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Bittman-Soto XS, Thomas ES, Ganshert ME, Mendez-Santacruz LL, Harrell JC. The Transformative Role of 3D Culture Models in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:1859. [PMID: 38791938 PMCID: PMC11119918 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16101859] [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: 04/19/2024] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Advancements in cell culturing techniques have allowed the development of three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models sourced directly from patients' tissues and tumors, faithfully replicating the native tissue environment. These models provide a more clinically relevant platform for studying disease progression and treatment responses compared to traditional two-dimensional (2D) models. Patient-derived organoids (PDOs) and patient-derived xenograft organoids (PDXOs) emerge as innovative 3D cancer models capable of accurately mimicking the tumor's unique features, enhancing our understanding of tumor complexities, and predicting clinical outcomes. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) poses significant clinical challenges due to its aggressive nature, propensity for early metastasis, and limited treatment options. TNBC PDOs and PDXOs have significantly contributed to the comprehension of TNBC, providing novel insights into its underlying mechanism and identifying potential therapeutic targets. This review explores the transformative role of various 3D cancer models in elucidating TNBC pathogenesis and guiding novel therapeutic strategies. It also provides an overview of diverse 3D cell culture models, derived from cell lines and tumors, highlighting their advantages and culturing challenges. Finally, it delves into live-cell imaging techniques, endpoint assays, and alternative cell culture media and methodologies, such as scaffold-free and scaffold-based systems, essential for advancing 3D cancer model research and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier S. Bittman-Soto
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA; (E.S.T.)
- Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
- Division of Cancer Biology, University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Juan, PR 00921, USA
| | - Evelyn S. Thomas
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA; (E.S.T.)
| | | | | | - J. Chuck Harrell
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA; (E.S.T.)
- Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
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2
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Mao B, Guo S. Statistical Assessment of Drug Synergy from In Vivo Combination Studies Using Mouse Tumor Models. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:2146-2157. [PMID: 37830749 PMCID: PMC10591909 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-23-0243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Drug combination therapy is a promising strategy for treating cancer; however, its efficacy and synergy require rigorous evaluation in preclinical studies before going to clinical trials. Existing methods have limited power to detect synergy in animal studies. Here, we introduce a novel approach to assess in vivo drug synergy with high sensitivity and low false discovery rate. It can accurately estimate combination index and synergy score under the Bliss independence model and the highest single agent (HSA) model without any assumption on tumor growth kinetics, study duration, data completeness and balance for tumor volume measurement. We show that our method can effectively validate in vitro drug synergy discovered from cell line assays in in vivo xenograft experiments, and can help to elucidate the mechanism of action for immune checkpoint inhibitors in syngeneic mouse models by combining an anti-PD-1 antibody and several tumor-infiltrating leukocytes depletion treatments. We provide a unified view of in vitro and in vivo synergy by presenting a parallelism between the fixed-dose in vitro and the 4-group in vivo combination studies, so they can be better designed, analyzed, and compared. We emphasize that combination index, when defined here via relative survival of tumor cells, is both dose and time dependent, and give guidelines on designing informative in vivo combination studies. We explain how to interpret and apply Bliss and HSA synergies. Finally, we provide an open-source software package named invivoSyn that enables automated analysis of in vivo synergy using our method and several other existing methods. SIGNIFICANCE This work presents a general solution to reliably determine in vivo drug synergy in single-dose 4-group animal combination studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binchen Mao
- Crown Bioscience Inc., Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China
| | - Sheng Guo
- Crown Bioscience Inc., Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China
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3
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Byers HA, Brooks AN, Vangala JR, Grible JM, Feygin A, Clevenger CV, Harrell JC, Radhakrishnan SK. Evaluation of the NRF1-proteasome axis as a therapeutic target in breast cancer. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15843. [PMID: 37739987 PMCID: PMC10516926 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43121-x] [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: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Proteasomes are multi-subunit complexes that specialize in protein degradation. Cancer cells exhibit a heightened dependence on proteasome activity, presumably to support their enhanced proliferation and other cancer-related characteristics. Here, a systematic analysis of TCGA breast cancer datasets revealed that proteasome subunit transcript levels are elevated in all intrinsic subtypes (luminal, HER2-enriched, and basal-like/triple-negative) when compared to normal breast tissue. Although these observations suggest a pan-breast cancer utility for proteasome inhibitors, our further experiments with breast cancer cell lines and patient-derived xenografts (PDX) pointed to triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) as the most sensitive subtype to proteasome inhibition. Finally, using TNBC cells, we extended our studies to in vivo xenograft experiments. Our previous work has firmly established a cytoprotective role for the transcription factor NRF1 via its ability to upregulate proteasome genes in response to proteasome inhibition. In further support of this notion, we show here that NRF1 depletion significantly reduced tumor burden in an MDA-MB-231 TNBC xenograft mouse model treated with carfilzomib. Taken together, our results point to TNBC as a particularly vulnerable breast cancer subtype to proteasome inhibition and provide a proof-of-principle for targeting NRF1 as a viable means to increase the efficacy of proteasome inhibitors in TNBC tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly A Byers
- Department of Pathology and Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Amy N Brooks
- Department of Pathology and Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Janakiram R Vangala
- Department of Pathology and Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Jacqueline M Grible
- Department of Pathology and Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Alex Feygin
- Department of Pathology and Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Charles V Clevenger
- Department of Pathology and Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - J Chuck Harrell
- Department of Pathology and Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Senthil K Radhakrishnan
- Department of Pathology and Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
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4
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Marcolin JC, Lichtenfels M, da Silva CA, de Farias CB. Gynecologic and Breast Cancers: What's New in Chemoresistance and Chemosensitivity Tests? Curr Probl Cancer 2023; 47:100996. [PMID: 37467541 DOI: 10.1016/j.currproblcancer.2023.100996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Gynecological and breast cancers affect women's health worldwide. Although chemotherapy is one of the principal treatments for cancer, it also has limitations owing to toxicity and tumor resistance to the drugs used. Thus, individualized treatment based on personal tumor characteristics is essential for improving therapeutic outcomes and patient survival. Chemoresistance and chemosensitivity tests can be useful for predicting tumor response and guiding chemotherapy choices. This methodology has already been applied to breast, ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers, identifying successfully which drugs cause resistance and sensitivity responses for each individual person, influencing their progression-free survival and overall response. In addition, more recent techniques, such as organoids and patient-derived xenografts, can also recapitulate patients' tumor characteristics and contribute to chemo response evaluation. Therefore, this review compiles information on chemoresistance and chemosensitivity tests performed in gynecologic and breast cancers and their main results for women's health improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Júlia Caroline Marcolin
- Ziel Biosciences, Department of Translational Research, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia e Terapêutica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
| | - Martina Lichtenfels
- Ziel Biosciences, Department of Translational Research, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Camila Alves da Silva
- Ziel Biosciences, Department of Translational Research, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
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5
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Zboril EK, Grible JM, Boyd DC, Hairr NS, Leftwich TJ, Esquivel MF, Duong AK, Turner SA, Ferreira-Gonzalez A, Olex AL, Sartorius CA, Dozmorov MG, Harrell JC. Stratification of Tamoxifen Synergistic Combinations for the Treatment of ER+ Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3179. [PMID: 37370789 PMCID: PMC10296623 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15123179] [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: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer alone accounts for the majority of cancer deaths among women, with the most commonly diagnosed subtype being estrogen receptor positive (ER+). Survival has greatly improved for patients with ER+ breast cancer, due in part to the development of antiestrogen compounds, such as tamoxifen. While treatment of the primary disease is often successful, as many as 30% of patients will experience recurrence and metastasis, mainly due to developed endocrine therapy resistance. In this study, we discovered two tamoxifen combination therapies, with simeprevir and VX-680, that reduce the tumor burden in animal models of ER+ breast cancer more than either compound or tamoxifen alone. Additionally, these tamoxifen combinations reduced the expression of HER2, a hallmark of tamoxifen treatment, which can facilitate acquisition of a treatment-resistant phenotype. These combinations could provide clinical benefit by potentiating tamoxifen treatment in ER+ breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K. Zboril
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Jacqueline M. Grible
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
| | - David C. Boyd
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
- Integrative Life Sciences Program, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Nicole S. Hairr
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
| | - Tess J. Leftwich
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
| | - Madelyn F. Esquivel
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
| | - Alex K. Duong
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
| | - Scott A. Turner
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
| | | | - Amy L. Olex
- C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Carol A. Sartorius
- Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Mikhail G. Dozmorov
- Department of Biostatistics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - J. Chuck Harrell
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
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6
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Falcão SI, Duarte D, Diallo M, Santos J, Ribeiro E, Vale N, Vilas-Boas M. Improvement of the In Vitro Cytotoxic Effect on HT-29 Colon Cancer Cells by Combining 5-Fluorouacil and Fluphenazine with Green, Red or Brown Propolis. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28083393. [PMID: 37110626 PMCID: PMC10145548 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28083393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is regard as one of the key factors of mortality and morbidity in the world. Treatment is mainly based on chemotherapeutic drugs that, when used in targeted therapies, have serious side effects. 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is a drug commonly used against colorectal cancer (CRC), despite its side effects. Combination of this compound with natural products is a promising source in cancer treatment research. In recent years, propolis has become the subject of intense pharmacological and chemical studies linked to its diverse biological properties. With a complex composition rich in phenolic compounds, propolis is described as showing positive or synergistic interactions with several chemotherapeutic drugs. The present work evaluated the in vitro cytotoxic activity of the most representative propolis types, such as green, red and brown propolis, in combination with chemotherapeutic or CNS drugs on HT-29 colon cancer cell lines. The phenolic composition of the propolis samples was evaluated by LC-DAD-ESI/MSn analysis. According to the type of propolis, the composition varied; green propolis was rich in terpenic phenolic acids and red propolis in polyprenylated benzophenones and isoflavonoids, while brown propolis was composed mainly of flavonoids and phenylpropanoids. Generally, for all propolis types, the results demonstrated that combing propolis with 5-FU and fluphenazine successfully enhances the in vitro cytotoxic activity. For green propolis, the combination demonstrated an enhancement of the in vitro cytotoxic effect compared to green propolis alone, at all concentrations, while for brown propolis, the combination in the concentration of 100 μg/mL gave a lower number of viable cells, even when compared with 5-FU or fluphenazine alone. The same was observed for the red propolis combination, but with a higher reduction in cell viability. The combination index, calculated based on the Chou-Talalay method, suggested that the combination of 5-FU and propolis extracts had a synergic growth inhibitory effect in HT-29 cells, while with fluphenazine, only green and red propolis, at a concentration of 100 μg/mL, presented synergism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soraia I Falcão
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
- Laboratório Associado para a Sustentabilidade e Tecnologia em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
| | - Diana Duarte
- OncoPharma Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Moustapha Diallo
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
- Laboratório Associado para a Sustentabilidade e Tecnologia em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
| | - Joana Santos
- OncoPharma Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Eduarda Ribeiro
- OncoPharma Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno Vale
- OncoPharma Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Department of Community Medicine, Health Information and Decision (MEDCIDS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Miguel Vilas-Boas
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
- Laboratório Associado para a Sustentabilidade e Tecnologia em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
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7
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Dozmorov MG, Marshall MA, Rashid NS, Grible JM, Valentine A, Olex AL, Murthy K, Chakraborty A, Reyna J, Figueroa DS, Hinojosa-Gonzalez L, Da-Inn Lee E, Baur BA, Roy S, Ay F, Harrell JC. Rewiring of the 3D genome during acquisition of carboplatin resistance in a triple-negative breast cancer patient-derived xenograft. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5420. [PMID: 37012431 PMCID: PMC10070455 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32568-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Changes in the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the genome are an emerging hallmark of cancer. Cancer-associated copy number variants and single nucleotide polymorphisms promote rewiring of chromatin loops, disruption of topologically associating domains (TADs), active/inactive chromatin state switching, leading to oncogene expression and silencing of tumor suppressors. However, little is known about 3D changes during cancer progression to a chemotherapy-resistant state. We integrated chromatin conformation capture (Hi-C), RNA-seq, and whole-genome sequencing obtained from triple-negative breast cancer patient-derived xenograft primary tumors (UCD52) and carboplatin-resistant samples and found increased short-range (< 2 Mb) interactions, chromatin looping, formation of TAD, chromatin state switching into a more active state, and amplification of ATP-binding cassette transporters. Transcriptome changes suggested the role of long-noncoding RNAs in carboplatin resistance. Rewiring of the 3D genome was associated with TP53, TP63, BATF, FOS-JUN family of transcription factors and led to activation of aggressiveness-, metastasis- and other cancer-related pathways. Integrative analysis highlighted increased ribosome biogenesis and oxidative phosphorylation, suggesting the role of mitochondrial energy metabolism. Our results suggest that 3D genome remodeling may be a key mechanism underlying carboplatin resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail G Dozmorov
- Department of Biostatistics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA.
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA.
| | - Maggie A Marshall
- Department of Biostatistics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Narmeen S Rashid
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, 23173, USA
| | - Jacqueline M Grible
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA
| | - Aaron Valentine
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA
| | - Amy L Olex
- C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Kavita Murthy
- Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Autoimmunity, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Abhijit Chakraborty
- Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Autoimmunity, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Joaquin Reyna
- Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Autoimmunity, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Daniela Salgado Figueroa
- Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Autoimmunity, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Laura Hinojosa-Gonzalez
- Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Autoimmunity, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Erika Da-Inn Lee
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53792, USA
| | - Brittany A Baur
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53792, USA
| | - Sushmita Roy
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53715, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53792, USA
| | - Ferhat Ay
- Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Autoimmunity, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, UC San Diego-School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - J Chuck Harrell
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA.
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8
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Echeverria GV, Cai S, Tu Y, Shao J, Powell E, Redwood AB, Jiang Y, McCoy A, Rinkenbaugh AL, Lau R, Trevarton AJ, Fu C, Gould R, Ravenberg EE, Huo L, Candelaria R, Santiago L, Adrada BE, Lane DL, Rauch GM, Yang WT, White JB, Chang JT, Moulder SL, Symmans WF, Hilsenbeck SG, Piwnica-Worms H. Predictors of success in establishing orthotopic patient-derived xenograft models of triple negative breast cancer. NPJ Breast Cancer 2023; 9:2. [PMID: 36627285 PMCID: PMC9831981 DOI: 10.1038/s41523-022-00502-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of breast cancer are an effective discovery platform and tool for preclinical pharmacologic testing and biomarker identification. We established orthotopic PDX models of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) from the primary breast tumors of patients prior to and following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) while they were enrolled in the ARTEMIS trial (NCT02276443). Serial biopsies were obtained from patients prior to treatment (pre-NACT), from poorly responsive disease after four cycles of Adriamycin and cyclophosphamide (AC, mid-NACT), and in cases of AC-resistance, after a 3-month course of different experimental therapies and/or additional chemotherapy (post-NACT). Our study cohort includes a total of 269 fine needle aspirates (FNAs) from 217 women, generating a total of 62 PDX models (overall success-rate = 23%). Success of PDX engraftment was generally higher from those cancers that proved to be treatment-resistant, whether poorly responsive to AC as determined by ultrasound measurements mid-NACT (p = 0.063), RCB II/III status after NACT (p = 0.046), or metastatic relapse within 2 years of surgery (p = 0.008). TNBC molecular subtype determined from gene expression microarrays of pre-NACT tumors revealed no significant association with PDX engraftment rate (p = 0.877). Finally, we developed a statistical model predictive of PDX engraftment using percent Ki67 positive cells in the patient's diagnostic biopsy, positive lymph node status at diagnosis, and low volumetric reduction of the patient's tumor following AC treatment. This novel bank of 62 PDX models of TNBC provides a valuable resource for biomarker discovery and preclinical therapeutic trials aimed at improving neoadjuvant response rates for patients with TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloria V Echeverria
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Lester and Sue Smith Breast Cancer Center and Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| | - Shirong Cai
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yizheng Tu
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jiansu Shao
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Emily Powell
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Abena B Redwood
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yan Jiang
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Aaron McCoy
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Amanda L Rinkenbaugh
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Rosanna Lau
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Alexander J Trevarton
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Chunxiao Fu
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Rebekah Gould
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Elizabeth E Ravenberg
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Lei Huo
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Rosalind Candelaria
- Department of Breast Imaging, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Lumarie Santiago
- Department of Breast Imaging, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Beatriz E Adrada
- Department of Breast Imaging, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Deanna L Lane
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Gaiane M Rauch
- Department of Abdominal Imaging, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Wei T Yang
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jason B White
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jeffrey T Chang
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Stacy L Moulder
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - W Fraser Symmans
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Susan G Hilsenbeck
- Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Helen Piwnica-Worms
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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9
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Rashid NS, Boyd DC, Olex AL, Grible JM, Duong AK, Alzubi MA, Altman JE, Leftwich TJ, Valentine AD, Hairr NS, Zboril EK, Smith TM, Pfefferle AD, Dozmorov MG, Harrell JC. Transcriptomic changes underlying EGFR inhibitor resistance in human and mouse models of basal-like breast cancer. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21248. [PMID: 36482068 PMCID: PMC9731984 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25541-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The goals of this study were to identify transcriptomic changes that arise in basal-like breast cancer cells during the development of resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRi) and to identify drugs that are cytotoxic once EGFRi resistance occurs. Human patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) were grown in immunodeficient mice and treated with a set of EGFRi; the EGFRi erlotinib was selected for more expansive in vivo studies. Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on mammary tumors from the basal-like PDX WHIM2 that was treated with vehicle or erlotinib for 9 weeks. The PDX was then subjected to long-term erlotinib treatment in vivo. Through serial passaging, an erlotinib-resistant subline of WHIM2 was generated. Bulk RNA-sequencing was performed on parental and erlotinib-resistant tumors. In vitro high-throughput drug screening with > 500 clinically used compounds was performed on parental and erlotinib-resistant cells. Previously published bulk gene expression microarray data from MMTV-Wnt1 tumors were contrasted with the WHIM2 PDX data. Erlotinib effectively inhibited WHIM2 tumor growth for approximately 4 weeks. Compared to untreated cells, single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that a greater proportion of erlotinib-treated cells were in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Comparison of WHIM2 and MMTV-Wnt1 gene expression data revealed a set of 38 overlapping genes that were differentially expressed in the erlotinib-resistant WHIM2 and MMTV-Wnt1 tumors. Comparison of all three data types revealed five genes that were upregulated across all erlotinib-resistant samples: IL19, KLK7, LCN2, SAA1, and SAA2. Of these five genes, LCN2 was most abundantly expressed in triple-negative breast cancers, and its knockdown restored erlotinib sensitivity in vitro. Despite transcriptomic differences, parental and erlotinib-resistant WHIM2 displayed similar responses to the majority of drugs assessed for cytotoxicity in vitro. This study identified transcriptomic changes arising in erlotinib-resistant basal-like breast cancer. These data could be used to identify a biomarker or develop a gene signature predictive of patient response to EGFRi. Future studies should explore the predictive capacity of these gene signatures as well as how LCN2 contributes to the development of EGFRi resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narmeen S Rashid
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, 23173, USA
| | - David C Boyd
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
- Program in Integrative Life Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Amy L Olex
- C. Kenneth and Diane Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Jacqueline M Grible
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Alex K Duong
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Mohammad A Alzubi
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
- Oncology Center-Division of Pediatric Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Julia E Altman
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Tess J Leftwich
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Aaron D Valentine
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Nicole S Hairr
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Emily K Zboril
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Timothy M Smith
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Adam D Pfefferle
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, USA
| | - Mikhail G Dozmorov
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - J Chuck Harrell
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA.
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA.
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10
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Martínez-Sifuentes MA, Bassol-Mayagoitia S, Nava-Hernández MP, Ruiz-Flores P, Ramos-Treviño J, Haro-Santa Cruz J, Hernández-Ibarra JA. Survivin in Breast Cancer: A Review. Genet Test Mol Biomarkers 2022; 26:411-421. [PMID: 36166738 DOI: 10.1089/gtmb.2021.0286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women and ranks second among causes for cancer-related death in women. Gene technology has led to the recognition that breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease composed of different biological subtypes, and genetic profiling enables the response to chemotherapy to be predicted. This fact emphasizes the importance of selecting sensitive diagnostic and prognostic markers in the early disease stage and more efficient targeted treatments for this disease. One such prognostic marker appears to be survivin. Many studies have shown that survivin is strongly expressed in different types of cancers. Its overexpression has been demonstrated in breast cancer, and high activity of the survivin gene has been associated with a poor prognosis and worse survival rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Antonio Martínez-Sifuentes
- Department of Reproductive Biology and Biomedical Research Center, School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Coahuila, Torreón, Mexico
| | - Susana Bassol-Mayagoitia
- Department of Reproductive Biology and Biomedical Research Center, School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Coahuila, Torreón, Mexico
| | - Martha P Nava-Hernández
- Department of Reproductive Biology and Biomedical Research Center, School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Coahuila, Torreón, Mexico
| | - Pablo Ruiz-Flores
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Biomedical Research Center, School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Coahuila, Torreón, Mexico
| | - Juan Ramos-Treviño
- Department of Reproductive Biology and Biomedical Research Center, School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Coahuila, Torreón, Mexico
| | - Jorge Haro-Santa Cruz
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Biomedical Research Center, School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Coahuila, Torreón, Mexico
| | - José Anselmo Hernández-Ibarra
- Department of Reproductive Biology and Biomedical Research Center, School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Coahuila, Torreón, Mexico
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11
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Cocco S, Leone A, Roca MS, Lombardi R, Piezzo M, Caputo R, Ciardiello C, Costantini S, Bruzzese F, Sisalli MJ, Budillon A, De Laurentiis M. Inhibition of autophagy by chloroquine prevents resistance to PI3K/AKT inhibitors and potentiates their antitumor effect in combination with paclitaxel in triple negative breast cancer models. J Transl Med 2022; 20:290. [PMID: 35761360 PMCID: PMC9235112 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03462-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive disease characterized by high risk of relapse and development of resistance to different chemotherapy agents. Several targeted therapies have been investigated in TNBC with modest results in clinical trials. Among these, PI3K/AKT inhibitors have been evaluated in addition to standard therapies, yielding conflicting results and making attempts on elucidating inherent mechanisms of resistance of great interest. Increasing evidences suggest that PI3K/AKT inhibitors can induce autophagy in different cancers. Autophagy represents a supposed mechanism of drug-resistance in aggressive tumors, like TNBC. We, therefore, investigated if two PI3K/AKT inhibitors, ipatasertib and taselisib, could induce autophagy in breast cancer models, and whether chloroquine (CQ), a well known autophagy inhibitor, could potentiate ipatasertib and taselisib anti-cancer effect in combination with conventional chemotherapy. Methods The induction of autophagy after ipatasertib and taselisib treatment was evaluated in MDAMB231, MDAM468, MCF7, SKBR3 and MDAB361 breast cancer cell lines by assaying LC3-I conversion to LC3-II through immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. Other autophagy-markers as p62/SQSTM1 and ATG5 were evaluated by immunoblotting. Synergistic antiproliferative effect of double and triple combinations of ipatasertib/taselisib plus CQ and/or paclitaxel were evaluated by SRB assay and clonogenic assay. Anti-apoptotic effect of double combination of ipatasertib/taselisib plus CQ was evaluated by increased cleaved-PARP by immunoblot and by Annexin V- flow cytometric analysis. In vivo experiments were performed on xenograft model of MDAMB231 in NOD/SCID mice. Results Our results suggested that ipatasertib and taselisib induce increased autophagy signaling in different breast cancer models. This effect was particularly evident in PI3K/AKT resistant TNBC cells, where the inhibition of autophagy by CQ potentiates the therapeutic effect of PI3K/AKT inhibitors in vitro and in vivo TNBC models, synergizing with taxane-based chemotherapy. Conclusion These data suggest that inhibition of authophagy with CQ could overcome mechanism of drug resistance to PI3K/AKT inhibitors plus paclitaxel in TNBC making the evaluation of such combinations in clinical trials warranted. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-022-03462-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Cocco
- Department of Breast and Thoracic Oncology, Division of Breast Medical Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy.
| | - Alessandra Leone
- Experimental Pharmacology Unit, Laboratories of Naples and Mercogliano (AV), Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy.
| | - Maria Serena Roca
- Experimental Pharmacology Unit, Laboratories of Naples and Mercogliano (AV), Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Rita Lombardi
- Experimental Pharmacology Unit, Laboratories of Naples and Mercogliano (AV), Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Michela Piezzo
- Department of Breast and Thoracic Oncology, Division of Breast Medical Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Roberta Caputo
- Department of Breast and Thoracic Oncology, Division of Breast Medical Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Chiara Ciardiello
- Experimental Pharmacology Unit, Laboratories of Naples and Mercogliano (AV), Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Susan Costantini
- Experimental Pharmacology Unit, Laboratories of Naples and Mercogliano (AV), Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Francesca Bruzzese
- Animal Facility, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria José Sisalli
- Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Alfredo Budillon
- Experimental Pharmacology Unit, Laboratories of Naples and Mercogliano (AV), Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Michelino De Laurentiis
- Department of Breast and Thoracic Oncology, Division of Breast Medical Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy
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12
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Rodrigues R, Duarte D, Vale N. Drug Repurposing in Cancer Therapy: Influence of Patient’s Genetic Background in Breast Cancer Treatment. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23084280. [PMID: 35457144 PMCID: PMC9028365 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23084280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide and it is estimated that in 2040 more than 29 million people will be diagnosed with some type of cancer. The most prevalent type of cancer in women, worldwide, is breast cancer, a type of cancer associated with a huge death rate. This high mortality is mainly a consequence of the development of drug resistance, which is one of the major challenges to overcome in breast cancer treatment. As a result, research has been focused on finding novel therapeutical weapons, specifically ones that allow for a personalized treatment, based on patients’ characteristics. Although the scientific community has been concerned about guaranteeing the quality of life of cancer patients, researchers are also aware of the increasing costs related to cancer treatment, and efforts have been made to find alternatives to the development of new drugs. The development of new drugs presents some disadvantages as it is a multistep process that is time- and money-consuming, involving clinical trials that commonly fail in the initial phases. A strategy to overcome these disadvantages is drug repurposing. In this review, we focused on describing potential repurposed drugs in the therapy of breast cancer, considering their pharmacogenomic profile, to assess the relationship between patients’ genetic variations and their response to a certain therapy. This review supports the need for the development of further fundamental studies in this area, in order to investigate and expand the knowledge of the currently used and novel potential drugs to treat breast cancer. Future clinical trials should focus on developing strategies to group cancer patients according to their clinical and biological similarities and to discover new potential targets, to enable cancer therapy to be more effective and personalized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafaela Rodrigues
- OncoPharma Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal; (R.R.); (D.D.)
| | - Diana Duarte
- OncoPharma Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal; (R.R.); (D.D.)
- Faculty of Pharmacy of University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno Vale
- OncoPharma Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal; (R.R.); (D.D.)
- Department of Community Medicine, Health Information and Decision (MEDCIDS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Al. Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory RISE–Health Research Network, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Al. Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +351-220426537
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13
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Guillen KP, Fujita M, Butterfield AJ, Scherer SD, Bailey MH, Chu Z, DeRose YS, Zhao L, Cortes-Sanchez E, Yang CH, Toner J, Wang G, Qiao Y, Huang X, Greenland JA, Vahrenkamp JM, Lum DH, Factor RE, Nelson EW, Matsen CB, Poretta JM, Rosenthal R, Beck AC, Buys SS, Vaklavas C, Ward JH, Jensen RL, Jones KB, Li Z, Oesterreich S, Dobrolecki LE, Pathi SS, Woo XY, Berrett KC, Wadsworth ME, Chuang JH, Lewis MT, Marth GT, Gertz J, Varley KE, Welm BE, Welm AL. A human breast cancer-derived xenograft and organoid platform for drug discovery and precision oncology. NATURE CANCER 2022; 3:232-250. [PMID: 35221336 PMCID: PMC8882468 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-022-00337-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 63.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Models that recapitulate the complexity of human tumors are urgently needed to develop more effective cancer therapies. We report a bank of human patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) and matched organoid cultures from tumors that represent the greatest unmet need: endocrine-resistant, treatment-refractory and metastatic breast cancers. We leverage matched PDXs and PDX-derived organoids (PDxO) for drug screening that is feasible and cost-effective with in vivo validation. Moreover, we demonstrate the feasibility of using these models for precision oncology in real time with clinical care in a case of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) with early metastatic recurrence. Our results uncovered a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug with high efficacy against the models. Treatment with this therapy resulted in a complete response for the individual and a progression-free survival (PFS) period more than three times longer than their previous therapies. This work provides valuable methods and resources for functional precision medicine and drug development for human breast cancer. Welm and colleagues present a biobank of human-derived xenografts and organoids and demonstrate its value for high-throughput drug screening and applied precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin P Guillen
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Maihi Fujita
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Andrew J Butterfield
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Sandra D Scherer
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Matthew H Bailey
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Zhengtao Chu
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Yoko S DeRose
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Ling Zhao
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Emilio Cortes-Sanchez
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Chieh-Hsiang Yang
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Jennifer Toner
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Guoying Wang
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Yi Qiao
- Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Xiaomeng Huang
- Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Jeffery A Greenland
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Jeffery M Vahrenkamp
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - David H Lum
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Rachel E Factor
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Edward W Nelson
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Department of Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Cindy B Matsen
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Department of Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Jane M Poretta
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Department of Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Regina Rosenthal
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Department of Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Anna C Beck
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Saundra S Buys
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Christos Vaklavas
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - John H Ward
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Randy L Jensen
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Kevin B Jones
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Department of Orthopaedics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Zheqi Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Magee Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Steffi Oesterreich
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Magee Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Lacey E Dobrolecki
- Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Satya S Pathi
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Xing Yi Woo
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Kristofer C Berrett
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Mark E Wadsworth
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Jeffrey H Chuang
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.,Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, UCONN-Health, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Michael T Lewis
- Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gabor T Marth
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Jason Gertz
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Katherine E Varley
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Bryan E Welm
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. .,Department of Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
| | - Alana L Welm
- Department of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. .,Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
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14
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Honeybee Venom Synergistically Enhances the Cytotoxic Effect of CNS Drugs in HT-29 Colon and MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cell Lines. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14030511. [PMID: 35335887 PMCID: PMC8952811 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14030511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and doxorubicin (DOX) are potent anti-tumour agents commonly used for colon and breast cancer therapy, respectively. However, their clinical application is limited by their side effects and the development of drug resistance. Honeybee venom is a complex mixture of substances that has been reported to be effective against different cancer cells. Its active compound is melittin, a positively charged amphipathic peptide that interacts with the phospholipids of the cell membrane, forming pores that enable the internalization of small molecules with cytotoxic activities,. and consequently, causing cell death. Some central nervous system (CNS) drugs have recently demonstrated great anti-cancer potential, both in vitro, in vivo and in clinical trials, being promising candidates for drug repurposing in oncology. The present work evaluated the anti-cancer efficacy of honeybee venom in combination with chemotherapeutic or CNS drugs in HT-29 colon and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. The chemical characterization of a Portuguese sample of honeybee venom was done by LC-DAD-ESI/MSn analysis. For single treatments, cells were incubated with increasing concentrations of bee venom. For combination treatments, increasing concentrations of bee venom were first combined with the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 5-FU and DOX, in HT-29 and MCF-7 cells, respectively. Cells were also treated with increasing concentrations of bee venom in combination with the IC50 value of four CNS drugs (fluphenazine, fluoxetine, sertraline and thioridazine). Cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT and SRB assays. The combination index (CI) value was calculated using CompuSyn software, based on the Chou–Talalay method. Synergy scores of different reference models (HSA, Loewe, ZIP and Bliss) were also calculated using SynergyFinder. The results demonstrate that honeybee venom is active against HT-29 colon and MCF-7 breast cancer cells, having better anti-tumour activity in MCF-7 cells. It was found that bee venom combined with 5-FU and fluphenazine in HT-29 cells resulted in less cytotoxic effects compared to the co-treatment of fluoxetine, sertraline and thioridazine plus bee venom, which resulted in less than 15% of viable cells for the whole range of concentrations. The combination of MCF-7 cells with repurposed drugs plus honeybee venom resulted in better anti-cancer efficacies than with DOX, notably for lower concentrations. A combination of fluoxetine and thioridazine plus honeybee venom resulted in less than 40% of viable cells for all ranges of concentrations. These results support that the combination of honeybee venom with repurposed drugs and chemotherapeutic agents can help improve their anti-cancer activity, especially for lower concentrations, in both cell lines. Overall, the present study corroborates the enormous bioactive potential of honeybee venom for colon and breast cancer treatments, both alone and in combination with chemotherapy or repurposed drugs.
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15
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Smell Detection Agent Optimisation Framework and Systems Biology Approach to Detect Dys-Regulated Subnetwork in Cancer Data. Biomolecules 2021; 12:biom12010037. [PMID: 35053185 PMCID: PMC8774275 DOI: 10.3390/biom12010037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Network biology has become a key tool in unravelling the mechanisms of complex diseases. Detecting dys-regulated subnetworks from molecular networks is a task that needs efficient computational methods. In this work, we constructed an integrated network using gene interaction data as well as protein–protein interaction data of differentially expressed genes derived from the microarray gene expression data. We considered the level of differential expression as well as the topological weight of proteins in interaction network to quantify dys-regulation. Then, a nature-inspired Smell Detection Agent (SDA) optimisation algorithm is designed with multiple agents traversing through various paths in the network. Finally, the algorithm provides a maximum weighted module as the optimum dys-regulated subnetwork. The analysis is performed for samples of triple-negative breast cancer as well as colorectal cancer. Biological significance analysis of module genes is also done to validate the results. The breast cancer subnetwork is found to contain (i) valid biomarkers including PIK3CA, PTEN, BRCA1, AR and EGFR; (ii) validated drug targets TOP2A, CDK4, HDAC1, IL6, BRCA1, HSP90AA1 and AR; (iii) synergistic drug targets EGFR and BIRC5. Moreover, based on the weight values assigned to nodes in the subnetwork, PLK1, CTNNB1, IGF1, AURKA, PCNA, HSPA4 and GAPDH are proposed as drug targets for further studies. For colorectal cancer module, the analysis revealed the occurrence of approved drug targets TYMS, TOP1, BRAF and EGFR. Considering the higher weight values, HSP90AA1, CCNB1, AKT1 and CXCL8 are proposed as drug targets for experimentation. The derived subnetworks possess cancer-related pathways as well. The SDA-derived breast cancer subnetwork is compared with that of tools such as MCODE and Minimum Spanning Tree, and observed a higher enrichment (75%) of significant elements. Thus, the proposed nature-inspired algorithm is a novel approach to derive the optimum dys-regulated subnetwork from huge molecular network.
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Segovia-Mendoza M, García-Quiroz J, Díaz L, García-Becerra R. Combinations of Calcitriol with Anticancer Treatments for Breast Cancer: An Update. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:12741. [PMID: 34884550 PMCID: PMC8657847 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222312741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Preclinical, clinical, and epidemiological studies indicate that vitamin D3 (VD) deficiency is a risk factor for the development of breast cancer. Underlying mechanisms include the ability of calcitriol to induce cell differentiation, inhibit oncogenes expression, and modify different signaling pathways involved in the control of cell proliferation. In addition, calcitriol combined with different kinds of antineoplastic drugs has been demonstrated to enhance their beneficial effects in an additive or synergistic fashion. However, a recognized adjuvant regimen based on calcitriol for treating patients with breast cancer has not yet been fully established. Accordingly, in the present work, we review and discuss the preclinical and clinical studies about the combination of calcitriol with different oncological drugs, aiming to emphasize its main therapeutic benefits and opportunities for the treatment of this pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Segovia-Mendoza
- Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico;
| | - Janice García-Quiroz
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción Dr. Carlos Gual Castro, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Vasco de Quiroga No. 15, Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14080, Mexico;
| | - Lorenza Díaz
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción Dr. Carlos Gual Castro, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Vasco de Quiroga No. 15, Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14080, Mexico;
| | - Rocío García-Becerra
- Departamento de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico
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Hampton JD, Peterson EJ, Katner SJ, Turner TH, Alzubi MA, Harrell JC, Dozmorov MG, Turner JBM, Gigliotti PJ, Kraskauskiene V, Shende M, Idowu MO, Puchallapalli M, Hu B, Litovchick L, Katsuta E, Takabe K, Farrell NP, Koblinski JE. Exploitation of sulfated glycosaminoglycan status for precision medicine of Triplatin in triple-negative breast cancer. Mol Cancer Ther 2021; 21:271-281. [PMID: 34815360 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-20-0969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer lacking targetable biomarkers. TNBC is known to be most aggressive, and when metastatic is often drug resistant and uncurable. Biomarkers predicting response to therapy improve treatment decisions and allow personalized approaches for TNBC patients. This study explores sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) levels as a predictor of TNBC response to platinum therapy. sGAG levels were quantified in three distinct TNBC tumor models including cell line-derived, patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumors, and isogenic models deficient in sGAG biosynthesis. The in vivo antitumor efficacy of Triplatin, a sGAG-directed platinum agent, was compared in these models to the clinical platinum agent, carboplatin. We determined that >40% of TNBC PDX tissue microarray samples have high levels of sGAGs. The in vivo accumulation of Triplatin in tumors as well as antitumor efficacy of Triplatin positively correlated with sGAG levels on tumor cells, whereas carboplatin followed the opposite trend. In carboplatin-resistant tumor models expressing high levels of sGAGs, Triplatin decreased primary tumor growth, reduced lung metastases, and inhibited metastatic growth in lungs, liver, and ovaries. sGAG levels served as a predictor of Triplatin sensitivity in TNBC. Triplatin may be particularly beneficial in treating patients with chemotherapy-resistant tumors who have evidence of residual disease after standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy. More effective neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment will likely improve clinical outcome of TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Samantha J Katner
- Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Geology, Minnesota State University, Mankato
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Michael O Idowu
- Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center
| | | | - Bin Hu
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | | | | | - Kazuaki Takabe
- Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
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García-Quiroz J, Cárdenas-Ochoa N, García-Becerra R, Morales-Guadarrama G, Méndez-Pérez EA, Santos-Cuevas C, Ramírez-Nava GJ, Segovia-Mendoza M, Prado-García H, Avila E, Larrea F, Díaz L. Antitumoral effects of dovitinib in triple-negative breast cancer are synergized by calcitriol in vivo and in vitro. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2021; 214:105979. [PMID: 34438041 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2021.105979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 07/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Chemotherapy is a standard therapeutic option for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC); however, its effectiveness is often compromised by drug-related toxicity and resistance development. Herein, we aimed to evaluate whether an improved antineoplastic effect could be achieved in vitro and in vivo in TNBC by combining dovitinib, a multi-kinase inhibitor, with calcitriol, a natural anticancer hormone. In vitro, cell proliferation and cell-cycle distribution were studied by sulforhodamine B-assays and flow cytometry. In vivo, dovitinib/calcitriol effects on tumor growth, angiogenesis, and endothelium activation were evaluated in xenografted mice by caliper measures, Itgb3/VEGFR2-immunohistochemistry and 99mTc-Ethylenediamine-N,N-diacetic acid/hydrazinonicotinamyl-Glu[cyclo(Arg-Gly-Asp-D-Phe-Lys)]2 (99mTc-RGD2)-tumor uptake. The drug combination elicited a synergistically improved antiproliferative effect in TNBC-derived cells, which allowed a 7-fold and a 3.3-fold dovitinib dose-reduction in MBCDF-Tum and HCC-1806 cells, respectively. Mechanistically, the co-treatment induced a cell cycle profile suggestive of cell death and DNA damage (accumulation of cells in SubG1, S, and G2/M phases), increased the number of multinucleated cells and inhibited tumor growth to a greater extent than each compound alone. Tumor uptake of 99mTc-RGD2 was reduced by dovitinib, suggesting angiogenesis inhibition, which was corroborated by decreased endothelial cell growth, tumor-vessel density and VEGFR2 expression. In summary, calcitriol synergized dovitinib anticancer effects in vitro and in vivo, allowing for a significant dose-reduction of dovitinib while maintaining its antiproliferative potency. Our results suggest the beneficial convergence of independent antitumor mechanisms of dovitinib and calcitriol to inhibit TNBC-tumor growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janice García-Quiroz
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción Dr. Carlos Gual Castro, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Av. Vasco de Quiroga No. 15, Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, Tlalpan, 14080, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Nohemí Cárdenas-Ochoa
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción Dr. Carlos Gual Castro, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Av. Vasco de Quiroga No. 15, Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, Tlalpan, 14080, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Rocío García-Becerra
- Departamento de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000, Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Gabriela Morales-Guadarrama
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción Dr. Carlos Gual Castro, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Av. Vasco de Quiroga No. 15, Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, Tlalpan, 14080, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Edgar A Méndez-Pérez
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción Dr. Carlos Gual Castro, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Av. Vasco de Quiroga No. 15, Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, Tlalpan, 14080, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Clara Santos-Cuevas
- Departamento de Materiales Radioactivos, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Ocoyoacac, 52750, Estado de México, Mexico.
| | - Gerardo J Ramírez-Nava
- Departamento de Materiales Radioactivos, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Ocoyoacac, 52750, Estado de México, Mexico.
| | - Mariana Segovia-Mendoza
- Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000, Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Heriberto Prado-García
- Departamento de Enfermedades Crónico-Degenerativas, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Calzada de Tlalpan 4502, Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, C.P. 14080, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Euclides Avila
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción Dr. Carlos Gual Castro, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Av. Vasco de Quiroga No. 15, Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, Tlalpan, 14080, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Fernando Larrea
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción Dr. Carlos Gual Castro, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Av. Vasco de Quiroga No. 15, Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, Tlalpan, 14080, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Lorenza Díaz
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción Dr. Carlos Gual Castro, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Av. Vasco de Quiroga No. 15, Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, Tlalpan, 14080, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
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Rashid NS, Hairr NS, Murray G, Olex AL, Leftwich TJ, Grible JM, Reed J, Dozmorov MG, Harrell JC. Identification of nuclear export inhibitor-based combination therapies in preclinical models of triple-negative breast cancer. Transl Oncol 2021; 14:101235. [PMID: 34628286 PMCID: PMC8512760 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2021.101235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
High-throughput drug screening reveals promising therapeutic candidates for TNBC. KPT-330, an XPO1 inhibitor, and GSK2126458 exhibit synergism in preclinical models of TNBC. XPO1 is overexpressed in basal-like breast tumors. XPO1 expression is associated with PIK3CA, MTOR, and MKI67 expression at the single-cell level. XPO1 overexpression in basal-like patients is associated with greater rates of metastases.
An estimated 284,000 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021. Of these individuals, 15–20% have basal-like triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which is known to be highly metastatic. Chemotherapy is standard of care for TNBC patients, but chemoresistance is a common clinical problem. There is currently a lack of alternative, targeted treatment strategies for TNBC; this study sought to identify novel therapeutic combinations to treat basal-like TNBCs. For these studies, four human basal-like TNBC cell lines were utilized to determine the cytotoxicity profile of 1363 clinically-used drugs. Ten promising therapeutic candidates were identified, and synergism studies were performed in vitro. Two drug combinations that included KPT-330, an XPO1 inhibitor, were synergistic in all four cell lines. In vivo testing of four basal-like patient-derived xenografts (PDX) identified one combination, KPT-330 and GSK2126458 (a PI3K/mTOR inhibitor), that decreased tumor burden in mice significantly more than monotherapy with either single agent. Bulk and single-cell RNA-sequencing, immunohistochemistry, and analysis of published genomic datasets found that XPO1 was abundantly expressed in human basal-like TNBC cell lines, PDXs, and patient tumor samples. Within basal-like PDXs, XPO1 overexpression was associated with increased proliferation at the cellular level. Within patient datasets, XPO1 overexpression was correlated with greater rates of metastasis in patients with basal-like tumors. These studies identify a promising potential new combination therapy for patients with basal-like breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narmeen S Rashid
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1101 East Marshall St, Office 4-007, P.O. Box 980662, Richmond, VA 23298-0662, USA; Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA USA
| | - Nicole S Hairr
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1101 East Marshall St, Office 4-007, P.O. Box 980662, Richmond, VA 23298-0662, USA
| | - Graeme Murray
- C. Kenneth and Diane Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA
| | - Amy L Olex
- C. Kenneth and Diane Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA
| | - Tess J Leftwich
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1101 East Marshall St, Office 4-007, P.O. Box 980662, Richmond, VA 23298-0662, USA
| | - Jacqueline M Grible
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1101 East Marshall St, Office 4-007, P.O. Box 980662, Richmond, VA 23298-0662, USA
| | - Jason Reed
- C. Kenneth and Diane Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA; Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA; Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA
| | - Mikhail G Dozmorov
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1101 East Marshall St, Office 4-007, P.O. Box 980662, Richmond, VA 23298-0662, USA; Department of Biostatistics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA
| | - J Chuck Harrell
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1101 East Marshall St, Office 4-007, P.O. Box 980662, Richmond, VA 23298-0662, USA; C. Kenneth and Diane Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA; Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA.
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20
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Sun CY, Li YZ, Cao D, Zhou YF, Zhang MY, Wang HY. Rapamycin and trametinib: a rational combination for treatment of NSCLC. Int J Biol Sci 2021; 17:3211-3223. [PMID: 34421360 PMCID: PMC8375233 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.62752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is one of the most commonly activated pathways in human cancers, including lung cancer. Targeting mTOR with molecule inhibitors is considered as a useful therapeutic strategy. However, the results obtained from the clinical trials with the inhibitors so far have not met the original expectations, largely because of the drug resistance. Thus, combined or multiple drug therapy can bring about more favorable clinical outcomes. Here, we found that activation of ERK pathway was responsible for rapamycin drug resistance in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Accordingly, rapamycin-resistant NSCLC cells were more sensitive to ERK inhibitor (ERKi), trametinib, and in turn, trametinib-resistant NSCLC cells were also susceptible to rapamycin. Combining rapamycin with trametinib led to a potent synergistic antitumor efficacy, which induced G1-phase cycle arrest and apoptosis. In addition, rapamycin synergized with another ERKi, MEK162, and in turn, trametinib synergized with other mTORi, Torin1 and OSI-027. Mechanistically, rapamycin in combination with trametinib resulted in a greater decrease of phosphorylation of AKT, ERK, mTOR and 4EBP1. In xenograft mouse model, co-administration of rapamycin and trametinib caused a substantial suppression in tumor growth without obvious drug toxicity. Overall, our study identifies a reasonable combined strategy for treatment of NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao-Yue Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfeng East Road, Guangzhou, China 510060
| | - Yi-Zhuo Li
- Department of Medical Imaging, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfeng East Road, Guangzhou, China 510060
| | - Di Cao
- Department of Medical Imaging, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfeng East Road, Guangzhou, China 510060
| | - Yu-Feng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfeng East Road, Guangzhou, China 510060
| | - Mei-Yin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfeng East Road, Guangzhou, China 510060
| | - Hui-Yun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfeng East Road, Guangzhou, China 510060
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21
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You KS, Yi YW, Cho J, Park JS, Seong YS. Potentiating Therapeutic Effects of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibition in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:589. [PMID: 34207383 PMCID: PMC8233743 DOI: 10.3390/ph14060589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subset of breast cancer with aggressive characteristics and few therapeutic options. The lack of an appropriate therapeutic target is a challenging issue in treating TNBC. Although a high level expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been associated with a poor prognosis among patients with TNBC, targeted anti-EGFR therapies have demonstrated limited efficacy for TNBC treatment in both clinical and preclinical settings. However, with the advantage of a number of clinically approved EGFR inhibitors (EGFRis), combination strategies have been explored as a promising approach to overcome the intrinsic resistance of TNBC to EGFRis. In this review, we analyzed the literature on the combination of EGFRis with other molecularly targeted therapeutics or conventional chemotherapeutics to understand the current knowledge and to provide potential therapeutic options for TNBC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyu Sic You
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea;
- Graduate School of Convergence Medical Science, Dankook University, Cheonan 3116, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea
| | - Yong Weon Yi
- Department of Nanobiomedical Science, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea; (Y.W.Y.); (J.C.)
| | - Jeonghee Cho
- Department of Nanobiomedical Science, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea; (Y.W.Y.); (J.C.)
| | - Jeong-Soo Park
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea;
| | - Yeon-Sun Seong
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea;
- Graduate School of Convergence Medical Science, Dankook University, Cheonan 3116, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea
- Department of Nanobiomedical Science, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea; (Y.W.Y.); (J.C.)
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Chan S, Shafi T, Ford RC. Kite-shaped molecules block SARS-CoV-2 cell entry at a post-attachment step.. [DOI: 10.1101/2021.05.29.446272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACTAnti-viral small molecules are currently lacking for treating coronavirus infection. The long development timescales for such drugs are a major problem, but could be shortened by repurposing existing drugs. We therefore screened a small library of FDA-approved compounds for potential severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) antivirals using a pseudovirus system that allows a sensitive read-out of infectivity. A group of structurally-related compounds, showing moderate inhibitory activity with IC50values in the 1-5µM range, were identified. Further studies demonstrated that these ‘kite-shaped’ molecules were surprisingly specific for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 and that they acted early in the entry steps of the viral infectious cycle, but did not affect virus attachment to the cells. Moreover the compounds were able to prevent infection in both kidney- and lung-derived human cell lines. The structural homology of the hits allowed the production of a well-defined pharmacophore that was found to be highly accurate in predicting the anti-viral activity of the compounds in the screen. We discuss the prospects of repurposing these existing drugs for treating current and future coronavirus outbreaks.
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Differential reprogramming of breast cancer subtypes in 3D cultures and implications for sensitivity to targeted therapy. Sci Rep 2021; 11:7259. [PMID: 33790333 PMCID: PMC8012355 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86664-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Screening for effective candidate drugs for breast cancer has shifted from two-dimensional (2D) to three-dimensional (3D) cultures. Here we systematically compared the transcriptomes of these different culture conditions by RNAseq of 14 BC cell lines cultured in both 2D and 3D conditions. All 3D BC cell cultures demonstrated increased mitochondrial metabolism and downregulated cell cycle programs. Luminal BC cells in 3D demonstrated overall limited reprogramming. 3D basal B BC cells showed increased expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) interaction genes, which coincides with an invasive phenotype not observed in other BC cells. Genes downregulated in 3D were associated with metastatic disease progression in BC patients, including cyclin dependent kinases and aurora kinases. Furthermore, the overall correlation of the cell line transcriptome to the BC patient transcriptome was increased in 3D cultures for all TNBC cell lines. To define the most optimal culture conditions to study the oncogenic pathway of interest, an open source bioinformatics strategy was established.
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Cressey P, Amrahli M, So PW, Gedroyc W, Wright M, Thanou M. Image-guided thermosensitive liposomes for focused ultrasound enhanced co-delivery of carboplatin and SN-38 against triple negative breast cancer in mice. Biomaterials 2021; 271:120758. [PMID: 33774525 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.120758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Triggerable nanocarriers have the potential to significantly improve the therapeutic index of existing anticancer agents. They allow for highly localised delivery and release of therapeutic cargos, reducing off-target toxicity and increasing anti-tumour activity. Liposomes may be engineered to respond to an externally applied stimulus such as focused ultrasound (FUS). Here, we report the first co-delivery of SN-38 (irinotecan's super-active metabolite) and carboplatin, using an MRI-visible thermosensitive liposome (iTSL). MR contrast enhancement was achieved by the incorporation of a gadolinium lipid conjugate in the liposome bilayer along with a dye-labelled lipid for near infrared fluorescence bioimaging. The resulting iTSL were successfully loaded with SN-38 in the lipid bilayer and carboplatin in the aqueous core - allowing co-delivery of both. The iTSL demonstrated both thermosensitivity and MR-imageability. In addition, they showed effective local targeted co-delivery of carboplatin and SN-38 after triggered release with brief FUS treatments. A single dosage induced significant improvement of anti-tumour activity (over either the free drugs or the iTSL without FUS-activation) in triple negative breast cancer xenografts tumours in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Cressey
- School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, UK
| | - Maral Amrahli
- School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, UK
| | - Po-Wah So
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Wladyslaw Gedroyc
- Radiology Department, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Michael Wright
- School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, UK
| | - Maya Thanou
- School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, UK.
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Roarty K, Echeverria GV. Laboratory Models for Investigating Breast Cancer Therapy Resistance and Metastasis. Front Oncol 2021; 11:645698. [PMID: 33777805 PMCID: PMC7988094 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.645698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
While numerous therapies are highly efficacious in early-stage breast cancers and in particular subsets of breast cancers, therapeutic resistance and metastasis unfortunately arise in many patients. In many cases, tumors that are resistant to standard of care therapies, as well as tumors that have metastasized, are treatable but incurable with existing clinical strategies. Both therapy resistance and metastasis are multi-step processes during which tumor cells must overcome diverse environmental and selective hurdles. Mechanisms by which tumor cells achieve this are numerous and include acquisition of invasive and migratory capabilities, cell-intrinsic genetic and/or epigenetic adaptations, clonal selection, immune evasion, interactions with stromal cells, entering a state of dormancy or senescence, and maintaining self-renewal capacity. To overcome therapy resistance and metastasis in breast cancer, the ability to effectively model each of these mechanisms in the laboratory is essential. Herein we review historic and the current state-of-the-art laboratory model systems and experimental approaches used to investigate breast cancer metastasis and resistance to standard of care therapeutics. While each model system has inherent limitations, they have provided invaluable insights, many of which have translated into regimens undergoing clinical evaluation. We will discuss the limitations and advantages of a variety of model systems that have been used to investigate breast cancer metastasis and therapy resistance and outline potential strategies to improve experimental modeling to further our knowledge of these processes, which will be crucial for the continued development of effective breast cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Roarty
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Gloria V Echeverria
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
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Baek M, Chang JT, Echeverria GV. Methodological Advancements for Investigating Intra-tumoral Heterogeneity in Breast Cancer at the Bench and Bedside. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia 2020; 25:289-304. [PMID: 33300087 PMCID: PMC7960623 DOI: 10.1007/s10911-020-09470-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a major need to overcome therapeutic resistance and metastasis that eventually arises in many breast cancer patients. Therapy resistant and metastatic tumors are increasingly recognized to possess intra-tumoral heterogeneity (ITH), a diversity of cells within an individual tumor. First hypothesized in the 1970s, the possibility that this complex ITH may endow tumors with adaptability and evolvability to metastasize and evade therapies is now supported by multiple lines of evidence. Our understanding of ITH has been driven by recent methodological advances including next-generation sequencing, computational modeling, lineage tracing, single-cell technologies, and multiplexed in situ approaches. These have been applied across a range of specimens, including patient tumor biopsies, liquid biopsies, cultured cell lines, and mouse models. In this review, we discuss these approaches and how they have deepened our understanding of the mechanistic origins of ITH amongst tumor cells, including stem cell-like differentiation hierarchies and Darwinian evolution, and the functional role for ITH in breast cancer progression. While ITH presents a challenge for combating tumor evolution, in-depth analyses of ITH in clinical biopsies and laboratory models hold promise to elucidate therapeutic strategies that should ultimately improve outcomes for breast cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mokryun Baek
- Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jeffrey T Chang
- Department of Pharmacology and Integrative Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Gloria V Echeverria
- Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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Pharmacologic profiling of patient-derived xenograft models of primary treatment-naïve triple-negative breast cancer. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17899. [PMID: 33087803 PMCID: PMC7578025 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74882-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 15-20% of breast cancer cases in the United States, lacks targeted therapeutic options, and is associated with a 40-80% risk of recurrence. Thus, identifying actionable targets in treatment-naïve and chemoresistant TNBC is a critical unmet medical need. To address this need, we performed high-throughput drug viability screens on human tumor cells isolated from 16 patient-derived xenograft models of treatment-naïve primary TNBC. The models span a range of TNBC subtypes and exhibit a diverse set of putative driver mutations, thus providing a unique patient-derived, molecularly annotated pharmacologic resource that is reflective of TNBC. We identified therapeutically actionable targets including kinesin spindle protein (KSP). The KSP inhibitor targets the mitotic spindle through mechanisms independent of microtubule stability and showed efficacy in models that were resistant to microtubule inhibitors used as part of the current standard of care for TNBC. We also observed subtype selectivity of Prima-1Met, which showed higher levels of efficacy in the mesenchymal subtype. Coupling pharmacologic data with genomic and transcriptomic information, we showed that Prima-1Met activity was independent of its canonical target, mutant p53, and was better associated with glutathione metabolism, providing an alternate molecularly defined biomarker for this drug.
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Español AJ, Salem A, Di Bari M, Cristofaro I, Sanchez Y, Tata AM, Sales ME. The metronomic combination of paclitaxel with cholinergic agonists inhibits triple negative breast tumor progression. Participation of M2 receptor subtype. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0226450. [PMID: 32911509 PMCID: PMC7482849 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple negative tumors are more aggressive than other breast cancer subtypes and there is a lack of specific therapeutic targets on them. Since muscarinic receptors have been linked to tumor progression, we investigated the effect of metronomic therapy employing a traditional anti-cancer drug, paclitaxel plus muscarinic agonists at low doses on this type of tumor. We observed that MDA-MB231 tumor cells express muscarinic receptors, while they are absent in the non-tumorigenic MCF-10A cell line, which was used as control. The addition of carbachol or arecaidine propargyl ester, a non-selective or a selective subtype 2 muscarinic receptor agonist respectively, plus paclitaxel reduces cell viability involving a down-regulation in the expression of ATP “binding cassette” G2 drug transporter and epidermal growth factor receptor. We also detected an inhibition of tumor cell migration and anti-angiogenic effects produced by those drug combinations in vitro and in vivo (in NUDE mice) respectively. Our findings provide substantial evidence about subtype 2 muscarinic receptors as therapeutic targets for the treatment of triple negative tumors.
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MESH Headings
- ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 2/metabolism
- Administration, Metronomic
- Animals
- Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/administration & dosage
- Arecoline/administration & dosage
- Arecoline/analogs & derivatives
- Carbachol/administration & dosage
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cell Movement/drug effects
- Cell Proliferation/drug effects
- Cell Survival/drug effects
- Cholinergic Agonists/administration & dosage
- Down-Regulation/drug effects
- ErbB Receptors/metabolism
- Female
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects
- Humans
- Mice
- Neoplasm Proteins/metabolism
- Neovascularization, Pathologic/drug therapy
- Neovascularization, Pathologic/pathology
- Paclitaxel/administration & dosage
- RNA, Small Interfering/metabolism
- Receptor, Muscarinic M2/agonists
- Receptor, Muscarinic M2/genetics
- Receptor, Muscarinic M2/metabolism
- Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/blood supply
- Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy
- Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/pathology
- Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism
- Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro J. Español
- Center of Pharmacological and Botanical Studies (CEFYBO), CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentine
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentine
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- * E-mail: (AJE); (AMT)
| | - Agustina Salem
- Center of Pharmacological and Botanical Studies (CEFYBO), CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentine
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentine
| | - María Di Bari
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Ilaria Cristofaro
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Yamila Sanchez
- Center of Pharmacological and Botanical Studies (CEFYBO), CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentine
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentine
| | - Ada M. Tata
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Center of Neurobiology Daniel Bovet, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- * E-mail: (AJE); (AMT)
| | - María E. Sales
- Center of Pharmacological and Botanical Studies (CEFYBO), CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentine
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentine
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Cava C, Pini S, Taramelli D, Castiglioni I. Perturbations of pathway co-expression network identify a core network in metastatic breast cancer. Comput Biol Chem 2020; 87:107313. [PMID: 32590221 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2020.107313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Metastases are the main cause of death in advanced breast cancer (BC) patients. Although chemotherapy and hormone therapy are current treatment strategies, drug resistance is frequent and still not completely understood. In this study, a bioinformatics analysis was performed on BC patients to explore the molecular mechanisms associated with BC metastasis. Microarray gene expression profiles of metastatic and non metastatic BC patients were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset. Raw data were normalized and merged using the Combat tool. Pathways enriched with differently expressed genes were identified and a pathway co-expression network was generated using Pearson's correlation. We identified from this network, which includes 17 pathways and 128 interactions, the pathways that most influence the network efficiency. Moreover, protein interaction network was investigated to identify hub genes of the pathway network. The prognostic role of the network was evaluated with a survival analysis using an independent dataset. In conclusion, the pathway co-expression network could contribute to understanding the mechanism and development of BC metastases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Cava
- Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology, National Research Council (IBFM-CNR), Via F.Cervi 93, 20090, Segrate, Milan, Italy.
| | - Simone Pini
- Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology, National Research Council (IBFM-CNR), Via F.Cervi 93, 20090, Segrate, Milan, Italy; Department of Pharmacological & Biomolecular Sciences (DiSFeB), University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Donatella Taramelli
- Department of Pharmacological & Biomolecular Sciences (DiSFeB), University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Isabella Castiglioni
- Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology, National Research Council (IBFM-CNR), Via F.Cervi 93, 20090, Segrate, Milan, Italy
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