major role in the control of the extracellular matrix and immune system. The scratch assay and transwell migration assay confirmed the decreased invasive ability of U251 glioma cells with the gene knockdown. Its increased expression was found to be related to the extent of macrophage infiltration using the CIBERSORT, ESTIMATE, Single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, and Tumor Immune Single-Cell Hub (TISCH) algorithms. The Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion algorithm revealed that the gene can accurately predict the response of immunotherapy (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.857). Further, isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 mutation is typically more frequent when the gene expression is high. Finally, five medicines targeting this gene were discovered utilizing the molecular docking program and drug sensitivity analysis of the RNAactDrug website. Low expression of the gene inhibited glioma cell invasion. Therefore, the gene is helpful for the diagnosis, prognosis, and case-specific immunotherapy of glioma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Wei Xiang
- *Correspondence: Wei Xiang, ; Dongye Yi,
| | - Dongye Yi
- *Correspondence: Wei Xiang, ; Dongye Yi,
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17
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Trivieri N, Visioli A, Mencarelli G, Cariglia MG, Marongiu L, Pracella R, Giani F, Soriano AA, Barile C, Cajola L, Copetti M, Palumbo O, Legnani F, DiMeco F, Gorgoglione L, Vescovi AL, Binda E. Growth factor independence underpins a paroxysmal, aggressive Wnt5aHigh/EphA2Low phenotype in glioblastoma stem cells, conducive to experimental combinatorial therapy. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2022; 41:139. [PMID: 35414102 PMCID: PMC9004109 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02333-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an incurable tumor, with a median survival rate of only 14–15 months. Along with heterogeneity and unregulated growth, a central matter in dealing with GBMs is cell invasiveness. Thus, improving prognosis requires finding new agents to inhibit key multiple pathways, even simultaneously. A subset of GBM stem-like cells (GSCs) may account for tumorigenicity, representing, through their pathways, the proper cellular target in the therapeutics of glioblastomas. GSCs cells are routinely enriched and expanded due to continuous exposure to specific growth factors, which might alter some of their intrinsic characteristic and hide therapeutically relevant traits.
Methods
By removing exogenous growth factors stimulation, here we isolated and characterized a subset of GSCs with a “mitogen-independent” phenotype (I-GSCs) from patient’s tumor specimens. Differential side-by-side comparative functional and molecular analyses were performed either in vitro or in vivo on these cells versus their classical growth factor (GF)-dependent counterpart (D-GSCs) as well as their tissue of origin. This was performed to pinpoint the inherent GSCs’ critical regulators, with particular emphasis on those involved in spreading and tumorigenic potential. Transcriptomic fingerprints were pointed out by ANOVA with Benjamini-Hochberg False Discovery Rate (FDR) and association of copy number alterations or somatic mutations was determined by comparing each subgroup with a two-tailed Fisher’s exact test. The combined effects of interacting in vitro and in vivo with two emerging GSCs’ key regulators, such as Wnt5a and EphA2, were then predicted under in vivo experimental settings that are conducive to clinical applications. In vivo comparisons were carried out in mouse-human xenografts GBM model by a hierarchical linear model for repeated measurements and Dunnett’s multiple comparison test with the distribution of survival compared by Kaplan–Meier method.
Results
Here, we assessed that a subset of GSCs from high-grade gliomas is self-sufficient in the activation of regulatory growth signaling. Furthermore, while constitutively present within the same GBM tissue, these GF-independent GSCs cells were endowed with a distinctive functional and molecular repertoire, defined by highly aggressive Wnt5aHigh/EphA2Low profile, as opposed to Wnt5aLow/EphA2High expression in sibling D-GSCs. Regardless of their GBM subtype of origin, I-GSCs, are endowed with a raised in vivo tumorigenic potential than matched D-GSCs, which were fast-growing ex-vivo but less lethal and invasive in vivo. Also, the malignant I-GSCs’ transcriptomic fingerprint faithfully mirrored the original tumor, bringing into evidence key regulators of invasiveness, angiogenesis and immuno-modulators, which became candidates for glioma diagnostic/prognostic markers and therapeutic targets. Particularly, simultaneously counteracting the activity of the tissue invasive mediator Wnt5a and EphA2 tyrosine kinase receptor addictively hindered GSCs’ tumorigenic and invasive ability, thus increasing survival.
Conclusion
We show how the preservation of a mitogen-independent phenotype in GSCs plays a central role in determining the exacerbated tumorigenic and high mobility features distinctive of GBM. The exploitation of the I-GSCs' peculiar features shown here offers new ways to identify novel, GSCs-specific effectors, whose modulation can be used in order to identify novel, potential molecular therapeutic targets. Furthermore, we show how the combined use of PepA, the anti-Wnt5a drug, and of ephrinA1-Fc to can hinder GSCs’ lethality in a clinically relevant xenogeneic in vivo model thus being conducive to perspective, novel combinatorial clinical application.
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18
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He CM, Zhang XD, Zhu SX, Zheng JJ, Wang YM, Wang Q, Yin H, Fu YJ, Xue S, Tang J, Zhao XJ. Integrative pan-cancer analysis and clinical characterization of the N7-methylguanosine (m7G) RNA modification regulators in human cancers. Front Genet 2022; 13:998147. [PMID: 36226166 PMCID: PMC9549978 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.998147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: RNA modification is one of the epigenetic mechanisms that regulates post-transcriptional gene expression, and abnormal RNA modifications have been reported to play important roles in tumorigenesis. N7-methylguanosine (m7G) is an essential modification at the 5′ cap of human mRNA. However, a systematic and pan-cancer analysis of the clinical relevance of m7G related regulatory genes is still lacking.Methods: We used univariate Cox model and Kaplan-Meier analysis to generate the forest plot of OS, PFI, DSS and identified the correlation between the altered expression of m7G regulators and patient survival in 33 cancer types from the TCGA and GTEx databases. Then, the “estimate” R-package, ssGSEA and CIBERSORT were used to depict the pan-cancer immune landscape. Through Spearman’s correlation test, we analyzed the correlation between m7G regulators and the tumor microenvironment (TME), immune subtype, and drug sensitivity of the tumors, which was further validated in NSCLC. We also assessed the changes in the expression of m7G related regulatory genes in NSCLC with regards to the genetic and transcriptional aspects and evaluated the correlation of METTL1 and WDR4 expression with TMB, MSI and immunotherapy in pan-cancer.Results: High expression of most of the m7G regulators was significantly associated with worse prognosis. Correlation analyses revealed that the expression of majority of the m7G regulators was correlated with tumor immune infiltration and tumor stem cell scores. Drug sensitivity analysis showed that the expression of CYFP1,2 was closely related to drug sensitivity for various anticancer agents (p < 0.001). Analysis of the pan-cancer immune subtype revealed significant differences in the expression of m7G regulators between different immune subtypes (p < 0.001). Additionally, the types and proportions of mutations in METTL1 and WDR4 and their relevance to immunotherapy were further described.Conclusion: Our study is the first to evaluate the correlation between the altered expression of m7G regulators and patient survival, the degree of immune infiltration, TME and drug sensitivity in pan-cancer datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Ming He
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xin-Di Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Song-Xin Zhu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jia-Jie Zheng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu-Ming Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qing Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Hang Yin
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu-Jie Fu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Song Xue
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Tang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Jian Tang, ; Xiao-Jing Zhao,
| | - Xiao-Jing Zhao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Jian Tang, ; Xiao-Jing Zhao,
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Johnson AL, Laterra J, Lopez-Bertoni H. Exploring glioblastoma stem cell heterogeneity: Immune microenvironment modulation and therapeutic opportunities. Front Oncol 2022; 12:995498. [PMID: 36212415 PMCID: PMC9532940 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.995498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite its growing use in cancer treatment, immunotherapy has been virtually ineffective in clinical trials for gliomas. The inherently cold tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in gliomas, characterized by a high ratio of pro-tumor to anti-tumor immune cell infiltrates, acts as a seemingly insurmountable barrier to immunotherapy. Glioma stem cells (GSCs) within these tumors are key contributors to this cold TIME, often functioning indirectly through activation and recruitment of pro-tumor immune cell types. Furthermore, drivers of GSC plasticity and heterogeneity (e.g., reprogramming transcription factors, epigenetic modifications) are associated with induction of immunosuppressive cell states. Recent studies have identified GSC-intrinsic mechanisms, including functional mimicry of immune suppressive cell types, as key determinants of anti-tumor immune escape. In this review, we cover recent advancements in our understanding of GSC-intrinsic mechanisms that modulate GSC-TIME interactions and discuss cutting-edge techniques and bioinformatics platforms available to study immune modulation at high cellular resolution with exploration of both malignant (i.e., GSC) and non-malignant (i.e., immune) cell fractions. Finally, we provide insight into the therapeutic opportunities for targeting immunomodulatory GSC-intrinsic mechanisms to potentiate immunotherapy response in gliomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L. Johnson
- Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - John Laterra
- Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: John Laterra, ; Hernando Lopez-Bertoni,
| | - Hernando Lopez-Bertoni
- Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: John Laterra, ; Hernando Lopez-Bertoni,
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20
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Chen R, Niu L, Wu L, He Y, Liu G, Hong K. Identification of an endoplasmic reticulum stress-associated gene signature to predict the immune status and prognosis of cutaneous melanoma. Medicine (Baltimore) 2022; 101:e30280. [PMID: 36086718 PMCID: PMC10980369 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000030280] [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: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Besides protecting normal cells from various internal and external perturbations, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is also directly related to the pathogenesis of cutaneous melanoma (CM). However, due to the lack of specific molecular biomarkers, ER stress has not been considered a novel treatment target for CM. Here, we identified ER stress-related genes involved in the prognosis of CM patients and constructed an effective model for the prognostic prediction of these patients. First, gene expression data of CM and normal skin tissues from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases were retrieved to identify differentially expressed ER stress-related genes in CM. Meanwhile, an independent cohort obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was used for validation. The ER stress genes (ZBP1, DIABLO, GNLY, FASLG, AURKA, TNFRSF21, and CD40LG) that were associated with CM prognosis were incorporated into our prognostic model. The functional analyses indicated that the prognostic model was correlated with patient survival, gender, and cancer growth. Multivariate and univariate Cox regressions revealed that the constructed model could serve as an independent prognostic factor for CM patients. The pathway enrichment analysis showed that the risk model was enriched in different immunity and cancer progression-associated pathways. Moreover, the signature model was significantly connected with the immune subtypes, infiltration of immune cells, immune microenvironment, as well as tumor stem cells. The gene function analysis revealed that 7 ER stress genes were differentially expressed in CM patients and were significantly associated with prognosis and several antitumor drugs. Overall, our current model presented predictive value for the prognosis of CM patients and can be further used in the development of novel therapeutic strategies for CM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Chen
- Department of Hand Plastic Surgery, The First People’s Hospital of Linping District, Hangzhou, China
| | - Linjun Niu
- Department of Oncology, Huaibei People’s Hospital, Anhui, China
| | - Liang Wu
- Department of Hand Plastic Surgery, The First People’s Hospital of Linping District, Hangzhou, China
| | - Youwu He
- Department of Hand Plastic Surgery, The First People’s Hospital of Linping District, Hangzhou, China
| | - Gang Liu
- Department of Hand Plastic Surgery, The First People’s Hospital of Linping District, Hangzhou, China
| | - Kangjie Hong
- Department of Neurology, Chun’an First People’s Hospital, Hangzhou, China
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21
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Shi J, Yang N, Han M, Qiu C. Emerging roles of ferroptosis in glioma. Front Oncol 2022; 12:993316. [PMID: 36072803 PMCID: PMC9441765 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.993316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioma is the most common primary malignant tumor in the central nervous system, and directly affects the quality of life and cognitive function of patients. Ferroptosis, is a new form of regulated cell death characterized by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. Ferroptosis is mainly due to redox imbalance and involves multiple intracellular biology processes, such as iron metabolism, lipid metabolism, and antioxidants synthesis. Induction of ferroptosis could be a new target for glioma treatment, and ferroptosis-related processes are associated with chemoresistance and radioresistance in glioma. In the present review, we provide the characteristics, key regulators and pathways of ferroptosis and the crosstalk between ferroptosis and other programmed cell death in glioma, we also proposed the application and prospect of ferroptosis in the treatment of glioma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Shi
- School of Medicine, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory and Shandong Key Laboratory of Brain Function Remodeling, Jinan, China
| | - Ning Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory and Shandong Key Laboratory of Brain Function Remodeling, Jinan, China
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Mingzhi Han
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory and Shandong Key Laboratory of Brain Function Remodeling, Jinan, China
- Medical Integration and Practice Center, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Chen Qiu
- School of Medicine, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- *Correspondence: Chen Qiu,
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22
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Neurotransmitters: Potential Targets in Glioblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14163970. [PMID: 36010960 PMCID: PMC9406056 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14163970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Aiming to discover potential treatments for GBM, this review connects emerging research on the roles of neurotransmitters in the normal neural and the GBM microenvironments and sheds light on the prospects of their application in the neuropharmacology of GBM. Conventional therapy is blamed for its poor effect, especially in inhibiting tumor recurrence and invasion. Facing this dilemma, we focus on neurotransmitters that modulate GBM initiation, progression and invasion, hoping to provide novel therapy targeting GBM. By analyzing research concerning GBM therapy systematically and scientifically, we discover increasing insights into the regulatory effects of neurotransmitters, some of which have already shown great potential in research in vivo or in vitro. After that, we further summarize the potential drugs in correlation with previously published research. In summary, it is worth expecting that targeting neurotransmitters could be a promising novel pharmacological approach for GBM treatment. Abstract For decades, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a type of the most lethal brain tumor, has remained a formidable challenge in terms of its treatment. Recently, many novel discoveries have underlined the regulatory roles of neurotransmitters in the microenvironment both physiologically and pathologically. By targeting the receptors synaptically or non-synaptically, neurotransmitters activate multiple signaling pathways. Significantly, many ligands acting on neurotransmitter receptors have shown great potential for inhibiting GBM growth and development, requiring further research. Here, we provide an overview of the most novel advances concerning the role of neurotransmitters in the normal neural and the GBM microenvironments, and discuss potential targeted drugs used for GBM treatment.
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23
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Hersh AM, Gaitsch H, Alomari S, Lubelski D, Tyler BM. Molecular Pathways and Genomic Landscape of Glioblastoma Stem Cells: Opportunities for Targeted Therapy. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:3743. [PMID: 35954407 PMCID: PMC9367289 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14153743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive tumor of the central nervous system categorized by the World Health Organization as a Grade 4 astrocytoma. Despite treatment with surgical resection, adjuvant chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, outcomes remain poor, with a median survival of only 14-16 months. Although tumor regression is often observed initially after treatment, long-term recurrence or progression invariably occurs. Tumor growth, invasion, and recurrence is mediated by a unique population of glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs). Their high mutation rate and dysregulated transcriptional landscape augment their resistance to conventional chemotherapy and radiation therapy, explaining the poor outcomes observed in patients. Consequently, GSCs have emerged as targets of interest in new treatment paradigms. Here, we review the unique properties of GSCs, including their interactions with the hypoxic microenvironment that drives their proliferation. We discuss vital signaling pathways in GSCs that mediate stemness, self-renewal, proliferation, and invasion, including the Notch, epidermal growth factor receptor, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt, sonic hedgehog, transforming growth factor beta, Wnt, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, and inhibitors of differentiation pathways. We also review epigenomic changes in GSCs that influence their transcriptional state, including DNA methylation, histone methylation and acetylation, and miRNA expression. The constituent molecular components of the signaling pathways and epigenomic regulators represent potential sites for targeted therapy, and representative examples of inhibitory molecules and pharmaceuticals are discussed. Continued investigation into the molecular pathways of GSCs and candidate therapeutics is needed to discover new effective treatments for GBM and improve survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M. Hersh
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; (A.M.H.); (H.G.); (S.A.); (D.L.)
| | - Hallie Gaitsch
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; (A.M.H.); (H.G.); (S.A.); (D.L.)
- NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program, Wellcome—MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, UK
| | - Safwan Alomari
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; (A.M.H.); (H.G.); (S.A.); (D.L.)
| | - Daniel Lubelski
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; (A.M.H.); (H.G.); (S.A.); (D.L.)
| | - Betty M. Tyler
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; (A.M.H.); (H.G.); (S.A.); (D.L.)
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24
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Rong J, Wang H, Yao Y, Wu Z, Chen L, Jin C, Shi Z, Wu C, Hu X. Identification of m7G-associated lncRNA prognostic signature for predicting the immune status in cutaneous melanoma. Aging (Albany NY) 2022; 14:5233-5249. [PMID: 35771136 PMCID: PMC9271298 DOI: 10.18632/aging.204151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
RNA modifications, including RNA methylation, are widely existed in cutaneous melanoma (CM). Among epigenetic modifications, N7-methylguanosine (m7G) is a kind of modification at 5' cap of RNA which participate in maintaining the stability of mRNA and various cell biological processes. However, there is still no study concerning the relationship between CM and m7G methylation complexes, METTL1 and WDR4. Here, long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs) and gene expression data of CM from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were retrieved to identify differentially expressed m7G-related lncRNAs connected with overall survival of CM. Then, Cox regression analyses was applied to construct a lncRNA risk signature, the prognostic value of identified signature was further evaluated. As a result, 6 m7G-associated lncRNAs that were significantly related to CM prognosis were incorporated into our prognostic signature. The functional analyses indicated that the prognostic model was correlated with patient survival, cancer metastasis, and growth. Meanwhile, its diagnostic accuracy was better than conventional clinicopathological characteristics. The pathway enrichment analysis showed that the risk model was enriched in several immunity-associated pathways. Moreover, the signature model was significantly connected with the immune subtypes, infiltration of immune cells, immune microenvironment, as well as several m6A-related genes and tumor stem cells. Finally, a nomogram based on the calculated risk score was established. Overall, a risk signature based on 6 m7G-associated lncRNAs was generated which presented predictive value for the prognosis of CM patients and can be further used in the development of novel therapeutic strategies for CM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jielin Rong
- Department of Hand Plastic Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Linping District, Hangzhou 311199, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 311199, China
| | - Yi Yao
- Department of Hand Plastic Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Linping District, Hangzhou 311199, China
| | - Zhengyuan Wu
- Department of Hand Plastic Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Linping District, Hangzhou 311199, China
| | - Leilei Chen
- Department of Hand Plastic Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Linping District, Hangzhou 311199, China
| | - Chaojie Jin
- Department of Hand Plastic Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Linping District, Hangzhou 311199, China
| | - Zhaoyang Shi
- Department of Hand Plastic Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Linping District, Hangzhou 311199, China
| | - Cheng Wu
- Department of Hand Plastic Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Linping District, Hangzhou 311199, China
| | - Xueqing Hu
- Department of Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 311199, China
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25
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Wu Y, Hu Y, Tang L, Yin S, Lv L, Zhou P. Targeting CXCR4 to suppress glioma-initiating cells and chemoresistance in glioma. Cell Biol Int 2022; 46:1519-1529. [PMID: 35731168 DOI: 10.1002/cbin.11836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Glioma initiating cells (GICs), also known as glioma stem cells, display the capacity to recapitulate the functional diversity within the tumor. Despite the great progress achieved over the last decades, defining the key molecular regulators of GICs has represented a major obstacle in this field. In our study, data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database illustrated a relationship between C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) expression and the survival of glioma patients. Mechanistically, we further indicated that CXCR4 mediated the upregulation of Kruppel like factor 5 (KLF5), a zinc-finger-containing transcription factor, to facilitate the proliferation of GICs. What's more, CXCR4 also enhanced the chemoresistance through KLF5/Bcl2-like 12 (BCl2L12) in glioma. The elevated expression of KLF5 and BCL2L12 induced by CXCR4 was dependent on phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K)/serine/threonine kinase (AKT) signaling. Importantly, combined application of temozolomide and a CXCR4 inhibitor efficiently reversed CXCR4 mediated drugs resistance and improved anticancer effects in vivo. Collectively, our findings confirmed that CXCR4 promoted GICs proliferation via the KLF5/BCL2L12 dependent pathway, which may enrich the understanding of GICs and help drive the design of efficacious therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Yu Hu
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Lingli Tang
- Department of Neurology, Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Senlin Yin
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Liang Lv
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Peizhi Zhou
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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26
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Ando S, Kojima N, Moyama C, Fujita M, Ohta K, Ii H, Nakata S. JCI‑20679 suppresses the proliferation of glioblastoma stem cells by activating AMPK and decreasing NFATc2 expression levels. Mol Med Rep 2022; 26:238. [PMID: 35621135 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2022.12754] [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: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The prognosis of glioblastoma, which is the most frequent type of adult‑onset malignant brain tumor, is extremely poor. Therefore, novel therapeutic strategies are needed. Previous studies report that JCI‑20679, which is synthesized based on the structure of naturally occurring acetogenin, inhibits mitochondrial complex I and suppresses the growth of various types of cancer cells. However, the efficacy of JCI‑20679 on glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) is unknown. The present study demonstrated that JCI‑20679 inhibited the growth of GSCs derived from a transposon system‑mediated murine glioblastoma model more efficiently compared with the growth of differentiation‑induced adherent cells, as determined by a trypan blue staining dye exclusion test. The inhibition of proliferation was accompanied by the blockade of cell‑cycle entry into the S‑phase, as assessed by a BrdU incorporation assay. JCI‑20679 decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential, suppressed the oxygen consumption rate and increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation, indicating that JCI‑20679 inhibited mitochondrial activity. The mitochondrial inhibition was revealed to increase phosphorylated (phospho)‑AMPKα levels and decrease nuclear factor of activated T‑cells 2 (NFATc2) expression, and was accompanied by a decrease in calcineurin phosphatase activity. Depletion of phospho‑AMPKα by knockdown of AMPKβ recovered the JCI‑20679‑mediated decrease in NFATc2 expression levels, as determined by western blotting and reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR analysis. Overexpression of NFATc2 recovered the JCI‑20679‑mediated suppression of proliferation, as determined by a trypan blue staining dye exclusion test. These results suggest that JCI‑20679 inhibited mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, which activated AMPK and reduced NFATc2 expression levels. Moreover, systemic administration of JCI‑20679 extended the event‑free survival rate in a mouse model transplanted with GSCs. Overall, these results suggested that JCI‑20679 is a potential novel therapeutic agent against glioblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shota Ando
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Kyoto 607‑8414, Japan
| | - Naoto Kojima
- Department of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Chemistry, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Kyoto 607‑8414, Japan
| | - Chiami Moyama
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Kyoto 607‑8414, Japan
| | - Mitsugu Fujita
- Center for Medical Education and Clinical Training, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka‑Sayama, Osaka 589‑8511, Japan
| | - Kaito Ohta
- Department of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Chemistry, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Kyoto 607‑8414, Japan
| | - Hiromi Ii
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Kyoto 607‑8414, Japan
| | - Susumu Nakata
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Kyoto 607‑8414, Japan
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27
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Huang J, Xu Z, Teh BM, Zhou C, Yuan Z, Shi Y, Shen Y. Construction of a necroptosis-related lncRNA signature to predict the prognosis and immune microenvironment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. J Clin Lab Anal 2022; 36:e24480. [PMID: 35522142 PMCID: PMC9169178 DOI: 10.1002/jcla.24480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Previous studies have determined that necroptosis‐related genes are potential biomarkers in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Herein, we established a novel risk model based on necroptosis‐related lncRNAs (nrlncRNAs) to predict the prognosis of HNSCC patients. Methods Transcriptome and related information were obtained from TCGA database, and an nrlncRNA signature was established based on univariate Cox analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression. Kaplan–Meier analysis and time‐dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were used to evaluate the model, and a nomogram for survival prediction was established. Gene set enrichment analysis, immune analysis, drug sensitivity analysis, correlation with N6‐methylandenosin (m6A), and tumor stemness analysis were performed. Furthermore, the entire set was divided into two clusters for further discussion. Results A novel signature was established with six nrlncRNAs. The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) for 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year overall survival (OS) were 0.699, 0.686, and 0.645, respectively. Patients in low‐risk group and cluster 2 had a better prognosis, more immune cell infiltration, higher immune function activity, and higher immune scores; however, patients in high‐risk group and cluster 1 were more sensitive to chemotherapy. Moreover, the risk score had negative correlation with m6A‐related gene expression and tumor stemness. Conclusion According to this study, we constructed a novel signature with nrlncRNA pairs to predict the survival of HNSCC patients and guide immunotherapy and chemotherapy. This may possibly promote the development of individualized and precise treatment for HNSCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juntao Huang
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, The Affiliated Lihuili Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.,School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ziqian Xu
- Department of Dermatology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Bing Mei Teh
- Department of Ear Nose and Throat, Head and Neck Surgery, Eastern Health, Box Hill, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Chongchang Zhou
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, The Affiliated Lihuili Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.,School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhechen Yuan
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, The Affiliated Lihuili Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.,School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yunbin Shi
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, The Affiliated Lihuili Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yi Shen
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, The Affiliated Lihuili Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.,School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
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Crosstalk between β-Catenin and CCL2 Drives Migration of Monocytes towards Glioblastoma Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23094562. [PMID: 35562953 PMCID: PMC9101913 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23094562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wildtype glioblastoma (GBM) is a fast growing and highly heterogeneous tumor, often characterized by the presence of glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs). The plasticity of GSCs results in therapy resistance and impairs anti-tumor immune response by influencing immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Previously, β-catenin was associated with stemness in GBM as well as with immune escape mechanisms. Here, we investigated the effect of β-catenin on attracting monocytes towards GBM cells. In addition, we evaluated whether CCL2 is involved in β-catenin crosstalk between monocytes and tumor cells. Our analysis revealed that shRNA targeting β-catenin in GBMs reduces monocytes attraction and impacts CCL2 secretion. The addition of recombinant CCL2 restores peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) migration towards medium (TCM) conditioned by shβ-catenin GBM cells. CCL2 knockdown in GBM cells shows similar effects and reduces monocyte migration to a similar extent as β-catenin knockdown. When investigating the effect of CCL2 on β-catenin activity, we found that CCL2 modulates components of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and alters the clonogenicity of GBM cells. In addition, the pharmacological β-catenin inhibitor MSAB reduces active β-catenin, downregulates the expression of associated genes and alters CCL2 secretion. Taken together, we showed that β-catenin plays an important role in attracting monocytes towards GBM cells in vitro. We hypothesize that the interactions between β-catenin and CCL2 contribute to maintenance of GSCs via modulating immune cell interaction and promoting GBM growth and recurrence.
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Zi H, Tuo Z, He Q, Meng J, Hu Y, Li Y, Yang K. Comprehensive Bioinformatics Analysis of Gasdermin Family of Glioma. COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 2022:9046507. [PMID: 35463276 PMCID: PMC9033320 DOI: 10.1155/2022/9046507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Pyroptosis is a programmed cell death mediated by gasdermins (GSDMs). The prognostic value of pyroptosis-related genes in different tumor types has been gradually demonstrated recently. However, the prognostic impact of GSDMs expression in glioma remains unclear. Here, we present a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of gasdermin family member gene expression, producing a prognostic model for glioma and creating a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. The mRNA expression profiles and clinical information of glioma patients were downloaded from TCGA and CGGA. A risk score based on the gasdermin family was constructed in the TCGA cohort and validated in CGGA. The Jurkat cell was used to verify the relationship between pyroptosis and activation-induced cell death (AICD). We identify a significant association between the expression of GSDMD and GSDME and the glioma stage. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analysis was used to construct a prognostic gene model based on the four prognostic gasdermin family genes (GSDMC, GSDMD, GSDME, and PJVK). This model was able to predict the overall survival of glioma patients with high accuracy. We show that gasdermin family genes are expressed primarily by immune cells, endothelial cells, and neuronal cells in the tumor microenvironment, rather than by malignant tumor cells. T cells were significantly activated in high-risk patients; however, the activation-induced cell death (AICD) pathway was also significantly activated, suggesting widespread expiration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), facilitating tumor progression. We also identify the lncRNA/miR-296-5p/GSDMD regulatory axis as an important player in glioma progression. We have conducted a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis identifying the importance of gasdermin family members in glioma; a prognostic algorithm containing four genes was constructed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huaduan Zi
- Cancer Center Union Hospital Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Zhan Tuo
- Cancer Center Union Hospital Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Qianyuan He
- Cancer Center Union Hospital Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Jingshu Meng
- Cancer Center Union Hospital Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Yan Hu
- Cancer Center Union Hospital Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Yan Li
- Cancer Center Union Hospital Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Kunyu Yang
- Cancer Center Union Hospital Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
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Moyama C, Fujita M, Ando S, Taniguchi K, Ii H, Tanigawa S, Hashimoto N, Nakata S. Stat5b inhibition blocks proliferation and tumorigenicity of glioblastoma stem cells derived from a de novo murine brain cancer model. Am J Cancer Res 2022; 12:1129-1142. [PMID: 35411230 PMCID: PMC8984887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and malignant type of brain cancer in adults with poor prognosis. GBM stem cells (GSCs) reside within niches in GBM tissues and contribute to recurrence and therapy resistance. Previous studies have shown that expression of leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5), a Wnt pathway-related stem cell marker, correlates with a poor prognosis in GBM, and its knockdown in GSCs induces apoptosis accompanied with downregulation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 5b (Stat5b). Here, we show that Stat5b co-localizes with Lgr5 in hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (Hif2α)-positive regions in GBM tissues. Functional analyses using GSCs derived from a murine de novo GBM model induced by oncogenic genes transduction using the Sleeping-Beauty transposon system revealed that expression of Stat5b was induced by culturing under hypoxia together with Lgr5, repressed by Hif2α knockdown, and reduced by Lgr5 knockdown or a Wnt/β-catenin signaling inhibitor ICG-001 treatment. Stat5b inhibition in the GSCs induced apoptosis and caused downregulation of Cyclin E2 resulted in blockade of entry into S-phase in the cell cycle. Disruption of Stat5b in an orthotopic transplantation model significantly prolongs event-free survival. These results suggest that Stat5b, regulated by hypoxia and the Wnt pathway, plays an important role in the maintenance and tumorigenicity of GSCs and may be a promising therapeutic molecular target to attack GSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiami Moyama
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Kyoto Pharmaceutical UniversityKyoto 607-8414, Japan
| | - Mitsugu Fujita
- Center for Medical Education and Clinical Training, Faculty of Medicine, Kindai UniversityOsaka 577-8502, Japan
| | - Shota Ando
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Kyoto Pharmaceutical UniversityKyoto 607-8414, Japan
| | - Keiko Taniguchi
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Kyoto Pharmaceutical UniversityKyoto 607-8414, Japan
- Department of Drug Discovery Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of MedicineKyoto 602-8566, Japan
| | - Hiromi Ii
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Kyoto Pharmaceutical UniversityKyoto 607-8414, Japan
| | - Seisuke Tanigawa
- Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural UniversityKyoto 602-8566, Japan
| | - Naoya Hashimoto
- Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural UniversityKyoto 602-8566, Japan
| | - Susumu Nakata
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Kyoto Pharmaceutical UniversityKyoto 607-8414, Japan
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Ko M, Makena MR, Schiapparelli P, Suarez-Meade P, Mekile AX, Lal B, Lopez-Bertoni H, Kozielski KL, Green JJ, Laterra J, Quiñones-Hinojosa A, Rao R. The endosomal pH regulator NHE9 is a driver of stemness in glioblastoma. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac013. [PMID: 35387234 PMCID: PMC8974362 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
A small population of self-renewing stem cells initiate tumors and maintain therapeutic resistance in glioblastoma (GBM). Given the limited treatment options and dismal prognosis for this disease, there is urgent need to identify drivers of stem cells that could be druggable targets. Previous work showed that the endosomal pH regulator NHE9 is upregulated in GBM and correlates with worse survival prognosis. Here, we probed for aberrant signaling pathways in patient-derived GBM cells and found that NHE9 increases cell surface expression and phosphorylation of multiple receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) by promoting their escape from lysosomal degradation. Downstream of NHE9-mediated receptor activation, oncogenic signaling pathways converged on the JAK2-STAT3 transduction axis to induce pluripotency genes Oct4 and Nanog and suppress markers of glial differentiation. We used both genetic and chemical approaches to query the role of endosomal pH in GBM phenotypes. Loss-of-function mutations in NHE9 that failed to alkalinize endosomal lumen did not increase self-renewal capacity of gliomaspheres in vitro. However, monensin, a chemical mimetic of Na+/H+ exchanger activity, and the H+ pump inhibitor bafilomycin bypassed NHE9 to directly alkalinize the endosomal lumen resulting in stabilization of RTKs and induction of Oct4 and Nanog. Using orthotopic models of primary GBM cells we found that NHE9 increased tumor initiation in vivo. We propose that NHE9 initiates inside-out signaling from the endosomal lumen, distinct from the established effects of cytosolic and extracellular pH on tumorigenesis. Endosomal pH may be an attractive therapeutic target that diminishes stemness in GBM, agnostic of specific receptor subtype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myungjun Ko
- Department of Physiology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Monish R Makena
- Department of Physiology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Paula Schiapparelli
- Department of Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Paola Suarez-Meade
- Department of Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Allatah X Mekile
- Department of Physiology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Bachchu Lal
- Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Hernando Lopez-Bertoni
- Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Kristen L Kozielski
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Jordan J Green
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - John Laterra
- Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | | | - Rajini Rao
- Department of Physiology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
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Zhang M, Du G, Li Z, Li D, Li W, Li H, Gao X, Tang Z. An Oxidative Stress-Related Genes Signature for Predicting Survival in Bladder Cancer: Based on TCGA Database and Bioinformatics. Int J Gen Med 2022; 15:2645-2667. [PMID: 35300137 PMCID: PMC8922338 DOI: 10.2147/ijgm.s348945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Oxidative stress (OS) responses have been linked to oncogenesis and tumor progression and have recently been regarded as a potential strategy for tumor therapy. However, OS-related therapeutic targets have not been identified to date in the bladder cancer (BC). Methods The mRNA expression and clinical data of BC were downloaded from the public database. Prognostic risk score signature was constructed using LASSO Cox regression analysis. External validation was performed in GSE15307 cohort. ESTIMATE, CIBERSORT, and ssGSEA algorithm were used to analyze immune cell infiltration and immune microenvironment. Next, functional enrichment analysis was performed to elucidate the mechanism underlying the signature. Additionally, we performed a nomogram to forecast the survival rate of individual BC patients. Results An OS-related genes (OSRGs) signature was constructed. Overall survival was lower in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group, according to survival analyses. The area under the curve (AUC) of ROC curves further validated the prognostic signature’s strong prediction performance in these two cohorts. The risk score was verified as an independent risk factor for BC by independent prognostic analysis. Moreover, as compared to TNM stage alone, a nomogram that integrated the risk score with TNM stage showed a much superior predictive value. Immune infiltration and tumor microenvironment studies indicated that immune cells and functions may play a significant role in carcinogenesis and development. The levels of expression of prognostic genes were shown to be substantially linked with drug sensitivity. Conclusion We developed a novel OSRGs signature for predicting overall survival and impacting the immune status in patients with BC. New nomogram can help clinicians predict the survival rate of BC patients. These findings shed new light on the potential usage of OSRGs signature in BC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Zhang
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China
| | - Gang Du
- Department of Bone and Joint Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhengtian Li
- Department of Bone and Joint Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China
| | - Dehui Li
- Department of Burns and Plastic, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China
| | - Weichao Li
- Department of Bone and Joint Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hening Li
- Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xingxin Gao
- Department of Burns and Plastic, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhanhong Tang
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China
- Correspondence: Zhanhong Tang; Xingxin Gao, Email ;
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Videla-Richardson GA, Morris-Hanon O, Torres NI, Esquivel MI, Vera MB, Ripari LB, Croci DO, Sevlever GE, Rabinovich GA. Galectins as Emerging Glyco-Checkpoints and Therapeutic Targets in Glioblastoma. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 23:ijms23010316. [PMID: 35008740 PMCID: PMC8745137 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite recent advances in diagnosis and treatment, glioblastoma (GBM) represents the most common and aggressive brain tumor in the adult population, urging identification of new rational therapeutic targets. Galectins, a family of glycan-binding proteins, are highly expressed in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and delineate prognosis and clinical outcome in patients with GBM. These endogenous lectins play key roles in different hallmarks of cancer by modulating tumor cell proliferation, oncogenic signaling, migration, vascularization and immunity. Additionally, they have emerged as mediators of resistance to different anticancer treatments, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and antiangiogenic therapy. Particularly in GBM, galectins control tumor cell transformation and proliferation, reprogram tumor cell migration and invasion, promote vascularization, modulate cell death pathways, and shape the tumor-immune landscape by targeting myeloid, natural killer (NK), and CD8+ T cell compartments. Here, we discuss the role of galectins, particularly galectin-1, -3, -8, and -9, as emerging glyco-checkpoints that control different mechanisms associated with GBM progression, and discuss possible therapeutic opportunities based on inhibition of galectin-driven circuits, either alone or in combination with other treatment modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo A. Videla-Richardson
- Laboratorio de Investigación Aplicada en Neurociencias (LIAN), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Fundación para la Lucha contra las Enfermedades Neurológicas de la Infancia (FLENI), Belén de Escobar B1625, Argentina; (G.A.V.-R.); (O.M.-H.); (M.I.E.); (M.B.V.); (L.B.R.); (G.E.S.)
| | - Olivia Morris-Hanon
- Laboratorio de Investigación Aplicada en Neurociencias (LIAN), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Fundación para la Lucha contra las Enfermedades Neurológicas de la Infancia (FLENI), Belén de Escobar B1625, Argentina; (G.A.V.-R.); (O.M.-H.); (M.I.E.); (M.B.V.); (L.B.R.); (G.E.S.)
| | - Nicolás I. Torres
- Laboratorio de Glicomedicina, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires C1428, Argentina;
| | - Myrian I. Esquivel
- Laboratorio de Investigación Aplicada en Neurociencias (LIAN), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Fundación para la Lucha contra las Enfermedades Neurológicas de la Infancia (FLENI), Belén de Escobar B1625, Argentina; (G.A.V.-R.); (O.M.-H.); (M.I.E.); (M.B.V.); (L.B.R.); (G.E.S.)
| | - Mariana B. Vera
- Laboratorio de Investigación Aplicada en Neurociencias (LIAN), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Fundación para la Lucha contra las Enfermedades Neurológicas de la Infancia (FLENI), Belén de Escobar B1625, Argentina; (G.A.V.-R.); (O.M.-H.); (M.I.E.); (M.B.V.); (L.B.R.); (G.E.S.)
| | - Luisina B. Ripari
- Laboratorio de Investigación Aplicada en Neurociencias (LIAN), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Fundación para la Lucha contra las Enfermedades Neurológicas de la Infancia (FLENI), Belén de Escobar B1625, Argentina; (G.A.V.-R.); (O.M.-H.); (M.I.E.); (M.B.V.); (L.B.R.); (G.E.S.)
| | - Diego O. Croci
- Laboratorio de Inmunopatología, Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza (IHEM), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Mendoza C5500, Argentina;
| | - Gustavo E. Sevlever
- Laboratorio de Investigación Aplicada en Neurociencias (LIAN), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Fundación para la Lucha contra las Enfermedades Neurológicas de la Infancia (FLENI), Belén de Escobar B1625, Argentina; (G.A.V.-R.); (O.M.-H.); (M.I.E.); (M.B.V.); (L.B.R.); (G.E.S.)
| | - Gabriel A. Rabinovich
- Laboratorio de Glicomedicina, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires C1428, Argentina;
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1428, Argentina
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +54-11-4783-2869 (ext. 266)
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Wu Z, Chen L, Jin C, Xu J, Zhang X, Yao Y. A novel pyroptosis-associated gene signature for immune status and prognosis of cutaneous melanoma. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12304. [PMID: 34721986 PMCID: PMC8520690 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is a life-threatening destructive malignancy. Pyroptosis significantly correlates with programmed tumor cell death and its microenvironment through active host-tumor crosstalk. However, the prognostic value of pyroptosis-associated gene signatures in CM remains unclear. Methods Gene profiles and clinical data of patients with CM were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to identify differentially expressed genes associated with pyroptosis and overall survival (OS). We constructed a prognostic gene signature using LASSO analysis, then applied immune cell infiltration scores and Kaplan-Meier, Cox, and pathway enrichment analyses to determine the roles of the gene signature in CM. A validation cohort was collected from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Results Four pyroptosis-associated genes were identified and incorporated into a prognostic gene signature. Integrated bioinformatics findings showed that the signature correlated with patient survival and was associated with tumor growth and metastasis. The results of Gene Set Enrichment Analysis of a risk signature indicated that several enriched pathways are associated with cancer and immunity. The risk signature for immune status significantly correlated with tumor stem cells, the immune microenvironment, immune cell infiltration and immune subtypes. The expression of four pyroptosis genes significantly correlated with the OS of patients with CM and was related to the sensitivity of cancer cells to several antitumor drugs. A signature comprising four genes associated with pyroptosis offers a novel approach to the prognosis and survival of patients with CM and will facilitate the development of individualized therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengyuan Wu
- Yuhang First People's Hospital, Hangzhou, China.,The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Leilei Chen
- Yuhang First People's Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chaojie Jin
- Yuhang First People's Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jing Xu
- Yuhang First People's Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| | | | - Yi Yao
- Yuhang First People's Hospital, Hangzhou, China
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Sørensen MD, Kristensen BW. TUMOUR-ASSOCIATED CD204+ MICROGLIA/MACROPHAGES ACCUMULATE IN PERIVASCULAR AND PERINECROTIC NICHES AND CORRELATE WITH AN INTERLEUKIN-6 ENRICHED INFLAMMATORY PROFILE IN GLIOBLASTOMA. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2021; 48:e12772. [PMID: 34713474 PMCID: PMC9306597 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mia Dahl Sørensen
- Department of Pathology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Bjarne Winther Kristensen
- Department of Pathology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Pathology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Medicine and Biotech Research and Innovation Center (BRIC), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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DAĞLI H, GÜLBAHAR Ö. Menenjiomlarda miRNA’lar Biyobelirteç Olarak Kullanılabilir Mi? KAHRAMANMARAŞ SÜTÇÜ İMAM ÜNIVERSITESI TIP FAKÜLTESI DERGISI 2021. [DOI: 10.17517/ksutfd.1004412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
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The metabolic flexibility of quiescent CSC: implications for chemotherapy resistance. Cell Death Dis 2021; 12:835. [PMID: 34482364 PMCID: PMC8418609 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-021-04116-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Quiescence has been observed in stem cells (SCs), including adult SCs and cancer SCs (CSCs). Conventional chemotherapies mostly target proliferating cancer cells, while the quiescent state favors CSCs escape to chemotherapeutic drugs, leaving risks for tumor recurrence or metastasis. The tumor microenvironment (TME) provides various signals that maintain resident quiescent CSCs, protect them from immune surveillance, and facilitates their recurrence potential. Since the TME has the potential to support and initiate stem cell-like programs in cancer cells, targeting the TME components may prove to be a powerful modality for the treatment of chemotherapy resistance. In addition, an increasing number of studies have discovered that CSCs exhibit the potential of metabolic flexibility when metabolic substrates are limited, and display increased robustness in response to stress. Accompanied by chemotherapy that targets proliferative cancer cells, treatments that modulate CSC quiescence through the regulation of metabolic pathways also show promise. In this review, we focus on the roles of metabolic flexibility and the TME on CSCs quiescence and further discuss potential treatments of targeting CSCs and the TME to limit chemotherapy resistance.
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Mazurek M, Rola R. The implications of nitric oxide metabolism in the treatment of glial tumors. Neurochem Int 2021; 150:105172. [PMID: 34461111 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2021.105172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Glial tumors are the most common intracranial malignancies. Unfortunately, despite such a high prevalence, patients' prognosis is usually poor. It is related to the high invasiveness, tendency to relapse and the resistance of tumors to traditional methods of treatment. An important link in the aspect of these issues may be nitric oxide (NO) metabolism. It is a very complex mechanism with multidirectional effects on the neoplastic process. Depending on the concentration axis, it can both exert pro-tumor action as well as contribute to the inhibition of tumorigenesis. The latest observations show that the control of its metabolism can be very helpful in the development of new methods of treating gliomas, as well as in increasing the effectiveness of the agents currently used. The influence of nitric oxide and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity on glioma stem cells seem to be of particular importance. The use of specific inhibitors may allow the reduction of tumor growth and its tendency to relapse. Another important feature of GSCs is their conditioning of glioma resistance to traditional forms of treatment. Recent studies have shown that modulation of NO metabolism can suppress this effect, preventing the induction of radio and chemoresistance. Moreover, nitric oxide is involved in the regulation of a number of immune mechanisms. Adequate modulation of its metabolism may contribute to the induction of an anti-tumor response in the patients' immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek Mazurek
- Chair and Department of Neurosurgery and Paediatric Neurosurgery, Medical University in Lublin, Poland.
| | - Radosław Rola
- Chair and Department of Neurosurgery and Paediatric Neurosurgery, Medical University in Lublin, Poland
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Xu YW, Yang JS, Kang DZ, Yao PS. RETRACTED ARTICLE: Astrocytes Regulate Differentiation and Glutamate Uptake of Glioma Stem Cells via Formyl Peptide Receptor. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2021; 41:1389. [PMID: 32474726 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-020-00886-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Wen Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, NO. 20 Chazhong Road, Taijiang District, Fuzhou, 350004, Fujian, China
| | - Jin-Shan Yang
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - De-Zhi Kang
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, NO. 20 Chazhong Road, Taijiang District, Fuzhou, 350004, Fujian, China.
| | - Pei-Sen Yao
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, NO. 20 Chazhong Road, Taijiang District, Fuzhou, 350004, Fujian, China.
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Lin Z, Miao D, Xu Q, Wang X, Yu F. A novel focal adhesion related gene signature for prognostic prediction in hepatocellular carcinoma. Aging (Albany NY) 2021; 13:10724-10748. [PMID: 33850056 PMCID: PMC8064231 DOI: 10.18632/aging.202871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly heterogeneous disease. Reduced expression of focal adhesion is considered as an important prerequisite for tumor cell invasion and metastasis. However, the prognostic value of focal adhesion related genes in HCC remains to be further determined. In this study, RNA expression profiles were downloaded from public databases. A five focal adhesion related gene signature model was established by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression analysis, which categorized patients into high- and low-risk groups. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the risk score was an independent predictor for overall survival. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis revealed that immune status was different between the two risk groups, and tumor-related pathways were enriched in high-risk group. The risk score was significantly associated with tumor grade, tumor stage, immune scores, and immune infiltrate types. Pearson correlation showed that the expression level of prognostic genes was associated with anti-tumor drug sensitivity. Besides, the mRNA and protein expression of prognostic genes was significantly different between HCC tissues and adjacent non-tumorous tissues in our separate cohort. Taken together, a novel focal adhesion related gene signature can be used for prognostic prediction in HCC, which may be a therapeutic alternative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuo Lin
- Department of Hepatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Accurate Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Liver Diseases, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Dan Miao
- Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Qian Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xiaodong Wang
- Department of Hepatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Accurate Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Liver Diseases, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Fujun Yu
- Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
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Riedel A, Klumpp L, Menegakis A, De-Colle C, Huber SM, Schittenhelm J, Neumann M, Noell S, Tatagiba M, Zips D. γH2AX foci assay in glioblastoma: Surgical specimen versus corresponding stem cell culture. Radiother Oncol 2021; 159:119-125. [PMID: 33775712 DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2021.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
AIM To assess radiation response using γH2AX assay in surgical specimens from glioblastoma (GB) patients and their corresponding primary gliosphere culture. To test the hypothesis that gliospheres (stem cell enriched) are more resistant than specimens (bulky cell dominated) but that the interpatient heterogeneity is similar. MATERIAL AND METHODS Ten pairs of specimens and corresponding gliospheres derived from patients with IDH-wildtype GB were studied. Specimens and gliospheres were irradiated with graded doses and after 24 h the number of residual γH2AX foci was counted. RESULTS Gliospheres showed a higher Nestin expression than specimens and exhibited two different phenotypes: free floating (n = 7) and attached (n = 3). Slope analysis revealed an interpatient heterogeneity with values between 0.15 and 1.30 residual γH2AX foci/Gy. Free-floating spheres were more resistant than their parental specimens (median slope 0.13 foci/Gy versus 0.53) as well as than the attached spheres (2.14). The slopes of free floating spheres did not correlate with their corresponding specimens while a trend for a positive correlation was found for the attached spheres and the respective specimens. Association with MGMT did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION Consistent with the clinical phenotype and our previous experiments, GB specimens show low radiation sensitivity. Stem-cell enriched free-floating gliospheres were more resistant than specimens supporting the concept of radioresistance in stem cell-like cells. The lack of correlation between specimens and their respective gliosphere cultures needs validation and may have a profound impact on future translational studies using γH2AX as a potential biomarker for personalized radiation therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Riedel
- Radiation Oncology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lukas Klumpp
- Radiation Oncology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Tübingen, Germany
| | - Apostolos Menegakis
- Netherlands Cancer Institute, Division of Cell Biology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Chiara De-Colle
- Radiation Oncology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stephan M Huber
- Radiation Oncology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jens Schittenhelm
- Division of Neuropathology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Tübingen, Germany
| | - Manuela Neumann
- Division of Neuropathology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Tübingen, Germany
| | - Susan Noell
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marcos Tatagiba
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Tübingen, Germany
| | - Daniel Zips
- Radiation Oncology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Tübingen, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Tübingen, Germany; German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
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Lin Z, Xu Q, Miao D, Yu F. An Inflammatory Response-Related Gene Signature Can Impact the Immune Status and Predict the Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Front Oncol 2021; 11:644416. [PMID: 33828988 PMCID: PMC8019928 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.644416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly heterogeneous disease, which makes the prognostic prediction challenging. As part of the active cross-talk between the tumor and the host, inflammatory response in the tumor or its microenvironment could affect prognosis. However, the prognostic value of inflammatory response-related genes in HCC remains to be further elucidated. Methods In this study, the mRNA expression profiles and corresponding clinical data of HCC patients were downloaded from the public database. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox analysis was utilized to construct a multigene prognostic signature in the TCGA cohort. HCC patients from the ICGC cohort were used for validation. Kaplan Meier analysis was used to compare the overall survival (OS) between high- and low-risk groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were applied to determine the independent predictors for OS. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis was utilized to calculate the immune cell infiltration score and immune related pathway activity. Gene set enrichment analysis was implemented to conduct GO terms and KEGG pathways. The qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were utilized to perform the mRNA and protein expression of prognostic genes between HCC tissues and normal liver tissues respectively. Results An inflammatory response-related gene signature model was constructed by LASSO Cox regression analysis. Compared with the low-risk group, patients in the high-risk group showed significantly reduced OS. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis confirmed the predictive capacity of the prognostic gene signature. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that the risk score was an independent predictor for OS. Functional analysis indicated that immune status was definitely different between two risk groups, and cancer-related pathways were enriched in high-risk group. The risk score was significantly correlated with tumor grade, tumor stage and immune infiltrate types. The expression levels of prognostic genes were significantly correlated with sensitivity of cancer cells to anti-tumor drugs. Furthermore, the expression of prognostic genes showed significant difference between HCC tissues and adjacent non-tumorous tissues in the separate sample cohort. Conclusion A novel signature constructed with eight inflammatory response-related genes can be used for prognostic prediction and impact the immune status in HCC. Moreover, inhibition of these genes may be a therapeutic alternative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuo Lin
- Department of Hepatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.,Department of Accurate Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Liver Diseases, Key Laboratory of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou, China
| | - Qian Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Dan Miao
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Fujun Yu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
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Osuka S, Zhu D, Zhang Z, Li C, Stackhouse CT, Sampetrean O, Olson JJ, Gillespie GY, Saya H, Willey CD, Van Meir EG. N-cadherin upregulation mediates adaptive radioresistance in glioblastoma. J Clin Invest 2021; 131:136098. [PMID: 33720050 PMCID: PMC7954595 DOI: 10.1172/jci136098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is composed of heterogeneous tumor cell populations, including those with stem cell properties, termed glioma stem cells (GSCs). GSCs are innately less radiation sensitive than the tumor bulk and are believed to drive GBM formation and recurrence after repeated irradiation. However, it is unclear how GSCs adapt to escape the toxicity of repeated irradiation used in clinical practice. To identify important mediators of adaptive radioresistance in GBM, we generated radioresistant human and mouse GSCs by exposing them to repeat cycles of irradiation. Surviving subpopulations acquired strong radioresistance in vivo, which was accompanied by a reduction in cell proliferation and an increase in cell-cell adhesion and N-cadherin expression. Increasing N-cadherin expression rendered parental GSCs radioresistant, reduced their proliferation, and increased their stemness and intercellular adhesive properties. Conversely, radioresistant GSCs lost their acquired phenotypes upon CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of N-cadherin. Mechanistically, elevated N-cadherin expression resulted in the accumulation of β-catenin at the cell surface, which suppressed Wnt/β-catenin proliferative signaling, reduced neural differentiation, and protected against apoptosis through Clusterin secretion. N-cadherin upregulation was induced by radiation-induced IGF1 secretion, and the radiation resistance phenotype could be reverted with picropodophyllin, a clinically applicable blood-brain-barrier permeable IGF1 receptor inhibitor, supporting clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoru Osuka
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine and O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-Oncology, Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Dan Zhu
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-Oncology, Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Zhaobin Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-Oncology, Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Chaoxi Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine and O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Christian T. Stackhouse
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine and O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA
| | - Oltea Sampetrean
- Division of Gene Regulation, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jeffrey J. Olson
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-Oncology, Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - G. Yancey Gillespie
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine and O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Hideyuki Saya
- Division of Gene Regulation, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Christopher D. Willey
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA
| | - Erwin G. Van Meir
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine and O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-Oncology, Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Matteoni S, Matarrese P, Ascione B, Buccarelli M, Ricci-Vitiani L, Pallini R, Villani V, Pace A, Paggi MG, Abbruzzese C. Anticancer Properties of the Antipsychotic Drug Chlorpromazine and Its Synergism With Temozolomide in Restraining Human Glioblastoma Proliferation In Vitro. Front Oncol 2021; 11:635472. [PMID: 33718225 PMCID: PMC7952964 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.635472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The extremely poor prognosis of patients affected by glioblastoma (GBM, grade IV glioma) prompts the search for new and more effective therapies. In this regard, drug repurposing or repositioning can represent a safe, swift, and inexpensive way to bring novel pharmacological approaches from bench to bedside. Chlorpromazine, a medication used since six decades for the therapy of psychiatric disorders, shows in vitro several features that make it eligible for repositioning in cancer therapy. Using six GBM cell lines, three of which growing as patient-derived neurospheres and displaying stem-like properties, we found that chlorpromazine was able to inhibit viability in an apoptosis-independent way, induce hyperdiploidy, reduce cloning efficiency as well as neurosphere formation and downregulate the expression of stemness genes in all these cell lines. Notably, chlorpromazine synergized with temozolomide, the first-line therapeutic in GBM patients, in hindering GBM cell viability, and both drugs strongly cooperated in reducing cloning efficiency and inducing cell death in vitro for all the GBM cell lines assayed. These results prompted us to start a Phase II clinical trial on GBM patients (EudraCT # 2019-001988-75; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04224441) by adding chlorpromazine to temozolomide in the adjuvant phase of the standard first-line therapeutic protocol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Matteoni
- Cellular Networks and Molecular Therapeutic Targets, Proteomics Unit, IRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Matarrese
- Center for Gender Specific Medicine, Oncology Unit, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Barbara Ascione
- Center for Gender Specific Medicine, Oncology Unit, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Mariachiara Buccarelli
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucia Ricci-Vitiani
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Pallini
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Institute of Neurosurgery, Catholic University School of Medicine, Rome, Italy
| | - Veronica Villani
- Neuro-Oncology, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Pace
- Neuro-Oncology, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco G Paggi
- Cellular Networks and Molecular Therapeutic Targets, Proteomics Unit, IRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Abbruzzese
- Cellular Networks and Molecular Therapeutic Targets, Proteomics Unit, IRCCS - Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
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Bhargav AG, Mondal SK, Garcia CA, Green JJ, Quiñones‐Hinojosa A. Nanomedicine Revisited: Next Generation Therapies for Brain Cancer. ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/adtp.202000118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adip G. Bhargav
- Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science Mayo Clinic 200 First Street SW Rochester MN 55905 USA
- Department of Neurologic Surgery Mayo Clinic 4500 San Pablo Rd. Jacksonville FL 32224 USA
| | - Sujan K. Mondal
- Department of Pathology University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine 200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh PA 15213 USA
| | - Cesar A. Garcia
- Department of Neurologic Surgery Mayo Clinic 4500 San Pablo Rd. Jacksonville FL 32224 USA
| | - Jordan J. Green
- Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Neurosurgery, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Materials Science and Engineering, and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Translational Tissue Engineering Center, Bloomberg‐Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Institute for Nanobiotechnology Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine 400 N. Broadway, Smith 5017 Baltimore MD 21231 USA
| | - Alfredo Quiñones‐Hinojosa
- Department of Neurologic Surgery Mayo Clinic 4500 San Pablo Rd. Jacksonville FL 32224 USA
- Departments of Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery/Audiology Neuroscience, Cancer Biology, and Anatomy Mayo Clinic 4500 San Pablo Rd. Jacksonville FL 32224 USA
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Hung HC, Liu CC, Chuang JY, Su CL, Gean PW. Inhibition of Sonic Hedgehog Signaling Suppresses Glioma Stem-Like Cells Likely Through Inducing Autophagic Cell Death. Front Oncol 2020; 10:1233. [PMID: 32793494 PMCID: PMC7393230 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.01233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) often recurs after radio- and chemotherapies leading to poor prognosis. Glioma stem-like cells (GSCs) contribute to drug resistance and recurrence. Thus, understanding cellular mechanism underlying the growth of GSCs is critical for the treatment of GBM. Here GSCs were isolated from human U87 GBM cells with magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) using CD133 as a marker. The CD133+ cells highly expressed sonic hedgehog (Shh) and were capable of forming tumor spheroids in vitro and tumor in vivo. Athymic mice received intracranial injection of luciferase transduced parental and CD133+ GBM cells was utilized as orthotopic GBM model. Inhibited Shh by LDE225 delayed GBM growth in vivo, and downregulated Ptch1 and Gli1. CD133+ cell proliferation was more sensitive to inhibition by LDE225 than that of CD133− cells. Treatment with LDE225 significantly reduced CD133+-derived tumor spheroid formation. Large membranous vacuoles appeared in the LDE225-treated cells concomitant with the conversion of LC3-I to LC3-II. In addition, LDE225-induced cell death was mitigated in the presence of autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA). Tumor growth was much slower in Shh shRNA-knockdown mice than in control RNA-transfected mice. Conversely, tumor growth was faster in Shh overexpressed mice. Furthermore, combination of LDE225 and rapamycin treatment resulted in additive effect on LC3-I to LC3-II conversion and reduction in cell viability. However, LDE225 did not affect the phosphorylated level of mTOR. Similarly, amiodarone, an mTOR-independent autophagy enhancer, reduced CD133+ cell viability and tumor spheroid formation in vitro and exhibited anti-tumor activity in vivo. These results suggest that Shh inhibitor induces autophagy of CD133+ cells likely through mTOR independent pathway. Targeting Shh signal pathway may overcome chemoresistance and provide a therapeutic strategy for patients with malignant gliomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Chi Hung
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Chan-Chuan Liu
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Jian-Ying Chuang
- Graduate Institute of Neural Regenerative Medicine, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Lin Su
- Division of Natural Sciences, Center for General Education, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Po-Wu Gean
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.,Department of Biotechnology and Bioindustry Sciences, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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Zhang X, Shao S, Li L. Characterization of Class-3 Semaphorin Receptors, Neuropilins and Plexins, as Therapeutic Targets in a Pan-Cancer Study. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12071816. [PMID: 32640719 PMCID: PMC7409005 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12071816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Class-3 semaphorins (SEMA3s), initially characterized as axon guidance cues, have been recognized as key regulators for immune responses, angiogenesis, tumorigenesis and drug responses. The functions of SEMA3s are attributed to the activation of downstream signaling cascades mainly mediated by cell surface receptors neuropilins (NRPs) and plexins (PLXNs), yet their roles in human cancers are not completely understood. Here, we provided a detailed pan-cancer analysis of NRPs and PLXNs in their expression, and association with key signal transducers, patient survival, tumor microenvironment (TME), and drug responses. The expression of NRPs and PLXNs were dysregulated in many cancer types, and the majority of them were further dysregulated in metastatic tumors, indicating a role in metastatic progression. Importantly, the expression of these genes was frequently associated with key transducers, patient survival, TME, and drug responses; however, the direction of the association varied for the particular gene queried and the specific cancer type/subtype tested. Specifically, NRP1, NRP2, PLXNA1, PLXNA3, PLXNB3, PLXNC1, and PLXND1 were primarily associated with aggressive phenotypes, whereas the rest were more associated with favorable prognosis. These data highlighted the need to study each as a separate entity in a cancer type- and subtype-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, 320B Lincoln Tower, 1800 Cannon Dr., Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
- Correspondence:
| | - Shuai Shao
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43201, USA;
| | - Lang Li
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, 320B Lincoln Tower, 1800 Cannon Dr., Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
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Esposito CL, Nuzzo S, Ibba ML, Ricci-Vitiani L, Pallini R, Condorelli G, Catuogno S, de Franciscis V. Combined Targeting of Glioblastoma Stem-Like Cells by Neutralizing RNA-Bio-Drugs for STAT3. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12061434. [PMID: 32486489 PMCID: PMC7352497 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12061434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
An important drawback in the management of glioblastoma (GBM) patients is the frequent relapse upon surgery and therapy. A likely explanation is that conventional therapies poorly affect a small population of stem-like cancer cells (glioblastoma stem cells, GSCs) that remain capable of repopulating the tumour mass. Indeed, the development of therapeutic strategies able to hit GSCs while reducing the tumour burden has become an important challenge to increase a patient’s survival. The signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) has been reported to play a pivotal role in maintaining the tumour initiating capacity of the GSC population. Therefore, in order to impair the renewal and propagation of the PDGFRβ-expressing GSC population, here we took advantage of the aptamer–siRNA chimera (AsiC), named Gint4.T-STAT3, that we previously have shown to efficiently antagonize STAT3 in subcutaneous PDGFRβ-positive GBM xenografts. We demonstrate that the aptamer conjugate is able to effectively and specifically prevent patient-derived GSC function and expansion. Moreover, because of the therapeutic potential of using miR-10b inhibitors and of the broad expression of the Axl receptor in GBM, we used the GL21.T anti-Axl aptamer as the targeting moiety for anti-miR-10b, showing that, in combination with the STAT3 AsiC, the aptamer–miR-10b antagonist treatment further enhances the inhibition of GSC sphere formation. Our results highlight the potential to use a combined approach with targeted RNA therapeutics to inhibit GBM tumour dissemination and relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Lucia Esposito
- Istituto di Endocrinologia ed Oncologia Sperimentale, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), 80145 Naples, Italy;
- Correspondence: (C.L.E.); (V.d.F.); Tel.: +39-0813722343 (C.L.E. & V.d.F.)
| | - Silvia Nuzzo
- IRCCS SDN (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, SYNLAB istituto di Diagnostica Nucleare), 80143 Naples, Italy;
| | - Maria Luigia Ibba
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, “Federico II” University of Naples, 80131 Naples, Italy; (M.L.I.); (G.C.)
| | - Lucia Ricci-Vitiani
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Roberto Pallini
- Institute of Neurosurgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy;
| | - Gerolama Condorelli
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, “Federico II” University of Naples, 80131 Naples, Italy; (M.L.I.); (G.C.)
- IRCCS Neuromed (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Neuromed)—Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Silvia Catuogno
- Istituto di Endocrinologia ed Oncologia Sperimentale, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), 80145 Naples, Italy;
| | - Vittorio de Franciscis
- Istituto di Endocrinologia ed Oncologia Sperimentale, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), 80145 Naples, Italy;
- Correspondence: (C.L.E.); (V.d.F.); Tel.: +39-0813722343 (C.L.E. & V.d.F.)
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Wang X, Zhou W, Li X, Ren J, Ji G, Du J, Tian W, Liu Q, Hao A. Graphene oxide suppresses the growth and malignancy of glioblastoma stem cell-like spheroids via epigenetic mechanisms. J Transl Med 2020; 18:200. [PMID: 32410622 PMCID: PMC7227195 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-020-02359-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs) are hypothesized to contribute to self-renewal and therapeutic resistance in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumors. Constituting only a small percentage of cancer cells, GSCs possess “stem-like”, tumor-initiating properties and display resistance to irradiation and chemotherapy. Thus, novel approaches that can be used to suppress GSCs are urgently needed. A new carbon material—graphene oxide (GO), has been reported to show potential for use in tumor therapy. However, the exact effect of GO on GSCs and the inherent mechanism underlying its action are not clear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the usefulness of GO to inhibit the growth and promote the differentiation of GSCs, so as to suppress the malignancy of GBM. Methods In vitro effects of GO on sphere-forming ability, cell proliferation and differentiation were evaluated in U87, U251 GSCs and primary GSCs. The changes in cell cycle and the level of epigenetic modification H3K27me3 were examined. GO was also tested in vivo against U87 GSCs in mouse subcutaneous xenograft models by evaluating tumor growth and histological features. Results We cultured GSCs to explore the effect of GO and the underlying mechanism of its action. We found, for the first time, that GO triggers the inhibition of cell proliferation and induces apoptotic cell death in GSCs. Moreover, GO could promote the differentiation of GSCs by decreasing the expression of stem cell markers (SOX2 and CD133) and increasing the expression of differentiation-related markers (GFAP and β-III tubulin). Mechanistically, we found that GO had a striking effect on GSCs by inducing cell cycle arrest and epigenetic regulation. GO decreased H3K27me3 levels, which are regulated by EZH2 and associated with transcriptional silencing, in the promoters of the differentiation-related genes GFAP and β-III tubulin, thereby enhancing GSC differentiation. In addition, compared with untreated GSCs, GO-treated GSCs that were injected into nude mice exhibited decreased tumor growth in vivo. Conclusion These results suggested that GO could promote differentiation and reduce malignancy in GSCs via an unanticipated epigenetic mechanism, which further demonstrated that GO is a potent anti-GBM agent that could be useful for future clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Wang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Department of Anatomy and Histoembryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44#, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Wenjuan Zhou
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Department of Anatomy and Histoembryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44#, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Xian Li
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Department of Anatomy and Histoembryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44#, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China.,Department of Foot and Ankle Surgery, The Second Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Jun Ren
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Department of Anatomy and Histoembryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44#, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Guangyu Ji
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Department of Anatomy and Histoembryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44#, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Jingyi Du
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Department of Anatomy and Histoembryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44#, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Wenyu Tian
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Department of Anatomy and Histoembryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44#, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Department of Anatomy and Histoembryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44#, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Aijun Hao
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Department of Anatomy and Histoembryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44#, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China.
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Zhang X, Klamer B, Li J, Fernandez S, Li L. A pan-cancer study of class-3 semaphorins as therapeutic targets in cancer. BMC Med Genomics 2020; 13:45. [PMID: 32241267 PMCID: PMC7118829 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-020-0682-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Initially characterized as axon guidance factors, semaphorins also have been implicated to have critical roles in multiple physiological and developmental functions, including the regulation of immune responses, angiogenesis, organ formation, and the etiology of multiple forms of cancer. Moreover, their contribution in immunity and the regulation of tumour microenvironment is becoming increasingly recognized. Here, we provide a comprehensive analysis of class-3 semaphorins, the only secreted family of genes among veterbrate semaphorins, in terms of their expression profiles and their association with patient survival. We also relate their role with immune subtypes, tumour microenvironment, and drug sensitivity using a pan-cancer study. RESULTS Expression profiles of class-3 semaphorins (SEMA3s) and their association with patient survival and tumour microenvironment were studied in 31 cancer types using the TCGA pan-cancer data. The expression of SEMA3 family varies in different cancer types with striking inter- and intra- cancer heterogeneity. In general, our results show that SEMA3A, SEMA3C, and SEMA3F are primarily upregulated in cancer cells, while the rest of SEMA3s are mainly down-regulated in the tested tumours. The expression of SEMA3 family members was frequently associated with patient overall survival. However, the direction of the association varied with regards to the particular SEMA3 isoform queried and the specific cancer type tested. More specifically, SEMA3A and SEMA3E primarily associate with a poor prognosis of survival, while SEMA3G typically associates with survival advantage. The rest of SEMA3s show either survival advantage or disadvantage dependent on cancer type. In addition, all SEMA3 genes show significant association with immune infiltrate subtypes, and they also correlate with level of stromal cell infiltration and tumour cell stemness with various degrees. Finally, our study revealed that SEMA3 genes, especially SEMA3C and SEMA3F may contribute to drug induced cancer cell resistance. CONCLUSIONS Our systematic analysis of class-3 semaphorin gene expression and their association with immune infiltrates, tumour microenvironment and cancer patient outcomes highlights the need to study each SEMA3 member as a separate entity within each specific cancer type. Also our study validated the identification of class-3 semaphorin signals as promising therapeutic targets in cancer although further laboratory validation still needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, 320B Lincoln Tower, 1800 Cannon Dr., Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
| | - Brett Klamer
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, 320B Lincoln Tower, 1800 Cannon Dr., Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Jin Li
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, 320B Lincoln Tower, 1800 Cannon Dr., Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Soledad Fernandez
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, 320B Lincoln Tower, 1800 Cannon Dr., Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Lang Li
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, 320B Lincoln Tower, 1800 Cannon Dr., Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
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