1
|
Adilbayeva A, Kunz J. Pathogenesis of Endometriosis and Endometriosis-Associated Cancers. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:7624. [PMID: 39062866 PMCID: PMC11277188 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25147624] [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: 06/18/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Endometriosis is a hormone-dependent, chronic inflammatory condition that affects 5-10% of reproductive-aged women. It is a complex disorder characterized by the growth of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus, which can cause chronic pelvic pain and infertility. Despite its prevalence, the underlying molecular mechanisms of this disease remain poorly understood. Current treatment options are limited and focus mainly on suppressing lesion activity rather than eliminating it entirely. Although endometriosis is generally considered a benign condition, substantial evidence suggests that it increases the risk of developing specific subtypes of ovarian cancer. The discovery of cancer driver mutations in endometriotic lesions indicates that endometriosis may share molecular pathways with cancer. Moreover, the application of single-cell and spatial genomics, along with the development of organoid models, has started to illuminate the molecular mechanisms underlying disease etiology. This review aims to summarize the key genetic mutations and alterations that drive the development and progression of endometriosis to malignancy. We also review the significant recent advances in the understanding of the molecular basis of the disorder, as well as novel approaches and in vitro models that offer new avenues for improving our understanding of disease pathology and for developing new targeted therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeannette Kunz
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Nazarbayev University, 5/1 Kerey and Zhanibek Khans St, Astana 020000, Kazakhstan;
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ferro A, Campora M, Caldara A, De Lisi D, Lorenzi M, Monteverdi S, Mihai R, Bisio A, Dipasquale M, Caffo O, Ciribilli Y. Novel Treatment Strategies for Hormone Receptor (HR)-Positive, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer. J Clin Med 2024; 13:3611. [PMID: 38930141 PMCID: PMC11204965 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13123611] [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: 05/09/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer (BC) is the most common BC subtype. Endocrine therapy (ET) targeting ER signaling still remains the mainstay treatment option for hormone receptor (HR)-positive BC either in the early or in advanced setting, including different strategies, such as the suppression of estrogen production or directly blocking the ER pathway through SERMs-selective estrogen receptor modulators-or SERDs-selective estrogen receptor degraders. Nevertheless, the development of de novo or acquired endocrine resistance still remains challenging for oncologists. The use of novel ET combined with targeted drugs, such as cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors, has significantly improved long-term outcome rates, thus changing the therapeutic algorithm for metastatic BC (MBC) and recently the therapeutic strategy in the adjuvant setting for early high-risk BC. Eluding the resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors combined with ET is currently an unmet medical need, and there is disagreement concerning the best course of action for patients who continue to progress after this combination approach. Genetic changes in the tumor along its growth uncovered by genomic profiling of recurrent and/or metastatic lesions through tumor and/or liquid biopsies may predict the response or resistance to specific agents, suggesting the best therapeutic strategy for each patient by targeting the altered ER-dependent pathway (novel oral SERDs and a new generation of anti-estrogen agents) or alternative ER-independent signaling pathways such as PI3K/AKT/mTOR or tyrosine kinase receptors (HER2 mutations or HER2 low status) or by inhibiting pathways weakened through germline BRCA1/2 mutations. These agents are being investigated as single molecules and in combination with other target therapies, offering promising weapons to overcome or avoid treatment failure and propose increasingly more personalized treatment approaches. This review presents novel insights into ET and other targeted therapies for managing metastatic HR+/HER2- BC by exploring potential strategies based on clinical evidence and genomic profiling following the failure of the CDK4/6i and ET combination.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Ferro
- Medical Oncology and Breast Unit, Santa Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, 38122 Trento, Italy; (A.C.); (D.D.L.); (M.L.); (S.M.); (M.D.)
| | - Michela Campora
- Department of Pathology, Santa Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, 38122 Trento, Italy;
| | - Alessia Caldara
- Medical Oncology and Breast Unit, Santa Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, 38122 Trento, Italy; (A.C.); (D.D.L.); (M.L.); (S.M.); (M.D.)
| | - Delia De Lisi
- Medical Oncology and Breast Unit, Santa Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, 38122 Trento, Italy; (A.C.); (D.D.L.); (M.L.); (S.M.); (M.D.)
| | - Martina Lorenzi
- Medical Oncology and Breast Unit, Santa Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, 38122 Trento, Italy; (A.C.); (D.D.L.); (M.L.); (S.M.); (M.D.)
| | - Sara Monteverdi
- Medical Oncology and Breast Unit, Santa Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, 38122 Trento, Italy; (A.C.); (D.D.L.); (M.L.); (S.M.); (M.D.)
| | - Raluca Mihai
- Department of Pathology, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow G51 4TF, UK;
| | - Alessandra Bisio
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy; (A.B.); (Y.C.)
| | - Mariachiara Dipasquale
- Medical Oncology and Breast Unit, Santa Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, 38122 Trento, Italy; (A.C.); (D.D.L.); (M.L.); (S.M.); (M.D.)
| | - Orazio Caffo
- Medical Oncology, Santa Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, 38122 Trento, Italy;
| | - Yari Ciribilli
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy; (A.B.); (Y.C.)
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hancock GR, Gertz J, Jeselsohn R, Fanning SW. Estrogen Receptor Alpha Mutations, Truncations, Heterodimers, and Therapies. Endocrinology 2024; 165:bqae051. [PMID: 38643482 PMCID: PMC11075793 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqae051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Annual breast cancer (BCa) deaths have declined since its apex in 1989 concomitant with widespread adoption of hormone therapies that target estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), the prominent nuclear receptor expressed in ∼80% of BCa. However, up to ∼50% of patients who are ER+ with high-risk disease experience post endocrine therapy relapse and metastasis to distant organs. The vast majority of BCa mortality occurs in this setting, highlighting the inadequacy of current therapies. Genomic abnormalities to ESR1, the gene encoding ERα, emerge under prolonged selective pressure to enable endocrine therapy resistance. These genetic lesions include focal gene amplifications, hotspot missense mutations in the ligand binding domain, truncations, fusions, and complex interactions with other nuclear receptors. Tumor cells utilize aberrant ERα activity to proliferate, spread, and evade therapy in BCa as well as other cancers. Cutting edge studies on ERα structural and transcriptional relationships are being harnessed to produce new therapies that have shown benefits in patients with ESR1 hotspot mutations. In this review we discuss the history of ERα, current research unlocking unknown aspects of ERα signaling including the structural basis for receptor antagonism, and future directions of ESR1 investigation. In addition, we discuss the development of endocrine therapies from their inception to present day and survey new avenues of drug development to improve pharmaceutical profiles, targeting, and efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Govinda R Hancock
- Department of Cancer Biology, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL 60513, USA
| | - Jason Gertz
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Rinath Jeselsohn
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Sean W Fanning
- Department of Cancer Biology, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL 60513, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Shi X, Bu A, Yang Y, Wang Y, Zhao C, Fan J, Yang C, Jia X. Investigating the shared genetic architecture between breast and ovarian cancers. Genet Mol Biol 2024; 47:e20230181. [PMID: 38626574 PMCID: PMC11021043 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2023-0181] [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: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2024] Open
Abstract
High heritability and strong correlation have been observed in breast and ovarian cancers. However, their shared genetic architecture remained unclear. Linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) and heritability estimation from summary statistics (ρ-HESS) were applied to estimate heritability and genetic correlations. Bivariate causal mixture model (MiXeR) was used to qualify the polygenic overlap. Then, stratified-LDSC (S-LDSC) was used to identify tissue and cell type specificity. Meanwhile, the adaptive association test called MTaSPUsSet was performed to identify potential pleiotropic genes. The Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP) heritability was 13% for breast cancer and 5% for ovarian cancer. There was a significant genetic correlation between breast and ovarian cancers (rg=0.21). Breast and ovarian cancers exhibited polygenic overlap, sharing 0.4 K out 2.8 K of causal variants. Tissue and cell type specificity displayed significant enrichment in female breast mammary, uterus, kidney tissues, and adipose cell. Moreover, the 74 potential pleiotropic genes were identified between breast and ovarian cancers, which were related to the regulation of cell cycle and cell death. We quantified the shared genetic architecture between breast and ovarian cancers and shed light on the biological basis of the co-morbidity. Ultimately, these findings facilitated the understanding of disease etiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuezhong Shi
- Zhengzhou University, College of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Anqi Bu
- Zhengzhou University, College of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yongli Yang
- Zhengzhou University, College of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yuping Wang
- Zhengzhou University, College of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Chenyu Zhao
- Zhengzhou University, College of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Jingwen Fan
- Zhengzhou University, College of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Chaojun Yang
- Zhengzhou University, College of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Xiaocan Jia
- Zhengzhou University, College of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Guglielmi G, Del Re M, Gol LS, Bengala C, Danesi R, Fogli S. Pharmacological insights on novel oral selective estrogen receptor degraders in breast cancer. Eur J Pharmacol 2024; 969:176424. [PMID: 38402929 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.176424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
The therapeutic landscape of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer includes endocrine treatments with aromatase inhibitors (AIs), selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), and selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs). Fulvestrant is the first approved SERD with proven efficacy and good tolerability in clinical practice. However, drug resistance, low receptor affinity, and parental administration stimulated the search for new oral SERDs opening a new therapeutic era in ER + breast cancer. Elacestrant is an orally bioavailable SERD that has been recently approved by the FDA for postmenopausal women with ER+, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-), estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1)-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer with disease progression following at least one line of endocrine therapy. Other molecules of the same class currently tested in clinical trials are amcenestrant, giredestrant, camizestrant, and imlunestrant. The current review article offers a detailed pharmacological perspective of this emerging drug class, which may help with their possible future clinical applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Guglielmi
- Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marzia Del Re
- Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Leila Sadeghi Gol
- Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Carmelo Bengala
- Clinical Oncology Unit 1, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Romano Danesi
- Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milano, Milano, Italy.
| | - Stefano Fogli
- Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hu L, Tiesinga J. Case report: Primary vulvar adenocarcinoma of mammary gland type-its genetic characteristics by focused next-generation sequencing. Pathol Oncol Res 2024; 30:1611376. [PMID: 38572338 PMCID: PMC10989740 DOI: 10.3389/pore.2024.1611376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Mammary-like vulvar adenocarcinoma (MLVA) is an exceedingly rare subtype of vulvar adenocarcinoma that shares features with mammary gland tissue. Due to its rarity and lack of consensus, MLVA presents diagnostic challenges to pathologists. We present the case of a 59-year-old female with an ulcerated mass on the right side of the external genitalia, diagnosed as MLVA. Comprehensive immunohistochemistry (IHC) and gene sequencing studies were performed to characterize the tumor. IHC analysis revealed triple expression of hormonal receptors (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2), supporting the mammary gland origin of the tumor. Gene sequencing identified unique genetic mutations associated with the expression of hormonal markers. One fusion gene (ERBB2-NAGLU) has not been reported in any tumors, and other mutations with unique mutation types have not been previously reported in MLVA. Our findings shed light on the molecular characteristics of MLV and may help improve the diagnosis and treatment of this rare type of vulvar adenocarcinoma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lina Hu
- Alaska Native Medical Center, Department of Pathology, Anchorage, AK, United States
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Buyukcelebi K, Duval AJ, Abdula F, Elkafas H, Seker-Polat F, Adli M. Integrating leiomyoma genetics, epigenomics, and single-cell transcriptomics reveals causal genetic variants, genes, and cell types. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1169. [PMID: 38326302 PMCID: PMC10850163 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45382-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Uterine fibroids (UF), that can disrupt normal uterine function and cause significant physical and psychological health problems, are observed in nearly 70% of women of reproductive age. Although heritable genetics is a significant risk factor, specific genetic variations and gene targets causally associated with UF are poorly understood. Here, we performed a meta-analysis on existing fibroid genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and integrated the identified risk loci and potentially causal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with epigenomics, transcriptomics, 3D chromatin organization from diverse cell types as well as primary UF patient's samples. This integrative analysis identifies 24 UF-associated risk loci that potentially target 394 genes, of which 168 are differentially expressed in UF tumors. Critically, integrating this data with single-cell gene expression data from UF patients reveales the causal cell types with aberrant expression of these target genes. Lastly, CRISPR-based epigenetic repression (dCas9-KRAB) or activation (dCas9-p300) in a UF disease-relevant cell type further refines and narrows down the potential gene targets. Our findings and the methodological approach indicate the effectiveness of integrating multi-omics data with locus-specific epigenetic editing approaches for identifying gene- and celt type-targets of disease-relevant risk loci.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kadir Buyukcelebi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Alexander J Duval
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Fatih Abdula
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Hoda Elkafas
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Fidan Seker-Polat
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Mazhar Adli
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Lawson M, Cureton N, Ros S, Cheraghchi-Bashi A, Urosevic J, D'Arcy S, Delpuech O, DuPont M, Fisher DI, Gangl ET, Lewis H, Trueman D, Wali N, Williamson SC, Moss J, Montaudon E, Derrien H, Marangoni E, Miragaia RJ, Gagrica S, Morentin-Gutierrez P, Moss TA, Maglennon G, Sutton D, Polanski R, Rosen A, Cairns J, Zhang P, Sánchez-Guixé M, Serra V, Critchlow SE, Scott JS, Lindemann JP, Barry ST, Klinowska T, Morrow CJ, S Carnevalli L. The Next-Generation Oral Selective Estrogen Receptor Degrader Camizestrant (AZD9833) Suppresses ER+ Breast Cancer Growth and Overcomes Endocrine and CDK4/6 Inhibitor Resistance. Cancer Res 2023; 83:3989-4004. [PMID: 37725704 PMCID: PMC10690091 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-0694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Oral selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERD) could become the backbone of endocrine therapy (ET) for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, as they achieve greater inhibition of ER-driven cancers than current ETs and overcome key resistance mechanisms. In this study, we evaluated the preclinical pharmacology and efficacy of the next-generation oral SERD camizestrant (AZD9833) and assessed ER-co-targeting strategies by combining camizestrant with CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) and PI3K/AKT/mTOR-targeted therapy in models of progression on CDK4/6i and/or ET. Camizestrant demonstrated robust and selective ER degradation, modulated ER-regulated gene expression, and induced complete ER antagonism and significant antiproliferation activity in ESR1 wild-type (ESR1wt) and mutant (ESR1m) breast cancer cell lines and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. Camizestrant also delivered strong antitumor activity in fulvestrant-resistant ESR1wt and ESR1m PDX models. Evaluation of camizestrant in combination with CDK4/6i (palbociclib or abemaciclib) in CDK4/6-naive and -resistant models, as well as in combination with PI3Kαi (alpelisib), mTORi (everolimus), or AKTi (capivasertib), indicated that camizestrant was active with CDK4/6i or PI3K/AKT/mTORi and that antitumor activity was further increased by the triple combination. The response was observed independently of PI3K pathway mutation status. Overall, camizestrant shows strong and broad antitumor activity in ER+ breast cancer as a monotherapy and when combined with CDK4/6i and PI3K/AKT/mTORi. SIGNIFICANCE Camizestrant, a next-generation oral SERD, shows promise in preclinical models of ER+ breast cancer alone and in combination with CDK4/6 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors to address endocrine resistance, a current barrier to treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mandy Lawson
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Natalie Cureton
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Susana Ros
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jelena Urosevic
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Sophie D'Arcy
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Oona Delpuech
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Michelle DuPont
- Research and Early Development, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Waltham, Massachusetts
| | - David I. Fisher
- Discovery Sciences, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Eric T. Gangl
- Research and Early Development, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Waltham, Massachusetts
| | - Hilary Lewis
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Dawn Trueman
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Neha Wali
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jennifer Moss
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | - Sladjana Gagrica
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Thomas A. Moss
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Gareth Maglennon
- Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Sutton
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Radoslaw Polanski
- Discovery Sciences, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Alan Rosen
- Research and Early Development, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Waltham, Massachusetts
| | - Jonathan Cairns
- Discovery Sciences, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Pei Zhang
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Mònica Sánchez-Guixé
- Experimental Therapeutics Group, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Violeta Serra
- Experimental Therapeutics Group, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Susan E. Critchlow
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - James S. Scott
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Simon T. Barry
- The Discovery Centre, Biomedical Campus, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Teresa Klinowska
- Late Development, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Yates ME, Li Z, Li Y, Guzolik H, Wang X, Liu T, Hooda J, Atkinson JM, Lee AV, Oesterreich S. ESR1 fusion proteins invoke breast cancer subtype-dependent enrichment of ligand independent pro-oncogenic signatures and phenotypes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.18.558175. [PMID: 37790296 PMCID: PMC10542116 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.18.558175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is a leading cause of female mortality and despite advancements in diagnostics and personalized therapeutics, metastatic disease largely remains incurable due to drug resistance. Fortunately, identification of mechanisms of therapeutic resistance have rapidly transformed our understanding of cancer evasion and is enabling targeted treatment regimens. When the druggable estrogen receptor (ER, ESR1 ), expressed in two-thirds of all breast cancer, is exposed to endocrine therapy, there is risk of somatic mutation development in approximately 30% of cases and subsequent treatment resistance. A more recently discovered mechanism of ER mediated endocrine resistance is the expression of ER fusion proteins. ER fusions, which retain the protein's DNA binding domain, harbor ESR1 exons 1-6 fused to an in-frame gene partner resulting in loss of the 3' ER ligand binding domain (LBD). In this report we demonstrate that in no-special type (NST) and invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) cell line models, ER fusion proteins exhibit robust hyperactivation of canonical ER signaling pathways independent of the ligand estradiol or anti-endocrine therapies such as Fulvestrant and Tamoxifen. We employ cell line models stably overexpressing ER fusion proteins with concurrent endogenous ER knockdown to minimize the influence of endogenous wildtype ER. Cell lines exhibited shared transcriptomic enrichment in pathways known to be drivers of metastatic disease, notably the MYC pathway. The heterogeneous 3' fusion partners, particularly transcription factors SOX9 and YAP1 , evoked varying degrees of transcriptomic and cistromic activity that translated into unique phenotypic readouts. Herein we report that cell line activity is subtype-, fusion-, and assay-specific suggesting that the loss of the LBD, the 3' fusion partner, and the cellular landscape all influence fusion activity. Therefore, it will be critical to generate additional data on frequency of the ER fusions, in the context of the clinicopathological features of the tumor. Significance ER fusion proteins exhibit diverse mechanisms of endocrine resistance in breast cancer cell lines representing the no special type (NST) and invasive lobular cancer (ILC) subtypes. Our emphasize upon both the shared and unique cellular adaptations imparted by ER fusions offers the foundation for further translational research and clinical decision making.
Collapse
|
10
|
Chen F, Zhang Y, Chandrashekar DS, Varambally S, Creighton CJ. Global impact of somatic structural variation on the cancer proteome. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5637. [PMID: 37704602 PMCID: PMC10499989 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41374-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Both proteome and transcriptome data can help assess the relevance of non-coding somatic mutations in cancer. Here, we combine mass spectrometry-based proteomics data with whole genome sequencing data across 1307 human tumors spanning various tissues to determine the extent somatic structural variant (SV) breakpoint patterns impact protein expression of nearby genes. We find that about 25% of the hundreds of genes with SV-associated cis-regulatory alterations at the mRNA level are similarly associated at the protein level. SVs associated with enhancer hijacking, retrotransposon translocation, altered DNA methylation, or fusion transcripts are implicated in protein over-expression. SVs combined with altered protein levels considerably extend the numbers of patients with tumors somatically altered for critical pathways. We catalog both SV breakpoint patterns involving patient survival and genes with nearby SV breakpoints associated with increased cell dependency in cancer cell lines. Pan-cancer proteogenomics identifies targetable non-coding alterations, by virtue of the associated deregulated genes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fengju Chen
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center Division of Biostatistics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yiqun Zhang
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center Division of Biostatistics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Darshan S Chandrashekar
- Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA
- O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA
- Genomic Diagnostics and Bioinformatics, Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA
| | - Sooryanarayana Varambally
- Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA
- O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA
- The Informatics Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA
| | - Chad J Creighton
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center Division of Biostatistics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Mistretta B, Rankothgedera S, Castillo M, Rao M, Holloway K, Bhardwaj A, El Noafal M, Albarracin C, El-Zein R, Rezaei H, Su X, Akbani R, Shao XM, Czerniecki BJ, Karchin R, Bedrosian I, Gunaratne PH. Chimeric RNAs reveal putative neoantigen peptides for developing tumor vaccines for breast cancer. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1188831. [PMID: 37744342 PMCID: PMC10512078 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1188831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction We present here a strategy to identify immunogenic neoantigen candidates from unique amino acid sequences at the junctions of fusion proteins which can serve as targets in the development of tumor vaccines for the treatment of breastcancer. Method We mined the sequence reads of breast tumor tissue that are usually discarded as discordant paired-end reads and discovered cancer specific fusion transcripts using tissue from cancer free controls as reference. Binding affinity predictions of novel peptide sequences crossing the fusion junction were analyzed by the MHC Class I binding predictor, MHCnuggets. CD8+ T cell responses against the 15 peptides were assessed through in vitro Enzyme Linked Immunospot (ELISpot). Results We uncovered 20 novel fusion transcripts from 75 breast tumors of 3 subtypes: TNBC, HER2+, and HR+. Of these, the NSFP1-LRRC37A2 fusion transcript was selected for further study. The 3833 bp chimeric RNA predicted by the consensus fusion junction sequence is consistent with a read-through transcription of the 5'-gene NSFP1-Pseudo gene NSFP1 (NSFtruncation at exon 12/13) followed by trans-splicing to connect withLRRC37A2 located immediately 3' through exon 1/2. A total of 15 different 8-mer neoantigen peptides discovered from the NSFP1 and LRRC37A2 truncations were predicted to bind to a total of 35 unique MHC class I alleles with a binding affinity of IC50<500nM.); 1 of which elicited a robust immune response. Conclusion Our data provides a framework to identify immunogenic neoantigen candidates from fusion transcripts and suggests a potential vaccine strategy to target the immunogenic neopeptides in patients with tumors carrying the NSFP1-LRRC37A2 fusion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brandon Mistretta
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Sakuni Rankothgedera
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Micah Castillo
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Mitchell Rao
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Kimberly Holloway
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Anjana Bhardwaj
- Department of Breast Surgical Oncology, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Maha El Noafal
- Department of Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Constance Albarracin
- Department of Pathology, The UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Randa El-Zein
- Department of Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Hengameh Rezaei
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Xiaoping Su
- Department of Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Rehan Akbani
- Department of Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Xiaoshan M. Shao
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Brian J. Czerniecki
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Rachel Karchin
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Isabelle Bedrosian
- Department of Breast Surgical Oncology, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Preethi H. Gunaratne
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Breast Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, United States
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Liu CC, Wang XS. Are cis-spliced fusion proteins pathological in more aggressive luminal breast cancer? Oncotarget 2023; 14:595-596. [PMID: 37306551 PMCID: PMC10259257 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.28438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Xiao-Song Wang
- Correspondence to:Xiao-Song Wang, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA email
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Blakely B, Shin S, Jin K. Overview of the therapeutic strategies for ER positive breast cancer. Biochem Pharmacol 2023; 212:115552. [PMID: 37068524 PMCID: PMC10394654 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115552] [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: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
Estrogen Receptor is the driving transcription factor in about 75% of all breast cancers, which is the target of endocrine therapies, but drug resistance is a common clinical problem. ESR1 point mutations at the ligand binding domain are frequently identified in metastatic tumor and ctDNA (Circulating tumor DNA) derived from ER positive breast cancer patients with endocrine therapies. Although endocrine therapy and CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy have demonstrated preclinical and clinical benefits for breast cancer, the development of resistance remains a significant challenge and the detailed mechanisms, and potential therapeutic targets in advanced breast cancer yet to be revealed. Since a crosstalk between tumor and tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role to grow tumor and metastasis, this effect could serve as key regulators in the resistance of endocrine therapy and the transition of breast cancer cells to metastasis. In this article, we have reviewed recent progress in endocrine therapy and the contribution of TME to ER positive breast cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brianna Blakely
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Science, Albany, NY, United States
| | - Seobum Shin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Science, Albany, NY, United States
| | - Kideok Jin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Science, Albany, NY, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Ferro A, Generali D, Caffo O, Caldara A, De Lisi D, Dipasquale M, Lorenzi M, Monteverdi S, Fedele P, Ciribilli Y. Oral selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs): The new emperors in breast cancer clinical practice? Semin Oncol 2023; 50:90-101. [PMID: 37673696 DOI: 10.1053/j.seminoncol.2023.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Endocrine therapy (ET) targeting estrogen receptor (ER) signaling is still the mainstay treatment option for early or advanced ER-positive breast cancer (BC) and may involve suppressing estrogen production by means of aromatase inhibitors or directly blocking the ER pathway through selective estrogen receptor modulators such as tamoxifen or selective estrogen receptor degraders such as fulvestrant. However, despite the availability of this armamentarium in clinical practice, de novo or acquired resistance to ET is the main cause of endocrine-based treatment failure leading to the progression of the BC. Recent advances in targeting, modulating, and degrading ERs have led to the development of new drugs capable of overcoming intrinsic or acquired ET resistance related to alterations in the ESR1 gene. The new oral selective estrogen receptor degraders, which are capable of reducing ER protein expression and blocking estrogen-dependent and -independent ER signaling, have a broader spectrum of activity against ESR1 mutations and seem to be a promising means of overcoming the failure of standard ET. The aim of this review is to summarize the development of oral selective estrogen receptor degraders, their current status, and their future perspectives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Ferro
- Medical Oncology, Breast Unit Santa Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, Largo Medaglie D'Oro, Trento, Italy.
| | - Daniele Generali
- UO Patologia Mammaria, Cremona Hospital, ASST Cremona, Italy; Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Italy
| | - Orazio Caffo
- Medical Oncology Unit, Santa Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, Italy
| | - Alessia Caldara
- Medical Oncology, Breast Unit Santa Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, Largo Medaglie D'Oro, Trento, Italy
| | - Delia De Lisi
- Medical Oncology, Breast Unit Santa Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, Largo Medaglie D'Oro, Trento, Italy
| | - Mariachiara Dipasquale
- Medical Oncology, Breast Unit Santa Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, Largo Medaglie D'Oro, Trento, Italy
| | - Martina Lorenzi
- Medical Oncology, Breast Unit Santa Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, Largo Medaglie D'Oro, Trento, Italy
| | - Sara Monteverdi
- Medical Oncology, Breast Unit Santa Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, Largo Medaglie D'Oro, Trento, Italy
| | - Palma Fedele
- Oncology Unit, Dario Camberlingo Hospital, ASL Brindisi, Francavilla Fontana, Italy
| | - Yari Ciribilli
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Povo, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Granadillo Rodríguez M, Wong L, Chelico L. Similar deamination activities but different phenotypic outcomes induced by APOBEC3 enzymes in breast epithelial cells. Front Genome Ed 2023; 5:1196697. [PMID: 37324648 PMCID: PMC10267419 DOI: 10.3389/fgeed.2023.1196697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
APOBEC3 (A3) enzymes deaminate cytosine to uracil in viral single-stranded DNA as a mutagenic barrier for some viruses. A3-induced deaminations can also occur in human genomes resulting in an endogenous source of somatic mutations in multiple cancers. However, the roles of each A3 are unclear since few studies have assessed these enzymes in parallel. Thus, we developed stable cell lines expressing A3A, A3B, or A3H Hap I using non-tumorigenic MCF10A and tumorigenic MCF7 breast epithelial cells to assess their mutagenic potential and cancer phenotypes in breast cells. The activity of these enzymes was characterized by γH2AX foci formation and in vitro deamination. Cell migration and soft agar colony formation assays assessed cellular transformation potential. We found that all three A3 enzymes had similar γH2AX foci formation, despite different deamination activities in vitro. Notably, in nuclear lysates, the in vitro deaminase activity of A3A, A3B, and A3H did not require digestion of cellular RNA, in contrast to that of A3B and A3H in whole-cell lysates. Their similar activities in cells, nonetheless, resulted in distinct phenotypes where A3A decreased colony formation in soft agar, A3B decreased colony formation in soft agar after hydroxyurea treatment, and A3H Hap I promoted cell migration. Overall, we show that in vitro deamination data do not always reflect cell DNA damage, all three A3s induce DNA damage, and the impact of each is different.
Collapse
|
16
|
Brett JO, Ritterhouse LL, Newman ET, Irwin KE, Dawson M, Ryan LY, Spring LM, Rivera MN, Lennerz JK, Dias-Santagata D, Ellisen LW, Bardia A, Wander SA. Clinical Implications and Treatment Strategies for ESR1 Fusions in Hormone Receptor-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Case Series. Oncologist 2022; 28:172-179. [PMID: 36493359 PMCID: PMC9907034 DOI: 10.1093/oncolo/oyac248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer (HR+ MBC), endocrine resistance is commonly due to genetic alterations of ESR1, the gene encoding estrogen receptor alpha (ERα). While ESR1 point mutations (ESR1-MUT) cause acquired resistance to aromatase inhibition (AI) through constitutive activation, far less is known about the molecular functions and clinical consequences of ESR1 fusions (ESR1-FUS). This case series discusses 4 patients with HR+ MBC with ESR1-FUS in the context of the existing ESR1-FUS literature. We consider therapeutic strategies and raise the hypothesis that CDK4/6 inhibition (CDK4/6i) may be effective against ESR1-FUS with functional ligand-binding domain swaps. These cases highlight the importance of screening for ESR1-FUS in patients with HR+ MBC while continuing investigation of precision treatments for these genomic rearrangements.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jamie O Brett
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lauren L Ritterhouse
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Pathology, Center for Integrated Diagnostics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Erik T Newman
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kelly E Irwin
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Megan Dawson
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lianne Y Ryan
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Laura M Spring
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Miguel N Rivera
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Pathology, Center for Integrated Diagnostics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jochen K Lennerz
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Pathology, Center for Integrated Diagnostics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dora Dias-Santagata
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Pathology, Center for Integrated Diagnostics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Leif W Ellisen
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aditya Bardia
- Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Seth A Wander
- Corresponding author: Seth A. Wander, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA. Tel: +1 617 726 6500; E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Malash I, Mansour O, Gaafar R, Shaarawy S, Abdellateif MS, Ahmed OS, Zekri ARN, Bahnassy A. Her2/EGFR-PDGFR pathway aberrations associated with tamoxifen response in metastatic breast cancer patients. J Egypt Natl Canc Inst 2022; 34:31. [DOI: 10.1186/s43046-022-00132-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is a major health problem worldwide. Some patients improve on tamoxifen and others do not respond to treatment. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to assess genetic aberrations in the Her2/EGFR-PDGFR pathway associated with tamoxifen response in MBC patients.
Methods
This is a retrospective cohort study, including 157 hormone receptors positive, locally recurrent inoperable and/or MBC patients on tamoxifen treatment. Patients were categorized into 78 (49.7%) tamoxifen responders and 79 (50.3%) tamoxifen non-responder patients. Genetic aberrations of 84 genes involved in the Her2/EGFR-PDGFR pathway were assessed in the tumor tissue samples obtained from the patients using SA-Bioscience assay. The identified panel was correlated to patients’ response to treatment, to detect the differentially expressed genes in tamoxifen responders and non-responders.
Results
One hundred twenty-three (78.3%) patients were estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) positive, 108 (68.8%) were ER only positive, and 78 (49.7%) were PR only positive. There were 56 genes overexpressed in the refractory group compared to responders. However, only five out of these 56 genes, Janus kinase 1 (JAK1), collagen type I alpha 1 (COL1A1), GRB2-associated binding protein 1 (GAB1), fibronectin-1 (FN1), and MAP kinase-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase (MKNK1), showed statistical significance between the two groups. Patients with bone metastasis showed a better response to treatment compared to those with metastatic deposits in other sites such as visceral metastasis (P < 0.005).
Conclusions
Genetic profiling using simple quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) protocols could be used to assess response to tamoxifen treatment in MBC patients. According to our data, a five-gene panel in the EGFR pathway (JAK1, COL1A1, GAB1, FN1 and MKNK1) could be used to categorize MBC patients into groups according to treatment response.
Collapse
|
18
|
Molecular characterization of ESR1 variants in breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2022; 196:279-289. [PMID: 36125660 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-022-06740-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) mutations and fusions typically arise in patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer after aromatase inhibitor therapy, whereby ESR1 is constitutively activated in a ligand-independent manner. These variants can impact treatment response. Herein, we characterize ESR1 variants among molecularly profiled advanced breast cancers. METHODS DNA next-generation sequencing (592-gene panel) data from 9860 breast cancer samples were retrospectively reviewed. Gene fusions were detected using the ArcherDx fusion assay or whole transcriptome sequencing (n = 344 and n = 4305, respectively). Statistical analyses included Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. RESULTS An ESR1 ligand-binding domain (LBD) mutation was detected in 8.6% of tumors evaluated and a pathogenic ESR1 fusion was detected in 1.6%. Most ESR1 LBD mutations/fusions were from estrogen receptor (ER)-positive samples (20.1% and 4.9%, respectively). The most common ESR1 LBD mutations included D538G (3.3%), Y537S (2.3%), and E380Q (1.1%) mutations. Among biopsy sites, ESR1 LBD mutations were most observed in liver metastases. Pathogenic ESR1 fusions were identified in 76 samples (1.6%) with 40 unique fusion partners. Evaluating co-alterations, ESR1 variant (mutation/fusion) samples more frequently expressed androgen receptor (78.0% vs 58.6, P < 0.0001) and less frequently immune checkpoint proteins than ESR1 wild-type (PD-1 20.0% vs 53.4, P < 0.05; immune cell PD-L1 10.0% vs 30.2, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION We have described one of the largest series of ESR1 fusions reported. ESR1 LBD mutations were commonly identified in ER-positive disease. Limited data exists regarding the clinical impact of ESR1 fusions, which could be an area for future therapeutic exploration.
Collapse
|
19
|
Loo SK, Yates ME, Yang S, Oesterreich S, Lee AV, Wang X. Fusion-associated carcinomas of the breast: Diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic significance. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2022; 61:261-273. [PMID: 35106856 PMCID: PMC8930468 DOI: 10.1002/gcc.23029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Recurrent gene fusions comprise a class of viable genetic targets in solid tumors that have culminated several recent breakthrough cancer therapies. Their role in breast cancer, however, remains largely underappreciated due to the complexity of genomic rearrangements in breast malignancy. Just recently, we and others have identified several recurrent gene fusions in breast cancer with important clinical and biological implications. Examples of the most significant recurrent gene fusions to date include (1) ESR1::CCDC170 gene fusions in luminal B and endocrine-resistant breast cancer that exert oncogenic function via modulating the HER2/HER3/SRC Proto-Oncogene (SRC) complex, (2) ESR1 exon 6 fusions in metastatic disease that drive estrogen-independent estrogen-receptor transcriptional activity, (3) BCL2L14::ETV6 fusions in a more aggressive form of the triple-negative subtype that prime epithelial-mesenchymal transition and endow paclitaxel resistance, (4) the ETV6::NTRK3 fusion in secretory breast carcinoma that constitutively activates NTRK3 kinase, (5) the oncogenic MYB-NFIB fusion as a genetic driver underpinning adenoid cystic carcinomas of the breast that activates MYB Proto-Oncogene (MYB) pathway, and (6) the NOTCH/microtubule-associated serine-threonine (MAST) kinase gene fusions that activate NOTCH and MAST signaling. Importantly, these fusions are enriched in more aggressive and lethal breast cancer presentations and appear to confer therapeutic resistance. Thus, these gene fusions could be utilized as genetic biomarkers to identify patients who require more intensive treatment and surveillance. In addition, kinase fusions are currently being evaluated in breast cancer clinical trials and ongoing mechanistic investigation is exposing therapeutic vulnerabilities in patients with fusion-positive disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Suet Kee Loo
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
| | - Megan E. Yates
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
- Integrative Systems Biology Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
| | - Sichun Yang
- Center for Proteomics and Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Steffi Oesterreich
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
- Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
| | - Adrian V. Lee
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
- Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
| | - Xiaosong Wang
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Feiner N, Brun-Usan M, Andrade P, Pranter R, Park S, Menke DB, Geneva AJ, Uller T. A single locus regulates a female-limited color pattern polymorphism in a reptile. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm2387. [PMID: 35263124 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm2387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Animal coloration is often expressed in periodic patterns that can arise from differential cell migration, yet how these processes are regulated remains elusive. We show that a female-limited polymorphism in dorsal patterning (diamond/chevron) in the brown anole is controlled by a single Mendelian locus. This locus contains the gene CCDC170 that is adjacent to, and coexpressed with, the Estrogen receptor-1 gene, explaining why the polymorphism is female limited. CCDC170 is an organizer of the Golgi-microtubule network underlying a cell's ability to migrate, and the two segregating alleles encode structurally different proteins. Our agent-based modeling of skin development demonstrates that, in principle, a change in cell migratory behaviors is sufficient to switch between the two morphs. These results suggest that CCDC170 might have been co-opted as a switch between color patterning morphs, likely by modulating cell migratory behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Pedro Andrade
- CIBIO/InBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Robin Pranter
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Sungdae Park
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Douglas B Menke
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Anthony J Geneva
- Department of Biology and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers University-Camden, Camden, NJ, USA
| | - Tobias Uller
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Vitale SR, Ruigrok-Ritstier K, Timmermans AM, Foekens R, Trapman-Jansen AMAC, Beaufort CM, Vigneri P, Sleijfer S, Martens JWM, Sieuwerts AM, Jansen MPHM. The prognostic and predictive value of ESR1 fusion gene transcripts in primary breast cancer. BMC Cancer 2022; 22:165. [PMID: 35151276 PMCID: PMC8840267 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-022-09265-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In breast cancer (BC), recurrent fusion genes of estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1) and AKAP12, ARMT1 and CCDC170 have been reported. In these gene fusions the ligand binding domain of ESR1 has been replaced by the transactivation domain of the fusion partner constitutively activating the receptor. As a result, these gene fusions can drive tumor growth hormone independently as been shown in preclinical models, but the clinical value of these fusions have not been reported. Here, we studied the prognostic and predictive value of different frequently reported ESR1 fusion transcripts in primary BC. Methods We evaluated 732 patients with primary BC (131 ESR1-negative and 601 ESR1-positive cases), including two ER-positive BC patient cohorts: one cohort of 322 patients with advanced disease who received first-line endocrine therapy (ET) (predictive cohort), and a second cohort of 279 patients with lymph node negative disease (LNN) who received no adjuvant systemic treatment (prognostic cohort). Fusion gene transcript levels were measured by reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR. The presence of the different fusion transcripts was associated, in uni- and multivariable Cox regression analysis taking along current clinico-pathological characteristics, to progression free survival (PFS) during first-line endocrine therapy in the predictive cohort, and disease- free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in the prognostic cohort. Results The ESR1-CCDC170 fusion transcript was present in 27.6% of the ESR1-positive BC subjects and in 2.3% of the ESR1-negative cases. In the predictive cohort, none of the fusion transcripts were associated with response to first-line ET. In the prognostic cohort, the median DFS and OS were respectively 37 and 93 months for patients with an ESR1-CCDC170 exon 8 gene fusion transcript and respectively 91 and 212 months for patients without this fusion transcript. In a multivariable analysis, this ESR1-CCDC170 fusion transcript was an independent prognostic factor for DFS (HR) (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.8 (1.2–2.8), P = 0.005) and OS (HR (95% CI: 1.7 (1.1–2.7), P = 0.023). Conclusions Our study shows that in primary BC only ESR1-CCDC170 exon 8 gene fusion transcript carries prognostic value. None of the ESR1 fusion transcripts, which are considered to have constitutive ER activity, was predictive for outcome in BC with advanced disease treated with endocrine treatment. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-09265-1.
Collapse
|
22
|
Role of the Mediator Complex and MicroRNAs in Breast Cancer Etiology. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13020234. [PMID: 35205279 PMCID: PMC8871970 DOI: 10.3390/genes13020234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional coactivators play a key role in RNA polymerase II transcription and gene regulation. One of the most important transcriptional coactivators is the Mediator (MED) complex, which is an evolutionary conserved large multiprotein complex. MED transduces the signal between DNA-bound transcriptional activators (gene-specific transcription factors) to the RNA polymerase II transcription machinery to activate transcription. It is known that MED plays an essential role in ER-mediated gene expression mainly through the MED1 subunit, since estrogen receptor (ER) can interact with MED1 by specific protein–protein interactions; therefore, MED1 plays a fundamental role in ER-positive breast cancer (BC) etiology. Additionally, other MED subunits also play a role in BC etiology. On the other hand, microRNAs (miRNAs) are a family of small non-coding RNAs, which can regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level by binding in a sequence-specific fashion at the 3′ UTR of the messenger RNA. The miRNAs are also important factors that influence oncogenic signaling in BC by acting as both tumor suppressors and oncogenes. Moreover, miRNAs are involved in endocrine therapy resistance of BC, specifically to tamoxifen, a drug that is used to target ER signaling. In metazoans, very little is known about the transcriptional regulation of miRNA by the MED complex and less about the transcriptional regulation of miRNAs involved in BC initiation and progression. Recently, it has been shown that MED1 is able to regulate the transcription of the ER-dependent miR-191/425 cluster promoting BC cell proliferation and migration. In this review, we will discuss the role of MED1 transcriptional coactivator in the etiology of BC and in endocrine therapy-resistance of BC and also the contribution of other MED subunits to BC development, progression and metastasis. Lastly, we identified miRNAs that potentially can regulate the expression of MED subunits.
Collapse
|
23
|
Lloyd MR, Wander SA, Hamilton E, Razavi P, Bardia A. Next-generation selective estrogen receptor degraders and other novel endocrine therapies for management of metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer: current and emerging role. Ther Adv Med Oncol 2022; 14:17588359221113694. [PMID: 35923930 PMCID: PMC9340905 DOI: 10.1177/17588359221113694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Endocrine therapy (ET) is a pivotal strategy to manage early- and advanced-stage estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. In patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC), progression of disease inevitably occurs due to the presence of acquired or intrinsic resistance mechanisms. ET resistance can be driven by ligand-independent, ER-mediated signaling that promotes tumor proliferation in the absence of hormone, or ER-independent oncogenic signaling that circumvents endocrine regulated transcription pathways. Estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) mutations induce constitutive ER activity and upregulate ER-dependent gene transcription, provoking resistance to estrogen deprivation and aromatase inhibitor therapy. The role ESR1 mutations play in regulating response to other therapies, such as the selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) fulvestrant and the available CDK4/6 inhibitors, is less clear. Novel oral SERDs and other next-generation ETs are in clinical development for ER+ breast cancer as single agents and in combination with established targeted therapies. Recent results from the phase III EMERALD trial demonstrated improved outcomes with the oral SERD elacestrant compared to standard anti-estrogen therapies in ER+ MBC after prior progression on ET, and other agents have shown promise in both the laboratory and early-phase clinical trials. In this review, we will discuss the emerging data related to oral SERDs and other novel ET in managing ER+ breast cancer. As clinical data continue to mature on these next-generation ETs, important questions will emerge related to the optimal sequence of therapeutic options and the genomic and molecular landscape of resistance to these agents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maxwell R. Lloyd
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Seth A. Wander
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Erika Hamilton
- Sarah Cannon Research Institute/Tennessee Oncology, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Pedram Razavi
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Aditya Bardia
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, 10 North Grove Street, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114-2621, USA
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Nagy Z, Jeselsohn R. ESR1 fusions and therapeutic resistance in metastatic breast cancer. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1037531. [PMID: 36686845 PMCID: PMC9848494 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1037531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most frequent female malignant tumor, and the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. The most common subtype of breast cancer is hormone receptor positive that expresses the estrogen receptor (ER). Targeting ER with endocrine therapy (ET) is the current standard of care for ER positive (ER+) breast cancer, reducing mortality by up to 40% in early- stage disease. However, resistance to ET represents a major clinical challenge for ER+ breast cancer patients leading to disease recurrence or progression of metastatic disease. Salient drivers of ET resistance are missense mutations in the ER gene (ESR1) leading to constitutive transcriptional activity and reduced ET sensitivity. These mutations are particularly prominent and deleterious in metastatic breast cancer (MBC). In addition to activating ESR1 point mutations, emerging evidence imposes that chromosomal translocation involving the ESR1 gene can also drive ET resistance through the formation of chimeric transcription factors with constitutive transcriptional activity. Although these ESR1 gene fusions are relatively rare, they are enriched in ET resistant metastatic disease. This review discusses the characteristics of ER fusion proteins and their association with clinical outcomes in more aggressive and metastatic breast cancer. The structure and classification of ER fusion proteins based on function and clinical significance are also addressed. Finally, this review summarizes the metastatic phenotypes exhibited by the ER fusion proteins and their role in intrinsic ET resistance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zsuzsanna Nagy
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Rinath Jeselsohn, ; Zsuzsanna Nagy,
| | - Rinath Jeselsohn
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Rinath Jeselsohn, ; Zsuzsanna Nagy,
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Patel JM, Jeselsohn RM. Estrogen Receptor Alpha and ESR1 Mutations in Breast Cancer. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1390:171-194. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-11836-4_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
26
|
Saatci O, Huynh-Dam KT, Sahin O. Endocrine resistance in breast cancer: from molecular mechanisms to therapeutic strategies. J Mol Med (Berl) 2021; 99:1691-1710. [PMID: 34623477 PMCID: PMC8611518 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-021-02136-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Estrogen receptor-positive (ER +) breast cancer accounts for approximately 75% of all breast cancers. Endocrine therapies, including selective ER modulators (SERMs), aromatase inhibitors (AIs), and selective ER down-regulators (SERDs) provide substantial clinical benefit by reducing the risk of disease recurrence and mortality. However, resistance to endocrine therapies represents a major challenge, limiting the success of ER + breast cancer treatment. Mechanisms of endocrine resistance involve alterations in ER signaling via modulation of ER (e.g., ER downregulation, ESR1 mutations or fusions); alterations in ER coactivators/corepressors, transcription factors (TFs), nuclear receptors and epigenetic modulators; regulation of signaling pathways; modulation of cell cycle regulators; stress signaling; and alterations in tumor microenvironment, nutrient stress, and metabolic regulation. Current therapeutic strategies to improve outcome of endocrine-resistant patients in clinics include inhibitors against mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6, and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) subunit, p110α. Preclinical studies reveal novel therapeutic targets, some of which are currently tested in clinical trials as single agents or in combination with endocrine therapies, such as ER partial agonists, ER proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs), next-generation SERDs, AKT inhibitors, epidermal growth factor receptor 1 and 2 (EGFR/HER2) dual inhibitors, HER2 targeting antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. In this review, we summarize the established and emerging mechanisms of endocrine resistance, alterations during metastatic recurrence, and discuss the approved therapies and ongoing clinical trials testing the combination of novel targeted therapies with endocrine therapy in endocrine-resistant ER + breast cancer patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ozge Saatci
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, University of South Carolina, 715, Sumter Street, CLS609D, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Kim-Tuyen Huynh-Dam
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, University of South Carolina, 715, Sumter Street, CLS609D, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Ozgur Sahin
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, University of South Carolina, 715, Sumter Street, CLS609D, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Jiang J, Yuan J, Hu Z, Xu M, Zhang Y, Long M, Fan Y, Montone K, Tanyi JL, Tavana O, Chan HM, Zhang L, Hu X. Systematic pan-cancer characterization of nuclear receptors identifies potential cancer biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Cancer Res 2021; 82:46-59. [PMID: 34750098 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-20-3458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily is one of the major druggable gene families, representing targets of approximately 13.5% of approved drugs. Certain NRs, such as estrogen receptor and androgen receptor, have been well demonstrated to be functionally involved in cancer and serve as informative biomarkers and therapeutic targets in oncology. However, the spectrum of NR dysregulation across cancers remains to be comprehensively characterized. Through computational integration of genetic, genomic, and pharmacologic profiles, we characterized the expression, recurrent genomic alterations, and cancer dependency of NRs at a large scale across primary tumor specimens and cancer cell lines. Expression levels of NRs were highly cancer-type specific and globally downregulated in tumors compared to corresponding normal tissue. Although the majority of NRs showed copy number losses in cancer, both recurrent focal gains and losses were identified in select NRs. Recurrent mutations and transcript fusions of NRs were observed in a small portion of cancers, serving as actionable genomic alterations. Analysis of large-scale CRISPR and RNAi screening datasets identified 10 NRs as strongly selective essential genes for cancer cell growth. In a subpopulation of tumor cells, growth dependencies correlated significantly with expression or genomic alterations. Overall, our comprehensive characterization of NRs across cancers may facilitate the identification and prioritization of potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets, as well as the selection of patients for precision cancer treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jiao Yuan
- Ob and Gyn, University of Pennsylvania
| | - Zhongyi Hu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania
| | - Mu Xu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania
| | | | - Meixiao Long
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University
| | - Yi Fan
- Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania
| | | | | | | | - Ho Man Chan
- Bioscience, Research and Early Development, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca (United States)
| | - Lin Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania
| | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Farré PL, Duca RB, Massillo C, Dalton GN, Graña KD, Gardner K, Lacunza E, De Siervi A. MiR-106b-5p: A Master Regulator of Potential Biomarkers for Breast Cancer Aggressiveness and Prognosis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222011135. [PMID: 34681793 PMCID: PMC8539154 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222011135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer (BCa) is the leading cause of death by cancer in women worldwide. This disease is mainly stratified in four subtypes according to the presence of specific receptors, which is important for BCa aggressiveness, progression and prognosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that have the capability to modulate several genes. Our aim was to identify a miRNA signature deregulated in preclinical and clinical BCa models for potential biomarker discovery that would be useful for BCa diagnosis and/or prognosis. We identified hsa-miR-21-5p and miR-106b-5p as up-regulated and hsa-miR-205-5p and miR-143-3p as down-regulated in BCa compared to normal breast or normal adjacent (NAT) tissues. We established 51 shared target genes between hsa-miR-21-5p and miR-106b-5p, which negatively correlated with the miRNA expression. Furthermore, we assessed the pathways in which these genes were involved and selected 12 that were associated with cancer and metabolism. Additionally, GAB1, GNG12, HBP1, MEF2A, PAFAH1B1, PPP1R3B, RPS6KA3 and SESN1 were downregulated in BCa compared to NAT. Interestingly, hsa-miR-106b-5p was up-regulated, while GAB1, GNG12, HBP1 and SESN1 were downregulated in aggressive subtypes. Finally, patients with high levels of hsa-miR-106b-5 and low levels of the abovementioned genes had worse relapse free survival and worse overall survival, except for GAB1.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paula Lucía Farré
- Laboratorio de Oncología Molecular y Nuevos Blancos Terapéuticos, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), CONICET, Buenos Aires C1428ADN, Argentina; (P.L.F.); (R.B.D.); (C.M.); (G.N.D.); (K.D.G.)
| | - Rocío Belén Duca
- Laboratorio de Oncología Molecular y Nuevos Blancos Terapéuticos, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), CONICET, Buenos Aires C1428ADN, Argentina; (P.L.F.); (R.B.D.); (C.M.); (G.N.D.); (K.D.G.)
| | - Cintia Massillo
- Laboratorio de Oncología Molecular y Nuevos Blancos Terapéuticos, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), CONICET, Buenos Aires C1428ADN, Argentina; (P.L.F.); (R.B.D.); (C.M.); (G.N.D.); (K.D.G.)
| | - Guillermo Nicolás Dalton
- Laboratorio de Oncología Molecular y Nuevos Blancos Terapéuticos, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), CONICET, Buenos Aires C1428ADN, Argentina; (P.L.F.); (R.B.D.); (C.M.); (G.N.D.); (K.D.G.)
| | - Karen Daniela Graña
- Laboratorio de Oncología Molecular y Nuevos Blancos Terapéuticos, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), CONICET, Buenos Aires C1428ADN, Argentina; (P.L.F.); (R.B.D.); (C.M.); (G.N.D.); (K.D.G.)
| | - Kevin Gardner
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W. 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA;
| | - Ezequiel Lacunza
- Centro de Investigaciones Inmunológicas Básicas y Aplicadas (CINIBA), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires B1900, Argentina;
| | - Adriana De Siervi
- Laboratorio de Oncología Molecular y Nuevos Blancos Terapéuticos, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), CONICET, Buenos Aires C1428ADN, Argentina; (P.L.F.); (R.B.D.); (C.M.); (G.N.D.); (K.D.G.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +54-11-4783-2869 (ext. 1206)
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Chi X, Sartor MA, Lee S, Anurag M, Patil S, Hall P, Wexler M, Wang XS. Universal concept signature analysis: genome-wide quantification of new biological and pathological functions of genes and pathways. Brief Bioinform 2021; 21:1717-1732. [PMID: 31631213 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbz093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying new gene functions and pathways underlying diseases and biological processes are major challenges in genomics research. Particularly, most methods for interpreting the pathways characteristic of an experimental gene list defined by genomic data are limited by their dependence on assessing the overlapping genes or their interactome topology, which cannot account for the variety of functional relations. This is particularly problematic for pathway discovery from single-cell genomics with low gene coverage or interpreting complex pathway changes such as during change of cell states. Here, we exploited the comprehensive sets of molecular concepts that combine ontologies, pathways, interactions and domains to help inform the functional relations. We first developed a universal concept signature (uniConSig) analysis for genome-wide quantification of new gene functions underlying biological or pathological processes based on the signature molecular concepts computed from known functional gene lists. We then further developed a novel concept signature enrichment analysis (CSEA) for deep functional assessment of the pathways enriched in an experimental gene list. This method is grounded on the framework of shared concept signatures between gene sets at multiple functional levels, thus overcoming the limitations of the current methods. Through meta-analysis of transcriptomic data sets of cancer cell line models and single hematopoietic stem cells, we demonstrate the broad applications of CSEA on pathway discovery from gene expression and single-cell transcriptomic data sets for genetic perturbations and change of cell states, which complements the current modalities. The R modules for uniConSig analysis and CSEA are available through https://github.com/wangxlab/uniConSig.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xu Chi
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, U.S.A.,Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, U.S.A.,Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, U.S.A.,CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Maureen A Sartor
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, U.S.A
| | - Sanghoon Lee
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, U.S.A.,Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, U.S.A
| | - Meenakshi Anurag
- Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, U.S.A
| | - Snehal Patil
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, U.S.A
| | - Pelle Hall
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, U.S.A
| | - Matthew Wexler
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, U.S.A.,Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, U.S.A.,Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, U.S.A
| | - Xiao-Song Wang
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, U.S.A.,Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, U.S.A.,Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, U.S.A.,Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, U.S.A
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Mouabbi JA, Osborne CK, Schiff R, Rimawi MF. Management of hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor 2-negative metastatic breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2021; 190:189-201. [PMID: 34515904 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-021-06383-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Estrogen receptor (ER) is the major driver of most metastatic breast cancers (mBCs). Endocrine therapy (ET) is the most effective treatment for ER + mBC, but its effectiveness is limited by high rates of de novo and acquired resistance. A growing understanding of the biological characteristics and complexity of the ER pathway and the mechanisms of ET resistance has led to the development of a new generation of targeted therapies. One such mechanism is the cell cycle signaling pathways, which lead to the development of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6is) that have, in turn, transformed the management of such tumors. Another important mechanism is the alteration of the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway. Drugs targeting each component of these pathways are currently used in clinical practice, and several more are in development. As a result, a myriad of new targeted therapies are consistently being added to the clinical oncologist armamentarium. Navigating the evolving and highly complex treatment landscape of HR + /HER2- mBC remains both an art and a challenge. In this review, we discuss the biological features of HR + /HER2- mBC and the different mechanisms of resistance to ET. We also discuss the management of mBC as the disease changes from endocrine-sensitive to endocrine-resistant.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jason A Mouabbi
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| | - C Kent Osborne
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, 7200 Cambridge St., Suite 7A, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Rachel Schiff
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, 7200 Cambridge St., Suite 7A, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Mothaffar F Rimawi
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, 7200 Cambridge St., Suite 7A, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Hernando C, Ortega-Morillo B, Tapia M, Moragón S, Martínez MT, Eroles P, Garrido-Cano I, Adam-Artigues A, Lluch A, Bermejo B, Cejalvo JM. Oral Selective Estrogen Receptor Degraders (SERDs) as a Novel Breast Cancer Therapy: Present and Future from a Clinical Perspective. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22157812. [PMID: 34360578 PMCID: PMC8345926 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22157812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) is the most common subtype of breast cancer. Endocrine therapy is the fundamental treatment against this entity, by directly or indirectly modifying estrogen production. Recent advances in novel compounds, such as cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i), or phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors have improved progression-free survival and overall survival in these patients. However, some patients still develop endocrine resistance after or during endocrine treatment. Different underlying mechanisms have been identified as responsible for endocrine treatment resistance, where ESR1 gene mutations are one of the most studied, outstanding from others such as somatic alterations, microenvironment involvement and epigenetic changes. In this scenario, selective estrogen receptor degraders/downregulators (SERD) are one of the weapons currently in research and development against aromatase inhibitor- or tamoxifen-resistance. The first SERD to be developed and approved for ER+ breast cancer was fulvestrant, demonstrating also interesting activity in ESR1 mutated patients in the second line treatment setting. Recent investigational advances have allowed the development of new oral bioavailable SERDs. This review describes the evolution and ongoing studies in SERDs and new molecules against ER, with the hope that these novel drugs may improve our patients’ future landscape.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Hernando
- Hospital Clínico de València, Instituto de Investigación INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (B.O.-M.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.T.M.); (I.G.-C.); (A.A.-A.); (A.L.); (B.B.)
- Correspondence: (C.H.); (J.M.C.)
| | - Belén Ortega-Morillo
- Hospital Clínico de València, Instituto de Investigación INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (B.O.-M.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.T.M.); (I.G.-C.); (A.A.-A.); (A.L.); (B.B.)
| | - Marta Tapia
- Hospital Clínico de València, Instituto de Investigación INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (B.O.-M.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.T.M.); (I.G.-C.); (A.A.-A.); (A.L.); (B.B.)
| | - Santiago Moragón
- Hospital Clínico de València, Instituto de Investigación INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (B.O.-M.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.T.M.); (I.G.-C.); (A.A.-A.); (A.L.); (B.B.)
| | - María Teresa Martínez
- Hospital Clínico de València, Instituto de Investigación INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (B.O.-M.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.T.M.); (I.G.-C.); (A.A.-A.); (A.L.); (B.B.)
| | - Pilar Eroles
- Hospital Clínico de València, Instituto de Investigación INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (B.O.-M.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.T.M.); (I.G.-C.); (A.A.-A.); (A.L.); (B.B.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Oncología, CIBERONC-ISCIII, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Fisiología, Universidad de València, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Iris Garrido-Cano
- Hospital Clínico de València, Instituto de Investigación INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (B.O.-M.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.T.M.); (I.G.-C.); (A.A.-A.); (A.L.); (B.B.)
| | - Anna Adam-Artigues
- Hospital Clínico de València, Instituto de Investigación INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (B.O.-M.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.T.M.); (I.G.-C.); (A.A.-A.); (A.L.); (B.B.)
| | - Ana Lluch
- Hospital Clínico de València, Instituto de Investigación INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (B.O.-M.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.T.M.); (I.G.-C.); (A.A.-A.); (A.L.); (B.B.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Oncología, CIBERONC-ISCIII, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Begoña Bermejo
- Hospital Clínico de València, Instituto de Investigación INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (B.O.-M.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.T.M.); (I.G.-C.); (A.A.-A.); (A.L.); (B.B.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Oncología, CIBERONC-ISCIII, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Miguel Cejalvo
- Hospital Clínico de València, Instituto de Investigación INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (B.O.-M.); (M.T.); (S.M.); (M.T.M.); (I.G.-C.); (A.A.-A.); (A.L.); (B.B.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Oncología, CIBERONC-ISCIII, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence: (C.H.); (J.M.C.)
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Liu X, Li YG, Tan F, Liu J, Yi R, Zhao X. Three functional polymorphisms in CCDC170 were associated with osteoporosis phenotype. Biol Open 2021; 10:bio.050930. [PMID: 33785515 PMCID: PMC8061906 DOI: 10.1242/bio.050930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play essential roles in regulating bone formation and homeostasis. Genomic variations within miRNA target sites may therefore be important sources of genetic differences in osteoporosis risk. The function of CCDC170 in bone biology is still unclear. To verify the function of CCDC170, we knocked down CCDC170 in cells and mice and searched for miRNA recognition sites within CCDC170 using the TargetScan, miRNASNP, and miRBase databases. In this study, our results demonstrated that CCDC170 plays an important role in the positive regulation of bone formation. MiR-153-3p, miR-374b-3p, miR-4274, miR-572 and miR-2964a-5p inhibited CCDC170 expression in an allele-specific manner by binding GWAS lead SNPs rs6932603, rs3757322 and rs3734806. These findings may improve our understanding of the association between CCDC170, miRNAs, GWAS lead SNPs, and osteoporosis pathogenesis and may provide a potential therapeutic target for osteoporosis therapy. Summary: CCDC170 may provide a potential therapeutic target for osteoporosis therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xinhong Liu
- Chongqing Collaborative Innovation Center for Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing 400067, China.,Chongqing Engineering Research Center of Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing 400067, China.,Chongqing Engineering Laboratory for Research and Development of Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing 400067, China.,College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing 400067, China
| | - Yu-Gang Li
- Department of Orthopedics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu 610500, China
| | - Fang Tan
- Department of Public Health, Our Lady of Fatima University, Valenzuela 838, Philippines
| | - Jia Liu
- Chongqing Collaborative Innovation Center for Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing 400067, China.,Chongqing Engineering Research Center of Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing 400067, China.,Chongqing Engineering Laboratory for Research and Development of Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing 400067, China
| | - Ruokun Yi
- Chongqing Collaborative Innovation Center for Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing 400067, China.,Chongqing Engineering Research Center of Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing 400067, China.,Chongqing Engineering Laboratory for Research and Development of Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing 400067, China
| | - Xin Zhao
- Chongqing Collaborative Innovation Center for Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing 400067, China.,Chongqing Engineering Research Center of Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing 400067, China.,Chongqing Engineering Laboratory for Research and Development of Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing 400067, China
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Zhang Y, Chen F, Creighton CJ. SVExpress: identifying gene features altered recurrently in expression with nearby structural variant breakpoints. BMC Bioinformatics 2021; 22:135. [PMID: 33743584 PMCID: PMC7981925 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-021-04072-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Combined whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and RNA sequencing of cancers offer the opportunity to identify genes with altered expression due to genomic rearrangements. Somatic structural variants (SVs), as identified by WGS, can involve altered gene cis-regulation, gene fusions, copy number alterations, or gene disruption. The absence of computational tools to streamline integrative analysis steps may represent a barrier in identifying genes recurrently altered by genomic rearrangement. Results Here, we introduce SVExpress, a set of tools for carrying out integrative analysis of SV and gene expression data. SVExpress enables systematic cataloging of genes that consistently show increased or decreased expression in conjunction with the presence of nearby SV breakpoints. SVExpress can evaluate breakpoints in proximity to genes for potential enhancer translocation events or disruption of topologically associated domains, two mechanisms by which SVs may deregulate genes. The output from any commonly used SV calling algorithm may be easily adapted for use with SVExpress. SVExpress can readily analyze genomic datasets involving hundreds of cancer sample profiles. Here, we used SVExpress to analyze SV and expression data across 327 cancer cell lines with combined SV and expression data in the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE). In the CCLE dataset, hundreds of genes showed altered gene expression in relation to nearby SV breakpoints. Altered genes involved TAD disruption, enhancer hijacking, and gene fusions. When comparing the top set of SV-altered genes from cancer cell lines with the top SV-altered genes previously reported for human tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas and the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes datasets, a significant number of genes overlapped in the same direction for both cell lines and tumors, while some genes were significant for cell lines but not for human tumors and vice versa. Conclusion Our SVExpress tools allow computational biologists with a working knowledge of R to integrate gene expression with SV breakpoint data to identify recurrently altered genes. SVExpress is freely available for academic or commercial use at https://github.com/chadcreighton/SVExpress. SVExpress is implemented as a set of Excel macros and R code. All source code (R and Visual Basic for Applications) is available. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12859-021-04072-0.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yiqun Zhang
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center Division of Biostatistics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Fengju Chen
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center Division of Biostatistics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Chad J Creighton
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center Division of Biostatistics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Silveira MA, Tav C, Bérube-Simard FA, Cuppens T, Leclercq M, Fournier É, Côté MC, Droit A, Bilodeau S. Modulating HSF1 levels impacts expression of the estrogen receptor α and antiestrogen response. Life Sci Alliance 2021; 4:4/5/e202000811. [PMID: 33593922 PMCID: PMC7893817 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202000811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This work shows that activation of the main cellular stress response pathway is responsible for antiestrogen resistance in breast cancer, a process that is reversible. Master transcription factors control the transcriptional program and are essential to maintain cellular functions. Among them, steroid nuclear receptors, such as the estrogen receptor α (ERα), are central to the etiology of hormone-dependent cancers which are accordingly treated with corresponding endocrine therapies. However, resistance invariably arises. Here, we show that high levels of the stress response master regulator, the heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), are associated with antiestrogen resistance in breast cancer cells. Indeed, overexpression of HSF1 leads to ERα degradation, decreased expression of ERα-activated genes, and antiestrogen resistance. Furthermore, we demonstrate that reducing HSF1 levels reinstates expression of the ERα and restores response to antiestrogens. Last, our results establish a proof of concept that inhibition of HSF1, in combination with antiestrogens, is a valid strategy to tackle resistant breast cancers. Taken together, we are proposing a mechanism where high HSF1 levels interfere with the ERα-dependent transcriptional program leading to endocrine resistance in breast cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maruhen Ad Silveira
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Oncologie, Québec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Christophe Tav
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Oncologie, Québec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Endocrinologie et Néphrologie, Québec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche en Données Massives de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Félix-Antoine Bérube-Simard
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Oncologie, Québec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Tania Cuppens
- Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Endocrinologie et Néphrologie, Québec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche en Données Massives de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Mickaël Leclercq
- Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Endocrinologie et Néphrologie, Québec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche en Données Massives de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Éric Fournier
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Oncologie, Québec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Endocrinologie et Néphrologie, Québec, Canada
| | - Maxime C Côté
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Oncologie, Québec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Arnaud Droit
- Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Endocrinologie et Néphrologie, Québec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche en Données Massives de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada.,Département de Médecine Moléculaire, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Steve Bilodeau
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Oncologie, Québec, Canada .,Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche en Données Massives de l'Université Laval, Québec, Canada.,Département de Biologie Moléculaire, Biochimie Médicale et Pathologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Jeong JH, Yun JW, Kim HY, Heo CY, Lee S. Elucidation of Novel Therapeutic Targets for Breast Cancer with ESR1-CCDC170 Fusion. J Clin Med 2021; 10:jcm10040582. [PMID: 33557149 PMCID: PMC7913953 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10040582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2020] [Revised: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the various types of breast cancer, the luminal B subtype is the most common in young women, and ESR1-CCDC170 (E:C) fusion is the most frequent oncogenic fusion driver of the luminal B subtype. Nevertheless, treatments targeting E:C fusion has not been well established yet. Hence, the aim of this study is to investigate potential therapies targeting E:C fusion based on systematic bioinformatical analysis of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data. One thousand related genes were extracted using transcriptome analysis, and major signaling pathways associated with breast cancer were identified with over-representation analysis. Then, we conducted drug-target network analysis based on the OncoKB and CIViC databases, and finally selected potentially applicable drug candidates. Six major cancer-related signaling pathways (p53, ATR/ATM, FOXM1, hedgehog, cell cycle, and Aurora B) were significantly altered in E:C fusion-positive cases of breast cancer. Further investigation revealed that nine genes (AURKB, HDAC2, PLK1, CENPA, CHEK1, CHEK2, RB1, CCNA2, and MDM2) in coordination with E:C fusion were found to be common denominators in three or more of these pathways, thereby making them promising gene biomarkers for target therapy. Among the 21 putative actionable drugs inferred by drug-target network analysis, palbociclib, alpelisib, ribociclib, dexamethasone, checkpoint kinase inhibitor AXD 7762, irinotecan, milademetan tosylate, R05045337, cisplatin, prexasertib, and olaparib were considered promising drug candidates targeting genes involved in at least two E:C fusion-related pathways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jae Heon Jeong
- Integrated Major in Innovative Medical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea;
- Interdisciplinary Program for Bioengineering, College of Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea;
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam 13620, Korea
| | - Jae Won Yun
- Veterans Medical Research Institute, Veterans Health Service Medical Center, Seoul 08826, Korea;
| | - Ha Young Kim
- Interdisciplinary Program for Bioengineering, College of Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea;
| | - Chan Yeong Heo
- Interdisciplinary Program for Bioengineering, College of Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea;
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam 13620, Korea
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Korea
- Correspondence: (C.Y.H.); (S.L.); Tel.: +82-31-787-8124 (S.L.)
| | - Sejoon Lee
- Precision Medicine Center, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam 13620, Korea
- Department of Pathology and Translational Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam 13620, Korea
- Correspondence: (C.Y.H.); (S.L.); Tel.: +82-31-787-8124 (S.L.)
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Liu CC, Veeraraghavan J, Tan Y, Kim JA, Wang X, Loo SK, Lee S, Hu Y, Wang XS. A Novel Neoplastic Fusion Transcript, RAD51AP1-DYRK4, Confers Sensitivity to the MEK Inhibitor Trametinib in Aggressive Breast Cancers. Clin Cancer Res 2021; 27:785-798. [PMID: 33172895 PMCID: PMC7934498 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-20-2769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Luminal B breast tumors are more aggressive estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers characterized by aggressive clinical behavior and a high risk of metastatic dissemination. The underlying pathologic molecular events remain poorly understood with a paucity of actionable genetic drivers, which hinders the development of new treatment strategies. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We performed large-scale RNA sequencing analysis to identify chimerical transcripts preferentially expressed in luminal B breast cancer. The lead candidate was validated by reverse transcription PCR in breast cancer tissues. The effects of inducible ectopic expression or genetic silencing were assessed by phenotypic assays such as MTS, transwell, and transendothelial migration assays, and by clonogenic assays to assess MEK inhibitor sensitivity. Subcellular fractionation, Western blots, and immunoprecipitation were performed to characterize the protein products and elucidate the engaged mechanisms. RESULTS Here we report a novel tumor-specific chimeric transcript RAD51AP1-DYRK4 preferentially expressed in luminal B tumors. Analysis of 200 ER+ breast tumors detected RAD51AP1-DYRK4 overexpression in 19 tumors (9.5%), which is markedly enriched in the luminal B tumors (17.5%). Ectopic expression of RAD51AP1-DYRK4, but not wild-type RAD51AP1, leads to marked activation of MEK/ERK signaling, and endows increased cell motility and transendothelial migration. More importantly, RAD51AP1-DYRK4 appears to endow increased sensitivity to the MEK inhibitor trametinib through attenuating compensatory activation of HER2/PI3K/AKT under MEK inhibition. CONCLUSIONS This discovery sheds light on a new area of molecular pathobiology of luminal B tumors and implies potential new therapeutic opportunities for more aggressive breast tumors overexpressing this fusion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Chia Liu
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Jamunarani Veeraraghavan
- Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Ying Tan
- Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Jin-Ah Kim
- Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Xian Wang
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Suet Kee Loo
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Sanghoon Lee
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Yiheng Hu
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Xiao-Song Wang
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Wang Q, Zhao Y, Zheng H, Wang Q, Wang W, Liu B, Han H, Zhang L, Chen K. CCDC170 affects breast cancer apoptosis through IRE1 pathway. Aging (Albany NY) 2020; 13:1332-1356. [PMID: 33291081 PMCID: PMC7835043 DOI: 10.18632/aging.202315] [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: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies have revealed that multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the intergenic region between estrogen receptor 1 and coiled-coil domain containing 170 (CCDC170) are associated with breast cancer risk. We performed microarray and bioinformatics analyses to identify genes that were induced upon CCDC170 overexpression, and confirmed our findings by evaluating paraffin-embedded breast cancer tissues and conducting cellular assays. In CCDC170-overexpressing MCF7 breast cancer cells, microarray analyses revealed that inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) was the most elevated gene in enriched pathways. In breast cancer tissues, IRE1 expression correlated positively with CCDC170 and X-box binding protein 1 expression at both the mRNA and protein levels. In a survival analysis, patients with higher CCDC170 levels exhibited better disease-free survival. Western blotting indicated that overexpressing CCDC170 in MCF7 cells increased protein levels of IRE1α, estrogen receptor α and X-box binding protein 1, while silencing CCDC170 reduced them. CCDC170 overexpression promoted apoptosis in MCF7 cells, and this effect was more obvious under endoplasmic reticulum stress. MCF7 cells overexpressing CCDC170 were more sensitive to paclitaxel. Our study showed that higher CCDC170 expression is associated with a better prognosis in breast cancer patients and that CCDC170 may promote apoptosis through the IRE1α pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiong Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China
| | - Yanrui Zhao
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China
| | - Hong Zheng
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China
| | - Qinghua Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China
| | - Ben Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China
| | - Hongwei Han
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China
| | - Lina Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Department of Breast Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China
| | - Kexin Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Lee N, Park MJ, Song W, Jeon K, Jeong S. Currently Applied Molecular Assays for Identifying ESR1 Mutations in Patients with Advanced Breast Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21228807. [PMID: 33233830 PMCID: PMC7699999 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Approximately 70% of breast cancers, the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, are positive for the estrogen receptor (ER). Treatment of patients with luminal subtypes is mainly based on endocrine therapy. However, ER positivity is reduced and ESR1 mutations play an important role in resistance to endocrine therapy, leading to advanced breast cancer. Various methodologies for the detection of ESR1 mutations have been developed, and the most commonly used method is next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based assays (50.0%) followed by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) (45.5%). Regarding the sample type, tissue (50.0%) was more frequently used than plasma (27.3%). However, plasma (46.2%) became the most used method in 2016-2019, in contrast to 2012-2015 (22.2%). In 2016-2019, ddPCR (61.5%), rather than NGS (30.8%), became a more popular method than it was in 2012-2015. The easy accessibility, non-invasiveness, and demonstrated usefulness with high sensitivity of ddPCR using plasma have changed the trends. When using these assays, there should be a comprehensive understanding of the principles, advantages, vulnerability, and precautions for interpretation. In the future, advanced NGS platforms and modified ddPCR will benefit patients by facilitating treatment decisions efficiently based on information regarding ESR1 mutations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nuri Lee
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul 07440, Korea; (N.L.); (M.-J.P.); (W.S.)
| | - Min-Jeong Park
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul 07440, Korea; (N.L.); (M.-J.P.); (W.S.)
| | - Wonkeun Song
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul 07440, Korea; (N.L.); (M.-J.P.); (W.S.)
| | - Kibum Jeon
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul 07440, Korea;
| | - Seri Jeong
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul 07440, Korea; (N.L.); (M.-J.P.); (W.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-845-5305
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Alaei-Mahabadi B, Elliott K, Larsson E. Systematic investigation of promoter substitutions resulting from somatic intrachromosomal structural alterations in diverse human cancers. Sci Rep 2020; 10:18176. [PMID: 33097743 PMCID: PMC7584658 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74420-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the ways in which genes can become activated in tumors is by somatic structural genomic rearrangements leading to promoter swapping events, typically in the context of gene fusions that cause a weak promoter to be substituted for a strong promoter. While identifiable by whole genome sequencing, limited availability of this type of data has prohibited comprehensive study of the phenomenon. Here, we leveraged the fact that copy number alterations (CNAs) arise as a result of structural alterations in DNA, and that they may therefore be informative of gene rearrangements, to pinpoint recurrent promoter swapping at a previously intractable scale. CNA data from nearly 9500 human tumors was combined with transcriptomic sequencing data to identify several cases of recurrent activating intrachromosomal promoter substitution events, either involving proper gene fusions or juxtaposition of strong promoters to gene upstream regions. Our computational screen demonstrates that a combination of CNA and expression data can be useful for identifying novel fusion events with potential driver roles in large cancer cohorts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Babak Alaei-Mahabadi
- Department Of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Kerryn Elliott
- Department Of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Erik Larsson
- Department Of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Li L, Lin L, Veeraraghavan J, Hu Y, Wang X, Lee S, Tan Y, Schiff R, Wang XS. Therapeutic role of recurrent ESR1-CCDC170 gene fusions in breast cancer endocrine resistance. Breast Cancer Res 2020; 22:84. [PMID: 32771039 PMCID: PMC7414578 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-020-01325-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Endocrine therapy is the most common treatment for estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer, but its effectiveness is limited by high rates of primary and acquired resistance. There are likely many genetic causes, and recent studies suggest the important role of ESR1 mutations and fusions in endocrine resistance. Previously, we reported a recurrent ESR1 fusion called ESR1-CCDC170 in 6–8% of the luminal B breast cancers that has a worse clinical outcome after endocrine therapy. Despite being the most frequent ESR1 fusion, its functional role in endocrine resistance has not been studied in vivo, and the engaged mechanism and therapeutic relevance remain uncharacterized. Methods The endocrine sensitivities of HCC1428 or T47D breast cancer cells following genetic perturbations of ESR1-CCDC170 were assessed using clonogenic assays and/or xenograft mouse models. The underlying mechanisms were investigated by reverse phase protein array, western blotting, immunoprecipitation, and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays. The sensitivity of ESR1-CCDC170 expressing breast cancer cells to concomitant treatments of tamoxifen and HER/SRC inhibitors was assessed by clonogenic assays. Results Our results suggested that different ESR1-CCDC170 fusions endow different levels of reduced endocrine sensitivity in vivo, resulting in significant survival disadvantages. Further investigation revealed a novel mechanism that ESR1-CCDC170 binds to HER2/HER3/SRC and activates SRC/PI3K/AKT signaling. Silencing of ESR1-CCDC170 in the fusion-positive cell line, HCC1428, downregulates HER2/HER3, represses pSRC/pAKT, and improves endocrine sensitivity. More important, breast cancer cells expressing ectopic or endogenous ESR1-CCDC170 are highly sensitive to treatment regimens combining endocrine agents with the HER2 inhibitor lapatinib and/or the SRC inhibitor dasatinib. Conclusion ESR1-CCDC170 may endow breast cancer cell survival under endocrine therapy via maintaining/activating HER2/HER3/SRC/AKT signaling which implies a potential therapeutic strategy for managing these fusion positive tumors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Li Li
- Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA.,Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA.,Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.,Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Ling Lin
- Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA.,Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA.,Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Jamunarani Veeraraghavan
- Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Molecular & Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yiheng Hu
- Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA.,Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA.,Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.,Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Xian Wang
- Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA.,Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA.,Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.,Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Sanghoon Lee
- Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA.,Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, USA
| | - Ying Tan
- Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Rachel Schiff
- Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Molecular & Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Xiao-Song Wang
- Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA. .,Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA. .,Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA. .,Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Molecular & Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Lee S, Hu Y, Loo SK, Tan Y, Bhargava R, Lewis MT, Wang XS. Landscape analysis of adjacent gene rearrangements reveals BCL2L14-ETV6 gene fusions in more aggressive triple-negative breast cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:9912-9921. [PMID: 32321829 PMCID: PMC7211963 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1921333117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 10 to 20% of breast cancer, with chemotherapy as its mainstay of treatment due to lack of well-defined targets, and recent genomic sequencing studies have revealed a paucity of TNBC-specific mutations. Recurrent gene fusions comprise a class of viable genetic targets in solid tumors; however, their role in breast cancer remains underappreciated due to the complexity of genomic rearrangements in this cancer. Our interrogation of the whole-genome sequencing data for 215 breast tumors catalogued 99 recurrent gene fusions, 57% of which are cryptic adjacent gene rearrangements (AGRs). The most frequent AGRs, BCL2L14-ETV6, TTC6-MIPOL1, ESR1-CCDC170, and AKAP8-BRD4, were preferentially found in the more aggressive forms of breast cancers that lack well-defined genetic targets. Among these, BCL2L14-ETV6 was exclusively detected in TNBC, and interrogation of four independent patient cohorts detected BCL2L14-ETV6 in 4.4 to 12.2% of TNBC tumors. Interestingly, these fusion-positive tumors exhibit more aggressive histopathological features, such as gross necrosis and high tumor grade. Amid TNBC subtypes, BCL2L14-ETV6 is most frequently detected in the mesenchymal entity, accounting for ∼19% of these tumors. Ectopic expression of BCL2L14-ETV6 fusions induce distinct expression changes from wild-type ETV6 and enhance cell motility and invasiveness of TNBC and benign breast epithelial cells. Furthermore, BCL2L14-ETV6 fusions prime partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition and endow resistance to paclitaxel treatment. Together, these data reveal AGRs as a class of underexplored genetic aberrations that could be pathological in breast cancer, and identify BCL2L14-ETV6 as a recurrent gene fusion in more aggressive form of TNBC tumors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sanghoon Lee
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
- Women's Cancer Research Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
| | - Yiheng Hu
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
- Women's Cancer Research Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
- Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Suet Kee Loo
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
- Women's Cancer Research Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
| | - Ying Tan
- Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Rohit Bhargava
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
| | - Michael T Lewis
- Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
- Department of Radiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Xiao-Song Wang
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232;
- Women's Cancer Research Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
- Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Zubrzycka A, Zubrzycki M, Perdas E, Zubrzycka M. Genetic, Epigenetic, and Steroidogenic Modulation Mechanisms in Endometriosis. J Clin Med 2020; 9:E1309. [PMID: 32370117 PMCID: PMC7291215 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9051309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease, affecting up to 10% of reproductive-age women. The exact cause of the disease is unknown; however, it is a heritable condition affected by multiple genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Previous studies reported variations in the epigenetic patterns of numerous genes known to be involved in the aberrant modulation of cell cycle steroidogenesis, abnormal hormonal, immune and inflammatory status in endometriosis, apoptosis, adhesion, angiogenesis, proliferation, immune and inflammatory processes, response to hypoxia, steroidogenic pathway and hormone signaling are involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Accumulating evidence suggest that various epigenetic aberrations may contribute to the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Among them, DNA methyltransferases, histone deacetylators, and non-coding microRNAs demonstrate differential expression within endometriotic lesions and in the endometrium of patients with endometriosis. It has been indicated that the identification of epigenetic differences within the DNA or histone proteins may contribute to the discovery of a useful prognostic biomarker, which could aid in the future earlier detection, timely diagnosis, and initiation of a new approach to the treatment of endometriosis, as well as inform us about the effectiveness of treatment and the stage of the disease. As the etiology of endometriosis is highly complex and still far from being fully elucidated, the presented review focuses on different approaches to identify the genetic and epigenetic links of endometriosis and its pathogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Zubrzycka
- Department of Biomedicine and Genetics, Medical University of Lodz, Pomorska 251, 92-213 Lodz, Poland; Poland;
- Department of Operative and Conservative Gynecology, K. Jonscher Memorial Hospital, Milionowa 14, 93-113 Lodz, Poland
| | - Marek Zubrzycki
- Department of Cardiac Surgery and Transplantology, The Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski Institute of Cardiology, Alpejska 42, 04-628 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Ewelina Perdas
- Department of Cardiovascular Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Mazowiecka 6/8, 92-215 Lodz, Poland;
| | - Maria Zubrzycka
- Department of Cardiovascular Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Mazowiecka 6/8, 92-215 Lodz, Poland;
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Vellichirammal NN, Albahrani A, Banwait JK, Mishra NK, Li Y, Roychoudhury S, Kling MJ, Mirza S, Bhakat KK, Band V, Joshi SS, Guda C. Pan-Cancer Analysis Reveals the Diverse Landscape of Novel Sense and Antisense Fusion Transcripts. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2020; 19:1379-1398. [PMID: 32160708 PMCID: PMC7044684 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2020.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Gene fusions that contribute to oncogenicity can be explored for identifying cancer biomarkers and potential drug targets. To investigate the nature and distribution of fusion transcripts in cancer, we examined the transcriptome data of about 9,000 primary tumors from 33 different cancers in TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) along with cell line data from CCLE (Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia) using ChimeRScope, a novel fusion detection algorithm. We identified several fusions with sense (canonical, 39%) or antisense (non-canonical, 61%) transcripts recurrent across cancers. The majority of the recurrent non-canonical fusions found in our study are novel, unexplored, and exhibited highly variable profiles across cancers, with breast cancer and glioblastoma having the highest and lowest rates, respectively. Overall, 4,344 recurrent fusions were identified from TCGA in this study, of which 70% were novel. Additional analysis of 802 tumor-derived cell line transcriptome data across 20 cancers revealed significant variability in recurrent fusion profiles between primary tumors and corresponding cell lines. A subset of canonical and non-canonical fusions was validated by examining the structural variation evidence in whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data or by Sanger sequencing of fusion junctions. Several recurrent fusion genes identified in our study show promise for drug repurposing in basket trials and present opportunities for mechanistic studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Abrar Albahrani
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Jasjit K Banwait
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA; Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Core. University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Nitish K Mishra
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - You Li
- HitGen, South Keyuan Road 88, Chengdu, China
| | - Shrabasti Roychoudhury
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Mathew J Kling
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Sameer Mirza
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Kishor K Bhakat
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Vimla Band
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Shantaram S Joshi
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Chittibabu Guda
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA; Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Core. University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Chiang HC, Zhang X, Li J, Zhao X, Chen J, Wang HTH, Jatoi I, Brenner A, Hu Y, Li R. BRCA1-associated R-loop affects transcription and differentiation in breast luminal epithelial cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:5086-5099. [PMID: 30982901 PMCID: PMC6547407 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Revised: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BRCA1-associated basal-like breast cancer originates from luminal progenitor cells. Breast epithelial cells from cancer-free BRCA1 mutation carriers are defective in luminal differentiation. However, how BRCA1 deficiency leads to lineage-specific differentiation defect is not clear. BRCA1 is implicated in resolving R-loops, DNA-RNA hybrid structures associated with genome instability and transcriptional regulation. We recently showed that R-loops are preferentially accumulated in breast luminal epithelial cells of BRCA1 mutation carriers. Here, we interrogate the impact of a BRCA1 mutation-associated R-loop located in a putative transcriptional enhancer upstream of the ERα-encoding ESR1 gene. Genetic ablation confirms the relevance of this R-loop-containing region to enhancer-promoter interactions and transcriptional activation of the corresponding neighboring genes, including ESR1, CCDC170 and RMND1. BRCA1 knockdown in ERα+ luminal breast cancer cells increases intensity of this R-loop and reduces transcription of its neighboring genes. The deleterious effect of BRCA1 depletion on transcription is mitigated by ectopic expression of R-loop-removing RNase H1. Furthermore, RNase H1 overexpression in primary breast cells from BRCA1 mutation carriers results in a shift from luminal progenitor cells to mature luminal cells. Our findings suggest that BRCA1-dependent R-loop mitigation contributes to luminal cell-specific transcription and differentiation, which could in turn suppress BRCA1-associated tumorigenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huai-Chin Chiang
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA
| | - Xiaowen Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA
| | - Jingwei Li
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Xiayan Zhao
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Jerry Chen
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Howard T-H Wang
- Department of Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Ismail Jatoi
- Department of Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Andrew Brenner
- Department of Medicine, The Mays Cancer Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Yanfen Hu
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA
| | - Rong Li
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
De Santo I, McCartney A, Migliaccio I, Di Leo A, Malorni L. The Emerging Role of ESR1 Mutations in Luminal Breast Cancer as a Prognostic and Predictive Biomarker of Response to Endocrine Therapy. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:E1894. [PMID: 31795152 PMCID: PMC6966519 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11121894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the hotspot ligand-binding domain of the estrogen receptor (ER) gene ESR1 have recently been recognized as mechanisms of endocrine resistance in endocrine receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Accumulating data suggest these mutations develop under the selective pressure of endocrine treatments, and are infrequent in untreated ER-positive breast cancers. In vitro studies show that these mutations confer ligand-independent activity, resistance to estrogen deprivation, and relative resistance to tamoxifen and fulvestrant. Post-hoc retrospective and prospective analyses of ESR1 mutations in patients with MBC have consistently found that these mutations are markers of poor prognosis and predict resistance to aromatase inhibitors (AIs). These results warrant further investigation and prospective validation in dedicated studies. Moreover, studies are ongoing to clarify the activity of novel drugs in the context of metastatic endocrine resistant luminal breast cancer harboring ESR1 mutations. In this review, we summarize the pre-clinical and clinical findings defining the characteristics of ESR1 mutant breast cancer, and highlight the potential clinical developments in this field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Irene De Santo
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy;
- “Sandro Pitigliani” Medical Oncology Department, Hospital of Prato, 59100 Prato, Italy; (A.M.); (A.D.L.)
| | - Amelia McCartney
- “Sandro Pitigliani” Medical Oncology Department, Hospital of Prato, 59100 Prato, Italy; (A.M.); (A.D.L.)
| | - Ilenia Migliaccio
- “Sandro Pitigliani” Translational Research Unit, Hospital of Prato, 59100 Prato, Italy;
| | - Angelo Di Leo
- “Sandro Pitigliani” Medical Oncology Department, Hospital of Prato, 59100 Prato, Italy; (A.M.); (A.D.L.)
| | - Luca Malorni
- “Sandro Pitigliani” Medical Oncology Department, Hospital of Prato, 59100 Prato, Italy; (A.M.); (A.D.L.)
- “Sandro Pitigliani” Translational Research Unit, Hospital of Prato, 59100 Prato, Italy;
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Hartmaier RJ, Trabucco SE, Priedigkeit N, Chung JH, Parachoniak CA, Vanden Borre P, Morley S, Rosenzweig M, Gay LM, Goldberg ME, Suh J, Ali SM, Ross J, Leyland-Jones B, Young B, Williams C, Park B, Tsai M, Haley B, Peguero J, Callahan RD, Sachelarie I, Cho J, Atkinson JM, Bahreini A, Nagle AM, Puhalla SL, Watters RJ, Erdogan-Yildirim Z, Cao L, Oesterreich S, Mathew A, Lucas PC, Davidson NE, Brufsky AM, Frampton GM, Stephens PJ, Chmielecki J, Lee AV. Recurrent hyperactive ESR1 fusion proteins in endocrine therapy-resistant breast cancer. Ann Oncol 2019; 29:872-880. [PMID: 29360925 PMCID: PMC5913625 DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdy025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Estrogen receptor-positive (ER-positive) metastatic breast cancer is often intractable due to endocrine therapy resistance. Although ESR1 promoter switching events have been associated with endocrine-therapy resistance, recurrent ESR1 fusion proteins have yet to be identified in advanced breast cancer. Patients and methods To identify genomic structural rearrangements (REs) including gene fusions in acquired resistance, we undertook a multimodal sequencing effort in three breast cancer patient cohorts: (i) mate-pair and/or RNAseq in 6 patient-matched primary-metastatic tumors and 51 metastases, (ii) high coverage (>500×) comprehensive genomic profiling of 287-395 cancer-related genes across 9542 solid tumors (5216 from metastatic disease), and (iii) ultra-high coverage (>5000×) genomic profiling of 62 cancer-related genes in 254 ctDNA samples. In addition to traditional gene fusion detection methods (i.e. discordant reads, split reads), ESR1 REs were detected from targeted sequencing data by applying a novel algorithm (copyshift) that identifies major copy number shifts at rearrangement hotspots. Results We identify 88 ESR1 REs across 83 unique patients with direct confirmation of 9 ESR1 fusion proteins (including 2 via immunoblot). ESR1 REs are highly enriched in ER-positive, metastatic disease and co-occur with known ESR1 missense alterations, suggestive of polyclonal resistance. Importantly, all fusions result from a breakpoint in or near ESR1 intron 6 and therefore lack an intact ligand binding domain (LBD). In vitro characterization of three fusions reveals ligand-independence and hyperactivity dependent upon the 3' partner gene. Our lower-bound estimate of ESR1 fusions is at least 1% of metastatic solid breast cancers, the prevalence in ctDNA is at least 10× enriched. We postulate this enrichment may represent secondary resistance to more aggressive endocrine therapies applied to patients with ESR1 LBD missense alterations. Conclusions Collectively, these data indicate that N-terminal ESR1 fusions involving exons 6-7 are a recurrent driver of endocrine therapy resistance and are impervious to ER-targeted therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R J Hartmaier
- Foundation Medicine Inc., Cambridge; Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biolog, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA; Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Women's Research Institute, Pittsburgh, USA.
| | | | - N Priedigkeit
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biolog, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA; Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Women's Research Institute, Pittsburgh, USA
| | | | | | | | - S Morley
- Foundation Medicine Inc., Cambridge
| | | | - L M Gay
- Foundation Medicine Inc., Cambridge
| | | | - J Suh
- Foundation Medicine Inc., Cambridge
| | - S M Ali
- Foundation Medicine Inc., Cambridge
| | - J Ross
- Foundation Medicine Inc., Cambridge
| | - B Leyland-Jones
- Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, Avera Cancer Institute, Sioux Falls, USA
| | - B Young
- Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, Avera Cancer Institute, Sioux Falls, USA
| | - C Williams
- Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, Avera Cancer Institute, Sioux Falls, USA
| | - B Park
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, USA
| | - M Tsai
- Minnesota Oncology, Minneapolis, USA
| | - B Haley
- UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA
| | - J Peguero
- Oncology Consultants Research Department, Houston, USA
| | | | | | - J Cho
- New Bern Cancer Care, New Bern, USA
| | - J M Atkinson
- Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Women's Research Institute, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - A Bahreini
- Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Women's Research Institute, Pittsburgh, USA; Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA; Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - A M Nagle
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biolog, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA; Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Women's Research Institute, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - S L Puhalla
- Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Women's Research Institute, Pittsburgh, USA; Foundation Medicine Inc., Cambridge; Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, Avera Cancer Institute, Sioux Falls, USA
| | - R J Watters
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biolog, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA; Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Women's Research Institute, Pittsburgh, USA; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - Z Erdogan-Yildirim
- Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Women's Research Institute, Pittsburgh, USA; Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - L Cao
- Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Women's Research Institute, Pittsburgh, USA; Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, China
| | - S Oesterreich
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biolog, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA; Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Women's Research Institute, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - A Mathew
- Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - P C Lucas
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - N E Davidson
- Foundation Medicine Inc., Cambridge; Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, Avera Cancer Institute, Sioux Falls, USA
| | - A M Brufsky
- Foundation Medicine Inc., Cambridge; Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, Avera Cancer Institute, Sioux Falls, USA
| | | | | | | | - A V Lee
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biolog, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA; Women's Cancer Research Center, Magee-Women's Research Institute, Pittsburgh, USA
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Identification of two novel breast cancer loci through large-scale genome-wide association study in the Japanese population. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17332. [PMID: 31757997 PMCID: PMC6874604 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53654-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully identified about 70 genomic loci associated with breast cancer. Owing to the complexity of linkage disequilibrium and environmental exposures in different populations, it is essential to perform regional GWAS for better risk prediction. This study aimed to investigate the genetic architecture and to assess common genetic risk model of breast cancer with 6,669 breast cancer patients and 21,930 female controls in the Japanese population. This GWAS identified 11 genomic loci that surpass genome-wide significance threshold of P < 5.0 × 10−8 with nine previously reported loci and two novel loci that include rs9862599 on 3q13.11 (ALCAM) and rs75286142 on 21q22.12 (CLIC6-RUNX1). Validation study was carried out with 981 breast cancer cases and 1,394 controls from the Aichi Cancer Center. Pathway analyses of GWAS signals identified association of dopamine receptor medicated signaling and protein amino acid deacetylation with breast cancer. Weighted genetic risk score showed that individuals who were categorized in the highest risk group are approximately 3.7 times more likely to develop breast cancer compared to individuals in the lowest risk group. This well-powered GWAS is a representative study to identify SNPs that are associated with breast cancer in the Japanese population.
Collapse
|
48
|
Bulun SE, Yilmaz BD, Sison C, Miyazaki K, Bernardi L, Liu S, Kohlmeier A, Yin P, Milad M, Wei J. Endometriosis. Endocr Rev 2019; 40:1048-1079. [PMID: 30994890 PMCID: PMC6693056 DOI: 10.1210/er.2018-00242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 393] [Impact Index Per Article: 78.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Pelvic endometriosis is a complex syndrome characterized by an estrogen-dependent chronic inflammatory process that affects primarily pelvic tissues, including the ovaries. It is caused when shed endometrial tissue travels retrograde into the lower abdominal cavity. Endometriosis is the most common cause of chronic pelvic pain in women and is associated with infertility. The underlying pathologic mechanisms in the intracavitary endometrium and extrauterine endometriotic tissue involve defectively programmed endometrial mesenchymal progenitor/stem cells. Although endometriotic stromal cells, which compose the bulk of endometriotic lesions, do not carry somatic mutations, they demonstrate specific epigenetic abnormalities that alter expression of key transcription factors. For example, GATA-binding factor-6 overexpression transforms an endometrial stromal cell to an endometriotic phenotype, and steroidogenic factor-1 overexpression causes excessive production of estrogen, which drives inflammation via pathologically high levels of estrogen receptor-β. Progesterone receptor deficiency causes progesterone resistance. Populations of endometrial and endometriotic epithelial cells also harbor multiple cancer driver mutations, such as KRAS, which may be associated with the establishment of pelvic endometriosis or ovarian cancer. It is not known how interactions between epigenomically defective stromal cells and the mutated genes in epithelial cells contribute to the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Endometriosis-associated pelvic pain is managed by suppression of ovulatory menses and estrogen production, cyclooxygenase inhibitors, and surgical removal of pelvic lesions, and in vitro fertilization is frequently used to overcome infertility. Although novel targeted treatments are becoming available, as endometriosis pathophysiology is better understood, preventive approaches such as long-term ovulation suppression may play a critical role in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Serdar E Bulun
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Bahar D Yilmaz
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Christia Sison
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Kaoru Miyazaki
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Lia Bernardi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Shimeng Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Amanda Kohlmeier
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Ping Yin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Magdy Milad
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - JianJun Wei
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
- Department of Pathology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Kim CY, Na K, Park S, Jeong SK, Cho JY, Shin H, Lee MJ, Han G, Paik YK. FusionPro, a Versatile Proteogenomic Tool for Identification of Novel Fusion Transcripts and Their Potential Translation Products in Cancer Cells. Mol Cell Proteomics 2019; 18:1651-1668. [PMID: 31208993 PMCID: PMC6683003 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.ra119.001456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Fusion proteoforms are translation products derived from gene fusion. Although very rare, the fusion proteoforms play important roles in biomedical science. For example, fusion proteoforms influence the development of tumors by serving as cancer markers or cell cycle regulators. Although numerous studies have reported bioinformatics tools that can predict fusion transcripts, few proteogenomic tools are available that can predict and identify proteoforms. In this study, we develop a versatile proteogenomic tool "FusionPro," which facilitates the identification of fusion transcripts and their potential translatable peptides. FusionPro provides an independent gene fusion prediction module and can build sequence databases for annotated fusion proteoforms. FusionPro shows greater sensitivity than the available fusion finders when analyzing simulated or real RNA sequencing data sets. We use FusionPro to identify 18 fusion junction peptides and three potential fusion-derived peptides by MS/MS-based analysis of leukemia cell lines (Jurkat and K562) and ovarian cancer tissues from the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium. Among the identified fusion proteins, we molecularly validate two fusion junction isoforms and a translation product of FAM133B:CDK6. Moreover, sequence analysis suggests that the fusion protein participates in the cell cycle progression. In addition, our prediction results indicate that fusion transcripts often have multiple fusion junctions and that these fusion junctions tend to be distributed in a nonrandom pattern at both the chromosome and gene levels. Thus, FusionPro allows users to detect various types of fusion translation products using a transcriptome-informed approach and to gain a comprehensive understanding of the formation and biological roles of fusion proteoforms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chae-Yeon Kim
- ‡Interdisciplinary Program of Integrated OMICS for Biomedical Science, The Graduate School, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea; §Yonsei Proteome Research Center, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Keun Na
- §Yonsei Proteome Research Center, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Saeram Park
- §Yonsei Proteome Research Center, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Seul-Ki Jeong
- §Yonsei Proteome Research Center, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Young Cho
- §Yonsei Proteome Research Center, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Heon Shin
- §Yonsei Proteome Research Center, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Jung Lee
- §Yonsei Proteome Research Center, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Gyoonhee Han
- ¶Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Ki Paik
- §Yonsei Proteome Research Center, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Rodriguez D, Ramkairsingh M, Lin X, Kapoor A, Major P, Tang D. The Central Contributions of Breast Cancer Stem Cells in Developing Resistance to Endocrine Therapy in Estrogen Receptor (ER)-Positive Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11071028. [PMID: 31336602 PMCID: PMC6678134 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11071028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer stem cells (BCSC) play critical roles in the acquisition of resistance to endocrine therapy in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive (ER + ve) breast cancer (BC). The resistance results from complex alterations involving ER, growth factor receptors, NOTCH, Wnt/β-catenin, hedgehog, YAP/TAZ, and the tumor microenvironment. These mechanisms are likely converged on regulating BCSCs, which then drive the development of endocrine therapy resistance. In this regard, hormone therapies enrich BCSCs in ER + ve BCs under both pre-clinical and clinical settings along with upregulation of the core components of “stemness” transcriptional factors including SOX2, NANOG, and OCT4. SOX2 initiates a set of reactions involving SOX9, Wnt, FXY3D, and Src tyrosine kinase; these reactions stimulate BCSCs and contribute to endocrine resistance. The central contributions of BCSCs to endocrine resistance regulated by complex mechanisms offer a unified strategy to counter the resistance. ER + ve BCs constitute approximately 75% of BCs to which hormone therapy is the major therapeutic approach. Likewise, resistance to endocrine therapy remains the major challenge in the management of patients with ER + ve BC. In this review we will discuss evidence supporting a central role of BCSCs in developing endocrine resistance and outline the strategy of targeting BCSCs to reduce hormone therapy resistance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Rodriguez
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
- The Research Institute of St Joe's Hamilton, St Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
- Urological Cancer Center for Research and Innovation (UCCRI), St Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
- The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
| | - Marc Ramkairsingh
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
- The Research Institute of St Joe's Hamilton, St Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
- Urological Cancer Center for Research and Innovation (UCCRI), St Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
- The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
| | - Xiaozeng Lin
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
- The Research Institute of St Joe's Hamilton, St Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
- Urological Cancer Center for Research and Innovation (UCCRI), St Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
- The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
| | - Anil Kapoor
- The Research Institute of St Joe's Hamilton, St Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
- Urological Cancer Center for Research and Innovation (UCCRI), St Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
- Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Pierre Major
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8V 5C2, Canada
| | - Damu Tang
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
- The Research Institute of St Joe's Hamilton, St Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada.
- Urological Cancer Center for Research and Innovation (UCCRI), St Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada.
- The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|