1
|
He H, Zhang S, Yang H, Xu P, Kutschick I, Pfeffer S, Britzen-Laurent N, Grützmann R, Fu D, Pilarsky C. Identification of Genes Associated with Liver Metastasis in Pancreatic Cancer Reveals PCSK6 as a Crucial Mediator. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 15:cancers15010241. [PMID: 36612240 PMCID: PMC9818395 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15010241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Liver metastasis occurs frequently in patients with pancreatic cancer. We analyzed the molecular profiling in liver metastatic lesions aiming to uncover novel genes responsible for tumor progression. Bioinformatics analysis was applied to identify genes directing liver metastasis. CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to knock out the candidate gene. Proliferation assays, colony formation assays, cell cycle analysis, migration assays, wound healing assays, Immunofluorescence analysis, and the tumor xenograft model of intrasplenic injection were adopted to evaluate the effects of PCSK6 inactivation on cell growth, migration and liver metastasis. GSEA and Western blot were used to investigate the corresponding signaling pathway. PCSK6 was one of the obtained liver-metastasis-related genes in pancreatic cancer. PCSK6 inactivation inhibited cell growth and cell migration, due to G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and the remodeling of cell-cell junctions or the cell skeleton, respectively. PCSK6 inactivation led to fewer counts and lower outgrowth rates of liver metastatic niches in vivo. The Raf-MEK1/2-ERK1/2 axis was repressed by PCSK6 inactivation. Accordingly, we found PCSK6 inactivation could inhibit cell growth, cell migration, and liver metastasis, and explored the role of the Raf-MEK1/2-ERK1/2 axis in PCSK6 inactivation. PCSK6-targeted therapy might represent a novel approach for combatting liver metastasis in pancreatic cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hang He
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Shuman Zhang
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Hai Yang
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Pengyan Xu
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Isabella Kutschick
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Susanne Pfeffer
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Nathalie Britzen-Laurent
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Robert Grützmann
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Deliang Fu
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Christian Pilarsky
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Morimoto M, Toyoda H, Niwa K, Hanaki R, Okuda T, Nakato D, Amano K, Iwamoto S, Hirayama M. Nafamostat mesylate prevents metastasis and dissemination of neuroblastoma through vascular endothelial growth factor inhibition. Mol Clin Oncol 2022; 17:138. [PMID: 35949892 PMCID: PMC9353881 DOI: 10.3892/mco.2022.2571] [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: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is a highly malignant disease with a poor prognosis and few treatment options. Despite conventional chemotherapy for neuroblastoma, resistance, invasiveness, and metastatic mobility limit the treatment efficacy. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new strategies for treating neuroblastoma. The present study aimed to evaluate the anticancer effects of nafamostat mesylate, a previously known serine protease inhibitor, on neuroblastoma cells. Effects of nafamostat mesylate on neuroblastoma cell migration and proliferation were analyzed by wound healing assay and WST-8 assay, respectively. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the effects of nafamostat mesylate on neuroblastoma, the expression levels of NF-κB were measured via western blotting, and the production of the cytokine vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the cell culture supernatants was determined via ELISA. In addition, a mouse model of hematogenous metastasis was used to investigate the effects of nafamostat mesylate on neuroblastoma. It was determined that nafamostat mesylate significantly inhibited migration and invasion of Neuro-2a cells, but it had no effect on cell proliferation at 24 h after treatment. Exposure of Neuro-2a cells to nafamostat mesylate resulted in decreased vascular endothelial growth factor production, which could be a pivotal mechanism underlying the inhibitory effects of neuroblastoma metastasis. The results of the present study suggest that nafamostat mesylate may be an effective treatment against neuroblastoma invasion and metastasis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mari Morimoto
- Department of Pediatrics, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514‑8507, Japan
| | - Hidemi Toyoda
- Department of Pediatrics, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514‑8507, Japan
| | - Kaori Niwa
- Department of Pediatrics, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514‑8507, Japan
| | - Ryo Hanaki
- Department of Pediatrics, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514‑8507, Japan
| | - Taro Okuda
- Department of Pediatrics, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514‑8507, Japan
| | - Daisuke Nakato
- Department of Pediatrics, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514‑8507, Japan
| | - Keishiro Amano
- Department of Pediatrics, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514‑8507, Japan
| | - Shotaro Iwamoto
- Department of Pediatrics, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514‑8507, Japan
| | - Masahiro Hirayama
- Department of Pediatrics, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514‑8507, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Sela Y, Li J, Kuri P, Merrell AJ, Li N, Lengner C, Rompolas P, Stanger BZ. Dissecting phenotypic transitions in metastatic disease via photoconversion-based isolation. eLife 2021; 10:63270. [PMID: 33620315 PMCID: PMC7929558 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63270] [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: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer patients often harbor occult metastases, a potential source of relapse that is targetable only through systemic therapy. Studies of this occult fraction have been limited by a lack of tools with which to isolate discrete cells on spatial grounds. We developed PIC-IT, a photoconversion-based isolation technique allowing efficient recovery of cell clusters of any size – including single-metastatic cells – which are largely inaccessible otherwise. In a murine pancreatic cancer model, transcriptional profiling of spontaneously arising microcolonies revealed phenotypic heterogeneity, functionally reduced propensity to proliferate and enrichment for an inflammatory-response phenotype associated with NF-κB/AP-1 signaling. Pharmacological inhibition of NF-κB depleted microcolonies but had no effect on macrometastases, suggesting microcolonies are particularly dependent on this pathway. PIC-IT thus enables systematic investigation of metastatic heterogeneity. Moreover, the technique can be applied to other biological systems in which isolation and characterization of spatially distinct cell populations is not currently feasible.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yogev Sela
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Jinyang Li
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Paola Kuri
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Allyson J Merrell
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Ning Li
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Chris Lengner
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Pantelis Rompolas
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Ben Z Stanger
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| |
Collapse
|