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Li S, Hu G, Chen Y, Sang Y, Tang Q, Liu R. TERT upstream promoter methylation regulates TERT expression and acts as a therapeutic target in TERT promoter mutation-negative thyroid cancer. Cancer Cell Int 2024; 24:271. [PMID: 39097722 PMCID: PMC11297792 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-024-03459-2] [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: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND DNA hypermethylation and hotspot mutations were frequently observed in the upstream and core promoter of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), respectively, and they were associated with increased TERT expression and adverse clinical outcomes in thyroid cancer. In TERT promoter mutant cancer cells, the hypomethylated TERT mutant allele was active and the hypermethylated TERT wild-type allele was silenced. However, whether and how the upstream promoter methylation regulates TERT expression in TERT mutation-negative cells were largely unknown. METHODS DNA demethylating agents 5-azacytidine and decitabine and a genomic locus-specific demethylation system based on dCas9-TET1 were used to assess the effects of TERT upstream promoter methylation on TERT expression, cell growth and apoptosis of thyroid cancer cells. Regulatory proteins binding to TERT promoter were identified by CRISPR affinity purification in situ of regulatory elements (CAPTURE) combined with mass spectrometry. The enrichments of selected regulatory proteins and histone modifications were evaluated by chromatin immunoprecipitation. RESULTS The level of DNA methylation at TERT upstream promoter and expression of TERT were significantly decreased after treatment with 5-azacytidine or decitabine in TERT promoter wild-type thyroid cancer cells. Genomic locus-specific demethylation of TERT upstream promoter induced TERT downregulation, along with cell apoptosis and growth inhibition. Consistently, demethylating agents sharply inhibited the growth of thyroid cancer cells harboring hypermethylated TERT but had little effect on cells with TERT hypomethylation. Moreover, we identified that the chromatin remodeling protein CHD4 binds to methylated TERT upstream promoter and promotes its transcription by suppressing the enrichment of H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 at TERT promoter. CONCLUSIONS This study uncovered the mechanism of promoter methylation mediated TERT activation in TERT promoter mutation-negative thyroid cancer cells and indicated TERT upstream promoter methylation as a therapeutic target for thyroid cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyong Li
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China
| | - Guanghui Hu
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China
| | - Yulu Chen
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China
| | - Ye Sang
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China
| | - Qin Tang
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China
| | - Rengyun Liu
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China.
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Sekihara K, Himuro H, Toda S, Saito N, Hirayama R, Suganuma N, Sasada T, Hoshino D. Recent Trends and Potential of Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1286. [PMID: 38927493 PMCID: PMC11201408 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12061286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a rare but highly aggressive malignancy characterized by advanced disease at diagnosis and a poor prognosis. Despite multimodal therapeutic approaches that include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, an optimal treatment strategy remains elusive. Current developments in targeted therapies and immunotherapy offer promising avenues for improved outcomes, particularly for BRAF-mutant patients. However, challenges remain regarding overcoming drug resistance and developing effective treatments for BRAF-wild-type tumors. This comprehensive review examines the clinical and biological features of ATC, outlines the current standards of care, and discusses recent developments with a focus on the evolving role of radiotherapy. Moreover, it emphasizes the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach and highlights the urgent need for further research to better understand ATC pathogenesis and identify new therapeutic targets. Collaborative efforts, including large-scale clinical trials, are essential for translating these findings into improved patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazumasa Sekihara
- Cancer Biology Division, Kanagawa Cancer Center Research Institute, Yokohama 2418515, Japan; (K.S.); (S.T.); (N.S.)
- Biospecimen Center, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Yokohama 2418515, Japan
| | - Hidetomo Himuro
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Kanagawa Cancer Center Research Institute, Yokohama 2418515, Japan; (H.H.); (T.S.)
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Yokohama 2418515, Japan
| | - Soji Toda
- Cancer Biology Division, Kanagawa Cancer Center Research Institute, Yokohama 2418515, Japan; (K.S.); (S.T.); (N.S.)
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Yokohama City University Medical Center, Yokohama 2320024, Japan
| | - Nao Saito
- Cancer Biology Division, Kanagawa Cancer Center Research Institute, Yokohama 2418515, Japan; (K.S.); (S.T.); (N.S.)
- Biospecimen Center, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Yokohama 2418515, Japan
| | - Ryoichi Hirayama
- Department of Charged Particle Therapy Research, QST Hospital, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba 2638555, Japan;
| | - Nobuyasu Suganuma
- Department of Surgery, Yokohama City University, Yokohama 2360004, Japan;
| | - Tetsuro Sasada
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Kanagawa Cancer Center Research Institute, Yokohama 2418515, Japan; (H.H.); (T.S.)
| | - Daisuke Hoshino
- Cancer Biology Division, Kanagawa Cancer Center Research Institute, Yokohama 2418515, Japan; (K.S.); (S.T.); (N.S.)
- Biospecimen Center, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Yokohama 2418515, Japan
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3
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Henriques CM, Ferreira MG. Telomere length is an epigenetic trait - Implications for the use of telomerase-deficient organisms to model human disease. Dis Model Mech 2024; 17:dmm050581. [PMID: 38441152 PMCID: PMC10941657 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.050581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Telomere length, unlike most genetic traits, is epigenetic, in the sense that it is not fully coded by the genome. Telomeres vary in length and randomly assort to the progeny leaving some individuals with longer and others with shorter telomeres. Telomerase activity counteracts this by extending telomeres in the germline and during embryogenesis but sizeable variances remain in telomere length. This effect is exacerbated by the absence of fully active telomerase. Telomerase heterozygous animals (tert+/-) have reduced telomerase activity and their telomeres fail to be elongated to wild-type average length, meaning that - with every generation - they decrease. After a given number of successive generations of telomerase-insufficient crosses, telomeres become critically short and cause organismal defects that, in humans, are known as telomere biology disorders. Importantly, these defects also occur in wild-type (tert+/+) animals derived from such tert+/- incrosses. Despite these tert+/+ animals being proficient for telomerase, they have shorter than average telomere length and, although milder, develop phenotypes that are similar to those of telomerase mutants. Here, we discuss the impact of this phenomenon on human pathologies associated with telomere length, provide a brief overview of telomere biology across species and propose specific measures for working with telomerase-deficient zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina M. Henriques
- The Bateson Centre, MRC-Arthritis Research UK Centre for Integrated Research Into Musculoskeletal Ageing (CIMA) and Healthy Lifespan Institute (HELSI), School of Medicine and Population Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Miguel Godinho Ferreira
- Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), CNRS UMR7284, INSERM U1081, Université Côte d‘Azur, 06107 Nice, France
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4
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Li S, Xue J, Jiang K, Chen Y, Zhu L, Liu R. TERT promoter methylation is associated with high expression of TERT and poor prognosis in papillary thyroid cancer. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1325345. [PMID: 38313800 PMCID: PMC10834694 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1325345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is overexpressed and associated with poor prognosis in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), the most common subtype of thyroid cancer. The overexpression of TERT in PTC was partially attributed to transcriptional activation by two hotspot mutations in the core promoter region of this gene. As one of the major epigenetic mechanisms of gene expression regulation, DNA methylation has been proved to regulate several tumor-related genes in PTC. However, the association of TERT promoter DNA methylation with TERT expression and PTC progression is still unclear. By treating PTC cell lines with demethylating agent decitabine, we found that the TERT promoter methylation and the genes' expression were remarkably decreased. Consistently, PTC patients with TERT hypermethylation had significantly higher TERT expression than patients with TERT hypomethylation. Moreover, TERT hypermethylated patients showed significant higher rates of poor clinical outcomes than patients with TERT hypomethylation. Results from the cox regression analysis showed that the hazard ratios (HRs) of TERT hypermethylation for overall survival, disease-specific survival, disease-free interval (DFI) and progression-free interval (PFI) were 4.81 (95% CI, 1.61-14.41), 8.28 (95% CI, 2.14-32.13), 3.56 (95% CI, 1.24-10.17) and 3.32 (95% CI, 1.64-6.71), respectively. The HRs for DFI and PFI remained significant after adjustment for clinical risk factors. These data suggest that promoter DNA methylation upregulates TERT expression and associates with poor clinical outcomes of PTC, thus holds the potential to be a valuable prognostic marker for PTC risk stratification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyong Li
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junyu Xue
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ke Jiang
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yulu Chen
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lefan Zhu
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rengyun Liu
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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5
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Kumar N, Sethi G. Telomerase and hallmarks of cancer: An intricate interplay governing cancer cell evolution. Cancer Lett 2023; 578:216459. [PMID: 37863351 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2023.216459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Transformed cells must acquire specific characteristics to be malignant. Weinberg and Hanahan characterize these characteristics as cancer hallmarks. Though these features are independently driven, substantial signaling crosstalk in transformed cells efficiently promotes these feature acquisitions. Telomerase is an enzyme complex that maintains telomere length. However, its main component, Telomere reverse transcriptase (TERT), has been found to interact with various signaling molecules like cMYC, NF-kB, BRG1 and cooperate in transcription and metabolic reprogramming, acting as a strong proponent of malignant features such as cell death resistance, sustained proliferation, angiogenesis activation, and metastasis, among others. It allows cells to avoid replicative senescence and achieve endless replicative potential. This review summarizes both the canonical and noncanonical functions of TERT and discusses how they promote cancer hallmarks. Understanding the role of Telomerase in promoting cancer hallmarks provides vital insight into the underlying mechanism of cancer genesis and progression and telomerase intervention as a possible therapeutic target for cancer treatment. More investigation into the precise molecular mechanisms of telomerase-mediated impacts on cancer hallmarks will contribute to developing more focused and customized cancer treatment methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naveen Kumar
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Gautam Sethi
- Department of Pharmacology and NUS Centre for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117600, Singapore.
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6
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Yegorov YE. Olovnikov, Telomeres, and Telomerase. Is It Possible to Prolong a Healthy Life? BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2023; 88:1704-1718. [PMID: 38105192 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297923110032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
The science of telomeres and telomerase has made tremendous progress in recent decades. In this review, we consider it first in a historical context (the Carrel-Hayflick-Olovnikov-Blackburn chain of discoveries) and then review current knowledge on the telomere structure and dynamics in norm and pathology. Central to the review are consequences of the telomere shortening, including telomere position effects, DNA damage signaling, and increased genetic instability. Cell senescence and role of telomere length in its development are discussed separately. Therapeutic aspects and risks of telomere lengthening methods including use of telomerase and other approaches are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yegor E Yegorov
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
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7
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Sullivan SM, Cole B, Lane J, Meredith JJ, Langer E, Hooten AJ, Roesler M, McGraw KL, Pankratz N, Poynter JN. Predicted leukocyte telomere length and risk of myeloid neoplasms. Hum Mol Genet 2023; 32:2996-3005. [PMID: 37531260 PMCID: PMC10549790 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddad126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Maintenance of telomere length has long been established to play a role in the biology of cancer and several studies suggest that it may be especially important in myeloid malignancies. To overcome potential bias in confounding and reverse causation of observational studies, we use both a polygenic risk score (PRS) and inverse-variance weighted (IVW) Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to estimate the relationship between genetically predicted leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) risk in 498 cases and 2099 controls and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) risk in 610 cases and 1759 controls. Genetic instruments derived from four recent studies explaining 1.23-4.57% of telomere variability were considered. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (OR, 95% confidence intervals [CI]) as the measure of association between individual single-nucleotide polymorphisms and myeloid malignancies. We observed a significant association between a PRS of longer predicted LTL and AML using three genetic instruments (OR = 4.03 per ~1200 base pair [bp] increase in LTL, 95% CI: 1.65, 9.85 using Codd et al. [Codd, V., Nelson, C.P., Albrecht, E., Mangino, M., Deelen, J., Buxton, J.L., Hottenga, J.J., Fischer, K., Esko, T., Surakka, I. et al. (2013) Identification of seven loci affecting mean telomere length and their association with disease. Nat. Genet., 45, 422-427 427e421-422.], OR = 3.48 per one-standard deviation increase in LTL, 95% CI: 1.74, 6.97 using Li et al. [Li, C., Stoma, S., Lotta, L.A., Warner, S., Albrecht, E., Allione, A., Arp, P.P., Broer, L., Buxton, J.L., Alves, A.D.S.C. et al. (2020) Genome-wide association analysis in humans links nucleotide metabolism to leukocyte telomere length. Am. J. Hum. Genet., 106, 389-404.] and OR = 2.59 per 1000 bp increase in LTL, 95% CI: 1.03, 6.52 using Taub et al. [Taub, M.A., Conomos, M.P., Keener, R., Iyer, K.R., Weinstock, J.S., Yanek, L.R., Lane, J., Miller-Fleming, T.W., Brody, J.A., Raffield, L.M. et al. (2022) Genetic determinants of telomere length from 109,122 ancestrally diverse whole-genome sequences in TOPMed. Cell Genom., 2.] genetic instruments). MR analyses further indicated an association between LTL and AML risk (PIVW ≤ 0.049) but not MDS (all PIVW ≥ 0.076). Findings suggest variation in genes relevant to telomere function and maintenance may be important in the etiology of AML but not MDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon M Sullivan
- Division of Pediatric Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Ben Cole
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - John Lane
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - John J Meredith
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Erica Langer
- Division of Pediatric Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Anthony J Hooten
- Division of Pediatric Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Michelle Roesler
- Division of Pediatric Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Kathy L McGraw
- Laboratory of Receptor Biology and Gene Expression, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Nathan Pankratz
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Jenny N Poynter
- Division of Pediatric Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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Gorji L, Brown ZJ, Pawlik TM. Mutational Landscape and Precision Medicine in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4221. [PMID: 37686496 PMCID: PMC10487145 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15174221] [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: 07/22/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth most common malignancy worldwide and exhibits a universal burden as the incidence of the disease continues to rise. In addition to curative-intent therapies such as liver resection and transplantation, locoregional and systemic therapy options also exist. However, existing treatments carry a dismal prognosis, often plagued with high recurrence and mortality. For this reason, understanding the tumor microenvironment and mutational pathophysiology has become the center of investigation for disease control. The use of precision medicine and genetic analysis can supplement current treatment modalities to promote individualized management of HCC. In the search for personalized medicine, tools such as next-generation sequencing have been used to identify unique tumor mutations and improve targeted therapies. Furthermore, investigations are underway for specific HCC biomarkers to augment the diagnosis of malignancy, the prediction of whether the tumor environment is amenable to available therapies, the surveillance of treatment response, the monitoring for disease recurrence, and even the identification of novel therapeutic opportunities. Understanding the mutational landscape and biomarkers of the disease is imperative for tailored management of the malignancy. In this review, we summarize the molecular targets of HCC and discuss the current role of precision medicine in the treatment of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leva Gorji
- Department of Surgery, Kettering Health Dayton, Dayton, OH 45405, USA;
| | - Zachary J. Brown
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, New York University—Long Island, Mineola, NY 11501, USA;
| | - Timothy M. Pawlik
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Hospital, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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Rotem O, Zer A, Yosef L, Beery E, Goldvaser H, Gutkin A, Levin R, Dudnik E, Berger T, Feinmesser M, Levy-Barda A, Lahav M, Raanani P, Uziel O. Blood-Derived Exosomal hTERT mRNA in Patients with Lung Cancer: Characterization and Correlation with Response to Therapy. Biomedicines 2023; 11:1730. [PMID: 37371825 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11061730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Telomerase (human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is considered a hallmark of cancer, being active in cancer cells but repressed in human somatic cells. As such, it has the potential to serve as a valid cancer biomarker. Exosomal hTERT mRNA can be detected in the serum of patients with solid malignancies but not in healthy individuals. We sought to evaluate the feasibility of measuring serum exosomal hTERT transcripts levels in patients with lung cancer. Methods: A prospective analysis of exosomal hTERT mRNA levels was determined in serum-derived exosomes from 76 patients with stage III-IV lung cancer (11 SCLC and 65 NSCLC). An hTERT level above RQ = 1.2 was considered "detectable" according to a previous receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) curve. Sequential measurements were obtained in 33 patients. Demographic and clinical data were collected retrospectively from patients' charts. Data on response to systemic therapy (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and tyrosine kinase inhibitors) were collected by the treating physicians. Results: hTERT was detected in 53% (40/76) of patients with lung cancer (89% of SCLC and 46% of NSLCC). The mean hTERT levels were 3.7 in all 76 patients, 5.87 in SCLC patients, and 3.62 in NSCLC patients. In total, 25 of 43 patients with sequential measurements had detectable levels of hTERT. The sequential exosomal hTERT mRNA levels reflected the clinical course in 23 of them. Decreases in hTERT levels were detected in 17 and 5 patients with partial and complete response, respectively. Eleven patients with a progressive disease had an increase in the level of exosomal hTERT, and seven with stable disease presented increases in its exosomal levels. Another patient who progressed on the first line of treatment and had a partial response to the second line of treatment exhibited an increase in exosomal hTERT mRNA levels during the progression and a decrease during the response. Conclusions: Exosomal hTERT mRNA levels are elevated in over half of patients with lung cancer. The potential association between hTERT levels and response to therapy suggests its utility as a promising cancer biomarker for response to therapy. This issue should be further explored in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ofer Rotem
- Davidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
| | - Alona Zer
- Davidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Lilach Yosef
- Davidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
| | - Einat Beery
- The Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
| | - Hadar Goldvaser
- Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University, Rehovot 7612001, Israel
| | - Anna Gutkin
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- The Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
| | - Ron Levin
- Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262000, Israel
| | - Elizabeth Dudnik
- Davidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
| | - Tamar Berger
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Institute of Hematology, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
| | - Meora Feinmesser
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Biobank, Department of Pathology, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
| | - Adva Levy-Barda
- Biobank, Department of Pathology, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
| | - Meir Lahav
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- The Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
- Institute of Hematology, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
| | - Pia Raanani
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- The Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
- Institute of Hematology, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
| | - Orit Uziel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- The Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
- Institute of Hematology, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
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10
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Bailey SM. Editorial: Hallmark of cancer: replicative immortality. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1204094. [PMID: 37182148 PMCID: PMC10168124 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1204094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Susan M. Bailey
- Department of Environmental & Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
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11
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Telomerase: A prominent oncological target for development of chemotherapeutic agents. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 249:115121. [PMID: 36669398 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) responsible for the maintenance of chromosomal integrity by stabilizing telomere length. Telomerase is a widely expressed hallmark responsible for replicative immortality in 80-90% of malignant tumors. Cancer cells produce telomerase which prevents telomere shortening by adding telomeres sequences beyond Hayflick's limit; which enables them to divide uncontrollably. The activity of telomerase is relatively low in somatic cells and absent in normal cells, but the re-activation of this RNP in normal cells suppresses p53 activity which leads to the avoidance of senescence causing malignancy. Here, we have focused explicitly on various anti-telomerase therapies and telomerase-inhibiting molecules for the treatment of cancer. We have covered molecules that are reported in developmental, preclinical, and clinical trial stages as potent telomerase inhibitors. Apart from chemotherapy, we have also included details of immunotherapy, gene therapy, G-quadruplex stabilizers, and HSP-90 inhibitors. The purpose of this work is to discuss the challenges behind the development of novel telomerase inhibitors and to identify various perspectives for designing anti-telomerase compounds.
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12
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Ropio J, Prochazkova-Carlotti M, Batista R, Pestana A, Chebly A, Ferrer J, Idrissi Y, Cappellen D, Durães C, Boaventura P, Vinagre J, Azzi-Martin L, Poglio S, Cabeçadas J, Campos MA, Beylot-Barry M, Sobrinho-Simões M, Merlio JP, Soares P, Chevret E. Spotlight on hTERT Complex Regulation in Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphomas. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:439. [PMID: 36833366 PMCID: PMC9956048 DOI: 10.3390/genes14020439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 02/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
As a major cancer hallmark, there is a sustained interest in understanding the telomerase contribution to carcinogenesis in order to therapeutically target this enzyme. This is particularly relevant in primary cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL), a malignancy showing telomerase dysregulation with few investigative data available. In CTCL, we examined the mechanisms involved in telomerase transcriptional activation and activity regulation. We analyzed 94 CTCL patients from a Franco-Portuguese cohort, as well as 8 cell lines, in comparison to 101 healthy controls. Our results showed that not only polymorphisms (SNPs) located at the promoter of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene (rs2735940 and rs2853672) but also an SNP located within the coding region (rs2853676) could influence CTCL occurrence. Furthermore, our results sustained that the post-transcriptional regulation of hTERT contributes to CTCL lymphomagenesis. Indeed, CTCL cells present a different pattern of hTERT spliced transcripts distribution from the controls, mostly marked by an increase in the hTERT β+ variants proportion. This increase seems to be associated with CTCL development and progression. Through hTERT splicing transcriptome modulation with shRNAs, we observed that the decrease in the α-β+ transcript induced a decrease in the cell proliferation and tumorigenic capacities of T-MF cells in vitro. Taken together, our data highlight the major role of post-transcriptional mechanisms regulating telomerase non canonical functions in CTCL and suggest a new potential role for the α-β+ hTERT transcript variant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Ropio
- BRIC (BoRdeaux Institute of onCology), UMR1312, INSERM, University of Bordeaux, 33000 Bordeaux, France
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences of Abel Salazar, Porto University, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusófona University, 1749-024 Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - Rui Batista
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (I3S), Porto University, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Cancer Biology Group, Porto University, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, Porto University, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Pestana
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (I3S), Porto University, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Cancer Biology Group, Porto University, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, Porto University, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Alain Chebly
- BRIC (BoRdeaux Institute of onCology), UMR1312, INSERM, University of Bordeaux, 33000 Bordeaux, France
- Medical Genetics Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Saint Joseph University, Beirut 1104 2020, Lebanon
- Higher Institute of Public Health, Saint Joseph University, Beirut 1104 2020, Lebanon
| | - Jacky Ferrer
- BRIC (BoRdeaux Institute of onCology), UMR1312, INSERM, University of Bordeaux, 33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Yamina Idrissi
- BRIC (BoRdeaux Institute of onCology), UMR1312, INSERM, University of Bordeaux, 33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - David Cappellen
- BRIC (BoRdeaux Institute of onCology), UMR1312, INSERM, University of Bordeaux, 33000 Bordeaux, France
- Tumor Bank and Tumor Biology Laboratory, Bordeaux University Hospital, 33075 Bordeaux, France
| | - Cecília Durães
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (I3S), Porto University, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Cancer Biology Group, Porto University, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
| | - Paula Boaventura
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Cancer Biology Group, Porto University, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
| | - João Vinagre
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (I3S), Porto University, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Cancer Biology Group, Porto University, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
| | - Lamia Azzi-Martin
- BRIC (BoRdeaux Institute of onCology), UMR1312, INSERM, University of Bordeaux, 33000 Bordeaux, France
- UFR des Sciences Médicales, Bordeaux University, 33076 Bordeaux, France
| | - Sandrine Poglio
- BRIC (BoRdeaux Institute of onCology), UMR1312, INSERM, University of Bordeaux, 33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - José Cabeçadas
- Dermatology Departement, Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa (IPO-L), 1099-023 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Manuel António Campos
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (I3S), Porto University, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Cancer Biology Group, Porto University, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, Porto University, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Centro Hospitalar Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, E.P.E., Dermatology Departement, 4434-502 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
| | - Marie Beylot-Barry
- BRIC (BoRdeaux Institute of onCology), UMR1312, INSERM, University of Bordeaux, 33000 Bordeaux, France
- Dermatology Department, Bordeaux University Hospital, 33075 Bordeaux, France
| | - Manuel Sobrinho-Simões
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (I3S), Porto University, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Cancer Biology Group, Porto University, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, Porto University, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Porto University, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Jean-Philippe Merlio
- BRIC (BoRdeaux Institute of onCology), UMR1312, INSERM, University of Bordeaux, 33000 Bordeaux, France
- Tumor Bank and Tumor Biology Laboratory, Bordeaux University Hospital, 33075 Bordeaux, France
| | - Paula Soares
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (I3S), Porto University, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Cancer Biology Group, Porto University, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, Porto University, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Porto University, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Edith Chevret
- BRIC (BoRdeaux Institute of onCology), UMR1312, INSERM, University of Bordeaux, 33000 Bordeaux, France
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13
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Genetic analysis and clinicopathologic features of locally advanced papillary thyroid cancers: a prospective observational study. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023:10.1007/s00432-022-04541-w. [PMID: 36735028 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-022-04541-w] [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: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Locally advanced papillary thyroid cancer (LAPTC) has poor prognosis. Large-scale genomic testing has revealed multiple oncogenic drivers which may be essential for understanding tumor progression. However, the accurate identification of high recurrence risk and poor prognosis in thyroid carcinoma remains unclear. The objective of this study was to analyze genetic profile and clinicopathologic features of locally advanced papillary thyroid cancers. METHODS An observational cohort study was performed to identify molecular characteristics of LAPTC and a prognosis comparison of LAPTC with different genetic mutations. ThyroSeq v2 next-generation sequencing (57-gene panel) was performed on fresh tumor tissue. Then, the clinicopathological features between tumors with different genetic mutations were compared. Additionally, correlations of tumor recurrence and disease free survival with different genetic alterations were analyzed. RESULTS This study showed that the main mutation is common BRAFV600E (66.2%, 43/65) in LAPTC, followed by the TERT promoter mutations (38.5%, 25/65). Synergetic mutations of BRAFV600E and TERT promoters (B&T) were identified in 26.2% LAPTC (17/65), which is associated with tall-cell variant, extrathyroidal invasion and advanced tumor stage (III/IV). The synergetic mutations of B&T are also significantly associated with higher risk of recurrence (hazard ratio [HR], 6.0; 95% confidence interval, CI 1.26-28.55, P = 0.02) and mortality (17.6%, 3/17). CONCLUSIONS Synergetic mutations of B&T are common in LAPTC, which is associated with the aggressive clinicopathologic features and an increased risk of recurrence and mortality. This finding may help to predict aggressive behavior of LAPTC and to assist in clinical decision-making.
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14
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Ahn SH, Ahn SS, Park YW, Park CJ, Lee SK. Association of dynamic susceptibility contrast- and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging parameters with molecular marker status in lower-grade gliomas: A retrospective study. Neuroradiol J 2023; 36:49-58. [PMID: 35532193 PMCID: PMC9893160 DOI: 10.1177/19714009221098369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Molecular marker status is clinically relevant for treatment planning and predicting the prognosis of gliomas. This study aimed to assess whether quantitative imaging parameters from dynamic susceptibility contrast- (DSC-) and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can predict the molecular marker status of lower-grade gliomas (LGGs). MATERIALS AND METHODS Overall, 132 patients with LGGs who underwent DSC- and DCE-MRI were retrospectively enrolled. Statuses of relevant molecular markers including isocitrate dehydrogenase isoenzyme (IDH), 1p19q codeletion, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) were collected. For each molecular marker, age, tumor diameter and location, and DSC- and DCE-MRI parameters, including the normalized cerebral blood volume (nCBV), volume transfer constant (Ktrans), rate transfer coefficient (Kep), extravascular extracellular volume fraction (Ve), and plasma volume fraction (Vp), were compared. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS The nCBV was significantly lower in LGGs with IDH mutation (p = .001) and TERT mutation (p = .027) than those without these mutations. Ktrans (p = .034), Ve (p = .023), and Vp (p = .044) values were significantly lower in MGMT methylated LGGs than in MGMT unmethylated LGGs. Perfusion parameters were not significantly associated with EGFR amplification and 1p19q codeletion. Young age (p < .001) and small diameter (p = .001) were significantly associated with IDH mutation. The nCBV was independently associated with IDH status (AUC, 0.817; 95% CI: 0.739-0.894). CONCLUSIONS DSC- and DCE-MRI parameters demonstrated correlations with molecular markers of LGGs. Especially, the nCBV can be helpful in predicting the IDH mutation status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Hee Ahn
- Department of Radiology, Yonsei University College of
Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sung Soo Ahn
- Department of Radiology, Yonsei University College of
Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yae Won Park
- Department of Radiology, Yonsei University College of
Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Chae Jung Park
- Department of Radiology, Yonsei University College of
Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Seung-Koo Lee
- Department of Radiology, Yonsei University College of
Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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15
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FOXM1 increases hTERT protein stability and indicates poor prognosis in gastric cancer. Neoplasia 2022; 36:100863. [PMID: 36528911 PMCID: PMC9792884 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2022.100863] [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: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastric cancer is one of most lethal diseases across the world. However, the underlying mechanism of gastric cancer carcinogenesis and development is still not fully known. Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) belongs to the FOX family and has crucial roles in transactivation of multiple oncogenes in several cancer types, including gastric cancer. Recent studies have also shown the non-transcriptional function of FOXM1 via protein-protein interactions. Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is the core subunit of telomerase that facilitates cancer initiation and progression by maintaining cell immortalization, promoting cell proliferation and inhibiting cell apoptosis. However, the relationship between FOXM1 and hTERT in gastric cancer is still unclear. In our study, we found that FOXM1 and hTERT were convergent to the cell cycle-related pathways and they were positively related with advanced gastric cancer stages and poor outcomes. Simultaneous high levels of FOXM1 and hTERT predicted the worst prognosis. FOXM1 could increase hTERT protein rather than mRNA levels in a non-transcriptional manner. Mechanistically, FOXM1 interrupted the interaction between the E3 ligase MKRN1 and hTERT and decreased hTERT protein degradation. Further studies revealed that FOXM1 interacted with hTERT through its DNA-binding domain (DBD) region. Finally, we found that hTERT played important roles in FOXM1-mediated activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway to promote gastric cancer cell proliferation. Taken together, we found a novel non-classical function of FOXM1 to increase hTERT protein stability. Targeting the FOXM1-hTERT pathway may be a potential therapeutic strategy in treating gastric cancer.
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16
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Marchese PV, Mollica V, Tassinari E, De Biase D, Giunchi F, Marchetti A, Rosellini M, Fiorentino M, Massari F. Implications of TERT promoter mutations and telomerase activity in solid tumors with a focus on genitourinary cancers. Expert Rev Mol Diagn 2022; 22:997-1008. [PMID: 36503370 DOI: 10.1080/14737159.2022.2154148] [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] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The reactivation of telomerase represents a key moment in the carcinogenesis process. Mutations in the central promoter region of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene cause telomerase reactivation in approximately 90% of solid tumors. In some of these, its prognostic and predictive role in response to treatments has already been demonstrated, in others (such as tumors of the genitourinary tract like urothelial carcinoma) data are controversial and the research is still ongoing. In the future, TERT promoter mutations and telomerase activity could have diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic applications in many types of cancer. AREAS COVERED We performed a review the literature with the aim of describing the current evidence on the prognostic and predictive role of TERT promoter mutations. In some tumor types, TERT promoter mutations have been associated with a worse prognosis and could have a potential value as biomarkers to guide therapeutic decisions. Mutations in TERT promoter seems to make the tumor particularly immunogenic and more responsive to immunotherapy, although data is controversial. EXPERT OPINION We described the role of TERT promoter mutations in solid tumors with a particular focus in genitourinary cancers, considering their frequency in this tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Valeria Marchese
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Via Albertoni - 15 40138, Bologna, Italy
| | - Veronica Mollica
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Via Albertoni - 15 40138, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Elisa Tassinari
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Via Albertoni - 15 40138, Bologna, Italy
| | - Dario De Biase
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (Fabit), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.,Solid Tumor Molecular Pathology Laboratory, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Francesca Giunchi
- Pathology Unit, IRCCS Policlinico Sant'Orsola-Malpighi, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Andrea Marchetti
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Via Albertoni - 15 40138, Bologna, Italy
| | - Matteo Rosellini
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Via Albertoni - 15 40138, Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Francesco Massari
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Via Albertoni - 15 40138, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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17
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Three-dimensional fractal dimension and lacunarity features may noninvasively predict TERT promoter mutation status in grade 2 meningiomas. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276342. [PMID: 36264940 PMCID: PMC9584385 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276342] [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: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The 2021 World Health Organization classification includes telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter (TERTp) mutation status as a factor for differentiating meningioma grades. Therefore, preoperative prediction of TERTp mutation may assist in clinical decision making. However, no previous study has applied fractal analysis for TERTp mutation status prediction in meningiomas. The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of three-dimensional (3D) fractal analysis for predicting the TERTp mutation status in grade 2 meningiomas. METHODS Forty-eight patients with surgically confirmed grade 2 meningiomas (41 TERTp-wildtype and 7 TERTp-mutant) were included. 3D fractal dimension (FD) and lacunarity values were extracted from the fractal analysis. A predictive model combining clinical, conventional, and fractal parameters was built using logistic regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to assess the ability of the model to predict TERTp mutation status. RESULTS Patients with TERTp-mutant grade 2 meningiomas were older (P = 0.029) and had higher 3D FD (P = 0.026) and lacunarity (P = 0.004) values than patients with TERTp-wildtype grade 2 meningiomas. On multivariable logistic analysis, higher 3D FD values (odds ratio = 32.50, P = 0.039) and higher 3D lacunarity values (odds ratio = 20.54, P = 0.014) were significant predictors of TERTp mutation status. The area under the curve, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the multivariable model were 0.84 (95% confidence interval 0.71-0.93), 83.3%, 71.4%, and 85.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION 3D FD and lacunarity may be useful imaging biomarkers for predicting TERTp mutation status in grade 2 meningiomas.
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18
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Liu Y, Betori RC, Pagacz J, Frost GB, Efimova EV, Wu D, Wolfgeher DJ, Bryan TM, Cohen SB, Scheidt KA, Kron SJ. Targeting telomerase reverse transcriptase with the covalent inhibitor NU-1 confers immunogenic radiation sensitization. Cell Chem Biol 2022; 29:1517-1531.e7. [PMID: 36206753 PMCID: PMC9588800 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2022.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Beyond synthesizing telomere repeats, the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) also serves multiple other roles supporting cancer growth. Blocking telomerase to drive telomere erosion appears impractical, but TERT's non-canonical activities have yet to be fully explored as cancer targets. Here, we used an irreversible TERT inhibitor, NU-1, to examine impacts on resistance to conventional cancer therapies. In vitro, inhibiting TERT sensitized cells to chemotherapy and radiation. NU-1 delayed repair of double-strand breaks, resulting in persistent DNA damage signaling and cellular senescence. Although NU-1 alone did not impact growth of syngeneic CT26 tumors in BALB/c mice, it dramatically enhanced the effects of radiation, leading to immune-dependent tumor elimination. Tumors displayed persistent DNA damage, suppressed proliferation, and increased activated immune infiltrate. Our studies confirm TERT's role in limiting genotoxic effects of conventional therapy but also implicate TERT as a determinant of immune evasion and therapy resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Liu
- Ludwig Center for Metastasis Research and Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Rick C Betori
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Joanna Pagacz
- Ludwig Center for Metastasis Research and Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Grant B Frost
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Elena V Efimova
- Ludwig Center for Metastasis Research and Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Ding Wu
- Ludwig Center for Metastasis Research and Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Donald J Wolfgeher
- Ludwig Center for Metastasis Research and Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Tracy M Bryan
- Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Scott B Cohen
- Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Karl A Scheidt
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
| | - Stephen J Kron
- Ludwig Center for Metastasis Research and Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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19
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Likonen D, Pinchasi M, Beery E, Sarsor Z, Signorini LF, Gervits A, Sharan R, Lahav M, Raanani P, Uziel O. Exosomal telomerase transcripts reprogram the microRNA transcriptome profile of fibroblasts and partially contribute to CAF formation. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16415. [PMID: 36180493 PMCID: PMC9525320 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20186-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
It is now well accepted that cancer cells change their microenvironment from normal to tumor-supportive state to provide sustained tumor growth, metastasis and drug resistance. These processes are partially carried out by exosomes, nano-sized vesicles secreted from cells, shuttled from donor to recipient cells containing a cargo of nucleic acids, proteins and lipids. By transferring biologically active molecules, cancer-derived exosomes may transform microenvironmental cells to become tumor supportive. Telomerase activity is regarded as a hallmark of cancer. We have recently shown that the transcript of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), is packaged in cancer cells derived- exosomes. Following the engulfment of the hTERT transcript into fibroblasts, it is translated into a fully active enzyme [after assembly with its RNA component (hTERC) subunit]. Telomerase activity in the recipient, otherwise telomerase negative cells, provides them with a survival advantage. Here we show that exosomal telomerase might play a role in modifying normal fibroblasts into cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) by upregulating \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$\mathrm{\alpha }$$\end{document}αSMA and Vimentin, two CAF markers. We also show that telomerase activity changes the transcriptome of microRNA in these fibroblasts. By ectopically expressing microRNA 342, one of the top identified microRNAs, we show that it may mediate the proliferative phenotype that these cells acquire upon taking-up exosomal hTERT, providing them with a survival advantage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Likonen
- The Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva, Israel
| | - Maria Pinchasi
- The Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva, Israel
| | - Einat Beery
- The Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva, Israel
| | - Zinab Sarsor
- The Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva, Israel
| | | | - Asia Gervits
- School of Computer Science, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Roded Sharan
- School of Computer Science, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Meir Lahav
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Pia Raanani
- The Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva, Israel.,Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,Institute of Hematology, Davidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah-Tikva, Israel
| | - Orit Uziel
- The Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah-Tikva, Israel. .,Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel. .,Institute of Hematology, Davidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah-Tikva, Israel.
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20
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Qin H, Guo Y. Targeting Telomerase Enhances Cytotoxicity of Salinomycin in Cancer Cells. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:30565-30570. [PMID: 36061682 PMCID: PMC9435028 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c04082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Salinomycin exhibits significant systemic adverse reactions such as tachycardia and myoglobinuria in mammals, which hinders its application as a drug for human cancers. Although many strategies aimed at increasing salinomycin's toxicity to cancer cells have been identified to allow a lower dose of salinomycin to be used, they often cause normal cell damage by themselves. Thus, it is urgent to find more effective methods to increase salinomycin's toxicity to cancer cells with little influences on normal cells. Telomerase, which is expressed highly in most cancer cells rather than normal somatic cells, plays central roles in cancer cell fate regulation. Targeting telomerase represents a potential method for enhancing salinomycin's cytotoxicity to cancer cells with little effects on normal cells. Herein, we improve the toxicity of salinomycin against cancer cells by telomerase inhibition BIBR1532 (BIBR), which binds to the active site of telomerase reverse transcriptase. We find that a non-toxic dose of BIBR can enhance cytotoxicity of salinomycin in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, BIBR enhances mammosphere formation inhibition mediated by salinomycin in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Further studies show that BIBR enhances tumor growth inhibition induced by salinomycin in vivo. To our knowledge, this is the first example that targeting telomerase improves anti-cancer effects of salinomycin.
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21
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Yalınbaş Kaya B, Ülger Y. Evaluation of possible role of the h TERT gene rs2853669 polymorphism in the development of colorectal cancer as a genetic risk factor. NUCLEOSIDES, NUCLEOTIDES & NUCLEIC ACIDS 2022; 41:961-971. [PMID: 35704667 DOI: 10.1080/15257770.2022.2086694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second deadliest malignancy. Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene has been identified as one of the potential cancer susceptibility genes. We evaluated the relationship between the risk of CRC and CRC's clinicopathological features of the hTERT rs2853669 (A > G/T > C, by the chain direction) polymorphism in Turkish population. The rs2853669 polymorphism was investigated with the LightCycler 96 device in 100 CRC patients and 327 controls. We found that the rs2853669 polymorphism AG/GG genotypes in genetic models reduced the risk of CRC. However, there was no significant relationship between rs2853669 polymorphism and clinicopathological features of CRC in studied population. The results of this study showed that the risk of colorectal cancer is significantly reduced in the individuals having the G (C) allele. Our recommendation is to analyze the hTERT gene expression by studying the hTERT promoter mutations with this polymorphism in colorectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yakup Ülger
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gastroenterology, Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey
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22
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Marchese PV, Mollica V, De Biase D, Giunchi F, Tassinari E, Marchetti A, Rosellini M, Nuvola G, Maloberti T, Fiorentino M, Massari F. A hypothesis-generating analysis on the role of TERT promoter mutation in advanced urothelial carcinoma treated with immunotherapy. Pathol Res Pract 2022; 236:153983. [PMID: 35751929 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2022.153983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The therapeutic scenario of urothelial carcinoma is constantly expanding with the widening of the knowledge on molecular characteristics, thus claiming for the need of prognostic and predictive factors to guide treatment strategy. TERT promoter mutation is one of the most frequent genomic alterations in urothelial carcinoma and could present several implications, from diagnostic to prognostic or potentially even predictive. METHODS We performed a single-center retrospective analysis on patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma treated with an immune checkpoint inhibitor as second line of therapy to assess the status of the TERT promoter and the potential implication of its mutation on survival outcomes. RESULTS We analyzed tissue samples from 11 patients with a next-generation sequencing multi-gene panel. The most frequently altered genes were TP53 (54.5%, n = 6) and TERT promoter (36.3%, n = 4). Other mutations found were BRAF, SMAD4, PIK3CA / PDGRFA. The only type of detected TERT promoter mutation was the c 0.124 C>T (n = 4/4, 100%). Of the 4 TERT mutated patients, 2 presented a co-mutation of TP53. Patients with TERT promoter mutation treated with immunotherapy presented a low median overall survival (16.5 months) and progression-free survival (3.8 months). CONCLUSIONS Our hypothesis-generating analysis suggests that the presence of TERT promoter mutation could have a negative prognostic value and should be further evaluated in wider cohorts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Valeria Marchese
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni - 15, Bologna 40138, Italy
| | - Veronica Mollica
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni - 15, Bologna 40138, Italy; Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Dario De Biase
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy; Solid Tumor Molecular Pathology Laboratory, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Italy
| | - Francesca Giunchi
- Pathology Unit, IRCCS Policlinico Sant'Orsola-Malpighi, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Elisa Tassinari
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni - 15, Bologna 40138, Italy
| | - Andrea Marchetti
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni - 15, Bologna 40138, Italy
| | - Matteo Rosellini
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni - 15, Bologna 40138, Italy
| | - Giacomo Nuvola
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni - 15, Bologna 40138, Italy
| | - Thais Maloberti
- Solid Tumor Molecular Pathology Laboratory, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Francesco Massari
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni - 15, Bologna 40138, Italy; Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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23
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Momeni-Boroujeni A, Yousefi E, Gupta S, Benayed R, Berger MF, Ladanyi M, Monroe R, Kim J, Jungbluth A, Weigelt B, Park KJ. Evaluation of TERT mRNA expression using RNAscope®: A potential histopathologic diagnostic and prognostic tool. Pathol Res Pract 2022; 233:153892. [DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2022.153892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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24
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Genome-wide screens identify specific drivers of mutant hTERT promoters. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2105171119. [PMID: 35027447 PMCID: PMC8784157 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2105171119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in hTERT promoter are seen in over 19% of human cancers, irrespective of the cancer type. Understanding the molecular players that regulate Mut-hTERT promoters may help the design of effective targeting strategies to inhibit telomerase reactivation specifically in cancer cells. Our work uses genome-wide functional screens to identify 30 specific regulators of Mut-hTERT promoters. These candidates identified from the screening serve as an excellent resource to understand how telomerase is reactivated and as targets for making inhibitors to telomerase, a key driver of cancer. Cancer-specific hTERT promoter mutations reported in 19% of cancers result in enhanced telomerase activity. Understanding the distinctions between transcriptional regulation of wild-type (WT) and mutant (Mut) hTERT promoters may open up avenues for development of inhibitors which specially block hTERT expression in cancer cells. To comprehensively identify physiological regulators of WT- or Mut-hTERT promoters, we generated several isogenic reporter cells driven by endogenous hTERT loci. Genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 and small interfering RNA screens using these isogenic reporter lines identified specific regulators of Mut-hTERT promoters. We validate and characterize one of these hits, namely, MED12, a kinase subunit of mediator complex. We demonstrate that MED12 specifically drives expression of hTERT from the Mut-hTERT promoter by mediating long-range chromatin interaction between the proximal Mut-hTERT promoter and T-INT1 distal regulatory region 260 kb upstream. Several hits identified in our screens could serve as potential therapeutic targets, inhibition of which may specifically block Mut-hTERT promoter driven telomerase reactivation in cancers.
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25
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Prasad RR, Mishra DK, Kumar M, Yadava PK. Human telomerase reverse transcriptase promotes the epithelial to mesenchymal transition in lung cancer cells by enhancing c-MET upregulation. Heliyon 2022; 8:e08673. [PMID: 35024489 PMCID: PMC8732784 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), the essential catalytic subunit of telomerase, is associated with telomere homeostasis to prevent replicative senescence and cellular aging. However, hTERT reactivation also has been linked to the acquisition of several hallmarks of cancer, although the underlying mechanism beyond telomere extension remains elusive. This study demonstrated that hTERT overexpression promotes, whereas its inhibition by shRNA suppresses, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in lung cancer cells (A549 and H1299). We found that hTERT modulates the expression of EMT markers E-cadherin, vimentin, and cytokeratin-18a through upregulation of the c-MET. Ectopic expression of hTERT induces expression of c-MET, while hTERT-shRNA treatment significantly decreases the c-MET level in A549 and H1299 through differential expression of p53 and c-Myc. Reporter assay suggests the regulation of c-MET expression by hTERT to be at the promoter level. An increase in c-MET level significantly promotes the expression of mesenchymal markers, including vimentin and N-cadherin, while a notable increase in epithelial markers E-cadherin and cytokeratin-18a is observed after the c-MET knockdown in A549.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ram Raj Prasad
- Applied Molecular Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Deepak Kumar Mishra
- Applied Molecular Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Manoj Kumar
- Applied Molecular Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Pramod Kumar Yadava
- Applied Molecular Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India.,Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute for Science Education and Research, Berhampur 760010, Odisha, India
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26
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Pandey S, Hajikazemi M, Zacheja T, Schalbetter S, Baxter J, Guryev V, Hofmann A, Heermann DW, Juranek SA, Paeschke K. Telomerase subunit Est2 marks internal sites that are prone to accumulate DNA damage. BMC Biol 2021; 19:247. [PMID: 34801008 PMCID: PMC8605574 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01167-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The main function of telomerase is at the telomeres but under adverse conditions telomerase can bind to internal regions causing deleterious effects as observed in cancer cells. Results By mapping the global occupancy of the catalytic subunit of telomerase (Est2) in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we reveal that it binds to multiple guanine-rich genomic loci, which we termed “non-telomeric binding sites” (NTBS). We characterize Est2 binding to NTBS. Contrary to telomeres, Est2 binds to NTBS in G1 and G2 phase independently of Est1 and Est3. The absence of Est1 and Est3 renders telomerase inactive at NTBS. However, upon global DNA damage, Est1 and Est3 join Est2 at NTBS and telomere addition can be observed indicating that Est2 occupancy marks NTBS regions as particular risks for genome stability. Conclusions Our results provide a novel model of telomerase regulation in the cell cycle using internal regions as “parking spots” of Est2 but marking them as hotspots for telomere addition. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-021-01167-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satyaprakash Pandey
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, 9713 AV, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Mona Hajikazemi
- Clinic of Internal Medicine III, Oncology, Hematology, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Theresa Zacheja
- Clinic of Internal Medicine III, Oncology, Hematology, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Jonathan Baxter
- Department of Life Science, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Victor Guryev
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, 9713 AV, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Andreas Hofmann
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 12, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dieter W Heermann
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 12, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan A Juranek
- Clinic of Internal Medicine III, Oncology, Hematology, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Katrin Paeschke
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, 9713 AV, Groningen, Netherlands. .,Clinic of Internal Medicine III, Oncology, Hematology, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
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27
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Fan C, Kam S, Ramadori P. Metabolism-Associated Epigenetic and Immunoepigenetic Reprogramming in Liver Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13205250. [PMID: 34680398 PMCID: PMC8534280 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13205250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic reprogramming and epigenetic changes have been characterized as hallmarks of liver cancer. Independently of etiology, oncogenic pathways as well as the availability of different energetic substrates critically influence cellular metabolism, and the resulting perturbations often cause aberrant epigenetic alterations, not only in cancer cells but also in the hepatic tumor microenvironment. Metabolic intermediates serve as crucial substrates for various epigenetic modulations, from post-translational modification of histones to DNA methylation. In turn, epigenetic changes can alter the expression of metabolic genes supporting on the one hand, the increased energetic demand of cancer cells and, on the other hand, influence the activity of tumor-associated immune cell populations. In this review, we will illustrate the most recent findings about metabolic reprogramming in liver cancer. We will focus on the metabolic changes characterizing the tumor microenvironment and on how these alterations impact on epigenetic mechanisms involved in the malignant progression. Furthermore, we will report our current knowledge about the influence of cancer-specific metabolites on epigenetic reprogramming of immune cells and we will highlight how this favors a tumor-permissive immune environment. Finally, we will review the current strategies to target metabolic and epigenetic pathways and their therapeutic potential in liver cancer, alone or in combinatorial approaches.
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28
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Labeling and measuring stressed mitochondria using a PINK1-based ratiometric fluorescent sensor. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:101279. [PMID: 34624312 PMCID: PMC8560995 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101279] [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: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria are essential organelles that carry out a number of pivotal metabolic processes and maintain cellular homeostasis. Mitochondrial dysfunction caused by various stresses is associated with many diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart failure, neurodegenerative disorders, and aging. Therefore, it is important to understand the stimuli that induce mitochondrial stress. However, broad analysis of mitochondrial stress has not been carried out to date. Here, we present a set of fluorescent tools, called mito-Pain (mitochondrial PINK1 accumulation index), which enable the labeling of stressed mitochondria. Mito-Pain uses PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) stabilization on mitochondria and quantifies mitochondrial stress levels by comparison with PINK1-GFP, which is stabilized under mitochondrial stress, and RFP-Omp25, which is constitutively localized on mitochondria. To identify compounds that induce mitochondrial stress, we screened a library of 3374 compounds using mito-Pain and identified 57 compounds as mitochondrial stress inducers. Furthermore, we classified each compound into several categories based on mitochondrial response: depolarization, mitochondrial morphology, or Parkin recruitment. Parkin recruitment to mitochondria was often associated with mitochondrial depolarization and aggregation, suggesting that Parkin is recruited to heavily damaged mitochondria. In addition, many of the compounds led to various mitochondrial morphological changes, including fragmentation, aggregation, elongation, and swelling, with or without Parkin recruitment or mitochondrial depolarization. We also found that several compounds induced an ectopic response of Parkin, leading to the formation of cytosolic puncta dependent on PINK1. Thus, mito-Pain enables the detection of stressed mitochondria under a wide variety of conditions and provides insights into mitochondrial quality control systems.
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29
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One-Two Punch Therapy for the Treatment of T-Cell Malignancies Involving p53-Dependent Cellular Senescence. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2021; 2021:5529518. [PMID: 34603598 PMCID: PMC8481056 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5529518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
T-cell malignancies are still difficult to treat due to a paucity of plans that target critical dependencies. Drug-induced cellular senescence provides a permanent cell cycle arrest during tumorigenesis and cancer development, particularly when combined with senolytics to promote apoptosis of senescent cells, which is an innovation for cancer therapy. Here, our research found that wogonin, a well-known natural flavonoid compound, not only had a potential to inhibit cell growth and proliferation but also induced cellular senescence in T-cell malignancies with nonlethal concentration. Transcription activity of senescence-suppression human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and oncogenic C-MYC was suppressed in wogonin-induced senescent cells, resulting in the inhibition of telomerase activity. We also substantiated the occurrence of DNA damage during the wogonin-induced aging process. Results showed that wogonin increased the activity of senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) and activated the DNA damage response pathway mediated by p53. In addition, we found the upregulated expression of BCL-2 in senescent T-cell malignancies because of the antiapoptotic properties of senescent cells. Following up this result, we identified a BCL-2 inhibitor Navitoclax (ABT-263), which was highly effective in decreasing cell viability and inducing apoptotic cell death in wogonin-induced senescent cells. Thus, the “one-two punch” approach increased the sensibility of T-cell malignancies with low expression of BCL-2 to Navitoclax. In conclusion, our research revealed that wogonin possesses potential antitumor effects based on senescence induction, offering a better insight into the development of novel therapeutic methods for T-cell malignancies.
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30
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Nardin C, Laheurte C, Puzenat E, Boullerot L, Ramseyer M, Marguier A, Jacquin M, Godet Y, Aubin F, Adotevi O. Naturally occurring Telomerase-specific CD4 T cell Immunity in Melanoma. J Invest Dermatol 2021; 142:435-444. [PMID: 34352265 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2021.07.160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
CD4 T cells play a key role in anticancer immunity. Here, we investigate the clinical relevance of circulating CD4 Th1 response against telomerase (anti-TERT Th1 response) in melanoma patients. The spontaneous anti-TERT Th1 response was detected in 54.5% (85/156) of melanoma patients before treatment. The prevalence of this systemic response was inversely related to Breslow thickness above 1mm and AJCC stage ≥ II (P = 0.001 and 0.032). In contrast to patients treated by targeted therapies, the anti-TERT Th1 immunity was associated with objective response after immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) treatment. Hence 86% (18/21) of responder patients exhibited pre-existing anti-TERT Th1 versus 35% (6/19) in non-responders (P = 0.001). This response was also associated with increased progression free survival and overall survival in melanoma patients treated with ICI (P = 0.0008 and 0.012 respectively). Collectively, the presence of circulating anti-TERT Th1 response is inversely related to melanoma evolution and appears to be a predictive factor of response to immunotherapy. Our results highlight the interest of telomerase-specific CD4 Th1 response as a promising blood based biomarker of immune checkpoint inhibitors therapy in melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlée Nardin
- University Hospital of Besançon, department of Dermatology, F-25000 Besançon, France; University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INSERM, EFS BFC, UMR1098, RIGHT, F-25000 Besançon, France
| | - Caroline Laheurte
- University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INSERM, EFS BFC, UMR1098, RIGHT, F-25000 Besançon, France; INSERM CIC-1431, Clinical Investigation Center in Biotherapy, Plateforme de Biomonitoring F-25000 Besançon, France
| | - Eve Puzenat
- University Hospital of Besançon, department of Dermatology, F-25000 Besançon, France
| | - Laura Boullerot
- University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INSERM, EFS BFC, UMR1098, RIGHT, F-25000 Besançon, France; INSERM CIC-1431, Clinical Investigation Center in Biotherapy, Plateforme de Biomonitoring F-25000 Besançon, France
| | - Mélanie Ramseyer
- University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INSERM, EFS BFC, UMR1098, RIGHT, F-25000 Besançon, France
| | - Amélie Marguier
- University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INSERM, EFS BFC, UMR1098, RIGHT, F-25000 Besançon, France
| | - Marion Jacquin
- INSERM CIC-1431, Clinical Investigation Center in Biotherapy, Plateforme de Biomonitoring F-25000 Besançon, France
| | - Yann Godet
- University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INSERM, EFS BFC, UMR1098, RIGHT, F-25000 Besançon, France
| | - François Aubin
- University Hospital of Besançon, department of Dermatology, F-25000 Besançon, France; University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INSERM, EFS BFC, UMR1098, RIGHT, F-25000 Besançon, France
| | - Olivier Adotevi
- University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INSERM, EFS BFC, UMR1098, RIGHT, F-25000 Besançon, France; INSERM CIC-1431, Clinical Investigation Center in Biotherapy, Plateforme de Biomonitoring F-25000 Besançon, France; University Hospital of Besançon, department of medical Oncology, F-25000 Besançon, France.
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31
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Human chromosome 3p21.3 carries TERT transcriptional regulators in pancreatic cancer. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15355. [PMID: 34321527 PMCID: PMC8319171 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94711-6] [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: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Frequent loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on the short arm of human chromosome 3 (3p) region has been found in pancreatic cancer (PC), which suggests the likely presence of tumor suppressor genes in this region. However, the functional significance of LOH in this region in the development of PC has not been clearly defined. The human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (hTERT) contributes to unlimited proliferative and tumorigenicity of malignant tumors. We previously demonstrated that hTERT expression was suppressed by the introduction of human chromosome 3 in several cancer cell lines. To examine the functional role of putative TERT suppressor genes on chromosome 3 in PC, we introduced an intact human chromosome 3 into the human PK9 and murine LTPA PC cell lines using microcell-mediated chromosome transfer. PK9 microcell hybrids with an introduced human chromosome 3 showed significant morphological changes and rapid growth arrest. Intriguingly, microcell hybrid clones of LTPA cells with an introduced human chromosome 3 (LTPA#3) showed suppression of mTert transcription, cell proliferation, and invasion compared with LTPA#4 cells containing human chromosome 4 and parental LTPA cells. Additionally, the promoter activity of mTert was downregulated in LTPA#3. Furthermore, we confirmed that TERT regulatory gene(s) are present in the 3p21.3 region by transfer of truncated chromosomes at arbitrary regions. These results provide important information on the functional significance of the LOH at 3p for development and progression of PC.
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32
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Vonderheide RH, Kraynyak KA, Shields AF, McRee AJ, Johnson JM, Sun W, Chintakuntlawar AV, Pawlicki J, Sylvester AJ, McMullan T, Samuels R, Kim JJ, Weiner D, Boyer JD, Morrow MP, Humeau L, Skolnik JM. Phase 1 study of safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of the human telomerase (hTERT)-encoded DNA plasmids INO-1400 and INO-1401 with or without IL-12 DNA plasmid INO-9012 in adult patients with solid tumors. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003019. [PMID: 34230114 PMCID: PMC8261871 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is frequently classified as a ‘universal’ tumor associated antigen due to its expression in a vast number of cancers. We evaluated plasmid DNA-encoded hTERT as an immunotherapy across nine cancer types. Methods A phase 1 clinical trial was conducted in adult patients with no evidence of disease following definitive surgery and standard therapy, who were at high risk of relapse. Plasmid DNA encoding one of two hTERT variants (INO-1400 or INO-1401) with or without plasmid DNA encoding interleukin 12 (IL-12) (INO-9012) was delivered intramuscularly concurrent with the application of the CELLECTRA constant-current electroporation device 4 times across 12 weeks. Safety assessments and immune monitoring against native (germline, non-mutated, non-plasmid matched) hTERT antigen were performed. The largest cohort of patients enrolled had pancreatic cancer, allowing for additional targeted assessments for this tumor type. Results Of the 93 enrolled patients who received at least one dose, 88 had at least one adverse event; the majority were grade 1 or 2, related to injection site. At 18 months, 54.8% (51/93) patients were disease-free, with median disease-free survival (DFS) not reached by end of study. For patients with pancreatic cancer, the median DFS was 9 months, with 41.4% of these patients remaining disease-free at 18 months. hTERT immunotherapy induced a de novo cellular immune response or enhanced pre-existing cellular responses to native hTERT in 96% (88/92) of patients with various cancer types. Treatment with INO-1400/INO-1401±INO-9012 drove hTERT-specific IFN-γ production, generated hTERT-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells expressing the activation marker CD38, and induced hTERT-specific activated CD8 +CTLs as defined by cells expressing perforin and granzymes. The addition of plasmid IL-12 adjuvant elicited higher magnitudes of cellular responses including IFN-γ production, activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and activated CD8+CTLs. In a subset analysis of pancreatic cancer patients, the presence of immunotherapy-induced activated CD8+ T cells expressing PD-1, granzymes and perforin correlated with survival. Conclusions Plasmid DNA-encoded hTERT/IL-12 DNA immunotherapy was well-tolerated, immune responses were noted across all tumor types, and a specific CD8+ phenotype increased by the immunotherapy was significantly correlated with survival in patients with pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert H Vonderheide
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Anthony F Shields
- Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Autumn J McRee
- University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jennifer M Johnson
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Weijing Sun
- University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Kansas City, Kansas, USA
| | | | - Jan Pawlicki
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | | | - Robert Samuels
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Joseph J Kim
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David Weiner
- Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jean D Boyer
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Laurent Humeau
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, USA
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Bhari VK, Kumar D, Kumar S, Mishra R. Shelterin complex gene: Prognosis and therapeutic vulnerability in cancer. Biochem Biophys Rep 2021; 26:100937. [PMID: 33553693 PMCID: PMC7859307 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2021.100937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomere encompasses a (TTAGGG)n tandem repeats, and its dysfunction has emerged as the epicenter of driving carcinogenesis by promoting genetic instability. Indeed, they play an essential role in stabilizing chromosomes and therefore protecting them from end-to-end fusion and DNA degradation. Telomere length homeostasis is regulated by several key players including shelterin complex genes, telomerase, and various other regulators. Targeting these regulatory players can be a good approach to combat cancer as telomere length is increasingly correlated with cancer initiation and progression. In this review, we have aimed to describe the telomere length regulator's role in prognostic significance and important drug targets in breast cancer. Moreover, we also assessed alteration in telomeric function by various telomere length regulators and compares this to the regulatory mechanisms that can be associated with clinical biomarkers in cancer. Using publicly available software we summarized mutational and CpG island prediction analysis of the TERT gene breast cancer patient database. Studies have reported that the TERT gene has prognostic significance in breast cancer progression however mechanistic approaches are not defined yet. Interestingly, we reported using the UCSC Xena web-based tool, we confirmed a positive correlation of shelterin complex genes TERF1 and TERF2 in recurrent free survival, indicating the critical role of these genes in breast cancer prognosis. Moreover, the epigenetic landscape of DNA damage repair genes in different breast cancer subtypes also being analyzed using the UCSC Xena database. Together, these datasets provide a comprehensive resource for shelterin complex gene profiles and define epigenetic landscapes of DNA damage repair genes which reveals the key role of shelterin complex genes in breast cancer with the potential to identify novel and actionable targets for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Kumar Bhari
- Department of Biosciences, Manipal University Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Durgesh Kumar
- Department of Physiology, Government Medical College, Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Surendra Kumar
- Department of Neurology, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
| | - Rajeev Mishra
- Department of Biosciences, Manipal University Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
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Xue J, Li S, Shi P, Chen M, Yu S, Hong S, Li Y, Liu R, Xiao H. The ETS Inhibitor YK-4-279 Suppresses Thyroid Cancer Progression Independent of TERT Promoter Mutations. Front Oncol 2021; 11:649323. [PMID: 34221969 PMCID: PMC8242932 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.649323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Hotspot mutations in the core promoter region of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene have been well established to associate with aggressive clinical characteristics, radioiodine refractory, tumor recurrence, and mortality in thyroid cancer. Several E-twenty-six (ETS) transcription factors were reported to selectively bound to the mutant TERT promoter and activated TERT expression. In this study we aimed to investigate whether TERT promoter mutations confer sensitivity to ETS inhibitor YK-4-279 in thyroid cancer cells and whether this inhibitor could be served as a potential therapeutic agent for thyroid cancer. In vitro assays showed that YK-4-279 treatment sharply suppressed cell viability, colony formation, migration, and invasion, as well as induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in a panel of thyroid cancer cells. The cell viability after YK-4-279 treatment was similar between cell lines harboring mutant and wild-type TERT promoters. Furthermore, YK-4-279 treatment reduced both luciferase activity and mRNA expression of TERT independent of TERT promoter mutation status. Data from RNA-seq further revealed that YK-4-279 significantly affected biological processes including DNA replication and cell cycle. Reduced DNA helicase activity and decreased expression of several helicase genes were observed after YK-4-279 treatment. Moreover, YK-4-279 significantly inhibited tumor growth and induced apoptosis in a xenograft mice model. Thus, ETS inhibitor YK-4-279 suppressed TERT expression and conferred anti-tumor activity in a TERT promoter mutation-independent manner, and it could be a potential agent for the treatment of advanced thyroid cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyu Xue
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shiyong Li
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Peijie Shi
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mengke Chen
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuang Yu
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shubin Hong
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanbing Li
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rengyun Liu
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haipeng Xiao
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Ghareghomi S, Ahmadian S, Zarghami N, Hemmati S. hTERT-molecular targeted therapy of ovarian cancer cells via folate-functionalized PLGA nanoparticles co-loaded with MNPs/siRNA/wortmannin. Life Sci 2021; 277:119621. [PMID: 34004255 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 05/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Effective telomerase-molecular targeted cancer therapy might be a promising approach for the efficient treatment of ovarian cancer. Therefore, folate-functionalized PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) were co-loaded with hTERT siRNA, Wortmannin (Wtmn), as a potent PI3K inhibitor, and magnetic nanoparticle (MNPs) as a theranostic agent to gain a multifunctional NPs for targeted drug delivery as well as molecular targeted therapy. 1HNMR, FTIR, DLS, FE-SEM and TEM were applied to characterize the synthesized NPs. In vitro discharge pattern for siRNA and Wtmn from the dual drug-loaded NPs showed an early fast release followed by a constant release up to 200 h. According to the MRI analysis, by increasing the concentration of Fe3O4 in NPs, the weaker T2 signal intensity was enhanced, and a considerable contrast was detected in the MRI images. MTT assay and median-effect analysis showed that the Wtmn/siRNA-loaded MNPs-PLGA-F2 NPs display the most synergistic cytotoxicity on the SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, the Wtmn/siRNA-loaded MNPs-PLGA-FA NPs could significantly reduce the expression of hTERT, AKT, and p-AKT than the single drug-encapsulated NPs (P < 0.05). Taken together, the findings showed that the multifunctional NPs relying on combinatorial therapy might have considerable potential for effective telomerase-molecular targeted therapy of ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somayyeh Ghareghomi
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shahin Ahmadian
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Nosratollah Zarghami
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Salar Hemmati
- Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
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Jang JW, Kim JS, Kim HS, Tak KY, Lee SK, Nam HC, Sung PS, Kim CM, Park JY, Bae SH, Choi JY, Yoon SK. Significance of TERT Genetic Alterations and Telomere Length in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13092160. [PMID: 33946181 PMCID: PMC8125722 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13092160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) mutations are the most frequent genetic alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, integrative analysis studies of TERT-telomere signaling during hepatocarcinogenesis are lacking. In this study, we investigated the clinicopathological association and prognostic value of TERT gene alterations and telomere length in HCC patients undergoing hepatectomy as well as transarterial chemotherapy (TACE). We found that there are eight key TERT-interacting genes and higher TERT expression and longer telomere length in HCC. We also found TERT-telomeric signals related to correlation with tumor differentiation and stage progression. TERT promoter mutations were an independent predictor of worse overall survival after hepatectomy, while TERT expression independently predicted worse time to progression after TACE. Telomere length was also associated with survival in TACE-treated patients. These findings suggest that TERT-telomere signals might be useful biomarkers for HCC, but the prognostic values may differ with tumor characteristics and treatment. Abstract Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) mutations are reportedly the most frequent somatic genetic alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). An integrative analysis of TERT-telomere signaling during hepatocarcinogenesis is lacking. This study aimed to investigate the clinicopathological association and prognostic value of TERT gene alterations and telomere length in HCC patients undergoing hepatectomy as well as transarterial chemotherapy (TACE). TERT promoter mutation, expression, and telomere length were analyzed by Sanger sequencing and real-time PCR in 305 tissue samples. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) analysis was performed to identify a set of genes that physically interact with TERT. The PPI analysis identified eight key TERT-interacting genes, namely CCT5, TUBA1B, mTOR, RPS6KB1, AKT1, WHAZ, YWHAQ, and TERT. Among these, TERT was the most strongly differentially expressed gene. TERT promoter mutations were more frequent, TERT expression was significantly higher, and telomere length was longer in tumors versus non-tumors. TERT promoter mutations were most frequent in HCV-related HCCs and less frequent in HBV-related HCCs. TERT promoter mutations were associated with higher TERT levels and longer telomere length and were an independent predictor of worse overall survival after hepatectomy. TERT expression was positively correlated with tumor differentiation and stage progression, and independently predicted shorter time to progression after TACE. The TERT-telomere network may have a crucial role in the development and progression of HCC. TERT-telomere abnormalities might serve as useful biomarkers for HCC, but the prognostic values may differ with tumor characteristics and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong-Won Jang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (K.-Y.T.); (S.-K.L.); (H.-C.N.); (P.-S.S.); (S.-H.B.); (J.-Y.C.); (S.-K.Y.)
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (J.-S.K.); (H.-S.K.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-2-2258-6015; Fax: +82-2-3481-4025
| | - Jin-Seoub Kim
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (J.-S.K.); (H.-S.K.)
| | - Hye-Seon Kim
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (J.-S.K.); (H.-S.K.)
| | - Kwon-Yong Tak
- Department of Internal Medicine, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (K.-Y.T.); (S.-K.L.); (H.-C.N.); (P.-S.S.); (S.-H.B.); (J.-Y.C.); (S.-K.Y.)
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (J.-S.K.); (H.-S.K.)
| | - Soon-Kyu Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (K.-Y.T.); (S.-K.L.); (H.-C.N.); (P.-S.S.); (S.-H.B.); (J.-Y.C.); (S.-K.Y.)
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (J.-S.K.); (H.-S.K.)
| | - Hee-Chul Nam
- Department of Internal Medicine, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (K.-Y.T.); (S.-K.L.); (H.-C.N.); (P.-S.S.); (S.-H.B.); (J.-Y.C.); (S.-K.Y.)
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (J.-S.K.); (H.-S.K.)
| | - Pil-Soo Sung
- Department of Internal Medicine, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (K.-Y.T.); (S.-K.L.); (H.-C.N.); (P.-S.S.); (S.-H.B.); (J.-Y.C.); (S.-K.Y.)
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (J.-S.K.); (H.-S.K.)
| | - Chang-Min Kim
- Department of Research & Business Development, CbsBioscience Inc., Deajeon 34113, Korea; (C.-M.K.); (J.-Y.P.)
| | - Jin-Young Park
- Department of Research & Business Development, CbsBioscience Inc., Deajeon 34113, Korea; (C.-M.K.); (J.-Y.P.)
| | - Si-Hyun Bae
- Department of Internal Medicine, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (K.-Y.T.); (S.-K.L.); (H.-C.N.); (P.-S.S.); (S.-H.B.); (J.-Y.C.); (S.-K.Y.)
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (J.-S.K.); (H.-S.K.)
| | - Jong-Young Choi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (K.-Y.T.); (S.-K.L.); (H.-C.N.); (P.-S.S.); (S.-H.B.); (J.-Y.C.); (S.-K.Y.)
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (J.-S.K.); (H.-S.K.)
| | - Seung-Kew Yoon
- Department of Internal Medicine, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (K.-Y.T.); (S.-K.L.); (H.-C.N.); (P.-S.S.); (S.-H.B.); (J.-Y.C.); (S.-K.Y.)
- The Catholic University Liver Research Center, Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, Collage of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea; (J.-S.K.); (H.-S.K.)
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Therapeutic targeting of FOS in mutant TERT cancers through removing TERT suppression of apoptosis via regulating survivin and TRAIL-R2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2022779118. [PMID: 33836600 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2022779118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) has long been pursued as a direct therapeutic target in human cancer, which is currently hindered by the lack of effective specific inhibitors of TERT. The FOS/GABPB/(mutant) TERT cascade plays a critical role in the regulation of mutant TERT, in which FOS acts as a transcriptional factor for GABPB to up-regulate the expression of GABPB, which in turn activates mutant but not wild-type TERT promoter, driving TERT-promoted oncogenesis. In the present study, we demonstrated that inhibiting this cascade by targeting FOS using FOS inhibitor T-5224 suppressed mutant TERT cancer cells and tumors by inducing robust cell apoptosis; these did not occur in wild-type TERT cells and tumors. Mechanistically, among 35 apoptotic cascade-related proteins tested, the apoptosis induced in this process specifically involved the transcriptional activation of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 2 (TRAIL-R2) and inactivation of survivin, two key players in the apoptotic cascade, which normally initiate and suppress the apoptotic cascade, respectively. These findings with suppression of FOS were reproduced by direct knockdown of TERT and prevented by prior knockdown of TRAIL-R2. Further experiments demonstrated that TERT acted as a direct transcriptional factor of survivin, up-regulating its expression. Thus, this study identifies a therapeutic strategy for TERT promoter mutation-driven cancers by targeting FOS in the FOS/GABPB/(mutant) TERT cascade, circumventing the current challenge in pharmacologically directly targeting TERT itself. This study also uncovers a mechanism through which TERT controls cell apoptosis by transcriptionally regulating two key players in the apoptotic cascade.
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SUMO E3 ligase CBX4 regulates hTERT-mediated transcription of CDH1 and promotes breast cancer cell migration and invasion. Biochem J 2021; 477:3803-3818. [PMID: 32926159 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20200359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
hTERT, the catalytic component of the human telomerase enzyme, is regulated by post-translational modifications, like phosphorylation and ubiquitination by multiple proteins which remarkably affects the overall activity of the enzyme. Here we report that hTERT gets SUMOylated by SUMO1 and polycomb protein CBX4 acts as the SUMO E3 ligase of hTERT. hTERT SUMOylation positively regulates its telomerase activity which can be inhibited by SENP3-mediated deSUMOylation. Interestingly, we have established a new role of hTERT SUMOylation in the repression of E-cadherin gene expression and consequent triggering on the epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) program in breast cancer cells. We also observed that catalytically active CBX4, leads to retention of hTERT/ZEB1 complex onto E-cadherin promoter leading to its repression through hTERT-SUMOylation. Further through wound healing and invasion assays in breast cancer cells, we showed the tumor promoting ability of hTERT was significantly compromised upon overexpression of SUMO-defective mutant of hTERT. Thus our findings establish a new post-translational modification of hTERT which on one hand is involved in telomerase activity maintenance and on the other hand plays a crucial role in the regulation of gene expression thereby promoting migration and invasion of breast cancer cells.
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Park J, Lee S, Kim K, Park H, Ki CS, Oh YL, Shin JH, Kim JS, Kim SW, Chung JH, Kim TH. TERT Promoter Mutations and the 8th Edition TNM Classification in Predicting the Survival of Thyroid Cancer Patients. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13040648. [PMID: 33562809 PMCID: PMC7915040 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13040648] [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: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary In a cohort study involving 393 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer, TERT promoter mutations were found to act as an independent poor prognostic factor based on the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) tumor-node-metastasis 8th edition (TNM-8) in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) patients, regardless of the histological types or stage at diagnosis. Since the current AJCC TNM-8 is insufficient to distinguish the risk of mortality in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer, a proposal for a new survival prediction model that includes the TERT promoter mutational state is required. Abstract Our research group has previously shown that the presence of TERT promoter mutations is an independent prognostic factor, by applying the TERT mutation status to the variables of the AJCC 7th edition. This study aimed to determine if TERT mutations could be independent predictors of thyroid cancer-specific mortality based on the AJCC TNM 8th edition, with long-term follow-up. This was a retrospective study of 393 patients with pathologically confirmed differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) after thyroidectomy at a tertiary Korean hospital from 1994 to 2004. The thyroid cancer-specific mortality rate was 6.9% (5.2% for papillary and 15.2% for follicular cancers). TERT promoter mutations were identified in 10.9% (43/393) of DTC cases (9.8% of papillary and 16.7% of follicular cancer) and were associated with older age (p < 0.001), the presence of extrathyroidal invasion (p < 0.001), distant metastasis (p = 0.001), and advanced stage at diagnosis (p < 0.001). The 10-year survival rate in mutant TERT was 67.4% for DTC patients (vs. 98% for wild-type; adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 9.93, (95% CI: 3.67–26.90)) and 75% for patients with papillary cancer (vs. 99%; 18.55 (4.83–71.18)). In addition, TERT promoter mutations were related to poor prognosis regardless of histologic type (p < 0.001 for both papillary and follicular cancer) or initial stage (p < 0.001, p = 0.004, and p = 0.086 for stages I, II, and III and IV, respectively). TERT promoter mutations comprise an independent poor prognostic factor after adjusting for the clinicopathological risk factors of the AJCC TNM 8th edition, histologic type, and each stage at diagnosis, which could increase prognostic predictability for patients with DTC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Park
- Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Thyroid Center, Samsung Medical Center, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06351, Korea; (J.P.); (H.P.); (S.W.K.); (J.H.C.)
| | - Sungjoo Lee
- Department of Digital Health, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06351, Korea; (S.L.); (K.K.)
| | - Kyunga Kim
- Department of Digital Health, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06351, Korea; (S.L.); (K.K.)
- Statistics and Data Center, Research Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06355, Korea
| | - Hyunju Park
- Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Thyroid Center, Samsung Medical Center, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06351, Korea; (J.P.); (H.P.); (S.W.K.); (J.H.C.)
| | | | - Young Lyun Oh
- Department of Pathology, Samsung Medical Center, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06351, Korea;
| | - Jung Hee Shin
- Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06351, Korea;
| | - Jee Soo Kim
- Department of Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06351, Korea;
| | - Sun Wook Kim
- Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Thyroid Center, Samsung Medical Center, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06351, Korea; (J.P.); (H.P.); (S.W.K.); (J.H.C.)
| | - Jae Hoon Chung
- Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Thyroid Center, Samsung Medical Center, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06351, Korea; (J.P.); (H.P.); (S.W.K.); (J.H.C.)
| | - Tae Hyuk Kim
- Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Thyroid Center, Samsung Medical Center, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06351, Korea; (J.P.); (H.P.); (S.W.K.); (J.H.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-2-3410-6049
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Viralippurath Ashraf J, Sasidharan Nair V, Saleh R, Elkord E. Role of circular RNAs in colorectal tumor microenvironment. Biomed Pharmacother 2021; 137:111351. [PMID: 33550046 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.111351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of endogenous noncoding RNA, which were previously considered as a byproduct of RNA splicing error. Numerous studies have demonstrated the altered expression of circRNAs in organ tissues during pathological conditions and their involvements in disease pathogenesis and progression, including cancers. In colorectal cancer (CRC), multiple circRNAs have been identified and characterized as "oncogenic", given their involvements in the downregulation of tumor suppressor genes and induction of tumor initiation, progression, invasion, and metastasis. Additionally, other circRNAs have been identified in CRC and characterized as "tumor suppressive" based on their ability of inhibiting the expression of oncogenic genes and suppressing tumor growth and proliferation. circRNAs could serve as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and therapeutic targets or vectors to be utilized in cancer therapies. This review briefly describes the dynamic changes of the tumor microenvironment inducing immunosuppression and tumorigenesis, and outlines the biogenesis and characteristics of circRNAs and recent findings indicating their roles and functions in the CRC tumor microenvironment. It also discusses strategies and technologies, which could be employed in the future to overcome current cancer therapy challenges associated with circRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Varun Sasidharan Nair
- Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Reem Saleh
- Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Eyad Elkord
- College of Health & Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar; Biomedical Research Centre, School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Manchester, UK.
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Altamura G, Degli Uberti B, Galiero G, De Luca G, Power K, Licenziato L, Maiolino P, Borzacchiello G. The Small Molecule BIBR1532 Exerts Potential Anti-cancer Activities in Preclinical Models of Feline Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Through Inhibition of Telomerase Activity and Down-Regulation of TERT. Front Vet Sci 2021; 7:620776. [PMID: 33553285 PMCID: PMC7855307 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.620776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and telomerase activity (TA) is a main feature of cancer, contributing to cell immortalization by causing telomeres dysfunction. BIBR1532 is a potent telomerase inhibitor that showed potential anti-tumor activities in several types of cancer, by triggering replicative senescence and apoptosis. In a previous work, we detected, for the first time, TERT expression and TA in preclinical models of feline oral squamous cell carcinoma (FOSCC); therefore, we aimed at extending our investigation by testing the effects of treatment with BIBR1532, in order to explore the role of telomerase in this tumor and foreshadow the possibility of it being considered as a future therapeutic target. In the present study, treatment of FOSCC cell lines SCCF1, SCCF2, and SCCF3 with BIBR1532 resulted in successful inhibition of TA, with subsequent cell growth stoppage and decrease in cell viability. Molecular data showed that up-regulation of cell cycle inhibitor p21, unbalancing of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and down-regulation of survival gene Survivin were mostly involved in the observed cellular events. Moreover, BIBR1532 diminished the expression of TERT and its transcriptional activator cMyc, resulting in the down-regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), phospho-ERK/ERK ratio, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-1/-2 and−9, likely as a consequence of an impairment of TERT extra-telomeric functions. Taken together, our data suggest that BIBR1532 exerts multiple anti-cancer activities in FOSCC by inhibiting telomerase pathway and interfering with signaling routes involved in cell proliferation, cell survival, and invasion, paving the way for future translational studies aimed at evaluating its possible employment in the treatment of this severe tumor of cats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gennaro Altamura
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Giorgio Galiero
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Portici, Naples, Italy
| | - Giovanna De Luca
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Portici, Naples, Italy
| | - Karen Power
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Luca Licenziato
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Paola Maiolino
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Borzacchiello
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
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Luxton JJ, McKenna MJ, Taylor LE, George KA, Zwart SR, Crucian BE, Drel VR, Garrett-Bakelman FE, Mackay MJ, Butler D, Foox J, Grigorev K, Bezdan D, Meydan C, Smith SM, Sharma K, Mason CE, Bailey SM. Temporal Telomere and DNA Damage Responses in the Space Radiation Environment. Cell Rep 2020; 33:108435. [PMID: 33242411 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeres, repetitive terminal features of chromosomes essential for maintaining genome integrity, shorten with cell division, lifestyle factors and stresses, and environmental exposures, and so they provide a robust biomarker of health, aging, and age-related diseases. We assessed telomere length dynamics (changes over time) in three unrelated astronauts before, during, and after 1-year or 6-month missions aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Similar to our results for National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) One-Year Mission twin astronaut (Garrett-Bakelman et al., 2019), significantly longer telomeres were observed during spaceflight for two 6-month mission astronauts. Furthermore, telomere length shortened rapidly after return to Earth for all three crewmembers and, overall, telomere length tended to be shorter after spaceflight than before spaceflight. Consistent with chronic exposure to the space radiation environment, signatures of persistent DNA damage responses were also detected, including mitochondrial and oxidative stress, inflammation, and telomeric and chromosomal aberrations, which together provide potential mechanistic insight into spaceflight-specific telomere elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared J Luxton
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA; Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Miles J McKenna
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA; Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Lynn E Taylor
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Sara R Zwart
- University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | | | - Viktor R Drel
- Center for Renal Precision Medicine, UT Health, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Francine E Garrett-Bakelman
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Matthew J Mackay
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daniel Butler
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jonathan Foox
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kirill Grigorev
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daniela Bezdan
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Cem Meydan
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Kumar Sharma
- Center for Renal Precision Medicine, UT Health, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Christopher E Mason
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; The WorldQuant Initiative for Quantitative Prediction, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; The HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Susan M Bailey
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA; Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
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Li W, Yan Y, Zheng Z, Zhu Q, Long Q, Sui S, Luo M, Chen M, Li Y, Hua Y, Deng W, Lai R, Li L. Targeting the NCOA3-SP1-TERT axis for tumor growth in hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell Death Dis 2020; 11:1011. [PMID: 33239622 PMCID: PMC7689448 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-020-03218-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high mortality rate and lacks an effective therapeutic target. Elevated expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is an important hallmark in cancers, but the mechanism by which TERT is activated differentially in cancers is poorly understood. Here, we have identified nuclear receptor coactivator-3 (NCOA3) as a new modulator of TERT expression and tumor growth in HCC. NACO3 specifically binds to the TERT promoter at the -234 to -144 region and transcriptionally activates TERT expression. NCOA3 promotes HCC cell growth and tumor progression in vitro and in vivo through upregulating the TERT signaling. Knockdown of NACO3 suppresses HCC cell viability and colony formation, whereas TERT overexpression rescues this suppression. NCOA3 interacts with and recruits SP1 binding on the TERT promoter. Knockdown of NCOA3 also inhibits the expression of the Wnt signaling-related genes but has no effect on the Notch signaling-targeting genes. Moreover, NCOA3 is positively correlated with TERT expression in HCC tumor tissues, and high expression of both NCOA3 and TERT predicts a poor prognosis in HCC patients. Our findings indicate that targeting the NCOA3-SP1-TERT signaling axis may benefit HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbin Li
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center; State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.,Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yue Yan
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center; State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zongheng Zheng
- The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiaohua Zhu
- Shunde Hospital of Southern Medical University, Foshan, Guangdong, China
| | - Qian Long
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center; State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Silei Sui
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Meihua Luo
- Shunde Hospital of Southern Medical University, Foshan, Guangdong, China
| | - Miao Chen
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center; State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yizhuo Li
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center; State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yijun Hua
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center; State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wuguo Deng
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center; State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Renchun Lai
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center; State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Liren Li
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center; State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
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44
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Fundamental insights into the interaction between telomerase/TERT and intracellular signaling pathways. Biochimie 2020; 181:12-24. [PMID: 33232793 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2020.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 11/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Telomerase activity is critical for cancer cells to provide unrestricted proliferation and cellular immortality through maintaining telomeres. Telomerase enzymatic activity is regulatable at the level of DNA, mRNA, post translational modifications, cellular transport and enzyme assembly. More recent studies confirm the interaction of the telomerase with various intracellular signaling pathways including PI3K/AKT/mTOR, NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin which mainly participating in inflammation, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor cell invasion and metastasis. Furthermore, hTERT protein has been detected in non-nuclear sites such as the mitochondria and cytoplasm in cells. Mitochondrial TERT indicates various non-telomere-related functions such as decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, boosting the respiration rate, protecting mtDNA by direct binding, interacting with mitochondrial tRNAs and increasing mitochondrial membrane potential which can lead to higher chemoresistance rate in cancer cells during therapies. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of the TERT function and depended interactions in tumor cells can suggest novel therapeutic approaches. Hence, in this review we will explain the telomerase activity regulation in translational and post translational levels besides the established correlations with various cell signaling pathways with possible pathways for therapeutic targeting.
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45
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Kirtonia A, Sethi G, Garg M. The multifaceted role of reactive oxygen species in tumorigenesis. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:4459-4483. [PMID: 32358622 PMCID: PMC11105050 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03536-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 236] [Impact Index Per Article: 59.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2019] [Revised: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Redox homeostasis is an essential requirement of the biological systems for performing various normal cellular functions including cellular growth, differentiation, senescence, survival and aging in humans. The changes in the basal levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are detrimental to cells and often lead to several disease conditions including cardiovascular, neurological, diabetes and cancer. During the last two decades, substantial research has been done which clearly suggests that ROS are essential for the initiation, progression, angiogenesis as well as metastasis of cancer in several ways. During the last two decades, the potential of dysregulated ROS to enhance tumor formation through the activation of various oncogenic signaling pathways, DNA mutations, immune escape, tumor microenvironment, metastasis, angiogenesis and extension of telomere has been discovered. At present, surgery followed by chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy is the major therapeutic modality for treating patients with either early or advanced stages of cancer. However, the majority of patients relapse or did not respond to initial treatment. One of the reasons for recurrence/relapse is the altered levels of ROS in tumor cells as well as in cancer-initiating stem cells. One of the critical issues is targeting the intracellular/extracellular ROS for significant antitumor response and relapse-free survival. Indeed, a large number of FDA-approved anticancer drugs are efficient to eliminate cancer cells and drug resistance by increasing ROS production. Thus, the modulation of oxidative stress response might represent a potential approach to eradicate cancer in combination with FDA-approved chemotherapies, radiotherapies as well as immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuradha Kirtonia
- Amity Institute of Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research (AIMMSCR), Amity University Campus, Sector-125, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201313, India
| | - Gautam Sethi
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117600, Singapore.
| | - Manoj Garg
- Amity Institute of Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research (AIMMSCR), Amity University Campus, Sector-125, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201313, India.
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46
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D'souza S, Lau KCK, Coffin CS, Patel TR. Molecular mechanisms of viral hepatitis induced hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Gastroenterol 2020; 26:5759-5783. [PMID: 33132633 PMCID: PMC7579760 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v26.i38.5759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic infection with viral hepatitis affects half a billion individuals worldwide and can lead to cirrhosis, cancer, and liver failure. Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-associated mortality, of which hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents 90% of all primary liver cancers. Solid tumors like HCC are complex and have heterogeneous tumor genomic profiles contributing to complexity in diagnosis and management. Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis delta virus (HDV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are the greatest etiological risk factors for HCC. Due to the significant role of chronic viral infection in HCC development, it is important to investigate direct (viral associated) and indirect (immune-associated) mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of HCC. Common mechanisms used by HBV, HCV, and HDV that drive hepatocarcinogenesis include persistent liver inflammation with an impaired antiviral immune response, immune and viral protein-mediated oxidative stress, and deregulation of cellular signaling pathways by viral proteins. DNA integration to promote genome instability is a feature of HBV infection, and metabolic reprogramming leading to steatosis is driven by HCV infection. The current review aims to provide a brief overview of HBV, HCV and HDV molecular biology, and highlight specific viral-associated oncogenic mechanisms and common molecular pathways deregulated in HCC, and current as well as emerging treatments for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simmone D'souza
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, AB, Canada
| | - Keith CK Lau
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, AB, Canada
| | - Carla S Coffin
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, AB, Canada
| | - Trushar R Patel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, AB, Canada
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge T1K3M4, AB, Canada
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47
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Shen L, Zeng J, Ma L, Li S, Chen C, Jia J, Liang X. Helicobacter pylori Induces a Novel NF-kB/LIN28A/let-7a/hTERT Axis to Promote Gastric Carcinogenesis. Mol Cancer Res 2020; 19:74-85. [PMID: 33004623 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-19-0678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Reactivated telomerase is a crucial event in the development and progression of a variety of tumors. However, how telomerase is activated in gastric carcinogenesis has not been fully uncovered yet. Here, we identified a key role of the NF-κB/LIN28A/let-7a axis to promote human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression for gastric cancer initiation. Mechanistically, LIN28A expression was upregulated by H. pylori-induced NF-κB activation. And LIN28A, in turn, suppressed let-7a expression, forming the NF-κB/LIN28A/let-7a axis to regulate gene expression upon H. pylori infection. Of note, we first discovered hTERT as a direct target of let-7a, which inhibited hTERT expression by binding to its 3'UTR of mRNA. Therefore, H. pylori-triggered let-7a downregulation enhanced hTERT protein translation, resulting in telomerase reactivation. Furthermore, hTERT enhanced LIN28A expression, forming the positive feedback regulation between hTERT and NF-κB/LIN28A/let-7a axis to maintain the sustained overexpression of hTERT in gastric cancer. IMPLICATIONS: The NF-κB/LIN28A/Let-7a axis was crucial for the overexpression of hTERT upon H. pylori infection during gastric cancer development and may serve as a potential target to suppress hTERT expression for gastric cancer prevention and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Shen
- Department of Microbiology/Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P.R. China
| | - Jiping Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P.R. China
| | - Lin Ma
- Department of Microbiology/Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P.R. China
| | - Shuyan Li
- Department of Microbiology/Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P.R. China
| | - Chunyan Chen
- Department of Hematology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P.R. China
| | - Jihui Jia
- Department of Microbiology/Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P.R. China.,Cancer Research Laboratory, Shandong University-Karolinska Institutet collaborative Laboratory, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P.R. China
| | - Xiuming Liang
- Department of Microbiology/Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P.R. China. .,Cancer Research Laboratory, Shandong University-Karolinska Institutet collaborative Laboratory, School of Basic Medical Science, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P.R. China
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48
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongkang Zou
- Institute of Cancer Research, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Yu-sheng Cong
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311121, China
- Institute of Aging Research, Hangzhou Normal University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311121, China
| | - Junzhi Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311121, China
- Institute of Aging Research, Hangzhou Normal University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311121, China
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49
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Kachuri L, Helby J, Bojesen SE, Christiani DC, Su L, Wu X, Tardón A, Fernández-Tardón G, Field JK, Davies MP, Chen C, Goodman GE, Shepherd FA, Leighl NB, Tsao MS, Brhane Y, Brown MC, Boyd K, Shepshelovich D, Sun L, Amos CI, Liu G, Hung RJ. Investigation of Leukocyte Telomere Length and Genetic Variants in Chromosome 5p15.33 as Prognostic Markers in Lung Cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020; 28:1228-1237. [PMID: 31263055 DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-18-1215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer mortality with relatively few prognostic biomarkers. We investigated associations with overall survival for telomere length (TL) and genetic variation in chromosome 5p15.33, an established telomere maintenance locus. METHODS Leukocyte TL was measured after diagnosis in 807 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from the Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto and assessed prospectively in 767 NSCLC cases from the Copenhagen City Heart Study and the Copenhagen General Population Study. Associations with all-cause mortality were tested for 723 variants in 5p15.33, genotyped in 4,672 NSCLC cases. RESULTS Short telomeres (≤10th percentile) were associated with poor prognosis for adenocarcinoma in both populations: TL measured 6 months after diagnosis [HR = 1.65; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.04-2.64] and for those diagnosed within 5 years after blood sampling (HR = 2.42; 95% CI, 1.37-4.28). Short TL was associated with mortality in never smokers with NSCLC (HR = 10.29; 95% CI, 1.86-56.86) and adenocarcinoma (HR = 11.31; 95% CI, 1.96-65.24). Analyses in 5p15.33 identified statistically significant prognostic associations for rs56266421-G in LPCAT1 (HR = 1.86; 95% CI, 1.38-2.52; P = 4.5 × 10-5) in stage I-IIIA NSCLC, and for the SLC6A3 gene with OS in females with NSCLC (P = 1.6 × 10-3). CONCLUSIONS Our findings support the potential clinical utility of TL, particularly for adenocarcinoma patients, while associations in chromosome 5p15.33 warrant further exploration. IMPACT This is the largest lung cancer study of leukocyte TL and OS, and the first to examine the impact of the timing of TL measurement. Our findings suggest that extremely short telomeres are indicative of poor prognosis in NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Kachuri
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Jens Helby
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Stig Egil Bojesen
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - David C Christiani
- Departments of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Li Su
- Departments of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Xifeng Wu
- Department of Epidemiology, Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Adonina Tardón
- University of Oviedo and CIBERESP, Faculty of Medicine, Campus del Cristo, Oviedo, Spain
| | | | - John K Field
- Roy Castle Lung Cancer Research Programme, Institute of Translational Medicine, Department of Molecular & Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Michael P Davies
- Roy Castle Lung Cancer Research Programme, Institute of Translational Medicine, Department of Molecular & Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Chu Chen
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Gary E Goodman
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Frances A Shepherd
- Cancer Clinical Research Unit, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Natasha B Leighl
- Cancer Clinical Research Unit, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ming S Tsao
- Princess Margaret Cancer Center, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yonathan Brhane
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - M Catherine Brown
- Princess Margaret Cancer Center, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kevin Boyd
- Princess Margaret Cancer Center, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daniel Shepshelovich
- Princess Margaret Cancer Center, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,The Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lei Sun
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Division of Biostatistics, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christopher I Amos
- Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Geoffrey Liu
- Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Princess Margaret Cancer Center, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rayjean J Hung
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. .,Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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50
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Yuan G, Song J, Li N, Song Q, Li Y, Du Y, Wang X, Jiao Y, Wu L. Telomere Maintenance Associated Mutations in the Genetic Landscape of Gynecological Mucosal Melanoma. Front Oncol 2020; 10:1707. [PMID: 32984050 PMCID: PMC7492295 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.01707] [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: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Gynecological melanomas (GMs) are rare tumors with a poor prognosis. Here, we performed exome sequencing to generate the mutational landscape of GMs. Methods Next-generation sequencing was carried out on mucosal melanoma samples (n = 35) obtained from gynecological sites. The alternative telomere lengthening (ALT) phenotype was verified by fluorescence in situ hybridization and the C-circle assay. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect ATRX protein. Copy number variations in TERT were detected by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction. Results In the 58 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples, we identified 33 (56.9%) ALT-positive cases, with 23 showing loss of ATRX protein. TERT promoter mutation was not detected in GMs (n = 40), but copy number variations in the TERT region were observed in 20% (7/35) of the samples. TERT amplification was mutually exclusive with ALT (P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier revealed that ALT relative to TERT amplification was associated with longer overall survival in GM patients without metastasis. Conclusion These findings indicate that telomere maintenance mechanisms play a critical role in the tumorigenesis of GMs and may aid in the prediction of clinical prognosis and the development of targeted therapy for the treatment of GM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangwen Yuan
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jinge Song
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.,Department of Blood Transfusion, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ning Li
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Qianqian Song
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yifei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yingxi Du
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaobing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yuchen Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Lingying Wu
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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