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Vasilevska J, Cheng PF, Lehmann J, Ramelyte E, Gómez JM, Dimitriou F, Sella F, Ferretti D, Salas-Bastos A, Jordaan WS, Levesque MP, Dummer R, Sommer L. Monitoring melanoma patients on treatment reveals a distinct macrophage population driving targeted therapy resistance. Cell Rep Med 2024; 5:101611. [PMID: 38942020 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101611] [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: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
Resistance to targeted therapy remains a major clinical challenge in melanoma. To uncover resistance mechanisms, we perform single-cell RNA sequencing on fine-needle aspirates from resistant and responding tumors of patients undergoing BRAFi/MEKi treatment. Among the genes most prominently expressed in resistant tumors is POSTN, predicted to signal to a macrophage population associated with targeted therapy resistance (TTR). Accordingly, tumors from patients with fast disease progression after therapy exhibit high POSTN expression levels and high numbers of TTR macrophages. POSTN polarizes human macrophages toward a TTR phenotype and promotes resistance to targeted therapy in a melanoma mouse model, which is associated with a phenotype change in intratumoral macrophages. Finally, polarized TTR macrophages directly protect human melanoma cells from MEKi-induced killing via CD44 receptor expression on melanoma cells. Thus, interfering with the protective activity of TTR macrophages may offer a strategy to overcome resistance to targeted therapy in melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelena Vasilevska
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Phil Fang Cheng
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Julia Lehmann
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Egle Ramelyte
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Julia Martínez Gómez
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Florentia Dimitriou
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Federica Sella
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daria Ferretti
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Mitchell Paul Levesque
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Reinhard Dummer
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lukas Sommer
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
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2
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Ferreres JR, Vinyals A, Campos-Martin R, Espín R, Podlipnik S, Ramos R, Bertran E, Carrera C, Marcoval J, Malvehy J, Fabregat I, Puig S, Fabra À. PRRX1 silencing is required for metastatic outgrowth in melanoma and is an independent prognostic of reduced survival in patients. Mol Oncol 2024. [PMID: 38978350 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Paired related homeobox 1 (PRRX1) is an inducer of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in different types of cancer cells. We detected low PRRX1 expression in nevus but increased levels in primary human melanoma and cell lines carrying the BRAFV600E mutation. High expression of PRRX1 correlates with invasiveness and enrichment of genes belonging to the EMT programme. Conversely, we found that loss of PRRX1 in metastatic samples is an independent prognostic predictor of poor survival for melanoma patients. Here, we show that stable depletion of PRRX1 improves the growth of melanoma xenografts and increases the number of distant spontaneous metastases, compared to controls. We provide evidence that loss of PRRX1 counteracts the EMT phenotype, impairing the expression of other EMT-related transcription factors, causing dysregulation of the ERK and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathways, and abrogating the invasive and migratory properties of melanoma cells while triggering the up-regulation of proliferative/melanocytic genes and the expression of the neural-crest-like markers nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR; also known as neurotrophin receptor p75NTR) and neural cell adhesion molecule L1 (L1CAM). Overall, our results indicate that loss of PRRX1 triggers a switch in the invasive programme, and cells de-differentiate towards a neural crest stem cell (NCSC)-like phenotype that accounts for the metastatic aggressiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josep R Ferreres
- TGF-β and Cancer Group, Oncobell Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospital Duran i Reynals, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), ISCIII, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Dermatology Service, IDIBELL, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antònia Vinyals
- TGF-β and Cancer Group, Oncobell Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospital Duran i Reynals, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), ISCIII, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael Campos-Martin
- Division of Neurogenetics and Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - Roderic Espín
- Program Against Cancer Therapeutic Resistance (ProCURE), Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Oncobell Program (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sebastian Podlipnik
- Dermatology Department, Melanoma Unit, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS & University of Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), ISCIII, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel Ramos
- TGF-β and Cancer Group, Oncobell Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospital Duran i Reynals, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), ISCIII, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Esther Bertran
- TGF-β and Cancer Group, Oncobell Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospital Duran i Reynals, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), ISCIII, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Cristina Carrera
- Dermatology Department, Melanoma Unit, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS & University of Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), ISCIII, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Joaquim Marcoval
- Dermatology Service, IDIBELL, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Malvehy
- Dermatology Department, Melanoma Unit, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS & University of Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), ISCIII, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Fabregat
- TGF-β and Cancer Group, Oncobell Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospital Duran i Reynals, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), ISCIII, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Susana Puig
- Dermatology Department, Melanoma Unit, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS & University of Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), ISCIII, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Àngels Fabra
- TGF-β and Cancer Group, Oncobell Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospital Duran i Reynals, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), ISCIII, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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3
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Kim G, Bhattarai PY, Lim SC, Lee KY, Choi HS. Sirtuin 5-mediated deacetylation of TAZ at K54 promotes melanoma development. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2024; 47:967-985. [PMID: 38112979 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-023-00910-w] [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] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Nuclear accumulation of YAP/TAZ promotes tumorigenesis in several cancers, including melanoma. Although the mechanisms underlying the nuclear retention of YAP are known, those underlying the retention of TAZ remain unclear. Our study investigates a novel acetylation/deacetylation switch in TAZ, governing its subcellular localization in melanoma tumorigenesis. METHODS Immunoprecipitation/Western blot assessed TAZ protein interactions and acetylation. SIRT5 activity was quantified with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Immunofluorescence indicated TAZ nuclear localization. TEAD transcriptional activity was measured through luciferase reporter assays. ChIP detected TAZ binding to the CTGF promoter. Transwell and wound healing assays quantified melanoma cell invasiveness and migration. Metastasis was evaluated using a mouse model via tail vein injections. Clinical relevance was explored via immunohistochemical staining of patient tumors. RESULTS CBP facilitated TAZ acetylation at K54 in response to epidermal growth factor stimulation, while SIRT5 mediated deacetylation. Acetylation correlated with phosphorylation, regulating TAZ's binding with LATS2 or TEAD. TAZ K54 acetylation enhanced its S89 phosphorylation, promoting cytosolic retention via LATS2 interaction. SIRT5-mediated deacetylation enhanced TAZ-TEAD interaction and nuclear retention. Chromatin IP showed SIRT5-deacetylated TAZ recruited to CTGF promoter, boosting transcriptional activity. In a mouse model, SIRT5 overexpression induced melanoma metastasis to lung tissue following the injection of B16F10 melanocytes via the tail vein, and this effect was prevented by verteporfin treatment. CONCLUSIONS Our study revealed a novel mechanism of TAZ nuclear retention regulated by SIRT5-mediated K54 deacetylation and demonstrated the significance of TAZ deacetylation in CTGF expression. This study highlights the potential implications of the SIRT5/TAZ axis for treating metastatic melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garam Kim
- College of Pharmacy, Chosun University, 309 Pilmun-daero, Dong-gu, Gwangju, 501-759, Republic of Korea
| | - Poshan Yugal Bhattarai
- College of Pharmacy, Chosun University, 309 Pilmun-daero, Dong-gu, Gwangju, 501-759, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung-Chul Lim
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, 61452, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwang Youl Lee
- College of Pharmacy, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Hong Seok Choi
- College of Pharmacy, Chosun University, 309 Pilmun-daero, Dong-gu, Gwangju, 501-759, Republic of Korea.
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4
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Thatikonda V, Supper V, Wachter J, Kaya O, Kombara A, Bilgilier C, Ravichandran MC, Lipp JJ, Sharma R, Badertscher L, Boghossian AS, Rees MG, Ronan MM, Roth JA, Grosche S, Neumüller RA, Mair B, Mauri F, Popa A. Genetic dependencies associated with transcription factor activities in human cancer cell lines. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114175. [PMID: 38691456 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114175] [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: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) are important mediators of aberrant transcriptional programs in cancer cells. In this study, we focus on TF activity (TFa) as a biomarker for cell-line-selective anti-proliferative effects, in that high TFa predicts sensitivity to loss of function of a given gene (i.e., genetic dependencies [GDs]). Our linear-regression-based framework identifies 3,047 pan-cancer and 3,952 cancer-type-specific candidate TFa-GD associations from cell line data, which are then cross-examined for impact on survival in patient cohorts. One of the most prominent biomarkers is TEAD1 activity, whose associations with its predicted GDs are validated through experimental evidence as proof of concept. Overall, these TFa-GD associations represent an attractive resource for identifying innovative, biomarker-driven hypotheses for drug discovery programs in oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venu Thatikonda
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria.
| | - Verena Supper
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Johannes Wachter
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Onur Kaya
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Anju Kombara
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Ceren Bilgilier
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | | | - Jesse J Lipp
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Rahul Sharma
- Myllia Biotechnology GmbH, Am Kanal 27, Vienna 1110, Austria
| | | | | | - Matthew G Rees
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Melissa M Ronan
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Jennifer A Roth
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Sarah Grosche
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Ralph A Neumüller
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Barbara Mair
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Federico Mauri
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria
| | - Alexandra Popa
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Doktor-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, Vienna 1120, Austria.
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5
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Ryu HJ, Kim C, Jang H, Kim SI, Shin SJ, Chung KY, Torres-Cabala C, Kim SK. Nuclear Localization of Yes-Associated Protein Is Associated With Tumor Progression in Cutaneous Melanoma. J Transl Med 2024; 104:102048. [PMID: 38490470 DOI: 10.1016/j.labinv.2024.102048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Yes-associated protein (YAP), an effector molecule of the Hippo signaling pathway, is expressed at high levels in cutaneous melanoma. However, the role of YAP in melanoma progression according to cellular localization is poorly understood. Tissues from 140 patients with invasive melanoma were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Flow cytometry, western blotting, viability assays, wound healing assays, verteporfin treatment, and xenograft assays were conducted using melanoma cell lines B16F1 and B16F10 subjected to YapS127A transfection and siYap knockdown. Nuclear YAP localization was identified in 63 tumors (45.0%) and was more frequent than cytoplasmic YAP in acral lentiginous and nodular subtypes (P = .007). Compared with cytoplasmic YAP melanomas, melanomas with nuclear YAP had higher mitotic activity (P = .016), deeper invasion (P < .001), and more frequently metastasized to lymph nodes (P < .001) and distant organs (P < .001). Patients with nuclear YAP melanomas had poorer disease-free survival (P < .001) and overall survival (P < .001). Nuclear YAP was an independent risk factor for distant metastasis (hazard ratio: 3.206; 95% CI, 1.032-9.961; P = .044). Proliferative ability was decreased in siYapB16F1 (P < .001) and siYapB16F10 (P = .001) cells and increased in YapS127AB16F1 (P = .003) and YapS127AB16F10 (P = .002) cells. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated relative G1 retention in siYapB16F1 (P < .001) and siYapB16F10 (P < .001) cells and S retention in YapS127AB16F1 cells (P = .008). Wound healing assays showed that Yap knockdown inhibited cell invasion (siYapB16F1, P = .001; siYapB16F10, P < .001), whereas nuclear YAP promoted it (YapS127AB16F, P < .001; YapS127AB16F1, P = .017). Verteporfin, a direct YAP inhibitor, reduced cellular proliferation in B16F1 (P = .003) and B16F10 (P < .001) cells. Proliferative effects of nuclear YAP were confirmed in xenograft mice (P < .001). In conclusion, nuclear YAP in human melanomas showed subtype specificity and correlated with proliferative activity and proinvasiveness. It is expected that YAP becomes a useful prognostic marker, and its inhibition may be a potential therapy for melanoma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyang Joo Ryu
- Department of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Chayeon Kim
- Department of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hyenguk Jang
- Department of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sun Il Kim
- Department of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sang Joon Shin
- Department of Oncology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Kee Yang Chung
- Department of Dermatology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Carlos Torres-Cabala
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
| | - Sang Kyum Kim
- Department of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
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6
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Durand S, Tang Y, Pommier RM, Benboubker V, Grimont M, Boivin F, Barbollat-Boutrand L, Cumunel E, Dupeuble F, Eberhardt A, Plaschka M, Dalle S, Caramel J. ZEB1 controls a lineage-specific transcriptional program essential for melanoma cell state transitions. Oncogene 2024; 43:1489-1505. [PMID: 38519642 PMCID: PMC11090790 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-024-03010-7] [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: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Cell plasticity sustains intra-tumor heterogeneity and treatment resistance in melanoma. Deciphering the transcriptional mechanisms governing reversible phenotypic transitions between proliferative/differentiated and invasive/stem-like states is required. Expression of the ZEB1 transcription factor is frequently activated in melanoma, where it fosters adaptive resistance to targeted therapies. Here, we performed a genome-wide characterization of ZEB1 transcriptional targets, by combining ChIP-sequencing and RNA-sequencing, upon phenotype switching in melanoma models. We identified and validated ZEB1 binding peaks in the promoter of key lineage-specific genes crucial for melanoma cell identity. Mechanistically, ZEB1 negatively regulates SOX10-MITF dependent proliferative/melanocytic programs and positively regulates AP-1 driven invasive and stem-like programs. Comparative analyses with breast carcinoma cells revealed lineage-specific ZEB1 binding, leading to the design of a more reliable melanoma-specific ZEB1 regulon. We then developed single-cell spatial multiplexed analyses to characterize melanoma cell states intra-tumoral heterogeneity in human melanoma samples. Combined with scRNA-Seq analyses, our findings confirmed increased ZEB1 expression in Neural-Crest-like cells and mesenchymal cells, underscoring its significance in vivo in both populations. Overall, our results define ZEB1 as a major transcriptional regulator of cell states transitions and provide a better understanding of lineage-specific transcriptional programs sustaining intra-tumor heterogeneity in melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Durand
- "Cancer cell Plasticity in Melanoma" lab, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, 69008, Lyon, France
| | - Yaqi Tang
- "Cancer cell Plasticity in Melanoma" lab, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, 69008, Lyon, France
| | - Roxane M Pommier
- Fondation Synergie Lyon Cancer, Plateforme de bio-informatique Gilles Thomas, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, Centre Léon Bérard, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, 69008, Lyon, France
| | - Valentin Benboubker
- "Cancer cell Plasticity in Melanoma" lab, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, 69008, Lyon, France
| | - Maxime Grimont
- "Cancer cell Plasticity in Melanoma" lab, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, 69008, Lyon, France
| | - Felix Boivin
- "Cancer cell Plasticity in Melanoma" lab, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, 69008, Lyon, France
| | - Laetitia Barbollat-Boutrand
- "Cancer cell Plasticity in Melanoma" lab, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, 69008, Lyon, France
| | - Eric Cumunel
- Fondation Synergie Lyon Cancer, Plateforme de bio-informatique Gilles Thomas, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, Centre Léon Bérard, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, 69008, Lyon, France
| | - Florian Dupeuble
- "Cancer cell Plasticity in Melanoma" lab, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, 69008, Lyon, France
| | - Anaïs Eberhardt
- "Cancer cell Plasticity in Melanoma" lab, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, 69008, Lyon, France
- Dermatology Unit, Hospices Civils de Lyon, CH Lyon Sud, 165 chemin du Grand Revoyet, 69495, Pierre Bénite, Cedex, France
| | - Maud Plaschka
- "Cancer cell Plasticity in Melanoma" lab, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, 69008, Lyon, France
| | - Stéphane Dalle
- "Cancer cell Plasticity in Melanoma" lab, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, 69008, Lyon, France
- Dermatology Unit, Hospices Civils de Lyon, CH Lyon Sud, 165 chemin du Grand Revoyet, 69495, Pierre Bénite, Cedex, France
| | - Julie Caramel
- "Cancer cell Plasticity in Melanoma" lab, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, 69008, Lyon, France.
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7
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Pudjihartono M, Golovina E, Fadason T, O'Sullivan JM, Schierding W. Links between melanoma germline risk loci, driver genes and comorbidities: insight from a tissue-specific multi-omic analysis. Mol Oncol 2024; 18:1031-1048. [PMID: 38308491 PMCID: PMC10994230 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13599] [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: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have associated 76 loci with the risk of developing melanoma. However, understanding the molecular basis of such associations has remained a challenge because most of these loci are in non-coding regions of the genome. Here, we integrated data on epigenomic markers, three-dimensional (3D) genome organization, and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) from melanoma-relevant tissues and cell types to gain novel insights into the mechanisms underlying melanoma risk. This integrative approach revealed a total of 151 target genes, both near and far away from the risk loci in linear sequence, with known and novel roles in the etiology of melanoma. Using protein-protein interaction networks, we identified proteins that interact-directly or indirectly-with the products of the target genes. The interacting proteins were enriched for known melanoma driver genes. Further integration of these target genes into tissue-specific gene regulatory networks revealed patterns of gene regulation that connect melanoma to its comorbidities. Our study provides novel insights into the biological implications of genetic variants associated with melanoma risk.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Justin M. O'Sullivan
- Liggins InstituteThe University of AucklandNew Zealand
- The Maurice Wilkins CentreThe University of AucklandNew Zealand
- Australian Parkinson's MissionGarvan Institute of Medical ResearchSydneyAustralia
- MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology UnitUniversity of SouthamptonUK
- Singapore Institute for Clinical SciencesAgency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)Singapore CitySingapore
| | - William Schierding
- Liggins InstituteThe University of AucklandNew Zealand
- The Maurice Wilkins CentreThe University of AucklandNew Zealand
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8
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Kanai R, Norton E, Stern P, Hynes RO, Lamar JM. Identification of a Gene Signature That Predicts Dependence upon YAP/TAZ-TEAD. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:852. [PMID: 38473214 PMCID: PMC10930532 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16050852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Targeted therapies are effective cancer treatments when accompanied by accurate diagnostic tests that can help identify patients that will respond to those therapies. The YAP/TAZ-TEAD axis is activated and plays a causal role in several cancer types, and TEAD inhibitors are currently in early-phase clinical trials in cancer patients. However, a lack of a reliable way to identify tumors with YAP/TAZ-TEAD activation for most cancer types makes it difficult to determine which tumors will be susceptible to TEAD inhibitors. Here, we used a combination of RNA-seq and bioinformatic analysis of metastatic melanoma cells to develop a YAP/TAZ gene signature. We found that the genes in this signature are TEAD-dependent in several melanoma cell lines, and that their expression strongly correlates with YAP/TAZ activation in human melanomas. Using DepMap dependency data, we found that this YAP/TAZ signature was predictive of melanoma cell dependence upon YAP/TAZ or TEADs. Importantly, this was not limited to melanoma because this signature was also predictive when tested on a panel of over 1000 cancer cell lines representing numerous distinct cancer types. Our results suggest that YAP/TAZ gene signatures like ours may be effective tools to predict tumor cell dependence upon YAP/TAZ-TEAD, and thus potentially provide a means to identify patients likely to benefit from TEAD inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Kanai
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY 12208, USA; (R.K.); (E.N.)
| | - Emily Norton
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY 12208, USA; (R.K.); (E.N.)
| | - Patrick Stern
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA;
| | - Richard O. Hynes
- Department of Biology, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA;
| | - John M. Lamar
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY 12208, USA; (R.K.); (E.N.)
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9
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Taglialatela I, Indini A, Santanelli G, Di Liberti G, Di Guardo L, De Braud F, Del Vecchio M. Melanoma and sex hormones: Pathogenesis, progressive disease and response to treatments. TUMORI JOURNAL 2024:3008916241231687. [PMID: 38372040 DOI: 10.1177/03008916241231687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Cutaneous melanoma represents the fifth tumor in terms of incidence in young adults, with a major involvement of males than females. Despite the significant changes in available effective treatments for cutaneous melanoma, there is still a proportion of patients that do not benefit long-term disease control with immune checkpoint inhibitors and/or BRAF/MEK inhibitors, and eventually develop progressive disease. In addition to the emerging biomarkers under investigation to understand resistance to treatments, recent studies resumed the role of sex hormones (estrogens, progesterone and androgens) in melanoma patients. In the last decades, the impact of sex hormones has been considered controversial in melanoma patients, but actual growing preclinical and clinical evidence underline the potential influence on melanoma cells' growth, tumor microenvironment, the immune system and consequently on the course of disease.This review will provide available insights on the role of sex hormones in melanoma pathogenesis, disease progression and response/resistance to systemic treatments. We will also offer an overview on the recent studies on the theme, describing the hormonal contribution to disease response and the interaction with targeted therapies and immune-checkpoint inhibitors in cutaneous melanoma patients, illustrating an insight into future research in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida Taglialatela
- Melanoma Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Alice Indini
- Melanoma Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Santanelli
- Melanoma Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgia Di Liberti
- Melanoma Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenza Di Guardo
- Melanoma Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Filippo De Braud
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy
- Università degli studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Michele Del Vecchio
- Melanoma Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy
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10
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Binet R, Lambert JP, Tomkova M, Tischfield S, Baggiolini A, Picaud S, Sarkar S, Louphrasitthiphol P, Dias D, Carreira S, Humphrey TC, Fillipakopoulos P, White R, Goding CR. DNA damage remodels the MITF interactome to increase melanoma genomic instability. Genes Dev 2024; 38:70-94. [PMID: 38316520 PMCID: PMC10903946 DOI: 10.1101/gad.350740.123] [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: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Since genome instability can drive cancer initiation and progression, cells have evolved highly effective and ubiquitous DNA damage response (DDR) programs. However, some cells (for example, in skin) are normally exposed to high levels of DNA-damaging agents. Whether such high-risk cells possess lineage-specific mechanisms that tailor DNA repair to the tissue remains largely unknown. Using melanoma as a model, we show here that the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor MITF, a lineage addition oncogene that coordinates many aspects of melanocyte and melanoma biology, plays a nontranscriptional role in shaping the DDR. On exposure to DNA-damaging agents, MITF is phosphorylated at S325, and its interactome is dramatically remodeled; most transcription cofactors dissociate, and instead MITF interacts with the MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) complex. Consequently, cells with high MITF levels accumulate stalled replication forks and display defects in homologous recombination-mediated repair associated with impaired MRN recruitment to DNA damage. In agreement with this, high MITF levels are associated with increased single-nucleotide and copy number variant burdens in melanoma. Significantly, the SUMOylation-defective MITF-E318K melanoma predisposition mutation recapitulates the effects of DNA-PKcs-phosphorylated MITF. Our data suggest that a nontranscriptional function of a lineage-restricted transcription factor contributes to a tissue-specialized modulation of the DDR that can impact cancer initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romuald Binet
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
| | - Jean-Philippe Lambert
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Cancer Research Center, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec G1V 4G2, Canada
- Endocrinology-Nephrology Axis, CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center, Québec City, Québec G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Marketa Tomkova
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Samuel Tischfield
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA
- Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Arianna Baggiolini
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Sarah Picaud
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
| | - Sovan Sarkar
- Cancer Research UK, Medical Research Council Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
| | - Pakavarin Louphrasitthiphol
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
| | - Diogo Dias
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
| | - Suzanne Carreira
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy C Humphrey
- Cancer Research UK, Medical Research Council Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
| | - Panagis Fillipakopoulos
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
| | - Richard White
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Colin R Goding
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom;
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11
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Mendelson K, Martin TC, Nguyen CB, Hsu M, Xu J, Lang C, Dummer R, Saenger Y, Messina JL, Sondak VK, Desman G, Hasson D, Bernstein E, Parsons RE, Celebi JT. Differential histone acetylation and super-enhancer regulation underlie melanoma cell dedifferentiation. JCI Insight 2024; 9:e166611. [PMID: 38319712 PMCID: PMC11063936 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.166611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Dedifferentiation or phenotype switching refers to the transition from a proliferative to an invasive cellular state. We previously identified a 122-gene epigenetic gene signature that classifies primary melanomas as low versus high risk (denoted as Epgn1 or Epgn3). We found that the transcriptomes of the Epgn1 low-risk and Epgn3 high-risk cells are similar to the proliferative and invasive cellular states, respectively. These signatures were further validated in melanoma tumor samples. Examination of the chromatin landscape revealed differential H3K27 acetylation in the Epgn1 low-risk versus Epgn3 high-risk cell lines that corroborated with a differential super-enhancer and enhancer landscape. Melanocytic lineage genes (MITF, its targets and regulators) were associated with super-enhancers in the Epgn1 low-risk state, whereas invasiveness genes were linked with Epgn3 high-risk status. We identified the ITGA3 gene as marked by a super-enhancer element in the Epgn3 invasive cells. Silencing of ITGA3 enhanced invasiveness in both in vitro and in vivo systems, suggesting it as a negative regulator of invasion. In conclusion, we define chromatin landscape changes associated with Epgn1/Epgn3 and phenotype switching during early steps of melanoma progression that regulate transcriptional reprogramming. This super-enhancer and enhancer-driven epigenetic regulatory mechanism resulting in major changes in the transcriptome could be important in future therapeutic targeting efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Mendelson
- Department of Dermatology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Tiphaine C. Martin
- Department of Oncological Sciences and
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Christie B. Nguyen
- Department of Oncological Sciences and
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Min Hsu
- Department of Dermatology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jia Xu
- Department of Oncological Sciences and
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Claudia Lang
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Reinhard Dummer
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yvonne Saenger
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jane L. Messina
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, USF Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA
- Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Vernon K. Sondak
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, USF Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA
- Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Garrett Desman
- Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Dan Hasson
- Department of Oncological Sciences and
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Emily Bernstein
- Department of Oncological Sciences and
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ramon E. Parsons
- Department of Oncological Sciences and
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Julide Tok Celebi
- Department of Dermatology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
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12
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Wu M, Hanly A, Gibson F, Fisher R, Rogers S, Park K, Zuger A, Kuang K, Kalin JH, Nocco S, Cole M, Xiao A, Agus F, Labadorf A, Beck S, Collard M, Cole PA, Alani RM. The CoREST repressor complex mediates phenotype switching and therapy resistance in melanoma. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e171063. [PMID: 38300709 PMCID: PMC10940100 DOI: 10.1172/jci171063] [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: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Virtually all patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma develop resistance to MAPK inhibitors largely through nonmutational events. Although the epigenetic landscape is shown to be altered in therapy-resistant melanomas and other cancers, a specific targetable epigenetic mechanism has not been validated. Here, we evaluated the corepressor for element 1-silencing transcription factor (CoREST) epigenetic repressor complex and the recently developed bivalent inhibitor corin within the context of melanoma phenotype plasticity and therapeutic resistance. We found that CoREST was a critical mediator of the major distinct melanoma phenotypes and that corin treatment of melanoma cells led to phenotype reprogramming. Global assessment of transcript and chromatin changes conferred by corin revealed specific effects on histone marks connected to epithelial-mesenchymal transition-associated (EMT-associated) transcription factors and the dual-specificity phosphatases (DUSPs). Remarkably, treatment of BRAF inhibitor-resistant (BRAFi-R) melanomas with corin promoted resensitization to BRAFi therapy. DUSP1 was consistently downregulated in BRAFi-R melanomas, which was reversed by corin treatment and associated with inhibition of p38 MAPK activity and resensitization to BRAFi therapies. Moreover, this activity was recapitulated by the p38 MAPK inhibitor BIRB 796. These findings identify the CoREST repressor complex as a central mediator of melanoma phenotype plasticity and resistance to targeted therapy and suggest that CoREST inhibitors may prove beneficial for patients with BRAFi-resistant melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muzhou Wu
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ailish Hanly
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Frederick Gibson
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Robert Fisher
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Samantha Rogers
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kihyun Park
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Angelina Zuger
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kevin Kuang
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jay H. Kalin
- Division of Genetics, Departments of Medicine and Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sarah Nocco
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Matthew Cole
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Amy Xiao
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Filisia Agus
- Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Adam Labadorf
- Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Samuel Beck
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Marianne Collard
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Philip A. Cole
- Division of Genetics, Departments of Medicine and Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rhoda M. Alani
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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13
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Taskiran II, Spanier KI, Dickmänken H, Kempynck N, Pančíková A, Ekşi EC, Hulselmans G, Ismail JN, Theunis K, Vandepoel R, Christiaens V, Mauduit D, Aerts S. Cell-type-directed design of synthetic enhancers. Nature 2024; 626:212-220. [PMID: 38086419 PMCID: PMC10830415 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06936-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Transcriptional enhancers act as docking stations for combinations of transcription factors and thereby regulate spatiotemporal activation of their target genes1. It has been a long-standing goal in the field to decode the regulatory logic of an enhancer and to understand the details of how spatiotemporal gene expression is encoded in an enhancer sequence. Here we show that deep learning models2-6, can be used to efficiently design synthetic, cell-type-specific enhancers, starting from random sequences, and that this optimization process allows detailed tracing of enhancer features at single-nucleotide resolution. We evaluate the function of fully synthetic enhancers to specifically target Kenyon cells or glial cells in the fruit fly brain using transgenic animals. We further exploit enhancer design to create 'dual-code' enhancers that target two cell types and minimal enhancers smaller than 50 base pairs that are fully functional. By examining the state space searches towards local optima, we characterize enhancer codes through the strength, combination and arrangement of transcription factor activator and transcription factor repressor motifs. Finally, we apply the same strategies to successfully design human enhancers, which adhere to enhancer rules similar to those of Drosophila enhancers. Enhancer design guided by deep learning leads to better understanding of how enhancers work and shows that their code can be exploited to manipulate cell states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim I Taskiran
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology (VIB.AI), Leuven, Belgium
- VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Katina I Spanier
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology (VIB.AI), Leuven, Belgium
- VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hannah Dickmänken
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology (VIB.AI), Leuven, Belgium
- VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Niklas Kempynck
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology (VIB.AI), Leuven, Belgium
- VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Alexandra Pančíková
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology (VIB.AI), Leuven, Belgium
- VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- VIB-KULeuven Center for Cancer Biology, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Eren Can Ekşi
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology (VIB.AI), Leuven, Belgium
- VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gert Hulselmans
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology (VIB.AI), Leuven, Belgium
- VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Joy N Ismail
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology (VIB.AI), Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Koen Theunis
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology (VIB.AI), Leuven, Belgium
- VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Roel Vandepoel
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology (VIB.AI), Leuven, Belgium
- VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Valerie Christiaens
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology (VIB.AI), Leuven, Belgium
- VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - David Mauduit
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology (VIB.AI), Leuven, Belgium
- VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stein Aerts
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology (VIB.AI), Leuven, Belgium.
- VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium.
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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14
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Balderson B, Fane M, Harvey TJ, Piper M, Smith A, Bodén M. Systematic analysis of the transcriptional landscape of melanoma reveals drug-target expression plasticity. Brief Funct Genomics 2024:elad055. [PMID: 38183207 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elad055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Metastatic melanoma originates from melanocytes of the skin. Melanoma metastasis results in poor treatment prognosis for patients and is associated with epigenetic and transcriptional changes that reflect the developmental program of melanocyte differentiation from neural crest stem cells. Several studies have explored melanoma transcriptional heterogeneity using microarray, bulk and single-cell RNA-sequencing technologies to derive data-driven models of the transcriptional-state change which occurs during melanoma progression. No study has systematically examined how different models of melanoma progression derived from different data types, technologies and biological conditions compare. Here, we perform a cross-sectional study to identify averaging effects of bulk-based studies that mask and distort apparent melanoma transcriptional heterogeneity; we describe new transcriptionally distinct melanoma cell states, identify differential co-expression of genes between studies and examine the effects of predicted drug susceptibilities of different cell states between studies. Importantly, we observe considerable variability in drug-target gene expression between studies, indicating potential transcriptional plasticity of melanoma to down-regulate these drug targets and thereby circumvent treatment. Overall, observed differences in gene co-expression and predicted drug susceptibility between studies suggest bulk-based transcriptional measurements do not reliably gauge heterogeneity and that melanoma transcriptional plasticity is greater than described when studies are considered in isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brad Balderson
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072 Queensland, Australia
| | - Mitchell Fane
- Fox Chase Cancer Centre, Philadelphia, 19019 Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Tracey J Harvey
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072 Queensland, Australia
| | - Michael Piper
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072 Queensland, Australia
| | - Aaron Smith
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, 4072 Queensland, Australia
| | - Mikael Bodén
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072 Queensland, Australia
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15
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Soumoy L, Genbauffe A, Mouchart L, Sperone A, Trelcat A, Mukeba-Harchies L, Wells M, Blankert B, Najem A, Ghanem G, Saussez S, Journe F. ATP1A1 is a promising new target for melanoma treatment and can be inhibited by its physiological ligand bufalin to restore targeted therapy efficacy. Cancer Cell Int 2024; 24:8. [PMID: 38178183 PMCID: PMC10765859 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-023-03196-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite advancements in treating metastatic melanoma, many patients exhibit resistance to targeted therapies. Our study focuses on ATP1A1, a sodium pump subunit associated with cancer development. We aimed to assess ATP1A1 prognostic value in melanoma patients and examine the impact of its ligand, bufalin, on melanoma cell lines in vitro and in vivo. High ATP1A1 expression (IHC) correlated with reduced overall survival in melanoma patients. Resistance to BRAF inhibitor was linked to elevated ATP1A1 levels in patient biopsies (IHC, qPCR) and cell lines (Western blot, qPCR). Additionally, high ATP1A1 mRNA expression positively correlated with differentiation/pigmentation markers based on data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases and Verfaillie proliferative gene signature analysis. Bufalin specifically targeted ATP1A1 in caveolae, (proximity ligation assay) and influenced Src phosphorylation (Western blot), thereby disrupting multiple signaling pathways (phosphokinase array). In vitro, bufalin induced apoptosis in melanoma cell lines by acting on ATP1A1 (siRNA experiments) and, in vivo, significantly impeded melanoma growth using a nude mouse xenograft model with continuous bufalin delivery via an osmotic pump. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that ATP1A1 could serve as a prognostic marker for patient survival and a predictive marker for response to BRAF inhibitor therapy. By targeting ATP1A1, bufalin inhibited cell proliferation, induced apoptosis in vitro, and effectively suppressed tumor development in mice. Thus, our findings strongly support ATP1A1 as a promising therapeutic target, with bufalin as a potential agent to disrupt its tumor-promoting activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Soumoy
- Laboratory of Human Anatomy and Experimental Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Mons (UMONS), 7000, Mons, Belgium.
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U981, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France.
| | - Aline Genbauffe
- Laboratory of Human Anatomy and Experimental Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Mons (UMONS), 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Lena Mouchart
- Laboratory of Human Anatomy and Experimental Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Mons (UMONS), 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Alexandra Sperone
- Laboratory of Human Anatomy and Experimental Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Mons (UMONS), 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Anne Trelcat
- Laboratory of Human Anatomy and Experimental Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Mons (UMONS), 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Léa Mukeba-Harchies
- Laboratory of Human Anatomy and Experimental Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Mons (UMONS), 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Mathilde Wells
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Mons (UMONS), 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Bertrand Blankert
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Mons (UMONS), 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Ahmad Najem
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Oncology, Institut Jules Bordet, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ghanem Ghanem
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Oncology, Institut Jules Bordet, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sven Saussez
- Laboratory of Human Anatomy and Experimental Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Mons (UMONS), 7000, Mons, Belgium
- Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, CHU Saint-Pierre, 1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Fabrice Journe
- Laboratory of Human Anatomy and Experimental Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Mons (UMONS), 7000, Mons, Belgium.
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Oncology, Institut Jules Bordet, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1000, Brussels, Belgium.
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16
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Pozniak J, Pedri D, Landeloos E, Van Herck Y, Antoranz A, Vanwynsberghe L, Nowosad A, Roda N, Makhzami S, Bervoets G, Maciel LF, Pulido-Vicuña CA, Pollaris L, Seurinck R, Zhao F, Flem-Karlsen K, Damsky W, Chen L, Karagianni D, Cinque S, Kint S, Vandereyken K, Rombaut B, Voet T, Vernaillen F, Annaert W, Lambrechts D, Boecxstaens V, Saeys Y, van den Oord J, Bosisio F, Karras P, Shain AH, Bosenberg M, Leucci E, Paschen A, Rambow F, Bechter O, Marine JC. A TCF4-dependent gene regulatory network confers resistance to immunotherapy in melanoma. Cell 2024; 187:166-183.e25. [PMID: 38181739 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.11.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
To better understand intrinsic resistance to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), we established a comprehensive view of the cellular architecture of the treatment-naive melanoma ecosystem and studied its evolution under ICB. Using single-cell, spatial multi-omics, we showed that the tumor microenvironment promotes the emergence of a complex melanoma transcriptomic landscape. Melanoma cells harboring a mesenchymal-like (MES) state, a population known to confer resistance to targeted therapy, were significantly enriched in early on-treatment biopsies from non-responders to ICB. TCF4 serves as the hub of this landscape by being a master regulator of the MES signature and a suppressor of the melanocytic and antigen presentation transcriptional programs. Targeting TCF4 genetically or pharmacologically, using a bromodomain inhibitor, increased immunogenicity and sensitivity of MES cells to ICB and targeted therapy. We thereby uncovered a TCF4-dependent regulatory network that orchestrates multiple transcriptional programs and contributes to resistance to both targeted therapy and ICB in melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Pozniak
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Dennis Pedri
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory for Membrane Trafficking, Center for Brain and Disease Research, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ewout Landeloos
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of General Medical Oncology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Asier Antoranz
- Laboratory of Translational Cell and Tissue Research, Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven and UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lukas Vanwynsberghe
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ada Nowosad
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Niccolò Roda
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Samira Makhzami
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Greet Bervoets
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lucas Ferreira Maciel
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Carlos Ariel Pulido-Vicuña
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lotte Pollaris
- Data Mining and Modeling for Biomedicine Group, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ruth Seurinck
- Data Mining and Modeling for Biomedicine Group, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Fang Zhao
- Laboratory of Molecular Tumor Immunology, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Karine Flem-Karlsen
- Department of Dermatology, Yale University, 15 York Street, New Haven, CT 05610, USA
| | - William Damsky
- Departments of Dermatology and Pathology, Yale University, 15 York Street, New Haven, CT 05610, USA
| | - Limin Chen
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Despoina Karagianni
- Immune Regulation and Tumor Immunotherapy Group, Cancer Immunology Unit, Research Department of Haematology, UCL Cancer Institute, London WC1E 6DD, UK
| | - Sonia Cinque
- Laboratory for RNA Cancer Biology, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sam Kint
- Laboratory of Reproductive Genomics, Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven Institute for Single Cell Omics (LISCO), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Katy Vandereyken
- Laboratory of Reproductive Genomics, Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven Institute for Single Cell Omics (LISCO), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Benjamin Rombaut
- Data Mining and Modeling for Biomedicine Group, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Thierry Voet
- Laboratory of Reproductive Genomics, Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven Institute for Single Cell Omics (LISCO), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Wim Annaert
- Laboratory for Membrane Trafficking, Center for Brain and Disease Research, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Diether Lambrechts
- Laboratory of Translational Genetics, Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Center for Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Yvan Saeys
- Data Mining and Modeling for Biomedicine Group, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Joost van den Oord
- Laboratory of Translational Cell and Tissue Research, Department of Pathology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Francesca Bosisio
- Laboratory of Translational Cell and Tissue Research, Department of Pathology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Panagiotis Karras
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - A Hunter Shain
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Marcus Bosenberg
- Departments of Dermatology, Pathology and Immunobiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 05610, USA
| | - Eleonora Leucci
- Laboratory for RNA Cancer Biology, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Annette Paschen
- Laboratory of Molecular Tumor Immunology, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Florian Rambow
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Applied Computational Cancer Research, Institute for AI in Medicine (IKIM), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
| | - Oliver Bechter
- Department of General Medical Oncology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Jean-Christophe Marine
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, Center for Cancer Biology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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17
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Koroknai V, Szász I, Jámbor K, Balázs M. Expression pattern of osteopontin isoforms in malignant melanoma cell lines. Clin Transl Sci 2024; 17:e13694. [PMID: 38058256 PMCID: PMC10772848 DOI: 10.1111/cts.13694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteopontin (OPN) is a secreted integrin-binding protein that plays a role in inflammation, cellular viability, cell adhesion and migration, cancer development, and diabetes through different mechanisms. The splice variants of OPN can play essential roles in cancer development, progression, and metastasis formation; however, limited data are available about the role of OPN isoforms in human malignant melanoma. Our goal was to define the gene expression patterns of five OPN variants (OPN4, OPN5, OPNa, OPNb, and OPNc), integrin, and CD44 receptor genes in primary and metastatic melanoma-originated cell lines (n = 19), and to explore the association of the expression patterns with clinicopathological parameters. We evaluated the invasive property of the cell lines and investigated the potential association between the invasion and gene expression of OPN isoforms. We found a significant rise in the expression of OPNc in the invasive cell lines compared to the noninvasive cells and detected significantly higher expression of the OPN splice variants in melanoma cell lines originating from more advanced stages tumors than cell lines originating from early-stage melanomas. The correlation analysis revealed that all five OPN variants positively correlated with ITGB3 and ITGA9, whereas OPN5 positively correlated with ITGB1, ITGAV, ITGA6, and CD44. OPN can activate extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling through binding to α9β1 integrin, promoting melanoma tumor cell migration. It is possible that such associations between OPN splice variants and integrin receptors may play a role in melanoma progression. In conclusion, our findings suggest that high expression of OPNc correlates with the invasive behavior of melanoma cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktoria Koroknai
- Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary
- HUN‐REN‐DE Public Health Research GroupUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary
| | - István Szász
- Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary
- HUN‐REN‐DE Public Health Research GroupUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary
| | - Krisztina Jámbor
- Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary
| | - Margit Balázs
- Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary
- HUN‐REN‐DE Public Health Research GroupUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary
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18
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Abou-Hamad J, Hodgins JJ, Yakubovich E, Vanderhyden BC, Ardolino M, Sabourin LA. Sox10-Deficient Drug-Resistant Melanoma Cells Are Refractory to Oncolytic RNA Viruses. Cells 2023; 13:73. [PMID: 38201278 PMCID: PMC10777920 DOI: 10.3390/cells13010073] [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: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Targeted therapy resistance frequently develops in melanoma due to intratumor heterogeneity and epigenetic reprogramming. This also typically induces cross-resistance to immunotherapies. Whether this includes additional modes of therapy has not been fully assessed. We show that co-treatments of MAPKi with VSV-based oncolytics do not function in a synergistic fashion; rather, the MAPKis block infection. Melanoma resistance to vemurafenib further perturbs the cells' ability to be infected by oncolytic viruses. Resistance to vemurafenib can be induced by the loss of SOX10, a common proliferative marker in melanoma. The loss of SOX10 promotes a cross-resistant state by further inhibiting viral infection and replication. Analysis of RNA-seq datasets revealed an upregulation of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) in SOX10 knockout populations and targeted therapy-resistant cells. Interestingly, the induction of ISGs appears to be independent of type I IFN production. Overall, our data suggest that the pathway mediating oncolytic resistance is due to the loss of SOX10 during acquired drug resistance in melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Abou-Hamad
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (J.A.-H.); (E.Y.); (B.C.V.); (M.A.)
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Jonathan J. Hodgins
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (J.A.-H.); (E.Y.); (B.C.V.); (M.A.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Edward Yakubovich
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (J.A.-H.); (E.Y.); (B.C.V.); (M.A.)
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Barbara C. Vanderhyden
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (J.A.-H.); (E.Y.); (B.C.V.); (M.A.)
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (J.A.-H.); (E.Y.); (B.C.V.); (M.A.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Luc A. Sabourin
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (J.A.-H.); (E.Y.); (B.C.V.); (M.A.)
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
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19
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Bahmad HF, Thiravialingam A, Sriganeshan K, Gonzalez J, Alvarez V, Ocejo S, Abreu AR, Avellan R, Arzola AH, Hachem S, Poppiti R. Clinical Significance of SOX10 Expression in Human Pathology. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2023; 45:10131-10158. [PMID: 38132479 PMCID: PMC10742133 DOI: 10.3390/cimb45120633] [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: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The embryonic development of neural crest cells and subsequent tissue differentiation are intricately regulated by specific transcription factors. Among these, SOX10, a member of the SOX gene family, stands out. Located on chromosome 22q13, the SOX10 gene encodes a transcription factor crucial for the differentiation, migration, and maintenance of tissues derived from neural crest cells. It plays a pivotal role in developing various tissues, including the central and peripheral nervous systems, melanocytes, chondrocytes, and odontoblasts. Mutations in SOX10 have been associated with congenital disorders such as Waardenburg-Shah Syndrome, PCWH syndrome, and Kallman syndrome, underscoring its clinical significance. Furthermore, SOX10 is implicated in neural and neuroectodermal tumors, such as melanoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs), and schwannomas, influencing processes like proliferation, migration, and differentiation. In mesenchymal tumors, SOX10 expression serves as a valuable marker for distinguishing between different tumor types. Additionally, SOX10 has been identified in various epithelial neoplasms, including breast, ovarian, salivary gland, nasopharyngeal, and bladder cancers, presenting itself as a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker. However, despite these associations, further research is imperative to elucidate its precise role in these malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisham F. Bahmad
- The Arkadi M. Rywlin M.D. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL 33140, USA;
| | - Aran Thiravialingam
- Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; (A.T.); (K.S.); (J.G.); (S.O.); (A.R.A.); (R.A.); (A.H.A.)
| | - Karthik Sriganeshan
- Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; (A.T.); (K.S.); (J.G.); (S.O.); (A.R.A.); (R.A.); (A.H.A.)
| | - Jeffrey Gonzalez
- Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; (A.T.); (K.S.); (J.G.); (S.O.); (A.R.A.); (R.A.); (A.H.A.)
| | - Veronica Alvarez
- Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; (A.T.); (K.S.); (J.G.); (S.O.); (A.R.A.); (R.A.); (A.H.A.)
| | - Stephanie Ocejo
- Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; (A.T.); (K.S.); (J.G.); (S.O.); (A.R.A.); (R.A.); (A.H.A.)
| | - Alvaro R. Abreu
- Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; (A.T.); (K.S.); (J.G.); (S.O.); (A.R.A.); (R.A.); (A.H.A.)
| | - Rima Avellan
- Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; (A.T.); (K.S.); (J.G.); (S.O.); (A.R.A.); (R.A.); (A.H.A.)
| | - Alejandro H. Arzola
- Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; (A.T.); (K.S.); (J.G.); (S.O.); (A.R.A.); (R.A.); (A.H.A.)
| | - Sana Hachem
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107, Lebanon;
| | - Robert Poppiti
- The Arkadi M. Rywlin M.D. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL 33140, USA;
- Department of Pathology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
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20
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Rubatto M, Borriello S, Sciamarrelli N, Pala V, Tonella L, Ribero S, Quaglino P. Exploring the role of epigenetic alterations and non-coding RNAs in melanoma pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies. Melanoma Res 2023; 33:462-474. [PMID: 37788101 DOI: 10.1097/cmr.0000000000000926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Melanoma is a rare but highly lethal type of skin cancer whose incidence is increasing globally. Melanoma is characterized by high resistance to therapy and relapse. Despite significant advances in the treatment of metastatic melanoma, many patients experience progression due to resistance mechanisms. Epigenetic changes, including alterations in chromatin remodeling, DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA rearrangements, contribute to neoplastic transformation, metastasis, and drug resistance in melanoma. This review summarizes current research on epigenetic mechanisms in melanoma and their therapeutic potential. Specifically, we discuss the role of histone acetylation and methylation in gene expression regulation and melanoma pathobiology, as well as the promising results of HDAC inhibitors and DNMT inhibitors in clinical trials. We also examine the dysregulation of non-coding RNA, particularly miRNAs, and their potential as targets for melanoma therapy. Finally, we highlight the challenges of epigenetic therapies, such as the complexity of epigenetic mechanisms combined with immunotherapies and the need for combination therapies to overcome drug resistance. In conclusion, epigenetic changes may be reversible, and the use of combination therapy between traditional therapies and epigenetically targeted drugs could be a viable solution to reverse the increasing number of patients who develop treatment resistance or even prevent it. While several clinical trials are underway, the complexity of these mechanisms presents a significant challenge to the development of effective therapies. Further research is needed to fully understand the role of epigenetic mechanisms in melanoma and to develop more effective and targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Rubatto
- Department of Medical Sciences, Dermatologic Clinic, University of Turin Medical School, Turin, Italy
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21
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Ferretti LP, Böhi F, Leslie Pedrioli DM, Cheng PF, Ferrari E, Baumgaertner P, Alvarado-Diaz A, Sella F, Cereghetti A, Turko P, Wright RH, De Bock K, Speiser DE, Ferrari R, Levesque MP, Hottiger MO. Combinatorial Treatment with PARP and MAPK Inhibitors Overcomes Phenotype Switch-Driven Drug Resistance in Advanced Melanoma. Cancer Res 2023; 83:3974-3988. [PMID: 37729428 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-0485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Metastatic melanoma is either intrinsically resistant or rapidly acquires resistance to targeted therapy treatments, such as MAPK inhibitors (MAPKi). A leading cause of resistance to targeted therapy is a dynamic transition of melanoma cells from a proliferative to a highly invasive state, a phenomenon called phenotype switching. Mechanisms regulating phenotype switching represent potential targets for improving treatment of patients with melanoma. Using a drug screen targeting chromatin regulators in patient-derived three-dimensional MAPKi-resistant melanoma cell cultures, we discovered that PARP inhibitors (PARPi) restore sensitivity to MAPKis, independent of DNA damage repair pathways. Integrated transcriptomic, proteomic, and epigenomic analyses demonstrated that PARPis induce lysosomal autophagic cell death, accompanied by enhanced mitochondrial lipid metabolism that ultimately increases antigen presentation and sensitivity to T-cell cytotoxicity. Moreover, transcriptomic and epigenetic rearrangements induced by PARP inhibition reversed epithelial-mesenchymal transition-like phenotype switching, which redirected melanoma cells toward a proliferative and MAPKi-sensitive state. The combination of PARP and MAPKis synergistically induced cancer cell death both in vitro and in vivo in patient-derived xenograft models. Therefore, this study provides a scientific rationale for treating patients with melanoma with PARPis in combination with MAPKis to abrogate acquired therapy resistance. SIGNIFICANCE PARP inhibitors can overcome resistance to MAPK inhibitors by activating autophagic cell death and reversing phenotype switching, suggesting that this synergistic combination could help improve the prognosis of patients with melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenza P Ferretti
- Department of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Flurina Böhi
- Department of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Phil F Cheng
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Elena Ferrari
- Department of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Petra Baumgaertner
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Abdiel Alvarado-Diaz
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Federica Sella
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Alessandra Cereghetti
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Turko
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Roni H Wright
- Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
| | - Katrien De Bock
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Daniel E Speiser
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Roberto Ferrari
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Mitchell P Levesque
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Michael O Hottiger
- Department of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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22
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Godoy PM, Oyedeji A, Mudd JL, Morikis VA, Zarov AP, Longmore GD, Fields RC, Kaufman CK. Functional analysis of recurrent CDC20 promoter variants in human melanoma. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1216. [PMID: 38030698 PMCID: PMC10686982 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05526-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Small nucleotide variants in non-coding regions of the genome can alter transcriptional regulation, leading to changes in gene expression which can activate oncogenic gene regulatory networks. Melanoma is heavily burdened by non-coding variants, representing over 99% of total genetic variation, including the well-characterized TERT promoter mutation. However, the compendium of regulatory non-coding variants is likely still functionally under-characterized. We developed a pipeline to identify hotspots, i.e. recurrently mutated regions, in melanoma containing putatively functional non-coding somatic variants that are located within predicted melanoma-specific regulatory regions. We identified hundreds of statistically significant hotspots, including the hotspot containing the TERT promoter variants, and focused on a hotspot in the promoter of CDC20. We found that variants in the promoter of CDC20, which putatively disrupt an ETS motif, lead to lower transcriptional activity in reporter assays. Using CRISPR/Cas9, we generated an indel in the CDC20 promoter in human A375 melanoma cell lines and observed decreased expression of CDC20, changes in migration capabilities, increased growth of xenografts, and an altered transcriptional state previously associated with a more proliferative and less migratory state. Overall, our analysis prioritized several recurrent functional non-coding variants that, through downregulation of CDC20, led to perturbation of key melanoma phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula M Godoy
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine and Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Abimbola Oyedeji
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jacqueline L Mudd
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Vasilios A Morikis
- Departments of Medicine (Oncology) and Cell Biology and Physiology and the ICCE Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Anna P Zarov
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine and Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Gregory D Longmore
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Departments of Medicine (Oncology) and Cell Biology and Physiology and the ICCE Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Ryan C Fields
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Charles K Kaufman
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine and Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in Saint Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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23
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Emmons MF, Bennett RL, Riva A, Gupta K, Carvalho LADC, Zhang C, Macaulay R, Dupéré-Richér D, Fang B, Seto E, Koomen JM, Li J, Chen YA, Forsyth PA, Licht JD, Smalley KSM. HDAC8-mediated inhibition of EP300 drives a transcriptional state that increases melanoma brain metastasis. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7759. [PMID: 38030596 PMCID: PMC10686983 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43519-1] [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: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Melanomas can adopt multiple transcriptional states. Little is known about the epigenetic drivers of these cell states, limiting our ability to regulate melanoma heterogeneity. Here, we identify stress-induced HDAC8 activity as driving melanoma brain metastasis development. Exposure of melanocytes and melanoma cells to multiple stresses increases HDAC8 activation leading to a neural crest-stem cell transcriptional state and an amoeboid, invasive phenotype that increases seeding to the brain. Using ATAC-Seq and ChIP-Seq we show that increased HDAC8 activity alters chromatin structure by increasing H3K27ac and enhancing accessibility at c-Jun binding sites. Functionally, HDAC8 deacetylates the histone acetyltransferase EP300, causing its enzymatic inactivation. This, in turn, increases binding of EP300 to Jun-transcriptional sites and decreases binding to MITF-transcriptional sites. Inhibition of EP300 increases melanoma cell invasion, resistance to stress and increases melanoma brain metastasis development. HDAC8 is identified as a mediator of transcriptional co-factor inactivation and chromatin accessibility that drives brain metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael F Emmons
- Department of Tumor Biology, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Richard L Bennett
- UF Health Cancer Center, 2033 Mowry Road, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Alberto Riva
- Bioinformatics Core, Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida, 2033 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Kanchan Gupta
- UF Health Cancer Center, 2033 Mowry Road, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | | | - Chao Zhang
- Department of Tumor Biology, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Robert Macaulay
- Department of Neuro-Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Daphne Dupéré-Richér
- UF Health Cancer Center, 2033 Mowry Road, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Bin Fang
- Proteomics & Metabolomics Core, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Edward Seto
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, George Washington Cancer Center, George Washington University, 2300 Eye Street, Washington, DC, 20037, USA
| | - John M Koomen
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Jiannong Li
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Y Ann Chen
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Peter A Forsyth
- Department of Neuro-Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Jonathan D Licht
- UF Health Cancer Center, 2033 Mowry Road, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Keiran S M Smalley
- Department of Tumor Biology, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA.
- Department of Cutaneous Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA.
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24
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Berico P, Nogaret M, Cigrang M, Lallement A, Vand-Rajabpour F, Flores-Yanke A, Gambi G, Davidson G, Seno L, Obid J, Vokshi BH, Le Gras S, Mengus G, Ye T, Cordero CF, Dalmasso M, Compe E, Bertolotto C, Hernando E, Davidson I, Coin F. Super-enhancer-driven expression of BAHCC1 promotes melanoma cell proliferation and genome stability. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113363. [PMID: 37924516 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113363] [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: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Super-enhancers (SEs) are stretches of enhancers ensuring a high level of expression of key genes associated with cell function. The identification of cancer-specific SE-driven genes is a powerful means for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies. Here, we identify a MITF/SOX10/TFIIH-dependent SE promoting the expression of BAHCC1 in a broad panel of melanoma cells. BAHCC1 is highly expressed in metastatic melanoma and is required for tumor engraftment, growth, and dissemination. Integrative genomics analyses reveal that BAHCC1 is a transcriptional regulator controlling expression of E2F/KLF-dependent cell-cycle and DNA-repair genes. BAHCC1 associates with BRG1-containing remodeling complexes at the promoters of these genes. BAHCC1 silencing leads to decreased cell proliferation and delayed DNA repair. Consequently, BAHCC1 deficiency cooperates with PARP inhibition to induce melanoma cell death. Our study identifies BAHCC1 as an SE-driven gene expressed in melanoma and demonstrates how its inhibition can be exploited as a therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Berico
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Equipe Labéllisée, "Ligue contre le Cancer 2022", BP 163, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. Strasbourg, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France; Department of Pathology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group, Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Maguelone Nogaret
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Equipe Labéllisée, "Ligue contre le Cancer 2022", BP 163, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. Strasbourg, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Max Cigrang
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Equipe Labéllisée, "Ligue contre le Cancer 2022", BP 163, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. Strasbourg, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Antonin Lallement
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Equipe Labéllisée, "Ligue contre le Cancer 2022", BP 163, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. Strasbourg, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Fatemeh Vand-Rajabpour
- Department of Pathology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group, Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Amanda Flores-Yanke
- Department of Pathology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group, Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Giovanni Gambi
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Equipe Labéllisée, "Ligue contre le Cancer 2022", BP 163, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. Strasbourg, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Guillaume Davidson
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Equipe Labéllisée, "Ligue contre le Cancer 2022", BP 163, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. Strasbourg, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Leane Seno
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Equipe Labéllisée, "Ligue contre le Cancer 2022", BP 163, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. Strasbourg, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Julian Obid
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Equipe Labéllisée, "Ligue contre le Cancer 2022", BP 163, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. Strasbourg, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Bujamin H Vokshi
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Equipe Labéllisée, "Ligue contre le Cancer 2022", BP 163, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. Strasbourg, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Stephanie Le Gras
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Equipe Labéllisée, "Ligue contre le Cancer 2022", BP 163, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. Strasbourg, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Gabrielle Mengus
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Equipe Labéllisée, "Ligue contre le Cancer 2022", BP 163, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. Strasbourg, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Tao Ye
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Equipe Labéllisée, "Ligue contre le Cancer 2022", BP 163, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. Strasbourg, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Carlos Fernandez Cordero
- Department of Pathology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group, Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Mélanie Dalmasso
- Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France; INSERM, Biology and Pathologies of Melanocytes, Equipe labellisée "Ligue contre le Cancer 2020" and Equipe labellisée "Fondation ARC 2022", Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Nice, France
| | - Emmanuel Compe
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Equipe Labéllisée, "Ligue contre le Cancer 2022", BP 163, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. Strasbourg, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Corine Bertolotto
- Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France; INSERM, Biology and Pathologies of Melanocytes, Equipe labellisée "Ligue contre le Cancer 2020" and Equipe labellisée "Fondation ARC 2022", Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Nice, France
| | - Eva Hernando
- Department of Pathology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group, Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Irwin Davidson
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Equipe Labéllisée, "Ligue contre le Cancer 2022", BP 163, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. Strasbourg, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France.
| | - Frédéric Coin
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Equipe Labéllisée, "Ligue contre le Cancer 2022", BP 163, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, C.U. Strasbourg, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France.
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25
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Harmange G, Hueros RAR, Schaff DL, Emert B, Saint-Antoine M, Kim LC, Niu Z, Nellore S, Fane ME, Alicea GM, Weeraratna AT, Simon MC, Singh A, Shaffer SM. Disrupting cellular memory to overcome drug resistance. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7130. [PMID: 37932277 PMCID: PMC10628298 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41811-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene expression states persist for varying lengths of time at the single-cell level, a phenomenon known as gene expression memory. When cells switch states, losing memory of their prior state, this transition can occur in the absence of genetic changes. However, we lack robust methods to find regulators of memory or track state switching. Here, we develop a lineage tracing-based technique to quantify memory and identify cells that switch states. Applied to melanoma cells without therapy, we quantify long-lived fluctuations in gene expression that are predictive of later resistance to targeted therapy. We also identify the PI3K and TGF-β pathways as state switching modulators. We propose a pretreatment model, first applying a PI3K inhibitor to modulate gene expression states, then applying targeted therapy, which leads to less resistance than targeted therapy alone. Together, we present a method for finding modulators of gene expression memory and their associated cell fates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Harmange
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Raúl A Reyes Hueros
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Dylan L Schaff
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Benjamin Emert
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Michael Saint-Antoine
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Laura C Kim
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Zijian Niu
- Department of Chemistry, College of the Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Physics, College of the Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Shivani Nellore
- Department of Biology, College of the Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mitchell E Fane
- Cancer Signaling and Microenvironment Research Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Gretchen M Alicea
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ashani T Weeraratna
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - M Celeste Simon
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Abhyudai Singh
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Sydney M Shaffer
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Pathology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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26
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McGovern KC, Nixon MP, Silverman JD. Addressing erroneous scale assumptions in microbe and gene set enrichment analysis. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011659. [PMID: 37983251 PMCID: PMC10695402 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
By applying Differential Set Analysis (DSA) to sequence count data, researchers can determine whether groups of microbes or genes are differentially enriched. Yet sequence count data suffer from a scale limitation: these data lack information about the scale (i.e., size) of the biological system under study, leading some authors to call these data compositional (i.e., proportional). In this article, we show that commonly used DSA methods that rely on normalization make strong, implicit assumptions about the unmeasured system scale. We show that even small errors in these scale assumptions can lead to positive predictive values as low as 9%. To address this problem, we take three novel approaches. First, we introduce a sensitivity analysis framework to identify when modeling results are robust to such errors and when they are suspect. Unlike standard benchmarking studies, this framework does not require ground-truth knowledge and can therefore be applied to both simulated and real data. Second, we introduce a statistical test that provably controls Type-I error at a nominal rate despite errors in scale assumptions. Finally, we discuss how the impact of scale limitations depends on a researcher's scientific goals and provide tools that researchers can use to evaluate whether their goals are at risk from erroneous scale assumptions. Overall, the goal of this article is to catalyze future research into the impact of scale limitations in analyses of sequence count data; to illustrate that scale limitations can lead to inferential errors in practice; yet to also show that rigorous and reproducible scale reliant inference is possible if done carefully.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle C. McGovern
- Program in Bioinformatics and Genomics, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Michelle Pistner Nixon
- College of Information Sciences and Technology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Justin D. Silverman
- Program in Bioinformatics and Genomics, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- College of Information Sciences and Technology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Departments of Medicine and Statistics, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Institute for Computational and Data Science, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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27
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Shinada M, Kato D, Motegi T, Tsuboi M, Ikeda N, Aoki S, Iguchi T, Li T, Kodera Y, Ota R, Hashimoto Y, Takahashi Y, Chambers J, Uchida K, Kato Y, Nishimura R, Nakagawa T. Podoplanin Drives Amoeboid Invasion in Canine and Human Mucosal Melanoma. Mol Cancer Res 2023; 21:1205-1219. [PMID: 37493578 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-22-0929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
Mucosal melanoma metastasizes at an early stage of the disease in human and dog. We revealed that overexpression of podoplanin in tumor invasion fronts (IF) was related to poor prognosis of dogs with mucosal melanoma. Moreover, podoplanin expressed in canine mucosal melanoma cells promotes proliferation and aggressive amoeboid invasion by activating Rho-associated kinase (ROCK)-myosin light chain 2 (MLC2) signaling. PDPN-ROCK-MLC2 signaling plays a role in cell-cycle arrest and cellular senescence escape as a mechanism for regulating proliferation. Podoplanin induces amoeboid invasion in the IFs of mouse xenografted tumor tissues, similar to canine mucosal melanoma clinical samples. We further identified that podoplanin expression was related to poor prognosis of human patients with mucosal melanoma, and human mucosal melanoma with podoplanin-high expression enriched gene signatures related to amoeboid invasion, similar to canine mucosal melanoma. Overall, we propose that podoplanin promotes canine and human mucosal melanoma metastasis by inducing aggressive amoeboid invasion and naturally occurring canine mucosal melanoma can be a novel research model for podoplanin expressing human mucosal melanoma. IMPLICATIONS Podoplanin could be a new therapeutic target to restrict the metastatic dissemination of canine and human mucosal melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiro Shinada
- Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Daiki Kato
- Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomoki Motegi
- Veterinary Medical Center, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masaya Tsuboi
- Veterinary Medical Center, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Namiko Ikeda
- Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Susumu Aoki
- Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takaaki Iguchi
- Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshio Li
- Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuka Kodera
- Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Ota
- Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuko Hashimoto
- Veterinary Medical Center, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yosuke Takahashi
- Veterinary Medical Center, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - James Chambers
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuyuki Uchida
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukinari Kato
- Department of Antibody Drug Development, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Miyagi, Japan
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Ryohei Nishimura
- Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takayuki Nakagawa
- Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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28
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Jain P, Pillai M, Duddu AS, Somarelli JA, Goyal Y, Jolly MK. Dynamical hallmarks of cancer: Phenotypic switching in melanoma and epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity. Semin Cancer Biol 2023; 96:48-63. [PMID: 37788736 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2023.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity was recently incorporated as a hallmark of cancer. This plasticity can manifest along many interconnected axes, such as stemness and differentiation, drug-sensitive and drug-resistant states, and between epithelial and mesenchymal cell-states. Despite growing acceptance for phenotypic plasticity as a hallmark of cancer, the dynamics of this process remains poorly understood. In particular, the knowledge necessary for a predictive understanding of how individual cancer cells and populations of cells dynamically switch their phenotypes in response to the intensity and/or duration of their current and past environmental stimuli remains far from complete. Here, we present recent investigations of phenotypic plasticity from a systems-level perspective using two exemplars: epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity in carcinomas and phenotypic switching in melanoma. We highlight how an integrated computational-experimental approach has helped unravel insights into specific dynamical hallmarks of phenotypic plasticity in different cancers to address the following questions: a) how many distinct cell-states or phenotypes exist?; b) how reversible are transitions among these cell-states, and what factors control the extent of reversibility?; and c) how might cell-cell communication be able to alter rates of cell-state switching and enable diverse patterns of phenotypic heterogeneity? Understanding these dynamic features of phenotypic plasticity may be a key component in shifting the paradigm of cancer treatment from reactionary to a more predictive, proactive approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paras Jain
- Department of Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Maalavika Pillai
- Department of Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | | | - Jason A Somarelli
- Department of Medicine, Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Yogesh Goyal
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Mohit Kumar Jolly
- Department of Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.
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29
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Wang Z, Luo M, Liang Q, Zhao K, Hu Y, Wang W, Feng X, Hu B, Teng J, You T, Li R, Bao Z, Pan W, Yang T, Zhang C, Li T, Dong X, Yi X, Liu B, Zhao L, Li M, Chen K, Song W, Yang J, Li MJ. Landscape of enhancer disruption and functional screen in melanoma cells. Genome Biol 2023; 24:248. [PMID: 37904237 PMCID: PMC10614365 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-03087-5] [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: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The high mutation rate throughout the entire melanoma genome presents a major challenge in stratifying true driver events from the background mutations. Numerous recurrent non-coding alterations, such as those in enhancers, can shape tumor evolution, thereby emphasizing the importance in systematically deciphering enhancer disruptions in melanoma. RESULTS Here, we leveraged 297 melanoma whole-genome sequencing samples to prioritize highly recurrent regions. By performing a genome-scale CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) screen on highly recurrent region-associated enhancers in melanoma cells, we identified 66 significant hits which could have tumor-suppressive roles. These functional enhancers show unique mutational patterns independent of classical significantly mutated genes in melanoma. Target gene analysis for the essential enhancers reveal many known and hidden mechanisms underlying melanoma growth. Utilizing extensive functional validation experiments, we demonstrate that a super enhancer element could modulate melanoma cell proliferation by targeting MEF2A, and another distal enhancer is able to sustain PTEN tumor-suppressive potential via long-range interactions. CONCLUSIONS Our study establishes a catalogue of crucial enhancers and their target genes in melanoma growth and progression, and illuminates the identification of novel mechanisms of dysregulation for melanoma driver genes and new therapeutic targeting strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao Wang
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Institute of Aging, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
| | - Menghan Luo
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Qian Liang
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Institute of Aging, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
- Scientific Research Center, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Ke Zhao
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yuelin Hu
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Institute of Aging, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiangling Feng
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Bolang Hu
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Institute of Aging, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Jianjin Teng
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Tianyi You
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Ran Li
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Institute of Aging, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Zhengkai Bao
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Institute of Aging, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Wenhao Pan
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Institute of Aging, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Tielong Yang
- Department of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Chao Zhang
- Department of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Ting Li
- Department of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiaobao Dong
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xianfu Yi
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Ben Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Li Zhao
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Miaoxin Li
- Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kexin Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Weihong Song
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Institute of Aging, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
| | - Jilong Yang
- Department of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
| | - Mulin Jun Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
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Zhu EY, Schillo JL, Murray SD, Riordan JD, Dupuy AJ. Understanding cancer drug resistance with Sleeping Beauty functional genomic screens: Application to MAPK inhibition in cutaneous melanoma. iScience 2023; 26:107805. [PMID: 37860756 PMCID: PMC10582486 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Combined BRAF and MEK inhibition is an effective treatment for BRAF-mutant cutaneous melanoma. However, most patients progress on this treatment due to drug resistance. Here, we applied the Sleeping Beauty transposon system to understand how melanoma evades MAPK inhibition. We found that the specific drug resistance mechanisms differed across melanomas in our genetic screens of five cutaneous melanoma cell lines. While drivers that reactivated MAPK were highly conserved, many others were cell-line specific. One such driver, VAV1, activated a de-differentiated transcriptional program like that of hyperactive RAC1, RAC1P29S. To target this mechanism, we showed that an inhibitor of SRC, saracatinib, blunts the VAV1-induced transcriptional reprogramming. Overall, we highlighted the importance of accounting for melanoma heterogeneity in treating cutaneous melanoma with MAPK inhibitors. Moreover, we demonstrated the utility of the Sleeping Beauty transposon system in understanding cancer drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliot Y. Zhu
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Jacob L. Schillo
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Sarina D. Murray
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Jesse D. Riordan
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Adam J. Dupuy
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
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31
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McRee SK, Bayer AL, Pietruska J, Tsichlis PN, Hinds PW. AKT2 Loss Impairs BRAF-Mutant Melanoma Metastasis. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4958. [PMID: 37894325 PMCID: PMC10605002 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15204958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite recent advances in treatment, melanoma remains the deadliest form of skin cancer due to its highly metastatic nature. Melanomas harboring oncogenic BRAFV600E mutations combined with PTEN loss exhibit unrestrained PI3K/AKT signaling and increased invasiveness. However, the contribution of different AKT isoforms to melanoma initiation, progression, and metastasis has not been comprehensively explored, and questions remain about whether individual isoforms play distinct or redundant roles in each step. We investigate the contribution of individual AKT isoforms to melanoma initiation using a novel mouse model of AKT isoform-specific loss in a murine melanoma model, and we investigate tumor progression, maintenance, and metastasis among a panel of human metastatic melanoma cell lines using AKT isoform-specific knockdown studies. We elucidate that AKT2 is dispensable for primary tumor formation but promotes migration and invasion in vitro and metastatic seeding in vivo, whereas AKT1 is uniquely important for melanoma initiation and cell proliferation. We propose a mechanism whereby the inhibition of AKT2 impairs glycolysis and reduces an EMT-related gene expression signature in PTEN-null BRAF-mutant human melanoma cells to limit metastatic spread. Our data suggest that the elucidation of AKT2-specific functions in metastasis might inform therapeutic strategies to improve treatment options for melanoma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siobhan K. McRee
- Program in Genetics, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA;
- Department of Developmental, Molecular and Chemical Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA;
| | - Abraham L. Bayer
- Program in Immunology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA;
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Jodie Pietruska
- Department of Developmental, Molecular and Chemical Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA;
| | - Philip N. Tsichlis
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
| | - Philip W. Hinds
- Program in Genetics, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA;
- Department of Developmental, Molecular and Chemical Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA;
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Kuras M. Exploring the Complex and Multifaceted Interplay between Melanoma Cells and the Tumor Microenvironment. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14403. [PMID: 37762707 PMCID: PMC10531837 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241814403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Malignant melanoma is a very aggressive skin cancer, characterized by a heterogeneous nature and high metastatic potential. The incidence of melanoma is continuously increasing worldwide, and it is one of the most common cancers in young adults. In the past twenty years, our understanding of melanoma biology has increased profoundly, and disease management for patients with disseminated disease has improved due to the emergence of immunotherapy and targeted therapy. However, a significant fraction of patients relapse or do not respond adequately to treatment. This can partly be explained by the complex signaling between the tumor and its microenvironment, giving rise to melanoma phenotypes with different patterns of disease progression. This review focuses on the key aspects and complex relationship between pathogenesis, genetic abnormalities, tumor microenvironment, cellular plasticity, and metabolic reprogramming in melanoma. By acquiring a deeper understanding of the multifaceted features of melanomagenesis, we can reach a point of more individualized and patient-centered disease management and reduced costs of ineffective treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Kuras
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden;
- Section for Clinical Chemistry, Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, 205 02 Malmö, Sweden
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33
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Purwin TJ, Caksa S, Sacan A, Capparelli C, Aplin AE. Gene signature reveals decreased SOX10-dependent transcripts in malignant cells from immune checkpoint inhibitor-resistant cutaneous melanomas. iScience 2023; 26:107472. [PMID: 37636077 PMCID: PMC10450419 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107472] [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: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence is mounting for cross-resistance between immune checkpoint and targeted kinase inhibitor therapies in cutaneous melanoma patients. Since the loss of the transcription factor, SOX10, causes tolerance to MAPK pathway inhibitors, we used bioinformatic techniques to determine if reduced SOX10 expression/activity is associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor resistance. We integrated SOX10 ChIP-seq, knockout RNA-seq, and knockdown ATAC-seq data from melanoma cell models to develop a robust SOX10 gene signature. We used computational methods to validate this signature as a measure of SOX10-dependent activity in independent single-cell and bulk RNA-seq SOX10 knockdown, cell line panel, and MAPK inhibitor drug-resistant datasets. Evaluation of patient single-cell RNA-seq data revealed lower levels of SOX10-dependent transcripts in immune checkpoint inhibitor-resistant tumors. Our results suggest that SOX10-deficient melanoma cells are associated with cross-resistance between targeted and immune checkpoint inhibitors and highlight the need to identify therapeutic strategies that target this subpopulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J. Purwin
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Signe Caksa
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Ahmet Sacan
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Claudia Capparelli
- Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Andrew E. Aplin
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
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Bravo González-Blas C, De Winter S, Hulselmans G, Hecker N, Matetovici I, Christiaens V, Poovathingal S, Wouters J, Aibar S, Aerts S. SCENIC+: single-cell multiomic inference of enhancers and gene regulatory networks. Nat Methods 2023; 20:1355-1367. [PMID: 37443338 PMCID: PMC10482700 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-023-01938-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 85.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Joint profiling of chromatin accessibility and gene expression in individual cells provides an opportunity to decipher enhancer-driven gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Here we present a method for the inference of enhancer-driven GRNs, called SCENIC+. SCENIC+ predicts genomic enhancers along with candidate upstream transcription factors (TFs) and links these enhancers to candidate target genes. To improve both recall and precision of TF identification, we curated and clustered a motif collection with more than 30,000 motifs. We benchmarked SCENIC+ on diverse datasets from different species, including human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, ENCODE cell lines, melanoma cell states and Drosophila retinal development. Next, we exploit SCENIC+ predictions to study conserved TFs, enhancers and GRNs between human and mouse cell types in the cerebral cortex. Finally, we use SCENIC+ to study the dynamics of gene regulation along differentiation trajectories and the effect of TF perturbations on cell state. SCENIC+ is available at scenicplus.readthedocs.io .
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Bravo González-Blas
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Seppe De Winter
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gert Hulselmans
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nikolai Hecker
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Irina Matetovici
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- VIB Tech Watch, VIB Headquarters, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Valerie Christiaens
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Jasper Wouters
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sara Aibar
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stein Aerts
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium.
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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35
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Subhadarshini S, Sahoo S, Debnath S, Somarelli JA, Jolly MK. Dynamical modeling of proliferative-invasive plasticity and IFNγ signaling in melanoma reveals mechanisms of PD-L1 expression heterogeneity. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:e006766. [PMID: 37678920 PMCID: PMC10496669 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-006766] [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] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phenotypic heterogeneity of melanoma cells contributes to drug tolerance, increased metastasis, and immune evasion in patients with progressive disease. Diverse mechanisms have been individually reported to shape extensive intra-tumor and inter-tumor phenotypic heterogeneity, such as IFNγ signaling and proliferative to invasive transition, but how their crosstalk impacts tumor progression remains largely elusive. METHODS Here, we integrate dynamical systems modeling with transcriptomic data analysis at bulk and single-cell levels to investigate underlying mechanisms behind phenotypic heterogeneity in melanoma and its impact on adaptation to targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. We construct a minimal core regulatory network involving transcription factors implicated in this process and identify the multiple 'attractors' in the phenotypic landscape enabled by this network. Our model predictions about synergistic control of PD-L1 by IFNγ signaling and proliferative to invasive transition were validated experimentally in three melanoma cell lines-MALME3, SK-MEL-5 and A375. RESULTS We demonstrate that the emergent dynamics of our regulatory network comprising MITF, SOX10, SOX9, JUN and ZEB1 can recapitulate experimental observations about the co-existence of diverse phenotypes (proliferative, neural crest-like, invasive) and reversible cell-state transitions among them, including in response to targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. These phenotypes have varied levels of PD-L1, driving heterogeneity in immunosuppression. This heterogeneity in PD-L1 can be aggravated by combinatorial dynamics of these regulators with IFNγ signaling. Our model predictions about changes in proliferative to invasive transition and PD-L1 levels as melanoma cells evade targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors were validated in multiple RNA-seq data sets from in vitro and in vivo experiments. CONCLUSION Our calibrated dynamical model offers a platform to test combinatorial therapies and provide rational avenues for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. This improved understanding of crosstalk among PD-L1 expression, proliferative to invasive transition and IFNγ signaling can be leveraged to improve the clinical management of therapy-resistant and metastatic melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarthak Sahoo
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Shibjyoti Debnath
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jason A Somarelli
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Mohit Kumar Jolly
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
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McRee SK, Bayer AL, Pietruska J, Tsichlis PN, Hinds PW. AKT2 Loss Impairs BRAF-Mutant Melanoma Metastasis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.24.554685. [PMID: 37662310 PMCID: PMC10473698 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.24.554685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Despite recent advances in treatment, melanoma remains the deadliest form of skin cancer, due to its highly metastatic nature. Melanomas harboring oncogenic BRAF V600E mutations combined with PTEN loss exhibit unrestrained PI3K/AKT signaling and increased invasiveness. However, the contribution of different AKT isoforms to melanoma initiation, progression, and metastasis has not been comprehensively explored, and questions remain whether individual isoforms play distinct or redundant roles in each step. We investigate the contribution of individual AKT isoforms to melanoma initiation using a novel mouse model of AKT isoform-specific loss in a murine melanoma model, and investigate tumor progression, maintenance, and metastasis among a panel of human metastatic melanoma cell lines using AKT-isoform specific knockdown studies. We elucidate that AKT2 is dispensable for primary tumor formation but promotes migration and invasion in vitro and metastatic seeding in vivo , while AKT1 is uniquely important for melanoma initiation and cell proliferation. We propose a mechanism whereby inhibition of AKT2 impairs glycolysis and reduces an EMT-related gene expression signature in PTEN-null BRAF-mutant human melanoma cells to limit metastatic spread. Our data suggest that elucidation of AKT2-specific functions in metastasis could inform therapeutic strategies to improve treatment options for melanoma patients.
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37
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Bejjani F, Evanno E, Mahfoud S, Tolza C, Zibara K, Piechaczyk M, Jariel-Encontre I. Multiple Fra-1-bound enhancers showing different molecular and functional features can cooperate to repress gene transcription. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:129. [PMID: 37464380 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-01077-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND How transcription factors (TFs) down-regulate gene expression remains ill-understood, especially when they bind to multiple enhancers contacting the same gene promoter. In particular, it is not known whether they exert similar or significantly different molecular effects at these enhancers. RESULTS To address this issue, we used a particularly well-suited study model consisting of the down-regulation of the TGFB2 gene by the TF Fra-1 in Fra-1-overexpressing cancer cells, as Fra-1 binds to multiple enhancers interacting with the TGFB2 promoter. We show that Fra-1 does not repress TGFB2 transcription via reducing RNA Pol II recruitment at the gene promoter but by decreasing the formation of its transcription-initiating form. This is associated with complex long-range chromatin interactions implicating multiple molecularly and functionally heterogeneous Fra-1-bound transcriptional enhancers distal to the TGFB2 transcriptional start site. In particular, the latter display differential requirements upon the presence and the activity of the lysine acetyltransferase p300/CBP. Furthermore, the final transcriptional output of the TGFB2 gene seems to depend on a balance between the positive and negative effects of Fra-1 at these enhancers. CONCLUSION Our work unveils complex molecular mechanisms underlying the repressive actions of Fra-1 on TGFB2 gene expression. This has consequences for our general understanding of the functioning of the ubiquitous transcriptional complex AP-1, of which Fra-1 is the most documented component for prooncogenic activities. In addition, it raises the general question of the heterogeneity of the molecular functions of TFs binding to different enhancers regulating the same gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabienne Bejjani
- IGMM, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
- DSST, ER045, PRASE, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon
| | | | - Samantha Mahfoud
- IGMM, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
- DSST, ER045, PRASE, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Claire Tolza
- IGMM, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Kazem Zibara
- DSST, ER045, PRASE, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon
- Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences-I, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon
| | | | - Isabelle Jariel-Encontre
- IGMM, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France.
- Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier, IRCM, INSERM U1194, ICM, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
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38
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Subhadarshini S, Sahoo S, Debnath S, Somarelli JA, Jolly MK. Dynamical modelling of proliferative-invasive plasticity and IFNγ signaling in melanoma reveals mechanisms of PD-L1 expression heterogeneity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.09.523355. [PMID: 37398358 PMCID: PMC10312429 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.09.523355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic heterogeneity of melanoma cells contributes to drug tolerance, increased metastasis, and immune evasion in patients with progressive disease. Diverse mechanisms have been individually reported to shape extensive intra- and inter-tumoral phenotypic heterogeneity, such as IFNγ signaling and proliferative to invasive transition, but how their crosstalk impacts tumor progression remains largely elusive. Here, we integrate dynamical systems modeling with transcriptomic data analysis at bulk and single-cell levels to investigate underlying mechanisms behind phenotypic heterogeneity in melanoma and its impact on adaptation to targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. We construct a minimal core regulatory network involving transcription factors implicated in this process and identify the multiple "attractors" in the phenotypic landscape enabled by this network. Our model predictions about synergistic control of PD-L1 by IFNγ signaling and proliferative to invasive transition were validated experimentally in three melanoma cell lines - MALME3, SK-MEL-5 and A375. We demonstrate that the emergent dynamics of our regulatory network comprising MITF, SOX10, SOX9, JUN and ZEB1 can recapitulate experimental observations about the co-existence of diverse phenotypes (proliferative, neural crest-like, invasive) and reversible cell-state transitions among them, including in response to targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. These phenotypes have varied levels of PD-L1, driving heterogeneity in immune-suppression. This heterogeneity in PD-L1 can be aggravated by combinatorial dynamics of these regulators with IFNγ signaling. Our model predictions about changes in proliferative to invasive transition and PD-L1 levels as melanoma cells evade targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors were validated in multiple data sets from in vitro and in vivo experiments. Our calibrated dynamical model offers a platform to test combinatorial therapies and provide rational avenues for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. This improved understanding of crosstalk among PD-L1 expression, proliferative to invasive transition and IFNγ signaling can be leveraged to improve the clinical management of therapy-resistant and metastatic melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarthak Sahoo
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| | | | | | - Mohit Kumar Jolly
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
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Lumaquin-Yin D, Montal E, Johns E, Baggiolini A, Huang TH, Ma Y, LaPlante C, Suresh S, Studer L, White RM. Lipid droplets are a metabolic vulnerability in melanoma. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3192. [PMID: 37268606 PMCID: PMC10238408 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38831-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Melanoma exhibits numerous transcriptional cell states including neural crest-like cells as well as pigmented melanocytic cells. How these different cell states relate to distinct tumorigenic phenotypes remains unclear. Here, we use a zebrafish melanoma model to identify a transcriptional program linking the melanocytic cell state to a dependence on lipid droplets, the specialized organelle responsible for lipid storage. Single-cell RNA-sequencing of these tumors show a concordance between genes regulating pigmentation and those involved in lipid and oxidative metabolism. This state is conserved across human melanoma cell lines and patient tumors. This melanocytic state demonstrates increased fatty acid uptake, an increased number of lipid droplets, and dependence upon fatty acid oxidative metabolism. Genetic and pharmacologic suppression of lipid droplet production is sufficient to disrupt cell cycle progression and slow melanoma growth in vivo. Because the melanocytic cell state is linked to poor outcomes in patients, these data indicate a metabolic vulnerability in melanoma that depends on the lipid droplet organelle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dianne Lumaquin-Yin
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan-Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Emily Montal
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Eleanor Johns
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Arianna Baggiolini
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Ting-Hsiang Huang
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Yilun Ma
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan-Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Charlotte LaPlante
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan-Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Shruthy Suresh
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Lorenz Studer
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Richard M White
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
- University of Oxford, Ludwig Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Oxford, UK.
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Abstract
Over the past decade, melanoma has led the field in new cancer treatments, with impressive gains in on-treatment survival but more modest improvements in overall survival. Melanoma presents heterogeneity and transcriptional plasticity that recapitulates distinct melanocyte developmental states and phenotypes, allowing it to adapt to and eventually escape even the most advanced treatments. Despite remarkable advances in our understanding of melanoma biology and genetics, the melanoma cell of origin is still fiercely debated because both melanocyte stem cells and mature melanocytes can be transformed. Animal models and high-throughput single-cell sequencing approaches have opened new opportunities to address this question. Here, we discuss the melanocytic journey from the neural crest, where they emerge as melanoblasts, to the fully mature pigmented melanocytes resident in several tissues. We describe a new understanding of melanocyte biology and the different melanocyte subpopulations and microenvironments they inhabit, and how this provides unique insights into melanoma initiation and progression. We highlight recent findings on melanoma heterogeneity and transcriptional plasticity and their implications for exciting new research areas and treatment opportunities. The lessons from melanocyte biology reveal how cells that are present to protect us from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation reach back to their origins to become a potentially deadly cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia P Centeno
- Molecular Oncology Group, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Alderley Park, UK
| | - Valeria Pavet
- Molecular Oncology Group, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Alderley Park, UK
| | - Richard Marais
- Molecular Oncology Group, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Alderley Park, UK.
- Oncodrug Ltd, Alderly Park, Macclesfield, UK.
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41
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Binet R, Lambert JP, Tomkova M, Tischfield S, Baggiolini A, Picaud S, Sarkar S, Louphrasitthiphol P, Dias D, Carreira S, Humphrey T, Fillipakopoulos P, White R, Goding CR. DNA damage-induced interaction between a lineage addiction oncogenic transcription factor and the MRN complex shapes a tissue-specific DNA Damage Response and cancer predisposition. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.21.537819. [PMID: 37131595 PMCID: PMC10153263 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.21.537819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Since genome instability can drive cancer initiation and progression, cells have evolved highly effective and ubiquitous DNA Damage Response (DDR) programs. However, some cells, in skin for example, are normally exposed to high levels of DNA damaging agents. Whether such high-risk cells possess lineage-specific mechanisms that tailor DNA repair to the tissue remains largely unknown. Here we show, using melanoma as a model, that the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor MITF, a lineage addition oncogene that coordinates many aspects of melanocyte and melanoma biology, plays a non-transcriptional role in shaping the DDR. On exposure to DNA damaging agents, MITF is phosphorylated by ATM/DNA-PKcs, and unexpectedly its interactome is dramatically remodelled; most transcription (co)factors dissociate, and instead MITF interacts with the MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) complex. Consequently, cells with high MITF levels accumulate stalled replication forks, and display defects in homologous recombination-mediated repair associated with impaired MRN recruitment to DNA damage. In agreement, high MITF levels are associated with increased SNV burden in melanoma. Significantly, the SUMOylation-defective MITF-E318K melanoma predisposition mutation recapitulates the effects of ATM/DNA-PKcs-phosphorylated MITF. Our data suggest that a non-transcriptional function of a lineage-restricted transcription factor contributes to a tissue-specialised modulation of the DDR that can impact cancer initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romuald Binet
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Jean-Philippe Lambert
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Cancer Research Center and Big Data Research Center, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada; Endocrinology – Nephrology Axis, CHU de Québec – Université Laval Research Center, Quebec City, QC, Canada, G1V 4G2
| | - Marketa Tomkova
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis, USA
| | - Samuel Tischfield
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Arianna Baggiolini
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Sarah Picaud
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Sovan Sarkar
- CRUK MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Pakavarin Louphrasitthiphol
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Diogo Dias
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Suzanne Carreira
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Timothy Humphrey
- CRUK MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Panagis Fillipakopoulos
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Richard White
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Colin R Goding
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK
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42
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Moscona R, Janssen SM, Elchebly M, Papadakis AI, Rubin E, Spatz A. BORIS/CTCFL-mediated chromatin accessibility alterations promote a pro-invasive transcriptional signature in melanoma cells. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2023; 36:299-313. [PMID: 37082838 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.13089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, due to its tendency to metastasize early. Brother of regulator of imprinted sites (BORIS), also known as CCCTC binding factor-like (CTCFL), is a transcription regulator that becomes ectopically expressed in melanoma. We recently showed that BORIS contributes to melanoma phenotype switching by altering the gene expression program of melanoma cells from an intermediate melanocytic state toward a more mesenchymal-like state. However, the mechanism underlying this transcriptional switch remains unclear. Here, ATAC-seq was used to study BORIS-mediated chromatin accessibility alterations in melanoma cells harboring an intermediate melanocytic state. The gene set that gained promoter accessibility, following ectopic BORIS expression, showed enrichment for biological processes associated with melanoma invasion, while promoters of genes associated with proliferation showed reduced accessibility. Integration of ATAC-seq and RNA-seq data demonstrated that increased chromatin accessibility was associated with transcriptional upregulation of genes involved in tumor progression processes, and the aberrant activation of oncogenic transcription factors, while reduced chromatin accessibility and downregulated genes were associated with repressed activity of tumor suppressors and proliferation factors. Together, these findings indicate that BORIS mediates transcriptional reprogramming in melanoma cells by altering chromatin accessibility and gene expression, shifting the cellular transcription landscape of melanoma cells toward a mesenchymal-like genetic signature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roy Moscona
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Sanne Marlijn Janssen
- Lady Davis Institute, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | | | - Eitan Rubin
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Alan Spatz
- Lady Davis Institute, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- Division of Pathology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, McGill University Health Center, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
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43
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Jarrosson L, Dalle S, Costechareyre C, Tang Y, Grimont M, Plaschka M, Lacourrège M, Teinturier R, Le Bouar M, Maucort‐Boulch D, Eberhardt A, Castellani V, Caramel J, Delloye‐Bourgeois C. An in vivo avian model of human melanoma to perform rapid and robust preclinical studies. EMBO Mol Med 2023; 15:e16629. [PMID: 36692026 PMCID: PMC9994476 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.202216629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Metastatic melanoma patients carrying a BRAFV600 mutation can be treated with a combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors (BRAFi/MEKi), but innate and acquired resistance invariably occurs. Predicting patient response to targeted therapies is crucial to guide clinical decision. We describe here the development of a highly efficient patient-derived xenograft model adapted to patient melanoma biopsies, using the avian embryo as a host (AVI-PDXTM ). In this in vivo paradigm, we depict a fast and reproducible tumor engraftment of patient samples within the embryonic skin, preserving key molecular and phenotypic features. We show that sensitivity and resistance to BRAFi/MEKi can be reliably modeled in these AVI-PDXTM , as well as synergies with other drugs. We further provide proof-of-concept that the AVI-PDXTM models the diversity of responses of melanoma patients to BRAFi/MEKi, within days, hence positioning it as a valuable tool for the design of personalized medicine assays and for the evaluation of novel combination strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stéphane Dalle
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Cancer Research Center of LyonLyonFrance
- Centre Hospitalier Lyon SudHospices Civils de LyonPierre BéniteFrance
| | | | - Yaqi Tang
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Cancer Research Center of LyonLyonFrance
| | - Maxime Grimont
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Cancer Research Center of LyonLyonFrance
| | - Maud Plaschka
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Cancer Research Center of LyonLyonFrance
| | | | | | - Myrtille Le Bouar
- Centre Hospitalier Lyon SudHospices Civils de LyonPierre BéniteFrance
| | | | - Anaïs Eberhardt
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Cancer Research Center of LyonLyonFrance
- Centre Hospitalier Lyon SudHospices Civils de LyonPierre BéniteFrance
| | - Valérie Castellani
- University of Lyon, University of Lyon 1 Claude Bernard Lyon 1, MeLiS, CNRS UMR5284, INSERM U1314, NeuroMyoGene InstituteLyonFrance
| | - Julie Caramel
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Cancer Research Center of LyonLyonFrance
| | - Céline Delloye‐Bourgeois
- University of Lyon, University of Lyon 1 Claude Bernard Lyon 1, MeLiS, CNRS UMR5284, INSERM U1314, NeuroMyoGene InstituteLyonFrance
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44
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The mechanical phenotypic plasticity of melanoma cell: an emerging driver of therapy cross-resistance. Oncogenesis 2023; 12:7. [PMID: 36774337 PMCID: PMC9922263 DOI: 10.1038/s41389-023-00452-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Advanced cutaneous melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and one of the most aggressive human cancers. Targeted therapies (TT) against BRAF mutated melanoma and immune checkpoints blockade therapies (ICB) have been a breakthrough in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. However, therapy-driven resistance remains a major hurdle in the clinical management of the metastatic disease. Besides shaping the tumor microenvironment, current treatments impact transition states to promote melanoma cell phenotypic plasticity and intratumor heterogeneity, which compromise treatment efficacy and clinical outcomes. In this context, mesenchymal-like dedifferentiated melanoma cells exhibit a remarkable ability to autonomously assemble their own extracellular matrix (ECM) and to biomechanically adapt in response to therapeutic insults, thereby fueling tumor relapse. Here, we review recent studies that highlight mechanical phenotypic plasticity of melanoma cells as a hallmark of adaptive and non-genetic resistance to treatment and emerging driver in cross-resistance to TT and ICB. We also discuss how targeting BRAF-mutant dedifferentiated cells and ECM-based mechanotransduction pathways may overcome melanoma cross-resistance.
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45
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Alver TN, Heintz K, Hovig E, Bøe SL. Cooperative induction of receptor tyrosine kinases contributes to adaptive MAPK drug resistance in melanoma through the PI3K pathway. Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2023; 6:e1736. [PMID: 36251678 PMCID: PMC9940011 DOI: 10.1002/cnr2.1736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Vemurafenib-induced drug resistance in melanoma has been linked to receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) upregulation. The MITF and SOX10 genes play roles as master regulators of melanocyte and melanoma development. Here, we aimed to explore the complex mechanisms behind the MITF/SOX10-controlled RTK-induced drug resistance in melanoma. To achieve this, we used a number of molecular techniques, including melanoma patient data from TCGA, vemurafenib-resistant melanoma cell lines, and knock-down studies. The melanoma cell lines were classified as proliferative or invasive based upon their MITF/AXL expression activity. We measured the change of expression activity for MITF/SOX10 and their receptor (AXL/ERBB3) and ligand (NRG1/GAS6) targets known to be involved in RTK-induced drug resistance after vemurafenib treatment. We find that melanoma cell lines characterized as proliferative (high MITF low AXL), transform into an invasive (low MITF, high AXL) cell state after vemurafenib resistance, indicating novel feedback loops and advanced compensatory regulation mechanisms between the master regulators, receptors, and ligands involved in vemurafenib-induced resistance. Together, our data disclose fine-tuned mechanisms involved in RTK-facilitated vemurafenib resistance that will be challenging to overcome by using single drug targeting strategies against melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tine Norman Alver
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer ResearchOslo University HospitalOsloNorway
- Department of Cancer Genetics, Institute for Cancer ResearchOslo University HospitalOsloNorway
- Faculty of MedicineUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Karen‐Marie Heintz
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer ResearchOslo University HospitalOsloNorway
- Faculty of MedicineUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Eivind Hovig
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer ResearchOslo University HospitalOsloNorway
- Department of InformaticsUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Sigurd L. Bøe
- Department of Medical BiochemistryOslo University Hospital, The Norwegian Radium HospitalOsloNorway
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46
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Lehmann J, Caduff N, Krzywińska E, Stierli S, Salas-Bastos A, Loos B, Levesque MP, Dummer R, Stockmann C, Münz C, Diener J, Sommer L. Escape from NK cell tumor surveillance by NGFR-induced lipid remodeling in melanoma. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadc8825. [PMID: 36638181 PMCID: PMC9839334 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adc8825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Metastatic disease is a major cause of death for patients with melanoma. Melanoma cells can become metastatic not only due to cell-intrinsic plasticity but also due to cancer-induced protumorigenic remodeling of the immune microenvironment. Here, we report that innate immune surveillance by natural killer (NK) cells is bypassed by human melanoma cells expressing the stem cell marker NGFR. Using in vitro and in vivo cytotoxic assays, we show that NGFR protects melanoma cells from NK cell-mediated killing and, furthermore, boosts metastasis formation in a mouse model with adoptively transferred human NK cells. Mechanistically, NGFR leads to down-regulation of NK cell activating ligands and simultaneous up-regulation of the fatty acid stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase (SCD) in melanoma cells. Notably, pharmacological and small interfering RNA-mediated inhibition of SCD reverted NGFR-induced NK cell evasion in vitro and in vivo. Hence, NGFR orchestrates immune control antagonizing pathways to protect melanoma cells from NK cell clearance, which ultimately favors metastatic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Lehmann
- University of Zurich, Institute of Anatomy, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Caduff
- University of Zurich, Institute of Experimental Immunology, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Ewelina Krzywińska
- University of Zurich, Institute of Anatomy, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Salome Stierli
- University of Zurich, Institute of Anatomy, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Adrian Salas-Bastos
- University of Zurich, Institute of Anatomy, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin Loos
- University of Zurich, Institute of Anatomy, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Mitchell P. Levesque
- University of Zurich Hospital, Department of Dermatology, Gloriastrasse 31, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Reinhard Dummer
- University of Zurich Hospital, Department of Dermatology, Gloriastrasse 31, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Stockmann
- University of Zurich, Institute of Anatomy, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Münz
- University of Zurich, Institute of Experimental Immunology, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Johanna Diener
- University of Zurich, Institute of Anatomy, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lukas Sommer
- University of Zurich, Institute of Anatomy, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
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47
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Suresh S, Rabbie R, Garg M, Lumaquin D, Huang TH, Montal E, Ma Y, Cruz NM, Tang X, Nsengimana J, Newton-Bishop J, Hunter MV, Zhu Y, Chen K, de Stanchina E, Adams DJ, White RM. Identifying the Transcriptional Drivers of Metastasis Embedded within Localized Melanoma. Cancer Discov 2023; 13:194-215. [PMID: 36259947 PMCID: PMC9827116 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-22-0427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
In melanoma, predicting which tumors will ultimately metastasize guides treatment decisions. Transcriptional signatures of primary tumors have been utilized to predict metastasis, but which among these are driver or passenger events remains unclear. We used data from the adjuvant AVAST-M trial to identify a predictive gene signature in localized tumors that ultimately metastasized. Using a zebrafish model of primary melanoma, we interrogated the top genes from the AVAST-M signature in vivo. This identified GRAMD1B, a cholesterol transfer protein, as a bona fide metastasis suppressor, with a majority of knockout animals rapidly developing metastasis. Mechanistically, excess free cholesterol or its metabolite 27-hydroxycholesterol promotes invasiveness via activation of an AP-1 program, which is associated with increased metastasis in humans. Our data demonstrate that the transcriptional seeds of metastasis are embedded within localized tumors, suggesting that early targeting of these programs can be used to prevent metastatic relapse. SIGNIFICANCE We analyzed human melanoma transcriptomics data to identify a gene signature predictive of metastasis. To rapidly test clinical signatures, we built a genetic metastasis platform in adult zebrafish and identified GRAMD1B as a suppressor of melanoma metastasis. GRAMD1B-associated cholesterol overload activates an AP-1 program to promote melanoma invasion. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shruthy Suresh
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Roy Rabbie
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Manik Garg
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Dianne Lumaquin
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
- Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, New York, New York
| | - Ting-Hsiang Huang
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Emily Montal
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Yilun Ma
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
- Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, New York, New York
| | - Nelly M Cruz
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Xinran Tang
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Cellular and Developmental Biology and Molecular Biology Ph.D. Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, New York
| | - Jérémie Nsengimana
- Biostatistics Research Group, Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | | | - Miranda V. Hunter
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Yuxin Zhu
- Antitumor Assessment Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Kevin Chen
- Antitumor Assessment Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Elisa de Stanchina
- Antitumor Assessment Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - David J. Adams
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Richard M. White
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
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48
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Tsai CH, Chuang YM, Li X, Yu YR, Tzeng SF, Teoh ST, Lindblad KE, Di Matteo M, Cheng WC, Hsueh PC, Kao KC, Imrichova H, Duan L, Gallart-Ayala H, Hsiao PW, Mazzone M, Ivanesevic J, Liu X, de Visser KE, Lujambio A, Lunt SY, Kaech SM, Ho PC. Immunoediting instructs tumor metabolic reprogramming to support immune evasion. Cell Metab 2023; 35:118-133.e7. [PMID: 36599297 PMCID: PMC10375941 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2022.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Immunoediting sculpts immunogenicity and thwarts host anti-tumor responses in tumor cells during tumorigenesis; however, it remains unknown whether metabolic programming of tumor cells can be guided by immunosurveillance. Here, we report that T cell-mediated immunosurveillance in early-stage tumorigenesis instructs c-Myc upregulation and metabolic reprogramming in tumor cells. This previously unexplored tumor-immune interaction is controlled by non-canonical interferon gamma (IFNγ)-STAT3 signaling and supports tumor immune evasion. Our findings uncover that immunoediting instructs deregulated bioenergetic programs in tumor cells to empower them to disarm the T cell-mediated immunosurveillance by imposing metabolic tug-of-war between tumor and infiltrating T cells and forming the suppressive tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chin-Hsien Tsai
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ming Chuang
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Xiaoyun Li
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Yi-Ru Yu
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sheue-Fen Tzeng
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Shao Thing Teoh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Katherine E Lindblad
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Liver Cancer Program, Division of Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; The Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mario Di Matteo
- Laboratory of Tumor Inflammation and angiogenesis, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory of Tumor Inflammation and angiogenesis, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wan-Chen Cheng
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pei-Chun Hsueh
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kung-Chi Kao
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Hana Imrichova
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Wien, Austria
| | - Likun Duan
- Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Hector Gallart-Ayala
- Metabolomics Platform, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pei-Wen Hsiao
- Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Massimiliano Mazzone
- Laboratory of Tumor Inflammation and angiogenesis, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory of Tumor Inflammation and angiogenesis, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Julijana Ivanesevic
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Wien, Austria
| | - Xiaojing Liu
- Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Karin E de Visser
- Division of Tumor Biology and Immunology, Oncode Institute, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Amaia Lujambio
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Liver Cancer Program, Division of Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; The Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sophia Y Lunt
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Susan M Kaech
- NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ping-Chih Ho
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Zob DL, Augustin I, Caba L, Panzaru MC, Popa S, Popa AD, Florea L, Gorduza EV. Genomics and Epigenomics in the Molecular Biology of Melanoma-A Prerequisite for Biomarkers Studies. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010716. [PMID: 36614156 PMCID: PMC9821083 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is a common and aggressive tumor originating from melanocytes. The increasing incidence of cutaneous melanoma in recent last decades highlights the need for predictive biomarkers studies. Melanoma development is a complex process, involving the interplay of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Genetic aberrations include BRAF, NRAS, NF1, MAP2K1/MAP2K2, KIT, GNAQ, GNA11, CDKN2A, TERT mutations, and translocations of kinases. Epigenetic alterations involve microRNAs, non-coding RNAs, histones modifications, and abnormal DNA methylations. Genetic aberrations and epigenetic marks are important as biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of disease recurrence, and for therapeutic targets. This review summarizes our current knowledge of the genomic and epigenetic changes in melanoma and discusses the latest scientific information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Luminita Zob
- Department of Medical Oncology, AI. Trestioreanu Institute of Oncology, 022328 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Iolanda Augustin
- Department of Medical Oncology, AI. Trestioreanu Institute of Oncology, 022328 Bucharest, Romania
- Correspondence: (I.A.); (L.C.)
| | - Lavinia Caba
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania
- Correspondence: (I.A.); (L.C.)
| | - Monica-Cristina Panzaru
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania
| | - Setalia Popa
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania
| | - Alina Delia Popa
- Nursing Department, Faculty of Medicine, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania
| | - Laura Florea
- Department of Nephrology-Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania
| | - Eusebiu Vlad Gorduza
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania
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50
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He D, Xin T, Pang B, Sun J, Liu ZH, Qin Z, Ji XS, Yang F, Wei YB, Wang ZX, Gao JJ, Pang Q, Liu Q. A novel lncRNA MDHDH suppresses glioblastoma multiforme by acting as a scaffold for MDH2 and PSMA1 to regulate NAD+ metabolism and autophagy. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2022; 41:349. [PMID: 36527092 PMCID: PMC9758949 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02543-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To identify potential targets related to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) metabolism in gliomas, we used RNA immunoprecipitation to identify a novel long noncoding RNA renamed malate dehydrogenase degradation helper (MDHDH) (NONCODE annotation ID: NONHSAT138800.2, NCBI Reference Sequence: NR_028345), which bound to MDH2 (malate dehydrogenase 2), that is downregulated in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and associated with metabolic regulation. However, its underlying mechanisms in the progression of GBM have not been well studied. METHODS To investigate the clinical significance of MDHDH, we analyzed its expression levels in publicly available datasets and collected clinical samples from Shandong Provincial Hospital, affiliated with Shandong University. Functional assays, including FISH/CISH, CCK8, EdU, wound healing, and transwell assays, were used to determine the cellular/subcellular localization, tissue expression profile and anti-oncogenic role of MDHDH. Furthermore, RNA pulldown, mass spectrometry RNA immunoprecipitation, coimmunoprecipitation, JC-1 probe, and cell energy-production assays were used to determine the mechanisms of MDHDH in the development of GBM. Animal experiments were conducted to determine the antitumorigenic role of MDHDH in GBM in vivo. RESULTS In public datasets, MDHDH expression was significantly downregulated in GBM and LGG compared with GTEx normal brain tissues. The results of the tissue microarray showed that the MDHDH expression level negatively correlated with the tumor grade. Altered MDHDH expression led to significant changes in the proliferation, migration and invasion of GBM cells both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we found that MDHDH directly bound to MDH2 and PSMA1 (20S proteasomal core subunit alpha-type 1) as a molecular scaffold and accelerated the degradation of MDH2 by promoting the binding of ubiquitinated MDH2 to the proteasome. The degradation of MDH2 subsequently led to changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential and NAD+/NADH ratio, which impeded glycolysis in glioma cells. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, this study broadened our understanding of the functions of lncRNAs in GBM. We demonstrated that the tumor suppressor MDHDH might act as a clinical biomarker and that the overexpression of MDHDH might be a novel synergistic strategy for enhancing metabolism-based, epigenetic-based, and autophagy regulation-based therapies with clinical benefits for glioblastoma multiforme patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong He
- grid.460018.b0000 0004 1769 9639Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China ,grid.410638.80000 0000 8910 6733Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China ,grid.27255.370000 0004 1761 1174Department of Histology and Embryology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences Shandong University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China
| | - Tao Xin
- grid.452422.70000 0004 0604 7301Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Shandong Medicine and Health Key Laboratory of Neurosurgery, Jinan, 250014 P.R. China ,grid.452422.70000 0004 0604 7301Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250014 P.R. China
| | - Bo Pang
- grid.460018.b0000 0004 1769 9639Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China
| | - Jun Sun
- grid.460018.b0000 0004 1769 9639Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China ,grid.410638.80000 0000 8910 6733Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China ,grid.27255.370000 0004 1761 1174Department of Histology and Embryology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences Shandong University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China
| | - Zi Hao Liu
- grid.460018.b0000 0004 1769 9639Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China ,grid.410638.80000 0000 8910 6733Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China ,grid.27255.370000 0004 1761 1174Department of Histology and Embryology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences Shandong University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China
| | - Zhen Qin
- grid.479672.9Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China
| | - Xiao Shuai Ji
- grid.452422.70000 0004 0604 7301Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250014 P.R. China
| | - Fan Yang
- grid.460018.b0000 0004 1769 9639Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China ,grid.410638.80000 0000 8910 6733Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China
| | - Yan Bang Wei
- grid.27255.370000 0004 1761 1174Department of Histology and Embryology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences Shandong University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China
| | - Zi Xiao Wang
- grid.27255.370000 0004 1761 1174Department of Histology and Embryology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences Shandong University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China
| | - Jia Jia Gao
- grid.452422.70000 0004 0604 7301Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250014 P.R. China
| | - Qi Pang
- grid.460018.b0000 0004 1769 9639Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China
| | - Qian Liu
- grid.27255.370000 0004 1761 1174Department of Histology and Embryology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences Shandong University, Jinan, 250012 Shandong P.R. China
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