1
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Zhao D, Li H, Mambetsariev I, Mirzapoiazova T, Chen C, Fricke J, Wheeler D, Arvanitis L, Pillai R, Afkhami M, Chen BT, Sattler M, Erhunmwunsee L, Massarelli E, Kulkarni P, Amini A, Armstrong B, Salgia R. Spatial iTME analysis of KRAS mutant NSCLC and immunotherapy outcome. NPJ Precis Oncol 2024; 8:135. [PMID: 38898200 PMCID: PMC11187132 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-024-00626-6] [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: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
We conducted spatial immune tumor microenvironment (iTME) profiling using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples of 25 KRAS-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), including 12 responders and 13 non-responders. An eleven-marker panel (CD3, CD4, CD8, FOXP3, CD68, arginase-1, CD33, HLA-DR, pan-keratin (PanCK), PD-1, and PD-L1) was used to study the tumor and immune cell compositions. Spatial features at single cell level with cellular neighborhoods and fractal analysis were determined. Spatial features and different subgroups of CD68+ cells and FOXP3+ cells being associated with response or resistance to ICIs were also identified. In particular, CD68+ cells, CD33+ and FOXP3+ cells were found to be associated with resistance. Interestingly, there was also significant association between non-nuclear expression of FOXP3 being resistant to ICIs. We identified CD68dim cells in the lung cancer tissues being associated with improved responses, which should be insightful for future studies of tumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Zhao
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Haiqing Li
- Integrative Genomic Core, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
- Department of Computational & Quantitative Medicine, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Isa Mambetsariev
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Tamara Mirzapoiazova
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Chen Chen
- Department of Applied AI & Data Science, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Jeremy Fricke
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Deric Wheeler
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | | | - Raju Pillai
- Department of Pathology, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | | | - Bihong T Chen
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Martin Sattler
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Erminia Massarelli
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Prakash Kulkarni
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Arya Amini
- Department of Radiation Oncology, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Brian Armstrong
- Light Microscopy/Digital Imaging Core, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Ravi Salgia
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA.
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2
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Zhao R, Moore EL, Gogol MM, Unruh JR, Yu Z, Scott AR, Wang Y, Rajendran NK, Trainor PA. Identification and characterization of intermediate states in mammalian neural crest cell epithelial to mesenchymal transition and delamination. eLife 2024; 13:RP92844. [PMID: 38873887 PMCID: PMC11178358 DOI: 10.7554/elife.92844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cellular process that converts epithelial cells to mesenchymal cells with migratory potential in developmental and pathological processes. Although originally considered a binary event, EMT in cancer progression involves intermediate states between a fully epithelial and a fully mesenchymal phenotype, which are characterized by distinct combinations of epithelial and mesenchymal markers. This phenomenon has been termed epithelial to mesenchymal plasticity (EMP), however, the intermediate states remain poorly described and it's unclear whether they exist during developmental EMT. Neural crest cells (NCC) are an embryonic progenitor cell population that gives rise to numerous cell types and tissues in vertebrates, and their formation and delamination is a classic example of developmental EMT. However, whether intermediate states also exist during NCC EMT and delamination remains unknown. Through single-cell RNA sequencing of mouse embryos, we identified intermediate NCC states based on their transcriptional signature and then spatially defined their locations in situ in the dorsolateral neuroepithelium. Our results illustrate the importance of cell cycle regulation and functional role for the intermediate stage marker Dlc1 in facilitating mammalian cranial NCC delamination and may provide new insights into mechanisms regulating pathological EMP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruonan Zhao
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityUnited States
| | - Emma L Moore
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | | | - Jay R Unruh
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Zulin Yu
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Allison R Scott
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Yan Wang
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | | | - Paul A Trainor
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityUnited States
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3
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Berrino C, Omar A. Unravelling the Mysteries of the Sonic Hedgehog Pathway in Cancer Stem Cells: Activity, Crosstalk and Regulation. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2024; 46:5397-5419. [PMID: 38920995 DOI: 10.3390/cimb46060323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2024] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signalling pathway plays a critical role in normal development and tissue homeostasis, guiding cell differentiation, proliferation, and survival. Aberrant activation of this pathway, however, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various cancers, largely due to its role in regulating cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs are a subpopulation of cancer cells with the ability to self-renew, differentiate, and initiate tumour growth, contributing significantly to tumorigenesis, recurrence, and resistance to therapy. This review focuses on the intricate activity of the Shh pathway within the context of CSCs, detailing the molecular mechanisms through which Shh signalling influences CSC properties, including self-renewal, differentiation, and survival. It further explores the regulatory crosstalk between the Shh pathway and other signalling pathways in CSCs, highlighting the complexity of this regulatory network. Here, we delve into the upstream regulators and downstream effectors that modulate Shh pathway activity in CSCs. This review aims to cast a specific focus on the role of the Shh pathway in CSCs, provide a detailed exploration of molecular mechanisms and regulatory crosstalk, and discuss current and developing inhibitors. By summarising key findings and insights gained, we wish to emphasise the importance of further elucidating the interplay between the Shh pathway and CSCs to develop more effective cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Berrino
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
| | - Aadilah Omar
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
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4
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Rafelski SM, Theriot JA. Establishing a conceptual framework for holistic cell states and state transitions. Cell 2024; 187:2633-2651. [PMID: 38788687 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.04.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Cell states were traditionally defined by how they looked, where they were located, and what functions they performed. In this post-genomic era, the field is largely focused on a molecular view of cell state. Moving forward, we anticipate that the observables used to define cell states will evolve again as single-cell imaging and analytics are advancing at a breakneck pace via the collection of large-scale, systematic cell image datasets and the application of quantitative image-based data science methods. This is, therefore, a key moment in the arc of cell biological research to develop approaches that integrate the spatiotemporal observables of the physical structure and organization of the cell with molecular observables toward the concept of a holistic cell state. In this perspective, we propose a conceptual framework for holistic cell states and state transitions that is data-driven, practical, and useful to enable integrative analyses and modeling across many data types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne M Rafelski
- Allen Institute for Cell Science, 615 Westlake Avenue N, Seattle, WA 98125, USA.
| | - Julie A Theriot
- Department of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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5
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Wang R, Yan Z. Cancer spreading patterns based on epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1259953. [PMID: 38665432 PMCID: PMC11043583 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1259953] [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: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Metastasis is a major cause of cancer-related deaths, underscoring the necessity to discern the rules and patterns of cancer cell spreading. Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity contributes to cancer aggressiveness and metastasis. Despite establishing key determinants of cancer aggressiveness and metastatic ability, a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanism is unknown. We aimed to propose a classification system for cancer cells based on epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity, focusing on hysteresis of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal phenotype. Methods: We extensively reviewed the concept of epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity, specifically considering the hysteresis of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal phenotype. Results: In this review and hypothesis article, based on epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity, especially the hysteresis of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal phenotype, we proposed a classification of cancer cells, indicating that cancer cells with epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity potential could be classified into four types: irreversible hysteresis, weak hysteresis, strong hysteresis, and hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal phenotype. These four types of cancer cells had varied biology, spreading features, and prognoses. Discussion: Our results highlight that the proposed classification system offers insights into the diverse behaviors of cancer cells, providing implications for cancer aggressiveness and metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Wang
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Zhaopeng Yan
- Department of General Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
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6
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Hong T, Xing J. Data- and theory-driven approaches for understanding paths of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Genesis 2024; 62:e23591. [PMID: 38553870 PMCID: PMC11017362 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Reversible transitions between epithelial and mesenchymal cell states are a crucial form of epithelial plasticity for development and disease progression. Recent experimental data and mechanistic models showed multiple intermediate epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) states as well as trajectories of EMT underpinned by complex gene regulatory networks. In this review, we summarize recent progress in quantifying EMT and characterizing EMT paths with computational methods and quantitative experiments including omics-level measurements. We provide perspectives on how these studies can help relating fundamental cell biology to physiological and pathological outcomes of EMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Hong
- Department of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville TN, USA
| | - Jianhua Xing
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- UPMC-Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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7
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Kayalar Ö, Rajabi H, Konyalilar N, Mortazavi D, Aksoy GT, Wang J, Bayram H. Impact of particulate air pollution on airway injury and epithelial plasticity; underlying mechanisms. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1324552. [PMID: 38524119 PMCID: PMC10957538 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1324552] [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: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Air pollution plays an important role in the mortality and morbidity of chronic airway diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Particulate matter (PM) is a significant fraction of air pollutants, and studies have demonstrated that it can cause airway inflammation and injury. The airway epithelium forms the first barrier of defense against inhaled toxicants, such as PM. Airway epithelial cells clear airways from inhaled irritants and orchestrate the inflammatory response of airways to these irritants by secreting various lipid mediators, growth factors, chemokines, and cytokines. Studies suggest that PM plays an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic airway diseases by impairing mucociliary function, deteriorating epithelial barrier integrity, and inducing the production of inflammatory mediators while modulating the proliferation and death of airway epithelial cells. Furthermore, PM can modulate epithelial plasticity and airway remodeling, which play central roles in asthma and COPD. This review focuses on the effects of PM on airway injury and epithelial plasticity, and the underlying mechanisms involving mucociliary activity, epithelial barrier function, airway inflammation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, mesenchymal-epithelial transition, and airway remodeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Özgecan Kayalar
- Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Koç University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Hadi Rajabi
- Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Koç University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Nur Konyalilar
- Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Koç University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Deniz Mortazavi
- Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Koç University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Gizem Tuşe Aksoy
- Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Koç University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Biomedicine and Biopharmacology, School of Biological Engineering and Food, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Hasan Bayram
- Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Koç University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, School of Medicine, Koç University, Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, Türkiye
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8
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Zhao R, Moore EL, Gogol MM, Unruh JR, Yu Z, Scott A, Wang Y, Rajendran NK, Trainor PA. Identification and characterization of intermediate states in mammalian neural crest cell epithelial to mesenchymal transition and delamination. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.26.564204. [PMID: 37961316 PMCID: PMC10634855 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.26.564204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cellular process that converts epithelial cells to mesenchymal cells with migratory potential in both developmental and pathological processes. Although originally considered a binary event, EMT in cancer progression involves intermediate states between a fully epithelial and a fully mesenchymal phenotype, which are characterized by distinct combinations of epithelial and mesenchymal markers. This phenomenon has been termed epithelial to mesenchymal plasticity (EMP), however, the intermediate states remain poorly described and it's unclear whether they exist during developmental EMT. Neural crest cells (NCC) are an embryonic progenitor cell population that gives rise to numerous cell types and tissues in vertebrates, and their formation is a classic example of developmental EMT. An important feature of NCC development is their delamination from the neuroepithelium via EMT, following which NCC migrate throughout the embryo and undergo differentiation. NCC delamination shares similar changes in cellular state and structure with cancer cell invasion. However, whether intermediate states also exist during NCC EMT and delamination remains unknown. Through single cell RNA sequencing, we identified intermediate NCC states based on their transcriptional signature and then spatially defined their locations in situ in the dorsolateral neuroepithelium. Our results illustrate the progressive transcriptional and spatial transitions from premigratory to migratory cranial NCC during EMT and delamination. Of note gene expression and trajectory analysis indicate that distinct intermediate populations of NCC delaminate in either S phase or G2/M phase of the cell cycle, and the importance of cell cycle regulation in facilitating mammalian cranial NCC delamination was confirmed through cell cycle inhibition studies. Additionally, transcriptional knockdown revealed a functional role for the intermediate stage marker Dlc1 in regulating NCC delamination and migration. Overall, our work identifying and characterizing the intermediate cellular states, processes, and molecular signals that regulate mammalian NCC EMT and delamination furthers our understanding of developmental EMP and may provide new insights into mechanisms regulating pathological EMP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruonan Zhao
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Emma L. Moore
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | | | - Jay R. Unruh
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Zulin Yu
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Allison Scott
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Yan Wang
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | | | - Paul A. Trainor
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
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9
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Lin S, He C, Song L, Sun L, Zhao R, Min W, Zhao Y. Exosomal lncCRLA is predictive for the evolvement and development of lung adenocarcinoma. Cancer Lett 2024; 582:216588. [PMID: 38097132 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2023.216588] [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: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Lung adenocarcinoma, the most common histological subtype of non-small cell lung cancer, exhibits heterogeneity that enables adaptability, limits therapeutic success, and remains incompletely understood. Our team uncovers that lncRNA related to chemotherapy resistance in lung adenocarcinoma (lncCRLA) is preferentially expressed in lung adenocarcinoma cells with the mesenchymal phenotype. lncCRLA can not enhance chemotherapy resistance in lung adenocarcinoma due to its binding to RIPK1 in exosomes, which is released into intercellular media and transferred by exosomes from mesenchymal-like to epithelial-like cells. However, plasmatic lncCRLA corresponding to tissue lncCRLA functions as a preferred biomarker to reflect the response to chemotherapy and disease progression of lung adenocarcinoma. Through single-cell sequencing, RNA-Mutect technique and spatial transcriptomics, a handful of hybrid EMT cells with elevated lncCRLA are characterized as the origin of lung adenocarcinoma, which are indiscriminated from hybrid EMT cells by the in-depth sequencing. Plasmatic lncCRLA is properly predictive for the preinvasive lesion of lung adenocarcinoma that would evolve to invasive lesion. That notion is confirmed by a brand-new transgenic mouse model in which EMT is tracked by Cre and Dre system. Dasatinib is potential to hinder the spontaneous progression from preinvasive to invasive lesion of lung adenocarcinoma. Together, plasmatic lncCRLA is defined as a brand-new circulating biomarker to predict the occurrence and evolvement of lung adenocarcinoma, a light for early detection of lung adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Lin
- Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, 710004, PR China.
| | - Chenyang He
- Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, 710004, PR China.
| | - Lingqin Song
- Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, 710004, PR China.
| | - Liangzhang Sun
- Thoracic Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, 710004, PR China.
| | - Renyang Zhao
- Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, 710004, PR China.
| | - Weili Min
- Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, 710004, PR China.
| | - Yang Zhao
- Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, 710004, PR China.
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10
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Karacosta LG, Pancirer D, Preiss JS, Benson JA, Trope W, Shrager JB, Sung AW, Neal JW, Bendall SC, Wakelee H, Plevritis SK. Phenotyping EMT and MET cellular states in lung cancer patient liquid biopsies at a personalized level using mass cytometry. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21781. [PMID: 38065965 PMCID: PMC10709404 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46458-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Malignant pleural effusions (MPEs) can be utilized as liquid biopsy for phenotyping malignant cells and for precision immunotherapy, yet MPEs are inadequately studied at the single-cell proteomic level. Here we leverage mass cytometry to interrogate immune and epithelial cellular profiles of primary tumors and pleural effusions (PEs) from early and late-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, with the goal of assessing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) states in patient specimens. By using the EMT-MET reference map PHENOSTAMP, we observe a variety of EMT states in cytokeratin positive (CK+) cells, and report for the first time MET-enriched CK+ cells in MPEs. We show that these states may be relevant to disease stage and therapy response. Furthermore, we found that the fraction of CD33+ myeloid cells in PEs was positively correlated to the fraction of CK+ cells. Longitudinal analysis of MPEs drawn 2 months apart from a patient undergoing therapy, revealed that CK+ cells acquired heterogeneous EMT features during treatment. We present this work as a feasibility study that justifies deeper characterization of EMT and MET states in malignant cells found in PEs as a promising clinical platform to better evaluate disease progression and treatment response at a personalized level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loukia G Karacosta
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77054, USA
| | - Danny Pancirer
- Stanford Cancer Institute - Clinical Trials Office, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Jordan S Preiss
- Stanford Cancer Institute - Clinical Trials Office, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Jalen A Benson
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Winston Trope
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Joseph B Shrager
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Palo Alto VA Health Care System, Palo Alto, USA
| | - Arthur Wai Sung
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Joel W Neal
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Sean C Bendall
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Heather Wakelee
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Sylvia K Plevritis
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
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11
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Atitey K, Motsinger-Reif AA, Anchang B. Model-based evaluation of spatiotemporal data reduction methods with unknown ground truth through optimal visualization and interpretability metrics. Brief Bioinform 2023; 25:bbad455. [PMID: 38113074 PMCID: PMC10729792 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbad455] [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: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Optimizing and benchmarking data reduction methods for dynamic or spatial visualization and interpretation (DSVI) face challenges due to many factors, including data complexity, lack of ground truth, time-dependent metrics, dimensionality bias and different visual mappings of the same data. Current studies often focus on independent static visualization or interpretability metrics that require ground truth. To overcome this limitation, we propose the MIBCOVIS framework, a comprehensive and interpretable benchmarking and computational approach. MIBCOVIS enhances the visualization and interpretability of high-dimensional data without relying on ground truth by integrating five robust metrics, including a novel time-ordered Markov-based structural metric, into a semi-supervised hierarchical Bayesian model. The framework assesses method accuracy and considers interaction effects among metric features. We apply MIBCOVIS using linear and nonlinear dimensionality reduction methods to evaluate optimal DSVI for four distinct dynamic and spatial biological processes captured by three single-cell data modalities: CyTOF, scRNA-seq and CODEX. These data vary in complexity based on feature dimensionality, unknown cell types and dynamic or spatial differences. Unlike traditional single-summary score approaches, MIBCOVIS compares accuracy distributions across methods. Our findings underscore the joint evaluation of visualization and interpretability, rather than relying on separate metrics. We reveal that prioritizing average performance can obscure method feature performance. Additionally, we explore the impact of data complexity on visualization and interpretability. Specifically, we provide optimal parameters and features and recommend methods, like the optimized variational contractive autoencoder, for targeted DSVI for various data complexities. MIBCOVIS shows promise for evaluating dynamic single-cell atlases and spatiotemporal data reduction models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Komlan Atitey
- Biostatistics and Computational Biology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 111 T W Alexander Dr, David P Rall Building, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Alison A Motsinger-Reif
- Biostatistics and Computational Biology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 111 T W Alexander Dr, David P Rall Building, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Benedict Anchang
- Biostatistics and Computational Biology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 111 T W Alexander Dr, David P Rall Building, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
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12
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Shang Q, Peng J, Jiang Y, Qing M, Zhou Y, Xu H, Chen Q. SNAI2 promotes the malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia by modulating p-EMT. Oral Dis 2023; 29:3232-3242. [PMID: 35894087 DOI: 10.1111/odi.14321] [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: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Snail family transcriptional repressor 2 (SNAI2) is a key regulator of partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition (p-EMT) and is associated with tumorigenesis. Whether SNAI2 promotes oral leukoplakia (OLK) malignant transformation by modulating p-EMT is unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study utilized two clinical datasets (GSE26549 and GSE85195) from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, cytological experiments, and a 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide-induced mice model to explore the role of SNAI2 in OLK malignant transformation. RESULTS The clinical cohort found SNAI2, as a risk factor (HR = 2.50, 95% CI: 1.08-5.79, p = 0.033), could promote OLK malignant transformation (p = 0.012). Cytological experiments indicated that SNAI2 overexpression promoted DOK cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and increase the protein expression of p-EMT relative signatures, whereas SNAI2 silencing has opposite effects. Furthermore, the mice model and clinical datasets demonstrated the expression of SNAI2 and p-EMT relative signatures were increased with OLK malignant transformation. And SNAI2 was strongly correlated with p-EMT. Besides, co-expressed genes of SNAI2 were also enriched in p-EMT relative biological processes and signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS p-EMT plays a significant role in promoting the OLK malignant transformation. As an important regulator of p-EMT, SNAI2 could be a target to block the OLK malignant transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianhui Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Research Unit of Oral Carcinogenesis and Management, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
| | - Jiakuan Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Research Unit of Oral Carcinogenesis and Management, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
| | - Yuchen Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Research Unit of Oral Carcinogenesis and Management, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
| | - Maofeng Qing
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Research Unit of Oral Carcinogenesis and Management, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
| | - Yu Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Research Unit of Oral Carcinogenesis and Management, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
| | - Hao Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Research Unit of Oral Carcinogenesis and Management, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
| | - Qianming Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Research Unit of Oral Carcinogenesis and Management, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
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13
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Bhatia S, Gunter JH, Burgess JT, Adams MN, O'Byrne K, Thompson EW, Duijf PH. Stochastic epithelial-mesenchymal transitions diversify non-cancerous lung cell behaviours. Transl Oncol 2023; 37:101760. [PMID: 37611490 PMCID: PMC10466920 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2023.101760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) is a hallmark of cancer. By enabling cells to shift between different morphological and functional states, EMP promotes invasion, metastasis and therapy resistance. We report that near-diploid non-cancerous human epithelial lung cells spontaneously shift along the EMP spectrum without genetic changes. Strikingly, more than half of single cell-derived clones adopt a mesenchymal morphology. We independently characterise epithelial-like and mesenchymal-like clones. Mesenchymal clones lose epithelial markers, display larger cell aspect ratios and lower motility, with mostly unaltered proliferation rates. Stemness marker expression and metabolic rewiring diverge independently of phenotypes. In 3D culture, more epithelial clones become mesenchymal-like. Thus, non-cancerous epithelial cells may acquire cancer metastasis-associated features prior to genetic alterations and cancerous transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sugandha Bhatia
- Queensland University of Technology (QUT), School of Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health at the Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia.
| | - Jennifer H Gunter
- Queensland University of Technology (QUT), School of Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health at the Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre-Queensland (APCRC-Q), Queensland University of Technology, Woolloongabba 4102, Australia
| | - Joshua T Burgess
- Queensland University of Technology (QUT), School of Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health at the Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Mark N Adams
- Queensland University of Technology (QUT), School of Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health at the Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Kenneth O'Byrne
- Queensland University of Technology (QUT), School of Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health at the Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Erik W Thompson
- Queensland University of Technology (QUT), School of Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health at the Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Pascal Hg Duijf
- Queensland University of Technology (QUT), School of Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health at the Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Centre for Cancer Biology, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia and SA Pathology, Adelaide SA, 5001, Australia; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
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14
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Dorset SR, Daugaard TF, Larsen TV, Nielsen AL. RGMb impacts partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition and BMP2-Induced ID mRNA expression independent of PD-L2 in nonsmall cell lung cancer cells. Cell Biol Int 2023; 47:1799-1812. [PMID: 37434531 DOI: 10.1002/cbin.12071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
PD-1/PD-ligand-axis immunotherapy-mediated activation of T-cells for cancer cell elimination is a promising treatment of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the effect of immunotherapy on intracellular signaling pathways in cancer cells still needs further delineation. Repulsive Guidance Molecule b (RGMb), a regulator of Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) signaling, interacts with the PD-ligand, PD-L2, at cancer cell membranes. Accordingly, a clarification of the functions of RGMb and its relation to PD-L2 might provide insight into NSCLC cell signaling responses to PD-1/PD-ligand-axis immunotherapy. In this study, the functions of RGMb and PD-L2 were examined using the two NSCLC cell lines HCC827 and A549. CRISPR/Cas9 was used to decrease the expression of RGMb and PD-L2, while lentiviral vectors were used to increase their expression. Downstream effects were examined by RT-qPCR and immunoassays. Ectopic expression of RGMb impacted BMP2-induced expression of ID1 and ID2 messenger RNA (mRNA) independently of PD-L2, while RGMb depletion by CRISPR/Cas9 did not affect the BMP2-mediated induction of ID1, ID2, and ID3 mRNA. However, depletion of RGMb resulted in a partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) gene expression profile in HCC827 cells, which was not mimicked by PD-L2 depletion. The results show that RGMb is a coregulator of BMP signaling and hence, ID mRNA expression and that RGMb can control the EMT balance in NSCLC cells. However, RGMb appears to exert these functions independently of PD-L2, and accordingly, the PD-1/PD-ligand axis for immune surveillance in NSCLC cells.
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15
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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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16
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Bhattacharyya S, Ehsan SF, Karacosta LG. Phenotypic maps for precision medicine: a promising systems biology tool for assessing therapy response and resistance at a personalized level. FRONTIERS IN NETWORK PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 3:1256104. [PMID: 37964768 PMCID: PMC10642209 DOI: 10.3389/fnetp.2023.1256104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
In this perspective we discuss how tumor heterogeneity and therapy resistance necessitate a focus on more personalized approaches, prompting a shift toward precision medicine. At the heart of the shift towards personalized medicine, omics-driven systems biology becomes a driving force as it leverages high-throughput technologies and novel bioinformatics tools. These enable the creation of systems-based maps, providing a comprehensive view of individual tumor's functional plasticity. We highlight the innovative PHENOSTAMP program, which leverages high-dimensional data to construct a visually intuitive and user-friendly map. This map was created to encapsulate complex transitional states in cancer cells, such as Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) and Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition (MET), offering a visually intuitive way to understand disease progression and therapeutic responses at single-cell resolution in relation to EMT-related single-cell phenotypes. Most importantly, PHENOSTAMP functions as a reference map, which allows researchers and clinicians to assess one clinical specimen at a time in relation to their phenotypic heterogeneity, setting the foundation on constructing phenotypic maps for personalized medicine. This perspective argues that such dynamic predictive maps could also catalyze the development of personalized cancer treatment. They hold the potential to transform our understanding of cancer biology, providing a foundation for a future where therapy is tailored to each patient's unique molecular and cellular tumor profile. As our knowledge of cancer expands, these maps can be continually refined, ensuring they remain a valuable tool in precision oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayantan Bhattacharyya
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Shafqat F. Ehsan
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Loukia G. Karacosta
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
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17
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Bouchard G, Zhang W, Li I, Ilerten I, Bhattacharya A, Li Y, Trope W, Shrager JB, Kuo C, Tian L, Giaccia AJ, Plevritis SK. The colocatome as a spatial -omic reveals shared microenvironment features between tumour-stroma assembloids and human lung cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.11.557278. [PMID: 37745466 PMCID: PMC10515823 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.11.557278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Computational frameworks to quantify and compare microenvironment spatial features of in-vitro patient-derived models and clinical specimens are needed. Here, we acquired and analysed multiplexed immunofluorescence images of human lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) alongside tumour-stroma assembloids constructed with organoids and fibroblasts harvested from the leading edge (Tumour-Adjacent Fibroblasts;TAFs) or core (Tumour Core Fibroblasts;TCFs) of human LUAD. We introduce the concept of the "colocatome" as a spatial -omic dimension to catalogue all proximate and distant colocalisations between malignant and fibroblast subpopulations in both the assembloids and clinical specimens. The colocatome expands upon the colocalisation quotient (CLQ) through a nomalisation strategy that involves permutation analysis and thereby allows comparisons of CLQs under different conditions. Using colocatome analysis, we report that both TAFs and TCFs protected cancer cells from targeted oncogene treatment by uniquely reorganising the tumour-stroma cytoarchitecture, rather than by promoting cellular heterogeneity or selection. Moreover, we show that the assembloids' colocatome recapitulates the tumour-stroma cytoarchitecture defining the tumour microenvironment of LUAD clinical samples and thereby can serve as a functional spatial readout to guide translational discoveries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Bouchard
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Weiruo Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Irene Li
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ilayda Ilerten
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Asmita Bhattacharya
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yuanyuan Li
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Winston Trope
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Joseph B Shrager
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Calvin Kuo
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Lu Tian
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Amato J Giaccia
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Sylvia K Plevritis
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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18
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Haerinck J, Goossens S, Berx G. The epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity landscape: principles of design and mechanisms of regulation. Nat Rev Genet 2023; 24:590-609. [PMID: 37169858 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-023-00601-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) enables cells to interconvert between several states across the epithelial-mesenchymal landscape, thereby acquiring hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal phenotypic features. This plasticity is crucial for embryonic development and wound healing, but also underlies the acquisition of several malignant traits during cancer progression. Recent research using systems biology and single-cell profiling methods has provided novel insights into the main forces that shape EMP, which include the microenvironment, lineage specification and cell identity, and the genome. Additionally, key roles have emerged for hysteresis (cell memory) and cellular noise, which can drive stochastic transitions between cell states. Here, we review these forces and the distinct but interwoven layers of regulatory control that stabilize EMP states or facilitate epithelial-mesenchymal transitions (EMTs) and discuss the therapeutic potential of manipulating the EMP landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jef Haerinck
- Molecular and Cellular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Steven Goossens
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
- Unit for Translational Research in Oncology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Geert Berx
- Molecular and Cellular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium.
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19
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Liao P, Huang Q, Zhang J, Su Y, Xiao R, Luo S, Wu Z, Zhu L, Li J, Hu Q. How single-cell techniques help us look into lung cancer heterogeneity and immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1238454. [PMID: 37671151 PMCID: PMC10475738 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1238454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer patients tend to have strong intratumoral and intertumoral heterogeneity and complex tumor microenvironment, which are major contributors to the efficacy of and drug resistance to immunotherapy. From a new perspective, single-cell techniques offer an innovative way to look at the intricate cellular interactions between tumors and the immune system and help us gain insights into lung cancer and its response to immunotherapy. This article reviews the application of single-cell techniques in lung cancer, with focuses directed on the heterogeneity of lung cancer and the efficacy of immunotherapy. This review provides both theoretical and experimental information for the future development of immunotherapy and personalized treatment for the management of lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pu Liao
- Department of Pathology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases of Ministry of Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Qi Huang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Hubei Province Clinical Research Center for Major Respiratory Diseases, National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Jiwei Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases of Ministry of Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuan Su
- Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases of Ministry of Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Hubei Province Clinical Research Center for Major Respiratory Diseases, National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Rui Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases of Ministry of Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine; Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shengquan Luo
- Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases of Ministry of Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine; Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zengbao Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Liping Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases of Ministry of Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine; Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiansha Li
- Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases of Ministry of Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Institute of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Qinghua Hu
- Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases of Ministry of Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine; Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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20
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Hoch CC, Stögbauer F, Wollenberg B. Unraveling the Role of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Salivary Glands: A Comprehensive Review. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15112886. [PMID: 37296849 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15112886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 05/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) is considered a challenging malignancy; it is characterized by a slow-growing nature, yet a high risk of recurrence and distant metastasis, presenting significant hurdles in its treatment and management. At present, there are no approved targeted agents available for the management of SACC and systemic chemotherapy protocols that have demonstrated efficacy remain to be elucidated. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a complex process that is closely associated with tumor progression and metastasis, enabling epithelial cells to acquire mesenchymal properties, including increased mobility and invasiveness. Several molecular signaling pathways have been implicated in the regulation of EMT in SACC, and understanding these mechanisms is crucial to identifying new therapeutic targets and developing more effective treatment approaches. This manuscript aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest research on the role of EMT in SACC, including the molecular pathways and biomarkers involved in EMT regulation. By highlighting the most recent findings, this review offers insights into potential new therapeutic strategies that could improve the management of SACC patients, especially those with recurrent or metastatic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cosima C Hoch
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Fabian Stögbauer
- Institute of Pathology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Barbara Wollenberg
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), 81675 Munich, Germany
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21
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Copperman J, Gross SM, Chang YH, Heiser LM, Zuckerman DM. Morphodynamical cell state description via live-cell imaging trajectory embedding. Commun Biol 2023; 6:484. [PMID: 37142678 PMCID: PMC10160022 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04837-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Time-lapse imaging is a powerful approach to gain insight into the dynamic responses of cells, but the quantitative analysis of morphological changes over time remains challenging. Here, we exploit the concept of "trajectory embedding" to analyze cellular behavior using morphological feature trajectory histories-that is, multiple time points simultaneously, rather than the more common practice of examining morphological feature time courses in single timepoint (snapshot) morphological features. We apply this approach to analyze live-cell images of MCF10A mammary epithelial cells after treatment with a panel of microenvironmental perturbagens that strongly modulate cell motility, morphology, and cell cycle behavior. Our morphodynamical trajectory embedding analysis constructs a shared cell state landscape revealing ligand-specific regulation of cell state transitions and enables quantitative and descriptive models of single-cell trajectories. Additionally, we show that incorporation of trajectories into single-cell morphological analysis enables (i) systematic characterization of cell state trajectories, (ii) better separation of phenotypes, and (iii) more descriptive models of ligand-induced differences as compared to snapshot-based analysis. This morphodynamical trajectory embedding is broadly applicable to the quantitative analysis of cell responses via live-cell imaging across many biological and biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Copperman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
| | - Sean M Gross
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Young Hwan Chang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
- Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Laura M Heiser
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
- Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
| | - Daniel M Zuckerman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
- Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
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22
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Horny K, Sproll C, Peiffer L, Furtmann F, Gerhardt P, Gravemeyer J, Stoecklein NH, Spassova I, Becker JC. Mesenchymal-epithelial transition in lymph node metastases of oral squamous cell carcinoma is accompanied by ZEB1 expression. J Transl Med 2023; 21:267. [PMID: 37076857 PMCID: PMC10114373 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04102-w] [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: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), an HPV-negative head and neck cancer, frequently metastasizes to the regional lymph nodes but only occasionally beyond. Initial phases of metastasis are associated with an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), while the consolidation phase is associated with mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET). This dynamic is referred to as epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP). While it is known that EMP is essential for cancer cell invasion and metastatic spread, less is known about the heterogeneity of EMP states and even less about the heterogeneity between primary and metastatic lesions. METHODS To assess both the heterogeneity of EMP states in OSCC cells and their effects on stromal cells, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) of 5 primary tumors, 9 matching metastatic and 5 tumor-free lymph nodes and re-analyzed publicly available scRNAseq data of 9 additional primary tumors. For examining the cell type composition, we performed bulk transcriptome sequencing. Protein expression of selected genes were confirmed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS From the 23 OSCC lesions, the single cell transcriptomes of a total of 7263 carcinoma cells were available for in-depth analyses. We initially focused on one lesion to avoid confounding inter-patient heterogeneity and identified OSCC cells expressing genes characteristic of different epithelial and partial EMT stages. RNA velocity and the increase in inferred copy number variations indicated a progressive trajectory towards epithelial differentiation in this metastatic lesion, i.e., cells likely underwent MET. Extension to all samples revealed a less stringent but essentially similar pattern. Interestingly, MET cells show increased activity of the EMT-activator ZEB1. Immunohistochemistry confirmed that ZEB1 was co-expressed with the epithelial marker cornifin B in individual tumor cells. The lack of E-cadherin mRNA expression suggests this is a partial MET. Within the tumor microenvironment we found immunomodulating fibroblasts that were maintained in primary and metastatic OSCC. CONCLUSIONS This study reveals that EMP enables different partial EMT and epithelial phenotypes of OSCC cells, which are endowed with capabilities essential for the different stages of the metastatic process, including maintenance of cellular integrity. During MET, ZEB1 appears to be functionally active, indicating a more complex role of ZEB1 than mere induction of EMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Horny
- Translational Skin Cancer Research, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), 45141, Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christoph Sproll
- Department of Oral- and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medical Faculty, University Hospital of the Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Lukas Peiffer
- Translational Skin Cancer Research, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), 45141, Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Frauke Furtmann
- Translational Skin Cancer Research, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), 45141, Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Dermatology, University Medicine Essen, 45141, Essen, Germany
| | - Patricia Gerhardt
- Translational Skin Cancer Research, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), 45141, Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jan Gravemeyer
- Translational Skin Cancer Research, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), 45141, Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nikolas H Stoecklein
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Medical Faculty, University Hospital of the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ivelina Spassova
- Translational Skin Cancer Research, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), 45141, Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Dermatology, University Medicine Essen, 45141, Essen, Germany
| | - Jürgen C Becker
- Translational Skin Cancer Research, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), 45141, Essen, Germany.
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
- Department of Dermatology, University Medicine Essen, 45141, Essen, Germany.
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23
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Subhadarshini S, Markus J, Sahoo S, Jolly MK. Dynamics of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Plasticity: What Have Single-Cell Investigations Elucidated So Far? ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:11665-11673. [PMID: 37033874 PMCID: PMC10077445 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c07989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) is a key driver of cancer metastasis and therapeutic resistance, through which cancer cells can reversibly and dynamically alter their molecular and functional traits along the epithelial-mesenchymal spectrum. While cells in the epithelial phenotype are usually tightly adherent, less metastatic, and drug-sensitive, those in the hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal and/or mesenchymal state are more invasive, migratory, drug-resistant, and immune-evasive. Single-cell studies have emerged as a powerful tool in gaining new insights into the dynamics of EMP across various cancer types. Here, we review many recent studies that employ single-cell analysis techniques to better understand the dynamics of EMP in cancer both in vitro and in vivo. These single-cell studies have underlined the plurality of trajectories cells can traverse during EMP and the consequent heterogeneity of hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal phenotypes seen at both preclinical and clinical levels. They also demonstrate how diverse EMP trajectories may exhibit hysteretic behavior and how the rate of such cell-state transitions depends on the genetic/epigenetic background of recipient cells, as well as the dose and/or duration of EMP-inducing growth factors. Finally, we discuss the relationship between EMP and patient survival across many cancer types. We also present a next set of questions related to EMP that could benefit much from single-cell observations and pave the way to better tackle phenotypic switching and heterogeneity in clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joel Markus
- Centre
for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - 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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24
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Pillai M, Hojel E, Jolly MK, Goyal Y. Unraveling non-genetic heterogeneity in cancer with dynamical models and computational tools. NATURE COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE 2023; 3:301-313. [PMID: 38177938 DOI: 10.1038/s43588-023-00427-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Individual cells within an otherwise genetically homogenous population constantly undergo fluctuations in their molecular state, giving rise to non-genetic heterogeneity. Such diversity is being increasingly implicated in cancer therapy resistance and metastasis. Identifying the origins of non-genetic heterogeneity is therefore crucial for making clinical breakthroughs. We discuss with examples how dynamical models and computational tools have provided critical multiscale insights into the nature and consequences of non-genetic heterogeneity in cancer. We demonstrate how mechanistic modeling has been pivotal in establishing key concepts underlying non-genetic diversity at various biological scales, from population dynamics to gene regulatory networks. We discuss advances in single-cell longitudinal profiling techniques to reveal patterns of non-genetic heterogeneity, highlighting the ongoing efforts and challenges in statistical frameworks to robustly interpret such multimodal datasets. Moving forward, we stress the need for data-driven statistical and mechanistically motivated dynamical frameworks to come together to develop predictive cancer models and inform therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maalavika Pillai
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Emilia Hojel
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Mohit Kumar Jolly
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
| | - Yogesh Goyal
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering, Evanston, IL, USA.
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25
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Malagoli Tagliazucchi G, Wiecek AJ, Withnell E, Secrier M. Genomic and microenvironmental heterogeneity shaping epithelial-to-mesenchymal trajectories in cancer. Nat Commun 2023; 14:789. [PMID: 36774358 PMCID: PMC9922305 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36439-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key cellular process underlying cancer progression, with multiple intermediate states whose molecular hallmarks remain poorly characterised. To fill this gap, we present a method to robustly evaluate EMT transformation in individual tumours based on transcriptomic signals. We apply this approach to explore EMT trajectories in 7180 tumours of epithelial origin and identify three macro-states with prognostic and therapeutic value, attributable to epithelial, hybrid E/M and mesenchymal phenotypes. We show that the hybrid state is relatively stable and linked with increased aneuploidy. We further employ spatial transcriptomics and single cell datasets to explore the spatial heterogeneity of EMT transformation and distinct interaction patterns with cytotoxic, NK cells and fibroblasts in the tumour microenvironment. Additionally, we provide a catalogue of genomic events underlying distinct evolutionary constraints on EMT transformation. This study sheds light on the aetiology of distinct stages along the EMT trajectory, and highlights broader genomic and environmental hallmarks shaping the mesenchymal transformation of primary tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna J Wiecek
- UCL Genetics Institute, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Eloise Withnell
- UCL Genetics Institute, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Maria Secrier
- UCL Genetics Institute, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
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Nano-Enabled Strategies for the Treatment of Lung Cancer: Potential Bottlenecks and Future Perspectives. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11020473. [PMID: 36831009 PMCID: PMC9952953 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
On a global scale, lung cancer is acknowledged to be the major driver of cancer death attributable to treatment challenges and poor prognosis. Classical cancer treatment regimens, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, can be used to treat lung cancer, but the appended adverse effects limit them. Because of the numerous side effects associated with these treatment modalities, it is crucial to strive to develop novel and better strategies for managing lung cancer. Attributes such as enhanced bioavailability, better in vivo stability, intestinal absorption pattern, solubility, prolonged and targeted distribution, and the superior therapeutic effectiveness of numerous anticancer drugs have all been boosted with the emergence of nano-based therapeutic systems. Lipid-based polymeric and inorganic nano-formulations are now being explored for the targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics for lung cancer treatment. Nano-based approaches are pioneering the route for primary and metastatic lung cancer diagnosis and treatment. The implementation and development of innovative nanocarriers for drug administration, particularly for developing cancer therapies, is an intriguing and challenging task in the scientific domain. The current article provides an overview of the delivery methods, such as passive and active targeting for chemotherapeutics to treat lung cancer. Combinatorial drug therapy and techniques to overcome drug resistance in lung cancer cells, as potential ways to increase treatment effectiveness, are also discussed. In addition, the clinical studies of the potential therapies at different stages and the associated challenges are also presented. A summary of patent literature has also been included to keep readers aware of the new and innovative nanotechnology-based ways to treat lung cancer.
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27
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Vad-Nielsen J, Staunstrup NH, Kjeldsen ML, Dybdal N, Flandin G, De Stradis C, Daugaard TF, Vilsbøll-Larsen T, Maansson CT, Doktor TK, Sorensen BS, Nielsen AL. Genome-wide epigenetic and mRNA-expression profiling followed by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene-disruptions corroborate the MIR141/MIR200C-ZEB1/ZEB2-FGFR1 axis in acquired EMT-associated EGFR TKI-resistance in NSCLC cells. Transl Lung Cancer Res 2023; 12:42-65. [PMID: 36762066 PMCID: PMC9903082 DOI: 10.21037/tlcr-22-507] [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: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Background Epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) is an epigenetic-based mechanism contributing to the acquired treatment resistance against receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutations. Delineating the exact epigenetic and gene-expression alterations in EMT-associated EGFR TKI-resistance (EMT-E-TKI-R) is vital for improved diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC patients. Methods We characterized genome-wide changes in mRNA-expression, DNA-methylation and the histone-modification H3K36me3 in EGFR-mutated NSCLC HCC827 cells in result of acquired EMT-E-TKI-R. CRISPR/Cas9 was used to functional examine key findings from the omics analyses. Results Acquired EMT-E-TKI-R was analyzed with three omics approaches. RNA-sequencing identified 2,233 and 1,972 up- and down-regulated genes, respectively, and among these were established EMT-markers. DNA-methylation EPIC array analyses identified 14,163 and 7,999 hyper- and hypo-methylated, respectively, differential methylated positions of which several were present in EMT-markers. Finally, H3K36me3 chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-sequencing detected 2,873 and 3,836 genes with enrichment and depletion, respectively, and among these were established EMT-markers. Correlation analyses showed that EMT-E-TKI-R mRNA-expression changes correlated better with H3K36me3 changes than with DNA-methylation changes. Moreover, the omics data supported the involvement of the MIR141/MIR200C-ZEB1/ZEB2-FGFR1 signaling axis for acquired EMT-E-TKI-R. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated analyses corroborated the importance of ZEB1 in acquired EMT-E-TKI-R, MIR200C and MIR141 to be in an EMT-E-TKI-R-associated auto-regulatory loop with ZEB1, and FGFR1 to mediate cell survival in EMT-E-TKI-R. Conclusions The current study describes the synchronous genome-wide changes in mRNA-expression, DNA-methylation, and H3K36me3 in NSCLC EMT-E-TKI-R. The omics approaches revealed potential novel diagnostic markers and treatment targets. Besides, the study consolidates the functional impact of the MIR141/MIR200C-ZEB1/ZEB2-FGFR1-signaling axis in NSCLC EMT-E-TKI-R.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Nina Dybdal
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | | | | | | | - Christoffer Trier Maansson
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark;,Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark;,Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Thomas Koed Doktor
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Boe Sandahl Sorensen
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark;,Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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28
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Caranica C, Lu M. A data-driven optimization method for coarse-graining gene regulatory networks. iScience 2023; 26:105927. [PMID: 36698721 PMCID: PMC9868542 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.105927] [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: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
One major challenge in systems biology is to understand how various genes in a gene regulatory network (GRN) collectively perform their functions and control network dynamics. This task becomes extremely hard to tackle in the case of large networks with hundreds of genes and edges, many of which have redundant regulatory roles and functions. The existing methods for model reduction usually require the detailed mathematical description of dynamical systems and their corresponding kinetic parameters, which are often not available. Here, we present a data-driven method for coarse-graining large GRNs, named SacoGraci, using ensemble-based mathematical modeling, dimensionality reduction, and gene circuit optimization by Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. SacoGraci requires network topology as the only input and is robust against errors in GRNs. We benchmark and demonstrate its usage with synthetic, literature-based, and bioinformatics-derived GRNs. We hope SacoGraci will enhance our ability to model the gene regulation of complex biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian Caranica
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mingyang Lu
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA,The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA,Corresponding author
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29
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Jain P, Corbo S, Mohammad K, Sahoo S, Ranganathan S, George JT, Levine H, Taube J, Toneff M, Jolly MK. Epigenetic memory acquired during long-term EMT induction governs the recovery to the epithelial state. J R Soc Interface 2023; 20:20220627. [PMID: 36628532 PMCID: PMC9832289 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and its reverse mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) are critical during embryonic development, wound healing and cancer metastasis. While phenotypic changes during short-term EMT induction are reversible, long-term EMT induction has been often associated with irreversibility. Here, we show that phenotypic changes seen in MCF10A cells upon long-term EMT induction by TGFβ need not be irreversible, but have relatively longer time scales of reversibility than those seen in short-term induction. Next, using a phenomenological mathematical model to account for the chromatin-mediated epigenetic silencing of the miR-200 family by ZEB family, we highlight how the epigenetic memory gained during long-term EMT induction can slow the recovery to the epithelial state post-TGFβ withdrawal. Our results suggest that epigenetic modifiers can govern the extent and time scale of EMT reversibility and advise caution against labelling phenotypic changes seen in long-term EMT induction as 'irreversible'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paras Jain
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India
| | - Sophia Corbo
- Department of Biology, Widener University, Chester, PA 19013, USA
| | - Kulsoom Mohammad
- Department of Biology, Widener University, Chester, PA 19013, USA
| | - Sarthak Sahoo
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India
| | | | - Jason T. George
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 76798, USA
| | - Herbert Levine
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics and Departments of Physics and Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Joseph Taube
- Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76706, USA
| | - Michael Toneff
- Department of Biology, Widener University, Chester, PA 19013, USA
| | - Mohit Kumar Jolly
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India
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30
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Vegliante R, Pastushenko I, Blanpain C. Deciphering functional tumor states at single-cell resolution. EMBO J 2022; 41:e109221. [PMID: 34918370 PMCID: PMC8762559 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2021109221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Within a tumor, cancer cells exist in different states that are associated with distinct tumor functions, including proliferation, differentiation, invasion, metastasis, and resistance to anti-cancer therapy. The identification of the gene regulatory networks underpinning each state is essential for better understanding functional tumor heterogeneity and revealing tumor vulnerabilities. Here, we review the different studies identifying tumor states by single-cell sequencing approaches and the mechanisms that promote and sustain these functional states and regulate their transitions. We also describe how different tumor states are spatially distributed and interact with the specific stromal cells that compose the tumor microenvironment. Finally, we discuss how the understanding of tumor plasticity and transition states can be used to develop new strategies to improve cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rolando Vegliante
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and CancerUniversité Libre de BruxellesBrusselsBelgium
| | | | - Cédric Blanpain
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and CancerUniversité Libre de BruxellesBrusselsBelgium
- WELBIOUniversité Libre de BruxellesBrusselsBelgium
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31
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Basu A, Paul MK, Weiss S. The actin cytoskeleton: Morphological changes in pre- and fully developed lung cancer. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2022; 3:041304. [PMID: 38505516 PMCID: PMC10903407 DOI: 10.1063/5.0096188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Actin, a primary component of the cell cytoskeleton can have multiple isoforms, each of which can have specific properties uniquely suited for their purpose. These monomers are then bound together to form polymeric filaments utilizing adenosine triphosphate hydrolysis as a source of energy. Proteins, such as Arp2/3, VASP, formin, profilin, and cofilin, serve important roles in the polymerization process. These filaments can further be linked to form stress fibers by proteins called actin-binding proteins, such as α-actinin, myosin, fascin, filamin, zyxin, and epsin. These stress fibers are responsible for mechanotransduction, maintaining cell shape, cell motility, and intracellular cargo transport. Cancer metastasis, specifically epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is one of the key steps of the process, is accompanied by the formation of thick stress fibers through the Rho-associated protein kinase, MAPK/ERK, and Wnt pathways. Recently, with the advent of "field cancerization," pre-malignant cells have also been demonstrated to possess stress fibers and related cytoskeletal features. Analytical methods ranging from western blot and RNA-sequencing to cryo-EM and fluorescent imaging have been employed to understand the structure and dynamics of actin and related proteins including polymerization/depolymerization. More recent methods involve quantifying properties of the actin cytoskeleton from fluorescent images and utilizing them to study biological processes, such as EMT. These image analysis approaches exploit the fact that filaments have a unique structure (curvilinear) compared to the noise or other artifacts to separate them. Line segments are extracted from these filament images that have assigned lengths and orientations. Coupling such methods with statistical analysis has resulted in development of a new reporter for EMT in lung cancer cells as well as their drug responses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Shimon Weiss
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed:
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32
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Pang S, Xu S, Wang L, Wu H, Chu Y, Ma X, Li Y, Zou B, Wang S, Zhou G. Molecular profiles of single circulating tumor cells from early breast cancer patients with different lymph node statuses. Thorac Cancer 2022; 14:156-167. [PMID: 36408679 PMCID: PMC9834698 DOI: 10.1111/1759-7714.14728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Characterization of early breast cancer circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may provide valuable information on tumor metastasis. METHODS We used immunomagnetic nanospheres to capture CTCs from the peripheral blood of eight early breast cancer patients and then performed single-cell RNA sequencing using our proposed bead-dd-seq method. RESULTS CTCs displayed obvious tumor cell characteristics, such as the activation of oxidative stress, proliferation, and promotion of metastasis. CTCs were clustered into two subtypes significantly correlated with the lymph node metastasis status of patients. CTCs in subtype 1 showed a strong metastatic ability because these CTCs have the phenotype of partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition and enriched transcripts, indicating breast cancer responsiveness and proliferation. Furthermore, DNA damage repair pathways were significantly upregulated in subtype 1. We performed in vitro and in vivo investigations, and found that cellular oxidative stress and further DNA damage existed in CTCs. The activated DNA damage repair pathway in CTCs favors resistance to cisplatin. A checkpoint kinase 1 inhibitor sensitized CTCs to cisplatin in mouse models of breast cancer metastasis. CONCLUSION The present study dissects the molecular characteristics of CTCs from early-stage breast cancer, providing novel insight into the understanding of CTC behavior in breast cancer metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuyun Pang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Jinling Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science & Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular MedicineMedical School of Nanjing UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Shu Xu
- School of Basic Medical Science and Clinical PharmacyChina Pharmaceutical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Lulu Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Jinling HospitalMedical School of Nanjing UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Haiping Wu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Jinling Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science & Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular MedicineMedical School of Nanjing UniversityNanjingChina,School of Pharmaceutical ScienceSouthern Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Yanan Chu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Jinling Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science & Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular MedicineMedical School of Nanjing UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Xueping Ma
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Jinling Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science & Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular MedicineMedical School of Nanjing UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Yujiao Li
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Jinling Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science & Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular MedicineMedical School of Nanjing UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Bingjie Zou
- Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Ministry of Education, School of PharmacyChina Pharmaceutical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Shaohua Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Jinling HospitalMedical School of Nanjing UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Guohua Zhou
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Jinling Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science & Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular MedicineMedical School of Nanjing UniversityNanjingChina,School of Pharmaceutical ScienceSouthern Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina,School of PharmacyNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
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Epigenetic factor competition reshapes the EMT landscape. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2210844119. [PMID: 36215492 PMCID: PMC9586264 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2210844119] [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: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of and transitions between distinct phenotypes in isogenic cells can be attributed to the intricate interplay of epigenetic marks, external signals, and gene-regulatory elements. These elements include chromatin remodelers, histone modifiers, transcription factors, and regulatory RNAs. Mathematical models known as gene-regulatory networks (GRNs) are an increasingly important tool to unravel the workings of such complex networks. In such models, epigenetic factors are usually proposed to act on the chromatin regions directly involved in the expression of relevant genes. However, it has been well-established that these factors operate globally and compete with each other for targets genome-wide. Therefore, a perturbation of the activity of a regulator can redistribute epigenetic marks across the genome and modulate the levels of competing regulators. In this paper, we propose a conceptual and mathematical modeling framework that incorporates both local and global competition effects between antagonistic epigenetic regulators, in addition to local transcription factors, and show the counterintuitive consequences of such interactions. We apply our approach to recent experimental findings on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We show that it can explain the puzzling experimental data, as well as provide verifiable predictions.
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Sidiropoulos DN, Stein-O’Brien GL, Danilova L, Gross NE, Charmsaz S, Xavier S, Leatherman J, Wang H, Yarchoan M, Jaffee EM, Fertig EJ, Ho WJ. Integrated T cell cytometry metrics for immune-monitoring applications in immunotherapy clinical trials. JCI Insight 2022; 7:e160398. [PMID: 36214223 PMCID: PMC9675468 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.160398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Mass cytometry, or cytometry by TOF (CyTOF), provides a robust means of determining protein-level measurements of more than 40 markers simultaneously. While the functional states of immune cells occur along continuous phenotypic transitions, cytometric studies surveying cell phenotypes often rely on static metrics, such as discrete cell-type abundances, based on canonical markers and/or restrictive gating strategies. To overcome this limitation, we applied single-cell trajectory inference and nonnegative matrix factorization methods to CyTOF data to trace the dynamics of T cell states. In the setting of cancer immunotherapy, we showed that patient-specific summaries of continuous phenotypic shifts in T cells could be inferred from peripheral blood-derived CyTOF mass cytometry data. We further illustrated that transfer learning enabled these T cell continuous metrics to be used to estimate patient-specific cell states in new sample cohorts from a reference patient data set. Our work establishes the utility of continuous metrics for CyTOF analysis as tools for translational discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrios N. Sidiropoulos
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Convergence Institute, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Immunotherapy and
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Genevieve L. Stein-O’Brien
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Convergence Institute, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Immunotherapy and
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ludmila Danilova
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Convergence Institute, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Immunotherapy and
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Nicole E. Gross
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Soren Charmsaz
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Stephanie Xavier
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Convergence Institute, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Immunotherapy and
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - James Leatherman
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Convergence Institute, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Immunotherapy and
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Hao Wang
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Convergence Institute, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Immunotherapy and
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Mark Yarchoan
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Convergence Institute, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Immunotherapy and
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Elizabeth M. Jaffee
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Convergence Institute, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Immunotherapy and
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Elana J. Fertig
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Convergence Institute, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Immunotherapy and
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Won Jin Ho
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Convergence Institute, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Immunotherapy and
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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35
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Stochastic population dynamics of cancer stemness and adaptive response to therapies. Essays Biochem 2022; 66:387-398. [PMID: 36073715 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20220038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Intratumoral heterogeneity can exist along multiple axes: Cancer stem cells (CSCs)/non-CSCs, drug-sensitive/drug-tolerant states, and a spectrum of epithelial-hybrid-mesenchymal phenotypes. Further, these diverse cell-states can switch reversibly among one another, thereby posing a major challenge to therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, understanding the origins of phenotypic plasticity and heterogeneity remains an active area of investigation. While genomic components (mutations, chromosomal instability) driving heterogeneity have been well-studied, recent reports highlight the role of non-genetic mechanisms in enabling both phenotypic plasticity and heterogeneity. Here, we discuss various processes underlying phenotypic plasticity such as stochastic gene expression, chromatin reprogramming, asymmetric cell division and the presence of multiple stable gene expression patterns ('attractors'). These processes can facilitate a dynamically evolving cell population such that a subpopulation of (drug-tolerant) cells can survive lethal drug exposure and recapitulate population heterogeneity on drug withdrawal, leading to relapse. These drug-tolerant cells can be both pre-existing and also induced by the drug itself through cell-state reprogramming. The dynamics of cell-state transitions both in absence and presence of the drug can be quantified through mathematical models. Such a dynamical systems approach to elucidating patterns of intratumoral heterogeneity by integrating longitudinal experimental data with mathematical models can help design effective combinatorial and/or sequential therapies for better clinical outcomes.
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36
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Glycosphingolipids are mediators of cancer plasticity through independent signaling pathways. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111181. [PMID: 35977490 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The molecular repertoire promoting cancer cell plasticity is not fully elucidated. Here, we propose that glycosphingolipids (GSLs), specifically the globo and ganglio series, correlate and promote the transition between epithelial and mesenchymal cells. The epithelial character of ovarian cancer remains stable throughout disease progression, and spatial glycosphingolipidomics reveals elevated globosides in the tumor compartment compared with the ganglioside-rich stroma. CRISPR-Cas9 knockin mediated truncation of endogenous E-cadherin induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and decreases globosides. The transcriptomics analysis identifies the ganglioside-synthesizing enzyme ST8SIA1 to be consistently elevated in mesenchymal-like samples, predicting poor outcome. Subsequent deletion of ST8SIA1 induces epithelial cell features through mTORS2448 phosphorylation, whereas loss of globosides in ΔA4GALT cells, resulting in EMT, is accompanied by increased ERKY202/T204 and AKTS124. The GSL composition dynamics corroborate cancer cell plasticity, and further evidence suggests that mesenchymal cells are maintained through ganglioside-dependent, calcium-mediated mechanisms.
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37
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Mendez MJ, Hoffman MJ, Cherry EM, Lemmon CA, Weinberg SH. A data-assimilation approach to predict population dynamics during epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Biophys J 2022; 121:3061-3080. [PMID: 35836379 PMCID: PMC9463646 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.07.014] [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: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a biological process that plays a central role in embryonic development, tissue regeneration, and cancer metastasis. Transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) is a potent inducer of this cellular transition, comprising transitions from an epithelial state to partial or hybrid EMT state(s), to a mesenchymal state. Recent experimental studies have shown that, within a population of epithelial cells, heterogeneous phenotypical profiles arise in response to different time- and TGFβ dose-dependent stimuli. This offers a challenge for computational models, as most model parameters are generally obtained to represent typical cell responses, not necessarily specific responses nor to capture population variability. In this study, we applied a data-assimilation approach that combines limited noisy observations with predictions from a computational model, paired with parameter estimation. Synthetic experiments mimic the biological heterogeneity in cell states that is observed in epithelial cell populations by generating a large population of model parameter sets. Analysis of the parameters for virtual epithelial cells with biologically significant characteristics (e.g., EMT prone or resistant) illustrates that these sub-populations have identifiable critical model parameters. We perform a series of in silico experiments in which a forecasting system reconstructs the EMT dynamics of each virtual cell within a heterogeneous population exposed to time-dependent exogenous TGFβ dose and either an EMT-suppressing or EMT-promoting perturbation. We find that estimating population-specific critical parameters significantly improved the prediction accuracy of cell responses. Thus, with appropriate protocol design, we demonstrate that a data-assimilation approach successfully reconstructs and predicts the dynamics of a heterogeneous virtual epithelial cell population in the presence of physiological model error and parameter uncertainty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario J Mendez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
| | - Matthew J Hoffman
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
| | - Elizabeth M Cherry
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York; School of Computational Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Christopher A Lemmon
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
| | - Seth H Weinberg
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia; The Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio.
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38
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Kwizera EA, Ou W, Lee S, Stewart S, Shamul JG, Xu J, Tait N, Tkaczuk KHR, He X. Greatly Enhanced CTC Culture Enabled by Capturing CTC Heterogeneity Using a PEGylated PDMS-Titanium-Gold Electromicrofluidic Device with Glutathione-Controlled Gentle Cell Release. ACS NANO 2022; 16:11374-11391. [PMID: 35797466 PMCID: PMC9649890 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c05195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The circulating tumor cells (CTCs, the root cause of cancer metastasis and poor cancer prognosis) are very difficult to culture for scale-up in vitro, which has hampered their use in cancer research/prognosis and patient-specific therapeutic development. Herein, we report a robust electromicrofluidic chip for not only efficient capture of heterogeneous (EpCAM+ and CD44+) CTCs with high purity but also glutathione-controlled gentle release of the CTCs with high efficiency and viability. This is enabled by coating the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface in the device with a 10 nm gold layer through a 4 nm titanium coupling layer, for convenient PEGylation and linkage of capture antibodies via the thiol-gold chemistry. Surprisingly, the percentage of EpCAM+ mammary CTCs can be as low as ∼35% (∼70% on average), showing that the commonly used approach of capturing CTCs with EpCAM alone may miss many EpCAM- CTCs. Furthermore, the CD44+ CTCs can be cultured to form 3D spheroids efficiently for scale-up. In contrast, the CTCs captured with EpCAM alone are poor in proliferation in vitro, consistent with the literature. By capture of the CTC heterogeneity, the percentage of stage IV patients whose CTCs can be successfully cultured/scaled up is improved from 12.5% to 68.8%. These findings demonstrate that the common practice of CTC capture with EpCAM alone misses the CTC heterogeneity including the critical CD44+ CTCs. This study may be valuable to the procurement and scale-up of heterogeneous CTCs, to facilitate the understanding of cancer metastasis and the development of cancer metastasis-targeted personalized cancer therapies conveniently via the minimally invasive liquid/blood biopsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elyahb A Kwizera
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Wenquan Ou
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Sojeong Lee
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Samantha Stewart
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - James G Shamul
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Jiangsheng Xu
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Nancy Tait
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Katherine H R Tkaczuk
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Xiaoming He
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
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39
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Panchy N, Watanabe K, Takahashi M, Willems A, Hong T. Comparative single-cell transcriptomes of dose and time dependent epithelial–mesenchymal spectrums. NAR Genom Bioinform 2022; 4:lqac072. [PMID: 36159174 PMCID: PMC9492285 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqac072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cellular process involved in development and disease progression. Intermediate EMT states were observed in tumors and fibrotic tissues, but previous in vitro studies focused on time-dependent responses with single doses of signals; it was unclear whether single-cell transcriptomes support stable intermediates observed in diseases. Here, we performed single-cell RNA-sequencing with human mammary epithelial cells treated with multiple doses of TGF-β. We found that dose-dependent EMT harbors multiple intermediate states at nearly steady state. Comparisons of dose- and time-dependent EMT transcriptomes revealed that the dose-dependent data enable higher sensitivity to detect genes associated with EMT. We identified cell clusters unique to time-dependent EMT, reflecting cells en route to stable states. Combining dose- and time-dependent cell clusters gave rise to accurate prognosis for cancer patients. Our transcriptomic data and analyses uncover a stable EMT continuum at the single-cell resolution, and complementary information of two types of single-cell experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Panchy
- Department of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology. The University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Kazuhide Watanabe
- RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences , 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Masataka Takahashi
- RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences , 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Andrew Willems
- School of Genome Science and Technology, The University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37916, USA
| | - Tian Hong
- Department of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology. The University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
- National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis , Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
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40
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Genenger B, Perry JR, Ashford B, Ranson M. A tEMTing target? Clinical and experimental evidence for epithelial-mesenchymal transition in the progression of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (a scoping systematic review). Discov Oncol 2022; 13:42. [PMID: 35666359 PMCID: PMC9170863 DOI: 10.1007/s12672-022-00510-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is a disease with globally rising incidence and poor prognosis for patients with advanced or metastatic disease. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a driver of metastasis in many carcinomas, and cSCC is no exception. We aimed to provide a systematic overview of the clinical and experimental evidence for EMT in cSCC, with critical appraisal of type and quality of the methodology used. We then used this information as rationale for potential drug targets against advanced and metastatic cSCC. All primary literature encompassing clinical and cell-based or xenograft experimental studies reporting on the role of EMT markers or related signalling pathways in the progression of cSCC were considered. A screen of 3443 search results yielded 86 eligible studies comprising 44 experimental studies, 22 clinical studies, and 20 studies integrating both. From the clinical studies a timeline illustrating the alteration of EMT markers and related signalling was evident based on clinical progression of the disease. The experimental studies reveal connections of EMT with a multitude of factors such as genetic disorders, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and matrix remodelling via matrix metalloproteinases and urokinase plasminogen activator. Additionally, EMT was found to be closely tied to environmental factors as well as to stemness in cSCC via NFκB and β-catenin. We conclude that the canonical EGFR, canonical TGF-βR, PI3K/AKT and NFκB signalling are the four signalling pillars that induce EMT in cSCC and could be valuable therapeutic targets. Despite the complexity, EMT markers and pathways are desirable biomarkers and drug targets for the treatment of advanced or metastatic cSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Genenger
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
| | - Jay R Perry
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Bruce Ashford
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Marie Ranson
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
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41
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Uthaya Kumar DB, Motakis E, Yurieva M, Kohar V, Martinek J, Wu TC, Khoury J, Grassmann J, Lu M, Palucka K, Kaminski N, Koff JL, Williams A. Bronchial epithelium epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity forms aberrant basaloid-like cells in vitro. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2022; 322:L822-L841. [PMID: 35438006 PMCID: PMC9142163 DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00254.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Although epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a common feature of fibrotic lung disease, its role in fibrogenesis is controversial. Recently, aberrant basaloid cells were identified in fibrotic lung tissue as a novel epithelial cell type displaying a partial EMT phenotype. The developmental origin of these cells remains unknown. To elucidate the role of EMT in the development of aberrant basaloid cells from the bronchial epithelium, we mapped EMT-induced transcriptional changes at the population and single-cell levels. Human bronchial epithelial cells grown as submerged or air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures with or without EMT induction were analyzed by bulk and single-cell RNA-Sequencing. Comparison of submerged and ALI cultures revealed differential expression of 8,247 protein coding (PC) and 1,621 long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) genes and revealed epithelial cell-type-specific lncRNAs. Similarly, EMT induction in ALI cultures resulted in robust transcriptional reprogramming of 6,020 PC and 907 lncRNA genes. Although there was no evidence for fibroblast/myofibroblast conversion following EMT induction, cells displayed a partial EMT gene signature and an aberrant basaloid-like cell phenotype. The substantial transcriptional differences between submerged and ALI cultures highlight that care must be taken when interpreting data from submerged cultures. This work supports that lung epithelial EMT does not generate fibroblasts/myofibroblasts and confirms ALI cultures provide a physiologically relevant system to study aberrant basaloid-like cells and mechanisms of EMT. We provide a catalog of PC and lncRNA genes and an interactive browser (https://bronc-epi-in-vitro.cells.ucsc.edu/) of single-cell RNA-Seq data for further exploration of potential roles in the lung epithelium in health and lung disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinesh Babu Uthaya Kumar
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut
| | - Efthymios Motakis
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut
| | - Marina Yurieva
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut
| | | | - Jan Martinek
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut
| | - Te-Chia Wu
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut
| | - Johad Khoury
- Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Jessica Grassmann
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut
| | - Mingyang Lu
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Karolina Palucka
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut
| | - Naftali Kaminski
- Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Jonathan L Koff
- Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Adam Williams
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
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42
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Entezari M, Ghanbarirad M, Taheriazam A, Sadrkhanloo M, Zabolian A, Goharrizi MASB, Hushmandi K, Aref AR, Ashrafizadeh M, Zarrabi A, Nabavi N, Rabiee N, Hashemi M, Samarghandian S. Long non-coding RNAs and exosomal lncRNAs: Potential functions in lung cancer progression, drug resistance and tumor microenvironment remodeling. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 150:112963. [PMID: 35468579 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.112963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the different kinds of tumors threatening human life, lung cancer is one that is commonly observed in both males and females. The aggressive behavior of lung cancer and interactions occurring in tumor microenvironment enhances the malignancy of this tumor. The lung tumor cells have demonstrated capacity in developing chemo- and radio-resistance. LncRNAs are a category of non-coding RNAs that do not encode proteins, but their aberrant expression is responsible for tumor development, especially lung cancer. In the present review, we focus on both lncRNAs and exosomal lncRNAs in lung cancer, and their ability in regulating proliferation and metastasis. Cell cycle progression and molecular mechanisms related to lung cancer metastasis such as EMT and MMPs are regulated by lncRNAs. LncRNAs interact with miRNAs, STAT, Wnt, EZH2, PTEN and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways to affect progression of lung cancer cells. LncRNAs demonstrate both tumor-suppressor and tumor-promoting functions in lung cancer. They can be considered as biomarkers in lung cancer and especially exosomal lncRNAs present in body fluids are potential tools for minimally invasive diagnosis. Furthermore, we discuss regulation of lncRNAs by anti-cancer drugs and genetic tools as well as the role of these factors in therapy response of lung cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maliheh Entezari
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Ghanbarirad
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Afshin Taheriazam
- Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Department of Orthopedics, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Amirhossein Zabolian
- Department of Orthopedics, School of Medicine, 5th Azar Hospital, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Golestan, Iran
| | | | - Kiavash Hushmandi
- Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, Division of Epidemiology & Zoonosis, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amir Reza Aref
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Translational Sciences, Xsphera Biosciences Inc., 6 Tide Street, Boston, MA 02210, USA
| | - Milad Ashrafizadeh
- Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabanci University, Orta Mahalle, Üniversite Caddesi No. 27, Orhanlı, Tuzla, 34956 Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ali Zarrabi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istinye University, Sariyer, Istanbul 34396, Turkey
| | - Noushin Nabavi
- Department of Urological Sciences and Vancouver Prostate Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6H3Z6
| | - Navid Rabiee
- School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Mehrdad Hashemi
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Saeed Samarghandian
- Healthy Ageing Research Centre, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran.
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43
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Role of CD44 isoforms in epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity and metastasis. Clin Exp Metastasis 2022; 39:391-406. [PMID: 35023031 PMCID: PMC10042269 DOI: 10.1007/s10585-022-10146-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Cellular plasticity lies at the core of cancer progression, metastasis, and resistance to treatment. Stemness and epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity in cancer are concepts that represent a cancer cell's ability to coopt and adapt normal developmental programs to promote survival and expansion. The cancer stem cell model states that a small subset of cancer cells with stem cell-like properties are responsible for driving tumorigenesis and metastasis while remaining especially resistant to common chemotherapeutic drugs. Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity describes a cancer cell's ability to transition between epithelial and mesenchymal phenotypes which drives invasion and metastasis. Recent research supports the existence of stable epithelial/mesenchymal hybrid phenotypes which represent highly plastic states with cancer stem cell characteristics. The cell adhesion molecule CD44 is a widely accepted marker for cancer stem cells, and it lies at a functional intersection between signaling networks regulating both stemness and epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity. CD44 expression is complex, with alternative splicing producing many isoforms. Interestingly, not only does the pattern of isoform expression change during transitions between epithelial and mesenchymal phenotypes in cancer, but these isoforms have distinct effects on cell behavior including the promotion of metastasis and stemness. The role of CD44 both downstream and upstream of signaling pathways regulating epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity and stemness make this protein a valuable target for further research and therapeutic intervention.
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44
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Guler S, Altunok TH, Sarioglu A, Zik B, Asmaz D, Kayapunar N, Sonmez O, Tepedelen BE, Yalcin A. Overexpression of dual-specificity phosphatases 4 and 13 attenuates transforming growth factor β1-induced migration and drug resistance in A549 cells in vitro. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2022; 606:35-41. [PMID: 35338857 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.03.090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) proteins induce an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) programme that is associated with increased invasive and drug-resistant phenotype of carcinoma cells. In addition to the canonical pathway involving SMAD proteins, the mitogen-activated kinase (MAPK) pathway via extracellular signal-regulated kinases ½ (ERK1/2) is also involved in promoting and maintaining a mesenchymal phenotype by tumor cells following TGFβ signal activation. As dual-specificity phosphatases (DUSPs) regulate ERK1/2 activity by dephosphorylation, we aimed to examine DUSPs' expression upon TGFβ stimulation and whether DUSPs play a role in the EMT and related phenotypes promoted by TGFβ1 in A549 cells. We found that TGFβ1 stimulation led to marked changes in several DUSP proteins, including significant decreases in DUSP4 and DUSP13 expressions. We then showed that the ectopic co-expression of DUSP4/13 suppresses TGFβ1-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation and protein levels of the EMT transcription factors Snail and Slug proteins. We then demonstrated that DUSP4/13 co-expression partially inhibited TGFβ1-promoted migration, invasion, and chemoresistance in A549 cells. Collectively, this report provides data for the involvement of DUSP4/13 in malignant phenotypes regulated by TGFβ1 in A549 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabire Guler
- Department of Histology & Embryology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, 16059, Turkey
| | - Tugba H Altunok
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, 16059, Turkey
| | - Aybike Sarioglu
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, 16059, Turkey
| | - Berrin Zik
- Department of Histology & Embryology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, 16059, Turkey
| | - Deniz Asmaz
- Department of Histology & Embryology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, 16059, Turkey
| | - Nuray Kayapunar
- Department of Histology & Embryology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, 16059, Turkey
| | - Oner Sonmez
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, 16059, Turkey
| | - Burcu Erbaykent Tepedelen
- Division of Molecular Biology & Genetics, School of Arts & Sciences, Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, 16059, Turkey
| | - Abdullah Yalcin
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, 16059, Turkey.
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Han Y, Wong FC, Wang D, Kahlert C. An In Silico Analysis Reveals an EMT-Associated Gene Signature for Predicting Recurrence of Early-Stage Lung Adenocarcinoma. Cancer Inform 2022; 21:11769351221100727. [PMID: 35645555 PMCID: PMC9133999 DOI: 10.1177/11769351221100727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The potential micrometastasis tends to cause recurrence of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) after surgical resection and consequently leads to an increase in the mortality risk. Compelling evidence has suggested the underlying mechanisms of tumor metastasis could involve the activation of an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program. Hence, the objective of this study was to develop an EMT-associated gene signature for predicting the recurrence of early-stage LUAD. Methods: The mRNA expression data of patients with early-stage LUAD were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) available databases. Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA) was first performed to provide an assessment of EMT phenotype, whereas Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) was constructed to determine EMT-associated key modules and genes. Based on the genes, a novel EMT-associated signature for predicting the recurrence of early-stage LUAD was identified using a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm and a stepwise Cox proportional hazards regression model. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Cox regression analyses were used to estimate the performance of the identified gene signature. Results: GSVA revealed diverse EMT states in the early-stage LUAD. Further correlation analyses showed that the EMT states presented high correlations with several hallmarks of cancers, tumor purity, tumor microenvironment cells, and immune checkpoint genes. More importantly, Kaplan-Meier survival analyses indicated that patients with high EMT scores had worse recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) than those with low EMT scores. A novel 5-gene signature ( AGL, ECM1, ENPP1, SNX7, and TSPAN12) was established based on the EMT-associated genes from WGCNA and this signature successfully predicted that the high-risk patients had a higher recurrence rate compared with the low-risk patients. In further analyses, the signature represented robust prognostic values in 2 independent validation cohorts (GEO and TCGA datasets) and a combined GEO cohort as evaluated by Kaplan-Meier survival ( P-value < .0001) and ROC analysis (AUC = 0.781). Moreover, the signature was corroborated to be independent of clinical factors by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Interestingly, the combination of the signature-based recurrence risk and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage showed a superior predictive ability on the recurrence of patients with early-stage LUAD. Conclusion: Our study suggests that patients with early-stage LUAD exhibit diverse EMT states that play a vital role in tumor recurrence. The novel and promising EMT-associated 5-gene signature identified and validated in this study may be applied to predict the recurrence of early-stage LUAD, facilitating risk stratification, recurrence monitoring, and individualized management for the patients after surgical resection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Han
- Department of Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Fang Cheng Wong
- Department of Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Di Wang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Christoph Kahlert
- Department of Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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Hsa_circ_0006692 Promotes Lung Cancer Progression via miR-205-5p/CDK19 Axis. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13050846. [PMID: 35627232 PMCID: PMC9141027 DOI: 10.3390/genes13050846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Circular RNA (CircRNA) is related to tumor development. Nevertheless, the regulation and function of hsa_circ_0006692 and its interactions with miR-205-5p and CDK19 in the development of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were un-explored. The correlations of expression levels of hsa_circ_0006692 in NSCLC specimens and cells with pathological characteristics were studied. The interactions of hsa_circ_0006692 with miR-205-5p and CDK19 were assessed with real-time PCR, RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP), luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The roles of hsa_circ_0006692 on cell growth, invasion, and migration in vitro and metastasis in vivo were evaluated. Hsa_circ_0006692 was over-expressed in 60 cases of NSCLC specimens and cells, which was positively correlated with TNM stage, tumor size, and invasion of the lung basal layer. The results of the in vitro and in vivo studies revealed that the over-expression of hsa_circ_0006692 facilitated NSCLC cell growth, migration, and invasion, cell cycle arrest at the S phase, and the activation of BCL-2, CCND1, and PCNA. The results of the dual-luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation, and pull-down assays indicated that hsa_circ_0006692 sponged miR-205-5p, which targeted CDK19 and facilitated the malignant behaviors of lung cancer cells. Hsa_circ_0006692 modulated EMT of lung cancer cells via the stimulation of CDH1, CDH2, VIMENTIN, and MMP7. This study revealed that hsa_circ_0006692 promoted NSCLC progression via enhancing cell growth, invasion, and metastasis through sponging mir-205-5p, up-regulating the downstream oncogene CDK19 and modulating EMT of lung cancer cells. The circ-0006692/mir-205-5p/CDK19 axis might serve as a prognosis biomarker and target for drugs aimed against NSCLC.
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47
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Autophagy and EMT in cancer and metastasis: Who controls whom? Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2022; 1868:166431. [PMID: 35533903 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2022.166431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Metastasis consists of hallmark events, including Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), angiogenesis, initiation of inflammatory tumor microenvironment, and malfunctions in apoptosis. Autophagy is known to play a pivotal role in the metastatic process. Autophagy has pulled researchers towards it in recent times because of its dual role in the maintenance of cancer cells. Evidence states that cells undergoing EMT need autophagy in order to survive during migration and dissemination. Additionally, it orchestrates EMT markers in certain cancers. On the other side of the coin, autophagy plays an oncosuppressive role in impeding early metastasis. This review aims to project the interrelationship between autophagy and EMT. Targeting EMT via autophagy as a useful strategy is discussed in this review. Furthermore, for the first time, we have covered the possible reciprocating roles of EMT and autophagy and its consequences in cancer metastasis.
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Basu A, Paul MK, Alioscha-Perez M, Grosberg A, Sahli H, Dubinett SM, Weiss S. Statistical parametrization of cell cytoskeleton reveals lung cancer cytoskeletal phenotype with partial EMT signature. Commun Biol 2022; 5:407. [PMID: 35501466 PMCID: PMC9061773 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03358-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Epithelial–mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is a multi-step process that involves cytoskeletal rearrangement. Here, developing and using an image quantification tool, Statistical Parametrization of Cell Cytoskeleton (SPOCC), we have identified an intermediate EMT state with a specific cytoskeletal signature. We have been able to partition EMT into two steps: (1) initial formation of transverse arcs and dorsal stress fibers and (2) their subsequent conversion to ventral stress fibers with a concurrent alignment of fibers. Using the Orientational Order Parameter (OOP) as a figure of merit, we have been able to track EMT progression in live cells as well as characterize and quantify their cytoskeletal response to drugs. SPOCC has improved throughput and is non-destructive, making it a viable candidate for studying a broad range of biological processes. Further, owing to the increased stiffness (and by inference invasiveness) of the intermediate EMT phenotype compared to mesenchymal cells, our work can be instrumental in aiding the search for future treatment strategies that combat metastasis by specifically targeting the fiber alignment process. A computational method for automated quantification of actin stress fiber alignment in fluorescence images of cultured cells is presented, used to detect changes in stress fiber organization during EMT, with pathways regulating actin dynamics manipulated leading to the discovery of a cytoskeletal phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arkaprabha Basu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Manash K Paul
- Department of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angles, CA, USA.,Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Mitchel Alioscha-Perez
- Electronics and Informatics Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre, Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Anna Grosberg
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.,The Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Hichem Sahli
- Electronics and Informatics Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre, Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Steven M Dubinett
- Department of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angles, CA, USA.,Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,California NanoSystems Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shimon Weiss
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,California NanoSystems Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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49
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Toma T, Tateishi H, Kawakami K, Ali TFS, Kamo M, Monde K, Nakashima Y, Fujita M, Otsuka M. Novel Inhibitor for Downstream Targeting of Transforming Growth Factor-β Signaling to Suppress Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition and Cell Migration. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23095047. [PMID: 35563439 PMCID: PMC9102712 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23095047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer metastasis accounts for most of the mortality associated with solid tumors. However, antimetastatic drugs are not available on the market. One of the important biological events leading to metastasis is the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by cytokines, namely transforming growth-factor-β (TGF-β). Although several classes of inhibitors targeting TGF-β and its receptor have been developed, they have shown profound clinical side effects. We focused on our synthetic compound, HPH-15, which has shown anti-fibrotic activity via the blockade of the TGF-β Smad-dependent signaling. In this study, 10 μM of HPH-15 was found to exhibit anti-cell migration and anti-EMT activities in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Although higher concentrations are required, the anti-EMT activity of HPH-15 has also been observed in 3D-cultured NSCLC cells. A mechanistic study showed that HPH-15 inhibits downstream TGF-β signaling. This downstream inhibition blocks the expression of cytokines such as TGF-β, leading to the next cycle of Smad-dependent and -independent signaling. HPH-15 has AMPK-activation activity, but a relationship between AMPK activation and anti-EMT/cell migration was not observed. Taken together, HPH-15 may lead to the development of antimetastatic drugs with a new mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsugumasa Toma
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Science Farm Joint Research Laboratory, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 862-0973, Japan; (T.T.); (T.F.S.A.); (M.K.); (M.O.)
| | - Hiroshi Tateishi
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Science Farm Joint Research Laboratory, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 862-0973, Japan; (T.T.); (T.F.S.A.); (M.K.); (M.O.)
- Correspondence: (H.T.); (M.F.); Tel.: +81-96-371-4624 (H.T.); +81-96-371-4622 (M.F.)
| | - Kensaku Kawakami
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan;
| | - Taha F. S. Ali
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Science Farm Joint Research Laboratory, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 862-0973, Japan; (T.T.); (T.F.S.A.); (M.K.); (M.O.)
- Medicinal Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Minia University, Minia 61519, Egypt
| | - Masahiro Kamo
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Science Farm Joint Research Laboratory, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 862-0973, Japan; (T.T.); (T.F.S.A.); (M.K.); (M.O.)
| | - Kazuaki Monde
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan;
| | - Yuta Nakashima
- Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan;
- International Research Organization for Advanced Science & Technology, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
- Institute of Industrial Nanomaterials, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
| | - Mikako Fujita
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Science Farm Joint Research Laboratory, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 862-0973, Japan; (T.T.); (T.F.S.A.); (M.K.); (M.O.)
- Correspondence: (H.T.); (M.F.); Tel.: +81-96-371-4624 (H.T.); +81-96-371-4622 (M.F.)
| | - Masami Otsuka
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Science Farm Joint Research Laboratory, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 862-0973, Japan; (T.T.); (T.F.S.A.); (M.K.); (M.O.)
- Department of Drug Discovery, Science Farm Ltd., Kumamoto 862-0976, Japan
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50
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Cancer: More than a geneticist’s Pandora’s box. J Biosci 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12038-022-00254-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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