1
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Lu H, Wang Y, Chaudhary S, Balaga V, Ke H, Shi F, Liu J, Huo Y, Romanienko PJ, Xia B, De S, Chan CS, Shen Z. Medulloblastomas Initiated by Homologous Recombination Defects in Mice. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2024:S0002-9440(24)00294-3. [PMID: 39168365 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2024.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Germline mutations of homologous-recombination (HR) genes are among the top contributors to medulloblastomas. A significant portion of human medulloblastomas exhibited genomic signatures of HR defects. We asked whether ablation of Brca2, Palb2, and their related Brca1 and Bccip genes, in the mouse brain can differentially initiate medulloblastomas. We established conditional knockout mouse models of these HR-genes, and a conditional knockdown of Bccip (shBccip-KD). Deletion of any of these genes led to microcephaly and neurological defects, with Brca1- and Bccip- producing the worst. Trp53 co-deletion significantly rescued the microcephaly with Brca1, Palb2, and Brca2 deficiency, but it exhibited limited impact on Bccip- mice. For the first time, inactivation of either Brca1 or Palb2 with Trp53 was found to induce medulloblastomas. Bccip/Trp53 deletions failed, despite that shBccip-CKD was highly penetrative, to induce medulloblastomas. The tumors displayed diverse immunohistochemical features and chromosome copy number variation. While there were widespread upregulations of cell proliferative pathways, most of the tumors expressed biomarkers of the Sonic Hedgehog subgroup. The MBs developed from Brca1-, Palb2-, and Brca2- mice were highly sensitive to a PARP inhibitor, but not the ones from shBccip-CKD mice. Our models recapitulate the spontaneous medulloblastoma development with high penetrance and narrow time-window, providing ideal platforms to test therapeutic agents with the ability to differentiate HR defective and proficient tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimei Lu
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
| | - Yuan Wang
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
| | - Shipra Chaudhary
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
| | - Varshita Balaga
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
| | - Hua Ke
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
| | | | - Jingmei Liu
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
| | - Yangyin Huo
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
| | | | - Bing Xia
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
| | | | - Chang S Chan
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; Department of Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
| | - Zhiyuan Shen
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
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2
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Sui Y, Wang T, Mei Y, Zhu Y, Jiang W, Shen J, Yan S, Lu W, Zhao K, Mo J, Wang C, Tang Y. Targeting Super-Enhancer-Driven Transcriptional Dependencies Suppresses Aberrant Hedgehog Pathway Activation and Overcomes Smoothened Inhibitor Resistance. Cancer Res 2024; 84:2690-2706. [PMID: 38775809 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-3306] [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: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
Aberrant activation of the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway plays important roles in oncogenesis and therapeutic resistance in several types of cancer. The clinical application of FDA-approved Hh-targeted smoothened inhibitors (SMOi) is hindered by the emergence of primary or acquired drug resistance. Epigenetic and transcriptional-targeted therapies represent a promising direction for developing improved anti-Hh therapies. In this study, we integrated epigenetic/transcriptional-targeted small-molecule library screening with CRISPR/Cas9 knockout library screening and identified CDK9 and CDK12, two transcription elongation regulators, as therapeutic targets for antagonizing aberrant Hh activation and overcoming SMOi resistance. Inhibition of CDK9 or CDK12 potently suppressed Hh signaling and tumor growth in various SMOi responsive or resistant Hh-driven tumor models. Systemic epigenomic profiling elucidated the Hh-driven super-enhancer (SE) landscape and identified IRS1, encoding a critical component and cytoplasmic adaptor protein of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway, as an oncogenic Hh-driven SE target gene and effective therapeutic target in Hh-driven tumor models. Collectively, this study identifies SE-driven transcriptional dependencies that represent promising therapeutic vulnerabilities for suppressing the Hh pathway and overcoming SMOi resistance. As CDK9 and IRS inhibitors have already entered human clinical trials for cancer treatment, these findings provide comprehensive preclinical support for developing trials for Hh-driven cancers. Significance: Dissecting transcriptional dependencies driven by super-enhancers uncovers therapeutic targets in Hedgehog-driven cancers and identifies strategies for overcoming resistance to smoothened inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Sui
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Department of Histoembryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Teng Wang
- Centre of Biomedical Systems and Informatics, ZJU-UoE Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, International Campus, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
| | - Yanqing Mei
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Department of Histoembryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Department of Histoembryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenyan Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Department of Histoembryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiayi Shen
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai, China
| | - Siyuan Yan
- Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenjie Lu
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Department of Histoembryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Kewen Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Pathophysiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jialin Mo
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Department of Histoembryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Chaochen Wang
- Centre of Biomedical Systems and Informatics, ZJU-UoE Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, International Campus, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yujie Tang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Department of Histoembryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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3
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Yang Y, Valdés-Rives SA, Liu Q, Gao T, Burudpakdee C, Li Y, Tan J, Tan Y, Koch CA, Rong Y, Houser SR, Wei S, Cai KQ, Wu J, Cheng SY, Wechsler-Reya R, Yang ZJ. Thyroid hormone suppresses medulloblastoma progression through promoting terminal differentiation of tumor cells. Cancer Cell 2024; 42:1434-1449.e5. [PMID: 39137728 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
Hypothyroidism is commonly detected in patients with medulloblastoma (MB). However, whether thyroid hormone (TH) contributes to MB pathogenicity remains undetermined. Here, we find that TH plays a critical role in promoting tumor cell differentiation. Reduction in TH levels frees the TH receptor, TRα1, to bind to EZH2 and repress expression of NeuroD1, a transcription factor that drives tumor cell differentiation. Increased TH reverses EZH2-mediated repression of NeuroD1 by abrogating the binding of EZH2 and TRα1, thereby stimulating tumor cell differentiation and reducing MB growth. Importantly, TH-induced differentiation of tumor cells is not restricted by the molecular subgroup of MB, suggesting that TH can be used to broadly treat MB subgroups. These findings establish an unprecedented association between TH signaling and MB pathogenicity, providing solid evidence for TH as a promising modality for MB treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yijun Yang
- Nuclear Dynamics and Cancer Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; Cancer Epigenetic Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA
| | - Silvia Anahi Valdés-Rives
- Nuclear Dynamics and Cancer Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; Cancer Epigenetic Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA
| | - Qing Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Tong Gao
- Cancer Signaling and Microenvironment Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA
| | - Chakkapong Burudpakdee
- Nuclear Dynamics and Cancer Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; Cancer Epigenetic Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA
| | - Yuzhe Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Jun Tan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yinfei Tan
- Department of Pathology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA
| | - Christian A Koch
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA
| | - Yuan Rong
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
| | - Steven R Houser
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
| | - Shuanzeng Wei
- Department of Pathology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA
| | - Kathy Q Cai
- Histopathology Facility, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA
| | - Jinhua Wu
- Cancer Signaling and Microenvironment Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA
| | - Sheue-Yann Cheng
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Robert Wechsler-Reya
- Brain Tumor Research, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Zeng-Jie Yang
- Nuclear Dynamics and Cancer Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; Cancer Epigenetic Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA.
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4
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Kumar S, Arwind DA, Kumar B H, Pandey S, Nayak R, Vithalkar MP, Kumar N, Pai KSR. Inhibition of STAT3: A promising approach to enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapy in medulloblastoma. Transl Oncol 2024; 46:102023. [PMID: 38852276 PMCID: PMC11220551 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2024.102023] [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: 02/03/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Medulloblastoma is a type of brain cancer that primarily affects children. While chemotherapy has been shown to be effective in treating medulloblastoma, the development of chemotherapy resistance remains a challenge. One potential therapeutic approach is to selectively inhibit the inducible transcription factor called STAT3, which is known to play a crucial role in the survival and growth of tumor cells. The activation of STAT3 has been linked to the growth and progression of various cancers, including medulloblastoma. Inhibition of STAT3 has been shown to sensitize medulloblastoma cells to chemotherapy, leading to improved treatment outcomes. Different approaches to STAT3 inhibition have been developed, including small-molecule inhibitors and RNA interference. Preclinical studies have shown the efficacy of STAT3 inhibitors in medulloblastoma, and clinical trials are currently ongoing to evaluate their safety and effectiveness in patients with various solid tumors, including medulloblastoma. In addition, researchers are also exploring ways to optimize the use of STAT3 inhibitors in combination with chemotherapy and identify biomarkers that can predict treatment that will help to develop personalized treatment strategies. This review highlights the potential of selective inhibition of STAT3 as a novel approach for the treatment of medulloblastoma and suggests that further research into the development of STAT3 inhibitors could lead to improved outcomes for patients with aggressive cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachindra Kumar
- Department of Pharmacology, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal 576104, India
| | - Dube Aakash Arwind
- Department of Pharmacology and toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hajipur, Vaishali-844102, Bihar, India
| | - Harish Kumar B
- Department of Pharmacology, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal 576104, India
| | - Samyak Pandey
- Department of Pharmacology, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal 576104, India
| | - Raksha Nayak
- Department of Pharmacology, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal 576104, India
| | - Megh Pravin Vithalkar
- Department of Pharmacology, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal 576104, India
| | - Nitesh Kumar
- Department of Pharmacology and toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hajipur, Vaishali-844102, Bihar, India
| | - K Sreedhara Ranganath Pai
- Department of Pharmacology, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal 576104, India.
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5
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Gao X, Zhuang Q, Li Y, Li G, Huang Z, Chen S, Sun S, Yang H, Jiang L, Mao Y. Single-Cell Chromatin Accessibility Analysis Reveals Subgroup-Specific TF-NTR Regulatory Circuits in Medulloblastoma. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2309554. [PMID: 38884167 PMCID: PMC11321678 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202309554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Medulloblastoma (MB) stands as one of the prevalent malignant brain tumors among pediatric patients. Despite its prevalence, the intricate interplay between the regulatory program driving malignancy in MB cells and their interactions with the microenvironment remains insufficiently understood. Leveraging the capabilities of single-cell Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin sequencing (scATAC-seq), the chromatin accessibility landscape is unveiled across 59,015 distinct MB cells. This expansive dataset encompasses cells belonging to discrete molecular subgroups, namely SHH, WNT, Group3, and Group4. Within these chromatin accessibility profiles, specific regulatory elements tied to individual subgroups are uncovered, shedding light on the distinct activities of transcription factors (TFs) that likely orchestrate the tumorigenesis process. Moreover, it is found that certain neurotransmitter receptors (NTRs) are subgroup-specific and can predict MB subgroup classification when combined with their associated transcription factors. Notably, targeting essential NTRs within tumors influences both the in vitro sphere-forming capability and the in vivo tumorigenic capacity of MB cells. These findings collectively provide fresh insights into comprehending the regulatory networks and cellular dynamics within MBs. Furthermore, the significance of the TF-NTR regulatory circuits is underscored as prospective biomarkers and viable therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyue Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and InformationBeijing Institute of GenomicsChinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for BioinformationBeijing100101China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Qiyuan Zhuang
- Department of NeurosurgeryHuashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghai200040China
- National Center for Neurological DisordersShanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural RegenerationNeurosurgical Institute of Fudan University Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of NeurosurgeryHuashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghai200040China
| | - Yun Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and InformationBeijing Institute of GenomicsChinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for BioinformationBeijing100101China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Guochao Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and InformationBeijing Institute of GenomicsChinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for BioinformationBeijing100101China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Zheng Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and InformationBeijing Institute of GenomicsChinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for BioinformationBeijing100101China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Shenzhi Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and InformationBeijing Institute of GenomicsChinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for BioinformationBeijing100101China
- Sino‐Danish CollegeUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Shaoxing Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and InformationBeijing Institute of GenomicsChinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for BioinformationBeijing100101China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Hui Yang
- Department of NeurosurgeryHuashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghai200040China
- National Center for Neurological DisordersShanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural RegenerationNeurosurgical Institute of Fudan University Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of NeurosurgeryHuashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghai200040China
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain ScienceInstitute for Translational Brain ResearchShanghai Medical CollegeFudan UniversityShanghai200032China
| | - Lan Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and InformationBeijing Institute of GenomicsChinese Academy of Sciences and China National Center for BioinformationBeijing100101China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
- Sino‐Danish CollegeUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
- College of Future Technology CollegeUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Ying Mao
- Department of NeurosurgeryHuashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghai200040China
- National Center for Neurological DisordersShanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural RegenerationNeurosurgical Institute of Fudan University Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of NeurosurgeryHuashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghai200040China
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6
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Peterson K, Turos-Cabal M, Salvador AD, Palomo-Caturla I, Howell AJ, Vieira ME, Greiner SM, Barnoud T, Rodriguez-Blanco J. Mechanistic insights into medulloblastoma relapse. Pharmacol Ther 2024; 260:108673. [PMID: 38857789 PMCID: PMC11270902 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2024.108673] [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: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 06/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Pediatric brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children, with medulloblastoma (MB) being the most common type. A better understanding of these malignancies has led to their classification into four major molecular subgroups. This classification not only facilitates the stratification of clinical trials, but also the development of more effective therapies. Despite recent progress, approximately 30% of children diagnosed with MB experience tumor relapse. Recurrent disease in MB is often metastatic and responds poorly to current therapies. As a result, only a small subset of patients with recurrent MB survive beyond one year. Due to its dismal prognosis, novel therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing or managing recurrent disease are urgently needed. In this review, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind treatment failure in MB, as well as those characterizing recurrent cases. We also propose avenues for how these findings can be used to better inform personalized medicine approaches for the treatment of newly diagnosed and recurrent MB. Lastly, we discuss the treatments currently being evaluated for MB patients, with special emphasis on those targeting MB by subgroup at diagnosis and relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendell Peterson
- Darby Children's Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Maria Turos-Cabal
- Darby Children's Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - April D Salvador
- Darby Children's Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | | | - Ashley J Howell
- Darby Children's Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Megan E Vieira
- Darby Children's Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Sean M Greiner
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins Children's Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Thibaut Barnoud
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA; Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Jezabel Rodriguez-Blanco
- Darby Children's Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA; Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
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7
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Casey MJ, Chan PP, Li Q, Zu JF, Jette CA, Kohler M, Myers BR, Stewart RA. A simple and scalable zebrafish model of Sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114559. [PMID: 39078737 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor in children and is stratified into three major subgroups. The Sonic hedgehog (SHH) subgroup represents ∼30% of all MB cases and has significant survival disparity depending upon TP53 status. Here, we describe a zebrafish model of SHH MB using CRISPR to create mutant ptch1, the primary genetic driver of human SHH MB. In these animals, tumors rapidly arise in the cerebellum and resemble human SHH MB by histology and comparative onco-genomics. Similar to human patients, MB tumors with loss of both ptch1 and tp53 have aggressive tumor histology and significantly worse survival outcomes. The simplicity and scalability of the ptch1-crispant MB model makes it highly amenable to CRISPR-based genome-editing screens to identify genes required for SHH MB tumor formation in vivo, and here we identify the gene encoding Grk3 kinase as one such target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattie J Casey
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Priya P Chan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA; Primary Children's Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT 84113, USA
| | - Qing Li
- High-Throughput Genomics and Cancer Bioinformatics Shared Resource, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Ju-Fen Zu
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Cicely A Jette
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Missia Kohler
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Benjamin R Myers
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Rodney A Stewart
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
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8
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Contenti J, Guo Y, Larcher M, Mirabal-Ortega L, Rouleau M, Irondelle M, Tiroille V, Mazzu A, Duranton-Tanneur V, Pedeutour F, Ben-Sahra I, Lago C, Leva G, Tiberi L, Robert G, Pouponnot C, Bost F, Mazure NM. HIF-1 inactivation empowers HIF-2 to drive hypoxia adaptation in aggressive forms of medulloblastoma. Cell Death Discov 2024; 10:338. [PMID: 39048564 PMCID: PMC11269614 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-024-02100-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most prevalent brain cancer in children. Four subgroups of MB have been identified; of these, Group 3 is the most metastatic. Its genetics and biology remain less clear than the other groups, and it has a poor prognosis and few effective treatments available. Tumor hypoxia and the resulting metabolism are known to be important in the growth and survival of tumors but, to date, have been only minimally explored in MB. Here we show that Group 3 MB tumors do not depend on the canonical transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) to mount an adaptive response to hypoxia. We discovered that HIF-1α is rendered inactive either through post-translational methylation, preventing its nuclear localization specifically in Group 3 MB, or by a low expression that prevents modulation of HIF-target genes. Strikingly, we found that HIF-2 takes over the role of HIF-1 in the nucleus and promotes the activation of hypoxia-dependent anabolic pathways. The exclusion of HIF-1 from the nucleus in Group 3 MB cells enhances the reliance on HIF-2's transcriptional role, making it a viable target for potential anticancer strategies. By combining pharmacological inhibition of HIF-2α with the use of metformin, a mitochondrial complex I inhibitor to block respiration, we effectively induced Group 3 MB cell death, surpassing the effectiveness observed in Non-Group 3 MB cells. Overall, the unique dependence of MB cells, but not normal cells, on HIF-2-mediated anabolic metabolism presents an appealing therapeutic opportunity for treating Group 3 MB patients with minimal toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Contenti
- Université Côte d'Azur, INSERM U1065, C3M, 151 Route de St Antoine de Ginestière, BP2 3194, CEDEX 03, Labellisé Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer 2022, 06204, Nice, France.
| | - Y Guo
- Université Côte d'Azur, INSERM U1065, C3M, 151 Route de St Antoine de Ginestière, BP2 3194, CEDEX 03, Labellisé Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer 2022, 06204, Nice, France
| | - M Larcher
- CNRS UMR 3347, Centre Universitaire, Orsay, France
| | | | - M Rouleau
- Université Côte d'Azur, LP2M, CNRS-UMR 7370, Faculty of Medicine, 06108, Nice, France
| | - M Irondelle
- Université Côte d'Azur, INSERM U1065, C3M, 151 Route de St Antoine de Ginestière, BP2 3194, CEDEX 03, Labellisé Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer 2022, 06204, Nice, France
| | - V Tiroille
- Université Côte d'Azur, INSERM U1065, C3M, 151 Route de St Antoine de Ginestière, BP2 3194, CEDEX 03, Labellisé Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer 2022, 06204, Nice, France
| | - A Mazzu
- Université Côte d'Azur, INSERM U1065, C3M, 151 Route de St Antoine de Ginestière, BP2 3194, CEDEX 03, Labellisé Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer 2022, 06204, Nice, France
| | - V Duranton-Tanneur
- Université Côte d'Azur, Laboratory of Solid Tumor Genetics, University Hospital of Nice (CHU), Nice, France
- Laboratory of Solid Tumor Genetics, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), CNRS UMR 7284/INSERM U1081, Nice, France
| | - F Pedeutour
- Université Côte d'Azur, Laboratory of Solid Tumor Genetics, University Hospital of Nice (CHU), Nice, France
- Laboratory of Solid Tumor Genetics, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), CNRS UMR 7284/INSERM U1081, Nice, France
| | - I Ben-Sahra
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - C Lago
- Armenise-Harvard Laboratory of Brain Cancer, Department CIBIO, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123, Trento, Italy
| | - G Leva
- Armenise-Harvard Laboratory of Brain Cancer, Department CIBIO, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123, Trento, Italy
| | - L Tiberi
- Armenise-Harvard Laboratory of Brain Cancer, Department CIBIO, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123, Trento, Italy
| | - G Robert
- Université Côte d'Azur, INSERM U1065, C3M, 151 Route de St Antoine de Ginestière, BP2 3194, CEDEX 03, Labellisé Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer 2022, 06204, Nice, France
| | - C Pouponnot
- CNRS UMR 3347, Centre Universitaire, Orsay, France
| | - F Bost
- Université Côte d'Azur, INSERM U1065, C3M, 151 Route de St Antoine de Ginestière, BP2 3194, CEDEX 03, Labellisé Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer 2022, 06204, Nice, France
| | - N M Mazure
- Université Côte d'Azur, INSERM U1065, C3M, 151 Route de St Antoine de Ginestière, BP2 3194, CEDEX 03, Labellisé Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer 2022, 06204, Nice, France.
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9
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Muñoz Perez N, Pensabene JM, Galbo PM, Sadeghipour N, Xiu J, Moziak K, Yazejian RM, Welch RL, Bell WR, Sengupta S, Aulakh S, Eberhart CG, Loeb DM, Eskandar E, Zheng D, Zang X, Martin AM. VISTA Emerges as a Promising Target against Immune Evasion Mechanisms in Medulloblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2629. [PMID: 39123357 PMCID: PMC11312086 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16152629] [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: 06/14/2024] [Revised: 07/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Relapsed medulloblastoma (MB) poses a significant therapeutic challenge due to its highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have struggled to mitigate this challenge, largely due to low T-cell infiltration and minimal PD-L1 expression. Identifying the mechanisms driving low T-cell infiltration is crucial for developing more effective immunotherapies. METHODS We utilize a syngeneic mouse model to investigate the tumor immune microenvironment of MB and compare our findings to transcriptomic and proteomic data from human MB. RESULTS Flow cytometry reveals a notable presence of CD45hi/CD11bhi macrophage-like and CD45int/CD11bint microglia-like tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), alongside regulatory T-cells (Tregs), expressing high levels of the inhibitory checkpoint molecule VISTA. Compared to sham control mice, the CD45hi/CD11bhi compartment significantly expands in tumor-bearing mice and exhibits a myeloid-specific signature composed of VISTA, CD80, PD-L1, CTLA-4, MHCII, CD40, and CD68. These findings are corroborated by proteomic and transcriptomic analyses of human MB samples. Immunohistochemistry highlights an abundance of VISTA-expressing myeloid cells clustering at the tumor-cerebellar border, while T-cells are scarce and express FOXP3. Additionally, tumor cells exhibit immunosuppressive properties, inhibiting CD4 T-cell proliferation in vitro. Identification of VISTA's binding partner, VSIG8, on tumor cells, and its correlation with increased VISTA expression in human transcriptomic analyses suggests a potential therapeutic target. CONCLUSIONS This study underscores the multifaceted mechanisms of immune evasion in MB and highlights the therapeutic potential of targeting the VISTA-VSIG axis to enhance anti-tumor responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Muñoz Perez
- Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (J.M.P.); (P.M.G.J.); (K.M.); (R.M.Y.); (R.L.W.); (D.M.L.); (E.E.); (D.Z.); (X.Z.)
| | - Juliana M. Pensabene
- Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (J.M.P.); (P.M.G.J.); (K.M.); (R.M.Y.); (R.L.W.); (D.M.L.); (E.E.); (D.Z.); (X.Z.)
| | - Phillip M. Galbo
- Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (J.M.P.); (P.M.G.J.); (K.M.); (R.M.Y.); (R.L.W.); (D.M.L.); (E.E.); (D.Z.); (X.Z.)
| | | | - Joanne Xiu
- Caris Life Sciences, Phoenix, AZ 85040, USA; (N.S.); (J.X.)
| | - Kirsten Moziak
- Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (J.M.P.); (P.M.G.J.); (K.M.); (R.M.Y.); (R.L.W.); (D.M.L.); (E.E.); (D.Z.); (X.Z.)
| | - Rita M. Yazejian
- Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (J.M.P.); (P.M.G.J.); (K.M.); (R.M.Y.); (R.L.W.); (D.M.L.); (E.E.); (D.Z.); (X.Z.)
| | - Rachel L. Welch
- Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (J.M.P.); (P.M.G.J.); (K.M.); (R.M.Y.); (R.L.W.); (D.M.L.); (E.E.); (D.Z.); (X.Z.)
| | - W. Robert Bell
- Department of Clinical Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Indiana University, 340 West 10th Street Fairbanks Hall, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA;
| | - Soma Sengupta
- Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 170 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA;
| | - Sonikpreet Aulakh
- Department of Internal Medicine, West Virginia University, 64 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA;
| | - Charles G. Eberhart
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 600 N Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21287, USA;
| | - David M. Loeb
- Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (J.M.P.); (P.M.G.J.); (K.M.); (R.M.Y.); (R.L.W.); (D.M.L.); (E.E.); (D.Z.); (X.Z.)
| | - Emad Eskandar
- Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (J.M.P.); (P.M.G.J.); (K.M.); (R.M.Y.); (R.L.W.); (D.M.L.); (E.E.); (D.Z.); (X.Z.)
| | - Deyou Zheng
- Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (J.M.P.); (P.M.G.J.); (K.M.); (R.M.Y.); (R.L.W.); (D.M.L.); (E.E.); (D.Z.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xingxing Zang
- Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (J.M.P.); (P.M.G.J.); (K.M.); (R.M.Y.); (R.L.W.); (D.M.L.); (E.E.); (D.Z.); (X.Z.)
| | - Allison M. Martin
- Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (J.M.P.); (P.M.G.J.); (K.M.); (R.M.Y.); (R.L.W.); (D.M.L.); (E.E.); (D.Z.); (X.Z.)
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10
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Cristalli C, Scotlandi K. Targeting DNA Methylation Machinery in Pediatric Solid Tumors. Cells 2024; 13:1209. [PMID: 39056791 PMCID: PMC11275080 DOI: 10.3390/cells13141209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation is a key epigenetic regulatory mechanism that plays a critical role in a variety of cellular processes, including the regulation of cell fate during development, maintenance of cell identity, and genome stability. DNA methylation is tightly regulated by enzymatic reactions and its deregulation plays an important role in the development of cancer. Specific DNA methylation alterations have been found in pediatric solid tumors, providing new insights into the development of these tumors. In addition, DNA methylation profiles have greatly contributed to tune the diagnosis of pediatric solid tumors and to define subgroups of patients with different risks of progression, leading to the reduction in unwanted toxicity and the improvement of treatment efficacy. This review highlights the dysregulated DNA methylome in pediatric solid tumors and how this information provides promising targets for epigenetic therapies, particularly inhibitors of DNMT enzymes (DNMTis). Opportunities and limitations are considered, including the ability of DNMTis to induce viral mimicry and immune signaling by tumors. Besides intrinsic action against cancer cells, DNMTis have the potential to sensitize immune-cold tumors to immunotherapies and may represent a remarkable option to improve the treatment of challenging pediatric solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Cristalli
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via di Barbiano, 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Katia Scotlandi
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via di Barbiano, 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy
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11
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Hu M, Chikina M. Heterogeneous pseudobulk simulation enables realistic benchmarking of cell-type deconvolution methods. Genome Biol 2024; 25:169. [PMID: 38956606 PMCID: PMC11218230 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03292-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Computational cell type deconvolution enables the estimation of cell type abundance from bulk tissues and is important for understanding tissue microenviroment, especially in tumor tissues. With rapid development of deconvolution methods, many benchmarking studies have been published aiming for a comprehensive evaluation for these methods. Benchmarking studies rely on cell-type resolved single-cell RNA-seq data to create simulated pseudobulk datasets by adding individual cells-types in controlled proportions. RESULTS In our work, we show that the standard application of this approach, which uses randomly selected single cells, regardless of the intrinsic difference between them, generates synthetic bulk expression values that lack appropriate biological variance. We demonstrate why and how the current bulk simulation pipeline with random cells is unrealistic and propose a heterogeneous simulation strategy as a solution. The heterogeneously simulated bulk samples match up with the variance observed in real bulk datasets and therefore provide concrete benefits for benchmarking in several ways. We demonstrate that conceptual classes of deconvolution methods differ dramatically in their robustness to heterogeneity with reference-free methods performing particularly poorly. For regression-based methods, the heterogeneous simulation provides an explicit framework to disentangle the contributions of reference construction and regression methods to performance. Finally, we perform an extensive benchmark of diverse methods across eight different datasets and find BayesPrism and a hybrid MuSiC/CIBERSORTx approach to be the top performers. CONCLUSIONS Our heterogeneous bulk simulation method and the entire benchmarking framework is implemented in a user friendly package https://github.com/humengying0907/deconvBenchmarking and https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8206516 , enabling further developments in deconvolution methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengying Hu
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
- Joint Carnegie Mellon - University of Pittsburgh Computational Biology PhD Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - Maria Chikina
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA.
- Joint Carnegie Mellon - University of Pittsburgh Computational Biology PhD Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA.
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12
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Gupta T, Mani S, Chatterjee A, Dasgupta A, Epari S, Chinnaswamy G. Risk-stratification for treatment de-intensification in WNT-pathway medulloblastoma: finding the optimal balance between survival and quality of survivorship. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther 2024; 24:589-598. [PMID: 38761170 DOI: 10.1080/14737140.2024.2357807] [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: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Advances in molecular biology have led to consensus classification of medulloblastoma into four broad molecular subgroups - wingless (WNT), sonic hedgehog (SHH), Group 3, and Group 4, respectively. Traditionally, children >3 years of age, with no/minimal residual tumor (<1.5 cm2) and lack of metastasis were classified as average-risk disease with >80% long-term survival. Younger age (<3 years), large residual disease (≥1.5 cm2), and leptomeningeal metastases either alone or in combination were considered high-risk features yielding much worse 5-year survival (30-60%). This clinico-radiological risk-stratification has been refined by incorporating molecular/genetic information. Contemporary multi-modality management for non-infantile medulloblastoma entails maximal safe resection followed by risk-stratified adjuvant radio(chemo)therapy. Aggressive multi-modality management achieves good survival but is associated with substantial dose-dependent treatment-related toxicity prompting conduct of subgroup-specific prospective clinical trials. AREAS COVERED We conducted literature search on PubMed from 1969 till 2023 to identify putative prognostic factors and risk-stratification for medulloblastoma, including molecular subgrouping. Based on previously published data, including our own institutional experience, we discuss molecular risk-stratification focusing on WNT-pathway medulloblastoma to identify candidates suitable for treatment de-intensification to strike the optimal balance between survival and quality of survivorship. EXPERT OPINION Prospective clinical trials and emerging biological information should further refine risk-stratification in WNT-pathway medulloblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tejpal Gupta
- Department of Radiation Oncology, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai, India
| | - Shakthivel Mani
- Department of Radiation Oncology, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai, India
| | - Abhishek Chatterjee
- Department of Radiation Oncology, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai, India
| | - Archya Dasgupta
- Department of Radiation Oncology, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai, India
| | - Sridhar Epari
- Department of Pathology, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai, India
| | - Girish Chinnaswamy
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai, India
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13
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Ceccarelli M, Rossi S, Bonaventura F, Massari R, D'Elia A, Soluri A, Micheli L, D'Andrea G, Mancini B, Raspa M, Scavizzi F, Alaggio R, Del Bufalo F, Miele E, Carai A, Mastronuzzi A, Tirone F. Intracerebellar administration of the chemokine Cxcl3 reduces the volume of medulloblastoma lesions at an advanced stage by promoting the migration and differentiation of preneoplastic precursor cells. Brain Pathol 2024:e13283. [PMID: 38946128 DOI: 10.1111/bpa.13283] [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: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The prognosis for many pediatric brain tumors, including cerebellar medulloblastoma (MB), remains dismal but there is promise in new therapies. We have previously generated a mouse model developing spontaneous MB at high frequency, Ptch1+/-/Tis21-/-. In this model, reproducing human tumorigenesis, we identified the decline of the Cxcl3 chemokine in cerebellar granule cell precursors (GCPs) as responsible for a migration defect, which causes GCPs to stay longer in the proliferative area rather than differentiate and migrate internally, making them targets of transforming insults. We demonstrated that 4-week Cxcl3 infusion in cerebella of 1-month-old mice, at the initial stage of MB formation, forces preneoplastic GCPs (pGCPs) to leave lesions and differentiate, with a complete suppression of MB development. In this study, we sought to verify the effect of 4-week Cxcl3 treatment in 3-month-old Ptch1+/-/Tis21-/- mice, when MB lesions are at an advanced, irreversible stage. We found that Cxcl3 treatment reduces tumor volumes by sevenfold and stimulates the migration and differentiation of pGCPs from the lesion to the internal cerebellar layers. We also tested whether the pro-migratory action of Cxcl3 favors metastases formation, by xenografting DAOY human MB cells in the cerebellum of immunosuppressed mice. We showed that DAOY cells express the Cxcl3 receptor, Cxcr2, and that Cxcl3 triggers their migration. However, Cxcl3 did not significantly affect the frequency of metastases or the growth of DAOY-generated MBs. Finally, we mapped the expression of the Cxcr2 receptor in human MBs, by evaluating a well-characterized series of 52 human MBs belonging to different MB molecular subgroups. We found that Cxcr2 was variably expressed in all MB subgroups, suggesting that Cxcl3 could be used for therapy of different MBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Ceccarelli
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), c/o International Campus "A. Buzzati-Traverso", Rome, Italy
- Onco-Hematology, Cell Therapy, Gene Therapies and Hemopoietic Transplant, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Sabrina Rossi
- Pathology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Roberto Massari
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), c/o International Campus "A. Buzzati-Traverso", Rome, Italy
| | - Annunziata D'Elia
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), c/o International Campus "A. Buzzati-Traverso", Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Soluri
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), c/o International Campus "A. Buzzati-Traverso", Rome, Italy
- Unit of Molecular Neurosciences, University Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Micheli
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), c/o International Campus "A. Buzzati-Traverso", Rome, Italy
| | - Giorgio D'Andrea
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), c/o International Campus "A. Buzzati-Traverso", Rome, Italy
| | - Barbara Mancini
- Pathology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Marcello Raspa
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Research Council of Italy (IBBC-CNR/EMMA/INFRAFRONTIER/IMPC), c/o International Campus "A. Buzzati-Traverso", Rome, Italy
| | - Ferdinando Scavizzi
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Research Council of Italy (IBBC-CNR/EMMA/INFRAFRONTIER/IMPC), c/o International Campus "A. Buzzati-Traverso", Rome, Italy
| | - Rita Alaggio
- Pathology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Medico-surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Del Bufalo
- Onco-Hematology, Cell Therapy, Gene Therapies and Hemopoietic Transplant, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Evelina Miele
- Onco-Hematology, Cell Therapy, Gene Therapies and Hemopoietic Transplant, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Carai
- Neurosurgery Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Mastronuzzi
- Onco-Hematology, Cell Therapy, Gene Therapies and Hemopoietic Transplant, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Felice Tirone
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), c/o International Campus "A. Buzzati-Traverso", Rome, Italy
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14
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Chien F, Michaud ME, Bakhtiari M, Schroff C, Snuderl M, Velazquez Vega JE, MacDonald TJ, Bhasin MK. Medulloblastoma Spatial Transcriptomics Reveals Tumor Microenvironment Heterogeneity with High-Density Progenitor Cell Regions Correlating with High-Risk Disease. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.25.600684. [PMID: 38979174 PMCID: PMC11230370 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.25.600684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) of medulloblastoma (MB) influences progression and therapy response, presenting a promising target for therapeutic advances. Prior single-cell analyses have characterized the cellular components of the TME but lack spatial context. To address this, we performed spatial transcriptomic sequencing on sixteen pediatric MB samples obtained at diagnosis, including two matched diagnosis-relapse pairs. Our analyses revealed inter- and intra-tumoral heterogeneity within the TME, comprised of tumor-associated astrocytes (TAAs), macrophages (TAMs), stromal components, and distinct subpopulations of MB cells at different stages of neuronal differentiation and cell cycle progression. We identified dense regions of quiescent progenitor-like MB cells enriched in patients with high-risk (HR) features and an increase in TAAs, TAMs, and dysregulated vascular endothelium following relapse. Our study presents novel insights into the spatial architecture and cellular landscape of the medulloblastoma TME, highlighting spatial patterns linked to HR features and relapse, which may serve as potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franklin Chien
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Marina E. Michaud
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Mojtaba Bakhtiari
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Chanel Schroff
- Department of Pathology, NYU Langone Health and Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Matija Snuderl
- Department of Pathology, NYU Langone Health and Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Jose E. Velazquez Vega
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Tobey J. MacDonald
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Manoj K. Bhasin
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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15
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Yoo KH, Marianayagam NJ, Park DJ, Zamarud A, Gu X, Pollom E, Soltys SG, Meola A, Chang SD. The Role of CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery in Recurrent Cranial Medulloblastomas across Pediatric and Adult Populations. J Clin Med 2024; 13:3592. [PMID: 38930121 PMCID: PMC11205184 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13123592] [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: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. In recent decades, the therapeutic landscape has undergone significant changes, with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) emerging as a promising treatment for recurrent cases. Our study provides a comprehensive analysis of the long-term efficacy and safety of SRS in recurrent medulloblastomas across both pediatric and adult patients at a single institution. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and radiological records of patients who underwent CyberKnife SRS for recurrent cranial medulloblastomas at our institution between 1998 and 2023. Follow-up data were available for 15 medulloblastomas in 10 patients. The cohort comprised eight pediatric patients (ages 3-18) and two adult patients (ages 19-75). The median age at the time of SRS was 13 years, the median tumor volume accounted for 1.9 cc, the median biologically equivalent dose (BED) was 126 Gy, and the single-fraction equivalent dose (SFED) was 18 Gy. The SRS was administered at 75% of the median isodose line. Results: Following a median follow-up of 39 months (range: 6-78), 53.3% of the medulloblastomas progressed, 13.3% regressed, and 33.3% remained stable. The 3-year local tumor control (LTC) rate for all medulloblastomas was 65%, with lower rates observed in the adult cohort (50%) and higher rates in pediatric patients (67%). The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was 70%, with significantly higher rates in pediatric patients (75%) compared to adult patients (50%). The 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 58.3%, with higher rates in pediatric patients (60%) compared to adult patients (50%). Two pediatric patients developed radiation-induced edema, while two adult patients experienced radiation necrosis at the latest follow-up, with both adult patients passing away. Conclusions: Our study provides a complex perspective on the efficacy and safety of CyberKnife SRS in treating recurrent cranial medulloblastomas across pediatric and adult populations. The rarity of adverse radiation events (AREs) underscores the safety profile of SRS, reinforcing its role in enhancing treatment outcomes. The intricacies of symptomatic outcomes, intertwined with factors such as age, tumor location, and prior surgeries, emphasize the need for personalized treatment approaches. Our findings underscore the imperative for ongoing research and the development of more refined treatment strategies for recurrent medulloblastomas. Given the observed disparities in treatment outcomes, a more meticulous tailoring of treatment approaches becomes crucial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly H. Yoo
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94304, USA; (N.J.M.); (D.J.P.); (A.Z.); (A.M.)
| | - Neelan J. Marianayagam
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94304, USA; (N.J.M.); (D.J.P.); (A.Z.); (A.M.)
| | - David J. Park
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94304, USA; (N.J.M.); (D.J.P.); (A.Z.); (A.M.)
| | - Aroosa Zamarud
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94304, USA; (N.J.M.); (D.J.P.); (A.Z.); (A.M.)
| | - Xuejun Gu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94304, USA; (X.G.); (E.P.); (S.G.S.)
| | - Erqi Pollom
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94304, USA; (X.G.); (E.P.); (S.G.S.)
| | - Scott G. Soltys
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94304, USA; (X.G.); (E.P.); (S.G.S.)
| | - Antonio Meola
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94304, USA; (N.J.M.); (D.J.P.); (A.Z.); (A.M.)
| | - Steven D. Chang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94304, USA; (N.J.M.); (D.J.P.); (A.Z.); (A.M.)
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16
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Slika H, Shahani A, Wahi R, Miller J, Groves M, Tyler B. Overcoming Treatment Resistance in Medulloblastoma: Underlying Mechanisms and Potential Strategies. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2249. [PMID: 38927954 PMCID: PMC11202166 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16122249] [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: 05/13/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Medulloblastoma is the most frequently encountered malignant brain tumor in the pediatric population. The standard of care currently consists of surgical resection, craniospinal irradiation, and multi-agent chemotherapy. However, despite this combination of multiple aggressive modalities, recurrence of the disease remains a substantial concern, and treatment resistance is a rising issue. The development of this resistance results from the interplay of a myriad of anatomical properties, cellular processes, molecular pathways, and genetic and epigenetic alterations. In fact, several efforts have been directed towards this domain and characterizing the major contributors to this resistance. Herein, this review highlights the different mechanisms that drive relapse and are implicated in the occurrence of treatment resistance and discusses them in the context of the latest molecular-based classification of medulloblastoma. These mechanisms include the impermeability of the blood-brain barrier to drugs, the overactivation of specific molecular pathways, the resistant and multipotent nature of cancer stem cells, intratumoral and intertumoral heterogeneity, and metabolic plasticity. Subsequently, we build on that to explore potential strategies and targeted agents that can abrogate these mechanisms, undermine the development of treatment resistance, and augment medulloblastoma's response to therapeutic modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasan Slika
- Hunterian Neurosurgical Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA; (H.S.); (A.S.); (R.W.); (J.M.)
| | - Aanya Shahani
- Hunterian Neurosurgical Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA; (H.S.); (A.S.); (R.W.); (J.M.)
| | - Riddhpreet Wahi
- Hunterian Neurosurgical Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA; (H.S.); (A.S.); (R.W.); (J.M.)
- Grant Government Medical College and Sir J.J Group of Hospitals, Mumbai 400008, India
| | - Jackson Miller
- Hunterian Neurosurgical Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA; (H.S.); (A.S.); (R.W.); (J.M.)
- Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA 24450, USA
| | - Mari Groves
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA;
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Betty Tyler
- Hunterian Neurosurgical Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA; (H.S.); (A.S.); (R.W.); (J.M.)
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17
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Singh A, Cheng D, Swaminathan J, Yang Y, Zheng Y, Gordon N, Gopalakrishnan V. REST-dependent downregulation of von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor promotes autophagy in SHH-medulloblastoma. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13596. [PMID: 38866867 PMCID: PMC11169471 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63371-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The RE1 silencing transcription factor (REST) is a driver of sonic hedgehog (SHH) medulloblastoma genesis. Our previous studies showed that REST enhances cell proliferation, metastasis and vascular growth and blocks neuronal differentiation to drive progression of SHH medulloblastoma tumors. Here, we demonstrate that REST promotes autophagy, a pathway that is found to be significantly enriched in human medulloblastoma tumors relative to normal cerebella. In SHH medulloblastoma tumor xenografts, REST elevation is strongly correlated with increased expression of the hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF1α)-a positive regulator of autophagy, and with reduced expression of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor protein - a component of an E3 ligase complex that ubiquitinates HIF1α. Human SHH-medulloblastoma tumors with higher REST expression exhibit nuclear localization of HIF1α, in contrast to its cytoplasmic localization in low-REST tumors. In vitro, REST knockdown promotes an increase in VHL levels and a decrease in cytoplasmic HIF1α protein levels, and autophagy flux. In contrast, REST elevation causes a decline in VHL levels, as well as its interaction with HIF1α, resulting in a reduction in HIF1α ubiquitination and an increase in autophagy flux. These data suggest that REST elevation promotes autophagy in SHH medulloblastoma cells by modulating HIF1α ubiquitination and stability in a VHL-dependent manner. Thus, our study is one of the first to connect VHL to REST-dependent control of autophagy in a subset of medulloblastomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashutosh Singh
- Department of Pediatrics Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 853, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Donghang Cheng
- Department of Pediatrics Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 853, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jyothishmathi Swaminathan
- Department of Pediatrics Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 853, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yanwen Yang
- Department of Pediatrics Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 853, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yan Zheng
- Department of Pediatrics Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 853, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Nancy Gordon
- Department of Pediatrics Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 853, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Vidya Gopalakrishnan
- Department of Pediatrics Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 853, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Center for Cancer Epigenetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Brain Tumor Center, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and UTHealth Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences, 6767 Bertner Ave, S3.8344 Mitchell BSRB, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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18
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Okonechnikov K, Schrimpf D, Koster J, Sievers P, Milde T, Sahm F, Jones DTW, von Deimling A, Pfister SM, Kool M, Korshunov A. Clinically unfavorable transcriptome subtypes of non-WNT/non-SHH medulloblastomas are associated with a predominance in proliferating and progenitor-like cell subpopulations. Acta Neuropathol 2024; 147:95. [PMID: 38847845 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-024-02746-6] [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: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
The non-WNT/non-SHH (Grp3/Grp4) medulloblastomas (MBs) include eight second-generation subgroups (SGS; I-VIII) each with distinct molecular and clinical characteristics. Recently, we also identified two prognostically relevant transcriptome subtypes within each SGS MB, which are associated with unique gene expression signatures and signaling pathways. These prognostic subsets may be in connection to the intra-tumoral cell landscape that underlies SGS MB clinical-molecular diversity. Here, we performed a deconvolution analysis of the Grp3/Grp4 MB bulk RNA profiles using the previously identified single-cell RNA-seq reference dataset and focusing on variability in the cellular composition of SGS MB. RNA deconvolution analysis of the Grp3/Grp4 MB disclosed the subgroup-specific neoplastic cell subpopulations. Neuronally differentiated axodendritic GP3-C1 and glutamatergic GP4-C1 subpopulations were distributed within Grp3- and Grp4-associated SGS MB, respectively. Progenitor GP3-B2 subpopulation was prominent in aggressive SGS II MB, whereas photoreceptor/visual perception GP3/4-C2 cell content was typical for SGS III/IV MB. The current study also revealed significant variability in the proportions of cell subpopulations between clinically relevant SGS MB transcriptome subtypes, where unfavorable cohorts were enriched with cell cycle and progenitor-like cell subpopulations and, vice versa, favorable subtypes were composed of neuronally differentiated cell fractions predominantly. A higher than median proportion of proliferating and progenitor cell subpopulations conferred the shortest survival of the Grp3 and Grp 4 MB, and similar survival associations were identified for all SGS MB except SGS IV MB. In summary, the recently identified clinically relevant Grp3/Grp4 MB transcriptome subtypes are composed of different cell populations. Future studies should aim to validate the prognostic and therapeutic role of the identified Grp3/Grp4 MB inter-tumoral cellular heterogeneity. The application of the single-cell techniques on each SGS MB separately could help to clarify the clinical significance of subgroup-specific variability in tumor cell content and its relation with prognostic transcriptome signatures identified before.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin Okonechnikov
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Daniel Schrimpf
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuropathology (B300), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neuropathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jan Koster
- Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam and Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Philipp Sievers
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuropathology (B300), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neuropathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Till Milde
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Pediatric Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Felix Sahm
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuropathology (B300), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neuropathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - David T W Jones
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Glioma Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andreas von Deimling
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuropathology (B300), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neuropathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan M Pfister
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marcel Kool
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, 3584CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Andrey Korshunov
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuropathology (B300), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
- Department of Neuropathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
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19
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Ciccone R, Quintarelli C, Camera A, Pezzella M, Caruso S, Manni S, Ottaviani A, Guercio M, Del Bufalo F, Quadraccia MC, Orlando D, Di Cecca S, Sinibaldi M, Aurigemma M, Iaffaldano L, Sarcinelli A, D'Amore ML, Ceccarelli M, Nazio F, Marabitti V, Giorda E, Pezzullo M, De Stefanis C, Carai A, Rossi S, Alaggio R, Del Baldo G, Becilli M, Mastronuzzi A, De Angelis B, Locatelli F. GD2-Targeting CAR T-cell Therapy for Patients with GD2+ Medulloblastoma. Clin Cancer Res 2024; 30:2545-2557. [PMID: 38551501 PMCID: PMC11145172 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-1880] [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: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Medulloblastoma (MB), the most common childhood malignant brain tumor, has a poor prognosis in about 30% of patients. The current standard of care, which includes surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, is often responsible for cognitive, neurologic, and endocrine side effects. We investigated whether chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells directed toward the disialoganglioside GD2 can represent a potentially more effective treatment with reduced long-term side effects. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN GD2 expression was evaluated on primary tumor biopsies of MB children by flow cytometry. GD2 expression in MB cells was also evaluated in response to an EZH2 inhibitor (tazemetostat). In in vitro and in vivo models, GD2+ MB cells were targeted by a CAR-GD2.CD28.4-1BBζ (CAR.GD2)-T construct, including the suicide gene inducible caspase-9. RESULTS GD2 was expressed in 82.68% of MB tumors. The SHH and G3-G4 subtypes expressed the highest levels of GD2, whereas the WNT subtype expressed the lowest. In in vitro coculture assays, CAR.GD2 T cells were able to kill GD2+ MB cells. Pretreatment with tazemetostat upregulated GD2 expression, sensitizing GD2dimMB cells to CAR.GD2 T cells cytotoxic activity. In orthotopic mouse models of MB, intravenously injected CAR.GD2 T cells significantly controlled tumor growth, prolonging the overall survival of treated mice. Moreover, the dimerizing drug AP1903 was able to cross the murine blood-brain barrier and to eliminate both blood-circulating and tumor-infiltrating CAR.GD2 T cells. CONCLUSIONS Our experimental data indicate the potential efficacy of CAR.GD2 T-cell therapy. A phase I/II clinical trial is ongoing in our center (NCT05298995) to evaluate the safety and therapeutic efficacy of CAR.GD2 therapy in high-risk MB patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roselia Ciccone
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Concetta Quintarelli
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University of Naples, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Camera
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Michele Pezzella
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Caruso
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Manni
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessio Ottaviani
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Marika Guercio
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Del Bufalo
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Cecilia Quadraccia
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Domenico Orlando
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Di Cecca
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Matilde Sinibaldi
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Mariasole Aurigemma
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Iaffaldano
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Sarcinelli
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa D'Amore
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Manuela Ceccarelli
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Nazio
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Veronica Marabitti
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Ezio Giorda
- Research Laboratories, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Pezzullo
- Research Laboratories, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Carai
- Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Sabrina Rossi
- Department of Laboratories, Pathology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Rita Alaggio
- Department of Laboratories, Pathology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Giada Del Baldo
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Becilli
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Mastronuzzi
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Biagio De Angelis
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Franco Locatelli
- Department of Onco-Haematology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
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20
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Lee SG, Evans G, Stephen M, Goren R, Bondy M, Goodman S. Medulloblastoma and other neoplasms in patients with heterozygous germline SUFU variants: A scoping review. Am J Med Genet A 2024; 194:e63496. [PMID: 38282294 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.63496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
In 2002, heterozygous suppressor of fused variants (SUFU+/-) in the germline were described to have a tumor suppressor role in the development of pediatric medulloblastoma (MB). Other neoplasms associated with pathologic germline SUFU+/- variants have also been described among patients with basal cell nevus syndrome (BCNS; BCNS is also known as Gorlin syndrome, nevoid basal cell carcinoma [BCC] syndrome or Gorlin-Goltz syndrome; OMIM 109400), an autosomal-dominant cancer predisposition syndrome. The phenotype of patients with germline SUFU+/- variants is very poorly characterized due to a paucity of large studies with long-term follow-up. As such, there is a clinical need to better characterize the spectrum of neoplasms among patients with germline SUFU+/- variants so that clinicians can provide accurate counseling and optimize tumor surveillance strategies. The objective of this study is to perform a scoping review to map the evidence on the rate of medulloblastoma and to describe the spectrum of other neoplasms among patients with germline SUFU+/- variants. A review of all published literature in PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, Cochrane, and Web of Science were searched from the beginning of each respective database until October 9, 2021. Studies of pediatric and adult patients with a confirmed germline SUFU+/- variant who were evaluated for the presence of any neoplasm (benign or malignant) were included. There were 176 patients (N = 30 studies) identified with a confirmed germline SUFU+/- variant who met inclusion criteria. Data were extracted from two cohort studies, two case-control studies, 18 case series, and eight case reports. The median age at diagnosis of a germline SUFU+/- variant was 4.5 years where 44.4% identified as female and 13.4% of variants were de novo. There were 34 different neoplasms (benign and malignant) documented among patients with confirmed germline SUFU+/- variants, and the most common were medulloblastoma (N = 59 patients), BCC (N = 21 patients), and meningioma (N = 19 patients). The median age at medulloblastoma diagnosis was 1.42 years (range 0.083-3; interquartile range 1.2). When data were available for these three most frequent neoplasms (N = 95 patients), 31 patients (32.6%) had neither MB, BCC nor meningioma; 51 patients (53.7%) had one of medulloblastoma or BCC or meningioma; eight patients (8.4%) had two of medulloblastoma or BCC or meningioma, and five patients (5.3%) had medulloblastoma and BCC and meningioma. This is the first study to synthesize the data on the frequency and spectrum of neoplasms specifically among patients with a confirmed germline SUFU+/- variant. This scoping review is a necessary step forward in optimizing evidence-based tumor surveillance strategies for medulloblastoma and estimating the risk of other neoplasms that could impact patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie G Lee
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gareth Evans
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomic Science, Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Maddie Stephen
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rachel Goren
- Queen's School of Medicine, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Melissa Bondy
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Steven Goodman
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, USA
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21
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Zhao T, Grist JT, Auer DP, Avula S, Bailey S, Davies NP, Grundy RG, Khan O, MacPherson L, Morgan PS, Pizer B, Rose HEL, Sun Y, Wilson M, Worthington L, Arvanitis TN, Peet AC. Noise suppression of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy improves paediatric brain tumour classification. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2024; 37:e5129. [PMID: 38494431 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.5129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) is increasingly used for clinical brain tumour diagnosis, but suffers from limited spectral quality. This retrospective and comparative study aims at improving paediatric brain tumour classification by performing noise suppression on clinical 1H-MRS. Eighty-three/forty-two children with either an ependymoma (ages 4.6 ± 5.3/9.3 ± 5.4), a medulloblastoma (ages 6.9 ± 3.5/6.5 ± 4.4), or a pilocytic astrocytoma (8.0 ± 3.6/6.3 ± 5.0), recruited from four centres across England, were scanned with 1.5T/3T short-echo-time point-resolved spectroscopy. The acquired raw 1H-MRS was quantified by using Totally Automatic Robust Quantitation in NMR (TARQUIN), assessed by experienced spectroscopists, and processed with adaptive wavelet noise suppression (AWNS). Metabolite concentrations were extracted as features, selected based on multiclass receiver operating characteristics, and finally used for identifying brain tumour types with supervised machine learning. The minority class was oversampled through the synthetic minority oversampling technique for comparison purposes. Post-noise-suppression 1H-MRS showed significantly elevated signal-to-noise ratios (P < .05, Wilcoxon signed-rank test), stable full width at half-maximum (P > .05, Wilcoxon signed-rank test), and significantly higher classification accuracy (P < .05, Wilcoxon signed-rank test). Specifically, the cross-validated overall and balanced classification accuracies can be improved from 81% to 88% overall and 76% to 86% balanced for the 1.5T cohort, whilst for the 3T cohort they can be improved from 62% to 76% overall and 46% to 56%, by applying Naïve Bayes on the oversampled 1H-MRS. The study shows that fitting-based signal-to-noise ratios of clinical 1H-MRS can be significantly improved by using AWNS with insignificantly altered line width, and the post-noise-suppression 1H-MRS may have better diagnostic performance for paediatric brain tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teddy Zhao
- Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Oncology, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK
| | - James T Grist
- Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Dorothee P Auer
- Clinical Neuroscience, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Shivaram Avula
- Radiology, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | - Simon Bailey
- Paediatric Oncology, Great North Children's Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Nigel P Davies
- Imaging and Medical Physics, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | | | - Omar Khan
- Digital Healthcare, WMG, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | | | - Paul S Morgan
- Clinical Neuroscience, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Medical Physics, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Heather E L Rose
- Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Oncology, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK
| | - Yu Sun
- Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Oncology, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK
| | - Martin Wilson
- Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Lara Worthington
- Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Oncology, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK
- RRPPS, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - Theodoros N Arvanitis
- Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Oncology, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK
- Digital Healthcare, WMG, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
- Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Andrew C Peet
- Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Oncology, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK
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22
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Skocic J, Richard L, Ferkul A, Cox E, Tseng J, Laughlin S, Bouffet E, Mabbott DJ. Multimodal imaging with magnetization transfer and diffusion tensor imaging reveals evidence of myelin damage in children and youth treated for a brain tumor. Neurooncol Pract 2024; 11:307-318. [PMID: 38737604 PMCID: PMC11085850 DOI: 10.1093/nop/npae003] [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] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The microstructural damage underlying compromise of white matter following treatment for pediatric brain tumors is unclear. We use multimodal imaging employing advanced diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and magnetization transfer imaging (MTI) MRI methods to examine chronic microstructural damage to white matter in children and adolescents treated for pediatric brain tumor. Notably, MTI may be more sensitive to macromolecular content, including myelin, than DTI. Methods Fifty patients treated for brain tumors (18 treated with surgery ± chemotherapy and 32 treated with surgery followed by cranial-spinal radiation; time from diagnosis to scan ~6 years) and 45 matched healthy children completed both MTI and DTI scans. Voxelwise and region-of-interest approaches were employed to compare white matter microstructure metrics (magnetization transfer ratio (MTR); DTI- fractional anisotropy [FA], radial diffusivity [RD], axial diffusivity [AD], mean diffusivity [MD]) between patients and healthy controls. Results MTR was decreased across multiple white matter tracts in patients when compared to healthy children, P < .001. These differences were observed for both patients treated with radiation and those treated with only surgery, P < .001. We also found that children and adolescents treated for brain tumors exhibit decreased FA and increased RD/AD/MD compared to their healthy counterparts in several white matter regions, Ps < .02. Finally, we observed that MTR and DTI metrics were related to multiple white matter tracts in patients, Ps < .01, but not healthy control children. Conclusions Our findings provide evidence that the white matter damage observed in patients years after treatment of pediatric posterior fossa tumors, likely reflects myelin disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jovanka Skocic
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Logan Richard
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ashley Ferkul
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Cox
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julie Tseng
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Suzanne Laughlin
- Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Eric Bouffet
- Division of Haematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Donald James Mabbott
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Lu VM, Brun JD, Niazi TN, Brun JD. Pediatric neurosurgical medulloblastoma outcomes in La Paz, Bolivia: How a Lower Middle-Income Country (LMIC) institution in South America compares to the United States. J Neurooncol 2024; 168:275-282. [PMID: 38563852 DOI: 10.1007/s11060-024-04664-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND How pediatric medulloblastoma patients fare in Lower Middle-Income Country (LMICs) in South America is not well understood. Correspondingly, the aim of this study was to summarize the pediatric neurosurgical experience of an institution in La Paz, and compare outcomes to that of a generalized High Income Country (HIC) United States (US) experience. METHODS A retrospective review of all pediatric neurosurgical medulloblastoma patients at the Children's Hospital of La Paz, Bolivia (Hospital del Niño "Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uria") between 2014 and 2023 was conducted and compared to a generalized US experience abstracted from the US National Cancer Database (NCDB) and National Inpatient Sample (NIS) databases. Categorical, continuous and survival data were statistically summarized and compared. RESULTS A total of 24 pediatric medulloblastoma patients underwent neurosurgical treatment at the Hospital del Niño. In this La Paz cohort, there were 15 (63%) males and 9 (38%) females, with a mean age of 5.6 years old at diagnosis. The majority of patients underwent subtotal resection (STR, 79%), while the remaining patients underwent biopsy only. Ten (42%) patients expired during their hospitalization, and mean length of stay overall was 39 days. Only 8 (33%) patients received adjuvant treatment after surgery. Median overall survival from diagnosis in the La Paz cohort was 1.9 months. Compared to the US databases, the La Paz cohort experienced significantly more emergency room admissions for surgery, less gross total resection, more STR, more return to operating room for ventriculoperitoneal shunting, more bacteremia, more tracheostomy procedures, more percutaneous gastrostomy placements, longer lengths of stay, less adjuvant chemotherapy, less radiation therapy, shorter follow-up, and ultimately, significantly shorter overall survival (all P < 0.050). CONCLUSIONS Pediatric neurosurgical medulloblastoma outcomes at the Children's Hospital of La Paz, Bolivia are significantly inferior to that of a generalized US experience. Future research is required to identify institution- and country-specific initiatives to improve discrepancies between institutions in LMICs in South America compared to HICs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor M Lu
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Hospital del Niño "Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uria", La Paz, Bolivia.
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL, USA.
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Miami, FL, USA.
| | - Jorge Daniel Brun
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Hospital del Niño "Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uria", La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Toba N Niazi
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL, USA
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Jorge David Brun
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Hospital del Niño "Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uria", La Paz, Bolivia
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24
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Collins RRJ, Gee RRF, Sanchez MCH, Tozandehjani S, Bayat T, Breznik B, Lee AK, Peters ST, Connelly JP, Pruett-Miller SM, Roussel MF, Rakheja D, Tillman HS, Potts PR, Fon Tacer K. Melanoma antigens in pediatric medulloblastoma contribute to tumor heterogeneity and species-specificity of group 3 tumors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.14.594201. [PMID: 38798351 PMCID: PMC11118370 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.14.594201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Background Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most malignant childhood brain cancer. Group 3 MB subtype accounts for about 25% of MB diagnoses and is associated with the most unfavorable outcomes. Herein, we report that more than half of group 3 MB tumors express melanoma antigens (MAGEs), which are potential prognostic and therapeutic markers. MAGEs are tumor antigens, expressed in several types of adult cancers and associated with poorer prognosis and therapy resistance; however, their expression in pediatric cancers is mostly unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether MAGEs are activated in pediatric MB. Methods To determine MAGE frequency in pediatric MB, we obtained formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue (FFPE) samples of 34 patients, collected between 2008 - 2015, from the Children's Medical Center Dallas pathology archives and applied our validated reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assay to measure the relative expression of 23 MAGE cancer-testis antigen genes. To validate our data, we analyzed several published datasets from pediatric MB patients and patient-derived orthotopic xenografts, totaling 860 patients. We then examined how MAGE expression affects the growth and oncogenic potential of medulloblastoma cells by CRISPR-Cas9- and siRNA-mediated gene depletion. Results Our RT-qPCR analysis suggested that MAGEs were expressed in group 3/4 medulloblastoma. Further mining of bulk and single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets confirmed that 50-75% of group 3 tumors activate a subset of MAGE genes. Depletion of MAGEAs, B2, and Cs alter MB cell survival, viability, and clonogenic growth due to decreased proliferation and increased apoptosis. Conclusions These results indicate that targeting MAGEs in medulloblastoma may be a potential therapeutic option for group 3 medulloblastomas. Key Points Several Type I MAGE CTAs are expressed in >60% of group 3 MBs. Type I MAGEs affect MB cell proliferation and apoptosis. MAGEs are potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for group 3 MBs. Importance of the Study This study is the first comprehensive analysis of all Type I MAGE CTAs ( MAGEA , -B , and -C subfamily members) in pediatric MBs. Our results show that more than 60% of group 3 MBs express MAGE genes, which are required for the viability and growth of cells in which they are expressed. Collectively, these data provide novel insights into the antigen landscape of pediatric MBs. The activation of MAGE genes in group 3 MBs presents potential stratifying and therapeutic options. Abstract Figure
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25
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Nath Varma S, Ye S, Ferlin S, Comer C, Cotton K, Niklison-Chirou MV. The Proteasome Inhibitor CEP-18770 Induces Cell Death in Medulloblastoma. Pharmaceutics 2024; 16:672. [PMID: 38794334 PMCID: PMC11124782 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16050672] [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: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Medulloblastomas (MBs) represent the most prevalent malignant solid tumors in kids. The conventional treatment regimen for MBs includes surgical removal of the tumor, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. However, this approach is associated with significant morbidity and detrimental side effects. Consequently, there is a critical demand for more precise and less harmful treatments to enhance the quality of life for survivors. CEP-18770, a novel proteasome inhibitor that targets the 20S subunit, has emerged as a promising candidate, due to its anticancer activity in metastatic solid tumors and multiple myeloma, coupled with an acceptable safety profile. In this study, we aimed to assess the anticancer efficacy of CEP-18770 by employing a variety of MB patient-derived cells and cell lines. Our preclinical investigations revealed that CEP-18770 effectively inhibits proteasome activity and induces apoptosis in MBs cells. Furthermore, we discovered that CEP-18770 and cisplatin, a current component of MB therapy, exhibit a synergistic apoptotic effect. This paper shows that CEP-18770 holds potential as an adjunctive treatment for MB tumors, thereby paving the way for more targeted and less toxic therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shany Ye
- Life Sciences Department, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK; (S.Y.); (S.F.); (C.C.); (K.C.)
| | - Sara Ferlin
- Life Sciences Department, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK; (S.Y.); (S.F.); (C.C.); (K.C.)
| | - Charley Comer
- Life Sciences Department, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK; (S.Y.); (S.F.); (C.C.); (K.C.)
| | - Kian Cotton
- Life Sciences Department, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK; (S.Y.); (S.F.); (C.C.); (K.C.)
| | - Maria Victoria Niklison-Chirou
- Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK;
- Life Sciences Department, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK; (S.Y.); (S.F.); (C.C.); (K.C.)
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Barateiro LGRP, de Oliveira Cavagna R, Dos Reis MB, de Paula FE, Teixeira GR, Moreno DA, Bonatelli M, Santana I, Saggioro FP, Neder L, Stavale JN, Malheiros SMF, Garcia-Rivello H, Christiansen S, Nunes S, da Costa MJG, Pinheiro J, Júnior CA, Mançano BM, Reis RM. Somatic mutational profiling and clinical impact of driver genes in Latin-Iberian medulloblastomas: Towards precision medicine. Neuropathology 2024. [PMID: 38736183 DOI: 10.1111/neup.12979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most prevalent malignant brain tumor in children, known for its heterogeneity and treatment-associated toxicity, and there is a critical need for new therapeutic targets. We analyzed the somatic mutation profile of 15 driver genes in 69 Latin-Iberian molecularly characterized medulloblastomas using the Illumina TruSight Tumor 15 panel. We classified the variants based on their clinical impact and oncogenicity. Among the patients, 66.7% were MBSHH, 13.0% MBWNT, 7.3% MBGrp3, and 13.0% MBGrp4. Among the 63 variants found, 54% were classified as Tier I/II and 31.7% as oncogenic/likely oncogenic. We observed 33.3% of cases harboring at least one mutation. TP53 (23.2%, 16/69) was the most mutated gene, followed by PIK3CA (5.8%, 4/69), KIT (4.3%, 3/69), PDGFRA (2.9%, 2/69), EGFR (1.4%, 1/69), ERBB2 (1.4%, 1/69), and NRAS (1.4%, 1/69). Approximately 41% of MBSHH tumors exhibited mutations, TP53 (32.6%) being the most frequently mutated gene. Tier I/II and oncogenic/likely oncogenic TP53 variants were associated with relapse, progression, and lower survival rates. Potentially actionable variants in the PIK3CA and KIT genes were identified. Latin-Iberian medulloblastomas, particularly the MBSHH, exhibit higher mutation frequencies than other populations. We corroborate the TP53 mutation status as an important prognostic factor, while PIK3CA and KIT are potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Gustavo Ramos Teixeira
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Barretos Cancer Hospital, Barretos, Brazil
- Department of Pathology, Barretos Cancer Hospital, Barretos, Brazil
| | | | - Murilo Bonatelli
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Barretos Cancer Hospital, Barretos, Brazil
| | - Iara Santana
- Department of Pathology, Barretos Cancer Hospital, Barretos, Brazil
| | | | - Luciano Neder
- Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Rui Manuel Reis
- Molecular Oncology Research Center, Barretos Cancer Hospital, Barretos, Brazil
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Barretos Cancer Hospital, Barretos, Brazil
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), Medical School, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
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Wang S, Zhang D, Wang J, Peng X, Sun H, Ji Y, Yang Z, Bian X, Hou Y, Ge M, Liu Y. PUMC-MB1 is a novel group 3 medulloblastoma preclinical model, sensitive to PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor. J Neurooncol 2024; 168:139-149. [PMID: 38662151 DOI: 10.1007/s11060-024-04655-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Medulloblastoma (MB), a common and heterogeneous posterior fossa tumor in pediatric patients, presents diverse prognostic outcomes. To advance our understanding of MB's intricate biology, the development of novel patient tumor-derived culture MB models with necessary data is still an essential requirement. METHODS We continuously passaged PUMC-MB1 in vitro in order to establish a continuous cell line. We examined the in vitro growth using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and in vivo growth with subcutaneous and intracranial xenograft models. The xenografts were investigated histopathologically with Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Concurrently, we explored its molecular features using Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), targeted sequencing, and RNA sequecing. Guided by bioinformatics analysis, we validated PUMC-MB1's drug sensitivity in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS PUMC-MB1, derived from a high-risk MB patient, displayed a population doubling time (PDT) of 48.18 h and achieved 100% tumor growth in SCID mice within 20 days. HE and Immunohistochemical examination of the original tumor and xenografts confirmed the classification of PUMC-MB1 as a classic MB. Genomic analysis via WGS revealed concurrent MYC and OTX2 amplifications. The RNA-seq data classified it within the Group 3 MB subgroup, while according to the WHO classification, it fell under the Non-WNT/Non-SHH MB. Comparative analysis with D283 and D341med identified 4065 differentially expressed genes, with notable enrichment in the PI3K-AKT pathway. Cisplatin, 4-hydroperoxy cyclophosphamide/cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and dactolisib (a selective PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor) significantly inhibited PUMC-MB1 proliferation in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS PUMC-MB1, a novel Group 3 (Non-WNT/Non-SHH) MB cell line, is comprehensively characterized for its growth, pathology, and molecular characteristics. Notably, dactolisib demonstrated potent anti-proliferative effects with minimal toxicity, promising a potential therapeutic avenue. PUMC-MB1 could serve as a valuable tool for unraveling MB mechanisms and innovative treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shizun Wang
- Department of Pathology, Cell Resource Center, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS); School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing, China
| | - Dan Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Cell Resource Center, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS); School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing, China
| | - Jialin Wang
- Department of Pathology, Cell Resource Center, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS); School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing, China
| | - Xiaojiao Peng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, China
| | - Hailang Sun
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, China
| | - Yuanqi Ji
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenli Yang
- Department of Pathology, Cell Resource Center, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS); School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing, China
| | - Xiaocui Bian
- Department of Pathology, Cell Resource Center, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS); School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing, China
| | - Yuhong Hou
- Department of Pathology, Cell Resource Center, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS); School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing, China
| | - Ming Ge
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, China.
| | - Yuqin Liu
- Department of Pathology, Cell Resource Center, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS); School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing, China.
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Ahirwar K, Kumar A, Srivastava N, Saraf SA, Shukla R. Harnessing the potential of nanoengineered siRNAs carriers for target responsive glioma therapy: Recent progress and future opportunities. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 266:131048. [PMID: 38522697 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131048] [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: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Past scientific testimonials in the field of glioma research, the deadliest tumor among all brain cancer types with the life span of 10-15 months after diagnosis is considered as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Even though the availability of treatment options such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, are unable to completely cure GBM due to tumor microenvironment complexity, intrinsic cellular signalling, and genetic mutations which are involved in chemoresistance. The blood-brain barrier is accountable for restricting drugs entry at the tumor location and related biological challenges like endocytic degradation, short systemic circulation, and insufficient cellular penetration lead to tumor aggression and progression. The above stated challenges can be better mitigated by small interfering RNAs (siRNA) by knockdown genes responsible for tumor progression and resistance. However, siRNA encounters with challenges like inefficient cellular transfection, short circulation time, endogenous degradation, and off-target effects. The novel functionalized nanocarrier approach in conjunction with biological and chemical modification offers an intriguing potential to address challenges associated with the naked siRNA and efficiently silence STAT3, coffilin-1, EGFR, VEGF, SMO, MGMT, HAO-1, GPX-4, TfR, LDLR and galectin-1 genes in GBM tumor. This review highlights the nanoengineered siRNA carriers, their recent advancements, future perspectives, and strategies to overcome the systemic siRNA delivery challenges for glioma treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailash Ahirwar
- Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Raebareli, Lucknow, U.P. 226002, India
| | - Ankit Kumar
- Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Raebareli, Lucknow, U.P. 226002, India
| | - Nidhi Srivastava
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Raebareli, Lucknow, U.P. 226002, India
| | - Shubhini A Saraf
- Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Raebareli, Lucknow, U.P. 226002, India
| | - Rahul Shukla
- Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Raebareli, Lucknow, U.P. 226002, India.
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Xie W, Wang J, Tian S, Zhao H, Cao L, Liang Z, Yang J, Zhao Y, Wang B, Jiang F, Ma J. RNF126-mediated ubiquitination of FSP1 affects its subcellular localization and ferroptosis. Oncogene 2024; 43:1463-1475. [PMID: 38514855 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-024-02949-x] [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: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Medulloblastoma (MB) is a prevalent malignant brain tumor among children, which can be classified into four primary molecular subgroups. Group 3 MB (G3-MB) is known to be highly aggressive and associated with a poor prognosis, necessitating the development of novel and effective therapeutic interventions. Ferroptosis, a regulated form of cell death induced by lipid peroxidation, has been identified as a natural tumor suppression mechanism in various cancers. Nevertheless, the potential role of ferroptosis in the treatment of G3-MB remains unexplored. In this study, we demonstrate that RNF126 acts as an anti-ferroptotic gene by interacting with ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1, also known as AIFM2) and ubiquitinating FSP1 at the 4KR-2 sites. Additionally, the deletion of RNF126 reduces the subcellular localization of FSP1 in the plasma membrane, resulting in an increase in the CoQ/CoQH2 ratio in G3-MB. The RNF126-FSP1-CoQ10 pathway plays a pivotal role in suppressing phospholipid peroxidation and ferroptosis both in vivo and in vitro. Clinically, RNF126 exhibited elevated expression in G3-MB and its overexpression was significantly associated with reduced patient survival. Our findings indicate that RNF126 regulates G3-MB sensitivity to ferroptosis by ubiquitinating FSP1, which provides new evidence for the potential G3-MB therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanqun Xie
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiajia Wang
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Shuaiwei Tian
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Heng Zhao
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Liangliang Cao
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhuangzhuang Liang
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Yang
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang Zhao
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Baocheng Wang
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Feng Jiang
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Ma
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
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Mohammed I, Elbashir MK, Faggad AS. Singular Value Decomposition-Based Penalized Multinomial Regression for Classifying Imbalanced Medulloblastoma Subgroups Using Methylation Data. J Comput Biol 2024; 31:458-471. [PMID: 38752890 DOI: 10.1089/cmb.2023.0198] [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] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Medulloblastoma (MB) is a molecularly heterogeneous brain malignancy with large differences in clinical presentation. According to genomic studies, there are at least four distinct molecular subgroups of MB: sonic hedgehog (SHH), wingless/INT (WNT), Group 3, and Group 4. The treatment and outcomes depend on appropriate classification. It is difficult for the classification algorithms to identify these subgroups from an imbalanced MB genomic data set, where the distribution of samples among the MB subgroups may not be equal. To overcome this problem, we used singular value decomposition (SVD) and group lasso techniques to find DNA methylation probe features that maximize the separation between the different imbalanced MB subgroups. We used multinomial regression as a classification method to classify the four different molecular subgroups of MB using the reduced DNA methylation data. Coordinate descent is used to solve our loss function associated with the group lasso, which promotes sparsity. By using SVD, we were able to reduce the 321,174 probe features to just 200 features. Less than 40 features were successfully selected after applying the group lasso, which we then used as predictors for our classification models. Our proposed method achieved an average overall accuracy of 99% based on fivefold cross-validation technique. Our approach produces improved classification performance compared with the state-of-the-art methods for classifying MB molecular subgroups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isra Mohammed
- Department of Statistics, Faculty of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, University of Gezira, Wad Madani, Sudan
| | - Murtada K Elbashir
- Department of Information Systems, College of Computer and Information Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, University of Gezira, Wad Madani, Sudan
| | - Areeg S Faggad
- Department of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute-University of Gezira, Wad Madani, Sudan
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Bakhit M, Fujii M. Bioinformatic Analysis of Gene Expression Related to Sialic Acid Biosynthesis in Patients With Medulloblastoma. Cureus 2024; 16:e59997. [PMID: 38854216 PMCID: PMC11162302 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.59997] [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] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Sialic acid, a critical component for cell membrane integrity, undergoes complex biosynthesis involving enzymes like sialyltransferases (STs), impacting cancer progression. Aberrant sialylation by STs is implicated in cancer growth, invasion, and therapy resistance. Medulloblastoma (MB), a pediatric brain tumor with distinct subgroups and variable genetic alterations, poses uncertainty regarding the implications of sialylation. Methodology This study employs bioinformatic analyses on bulk and single-cell RNA-sequenced samples to explore atypical gene expressions linked to sialic acid metabolism in MB. A list of sialic biosynthesis-related genes was compiled using the STRING database. Data of MB samples from bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing were obtained from open-source repositories and were differentially analyzed, focusing on molecular subgroups (WNT, SHH, Group 3, and Group 4). The study employed survival analyses, specifically Cox regression, to analyze the overall survival (OS) data obtained through bulk RNA sequencing. Results Thirty-eight genes/proteins related to sialic acid metabolism were identified. Differential expression analysis between WNT and Group 3 and WNT and Group 4 revealed significant differences in seven and eleven genes, respectively, with consistent ST6GAL2 expression disparities (false discovery rate [FDR] P-value < 0.01, log2FC > 0.58). Elevated ST6GAL2 expression correlated with improved OS, with mortality risk reductions ranging from 26% to 48% (P-value < 0.006, Bonferroni-corrected threshold). Conclusions Elevated ST6GAL2 expression correlated with improved OS in diverse MB sample subsets, suggesting potential mechanisms in inhibiting tumor progression and enhancing immune response, requiring experimental validation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Masazumi Fujii
- Neurosurgery, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, JPN
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Ampudia-Mesias E, Cameron CS, Yoo E, Kelly M, Anderson SM, Manning R, Abrahante Lloréns JE, Moertel CL, Yim H, Odde DJ, Saydam N, Saydam O. The OTX2 Gene Induces Tumor Growth and Triggers Leptomeningeal Metastasis by Regulating the mTORC2 Signaling Pathway in Group 3 Medulloblastomas. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4416. [PMID: 38674001 PMCID: PMC11050316 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Medulloblastoma (MB) encompasses diverse subgroups, and leptomeningeal disease/metastasis (LMD) plays a substantial role in associated fatalities. Despite extensive exploration of canonical genes in MB, the molecular mechanisms underlying LMD and the involvement of the orthodenticle homeobox 2 (OTX2) gene, a key driver in aggressive MB Group 3, remain insufficiently understood. Recognizing OTX2's pivotal role, we investigated its potential as a catalyst for aggressive cellular behaviors, including migration, invasion, and metastasis. OTX2 overexpression heightened cell growth, motility, and polarization in Group 3 MB cells. Orthotopic implantation of OTX2-overexpressing cells in mice led to reduced median survival, accompanied by the development of spinal cord and brain metastases. Mechanistically, OTX2 acted as a transcriptional activator of the Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) gene's promoter and the mTORC2 signaling pathway, correlating with upregulated downstream genes that orchestrate cell motility and migration. Knockdown of mTOR mRNA mitigated OTX2-mediated enhancements in cell motility and polarization. Analysis of human MB tumor samples (N = 952) revealed a positive correlation between OTX2 and mTOR mRNA expression, emphasizing the clinical significance of OTX2's role in the mTORC2 pathway. Our results reveal that OTX2 governs the mTORC2 signaling pathway, instigating LMD in Group 3 MBs and offering insights into potential therapeutic avenues through mTORC2 inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabet Ampudia-Mesias
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA; (E.A.-M.); (C.S.C.); or (E.Y.); (C.L.M.)
| | - Charles S. Cameron
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA; (E.A.-M.); (C.S.C.); or (E.Y.); (C.L.M.)
| | - Eunjae Yoo
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA; (E.A.-M.); (C.S.C.); or (E.Y.); (C.L.M.)
- Department of Pharmacy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, College of Pharmacy, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea;
| | - Marcus Kelly
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; (M.K.); (S.M.A.); (R.M.); (D.J.O.)
| | - Sarah M. Anderson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; (M.K.); (S.M.A.); (R.M.); (D.J.O.)
| | - Riley Manning
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; (M.K.); (S.M.A.); (R.M.); (D.J.O.)
| | | | - Christopher L. Moertel
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA; (E.A.-M.); (C.S.C.); or (E.Y.); (C.L.M.)
| | - Hyungshin Yim
- Department of Pharmacy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, College of Pharmacy, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea;
| | - David J. Odde
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; (M.K.); (S.M.A.); (R.M.); (D.J.O.)
| | | | - Okay Saydam
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA; (E.A.-M.); (C.S.C.); or (E.Y.); (C.L.M.)
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Yang H, Li M, Deng Y, Wen H, Luo M, Zhang W. Roles and interactions of tumor microenvironment components in medulloblastoma with implications for novel therapeutics. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2024; 63:e23233. [PMID: 38607297 DOI: 10.1002/gcc.23233] [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: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Medulloblastomas, the most common malignant pediatric brain tumors, can be classified into the wingless, sonic hedgehog (SHH), group 3, and group 4 subgroups. Among them, the SHH subgroup with the TP53 mutation and group 3 generally present with the worst patient outcomes due to their high rates of recurrence and metastasis. A novel and effective treatment for refractory medulloblastomas is urgently needed. To date, the tumor microenvironment (TME) has been shown to influence tumor growth, recurrence, and metastasis through immunosuppression, angiogenesis, and chronic inflammation. Treatments targeting TME components have emerged as promising approaches to the treatment of solid tumors. In this review, we summarize progress in research on medulloblastoma microenvironment components and their interactions. We also discuss challenges and future research directions for TME-targeting medulloblastoma therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanjie Yang
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Center, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Min Li
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Center, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuhao Deng
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Center, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huantao Wen
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Center, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Minjie Luo
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Center, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wangming Zhang
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Center, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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Nees J, Struewe F, Schott S. Medical students' knowledge on cancer predisposition syndromes and attitude toward eHealth. Arch Gynecol Obstet 2024; 309:1535-1541. [PMID: 37934269 PMCID: PMC10894105 DOI: 10.1007/s00404-023-07266-4] [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: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Individuals with cancer predisposition syndromes (CPS) inherit elevated cancer risks. Medical supply gaps for people at risk of CPS cause insufficient outreach and miss potential benefits of individualized care strategies. Increased awareness of CPS and progress in the eHealth sector are untapped sources of health care improvement for affected individuals. METHODS AND RESULTS This study addressed German-speaking medical students with an online questionnaire in respect to their knowledge of CPS, their medical education, and perspectives. The study population (n = 404) reported interest in and knowledge of CPS, supported by a satisfactory and sustainable education for their prospective patient care. The next generation of doctors would implement eHealth to improve medical services. Skepticism about digitization was claimed by students. They were especially concerned about deterioration in the physician-patient relationship, data abuse, dependence on technology, and incorrect diagnoses. CONCLUSION Due to increasing diagnosing of CPS and deeper knowledge, this topic is essential for the curriculum in medical schools. In particular, care providers need know-how on identifying patients at risk for a CPS, certain diagnostic and therapeutic steps, surveillance and prophylactic strategies to improve patients' outcomes. Education in medical school as well as implemented eHealth seems to have potential to meet this demand in an upcoming era of personalized medicine. What does this study add to the clinical work. Medical teaching on cancer predisposition syndromes should be expanded to improve knowledge and individualized and personalized healthcare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Nees
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 440, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Farina Struewe
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Sarah Schott
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 440, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
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Zhou H, Wang YX, Wu M, Lan X, Xiang D, Cai R, Ma Q, Miao J, Fang X, Wang J, Luo D, He Z, Cui Y, Liang P, Wang Y, Bian XW. FANCD2 deficiency sensitizes SHH medulloblastoma to radiotherapy via ferroptosis. J Pathol 2024; 262:427-440. [PMID: 38229567 DOI: 10.1002/path.6245] [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: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Radiotherapy is one of the standard therapeutic regimens for medulloblastoma (MB). Tumor cells utilize DNA damage repair (DDR) mechanisms to survive and develop resistance during radiotherapy. It has been found that targeting DDR sensitizes tumor cells to radiotherapy in several types of cancer, but whether and how DDR pathways are involved in the MB radiotherapy response remain to be determined. Single-cell RNA sequencing was carried out on 38 MB tissues, followed by expression enrichment assays. Fanconi anemia group D2 gene (FANCD2) expression was evaluated in MB samples and public MB databases. The function of FANCD2 in MB cells was examined using cell counting assays (CCK-8), clone formation, lactate dehydrogenase activity, and in mouse orthotopic models. The FANCD2-related signaling pathway was investigated using assays of peroxidation, a malondialdehyde assay, a reduced glutathione assay, and using FerroOrange to assess intracellular iron ions (Fe2+ ). Here, we report that FANCD2 was highly expressed in the malignant sonic hedgehog (SHH) MB subtype (SHH-MB). FANCD2 played an oncogenic role and predicted worse prognosis in SHH-MB patients. Moreover, FANCD2 knockdown markedly suppressed viability, mobility, and growth of SHH-MB cells and sensitized SHH-MB cells to irradiation. Mechanistically, FANCD2 deficiency led to an accumulation of Fe2+ due to increased divalent metal transporter 1 expression and impaired glutathione peroxidase 4 activity, which further activated ferroptosis and reduced proliferation of SHH-MB cells. Using an orthotopic mouse model, we observed that radiotherapy combined with silencing FANCD2 significantly inhibited the growth of SHH-MB cell-derived tumors in vivo. Our study revealed FANCD2 as a potential therapeutic target in SHH-MB and silencing FANCD2 could sensitize SHH-MB cells to radiotherapy via inducing ferroptosis. © 2024 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Zhou
- School of Medicine, Chongqing University, Chongqing, PR China
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Yan-Xia Wang
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Min Wu
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Chongqing, PR China
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Xi Lan
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Dongfang Xiang
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Ruili Cai
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Qinghua Ma
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Jingya Miao
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Xuanyu Fang
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Junjie Wang
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Dan Luo
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Zhicheng He
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Youhong Cui
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Ping Liang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Yan Wang
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Chongqing, PR China
- Jinfeng Laboratory, Institute of Advanced Pathology, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Xiu-Wu Bian
- School of Medicine, Chongqing University, Chongqing, PR China
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Chongqing, PR China
- Jinfeng Laboratory, Institute of Advanced Pathology, Chongqing, PR China
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Rechberger JS, Power EA, DeCuypere M, Daniels DJ. Evolution of neurosurgical advances and nuances in medulloblastoma therapy. Childs Nerv Syst 2024; 40:1031-1044. [PMID: 38112693 DOI: 10.1007/s00381-023-06239-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children, presents a complex treatment challenge due to its propensity for infiltrative growth within the posterior fossa and its potential attachment to critical anatomical structures. Central to the management of medulloblastoma is the surgical resection of the tumor, which is a key determinant of patient prognosis. However, the extent of surgical resection (EOR), ranging from gross total resection (GTR) to subtotal resection (STR) or even biopsy, has been the subject of extensive debate and investigation within the medical community. Today, the impact of neurosurgical EOR on the prognosis of medulloblastoma patients remains a complex and evolving area of investigation. The conflicting findings in the literature, the challenges posed by critical surrounding anatomical structures, the potential for surgical complications and neurologic morbidity, and the nuanced interactions with molecular subgroups all contribute to the complexity of this issue. As the field continues to advance, the imperative to strike a delicate balance between maximizing resection and preserving quality of life remains central to the management of medulloblastoma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian S Rechberger
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Erica A Power
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, 60153, USA
| | - Michael DeCuypere
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - David J Daniels
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
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Bibbò F, Asadzadeh F, Boccia A, Sorice C, Bianco O, Saccà CD, Majello B, Donofrio V, Bifano D, De Martino L, Quaglietta L, Cristofano A, Covelli EM, Cinalli G, Ferrucci V, De Antonellis P, Zollo M. Targeting Group 3 Medulloblastoma by the Anti-PRUNE-1 and Anti-LSD1/KDM1A Epigenetic Molecules. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3917. [PMID: 38612726 PMCID: PMC11011515 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25073917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Medulloblastoma (MB) is a highly malignant childhood brain tumor. Group 3 MB (Gr3 MB) is considered to have the most metastatic potential, and tailored therapies for Gr3 MB are currently lacking. Gr3 MB is driven by PRUNE-1 amplification or overexpression. In this paper, we found that PRUNE-1 was transcriptionally regulated by lysine demethylase LSD1/KDM1A. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of inhibiting both PRUNE-1 and LSD1/KDM1A with the selective inhibitors AA7.1 and SP-2577, respectively. We found that the pharmacological inhibition had a substantial efficacy on targeting the metastatic axis driven by PRUNE-1 (PRUNE-1-OTX2-TGFβ-PTEN) in Gr3 MB. Using RNA seq transcriptomic feature data in Gr3 MB primary cells, we provide evidence that the combination of AA7.1 and SP-2577 positively affects neuronal commitment, confirmed by glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive differentiation and the inhibition of the cytotoxic components of the tumor microenvironment and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by the down-regulation of N-Cadherin protein expression. We also identified an impairing action on the mitochondrial metabolism and, consequently, oxidative phosphorylation, thus depriving tumors cells of an important source of energy. Furthermore, by overlapping the genomic mutational signatures through WES sequence analyses with RNA seq transcriptomic feature data, we propose in this paper that the combination of these two small molecules can be used in a second-line treatment in advanced therapeutics against Gr3 MB. Our study demonstrates that the usage of PRUNE-1 and LSD1/KDM1A inhibitors in combination represents a novel therapeutic approach for these highly aggressive metastatic MB tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Bibbò
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnological DMMBM, University Federico II of Naples, 80131 Naples, Italy; (F.B.); (V.F.); (P.D.A.)
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate “Franco Salvatore”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (F.A.); (A.B.); (C.S.); (O.B.)
| | - Fatemeh Asadzadeh
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate “Franco Salvatore”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (F.A.); (A.B.); (C.S.); (O.B.)
- SEMM European School of Molecular Medicine, 20139 Milan, Italy
| | - Angelo Boccia
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate “Franco Salvatore”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (F.A.); (A.B.); (C.S.); (O.B.)
| | - Carmen Sorice
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate “Franco Salvatore”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (F.A.); (A.B.); (C.S.); (O.B.)
| | - Orazio Bianco
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate “Franco Salvatore”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (F.A.); (A.B.); (C.S.); (O.B.)
| | - Carmen Daniela Saccà
- Department of Biology, University Federico II of Naples, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.D.S.); (B.M.)
| | - Barbara Majello
- Department of Biology, University Federico II of Naples, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.D.S.); (B.M.)
| | - Vittoria Donofrio
- Department of Pathology, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, AORN, 80129 Naples, Italy; (V.D.); (D.B.)
| | - Delfina Bifano
- Department of Pathology, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, AORN, 80129 Naples, Italy; (V.D.); (D.B.)
| | - Lucia De Martino
- Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, AORN, 80129 Naples, Italy; (L.D.M.); (L.Q.)
| | - Lucia Quaglietta
- Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, AORN, 80129 Naples, Italy; (L.D.M.); (L.Q.)
| | - Adriana Cristofano
- Pediatric Neuroradiology, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, AORN, 80129 Naples, Italy; (A.C.); (E.M.C.)
| | - Eugenio Maria Covelli
- Pediatric Neuroradiology, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, AORN, 80129 Naples, Italy; (A.C.); (E.M.C.)
| | - Giuseppe Cinalli
- Pediatric Neurosurgery, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, AORN, 80129 Naples, Italy;
| | - Veronica Ferrucci
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnological DMMBM, University Federico II of Naples, 80131 Naples, Italy; (F.B.); (V.F.); (P.D.A.)
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate “Franco Salvatore”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (F.A.); (A.B.); (C.S.); (O.B.)
| | - Pasqualino De Antonellis
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnological DMMBM, University Federico II of Naples, 80131 Naples, Italy; (F.B.); (V.F.); (P.D.A.)
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate “Franco Salvatore”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (F.A.); (A.B.); (C.S.); (O.B.)
| | - Massimo Zollo
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnological DMMBM, University Federico II of Naples, 80131 Naples, Italy; (F.B.); (V.F.); (P.D.A.)
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate “Franco Salvatore”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (F.A.); (A.B.); (C.S.); (O.B.)
- DAI Medicina di Laboratorio e Trasfusionale, ‘AOU Federico II Policlinico’, 80131 Naples, Italy
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Ho C, Crawford JR. Postoperative epidural enhancement in a child with metastatic medulloblastoma. BMJ Case Rep 2024; 17:e260468. [PMID: 38538097 PMCID: PMC10982746 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2024-260468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Clarice Ho
- School of Medicine, University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - John Ross Crawford
- Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
- Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Orange County, Orange, USA
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Yimit Y, Yasin P, Tuersun A, Wang J, Wang X, Huang C, Abudoubari S, Chen X, Ibrahim I, Nijiati P, Wang Y, Zou X, Nijiati M. Multiparametric MRI-Based Interpretable Radiomics Machine Learning Model Differentiates Medulloblastoma and Ependymoma in Children: A Two-Center Study. Acad Radiol 2024:S1076-6332(24)00131-4. [PMID: 38508934 DOI: 10.1016/j.acra.2024.02.040] [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: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES Medulloblastoma (MB) and Ependymoma (EM) in children, share similarities in age group, tumor location, and clinical presentation. Distinguishing between them through clinical diagnosis is challenging. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of using radiomics and machine learning on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to differentiate between MB and EM and validate its diagnostic ability with an external set. MATERIALS AND METHODS Axial T2 weighted image (T2WI) and contrast-enhanced T1weighted image (CE-T1WI) MRI sequences of 135 patients from two centers were collected as train/test sets. Volume of interest (VOI) was manually delineated by an experienced neuroradiologist, supervised by a senior. Feature selection analysis and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm identified valuable features, and Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) evaluated their significance. Five machine-learning classifiers-extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), Bernoulli naive Bayes (Bernoulli NB), Logistic Regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), linear support vector machine (Linear SVC) classifiers were built based on T2WI (T2 model), CE-T1WI (T1 model), and T1 + T2WI (T1 + T2 model). A human expert diagnosis was developed and corrected by senior radiologists. External validation was performed at Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center. RESULTS 31 valuable features were extracted from T2WI and CE-T1WI. XGBoost demonstrated the highest performance with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.92 on the test set and maintained an AUC of 0.80 during external validation. For the T1 model, XGBoost achieved the highest AUC of 0.85 on the test set and the highest accuracy of 0.71 on the external validation set. In the T2 model, XGBoost achieved the highest AUC of 0.86 on the test set and the highest accuracy of 0.82 on the external validation set. The human expert diagnosis had an AUC of 0.66 on the test set and 0.69 on the external validation set. The integrated T1 + T2 model achieved an AUC of 0.92 on the test set, 0.80 on the external validation set, achieved the best performance. Overall, XGBoost consistently outperformed in different classification models. CONCLUSION The combination of radiomics and machine learning on multiparametric MRI effectively distinguishes between MB and EM in childhood, surpassing human expert diagnosis in training and testing sets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasen Yimit
- Department of Radiology, The First People's Hospital of Kashi (Kashgar) Prefecture, Xinjiang, China, 844000; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence assisted Imaging Diagnosis, Kashi (Kashgar), China, 844000
| | - Parhat Yasin
- Department of Spine Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China, 830054
| | - Abudouresuli Tuersun
- Department of Radiology, The First People's Hospital of Kashi (Kashgar) Prefecture, Xinjiang, China, 844000; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence assisted Imaging Diagnosis, Kashi (Kashgar), China, 844000
| | - Jingru Wang
- Department of Research Collaboration, R&D center, Beijing Deepwise & League of PHD Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, PR China, 100080
| | - Xiaohong Wang
- Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China, 510630
| | - Chencui Huang
- Department of Research Collaboration, R&D center, Beijing Deepwise & League of PHD Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, PR China, 100080
| | - Saimaitikari Abudoubari
- Department of Radiology, The First People's Hospital of Kashi (Kashgar) Prefecture, Xinjiang, China, 844000; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence assisted Imaging Diagnosis, Kashi (Kashgar), China, 844000
| | - Xingzhi Chen
- Department of Research Collaboration, R&D center, Beijing Deepwise & League of PHD Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, PR China, 100080
| | - Irshat Ibrahim
- Department of General Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Kashi (Kashgar) Prefecture, Xinjiang, China, 844000
| | - Pahatijiang Nijiati
- Department of Radiology, The First People's Hospital of Kashi (Kashgar) Prefecture, Xinjiang, China, 844000; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence assisted Imaging Diagnosis, Kashi (Kashgar), China, 844000
| | - Yunling Wang
- Department of Imaging Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China, 830054
| | - Xiaoguang Zou
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence assisted Imaging Diagnosis, Kashi (Kashgar), China, 844000; Clinical Medical Research Center, The First People's Hospital of Kashi (Kashgar) Prefecture, Xinjiang, China, 844000
| | - Mayidili Nijiati
- Department of Radiology, The First People's Hospital of Kashi (Kashgar) Prefecture, Xinjiang, China, 844000; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence assisted Imaging Diagnosis, Kashi (Kashgar), China, 844000.
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Hwang GH, Pazyra-Murphy MF, Seo HS, Dhe-Paganon S, Stopka SA, DiPiazza M, Sutter N, Gero TW, Volkert A, Ombelets L, Dittemore G, Rees MG, Ronan MM, Roth JA, Agar NYR, Scott DA, Segal RA. A Benzarone Derivative Inhibits EYA to Suppress Tumor Growth in SHH Medulloblastoma. Cancer Res 2024; 84:872-886. [PMID: 38486486 PMCID: PMC10948029 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-22-3784] [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: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Medulloblastoma is one of the most common malignant brain tumors of children, and 30% of medulloblastomas are driven by gain-of-function genetic lesions in the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway. EYA1, a haloacid dehalogenase phosphatase and transcription factor, is critical for tumorigenesis and proliferation of SHH medulloblastoma (SHH-MB). Benzarone and benzbromarone have been identified as allosteric inhibitors of EYA proteins. Using benzarone as a point of departure, we developed a panel of 35 derivatives and tested them in SHH-MB. Among these compounds, DS-1-38 functioned as an EYA antagonist and opposed SHH signaling. DS-1-38 inhibited SHH-MB growth in vitro and in vivo, showed excellent brain penetrance, and increased the lifespan of genetically engineered mice predisposed to fatal SHH-MB. These data suggest that EYA inhibitors represent promising therapies for pediatric SHH-MB. SIGNIFICANCE Development of a benzarone derivative that inhibits EYA1 and impedes the growth of SHH medulloblastoma provides an avenue for improving treatment of this malignant pediatric brain cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace H. Hwang
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maria F. Pazyra-Murphy
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hyuk-Soo Seo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sirano Dhe-Paganon
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sylwia A. Stopka
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marina DiPiazza
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nizhoni Sutter
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Brigham Young University-Hawaii, Kulanui St, HI, USA
| | - Thomas W. Gero
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alison Volkert
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lincoln Ombelets
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Georgia Dittemore
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Nathalie Y. R. Agar
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David A. Scott
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rosalind A. Segal
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Gao J, Zhao Y, Wang Z, Liu F, Chen X, Mo J, Jiang Y, Liu Y, Tian P, Li Y, Deng K, Qi X, Han D, Liu Z, Yang Z, Chen Y, Tang Y, Li C, Liu H, Li J, Jiang T. Single-cell transcriptomic sequencing identifies subcutaneous patient-derived xenograft recapitulated medulloblastoma. Animal Model Exp Med 2024. [PMID: 38477441 DOI: 10.1002/ame2.12399] [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: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medulloblastoma (MB) is one of the most common malignant brain tumors that mainly affect children. Various approaches have been used to model MB to facilitate investigating tumorigenesis. This study aims to compare the recapitulation of MB between subcutaneous patient-derived xenograft (sPDX), intracranial patient-derived xenograft (iPDX), and genetically engineered mouse models (GEMM) at the single-cell level. METHODS We obtained primary human sonic hedgehog (SHH) and group 3 (G3) MB samples from six patients. For each patient specimen, we developed two sPDX and iPDX models, respectively. Three Patch+/- GEMM models were also included for sequencing. Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed to compare gene expression profiles, cellular composition, and functional pathway enrichment. Bulk RNA-seq deconvolution was performed to compare cellular composition across models and human samples. RESULTS Our results showed that the sPDX tumor model demonstrated the highest correlation to the overall transcriptomic profiles of primary human tumors at the single-cell level within the SHH and G3 subgroups, followed by the GEMM model and iPDX. The GEMM tumor model was able to recapitulate all subpopulations of tumor microenvironment (TME) cells that can be clustered in human SHH tumors, including a higher proportion of tumor-associated astrocytes and immune cells, and an additional cluster of vascular endothelia when compared to human SHH tumors. CONCLUSIONS This study was the first to compare experimental models for MB at the single-cell level, providing value insights into model selection for different research purposes. sPDX and iPDX are suitable for drug testing and personalized therapy screenings, whereas GEMM models are valuable for investigating the interaction between tumor and TME cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayu Gao
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- Yidu Central Hospital of Weifang, Weifang, China
| | - Yahui Zhao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ziwei Wang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- BGI-Wuhan, Wuhan, China
| | - Fei Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Department of Radiotherapy, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xuan Chen
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jialin Mo
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yifei Jiang
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Yongqiang Liu
- Research Center of Chinese Herbal Resources Science and Engineering, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Peiyi Tian
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yanong Li
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Department of Radiotherapy, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Kaiwen Deng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Department of Radiotherapy, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xueling Qi
- Department of NeuroPathology, Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Dongming Han
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zijia Liu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhengtao Yang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yixi Chen
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yujie Tang
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Chunde Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Hailong Liu
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Department of Radiotherapy, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Chinese Institute for Medical Research, Beijing, China
| | | | - Tao Jiang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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Wang D, Ritz C, Pierce A, Brunt B, Luo Y, Dahl N, Venkataraman S, Danis E, Kuś K, Mazan M, Rzymski T, Veo B, Vibhakar R. Transcriptional Regulation of Protein Synthesis by Mediator Kinase in MYC-driven Medulloblastoma. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.08.584103. [PMID: 38559100 PMCID: PMC10979852 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.08.584103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
MYC-driven medulloblastoma (MB) is a highly aggressive cancer type with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Through CRISPR-Cas9 screening across MB cell lines, we identified the Mediator-associated kinase CDK8 as the top dependence for MYC-driven MB. Loss of CDK8 markedly reduces MYC expression and impedes MB growth. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that CDK8 depletion suppresses ribosome biogenesis and mRNA translation. CDK8 regulates occupancy of phospho-Polymerase II at specific chromatin loci facilitating an epigenetic alteration that promotes transcriptional regulation of ribosome biogenesis. Additionally, CDK8-mediated phosphorylation of 4EBP1 plays a crucial role in initiating eIF4E-dependent translation. Targeting CDK8 effectively suppresses cancer stem and progenitor cells, characterized by increased ribosome biogenesis activity. We also report the synergistic inhibition of CDK8 and mTOR in vivo and in vitro . Overall, our findings establish a connection between transcription and translation regulation, suggesting a promising therapeutic approach targets multiple points in the protein synthesis network for MYC-driven MB.
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Motahari Z, Lepe JJ, Bautista MR, Hoerig C, Plant-Fox AS, Das B, Fowler CD, Magge SN, Bota DA. Preclinical assessment of MAGMAS inhibitor as a potential therapy for pediatric medulloblastoma. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.29.582709. [PMID: 38464047 PMCID: PMC10925277 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.29.582709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric brain malignancy, has Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) and non-SHH group3 subtypes. MAGMAS (Mitochondrial Associated Granulocyte Macrophage colony-stimulating factor Signaling molecules) encode for mitochondrial import inner membrane translocase subunit and is responsible for translocation of matrix proteins across the inner membrane. We previously reported that a small molecule MAGMAS inhibitor, BT9, decreases cell proliferation, migration, and oxidative phosphorylation in adult glioblastoma cell lines. The aim of our study was to investigate whether the chemotherapeutic effect of BT9 can be extended to pediatric medulloblastoma. Methods Multiple in vitro assays were performed using human DAOY (SHH activated tp53 mutant) and D425 (non-SHH group 3) cells. The impact of BT9 on cellular growth, death, migration, invasion, and metabolic activity were quantified using MTT assay, TUNEL staining, scratch wound assay, Matrigel invasion chambers, and seahorse assay, respectively. Survival following 50mg/kg BT9 treatment was assessed in vivo in immunodeficient mice intracranially implanted with D425 cells. Results Compared to control, BT9 treatment led to a significant reduction in medulloblastoma cell growth (DAOY, 24hrs IC50: 3.6uM, 48hrs IC50: 2.3uM, 72hrs IC50: 2.1uM; D425 24hrs IC50: 3.4uM, 48hrs IC50: 2.2uM, 72hrs IC50: 2.1uM) and a significant increase in cell death (DAOY, 24hrs p=0.0004, 48hrs p<0.0001; D425, 24hrs p=0.0001, 48hrs p=0.02). In DAOY cells, 3uM BT9 delayed migration, and significantly decreased DAOY and D425 cells invasion (p < 0.0001). Our in vivo study, however, did not extend survival in xenograft mouse model of group3 medulloblastoma compared to vehicle-treated controls. Conclusions Our in vitro data showed BT9 antitumor efficacy in DAOY and D425 cell lines suggesting that BT9 may represent a promising targeted therapeutic in pediatric medulloblastoma. These data, however, need to be further validated in animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Motahari
- CHOC Neuroscience Institute, Children's Hospital of Orange County, Orange, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Javier J Lepe
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Malia R Bautista
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Clay Hoerig
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Children's Hospital of Orange County, Orange, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Ashley S Plant-Fox
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Children's Hospital of Orange County, Orange, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Bhaskar Das
- Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Department of Medicine and Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Christie D Fowler
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Suresh N Magge
- CHOC Neuroscience Institute, Children's Hospital of Orange County, Orange, CA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital of Orange County, Orange, CA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Daniela A Bota
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of Irvine, CA, USA
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Keeling C, Davies S, Goddard J, Ramaswamy V, Schwalbe EC, Bailey S, Hicks D, Clifford SC. The clinical significance of sub-total surgical resection in childhood medulloblastoma: a multi-cohort analysis of 1100 patients. EClinicalMedicine 2024; 69:102469. [PMID: 38374970 PMCID: PMC10875250 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Medulloblastoma patients with a sub-total surgical resection (STR; >1.5 cm2 primary tumour residuum post-surgery) typically receive intensified treatment. However, the association of STR with poor outcomes has not been observed consistently, questioning the validity of STR as a high-risk disease feature. Methods We collected extent of resection (EOR) data from 1110 patients (from UK CCLG centres (n = 416, collected between September 1990 and July 2014) and published (n = 694) cohorts), the largest cohort of molecularly and clinically annotated tumours assembled to specifically assess the significance of EOR. We performed association and univariable/multivariable survival analyses, assessing overall survival (OS) cohort-wide and with reference to the four consensus medulloblastoma molecular groups and clinical features. Findings STR was reported in 20% (226/1110) of patients. Non-WNT (p = 0.047), children <5 years at diagnosis (p = 0.021) and metastatic patients (p < 0.0001) were significantly more likely to have a STR. In cohort-wide analysis, STR was associated with worse survival in univariable analysis (p < 0.0001). Examination of specific disease contexts showed that STR was prognostic in univariate analysis for patients receiving cranio-spinal irradiation (CSI) and chemotherapy (p = 0.016) and for patients with Group 3 tumours receiving CSI (p = 0.039). STR was not independently prognostic in multivariable analyses; outcomes for patients who have STR as their only risk-feature are as per standard-risk disease. Specifically, STR was not prognostic in non-metastatic patients that received upfront CSI. Interpretation In a cohort of 1100 molecularly characterised medulloblastoma patients, STR (n = 226) predicted significantly lower OS in univariable analysis, but was not an independent prognostic factor. Our data suggest that maximal safe resection can continue to be carried out for patients with medulloblastoma and suggest STR should not inform patient management when observed as a sole, isolated risk-feature. Funding Cancer Research UK, Newcastle Hospitals Charity, Children's Cancer North, British Division of the International Academy of Pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Keeling
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Davies
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Jack Goddard
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Vijay Ramaswamy
- Neuro-oncology Section, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Edward C. Schwalbe
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
- Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Bailey
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
- Great North Children's Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Debbie Hicks
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Steven C. Clifford
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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Xu SM, Cheng Y, Fisher H, Janitz M. Recent advances in the investigation of fusion RNAs and their role in molecular pathology of cancer. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2024; 168:106529. [PMID: 38246262 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2024.106529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Gene fusions have had a significant role in the development of various types of cancer, oftentimes involved in oncogenic activities through dysregulation of gene expression or signalling pathways. Some cancer-associated chromosomal translocations can undergo backsplicing, resulting in fusion-circular RNAs, a more stable isoform immune to RNase degradation. This stability makes fusion circular RNAs a promising diagnostic biomarker for cancer. While the detection of linear fusion RNAs and their function in certain cancers have been described in literature, fusion circular RNAs lag behind due to their low abundance in cancer cells. This review highlights current literature on the role of linear and circular fusion transcripts in cancer, tools currently available for detecting of these chimeric RNAs and their function and how they play a role in tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si-Mei Xu
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Yuning Cheng
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Harry Fisher
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Michael Janitz
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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Yang Y, Valdés-Rives SA, Liu Q, Li Y, Tan J, Tan Y, Koch CA, Rong Y, Houser SR, Wei S, Cai KQ, Cheng SY, Curran T, Wechsler-Reya R, Yang ZJ. Thyroid Hormone Suppresses Medulloblastoma Progression Through Promoting Terminal Differentiation of Tumor Cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.13.580111. [PMID: 38405864 PMCID: PMC10888774 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.13.580111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Hypothyroidism is commonly detected in patients with medulloblastoma (MB). A possible link between thyroid hormone (TH) signaling and MB pathogenicity has not been reported. Here, we find that TH plays a critical role in promoting tumor cell differentiation. Reduction in TH levels frees the TH receptor, TRα1, to bind to EZH2 and repress expression of NeuroD1, a transcription factor that drives tumor cell differentiation. Increased TH reverses EZH2-mediated repression of NeuroD1 by abrogating the binding of EZH2 and TRα1, thereby stimulating tumor cell differentiation and reducing MB growth. Importantly, TH-induced differentiation of tumor cells is not restricted by the molecular subgroup of MB. These findings establish an unprecedented association between TH signaling and MB pathogenicity, providing solid evidence for TH as a promising modality for MB treatment.
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Mani S, Chatterjee A, Dasgupta A, Shirsat N, Pawar A, Epari S, Sahay A, Sahu A, Moiyadi A, Prasad M, Chinnaswamy G, Gupta T. Clinico-Radiological Outcomes in WNT-Subgroup Medulloblastoma. Diagnostics (Basel) 2024; 14:358. [PMID: 38396397 PMCID: PMC10888131 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics14040358] [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: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Medulloblastoma (MB) comprises four broad molecular subgroups, namely wingless (WNT), sonic hedgehog (SHH), Group 3, and Group 4, respectively, with subgroup-specific developmental origins, unique genetic profiles, distinct clinico-demographic characteristics, and diverse clinical outcomes. This is a retrospective audit of clinical outcomes in molecularly confirmed WNT-MB patients treated with maximal safe resection followed by postoperative standard-of-care risk-stratified adjuvant radio(chemo)therapy at a tertiary-care comprehensive cancer centre. Of the 74 WNT-MB patients registered in a neuro-oncology unit between 2004 to 2020, 7 patients accrued on a prospective clinical trial of treatment deintensification were excluded, leaving 67 patients that constitute the present study cohort. The median age at presentation was 12 years, with a male preponderance (2:1). The survival analysis was restricted to 61 patients and excluded 6 patients (1 postoperative mortality plus 5 without adequate details of treatment or outcomes). At a median follow-up of 72 months, Kaplan-Meier estimates of 5-year progression-free survival and overall survival were 87.7% and 91.2%, respectively. Traditional high-risk features, large residual tumour (≥1.5 cm2), and leptomeningeal metastases (M+) did not significantly impact upon survival in this molecularly characterized WNT-MB cohort treated with risk-stratified contemporary multimodality therapy. The lack of a prognostic impact of conventional high-risk features suggests the need for refined risk stratification and potential deintensification of therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shakthivel Mani
- Department of Radiation Oncology, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India; (S.M.); (A.C.); (A.D.)
| | - Abhishek Chatterjee
- Department of Radiation Oncology, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India; (S.M.); (A.C.); (A.D.)
| | - Archya Dasgupta
- Department of Radiation Oncology, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India; (S.M.); (A.C.); (A.D.)
| | - Neelam Shirsat
- Neuro-Oncology Laboratory, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India;
| | - Akash Pawar
- Clinical Research Secretariat, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India;
| | - Sridhar Epari
- Department of Pathology, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India; (S.E.); (A.S.)
| | - Ayushi Sahay
- Department of Pathology, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India; (S.E.); (A.S.)
| | - Arpita Sahu
- Department of Radio-Diagnosis, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India;
| | - Aliasgar Moiyadi
- Department of Neurosurgery, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India;
| | - Maya Prasad
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India; (M.P.); (G.C.)
| | - Girish Chinnaswamy
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India; (M.P.); (G.C.)
| | - Tejpal Gupta
- Department of Radiation Oncology, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India; (S.M.); (A.C.); (A.D.)
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Casey MJ, Chan PP, Li Q, Jette CA, Kohler M, Myers BR, Stewart RA. A Simple and Scalable Zebrafish Model of Sonic Hedgehog Medulloblastoma. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.03.577834. [PMID: 38370799 PMCID: PMC10871209 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.03.577834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor in children and is stratified into three major subgroups. The Sonic hedgehog (SHH) subgroup represents ~30% of all MB cases and has significant survival disparity depending upon TP53 status. Here, we describe the first zebrafish model of SHH MB using CRISPR to mutate ptch1, the primary genetic driver in human SHH MB. These tumors rapidly arise adjacent to the valvula cerebelli and resemble human SHH MB by histology and comparative genomics. In addition, ptch1-deficient MB tumors with loss of tp53 have aggressive tumor histology and significantly worse survival outcomes, comparable to human patients. The simplicity and scalability of the ptch1 MB model makes it highly amenable to CRISPR-based genome editing screens to identify genes required for SHH MB tumor formation in vivo, and here we identify the grk3 kinase as one such target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattie J. Casey
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Priya P. Chan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA
- Primary Children’s Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT 84113, USA
| | - Qing Li
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Cicely A. Jette
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Missia Kohler
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Benjamin R. Myers
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Rodney A. Stewart
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
- Lead contact
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49
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van Essen MJ, Apsley EJ, Riepsaame J, Xu R, Northcott PA, Cowley SA, Jacob J, Becker EBE. PTCH1-mutant human cerebellar organoids exhibit altered neural development and recapitulate early medulloblastoma tumorigenesis. Dis Model Mech 2024; 17:dmm050323. [PMID: 38411252 PMCID: PMC10924233 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.050323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Patched 1 (PTCH1) is the primary receptor for the sonic hedgehog (SHH) ligand and negatively regulates SHH signalling, an essential pathway in human embryogenesis. Loss-of-function mutations in PTCH1 are associated with altered neuronal development and the malignant brain tumour medulloblastoma. As a result of differences between murine and human development, molecular and cellular perturbations that arise from human PTCH1 mutations remain poorly understood. Here, we used cerebellar organoids differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells combined with CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to investigate the earliest molecular and cellular consequences of PTCH1 mutations on human cerebellar development. Our findings demonstrate that developmental mechanisms in cerebellar organoids reflect in vivo processes of regionalisation and SHH signalling, and offer new insights into early pathophysiological events of medulloblastoma tumorigenesis without the use of animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max J. van Essen
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Elizabeth J. Apsley
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Joey Riepsaame
- Genome Engineering Oxford, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3RE Oxford, UK
| | - Ruijie Xu
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105-3678, USA
| | - Paul A. Northcott
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105-3678, USA
| | - Sally A. Cowley
- James and Lillian Martin Centre for Stem Cell Research, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3RE, UK
| | - John Jacob
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Esther B. E. Becker
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
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50
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Kohe S, Bennett C, Burté F, Adiamah M, Rose H, Worthington L, Scerif F, MacPherson L, Gill S, Hicks D, Schwalbe EC, Crosier S, Storer L, Lourdusamy A, Mitra D, Morgan PS, Dineen RA, Avula S, Pizer B, Wilson M, Davies N, Tennant D, Bailey S, Williamson D, Arvanitis TN, Grundy RG, Clifford SC, Peet AC. Metabolite profiles of medulloblastoma for rapid and non-invasive detection of molecular disease groups. EBioMedicine 2024; 100:104958. [PMID: 38184938 PMCID: PMC10808898 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104958] [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: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The malignant childhood brain tumour, medulloblastoma, is classified clinically into molecular groups which guide therapy. DNA-methylation profiling is the current classification 'gold-standard', typically delivered 3-4 weeks post-surgery. Pre-surgery non-invasive diagnostics thus offer significant potential to improve early diagnosis and clinical management. Here, we determine tumour metabolite profiles of the four medulloblastoma groups, assess their diagnostic utility using tumour tissue and potential for non-invasive diagnosis using in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). METHODS Metabolite profiles were acquired by high-resolution magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy (MAS) from 86 medulloblastomas (from 59 male and 27 female patients), previously classified by DNA-methylation array (WNT (n = 9), SHH (n = 22), Group3 (n = 21), Group4 (n = 34)); RNA-seq data was available for sixty. Unsupervised class-discovery was performed and a support vector machine (SVM) constructed to assess diagnostic performance. The SVM classifier was adapted to use only metabolites (n = 10) routinely quantified from in vivo MRS data, and re-tested. Glutamate was assessed as a predictor of overall survival. FINDINGS Group-specific metabolite profiles were identified; tumours clustered with good concordance to their reference molecular group (93%). GABA was only detected in WNT, taurine was low in SHH and lipids were high in Group3. The tissue-based metabolite SVM classifier had a cross-validated accuracy of 89% (100% for WNT) and, adapted to use metabolites routinely quantified in vivo, gave a combined classification accuracy of 90% for SHH, Group3 and Group4. Glutamate predicted survival after incorporating known risk-factors (HR = 3.39, 95% CI 1.4-8.1, p = 0.025). INTERPRETATION Tissue metabolite profiles characterise medulloblastoma molecular groups. Their combination with machine learning can aid rapid diagnosis from tissue and potentially in vivo. Specific metabolites provide important information; GABA identifying WNT and glutamate conferring poor prognosis. FUNDING Children with Cancer UK, Cancer Research UK, Children's Cancer North and a Newcastle University PhD studentship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Kohe
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK
| | - Christopher Bennett
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK
| | - Florence Burté
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Magretta Adiamah
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Heather Rose
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK
| | - Lara Worthington
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK; RRPPS, University Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Fatma Scerif
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | | | - Simrandip Gill
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK
| | - Debbie Hicks
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Edward C Schwalbe
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Stephen Crosier
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Lisa Storer
- Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Ambarasu Lourdusamy
- Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Dipyan Mitra
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Paul S Morgan
- Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Robert A Dineen
- Radiological Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | | | | | - Martin Wilson
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK
| | - Nigel Davies
- RRPPS, University Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Daniel Tennant
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, UK
| | - Simon Bailey
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Daniel Williamson
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Theodoros N Arvanitis
- Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Birmingham, UK
| | - Richard G Grundy
- Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Steven C Clifford
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
| | - Andrew C Peet
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
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