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Nikolouzakis TK, Chrysos E, Docea AO, Fragkiadaki P, Souglakos J, Tsiaoussis J, Tsatsakis A. Current and Future Trends of Colorectal Cancer Treatment: Exploring Advances in Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:1995. [PMID: 38893120 PMCID: PMC11171065 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16111995] [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: 04/12/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer of the colon and rectum (CRC) has been identified among the three most prevalent types of cancer and cancer-related deaths for both sexes. Even though significant progress in surgical and chemotherapeutic techniques has markedly improved disease-free and overall survival rates in contrast to those three decades ago, recent years have seen a stagnation in these improvements. This underscores the need for new therapies aiming to augment patient outcomes. A number of emerging strategies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and adoptive cell therapy (ACT), have exhibited promising outcomes not only in preclinical but also in clinical settings. Additionally, a thorough appreciation of the underlying biology has expanded the scope of research into potential therapeutic interventions. For instance, the pivotal role of altered telomere length in early CRC carcinogenesis, leading to chromosomal instability and telomere dysfunction, presents a promising avenue for future treatments. Thus, this review explores the advancements in CRC immunotherapy and telomere-targeted therapies, examining potential synergies and how these novel treatment modalities intersect to potentially enhance each other's efficacy, paving the way for promising future therapeutic advancements.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emmanuel Chrysos
- Department of General Surgery, University General Hospital of Heraklion, 71110 Heraklion, Greece; (T.K.N.); (E.C.)
| | - Anca Oana Docea
- Department of Toxicology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania
| | - Persefoni Fragkiadaki
- Department of Forensic Sciences and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece; (P.F.); (A.T.)
| | - John Souglakos
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Medical School, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece;
| | - John Tsiaoussis
- Department of Anatomy, Medical School, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece;
| | - Aristidis Tsatsakis
- Department of Forensic Sciences and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece; (P.F.); (A.T.)
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Zhou Y, Tao L, Qiu J, Xu J, Yang X, Zhang Y, Tian X, Guan X, Cen X, Zhao Y. Tumor biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis and targeted therapy. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2024; 9:132. [PMID: 38763973 PMCID: PMC11102923 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-024-01823-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Tumor biomarkers, the substances which are produced by tumors or the body's responses to tumors during tumorigenesis and progression, have been demonstrated to possess critical and encouraging value in screening and early diagnosis, prognosis prediction, recurrence detection, and therapeutic efficacy monitoring of cancers. Over the past decades, continuous progress has been made in exploring and discovering novel, sensitive, specific, and accurate tumor biomarkers, which has significantly promoted personalized medicine and improved the outcomes of cancer patients, especially advances in molecular biology technologies developed for the detection of tumor biomarkers. Herein, we summarize the discovery and development of tumor biomarkers, including the history of tumor biomarkers, the conventional and innovative technologies used for biomarker discovery and detection, the classification of tumor biomarkers based on tissue origins, and the application of tumor biomarkers in clinical cancer management. In particular, we highlight the recent advancements in biomarker-based anticancer-targeted therapies which are emerging as breakthroughs and promising cancer therapeutic strategies. We also discuss limitations and challenges that need to be addressed and provide insights and perspectives to turn challenges into opportunities in this field. Collectively, the discovery and application of multiple tumor biomarkers emphasized in this review may provide guidance on improved precision medicine, broaden horizons in future research directions, and expedite the clinical classification of cancer patients according to their molecular biomarkers rather than organs of origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhou
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Lei Tao
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Jiahao Qiu
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Jing Xu
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xinyu Yang
- West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
- School of Medicine, Tibet University, Lhasa, 850000, China
| | - Xinyu Tian
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xinqi Guan
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xiaobo Cen
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
- National Chengdu Center for Safety Evaluation of Drugs, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yinglan Zhao
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
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Zhang Y, Li QS, Liu HL, Tang HT, Yang HL, Wu DQ, Huang YY, Li LC, Liu LH, Li MX. MKRN1 promotes colorectal cancer metastasis by activating the TGF-β signalling pathway through SNIP1 protein degradation. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2023; 42:219. [PMID: 37620897 PMCID: PMC10464235 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-023-02788-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Makorin ring finger protein 1 (MKRN1) gene, also called RNF61, is located on the long arm of chromosome 7 and is a member of the RING finger protein family. The E3 ubiquitin ligase MKRN1 is closely linked to tumour development, but the exact mechanism needs to be elucidated. In this study, we aimed to investigate the specific mechanism and role of MKRN1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) development. METHODS MKRN1 expression in CRC was analysed using the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopaedia and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. Rectal tumour tissues were frozen to explore the MKRN1 expression in CRC and its clinical significance. The impact of MKRN1 on CRC cell proliferation and migration was observed using CCK8, colony formation, wound healing, and transwell assays. A combination of MKRN1 quantitative proteomics, ubiquitination modification omics analysis, and a string of in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed the potential mechanisms by which MKRN1 regulates CRC metastasis. RESULTS MKRN1 expression was significantly elevated in CRC tissues compared to paracancerous tissues and was positively linked with prognosis (P < 0.01). MKRN1 downregulation inhibits CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Conversely, MKRN1 overexpression promotes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRC cells. Mechanistically, MKRN1 induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in CRC cells via ubiquitination and degradation of Smad nuclear-interacting protein 1 (SNIP1). Furthermore, SNIP1 inhibits transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signalling, and MKRN1 promotes TGF-β signalling by degrading SNIP1 to induce EMT in CRC cells. Finally, using conditional knockout mice, intestinal lesions and metastatic liver microlesions were greatly reduced in the intestinal knockout MKRN1 group compared to that in the control group. CONCLUSIONS High MKRN1 levels promote TGF-β signalling through ubiquitination and degradation of SNIP1, thereby facilitating CRC metastasis, and supporting MKRN1 as a CRC pro-cancer factor. The MKRN1/SNIP1/TGF-β axis may be a potential therapeutic target in CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhang
- Guizhou Prenatal Diagnosis Center, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, People's Republic of China
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou, Guiyang, 550004, People's Republic of China
| | - Qin-Shan Li
- Guizhou Prenatal Diagnosis Center, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou, Guiyang, 550004, People's Republic of China.
| | - Hong-Lin Liu
- Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, 100000, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong-Ting Tang
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou, Guiyang, 550004, People's Republic of China
| | - Han-Lin Yang
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou, Guiyang, 550004, People's Republic of China
| | - Dao-Qiu Wu
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou, Guiyang, 550004, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu-Ying Huang
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou, Guiyang, 550004, People's Republic of China
| | - Li-Cheng Li
- Clinical Medical College, Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou, Guiyang, 550004, People's Republic of China
- Department of HematologyGuizhou Province Laboratory of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Centre, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou Province Institute of Hematology, Guizhou, Guiyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Li-Hong Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China.
| | - Meng-Xing Li
- Clinical Medical College, Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou, Guiyang, 550004, People's Republic of China.
- Department of HematologyGuizhou Province Laboratory of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Centre, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou Province Institute of Hematology, Guizhou, Guiyang, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Pathophysiology, Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou, Guiyang, 550004, People's Republic of China.
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Kuhn CK, Meister J, Kreft S, Stiller M, Puppel SH, Zaremba A, Scheffler B, Ullrich V, Schöneberg T, Schadendorf D, Horn S. TERT expression is associated with metastasis from thin primaries, exhausted CD4+ T cells in melanoma and with DNA repair across cancer entities. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281487. [PMID: 37418389 PMCID: PMC10328343 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281487] [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: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutations occur frequently in cancer, have been associated with increased TERT expression and cell proliferation, and could potentially influence therapeutic regimens for melanoma. As the role of TERT expression in malignant melanoma and the non-canonical functions of TERT remain understudied, we aimed to extend the current knowledge on the impact of TERT promoter mutations and expression alterations in tumor progression by analyzing several highly annotated melanoma cohorts. Using multivariate models, we found no consistent association for TERT promoter mutations or TERT expression with the survival rate in melanoma cohorts under immune checkpoint inhibition. However, the presence of CD4+ T cells increased with TERT expression and correlated with the expression of exhaustion markers. While the frequency of promoter mutations did not change with Breslow thickness, TERT expression was increased in metastases arising from thinner primaries. As single-cell RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) showed that TERT expression was associated with genes involved in cell migration and dynamics of the extracellular matrix, this suggests a role of TERT during invasion and metastasis. Co-regulated genes found in several bulk tumors and single-cell RNA-seq cohorts also indicated non-canonical functions of TERT related to mitochondrial DNA stability and nuclear DNA repair. This pattern was also evident in glioblastoma and across other entities. Hence, our study adds to the role of TERT expression in cancer metastasis and potentially also immune resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Katharina Kuhn
- Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry, University of Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jaroslawna Meister
- Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry, University of Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute for Clinical Diabetology, German Diabetes Centre, Leibniz Centre for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sophia Kreft
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, and German Cancer Consortium Partner Site Essen/Düsseldorf, Essen, Germany
| | - Mathias Stiller
- Institute of Pathology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sven-Holger Puppel
- Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry, University of Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anne Zaremba
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, and German Cancer Consortium Partner Site Essen/Düsseldorf, Essen, Germany
| | - Björn Scheffler
- DKFZ-Division Translational Neurooncology at the West German Cancer Center, University Hospital Essen/University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Vivien Ullrich
- DKFZ-Division Translational Neurooncology at the West German Cancer Center, University Hospital Essen/University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Torsten Schöneberg
- Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry, University of Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Leipzig, Germany
- School of Medicine, University of Global Health Equity, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Dirk Schadendorf
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, and German Cancer Consortium Partner Site Essen/Düsseldorf, Essen, Germany
| | - Susanne Horn
- Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry, University of Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, and German Cancer Consortium Partner Site Essen/Düsseldorf, Essen, Germany
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Laish I, Levi Z, Mahajna H, Albshesh A, Horesh N, Katz E, Feldman D, Shinar N, Picard O, Yavzori M, Fudim E, Raanani P, Berger T, Goldvaser H, Beery E, Uziel O. Characterization of blood-derived exosomal hTERT mRNA as a biomarker for colon cancer and Lynch syndrome. Front Oncol 2022; 12:962473. [PMID: 36203446 PMCID: PMC9530579 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.962473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT)- mRNA was shown to be elevated in exosomes derived from the sera of a variety of hematological and solid cancer patients. We aimed to evaluate its role as a diagnostic marker in patients with newly diagnosed colon cancer and in hereditary syndromes with predisposition to colon cancer. Methods hTERT -mRNA levels were determined in serum-derived exosomes from 88 patients with colon cancer, 71 Lynch-syndrome carriers with unknown active malignancies and 50 healthy controls. Data, including demographics, background diseases, clinical data regarding tumor characteristics and genetic data, were retrieved data from medical files. Results Patients with colon cancer had both higher exosomal hTERT mRNA levels and a higher proportion of patients with positive exosomal hTERT mRNA than controls (29.5% vs. 4%, respectively, P values < 0.001). Within the cancer group, patients with a metastatic disease had higher levels of telomerase mRNA than non-metastatic disease patients, and these levels correlated with CEA levels. Likewise, Lynch syndrome carriers had a higher proportion of positive exosomal hTERT mRNA than controls (21.1% vs. 4%, respectively, P value 0.008) but only a trend towards higher exosomal hTERT mRNA levels. Higher telomerase mRNA levels were not correlated with the mutated gene. Conclusions Exosomal serum hTERT –mRNA levels are associated with metastatic colon cancer and were also demonstrated in a subset of Lynch syndrome carriers. Its significance as a biomarker for developing malignancy should be elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ido Laish
- Institute of Gastroenterology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- *Correspondence: Ido Laish,
| | - Zohar Levi
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Institute of Gastroenterology, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
| | - Hussein Mahajna
- Institute of Gastroenterology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ahmad Albshesh
- Institute of Gastroenterology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Nir Horesh
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Surgery and Transplantations B/C, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
| | - Efraim Katz
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Surgery and Transplantations B/C, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
| | - Dan Feldman
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Institute of Gastroenterology, Meir Medical Center, Kfar-Saba, Israel
| | - Nadav Shinar
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Institute of Gastroenterology, Meir Medical Center, Kfar-Saba, Israel
| | - Orit Picard
- Institute of Gastroenterology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Miri Yavzori
- Institute of Gastroenterology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ella Fudim
- Institute of Gastroenterology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Pia Raanani
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Institute of Hematology, Davidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
- The Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
| | - Tamar Berger
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Institute of Hematology, Davidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
| | - Hadar Goldvaser
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Institute of Oncology, Shaare – Zedek Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Einat Beery
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
| | - Orit Uziel
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
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Ellingsen EB, Bounova G, Kerzeli I, Anzar I, Simnica D, Aamdal E, Guren T, Clancy T, Mezheyeuski A, Inderberg EM, Mangsbo SM, Binder M, Hovig E, Gaudernack G. Characterization of the T cell receptor repertoire and melanoma tumor microenvironment upon combined treatment with ipilimumab and hTERT vaccination. Lab Invest 2022; 20:419. [PMID: 36089578 PMCID: PMC9465869 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03624-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Background This clinical trial evaluated a novel telomerase-targeting therapeutic cancer vaccine, UV1, in combination with ipilimumab, in patients with metastatic melanoma. Translational research was conducted on patient-derived blood and tissue samples with the goal of elucidating the effects of treatment on the T cell receptor repertoire and tumor microenvironment. Methods The trial was an open-label, single-center phase I/IIa study. Eligible patients had unresectable metastatic melanoma. Patients received up to 9 UV1 vaccinations and four ipilimumab infusions. Clinical responses were assessed according to RECIST 1.1. Patients were followed up for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Whole-exome and RNA sequencing, and multiplex immunofluorescence were performed on the biopsies. T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing was performed on the peripheral blood and tumor tissues. Results Twelve patients were enrolled in the study. Vaccine-specific immune responses were detected in 91% of evaluable patients. Clinical responses were observed in four patients. The mPFS was 6.7 months, and the mOS was 66.3 months. There was no association between baseline tumor mutational burden, neoantigen load, IFN-γ gene signature, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and response to therapy. Tumor telomerase expression was confirmed in all available biopsies. Vaccine-enriched TCR clones were detected in blood and biopsy, and an increase in the tumor IFN-γ gene signature was detected in clinically responding patients. Conclusion Clinical responses were observed irrespective of established predictive biomarkers for checkpoint inhibitor efficacy, indicating an added benefit of the vaccine-induced T cells. The clinical and immunological read-out warrants further investigation of UV1 in combination with checkpoint inhibitors. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02275416. Registered October 27, 2014. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02275416?term=uv1&draw=2&rank=6 Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-022-03624-z.
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Ellingsen EB, Aamdal E, Guren T, Lilleby W, Brunsvig PF, Mangsbo SM, Aamdal S, Hovig E, Mensali N, Gaudernack G, Inderberg EM. Durable and dynamic hTERT immune responses following vaccination with the long-peptide cancer vaccine UV1: long-term follow-up of three phase I clinical trials. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:e004345. [PMID: 35613827 PMCID: PMC9134181 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-004345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Therapeutic cancer vaccines represent a promising approach to improve clinical outcomes with immune checkpoint inhibition. UV1 is a second generation telomerase-targeting therapeutic cancer vaccine being investigated across multiple indications. Although telomerase is a near-universal tumor target, different treatment combinations applied across indications may affect the induced immune response. Three phase I/IIa clinical trials covering malignant melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and prostate cancer have been completed, with patients in follow-up for up to 8 years. METHODS 52 patients were enrolled across the three trials. UV1 was given as monotherapy in the lung cancer trial and concurrent with combined androgen blockade in the prostate cancer trial. In the melanoma study, patients initiated ipilimumab treatment 1 week after the first vaccine dose. Patients were followed for UV1-specific immune responses at frequent intervals during vaccination, and every 6 months for up to 8 years in a follow-up period. Phenotypic and functional characterizations were performed on patient-derived vaccine-specific T cell responses. RESULTS In total, 78.4% of treated patients mounted a measurable vaccine-induced T cell response in blood. The immune responses in the malignant melanoma trial, where UV1 was combined with ipilimumab, occurred more rapidly and frequently than in the lung and prostate cancer trials. In several patients, immune responses peaked years after their last vaccination. An in-depth characterization of the immune responses revealed polyfunctional CD4+ T cells producing interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α on interaction with their antigen. CONCLUSION Long-term immunomonitoring of patients showed highly dynamic and persistent telomerase peptide-specific immune responses lasting up to 7.5 years after the initial vaccination, suggesting a plausible functional role of these T cells in long-term survivors. The superior immune response kinetics observed in the melanoma study substantiate the rationale for future combinatorial treatment strategies with UV1 vaccination and checkpoint inhibition for rapid and frequent induction of anti-telomerase immune responses in patients with cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Espen Basmo Ellingsen
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Ultimovacs ASA, Oslo, Norway
| | - Elin Aamdal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Oncology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway
| | - Tormod Guren
- Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Paal F Brunsvig
- Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sara M Mangsbo
- Department of Pharmacy, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Ultimovacs AB, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Eivind Hovig
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Centre for Bioinformatics, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Nadia Mensali
- Department of Cellular Therapy, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
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Mao J, Zhang Q, Wang Y, Zhuang Y, Xu L, Ma X, Guan D, Zhou J, Liu J, Wu X, Liang Q, Wang M, Cong Y. TERT activates endogenous retroviruses to promote an immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment. EMBO Rep 2022; 23:e52984. [PMID: 35107856 PMCID: PMC8982579 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202152984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomerase plays a pivotal role in tumorigenesis by both telomere-dependent and telomere-independent activities, although the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood. Using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) across 9,264 tumour samples, we observe that expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is closely associated with immunosuppressive signatures. We demonstrate that TERT can activate a subclass of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) independent of its telomerase activity to form double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs), which are sensed by the RIG-1/MDA5-MAVS signalling pathway and trigger interferon signalling in cancer cells. Furthermore, we show that TERT-induced ERV/interferon signalling stimulates the expression of chemokines, including CXCL10, which induces the infiltration of suppressive T-cell populations with increased percentage of CD4+ and FOXP3+ cells. These data reveal an unanticipated role for telomerase as a transcriptional activator of ERVs and provide strong evidence that TERT-mediated ERV/interferon signalling contributes to immune suppression in tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Mao
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical SciencesHangzhouChina
| | - Qian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical SciencesHangzhouChina
| | - Yaxiang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical SciencesHangzhouChina
| | - Yang Zhuang
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical SciencesHangzhouChina
| | - Lu Xu
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical SciencesHangzhouChina
| | - Xiaohe Ma
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical SciencesHangzhouChina
| | - Di Guan
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical SciencesHangzhouChina
| | - Junzhi Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical SciencesHangzhouChina
| | - Jiang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical SciencesHangzhouChina
| | - Xiaoying Wu
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical SciencesHangzhouChina
| | - Qian Liang
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical SciencesHangzhouChina
| | - Miao Wang
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical SciencesHangzhouChina
| | - Yu‐Sheng Cong
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical SciencesHangzhouChina
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Novel Diagnostic Biomarkers in Colorectal Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23020852. [PMID: 35055034 PMCID: PMC8776048 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23020852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is still a leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Less than half of cases are diagnosed when the cancer is locally advanced. CRC is a heterogenous disease associated with a number of genetic or somatic mutations. Diagnostic markers are used for risk stratification and early detection, which might prolong overall survival. Nowadays, the widespread use of semi-invasive endoscopic methods and feacal blood tests characterised by suboptimal accuracy of diagnostic results has led to the detection of cases at later stages. New molecular noninvasive tests based on the detection of CRC alterations seem to be more sensitive and specific then the current methods. Therefore, research aiming at identifying molecular markers, such as DNA, RNA and proteins, would improve survival rates and contribute to the development of personalized medicine. The identification of “ideal” diagnostic biomarkers, having high sensitivity and specificity, being safe, cheap and easy to measure, remains a challenge. The purpose of this review is to discuss recent advances in novel diagnostic biomarkers for tumor tissue, blood and stool samples in CRC patients.
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10
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Shabani S, Elahi E, Bahraniasl M, Babaheidarian P, Sadeghpour A, Majidzadeh T, Talebi A, Mahjoubi F. Multi-stage analysis of FOXM1, PYROXD1, hTERT, PPARA, PIM3, BMI1 and MCTP1 expression patterns in colorectal cancer. GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY FROM BED TO BENCH 2022; 15:120-130. [PMID: 35845311 PMCID: PMC9275742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Aim To explore biomarkers with a tumor stage-dependent expression pattern in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Background The fourth most common cancer in the world is colorectal cancer (CRC). A variation in the gene expression rate is a common change in cancers initiation and the accumulation of these variation changes the behavior of normal cells and turns them into cancer cells. Methods Real-time RT-PCR was used to investigate the expression patterns of the FOXM1, PYROXD1, hTERT, BMI, PPARA, PIM3 and MCTP1 genes in 54 patients with stage I to IV CRC and their relation with clinicopathological features of CRC were analyzed. Results: FOXM1, hTERT and MCTP1 genes are overexpressed in CRC tumor tissues when compared to normal adjacent tissues in all the stages. Results FOXM1, PYROXD1, hTERT, PIM3, BMI1, PPARA and MCTP1 had-stage dependent expression. Investigation of the association between clinicopathological features and expression pattern of the studied genes revealed; a) a significant relationship between FOXM1 gene expression level and tumor stage, tumor size and lymph node involvement, b) a considerable association between alterations in PPARA and PIM3 expression and lymph node involvement, c) a notable correlation between hTERT expression level and the tumor stage and d) a strong correlation between MCTP1 expression and patient's age only. Conclusion Our study indicates that expression profiles of these genes either individually or together can be applied as potential biomarkers for prognosis of CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samira Shabani
- Department of Clinical Genetic, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB), Tehran, Iran
| | - Elahe Elahi
- Department of Biotechnology, University College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mandana Bahraniasl
- Department of Clinical Genetic, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB), Tehran, Iran
| | - Pegah Babaheidarian
- Department of Pathology, Hazrate-Rasoule Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Sadeghpour
- Department of Pathology, Hazrate-Rasoule Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Tayebeh Majidzadeh
- Department of Clinical Genetic, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB), Tehran, Iran
| | - Atefeh Talebi
- Colorectal Research Centre (CRRC), Hazrate-Rasoule Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Frouzandeh Mahjoubi
- Department of Clinical Genetic, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB), Tehran, Iran
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11
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Ellingsen EB, Mangsbo SM, Hovig E, Gaudernack G. Telomerase as a Target for Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines and Considerations for Optimizing Their Clinical Potential. Front Immunol 2021; 12:682492. [PMID: 34290704 PMCID: PMC8288190 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.682492] [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: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase-based therapeutic cancer vaccines (TCVs) have been under clinical investigation for the past two decades. Despite past failures, TCVs have gained renewed enthusiasm for their potential to improve the efficacy of checkpoint inhibition. Telomerase stands as an attractive target for TCVs due to its almost universal presence in cancer and its essential function promoting tumor growth. Herein, we review tumor telomerase biology that may affect the efficacy of therapeutic vaccination and provide insights on optimal vaccine design and treatment combinations. Tumor types possessing mechanisms of increased telomerase expression combined with an immune permissive tumor microenvironment are expected to increase the therapeutic potential of telomerase-targeting cancer vaccines. Regardless, rational treatment combinations, such as checkpoint inhibitors, are likely necessary to bring out the true clinical potential of TCVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Espen Basmo Ellingsen
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Research and Development, Ultimovacs ASA, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sara M Mangsbo
- Research and Development, Ultimovacs AB, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Eivind Hovig
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Centre for Bioinformatics, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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12
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Abstract
Colorectal cancer has served as a genetic and biological paradigm for the evolution of solid tumors, and these insights have illuminated early detection, risk stratification, prevention, and treatment principles. Employing the hallmarks of cancer framework, we provide a conceptual framework to understand how genetic alterations in colorectal cancer drive cancer cell biology properties and shape the heterotypic interactions across cells in the tumor microenvironment. This review details research advances pertaining to the genetics and biology of colorectal cancer, emerging concepts gleaned from immune and single-cell profiling, and critical advances and remaining knowledge gaps influencing the development of effective therapies for this cancer that remains a major public health burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiexi Li
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Xingdi Ma
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Deepavali Chakravarti
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Shabnam Shalapour
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Ronald A DePinho
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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13
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Haakensen VD, Nowak AK, Ellingsen EB, Farooqi SJ, Bjaanæs MM, Horndalsveen H, Mcculloch T, Grundberg O, Cedres SM, Helland Å. NIPU: a randomised, open-label, phase II study evaluating nivolumab and ipilimumab combined with UV1 vaccination as second line treatment in patients with malignant mesothelioma. J Transl Med 2021; 19:232. [PMID: 34059094 PMCID: PMC8165504 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-021-02905-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and aggressive tumour. For patients with inoperable disease, few treatment options are available after first line chemotherapy. The combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab has recently shown increased survival compared to standard chemotherapy, but most patients do not respond and improvements are called for. Telomerase is expressed in mesothelioma cells, but only sparsely in normal tissues and is therefore an attractive target for therapeutic vaccination. Vaccination against telomerase is tolerable and has shown to induce immune responses associated with increased survival in other cancer types. There is a well-founded scientific rationale for the combination of a telomerase vaccine and checkpoint inhibition to improve treatment response in MPM patients. Methods NIPU is a randomized, multi-centre, open-label, phase II study comparing the efficacy and safety of nivolumab and ipilimumab with or without telomerase vaccine in patients with inoperable malignant pleural mesothelioma after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Participants (n = 118) are randomized 1:1 into two treatment arms. All participants receive treatment with nivolumab (240 mg every 2 weeks) and ipilimumab (1 mg/kg every 6 weeks) until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity or for a maximum of 2 years. Patients randomised to the experimental arm receive 8 intradermal injections of UV1 vaccine during the first three months of treatment. Tumour tissue, blood, urine, faeces and imaging will be collected for biomarker analyses and exploration of mechanisms for response and resistance to therapy. Discussion Checkpoint inhibition is used for treatment of mesothelioma, but many patients still do not respond. Increasing therapy response to immunotherapy is an important goal. Possible approaches include combination with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy and other immunotherapeutic agents. Predictive biomarkers are necessary to ensure optimal treatment for each patient and to prevent unnecessary side effects. This trial seeks to improve treatment response by combining checkpoint inhibition with a telomerase vaccine and also to explore mechanisms for treatment response and resistance. Knowledge gained in the NIPU study may be transferred to the first line setting and to other cancers with limited benefit from immunotherapy. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04300244, registered March 8th, 2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04300244?term=NIPU&draw=2&rank=1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vilde Drageset Haakensen
- Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Cancer Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anna K Nowak
- National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases, Institute for Respiratory Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.,Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Australia
| | - Espen Basmo Ellingsen
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Ultimovacs, Oslo, Norway
| | - Saima Jamil Farooqi
- Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Cancer Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Maria Moksnes Bjaanæs
- Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Cancer Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Henrik Horndalsveen
- Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Cancer Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tine Mcculloch
- Department of Oncology and Clinical Cancer Research Center, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Oscar Grundberg
- Thoracic Oncology Center, Theme Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Susana M Cedres
- Oncology Department, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Åslaug Helland
- Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. .,Department of Cancer Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. .,Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
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14
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Yin H, Hardikar S, Lindstroem S, Hsu L, Anderson KE, Banbury BL, Berndt SI, Chan AT, Giovanucci EL, Harrison TA, Joshi AD, Nan H, Potter JD, Sakoda LC, Slattery ML, Schoen RE, White E, Peters U, Newcomb PA. Telomere Maintenance Variants and Survival after Colorectal Cancer: Smoking- and Sex-Specific Associations. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020; 29:1817-1824. [PMID: 32586834 PMCID: PMC7928192 DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-19-1507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Telomeres play an important role in colorectal cancer prognosis. Variation in telomere maintenance genes may be associated with survival after colorectal cancer diagnosis, but evidence is limited. In addition, possible interactions between telomere maintenance genes and prognostic factors, such as smoking and sex, also remain to be investigated. METHODS We conducted gene-wide analyses of colorectal cancer prognosis in 4,896 invasive colorectal cancer cases from the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium (GECCO); 1,871 common variants within 13 telomere maintenance genes were included. Cox models were fit to estimate associations of these variants individually with overall and colorectal cancer-specific survival. Likelihood ratio tests were used to test for interaction by smoking and sex. P values were adjusted using Bonferroni correction. RESULTS The association between minor allele of rs7200950 (ACD) with colorectal cancer-specific survival varied significantly by smoking pack-years (corrected P = 0.049), but no significant trend was observed. By sex, minor alleles for rs2975843 (TERF1), rs75676021 (POT1), and rs74429678 (POT1) were associated with decreased overall and/or colorectal cancer-specific survival in women but not in men. CONCLUSIONS Our study reported a gene-wide statistically significant interaction with sex (TERF1, POT1). Although significant interaction by smoking pack-years (ACD) was observed, there was no evidence of a dose response. Validation of these findings in other large studies and further functional annotation on these SNPs are warranted. IMPACT Our study found a gene-smoking and gene-sex interaction on survival after colorectal cancer diagnosis, providing new insights into the role of genetic polymorphisms in telomere maintenance on colorectal cancer prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Yin
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Sheetal Hardikar
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Sara Lindstroem
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Li Hsu
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Kristin E Anderson
- Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Barbara L Banbury
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Sonja I Berndt
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Andrew T Chan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Edward L Giovanucci
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Tabitha A Harrison
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Amit D Joshi
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Hongmei Nan
- Department of Epidemiology, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - John D Potter
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Lori C Sakoda
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California
| | - Martha L Slattery
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Robert E Schoen
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Emily White
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Ulrike Peters
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Polly A Newcomb
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
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15
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Eckburg A, Dein J, Berei J, Schrank Z, Puri N. Oligonucleotides and microRNAs Targeting Telomerase Subunits in Cancer Therapy. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E2337. [PMID: 32825005 PMCID: PMC7565511 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12092337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase provides cancer cells with replicative immortality, and its overexpression serves as a near-universal marker of cancer. Anti-cancer therapeutics targeting telomerase have garnered interest as possible alternatives to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Oligonucleotide-based therapies that inhibit telomerase through direct or indirect modulation of its subunits, human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and human telomerase RNA gene (hTERC), are a unique and diverse subclass of telomerase inhibitors which hold clinical promise. MicroRNAs that play a role in the upregulation or downregulation of hTERT and respective progression or attenuation of cancer development have been effectively targeted to reduce telomerase activity in various cancer types. Tumor suppressor miRNAs, such as miRNA-512-5p, miRNA-138, and miRNA-128, and oncogenic miRNAs, such as miRNA-19b, miRNA-346, and miRNA-21, have displayed preclinical promise as potential hTERT-based therapeutic targets. Antisense oligonucleotides like GRN163L and T-oligos have also been shown to uniquely target the telomerase subunits and have become popular in the design of novel cancer therapies. Finally, studies suggest that G-quadruplex stabilizers, such as Telomestatin, preserve telomeric oligonucleotide architecture, thus inhibiting hTERC binding to the telomere. This review aims to provide an adept understanding of the conceptual foundation and current state of therapeutics utilizing oligonucleotides to target the telomerase subunits, including the advantages and drawbacks of each of these approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Neelu Puri
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA; (A.E.); (J.D.); (J.B.); (Z.S.)
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16
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Sung JY, Lim HW, Joung JG, Park WY. Pan-Cancer Analysis of Alternative Lengthening of Telomere Activity. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12082207. [PMID: 32784588 PMCID: PMC7465155 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12082207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) is a telomerase-independent mechanism that extends telomeres in cancer cells. It influences tumorigenesis and patient survival. Despite the clinical significance of ALT in tumors, the manner in which ALT is activated and influences prognostic outcomes in distinct cancer types is unclear. In this work, we profiled distinct telomere maintenance mechanisms (TMMs) using 8953 transcriptomes of 31 different cancer types from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Our results demonstrated that approximately 29% of cancer types display high ALT activity with low telomerase activity in the telomere-lengthening group. Among the distinct ALT mechanisms, homologous recombination was frequently observed in sarcoma, adrenocortical carcinoma, and kidney chromophobe. Five cancer types showed a significant difference in survival in the presence of high ALT activity. Sarcoma patients with elevated ALT had unfavorable risks (p < 0.038) coupled with a high expression of TOP2A, suggesting this as a potential drug target. On the contrary, glioblastoma patients had favorable risks (p < 0.02), and showed low levels of antigen-presenting cells. Together, our analyses highlight cancer type-dependent TMM activities and ALT-associated genes as potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Yong Sung
- Samsung Genome Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea;
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute of Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06351, Korea
| | - Hee-Woong Lim
- Division of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA;
| | - Je-Gun Joung
- Samsung Genome Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea;
- Correspondence: (J.-G.J.); (W.-Y.P.); Tel.: +82-2-3410-1706 (J.-G.J.); +82-2-3410-6128 (W.-Y.P.); Fax: +82-2-2148-9819 (W.-Y.P.)
| | - Woong-Yang Park
- Samsung Genome Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea;
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute of Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06351, Korea
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06351, Korea
- Correspondence: (J.-G.J.); (W.-Y.P.); Tel.: +82-2-3410-1706 (J.-G.J.); +82-2-3410-6128 (W.-Y.P.); Fax: +82-2-2148-9819 (W.-Y.P.)
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17
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Dosset M, Castro A, Carter H, Zanetti M. Telomerase and CD4 T Cell Immunity in Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12061687. [PMID: 32630460 PMCID: PMC7352225 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12061687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is a conserved self-tumor antigen which is overexpressed in most tumors and plays a critical role in tumor formation and progression. As such, TERT is an antigen of great relevance to develop widely applicable immunotherapies. CD4 T cells play a major role in the anti-cancer response alone or with other effector cells such as CD8 T cells and NK cells. To date, efforts have been made to identify TERT peptides capable of stimulating CD4 T cells that are also able to bind diverse MHC-II alleles to ease immune status monitoring and immunotherapies. Here, we review the current status of TERT biology, TERT/MHC-II immunobiology, and past and current vaccine clinical trials. We propose that monitoring CD4 T cell immunity against TERT is a simple and direct way to assess immune surveillance in cancer patients and a new way to predict the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPi). Finally, we present the initial results of a systematic discovery of TERT peptides able to bind the most common HLA Class II alleles worldwide and show that the repertoire of MHC-II TERT peptides is wider than currently appreciated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magalie Dosset
- The Laboratory of Immunology, Department of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-081, USA;
| | - Andrea Castro
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine and Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; (A.C.); (H.C.)
- Health Science, Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Hannah Carter
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine and Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; (A.C.); (H.C.)
| | - Maurizio Zanetti
- The Laboratory of Immunology, Department of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-081, USA;
- Correspondence:
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18
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Zhang Y, Du Y, Song Z, Liu S, Li W, Wang D, Suo J. Profiling of serum metabolites in advanced colon cancer using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Oncol Lett 2020; 19:4002-4010. [PMID: 32391103 PMCID: PMC7204625 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2020.11510] [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: 01/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Lymph node metastasis remains a key factor that affects the prognosis of patients with colon cancer. The aim of the present study was to identify and evaluate serum metabolites as biomarkers for the detection of tumor lymph node metastasis and the prediction of patient survival. The present study analyzed the metabolites in the serum of patients with advanced colon cancer both with and without lymph node metastasis. Blood samples from 104 patients with stage T3 colon cancer were collected and analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The metabolites were structurally confirmed with data from the Human Metabolome Database. The association between the serum metabolites and the clinicopathological characteristics and survival time of patients from the present study was analyzed. Overall, 227 different metabolites were identified in the serum of patients with stage T3 colon cancer with or without lymph node metastasis. Furthermore, 17 of these metabolites may potentially distinguish those patients with lymph node metastasis from those patients without. In addition, five factors, including abscisic acid, calcitroic acid and glucosylsphingosine presence in the serum, age and sex, were identified as independent predictors for lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). Furthermore, three factors, including abscisic acid, calcitroic acid and glucosylsphingosine presence in the serum were independent predictors for patient survival (P<0.05). In conclusion, the serum levels of abscisic acid, calcitroic-acid and glucosylsphingosine may be considered as potential biomarkers to predict the occurrence of lymph node metastasis and the survival time of patients with colon cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhang
- The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
| | - Yechao Du
- The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
| | - Zheyu Song
- The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
| | - Suoning Liu
- The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
| | - Wei Li
- The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
| | - Daguang Wang
- The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
| | - Jian Suo
- The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
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19
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Ganesh M, Narayanan GS, Kumar R. Change of telomerase activity in peripheral blood of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma pre and post curative treatment. Rep Pract Oncol Radiother 2020; 25:28-34. [PMID: 31866769 PMCID: PMC6906671 DOI: 10.1016/j.rpor.2019.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is no clinically applicable tumor marker for head and neck cancers. Telomerase is detected in approximately 90% of all malignant tumors, it may predict poor or favorable outcomes, thus being both a highly attractive biomarker and a target for the development of molecular-based cancer diagnostics, prognostics, and therapeutics. AIM Primary aim was to detect a change of telomerase activity before and after curative treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients with biopsy proven head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, stage I-IVB treated with a curative intent, performance status 0-2 and malignancy at one primary site were included in the study. Telomerase levels were tested in tissue biopsy. Plasma telomerase levels were tested at baseline, 5 days and at 3 months after treatment using ELISA. RESULTS Raised plasma telomerase activity was seen in all the patients with cancer at baseline. The mean plasma telomerase level at baseline was 861.4522 ng/ml, at 5 days after completion of curative treatment was 928.92 ng/ml and at 3 months of follow up was 898.87 ng/ml. The mean tissue biopsy telomerase level was 19768.53 ng/mg. There was a significant increase in baseline telomerase levels in cancer patients compared to normals (volunteers) (t = -3.52, p = 0.001).There was a significant increase in plasma levels of telomerase at 3 months compared to baseline values (z = -1.98, p = 0.04). The increase in telomerase level did not correlate with the response of the treatment. CONCLUSION In patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas treated with a curative intent, the change in levels of telomerase correlates neither with the disease status nor with prognostic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- M.S. Ganesh
- Surgical Oncology Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Geeta S. Narayanan
- Radiation Oncology Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Rishabh Kumar
- Radiation Oncology Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
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20
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Sole C, Arnaiz E, Manterola L, Otaegui D, Lawrie CH. The circulating transcriptome as a source of cancer liquid biopsy biomarkers. Semin Cancer Biol 2019; 58:100-108. [PMID: 30684535 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2019.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2018] [Revised: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Non-invasive biomarkers or liquid biopsies have the potential to revolutionise cancer patient management as repeated sampling allows real-time monitoring of disease progression and response to treatment. This allows for earlier intervention and dynamic treatment management; both cornerstones of personalised medicine. The circulating transcriptome represents a rich source of potential cancer biomarkers that includes many classes of RNA, both coding and non-coding, that are only now beginning to be explored. In particular the increasing power and availability of RNAseq techniques have pushed studies beyond circulating miRNAs, to other classes of RNA including mRNA, snRNA, snoRNA, piRNA, YRNA, lncRNA and circRNA. In this review we focus on the emerging potential for these different classes of RNA as cancer biomarkers, and in particular the barriers and limitations that remain to be overcome if these molecules are to become part of routine clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Sole
- Molecular Oncology Group, Biodonostia Research Institute, Paseo Doctor Begiristain, s/n, San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
| | - Esther Arnaiz
- Molecular Oncology Group, Biodonostia Research Institute, Paseo Doctor Begiristain, s/n, San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
| | - Lorea Manterola
- Molecular Oncology Group, Biodonostia Research Institute, Paseo Doctor Begiristain, s/n, San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
| | - David Otaegui
- Multiple Sclerosis Group, Biodonostia Research Institute, Paseo Doctor Begiristain, s/n, San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
| | - Charles H Lawrie
- Molecular Oncology Group, Biodonostia Research Institute, Paseo Doctor Begiristain, s/n, San Sebastián, 20014, Spain; Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, United Kingdom; IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, María Díaz Haroko Kalea, 3, 48013, Bilbao, Spain.
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21
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Wang Y, Chen S, Yan Z, Pei M. A prospect of cell immortalization combined with matrix microenvironmental optimization strategy for tissue engineering and regeneration. Cell Biosci 2019; 9:7. [PMID: 30627420 PMCID: PMC6321683 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-018-0264-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular senescence is a major hurdle for primary cell-based tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Telomere erosion, oxidative stress, the expression of oncogenes and the loss of tumor suppressor genes all may account for the cellular senescence process with the involvement of various signaling pathways. To establish immortalized cell lines for research and clinical use, strategies have been applied including internal genomic or external matrix microenvironment modification. Considering the potential risks of malignant transformation and tumorigenesis of genetic manipulation, environmental modification methods, especially the decellularized cell-deposited extracellular matrix (dECM)-based preconditioning strategy, appear to be promising for tissue engineering-aimed cell immortalization. Due to few review articles focusing on this topic, this review provides a summary of cell senescence and immortalization and discusses advantages and limitations of tissue engineering and regeneration with the use of immortalized cells as well as a potential rejuvenation strategy through combination with the dECM approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Wang
- 1Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedics, West Virginia University, PO Box 9196, 64 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26506-9196 USA.,2Department of Orthopaedics, Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Song Chen
- 3Department of Orthopaedics, Chengdu Military General Hospital, Chengdu, 610083 Sichuan China
| | - Zuoqin Yan
- 2Department of Orthopaedics, Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Ming Pei
- 1Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedics, West Virginia University, PO Box 9196, 64 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26506-9196 USA.,4WVU Cancer Institute, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 USA
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22
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Schrank Z, Khan N, Osude C, Singh S, Miller RJ, Merrick C, Mabel A, Kuckovic A, Puri N. Oligonucleotides Targeting Telomeres and Telomerase in Cancer. Molecules 2018; 23:molecules23092267. [PMID: 30189661 PMCID: PMC6225148 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23092267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeres and telomerase have become attractive targets for the development of anticancer therapeutics due to their involvement in cancer cell immortality. Currently, several therapeutics have been developed that directly target telomerase and telomeres, such as telomerase inhibitors and G-quadruplex stabilizing ligands. Telomere-specific oligonucleotides that reduce telomerase activity and disrupt telomere architecture are also in development as novel anticancer therapeutics. Specifically, GRN163L and T-oligos have demonstrated promising anticancer activity in multiple cancers types via induction of potent DNA damage responses. Currently, several miRNAs have been implicated in the regulation of telomerase activity and may prove to be valuable targets in the development of novel therapies by reducing expression of telomerase subunits. Targeting miRNAs that are known to increase expression of telomerase subunits may be another strategy to reduce carcinogenesis. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of current oligonucleotide-based anticancer therapies that target telomeres and telomerase. These studies may help design novel therapeutic approaches to overcome the challenges of oligonucleotide therapy in a clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Schrank
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Nabiha Khan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Chike Osude
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Sanjana Singh
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Rachel J Miller
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Collin Merrick
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Alexander Mabel
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Adijan Kuckovic
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Neelu Puri
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
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Wang K, Wang RL, Liu JJ, Zhou J, Li X, Hu WW, Jiang WJ, Hao NB. The prognostic significance of hTERT overexpression in cancers: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore) 2018; 97:e11794. [PMID: 30170373 PMCID: PMC6392887 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000011794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) plays an important role in cancer progression. Recently, several clinical studies investigated how the overexpression of hTERT predicts the poor prognosis of solid tumors. However, the results were inconclusive, partly because of the small numbers of patients included. METHOD We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase to identify relevant studies until August 2017. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the association of hTERT expression and survival outcomes. RESULTS A total of 27studies enrolling 2530 solid tumor patients were included in this meta-analysis. There were strong significant associations between hTERT overexpression and all endpoints: overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.31-1.73, P = .00), disease-free survival (HR = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.38-2.46; P = .00), and recurrence-free survival (HR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.07-2.99; P = .028). In the subgroup analysis, it was found that the overexpression of hTERT induced poor OS in lung cancer (HR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.21-1.89; P = .00). CONCLUSION Our comprehensive systematic review concluded that the overexpression of hTERT was associated with poor survival in human solid tumors. hTERT may be a valuable predictive biomarker for prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Wang
- New Era Stoke Care and Research Institute
| | - Rui-Ling Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of the PLA Rocket Force; Beijing, China
| | - Jian-Jun Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of the PLA Rocket Force; Beijing, China
| | - Ji Zhou
- New Era Stoke Care and Research Institute
| | - Xue Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of the PLA Rocket Force; Beijing, China
| | - Wen-Wei Hu
- Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of the PLA Rocket Force; Beijing, China
| | | | - Ning-Bo Hao
- Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of the PLA Rocket Force; Beijing, China
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Li B, Pan R, Zhou C, Dai J, Mao Y, Chen M, Huang T, Ying X, Hu H, Zhao J, Zhang W, Duan S. SMYD3 promoter hypomethylation is associated with the risk of colorectal cancer. Future Oncol 2018; 14:1825-1834. [PMID: 29969917 DOI: 10.2217/fon-2017-0682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM SMYD3 encodes histone lysine methyltransferase. The goal of our study was to investigate the association between SMYD3 methylation and colorectal cancer (CRC). MATERIALS & METHODS SMYD3 methylation was measured by quantitative methylation-specific PCR method in 117 pairs of CRC tumor and para-tumor tissues. RESULTS Significantly lower SMYD3 methylation was observed in CRC tumor tissues than para-tumor tissues (p = 0.002). Further subgroup analysis by clinical features showed that significantly lower SMYD3 methylation were only observed in the CRC patients with tumors of moderately and well differentiation, positive lymph node metastasis, and stage III + IV. CONCLUSION Our work reported for the first time that SMYD3 promoter hypomethylation was associated with CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Li
- Medical Genetics Center, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, PR China
| | - Ranran Pan
- Medical Genetics Center, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, PR China
| | - Cong Zhou
- Medical Genetics Center, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, PR China
| | - Jie Dai
- Medical Genetics Center, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, PR China
| | - Yiyi Mao
- Medical Genetics Center, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, PR China
| | - Min Chen
- Medical Genetics Center, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, PR China
| | - Tianyi Huang
- Medical Genetics Center, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, PR China
| | - Xiuru Ying
- Medical Genetics Center, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, PR China
| | - Haochang Hu
- Medical Genetics Center, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, PR China
| | - Jun Zhao
- Medical Genetics Center, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, PR China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Preventive Medicine & The Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Shiwei Duan
- Medical Genetics Center, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, PR China
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25
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Pellino G, Gallo G, Pallante P, Capasso R, De Stefano A, Maretto I, Malapelle U, Qiu S, Nikolaou S, Barina A, Clerico G, Reginelli A, Giuliani A, Sciaudone G, Kontovounisios C, Brunese L, Trompetto M, Selvaggi F. Noninvasive Biomarkers of Colorectal Cancer: Role in Diagnosis and Personalised Treatment Perspectives. Gastroenterol Res Pract 2018; 2018:2397863. [PMID: 30008744 PMCID: PMC6020538 DOI: 10.1155/2018/2397863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/15/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. It has been estimated that more than one-third of patients are diagnosed when CRC has already spread to the lymph nodes. One out of five patients is diagnosed with metastatic CRC. The stage of diagnosis influences treatment outcome and survival. Notwithstanding the recent advances in multidisciplinary management and treatment of CRC, patients are still reluctant to undergo screening tests because of the associated invasiveness and discomfort (e.g., colonoscopy with biopsies). Moreover, the serological markers currently used for diagnosis are not reliable and, even if they were useful to detect disease recurrence after treatment, they are not always detected in patients with CRC (e.g., CEA). Recently, translational research in CRC has produced a wide spectrum of potential biomarkers that could be useful for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of these patients. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the newer noninvasive or minimally invasive biomarkers of CRC. Here, we discuss imaging and biomolecular diagnostics ranging from their potential usefulness to obtain early and less-invasive diagnosis to their potential implementation in the development of a bespoke treatment of CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Pellino
- Unit of General Surgery, Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Ageing Sciences, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Piazza Miraglia 2, 80138 Naples, Italy
- Colorectal Surgery Unit, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, Spain
| | - Gaetano Gallo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, OU of General Surgery, University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Clinic S. Rita, Vercelli, Italy
| | - Pierlorenzo Pallante
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology (IEOS), National Research Council (CNR), Via S. Pansini 5, Naples, Italy
| | - Raffaella Capasso
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Molise, Via Francesco de Sanctis 1, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
| | - Alfonso De Stefano
- Department of Abdominal Oncology, Division of Abdominal Medical Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, “Fondazione G. Pascale, ” IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Isacco Maretto
- 1st Surgical Clinic, Department of Surgical, Oncological, and Gastroenterological Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Umberto Malapelle
- Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Shengyang Qiu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK
| | - Stella Nikolaou
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK
| | - Andrea Barina
- 1st Surgical Clinic, Department of Surgical, Oncological, and Gastroenterological Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Clerico
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Clinic S. Rita, Vercelli, Italy
| | - Alfonso Reginelli
- Department of Internal and Experimental Medicine, Magrassi-Lanzara, Institute of Radiology, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Piazza Miraglia 2, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Giuliani
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences “V. Tiberio”, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Guido Sciaudone
- Unit of General Surgery, Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Ageing Sciences, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Piazza Miraglia 2, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Christos Kontovounisios
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Campus, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Luca Brunese
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Molise, Via Francesco de Sanctis 1, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
| | - Mario Trompetto
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Clinic S. Rita, Vercelli, Italy
| | - Francesco Selvaggi
- Unit of General Surgery, Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Ageing Sciences, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Piazza Miraglia 2, 80138 Naples, Italy
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26
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Shen Y, Xi F, Li H, Luo Y, Chen C, Wang L. Telomerase reverse transcriptase suppression inhibits cell proliferation and promotes cell apoptosis in hepatocellular cancer. IUBMB Life 2018; 70:642-648. [PMID: 29707886 DOI: 10.1002/iub.1758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2018] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
We aimed to investigate the role of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) in hepatocellular cancer (HCC) cells. R software was used for differential expressed gene analysis. Western blot and quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), respectively, were used to detect protein expression and mRNA level of TERT in tumor cell lines. Real-time quantitative telomeric repeat amplification protocol assay, MTT assay, colony formation assay, and flow cytometry (FCM) assay were used to analyze the telomerase activity, viability, proliferation, cell cycle progression and apoptosis of HCC cells. The proliferation ratio of HCC cells transfected with TERT-siRNA was significantly decreased compared with control group. Plate clone results suggested that the number of colonies also decreased in TERT-siRNA group. FCM results showed that more cells were arrested in G0/G1 phase and apoptosis rate increased in TERT-siRNA group compared with control group. TERT suppression inhibited cell proliferation but promoted cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 70(7):642-648, 2018.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfeng Shen
- Department of Oncology II, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei, China
| | - Feng Xi
- Department of Pathology, Medical College of Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei, China
| | - Haibin Li
- Department of Oncology II, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei, China
| | - Yin Luo
- Department of Oncology II, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei, China
| | - Cheng Chen
- Department of Oncology II, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Department of Pathology, Medical College of Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei, China
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27
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Rampazzo E, Del Bianco P, Bertorelle R, Boso C, Perin A, Spiro G, Bergamo F, Belluco C, Buonadonna A, Palazzari E, Leonardi S, De Paoli A, Pucciarelli S, De Rossi A. The predictive and prognostic potential of plasma telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) RNA in rectal cancer patients. Br J Cancer 2018; 118:878-886. [PMID: 29449673 PMCID: PMC5877438 DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2017.492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgery is the standard care for locally advanced rectal cancer, but tumour response to CRT and disease outcome are variable. The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of plasma telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) levels in predicting tumour response and clinical outcome. METHODS 176 rectal cancer patients were included. Plasma samples were collected at baseline (before CRT=T0), 2 weeks after CRT was initiated (T1), post-CRT and before surgery (T2), and 4-8 months after surgery (T3) time points. Plasma TERT mRNA levels and total cell-free RNA were determined using real-time PCR. RESULTS Plasma levels of TERT were significantly lower at T2 (P<0.0001) in responders than in non-responders. Post-CRT TERT levels and the differences between pre- and post-CRT TERT levels independently predicted tumour response, and the prediction model had an area under curve of 0.80 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73-0.87). Multiple analysis demonstrated that patients with detectable TERT levels at T2 and T3 time points had a risk of disease progression 2.13 (95% CI 1.10-4.11)-fold and 4.55 (95% CI 1.48-13.95)-fold higher, respectively, than those with undetectable plasma TERT levels. CONCLUSIONS Plasma TERT levels are independent markers of tumour response and are prognostic of disease progression in rectal cancer patients who undergo neoadjuvant therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrica Rampazzo
- Section of Oncology and Immunology, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Via Gattamelata 64, Padova 35128, Italy
| | - Paola Del Bianco
- Clinical Trials and Biostatistic Unit, Istituto Oncologico Veneto (IOV)-IRCCS, Via Gattamelata 64, Padova 35128, Italy
| | - Roberta Bertorelle
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, IOV- IRCCS, Via Gattamelata 64, Padova 35128, Italy
| | - Caterina Boso
- Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine Unit, IOV-IRCCS, Via Gattamelata 64, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Alessandro Perin
- Section of Surgery, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, Via Giustiniani 1, University of Padova, Padova 35128, Italy
| | - Giovanna Spiro
- Section of Surgery, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, Via Giustiniani 1, University of Padova, Padova 35128, Italy
| | - Francesca Bergamo
- Medical Oncology Unit 1, IOV-IRCCS, Via Gattamelata 64, Padova 35128, Italy
| | - Claudio Belluco
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico (CRO)-IRCCS, Aviano, Italy
| | | | | | - Sara Leonardi
- Medical Oncology Unit 1, IOV-IRCCS, Via Gattamelata 64, Padova 35128, Italy
| | | | - Salvatore Pucciarelli
- Section of Surgery, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, Via Giustiniani 1, University of Padova, Padova 35128, Italy
| | - Anita De Rossi
- Section of Oncology and Immunology, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Via Gattamelata 64, Padova 35128, Italy
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, IOV- IRCCS, Via Gattamelata 64, Padova 35128, Italy
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28
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Deloria AJ, Höflmayer D, Kienzl P, Łopatecka J, Sampl S, Klimpfinger M, Braunschmid T, Bastian F, Lu L, Marian B, Stättner S, Holzmann K. Epithelial splicing regulatory protein 1 and 2 paralogues correlate with splice signatures and favorable outcome in human colorectal cancer. Oncotarget 2018; 7:73800-73816. [PMID: 27650542 PMCID: PMC5342015 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.12070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 09/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
ESRPs are master splice regulators implicated in alternative mRNA splicing programs important for epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor progression. ESRP1 was identified in some tumors as good or worse predictor of outcome, but in colorectal cancer (CRC) the prognostic value of ESRPs and relation with mesenchymal splice variants is not clear. Here, we studied 68 CRC cases, compared tissue expression of ESRPs with clinical data and with EMT gene splice patterns of conditional CRC cells with deficient ESRP1 expression.Around 72% of patients showed global decreased transcript expression of both ESRPs in tumor as compared to matched non-neoplastic colorectal epithelium. Reduction of ESRP1 in tumor cells was evaluated by immunohistochemistry, associated with microsatellite stability and switch to mesenchymal splice signatures of FGFRs, CD44, ENAH and CTNND1(p120-catenin). Expression of ESRPs was significantly associated with favorable overall survival (log-rank test, P=0.0186 and 0.0408), better than prognostic stratification by tumor staging; and for ESRP1 confirmed with second TCGA cohort (log-rank test, P=0.0435). Prognostic value is independent of the pathological stage and microsatellite instability (ESRP1: HR=0.36, 95%CI 0.15-0.91, P=0.032; ESRP2: HR=0.23, 95%CI 0.08-0.65, P=0.006).Our study supports the role of ESRP1 as tumor suppressor and strongly suggests that ESRPs are candidate markers for early detection, diagnosis, and prognosis of CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail J Deloria
- Division of Cancer Research, Department of Medicine I, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University Vienna, Austria
| | - Doris Höflmayer
- Department of Pathology and Bacteriology, Social Medical Center South, Kaiser Franz Josef Hospital, Vienna, Austria.,Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Philip Kienzl
- Division of Cancer Research, Department of Medicine I, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University Vienna, Austria
| | - Justyna Łopatecka
- Division of Cancer Research, Department of Medicine I, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University Vienna, Austria
| | - Sandra Sampl
- Division of Cancer Research, Department of Medicine I, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Klimpfinger
- Department of Pathology and Bacteriology, Social Medical Center South, Kaiser Franz Josef Hospital, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tamara Braunschmid
- Department of Surgery, Social Medical Center South, Kaiser Franz Josef Hospital, Vienna, Austria
| | - Fabienne Bastian
- Department of Surgery, Social Medical Center South, Kaiser Franz Josef Hospital, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lingeng Lu
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Yale Cancer Center, Yale University, New Haven, USA
| | - Brigitte Marian
- Division of Cancer Research, Department of Medicine I, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefan Stättner
- Department of Surgery, Social Medical Center South, Kaiser Franz Josef Hospital, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Visceral, Transplantation and Thoracic Surgery, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Klaus Holzmann
- Division of Cancer Research, Department of Medicine I, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University Vienna, Austria
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Boscolo-Rizzo P, Da Mosto MC, Rampazzo E, Giunco S, Del Mistro A, Menegaldo A, Baboci L, Mantovani M, Tirelli G, De Rossi A. Telomeres and telomerase in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: from pathogenesis to clinical implications. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2017; 35:457-74. [PMID: 27501725 PMCID: PMC5035656 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-016-9633-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Strongly associated with tobacco use, heavy alcohol consumption, and with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a frequently lethal, heterogeneous disease whose pathogenesis is a multistep and multifactorial process involving genetic and epigenetic events. The majority of HNSCC patients present with locoregional advanced stage disease and are treated with combined modality strategies that can markedly impair quality of life and elicit unpredictable results. A large fraction of those who undergo locoregional treatment and achieve a complete response later develop locoregional recurrences or second field tumors. Biomarkers that are thus able to stratify risk and enable clinicians to tailor treatment plans and to personalize post-therapeutic surveillance strategies are highly desirable. To date, only HPV status is considered a reliable independent predictor of treatment response and survival in patients with HNSCC arising from the oropharyngeal site. Recent studies suggest that telomere attrition, which may be an early event in human carcinogenesis, and telomerase activation, which is detected in up to 90 % of malignancies, could be potential markers of cancer risk and disease outcome. This review examines the current state of knowledge on and discusses the implications linked to telomere dysfunction and telomerase activation in the development and clinical outcome of HNSCC.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Biomarkers, Tumor
- Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/genetics
- Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism
- Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/mortality
- Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology
- Cell Transformation, Neoplastic/genetics
- Cell Transformation, Neoplastic/metabolism
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
- Genetic Predisposition to Disease
- Genetic Variation
- Genomic Instability
- Head and Neck Neoplasms/genetics
- Head and Neck Neoplasms/metabolism
- Head and Neck Neoplasms/mortality
- Head and Neck Neoplasms/pathology
- Humans
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/metabolism
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/pathology
- Mice
- Prognosis
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
- Telomerase/metabolism
- Telomere/genetics
- Telomere Homeostasis
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Boscolo-Rizzo
- Section of Otolaryngology and Regional Centre for Head and Neck Cancer, Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Treviso, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Da Mosto
- Section of Otolaryngology and Regional Centre for Head and Neck Cancer, Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Treviso, Italy
| | - Enrica Rampazzo
- Section of Oncology and Immunology, Department of Surgical Sciences, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, via Gattamelata 64, 35128, Padova, Italy
| | - Silvia Giunco
- Section of Oncology and Immunology, Department of Surgical Sciences, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, via Gattamelata 64, 35128, Padova, Italy
| | - Annarosa Del Mistro
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Istituto Oncologico Veneto-IRCCS, Padova, Italy
| | - Anna Menegaldo
- Section of Otolaryngology and Regional Centre for Head and Neck Cancer, Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Treviso, Italy
| | - Lorena Baboci
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Istituto Oncologico Veneto-IRCCS, Padova, Italy
| | - Monica Mantovani
- Section of Otolaryngology and Regional Centre for Head and Neck Cancer, Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Treviso, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Tirelli
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Anita De Rossi
- Section of Oncology and Immunology, Department of Surgical Sciences, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, via Gattamelata 64, 35128, Padova, Italy.
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Istituto Oncologico Veneto-IRCCS, Padova, Italy.
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30
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Zhao T, Hu F, Liu X, Tao Q. Blockade of telomerase reverse transcriptase enhances chemosensitivity in head and neck cancers through inhibition of AKT/ERK signaling pathways. Oncotarget 2016; 6:35908-21. [PMID: 26497550 PMCID: PMC4742150 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.5468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Head and Neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), characterized by the high frequency of local recurrence and distant metastases, is mostly related to highly malignant and resistant to apoptosis, resulting in significant insensitivity to chemotherapy. Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), as the catalytic subunit of telomerase, was implicated in the telomerase-mediated cellular transformation, proliferation, stemness and cell survival. Moreover, overexpression of human TERT (hTERT) is reported to be correlated with advanced invasive stage of the tumor progression and poor prognosis. Here, we show that hTERT potentially mediated the apoptotic resistance and blockade of telomerase reverse transcriptase could enhance chemosensitivity in head and neck cancers. Mechanistically, hTERT interacts with the phosphorylation of AKT and ERK to suppress the expression of p53, ultimately, leading to modulation of the cellular sensitivity to chemotherapy. Thus, these findings suggest that hTERT targeting could be an attractive approach in combination with conventional chemotherapies for patients suffering from chemoinsensitivity or refractory HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tengda Zhao
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Fengchun Hu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Department of Stomatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xingguang Liu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Qian Tao
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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31
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Piñol-Felis C, Fernández-Marcelo T, Viñas-Salas J, Valls-Bautista C. Telomeres and telomerase in the clinical management of colorectal cancer. Clin Transl Oncol 2016; 19:399-408. [DOI: 10.1007/s12094-016-1559-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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32
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Molecular markers of prognosis and therapeutic targets in metastatic colorectal cancer. Surg Oncol 2016; 25:190-9. [PMID: 27566022 DOI: 10.1016/j.suronc.2016.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Metastatic disease ultimately occurs in approximately 50-70% of patients presenting with colorectal cancer. In patients with advanced disease, there is significant variability in individual patient outcomes. To improve understanding of tumor behavior, markers such as KRAS and BRAF mutation status are increasingly utilized. Additionally, newer surrogates of tumor biology, such as telomerase activity and the prevalence of circulating tumor cells and circulating tumor DNA, have generated increasing interest due to clinical potential. While the extent to which these newer markers can predict outcome and guide therapy is yet to be determined, KRAS mutation status is currently used to guide systemic therapy in selected patients. Furthermore, advances in our understanding of various tumorigenic pathways (such as the mitogen activated protein kinase pathway) have enabled newer targeted agents, including BRAF inhibitors. Interestingly, although inhibition of BRAF in patients has not translated into improved outcomes, characterization of BRAF mutations led to an association with microsatellite instability. A unique histologic characteristic of certain tumors in patients with microsatellite instability is the infiltration by lymphocytes at the tumor-stromal interface. This feature highlights the biology of the tumor in its microenvironment and underlies the efficacy of the programmed-death inhibitor, pembrolizumab, in patients with microsatellite unstable metastatic colorectal cancer. With an increasing number of prognostic markers and therapeutic options in metastatic colorectal cancer, the multidisciplinary approach becomes critical for appropriate treatment decisions.
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Xie XC, Ge LY, Lai H, Qiu H, Tang F, Qin YZ. The Relationship between Telomerase Activity and Clinicopathological Parameters in Colorectal Cancer: A Meta-Analysis. Balkan Med J 2016; 33:64-71. [PMID: 26966620 DOI: 10.5152/balkanmedj.2015.151182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recently, accumulated research has found that the expression of telomerase activity (TA) was associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) advancement, whereas the TA prognostic effect in CRC patients is still controversial. AIMS To investigate relationships between TA and CRC clinicopathological parameters. STUDY DESIGN Meta-analysis study. METHODS We searched published studies in databases, such as EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Ovid databases (last search updated to October 2014) by meeting specified search criteria. The quality of the included studies was usually evaluated and a meta-analysis was implemented by Stata 12.0 software. We used an odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) to evaluate relationship strengths between TA and CRC clinicopathological parameters. RESULTS In total, 11 studies (715 patients) were included to assess the relation between TA and metastasis-related parameters in CRC patients. The results indicate that a senior TA expression was connected with the existence of lymph node metastasis (180 patients; OR=2.85, 95% CI=1.40-5.81, p=0.004), and tumor site (522 patients; OR=2.93, 95% CI=1.29-6.67, p=0.010). However, a senior TA expression was not connected with tumor size (137 patients; OR=1.57, 95% CI=0.71-3.47, p=0.267), histological differentiation (570 patients; OR=1.28, 95% CI=0.78-2.09, p=0.332), depth of invasion (57 patients; OR=3.76, 95% CI=0.61-23.04, p=0.152), distant metastasis (123 patients; OR=1.76, 95% CI=0.54-5.74, p=0.346), and clinical stage of the cancer (543 patients; OR=1.59, 95% CI=0.74-3.38, p=0.232). CONCLUSION This meta-analysis suggests that a positive TA was correlated with lymph node metastasis progression and tumor site of the CRC but did not correlate with other important clinicopathological parameters. TA can play a useful part in the prognosis and treatment of CRC patients, but further studies are required to confirm this.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Cheng Xie
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Lian-Ying Ge
- Department of Endoscopy Center, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Hao Lai
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Hai Qiu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Fan Tang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Yu-Zhou Qin
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
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Fernández-Marcelo T, Sánchez-Pernaute A, Pascua I, De Juan C, Head J, Torres-García AJ, Iniesta P. Clinical Relevance of Telomere Status and Telomerase Activity in Colorectal Cancer. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0149626. [PMID: 26913901 PMCID: PMC4767779 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of telomeres and telomerase in colorectal cancer (CRC) is well established as the major driving force in generating chromosomal instability. However, their potential as prognostic markers remains unclear. We investigated the outcome implications of telomeres and telomerase in this tumour type. We considered telomere length (TL), ratio of telomere length in cancer to non-cancer tissue (T/N ratio), telomerase activity and TERT levels; their relation with clinical variables and their role as prognostic markers. We analyzed 132 CRCs and paired non-cancer tissues. Kaplan-Meier curves for disease-free survival were calculated for TL, T/N ratio, telomerase activity and TERT levels. Overall, tumours had shorter telomeres than non-tumour tissues (P < 0.001) and more than 80% of CRCs displayed telomerase activity. Telomere lengths of non-tumour tissues and CRCs were positively correlated (P < 0.001). Considering telomere status and clinical variables, the lowest degree of telomere shortening was shown by tumours located in the rectum (P = 0.021). Regarding prognosis studies, patients with tumours showing a mean TL < 6.35 Kb experienced a significantly better clinical evolution (P < 0.001) and none of them with the highest degree of tumour telomere shortening relapsed during the follow-up period (P = 0.043). The mean TL in CRCs emerged as an independent prognostic factor in the Cox analysis (P = 0.017). Telomerase-positive activity was identified as a marker that confers a trend toward a poor prognosis. In CRC, our results support the use of telomere status as an independent prognostic factor. Telomere status may contribute to explaining the different molecular identities of this tumour type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Fernández-Marcelo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University, 28040-Madrid, Spain
- Sanitary Research Institute of San Carlos Hospital (IdISSC), 28040-Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrés Sánchez-Pernaute
- Service of General Surgery and Digestive Tract, San Carlos Hospital, 28040-Madrid, Spain
- Sanitary Research Institute of San Carlos Hospital (IdISSC), 28040-Madrid, Spain
| | - Irene Pascua
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University, 28040-Madrid, Spain
- Sanitary Research Institute of San Carlos Hospital (IdISSC), 28040-Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen De Juan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University, 28040-Madrid, Spain
- Sanitary Research Institute of San Carlos Hospital (IdISSC), 28040-Madrid, Spain
| | - Jacqueline Head
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University, 28040-Madrid, Spain
- Sanitary Research Institute of San Carlos Hospital (IdISSC), 28040-Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio-José Torres-García
- Service of General Surgery and Digestive Tract, San Carlos Hospital, 28040-Madrid, Spain
- Sanitary Research Institute of San Carlos Hospital (IdISSC), 28040-Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar Iniesta
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University, 28040-Madrid, Spain
- Sanitary Research Institute of San Carlos Hospital (IdISSC), 28040-Madrid, Spain
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35
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Zou MX, Lv GH, Li J, She XL, Jiang Y. Upregulated human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression is associated with spinal chordoma growth, invasion and poor prognosis. Am J Transl Res 2016; 8:516-29. [PMID: 27158344 PMCID: PMC4846901 DOI: pmid/27158344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 12/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Altered expression or activity of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) has been associated with human carcinogenesis. This study detected hTERT expression in spinal chordoma tissues and associated the level of hTERT expression with clinicopathological data and patient survival. Tissue samples from 54 patients and 20 controls were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis of hTERT protein levels. hTERT expression levels were then analyzed for associations with patient survival rates and clinicopathological parameters (such as age, gender, tumor size, location, tumor grade, tumor stage, muscle invasion, recurrence or not, type of resection, tumor hemorrhage, tumor necrosis, levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and Ki-67 expression). hTERT expression was detected in all 54 spinal chordomas. Expression levels were weak in 7, moderate in 17 and strong in 30 spinal chordoma tissue samples. In contrast, hTERT was rarely expressed in nucleus pulposus tissues (20 samples). hTERT expression was significantly associated with the Ki-67-staining index (t = -6.616, p < 0.001), TIL levels (F = 5.27, p = 0.008) and tumor invasion of the surrounding muscle tissue (t = -4.49, p < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier curves indicated that high hTERT expression was significantly associated with poor local recurrence-free survival of patients (χ(2) = 19.07, p < 0.001 via the log-rank test), but not associated with overall patient survival. Multivariate analysis of local recurrence-free survival demonstrated that hTERT expression was an independent prognostic factor among spinal chordoma patients (HR = 1.013, 95% CI: 1.002-1.024, p = 0.016). High hTERT expression was associated with spinal chordoma growth, invasion and poor patient prognosis. Future studies will investigate the use of hTERT as a biomarker to predict patient prognosis and disease progression or as a potential spinal chordoma therapy target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Xiang Zou
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University Changsha 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Guo-Hua Lv
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University Changsha 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University Changsha 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Xiao-Ling She
- Department of Pathology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University Changsha 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Yi Jiang
- Department of Pathology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University Changsha 410011, Hunan, China
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36
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Heeg S. Variations in telomere maintenance and the role of telomerase inhibition in gastrointestinal cancer. PHARMACOGENOMICS & PERSONALIZED MEDICINE 2015; 8:171-80. [PMID: 26675332 PMCID: PMC4675635 DOI: 10.2147/pgpm.s52808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Immortalization is an important step toward the malignant transformation of human cells and is critically dependent upon telomere maintenance. There are two known mechanisms to maintain human telomeres. The process of telomere maintenance is either mediated through activation of the enzyme telomerase or through an alternative mechanism of telomere lengthening called ALT. While 85% of all human tumors show reactivation of telomerase, the remaining 15% are able to maintain telomeres via ALT. The therapeutic potential of telomerase inhibitors is currently investigated in a variety of human cancers. Gastrointestinal tumors are highly dependent on telomerase as a mechanism of telomere maintenance, rendering telomeres as well as telomerase potential targets for cancer therapy. This article focuses on the molecular mechanisms of telomere biology and telomerase activation in gastrointestinal cancers and reviews strategies of telomerase inhibition and their potential therapeutic use in these tumor entities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Heeg
- Department of Medicine II, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology, and Infectious Diseases, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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37
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Tissue Specific Promoters in Colorectal Cancer. DISEASE MARKERS 2015; 2015:390161. [PMID: 26648599 PMCID: PMC4662999 DOI: 10.1155/2015/390161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Colorectal carcinoma is the third most prevalent cancer in the world. In the most advanced stages, the use of chemotherapy induces a poor response and is usually accompanied by other tissue damage. Significant progress based on suicide gene therapy has demonstrated that it may potentiate the classical cytotoxic effects in colorectal cancer. The inconvenience still rests with the targeting and the specificity efficiency. The main target of gene therapy is to achieve an effective vehicle to hand over therapeutic genes safely into specific cells. One possibility is the use of tumor-specific promoters overexpressed in cancers. They could induce a specific expression of therapeutic genes in a given tumor, increasing their localized activity. Several promoters have been assayed into direct suicide genes to cancer cells. This review discusses the current status of specific tumor-promoters and their great potential in colorectal carcinoma treatment.
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38
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Giunco S, Rampazzo E, Celeghin A, Petrara MR, De Rossi A. Telomere and Telomerase in Carcinogenesis: Their Role as Prognostic Biomarkers. CURRENT PATHOBIOLOGY REPORTS 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s40139-015-0087-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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39
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The Association between Telomere Length and Cancer Prognosis: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0133174. [PMID: 26177192 PMCID: PMC4503690 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2015] [Accepted: 06/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Telomeres are essential for chromosomal integrity and stability. Shortened telomere length (TL) has been associated with risk of cancers and aging-related diseases. Several studies have explored associations between TL and cancer prognosis, but the results are conflicting. METHODS Prospective studies on the relationship between TL and cancer survival were identified by a search of PubMed up to May 25, 2015. There were no restrictions on the cancer type or DNA source. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Meta-analysis approaches were conducted to determine pooled relative risks and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS Thirty-three articles containing forty-five independent studies were ultimately involved in our meta-analysis, of which twenty-seven were about overall cancer survival and eighteen were about cancer progression. Short TL was associated with increased cancer mortality risk (RR = 1.30, 95%CI: 1.06-1.59) and poor cancer progression (RR = 1.44, 95%CI: 1.10-1.88), both with high levels of heterogeneity (I2 = 83.5%, P = 0.012for overall survival and I2 = 75.4%, P = 0.008 for progression). TL was an independent predictor of overall cancer survival and progression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Besides, short telomeres were also associated with increased colorectal cancer mortality and decreased overall survival of esophageal cancer, but not in other cancers. Cancer progression was associated with TL in Asian and America populations and short TL predicted poor cancer survival in older populations. Compared with tumor tissue cells, TL in blood lymphocyte cells was better for prediction. In addition, the associations remained significant when restricted to studies with adjustments for age, with larger sample sizes, measuring TL using southern blotting or estimating risk effects by hazard ratios. CONCLUSION Short TL demonstrated a significant association with poor cancer survival, suggesting the potential prognostic significance of TL. Additional large well-designed studies are needed to confirm our findings.
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40
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Deng W, Jiao N, Li N, Wan X, Luo S, Zhang Y. Decreased expression of PinX1 protein predicts poor prognosis of colorectal cancer patients receiving 5-FU adjuvant chemotherapy. Biomed Pharmacother 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2015.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
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41
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Reddel RR. Telomere maintenance mechanisms in cancer: clinical implications. Curr Pharm Des 2015; 20:6361-74. [PMID: 24975603 PMCID: PMC4262939 DOI: 10.2174/1381612820666140630101047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2014] [Accepted: 06/26/2014] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The presence of immortal cell populations with an up-regulated telomere maintenance mechanism (TMM) is an almost universal characteristic of cancers, whereas normal somatic cells are unable to prevent proliferation-associated telomere shortening and have a limited proliferative potential. TMMs and related aspects of telomere structure and function therefore appear to be ideal targets for the development of anticancer therapeutics. Such treatments would be targeted to a specific cancer-related molecular abnormality, and also be broad-spectrum in that they would be expected to be potentially applicable to most cancers. However, the telomere biology of normal and malignant human cells is a relatively young research field with large numbers of unanswered questions, so the optimal design of TMM-targeted therapeutic approaches remains unclear. This review outlines the opportunities and challenges presented by telomeres and TMMs for clinical management of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger R Reddel
- Children's Medical Research Institute, 214 Hawkesbury Road, Westmead, New South Wales 2145, Australia.
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42
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Zhao X, Wang S, Wu J, Li X, Wang X, Gao Z, Wu W, Wang H, Wang J, Qian J, Ma K, Li H, Han B, Bai C, Li Q, Liu W, Lu D. Association of TERT Polymorphisms with Clinical Outcome of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0129232. [PMID: 26020272 PMCID: PMC4447454 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2015] [Accepted: 05/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
TERT is of great importance in cancer initiation and progression. Many studies have demonstrated the TERT polymorphisms as risk factors for many cancer types, including lung cancer. However, the impacts of TERT variants on cancer progression and treatment efficacy have remained controversial. This study aimed to investigate the association of TERT polymorphisms with clinical outcome of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, including response rate, clinical benefit, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and grade 3 or 4 toxicity. Seven polymorphisms of TERT were assessed, and a total of 1004 inoperable advanced NSCLC patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy were enrolled. It is exhibited that the variant heterozygote of rs4975605 showed significant association with a low rate of clinical benefit, and displayed a much stronger effect in never-smoking female subset, leading to the clinical benefit rate decreased from 82.9% (C/C genotype) to 56.4% (C/A genotype; adjusted OR, 3.58; P=1.40×10(-4)). It is also observed that the polymorphism rs2736109 showed significant correlation with PFS (log-rank P=0.023). In age > 58 subgroup, patients carrying the heterozygous genotype had a longer median PFS than those carrying the wild-type genotypes (P=0.002). The results from the current study, for the first time to our knowledge, provide suggestive evidence of an effect of TERT polymorphisms on disease progression variability among Chinese patients with platinum-treated advanced NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueying Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Institute of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Shiming Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Institute of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Junjie Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Institute of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Pneumology, Changhai Hospital of Shanghai, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoying Li
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Institute of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xun Wang
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiqiang Gao
- Department of Respiratory Disease, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenting Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Institute of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Haijian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Institute of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiucun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Institute of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ji Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Institute of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ke Ma
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Hui Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Baohui Han
- Department of Respiratory Disease, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chunxue Bai
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiang Li
- Department of Pneumology, Changhai Hospital of Shanghai, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenbin Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- * E-mail: (WL); (DL)
| | - Daru Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Institute of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- * E-mail: (WL); (DL)
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Shigeyasu K, Tazawa H, Hashimoto Y, Mori Y, Nishizaki M, Kishimoto H, Nagasaka T, Kuroda S, Urata Y, Goel A, Kagawa S, Fujiwara T. Fluorescence virus-guided capturing system of human colorectal circulating tumour cells for non-invasive companion diagnostics. Gut 2015; 64:627-35. [PMID: 24870621 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2014-306957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Molecular-based companion diagnostic tests are being used with increasing frequency to predict their clinical response to various drugs, particularly for molecularly targeted drugs. However, invasive procedures are typically required to obtain tissues for this analysis. Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are novel biomarkers that can be used for the prediction of disease progression and are also important surrogate sources of cancer cells. Because current CTC detection strategies mainly depend on epithelial cell-surface markers, the presence of heterogeneous populations of CTCs with epithelial and/or mesenchymal characteristics may pose obstacles to the detection of CTCs. METHODS We developed a new approach to capture live CTCs among millions of peripheral blood leukocytes using a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing attenuated adenovirus, in which the telomerase promoter regulates viral replication (OBP-401, TelomeScan). RESULTS Our biological capturing system can image epithelial and mesenchymal tumour cells with telomerase activities as GFP-positive cells. After sorting, direct sequencing or mutation-specific PCR can precisely detect different mutations in KRAS, BRAF and KIT genes in epithelial, mesenchymal or epithelial-mesenchymal transition-induced CTCs, and in clinical blood samples from patients with colorectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS This fluorescence virus-guided viable CTC capturing method provides a non-invasive alternative to tissue biopsy or surgical resection of primary tumours for companion diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunitoshi Shigeyasu
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Tazawa
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan Center for Innovative Clinical Medicine, Okayama University Hospital, Okayama, Japan
| | - Yuuri Hashimoto
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan
| | - Yoshiko Mori
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan
| | - Masahiko Nishizaki
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kishimoto
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan
| | - Takeshi Nagasaka
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan
| | - Shinji Kuroda
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan
| | | | - Ajay Goel
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center and Baylor Research Institute, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Shunsuke Kagawa
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan
| | - Toshiyoshi Fujiwara
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan
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Qin YZ, Xie XC, Liu HZ, Lai H, Qiu H, Ge LY. Screening and preliminary validation of miRNAs with the regulation of hTERT in colorectal cancer. Oncol Rep 2015; 33:2728-36. [PMID: 25845814 PMCID: PMC4431439 DOI: 10.3892/or.2015.3892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2014] [Accepted: 03/13/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The overexpression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) has been associated with the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC) and has received extensive attention, although the underlying mechanism involved remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to screen and preliminarily validate new tumor‑suppressor microRNAs (miRNAs) that potentially inhibit hTERT expression and to assess its clinical significance. Screening for downregulated miRNAs in CRC tissues was performed by retrieving and analysing microRNA microarray data. miRNA candidates were then filtered by bioinformatics analysis. The expression of miRNAs candidates was verified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in the CRC and corresponding normal tissues. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used for the detection of hTERT protein expression. Spearman's correlation coefficient between miRNA candidates and hTERT protein expression was calculated (r) to identify hTERT-targeting miRNAs. A survival analysis was performed to assess the prognostic significance of hTERT-targeting miRNAs in CRC. Eight miRNAs with the potential to interact with hTERT were predicted: miR‑29c-3p, miR‑124-3p, miR‑133a-3p, miR‑133b, miR-138-5p, miR-150-5p, miR-378a-3p and miR-422a, respectively. Following detection of the miRNAs using RT-qPCR, miR-29c-3p was excluded. miR-138-5p and miR-422a were observed to potentially interact with hTERT (r=-0.362, P=0.001; r=-0.306, P=0.005, respectively). The Kaplan-Meier survival curves demonstrating high- vs. low-expression group of miR‑422a showed a highly significant difference in CRC patients (P=0.024), which suggests that the downregulation of miR-422a was associated with a poorer prognosis. The results indicated that miR-138-5p and miR-422a potentially inhibited hTERT expression in CRC, and suggest a potential application of miR‑422a in prognosis prediction and CRC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Zhou Qin
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China
| | - Xue-Cheng Xie
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China
| | - Hai-Zhou Liu
- Department of Experimental Research, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China
| | - Hao Lai
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China
| | - Hai Qiu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China
| | - Lian-Ying Ge
- Department of Endoscopy Center, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China
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Zhao T, Hu F, Qiao B, Chen Z, Tao Q. Telomerase reverse transcriptase potentially promotes the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma through induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Int J Oncol 2015; 46:2205-15. [PMID: 25775973 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2015.2927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2014] [Accepted: 02/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, researchers have found the critical role of telomerase in cellular transformation, proliferation, stemness and cell survival. High levels of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression and telomerase activation have been reported in most cancer cells. Moreover, overexpression of human TERT (hTERT) is reported to be correlated with advanced invasive stage of the tumor progression and poor prognosis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), characterized by the loss of the cell-cell contact of epithelial cells and the acquisition of migratory and motile properties, is known to be a central mechanism responsible for invasiveness and metastasis of various cancers. Thus, we investigated whether hTERT plays a potential role in the development of EMT. As we expected, our clinical results showed that hTERT is overexpressed in oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) and OSCC tissues and correlates with clinical aggressiveness of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients. We then overexpressed hTERT in primary human oral epithelial cells (HOECS) and found that hTERT has the potential to prolong the lifespan, a process confering the characteristics of EMT by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Our findings provided an explanation for the aggressive nature of human tumors overexpressing hTERT and the possibly mechanism that links hTERT to EMT property, which represents a possible therapeutic target in highly metastatic cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tengda Zhao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Fengchun Hu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Bin Qiao
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, P.R. China
| | - Zhifeng Chen
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Qian Tao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
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Boscolo-Rizzo P, Rampazzo E, Perissinotto E, Piano MA, Giunco S, Baboci L, Spinato G, Spinato R, Tirelli G, Da Mosto MC, Del Mistro A, De Rossi A. Telomere shortening in mucosa surrounding the tumor: biosensor of field cancerization and prognostic marker of mucosal failure in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Oral Oncol 2015; 51:500-7. [PMID: 25771075 DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2015.02.100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2014] [Revised: 01/01/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to investigate the pattern of telomere length and telomerase expression in cancer tissues and the surrounding mucosa (SM), as markers of field cancerization and clinical outcome in patients successfully treated for with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS This investigation was a prospective cohort study. Telomere length and levels of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) transcripts were quantified by real-time PCR in cancer tissues and SM from 139 and 90 patients with HNSCC, respectively. RESULTS No correlation was found between age and telomere length in SM. Patients with short telomeres in SM had a higher risk of mucosal failure (adjusted HR=4.29). Patients with high TERT levels in cancer tissues had a higher risk of regional failure (HR=2.88), distant failure (HR=7.27), worse disease-specific survival (HR for related death=2.62) but not mucosal failure. High-risk patients having both short telomeres in SM and high levels of TERT in cancer showed a significantly lower overall survival (HR=2.46). CONCLUSIONS Overall these findings suggest that telomere shortening in SM is a marker of field cancerization and may precede reactivation of TERT. Short telomeres in SM are strongly prognostic of mucosal failure, whereas TERT levels in cancer tissues increase with the aggressiveness of the disease and are prognostic of tumor spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Boscolo-Rizzo
- Section of Otolaryngology and Regional Center for Head and Neck Cancer, Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Treviso, Italy
| | - Enrica Rampazzo
- Section of Oncology and Immunology, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Egle Perissinotto
- Unit of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of Cardiological Thoracic and Vascular Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Maria Assunta Piano
- Section of Oncology and Immunology, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Silvia Giunco
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Istituto Oncologico Veneto - IRCCS, Padova, Italy
| | - Lorena Baboci
- Section of Oncology and Immunology, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Giacomo Spinato
- Head and Neck Department, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | | | | | - Maria Cristina Da Mosto
- Section of Otolaryngology and Regional Center for Head and Neck Cancer, Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Treviso, Italy
| | - Annarosa Del Mistro
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Istituto Oncologico Veneto - IRCCS, Padova, Italy
| | - Anita De Rossi
- Section of Oncology and Immunology, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Istituto Oncologico Veneto - IRCCS, Padova, Italy.
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LI HONGSHENG, WANG QIAOYU, LI DONGLI, WANG QUANSHI, WU HUBING. Combination of HSV1-TK/shTERT by retrovirus vector inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Oncol Rep 2014; 33:1307-13. [DOI: 10.3892/or.2014.3697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2014] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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Baichoo E, Boardman LA. Toward a molecular classification of colorectal cancer: the role of telomere length. Front Oncol 2014; 4:158. [PMID: 24995160 PMCID: PMC4061573 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2014.00158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2014] [Accepted: 06/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere biology is central to the maintenance of genomic stability and telomeric dysfunction is thought to be an early stage in carcinogenesis. Reports of telomere lengths and their ascribed colorectal cancer (CRC) risks have been discordant, with both very short and very long telomeres implicated. Nevertheless, telomeres appear to play a very central role in cancer initiation. Telomere length changes also appear to impact disease burden, progression, and overall survival. This review covers contemporary views on telomere biology and CRC risk, with a brief overview of analytical methods employed in telomere measurement. We conclude with arguments in favor of including telomere assessment in the molecular profiling of CRCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esha Baichoo
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic , Rochester, MN , USA
| | - Lisa A Boardman
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic , Rochester, MN , USA
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The Evolving Use of Prognostic Factors After Resection of Colorectal Liver Metastases. CURRENT COLORECTAL CANCER REPORTS 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s11888-014-0220-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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50
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Bertorelle R, Rampazzo E, Pucciarelli S, Nitti D, Rossi AD. Telomeres, telomerase and colorectal cancer. World J Gastroenterol 2014; 20:1940-1950. [PMID: 24616570 PMCID: PMC3934464 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i8.1940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2013] [Revised: 12/03/2013] [Accepted: 01/15/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide and, despite improved treatments, is still an important cause of cancer-related deaths. CRC encompasses a complex of diseases arising from a multi-step process of genetic and epigenetic events. Besides heterogeneity in the molecular and biological features of CRC, chromosomal instability is a hallmark of cancer and cancer cells may also circumvent replicative senescence and acquire the ability to sustain unlimited proliferation. Telomere/telomerase interplay is an important mechanism involved in both genomic stability and cellular replicative potential, and its dysfunction plays a key role in the oncogenetic process. The erosion of telomeres, mainly because of cell proliferation, may be accelerated by specific alterations in the genes involved in CRC, such as APC and MSH2. Although there is general agreement that the shortening of telomeres plays a role in the early steps of CRC carcinogenesis by promoting chromosomal instability, the prognostic role of telomere length in CRC is still under debate. The activation of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), the catalytic component of the telomerase complex, allows cancer cells to grow indefinitely by maintaining the length of the telomeres, thus favouring tumour formation/progression. Several studies indicate that TERT increases with disease progression, and most studies suggest that telomerase is a useful prognostic factor. Plasma TERT mRNA may also be a promising marker for the minimally invasive monitoring of disease progression and response to therapy.
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