1
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Jain P, Kizhuttil R, Nair MB, Bhatia S, Thompson EW, George JT, Jolly MK. Cell-state transitions and density-dependent interactions together explain the dynamics of spontaneous epithelial-mesenchymal heterogeneity. iScience 2024; 27:110310. [PMID: 39055927 PMCID: PMC11269952 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer cell populations comprise phenotypes distributed among the epithelial-mesenchymal (E-M) spectrum. However, it remains unclear which population-level processes give rise to the observed experimental distribution and dynamical changes in E-M heterogeneity, including (1) differential growth, (2) cell-state switching, and (3) population density-dependent growth or state-transition rates. Here, we analyze the necessity of these three processes in explaining the dynamics of E-M population distributions as observed in PMC42-LA and HCC38 breast cancer cells. We find that, while cell-state transition is necessary to reproduce experimental observations of dynamical changes in E-M fractions, including density-dependent growth interactions (cooperation or suppression) better explains the data. Further, our models predict that treatment of HCC38 cells with transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling and Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK2/3) inhibitors enhances the rate of mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) instead of lowering that of E-M transition (EMT). Overall, our study identifies the population-level processes shaping the dynamics of spontaneous E-M heterogeneity in breast cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paras Jain
- Department of Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | | | - Madhav B. Nair
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, India
| | - Sugandha Bhatia
- School of Biomedical Science, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) at Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Erik W. Thompson
- Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD, Australia
| | - Jason T. George
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mohit Kumar Jolly
- Department of Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
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2
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Januškevičienė I, Petrikaitė V. Exploring doxorubicin transport in 2D and 3D models of MDA-MB-231 sublines: impact of hypoxia and cellular heterogeneity on doxorubicin accumulation in cells. Am J Cancer Res 2024; 14:3584-3599. [PMID: 39113879 PMCID: PMC11301288 DOI: 10.62347/vnwh9165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treatment is challenging due to its aggressive nature and heterogeneity of this type of cancer, characterized by various subtypes and intratumoral diversity. Doxorubicin (DOX) plays a crucial role in TNBC chemotherapy reducing the tumor size and improving patient survival. However, decreased drug uptake and increased resistance in specific cell subpopulations reduce the effectiveness of the treatment. This study explored the differences in DOX transport in MDA-MB-231 phenotypic sublines in cell monolayer (2D model) and cell spheroids (3D cultures). Cell spheroids were formed using magnetic 3D Bioprinting method. DOX transport into cells and spheroids was evaluated using fluorescence microscopy after different incubation durations with DOX in normoxia and hypoxia. In hypoxia, DOX transport into cells was 2.5 to 5-fold lower than in normoxia. The subline F5 monolayer-cultured cells exhibited the highest DOX uptake, while subline H2 cells showed the lowest uptake in normoxia and hypoxia. In 3D cultures, DOX transport was up to 2-fold lower in spheroids formed from subline H2 cells. Spheroids from subline D8 and MDA-MB-231 parent cells had the highest DOX uptake. A correlation was observed between the characteristics of the cells and their resistance to anticancer drugs. The results indicate that different cancer cell subpopulations in tumours due to differences in drug uptake could significantly impact treatment efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indrė Januškevičienė
- Laboratory of Drug Targets Histopathology, Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Sukilėlių av., LT-50162 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Vilma Petrikaitė
- Laboratory of Drug Targets Histopathology, Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Sukilėlių av., LT-50162 Kaunas, Lithuania
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3
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Xiao Y, Elmasry M, Bai JDK, Chen A, Chen Y, Jackson B, Johnson JO, Gillies RJ, Prasanna P, Chen C, Damaghi M. Eco-evolutionary Guided Pathomic Analysis to Predict DCIS Upstaging. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.23.600274. [PMID: 38979368 PMCID: PMC11230267 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.23.600274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Cancers evolve in a dynamic ecosystem. Thus, characterizing cancer's ecological dynamics is crucial to understanding cancer evolution and can lead to discovering novel biomarkers to predict disease progression. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is an early-stage breast cancer characterized by abnormal epithelial cell growth confined within the milk ducts. Although there has been extensive research on genetic and epigenetic causes of breast carcinogenesis, none of these studies have successfully identified a biomarker for the progression and/or upstaging of DCIS. In this study, we show that ecological habitat analysis of hypoxia and acidosis biomarkers can significantly improve prediction of DCIS upstaging. First, we developed a novel eco-evolutionary designed approach to define habitats in the tumor intra-ductal microenvironment based on oxygen diffusion distance in our DCIS cohort of 84 patients. Then, we identify cancer cells with metabolic phenotypes attributed to their habitat conditions, such as the expression of CA9 indicating hypoxia responding phenotype, and LAMP2b indicating a hypoxia-induced acid adaptation. Traditionally these markers have shown limited predictive capabilities for DCIS upstaging, if any. However, when analyzed from an ecological perspective, their power to differentiate between indolent and upstaged DCIS increased significantly. Second, using eco-evolutionary guided computational and digital pathology techniques, we discovered distinct spatial patterns of these biomarkers and used the distribution of such patterns to predict patient upstaging. The patterns were characterized by both cellular features and spatial features. With a 5-fold validation on the biopsy cohort, we trained a random forest classifier to achieve the area under curve(AUC) of 0.74. Our results affirm the importance of using eco-evolutionary-designed approaches in biomarkers discovery studies in the era of digital pathology by demonstrating the role of eco-evolution dynamics in predicting cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujie Xiao
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, NY, USA
| | - Manal Elmasry
- Department of Pathology, Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook University, NY, USA
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Ji Dong K. Bai
- Department of Pathology, Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook University, NY, USA
| | - Andrew Chen
- Department of Pathology, Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook University, NY, USA
| | - Yuzhu Chen
- Department of Pathology, Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook University, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | - Prateek Prasanna
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook University, NY, USA
| | - Chao Chen
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook University, NY, USA
| | - Mehdi Damaghi
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, NY, USA
- Department of Pathology, Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook University, NY, USA
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
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4
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Gardner AL, Jost TA, Brock A. Computational identification of surface markers for isolating distinct subpopulations from heterogeneous cancer cell populations. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.28.596337. [PMID: 38854060 PMCID: PMC11160629 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.28.596337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Intratumor heterogeneity reduces treatment efficacy and complicates our understanding of tumor progression. There is a pressing need to understand the functions of heterogeneous tumor cell subpopulations within a tumor, yet biological systems to study these processes in vitro are limited. With the advent of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), it has become clear that some cancer cell line models include distinct subpopulations. Heterogeneous cell lines offer a unique opportunity to study the dynamics and evolution of genetically similar cancer cell subpopulations in controlled experimental settings. Here, we present clusterCleaver, a computational package that uses metrics of statistical distance to identify candidate surface markers maximally unique to transcriptomic subpopulations in scRNA-seq which may be used for FACS isolation. clusterCleaver was experimentally validated using the MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-436 breast cancer cell lines. ESAM and BST2/tetherin were experimentally confirmed as surface markers which identify and separate major transcriptomic subpopulations within MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-436 cells, respectively. clusterCleaver is a computationally efficient and experimentally validated workflow for identification and enrichment of distinct subpopulations within cell lines which paves the way for studies on the coexistence of cancer cell subpopulations in well-defined in vitro systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea L. Gardner
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
| | - Tyler A. Jost
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
| | - Amy Brock
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
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5
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Gayan S, Teli A, Sonawane A, Dey T. Impact of Chemotherapeutic Stress Depends on The Nature of Breast Cancer Spheroid and Induce Behavioral Plasticity to Resistant Population. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2024; 8:e2300271. [PMID: 38063815 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202300271] [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: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
Cellular or tumor dormancy, identified recently as one of the main reasons behind post-therapy recurrence, can be caused by diverse reasons. Chemotherapy has recently been recognized as one of such reasons. However, in-depth studies of chemotherapy-induced dormancy are lacking due to the absence of an in vitro human-relevant model tailor-made for such a scenario. This report utilized multicellular breast cancer spheroid to create a primary platform for establishing a chemotherapy-induced dormancy model. It is observed that extreme chemotherapeutic stress affects invasive and non-invasive spheroids differently. Non-invasive spheroids exhibit more resilience and maintain viability and migrational ability, while invasive spheroids display heightened susceptibility and improved tumorigenic capacity. Heterogenous spheroids exhibit increased tumorigenic capacity while show minimal survival ability. Further probing of chemotherapeutically dormant spheroids is needed to understand the molecular mechanism and identify dormancy-related markers to achieve therapeutic success in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sukanya Gayan
- Department of Biotechnology (merged with Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology), Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411007, India
| | - Abhishek Teli
- Department of Biotechnology (merged with Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology), Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411007, India
| | - Akshay Sonawane
- Department of Biotechnology (merged with Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology), Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411007, India
| | - Tuli Dey
- Department of Biotechnology (merged with Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology), Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411007, India
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6
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Welch DL, Fridley BL, Cen L, Teer JK, Yoder SJ, Pettersson F, Xu L, Cheng CH, Zhang Y, Alexandrow MG, Xiang S, Robertson-Tessi M, Brown JS, Metts J, Brohl AS, Reed DR. Modeling phenotypic heterogeneity towards evolutionarily inspired osteosarcoma therapy. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20125. [PMID: 37978271 PMCID: PMC10656496 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47412-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteosarcoma is the most common bone sarcoma in children and young adults. While universally delivered, chemotherapy only benefits roughly half of patients with localized disease. Increasingly, intratumoral heterogeneity is recognized as a source of therapeutic resistance. In this study, we develop and evaluate an in vitro model of osteosarcoma heterogeneity based on phenotype and genotype. Cancer cell populations vary in their environment-specific growth rates and in their sensitivity to chemotherapy. We present the genotypic and phenotypic characterization of an osteosarcoma cell line panel with a focus on co-cultures of the most phenotypically divergent cell lines, 143B and SAOS2. Modest environmental (pH, glutamine) or chemical perturbations dramatically shift the success and composition of cell lines. We demonstrate that in nutrient rich culture conditions 143B outcompetes SAOS2. But, under nutrient deprivation or conventional chemotherapy, SAOS2 growth can be favored in spheroids. Importantly, when the simplest heterogeneity state is evaluated, a two-cell line coculture, perturbations that affect the faster growing cell line have only a modest effect on final spheroid size. Thus the only evaluated therapies to eliminate the spheroids were by switching therapies from a first strike to a second strike. This extensively characterized, widely available system, can be modeled and scaled to allow for improved strategies to anticipate resistance in osteosarcoma due to heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darcy L Welch
- Adolescent and Young Adult Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Individualized Cancer Management, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Brooke L Fridley
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Ling Cen
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Jamie K Teer
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Sean J Yoder
- Molecular Genomics Core Facility, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Fredrik Pettersson
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Liping Xu
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Chia-Ho Cheng
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Yonghong Zhang
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Mark G Alexandrow
- Molecular Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Shengyan Xiang
- Molecular Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Mark Robertson-Tessi
- Integrative Mathematical Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
- Cancer Biology and Evolution, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Joel S Brown
- Integrative Mathematical Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
- Cancer Biology and Evolution, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Jonathan Metts
- Sarcoma Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Andrew S Brohl
- Sarcoma Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
- Molecular Medicine Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Damon R Reed
- Adolescent and Young Adult Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA.
- Department of Individualized Cancer Management, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA.
- Integrative Mathematical Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA.
- Cancer Biology and Evolution, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA.
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7
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Shah S, Philipp LM, Giaimo S, Sebens S, Traulsen A, Raatz M. Understanding and leveraging phenotypic plasticity during metastasis formation. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2023; 9:48. [PMID: 37803056 PMCID: PMC10558468 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-023-00309-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer metastasis is the process of detrimental systemic spread and the primary cause of cancer-related fatalities. Successful metastasis formation requires tumor cells to be proliferative and invasive; however, cells cannot be effective at both tasks simultaneously. Tumor cells compensate for this trade-off by changing their phenotype during metastasis formation through phenotypic plasticity. Given the changing selection pressures and competitive interactions that tumor cells face, it is poorly understood how plasticity shapes the process of metastasis formation. Here, we develop an ecology-inspired mathematical model with phenotypic plasticity and resource competition between phenotypes to address this knowledge gap. We find that phenotypically plastic tumor cell populations attain a stable phenotype equilibrium that maintains tumor cell heterogeneity. Considering treatment types inspired by chemo- and immunotherapy, we highlight that plasticity can protect tumors against interventions. Turning this strength into a weakness, we corroborate current clinical practices to use plasticity as a target for adjuvant therapy. We present a parsimonious view of tumor plasticity-driven metastasis that is quantitative and experimentally testable, and thus potentially improving the mechanistic understanding of metastasis at the cell population level, and its treatment consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saumil Shah
- Department of Theoretical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Str. 2, 24306, Plön, Germany.
| | - Lisa-Marie Philipp
- Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, Kiel University and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building U30, Entrance 1, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Stefano Giaimo
- Department of Theoretical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Str. 2, 24306, Plön, Germany
| | - Susanne Sebens
- Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, Kiel University and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building U30, Entrance 1, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Arne Traulsen
- Department of Theoretical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Str. 2, 24306, Plön, Germany
| | - Michael Raatz
- Department of Theoretical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Str. 2, 24306, Plön, Germany
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8
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Morales-Erosa AJ, Reyes-Reyes J, Astorga-Zaragoza CM, Osorio-Gordillo GL, García-Beltrán CD, Madrigal-Espinosa G. Growth modeling approach with the Verhulst coexistence dynamic properties for regulation purposes. Theory Biosci 2023; 142:221-234. [PMID: 37421497 PMCID: PMC10423132 DOI: 10.1007/s12064-023-00397-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
For this research, the properties of the logistic growth model for independent and coexisting species were used to set definitions for the possible regulation of one or two growth variables through their coupling parameters. The present analysis is done for the single-species Verhulst model without coupling, the single-species Verhulst model coupled with an exogenous signal, and the two-species Verhulst coexistence growth model which represents six different ecological regimes of interaction. The models' parameters, such as the intrinsic growth rate and the coupling, are defined. Finally, the control results are expressed as lemmas for regulation, and they are shown using a simulation example of a fish population growing independent of human interaction (no harvesting, no fishing) and the simulation of the regulation of said population when the coupling of fish and humans is involved (harvesting, fishing).
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Affiliation(s)
- A. J. Morales-Erosa
- Tecnológico Nacional de México, Centro Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Interior Internado Palmira S/N, 61490 Cuernavaca, Morelos México
| | - J. Reyes-Reyes
- Tecnológico Nacional de México, Centro Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Interior Internado Palmira S/N, 61490 Cuernavaca, Morelos México
| | - C. M. Astorga-Zaragoza
- Tecnológico Nacional de México, Centro Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Interior Internado Palmira S/N, 61490 Cuernavaca, Morelos México
| | - G. L. Osorio-Gordillo
- Tecnológico Nacional de México, Centro Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Interior Internado Palmira S/N, 61490 Cuernavaca, Morelos México
| | - C. D. García-Beltrán
- Tecnológico Nacional de México, Centro Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Interior Internado Palmira S/N, 61490 Cuernavaca, Morelos México
| | - G. Madrigal-Espinosa
- Tecnológico Nacional de México, Centro Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Interior Internado Palmira S/N, 61490 Cuernavaca, Morelos México
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9
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Januškevičienė I, Petrikaitė V. Interaction of phenotypic sublines isolated from triple-negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 modulates their sensitivity to paclitaxel and doxorubicin in 2D and 3D assays. Am J Cancer Res 2023; 13:3368-3383. [PMID: 37693129 PMCID: PMC10492099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is a rapidly evolving, multifactorial disease that accumulates numerous genetic and epigenetic alterations. These result in molecular and phenotypic heterogeneity within the tumor, the complexity of which is further amplified through specific interactions between cancer cells. We aimed to analyze cell phenotypic sublines and the influence of their interaction on drug resistance, spheroid formation, and migration. Seven sublines were derived from the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line using a multiple-cell suspension dilution. The growth rate, CD133 receptor expression, migration ability, and chemosensitivity of these sublines to anticancer drugs doxorubicin (DOX) and paclitaxel (PTX) were determined. Three sublines (F5, D8, H2) have been chosen to study their interaction in 2D and 3D assays. In the 2D model, the resistance of all sublines composition to DOX decreased, but in the 3D model, the resistance of all sublines except H2, increased to both PTX and DOX. In the 3D model, the combined sublines F5 and D8 had higher resistance to DOX and statistically significantly lower resistance for PTX compared to the control. The interaction between cancer stem-like cells (F5) and increased migration cells (D8) increased resistance to PTX in cell monolayer and increased resistance against both DOX and PTX in the spheroids. The interaction of DOX-resistant (H2) cells with other cell subpopulations (D8, F5, HF) decreased the resistance to DOX in cell monolayer and both DOX and PTX in spheroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indrė Januškevičienė
- Laboratory of Drug Targets Histopathology, Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Sukilėlių pr., LT-50162, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Vilma Petrikaitė
- Laboratory of Drug Targets Histopathology, Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Sukilėlių pr., LT-50162, Kaunas, Lithuania
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10
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Masud MA, Kim JY, Kim E. Effective dose window for containing tumor burden under tolerable level. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2023; 9:17. [PMID: 37221258 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-023-00279-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
A maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) reduces the drug-sensitive cell population, though it may result in the competitive release of drug resistance. Alternative treatment strategies such as adaptive therapy (AT) or dose modulation aim to impose competitive stress on drug-resistant cell populations by maintaining a sufficient number of drug-sensitive cells. However, given the heterogeneous treatment response and tolerable tumor burden level of individual patients, determining an effective dose that can fine-tune competitive stress remains challenging. This study presents a mathematical model-driven approach that determines the plausible existence of an effective dose window (EDW) as a range of doses that conserve sufficient sensitive cells while maintaining the tumor volume below a threshold tolerable tumor volume (TTV). We use a mathematical model that explains intratumor cell competition. Analyzing the model, we derive an EDW determined by TTV and the competitive strength. By applying a fixed endpoint optimal control model, we determine the minimal dose to contain cancer at a TTV. As a proof of concept, we study the existence of EDW for a small cohort of melanoma patients by fitting the model to longitudinal tumor response data. We performed identifiability analysis, and for the patients with uniquely identifiable parameters, we deduced patient-specific EDW and minimal dose. The tumor volume for a patient could be theoretically contained at the TTV either using continuous dose or AT strategy with doses belonging to EDW. Further, we conclude that the lower bound of the EDW approximates the minimum effective dose (MED) for containing tumor volume at the TTV.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Masud
- Natural Product Informatics Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Gangneung, 25451, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Young Kim
- Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology (GRAST), Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 34134, Republic of Korea
| | - Eunjung Kim
- Natural Product Informatics Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Gangneung, 25451, Republic of Korea.
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11
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Stein A, Salvioli M, Garjani H, Dubbeldam J, Viossat Y, Brown JS, Staňková K. Stackelberg evolutionary game theory: how to manage evolving systems. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210495. [PMID: 36934755 PMCID: PMC10024980 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Stackelberg evolutionary game (SEG) theory combines classical and evolutionary game theory to frame interactions between a rational leader and evolving followers. In some of these interactions, the leader wants to preserve the evolving system (e.g. fisheries management), while in others, they try to drive the system to extinction (e.g. pest control). Often the worst strategy for the leader is to adopt a constant aggressive strategy (e.g. overfishing in fisheries management or maximum tolerable dose in cancer treatment). Taking into account the ecological dynamics typically leads to better outcomes for the leader and corresponds to the Nash equilibria in game-theoretic terms. However, the leader's most profitable strategy is to anticipate and steer the eco-evolutionary dynamics, leading to the Stackelberg equilibrium of the game. We show how our results have the potential to help in fields where humans try to bring an evolutionary system into the desired outcome, such as, among others, fisheries management, pest management and cancer treatment. Finally, we discuss limitations and opportunities for applying SEGs to improve the management of evolving biological systems. This article is part of the theme issue 'Half a century of evolutionary games: a synthesis of theory, application and future directions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Stein
- Centre for Cancer Genomics and Computational Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University London, London EC1M 5PZ, UK
| | - Monica Salvioli
- Institute for Health Systems Science, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, 2628 BX Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Hasti Garjani
- Delft Institute of Applied Mathematics, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Johan Dubbeldam
- Delft Institute of Applied Mathematics, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Yannick Viossat
- CEREMADE, CNRS, Université Paris-Dauphine, Université PSL, 75016 Paris, France
| | - Joel S Brown
- Department of Integrated Mathematical Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Kateřina Staňková
- Institute for Health Systems Science, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, 2628 BX Delft, The Netherlands
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12
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Lee ND, Kaveh K, Bozic I. Clonal interactions in cancer: integrating quantitative models with experimental and clinical data. Semin Cancer Biol 2023; 92:61-73. [PMID: 37023969 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2023.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Tumors consist of different genotypically distinct subpopulations-or subclones-of cells. These subclones can influence neighboring clones in a process called "clonal interaction." Conventionally, research on driver mutations in cancer has focused on their cell-autonomous effects that lead to an increase in fitness of the cells containing the driver. Recently, with the advent of improved experimental and computational technologies for investigating tumor heterogeneity and clonal dynamics, new studies have shown the importance of clonal interactions in cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis. In this review we provide an overview of clonal interactions in cancer, discussing key discoveries from a diverse range of approaches to cancer biology research. We discuss common types of clonal interactions, such as cooperation and competition, its mechanisms, and the overall effect on tumorigenesis, with important implications for tumor heterogeneity, resistance to treatment, and tumor suppression. Quantitative models-in coordination with cell culture and animal model experiments-have played a vital role in investigating the nature of clonal interactions and the complex clonal dynamics they generate. We present mathematical and computational models that can be used to represent clonal interactions and provide examples of the roles they have played in identifying and quantifying the strength of clonal interactions in experimental systems. Clonal interactions have proved difficult to observe in clinical data; however, several very recent quantitative approaches enable their detection. We conclude by discussing ways in which researchers can further integrate quantitative methods with experimental and clinical data to elucidate the critical-and often surprising-roles of clonal interactions in human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan D Lee
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America
| | - Kamran Kaveh
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America
| | - Ivana Bozic
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America; Herbold Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
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13
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Cotner M, Meng S, Jost T, Gardner A, De Santiago C, Brock A. Integration of quantitative methods and mathematical approaches for the modeling of cancer cell proliferation dynamics. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2023; 324:C247-C262. [PMID: 36503241 PMCID: PMC9886359 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00185.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Physiological processes rely on the control of cell proliferation, and the dysregulation of these processes underlies various pathological conditions, including cancer. Mathematical modeling can provide new insights into the complex regulation of cell proliferation dynamics. In this review, we first examine quantitative experimental approaches for measuring cell proliferation dynamics in vitro and compare the various types of data that can be obtained in these settings. We then explore the toolbox of common mathematical modeling frameworks that can describe cell behavior, dynamics, and interactions of proliferation. We discuss how these wet-laboratory studies may be integrated with different mathematical modeling approaches to aid the interpretation of the results and to enable the prediction of cell behaviors, specifically in the context of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Cotner
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Sarah Meng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Tyler Jost
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Andrea Gardner
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Carolina De Santiago
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Amy Brock
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
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14
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Guo L, Kong D, Liu J, Zhan L, Luo L, Zheng W, Zheng Q, Chen C, Sun S. Breast cancer heterogeneity and its implication in personalized precision therapy. Exp Hematol Oncol 2023; 12:3. [PMID: 36624542 PMCID: PMC9830930 DOI: 10.1186/s40164-022-00363-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer heterogeneity determines cancer progression, treatment effects, and prognosis. However, the precise mechanism for this heterogeneity remains unknown owing to its complexity. Here, we summarize the origins of breast cancer heterogeneity and its influence on disease progression, recurrence, and therapeutic resistance. We review the possible mechanisms of heterogeneity and the research methods used to analyze it. We also highlight the importance of cell interactions for the origins of breast cancer heterogeneity, which can be further categorized into cooperative and competitive interactions. Finally, we provide new insights into precise individual treatments based on heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liantao Guo
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238 Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, China
| | - Deguang Kong
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238 Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, China
| | - Jianhua Liu
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238 Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, China
| | - Ling Zhan
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238 Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, China
| | - Lan Luo
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, No. 28 Guiyi Road, Yunyan District, Guiyang, 550001, Guizhou, China
| | - Weijie Zheng
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238 Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, China
| | - Qingyuan Zheng
- Department of Urology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238 Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, China
| | - Chuang Chen
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238 Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, China.
| | - Shengrong Sun
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238 Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, China.
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15
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Shah L, Latif A, Williams KJ, Tirella A. Role of stiffness and physico-chemical properties of tumour microenvironment on breast cancer cell stemness. Acta Biomater 2022; 152:273-289. [PMID: 36087866 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.08.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Several physico-chemical properties of the tumour microenvironment (TME) are dysregulated during tumour progression, such as tissue stiffness, extracellular pH and interstitial fluid flow. Traditional preclinical models, although useful to study biological processes, do not provide sufficient control over these physico-chemical properties, hence limiting the understanding of cause-effect relationships between the TME and cancer cells. Breast cancer stem cells (B-CSCs), a dynamic population within the tumour, are known to affect tumour progression, metastasis and therapeutic resistance. With their emerging importance in disease physiology, it is essential to study the interplay between above-mentioned TME physico-chemical variables and B-CSC marker expression. In this work, 3D in vitro models with controlled physico-chemical properties (hydrogel stiffness and composition, perfusion, pH) were used to mimic normal and tumour breast tissue to study changes in proliferation, morphology and B-CSC population in two separate breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB 231). Cells encapsulated in alginate-gelatin hydrogels varying in stiffness (2-10 kPa), density and adhesion ligand (gelatin) were perfused (500 µL/min) for up to 14 days. Physiological (pH 7.4) and tumorigenic (pH 6.5) media were used to mimic changes in extracellular pH within the TME. We found that both cell lines have distinct responses to changes in physico-chemical factors in terms of proliferation, cell aggregates size and morphology. Most importantly, stiff and dense hydrogels (10 kPa) and acidic pH (6.5) play a key role in B-CSCs dynamics, increasing both epithelial (E-CSCs) and mesenchymal cancer stem cell (M-CSCs) marker expression, supporting direct impact of the physico-chemical microenvironment on disease onset and progression. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Currently no studies evaluate the impact of physico-chemical properties of the tumour microenvironment on breast cancer stem cell (B-CSC) marker expression in a single in vitro model and at the same time. In this study, 3D in vitro models with varying stiffness, extracellular pH and fluid flow are used to recapitulate the breast tumour microenvironment to evaluate for the first time their direct effect on multiple breast cancer phenotypes: cell proliferation, cell aggregate size and shape, and B-CSC markers. Results suggest these models could open new ways of monitoring disease phenotypes, from the early-onset to progression, as well as being used as testing platforms for effective identification of specific phenotypes in the presence of relevant tumour physico-chemical microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lekha Shah
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Ayşe Latif
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Kaye J Williams
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Annalisa Tirella
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL, Manchester, United Kingdom; BIOtech - Center for Biomedical Technologies, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Trento, Via delle Regole 101, Trento 38123, Italy.
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16
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Boutry J, Tissot S, Ujvari B, Capp JP, Giraudeau M, Nedelcu AM, Thomas F. The evolution and ecology of benign tumors. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2021; 1877:188643. [PMID: 34715267 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2021.188643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Tumors are usually classified into two main categories - benign or malignant, with much more attention being devoted to the second category given that they are usually associated with more severe health issues (i.e., metastatic cancers). Here, we argue that the mechanistic distinction between benign and malignant tumors has narrowed our understanding of neoplastic processes. This review provides the first comprehensive discussion of benign tumors in the context of their evolution and ecology as well as interactions with their hosts. We compare the genetic and epigenetic profiles, cellular activities, and the involvement of viruses in benign and malignant tumors. We also address the impact of intra-tumoral cell composition and its relationship with the tumoral microenvironment. Lastly, we explore the differences in the distribution of benign and malignant neoplasia across the tree of life and provide examples on how benign tumors can also affect individual fitness and consequently the evolutionary trajectories of populations and species. Overall, our goal is to bring attention to the non-cancerous manifestations of tumors, at different scales, and to stimulate research on the evolutionary ecology of host-tumor interactions on a broader scale. Ultimately, we suggest that a better appreciation of the differences and similarities between benign and malignant tumors is fundamental to our understanding of malignancy both at mechanistic and evolutionary levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine Boutry
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Sophie Tissot
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Beata Ujvari
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin, University, Vic., Australia
| | - Jean-Pascal Capp
- Toulouse Biotechnology Institute, University of Toulouse, INSA, CNRS, INRAE, Toulouse, France
| | - Mathieu Giraudeau
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France; LIENSs, UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Aurora M Nedelcu
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3B 5A3, Canada
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France.
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17
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Optimizing Adaptive Therapy Based on the Reachability to Tumor Resistant Subpopulation. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13215262. [PMID: 34771426 PMCID: PMC8582524 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13215262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The intra-competition among tumor subpopulations is a promising target to modify and control the outgrowth of the resistant subpopulation. Adaptive therapy lives up to this principle well, but the gain of tumors with an aggressive resistant subpopulation is not superior to maximum tolerated dose therapy (MTD). How to integrate these two therapies to maximize the outcome? According to the model and system reachability, the ‘restore index’ is proposed to evaluate the timing of the transition from the treatment cycle of adaptive therapy to high-frequency administration, and to juggle the benefits of intra-competition and killing of the sensitive subpopulation. Based on the simulation and animal experiment, the effectiveness of this method in treating tumors with an aggressive resistant subpopulation has been confirmed. Abstract Adaptive therapy exploits the self-organization of tumor cells to delay the outgrowth of resistant subpopulations successfully. When the tumor has aggressive resistant subpopulations, the outcome of adaptive therapy was not superior to maximum tolerated dose therapy (MTD). To explore methods to improve the adaptive therapy’s performance of this case, the tumor system was constructed by osimertinib-sensitive and resistant cell lines and illustrated by the Lotka-Volterra model in this study. Restore index proposed to assess the system reachability can predict the duration of each treatment cycle. Then the threshold of the restore index was estimated to evaluate the timing of interrupting the treatment cycle and switching to high-frequency administration. The introduced reachability-based adaptive therapy and classic adaptive therapy were compared through simulation and animal experiments. The results suggested that reachability-based adaptive therapy showed advantages when the tumor has an aggressive resistant subpopulation. This study provides a feasible method for evaluating whether to continue the adaptive therapy treatment cycle or switch to high-frequency administration. This method improves the gain of adaptive therapy by taking into account the benefits of tumor intra-competition and the tumor control of killing sensitive subpopulation.
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18
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Huntly N, Freischel AR, Miller AK, Lloyd MC, Basanta D, Brown JS. Coexistence of “Cream Skimmer” and “Crumb Picker” Phenotypes in Nature and in Cancer. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.697618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Over 40 years ago, seminal papers by Armstrong and McGehee and by Levins showed that temporal fluctuations in resource availability could permit coexistence of two species on a single resource. Such coexistence results from non-linearities or non-additivities in the way resource supply translates into fitness. These reflect trade-offs where one species benefits more than the other during good periods and suffers more (or does less well) than the other during less good periods, be the periods stochastic, unstable population dynamics, or seasonal. Since, coexistence based on fluctuating conditions has been explored under the guises of “grazers” and “diggers,” variance partitioning, relative non-linearity, “opportunists” and “gleaners,” and as the storage effect. Here we focus on two phenotypes, “cream skimmers” and “crumb pickers,” the former having the advantage in richer times and the latter in less rich times. In nature, richer and poorer times, with regular or stochastic appearances, are the norm and occur on many time scales. Fluctuations among richer and poorer times also appear to be the norm in cancer ecosystems. Within tumors, nutrient availability, oxygen, and pH can fluctuate stochastically or periodically, with swings occurring over seconds to minutes to hours. Despite interest in tumor heterogeneity and how it promotes the coexistence of different cancer cell types, the effects of fluctuating resource availability have not been explored for cancer. Here, in the context of pulsed resources, we (1) develop models of foraging consumers who experience pulsed resources to examine four types of trade-offs that can promote coexistence of phenotypes that do relatively better in richer versus in poorer times, (2) establish that conditions in tumors are conducive for this mechanism, (3) propose and empirically explore biomarkers indicative of the two phenotypes (HIF-1, GLUT-1, CA IX, CA XII), and (4) and compare cream skimmer and crumb picker biology and ecology in nature and cancer to provide cross-disciplinary insights into this interesting, and, we argue, likely very common, mechanism of coexistence.
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19
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Wölfl B, te Rietmole H, Salvioli M, Kaznatcheev A, Thuijsman F, Brown JS, Burgering B, Staňková K. The Contribution of Evolutionary Game Theory to Understanding and Treating Cancer. DYNAMIC GAMES AND APPLICATIONS 2021; 12:313-342. [PMID: 35601872 PMCID: PMC9117378 DOI: 10.1007/s13235-021-00397-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Evolutionary game theory mathematically conceptualizes and analyzes biological interactions where one's fitness not only depends on one's own traits, but also on the traits of others. Typically, the individuals are not overtly rational and do not select, but rather inherit their traits. Cancer can be framed as such an evolutionary game, as it is composed of cells of heterogeneous types undergoing frequency-dependent selection. In this article, we first summarize existing works where evolutionary game theory has been employed in modeling cancer and improving its treatment. Some of these game-theoretic models suggest how one could anticipate and steer cancer's eco-evolutionary dynamics into states more desirable for the patient via evolutionary therapies. Such therapies offer great promise for increasing patient survival and decreasing drug toxicity, as demonstrated by some recent studies and clinical trials. We discuss clinical relevance of the existing game-theoretic models of cancer and its treatment, and opportunities for future applications. Moreover, we discuss the developments in cancer biology that are needed to better utilize the full potential of game-theoretic models. Ultimately, we demonstrate that viewing tumors with evolutionary game theory has medically useful implications that can inform and create a lockstep between empirical findings and mathematical modeling. We suggest that cancer progression is an evolutionary competition between different cell types and therefore needs to be viewed as an evolutionary game.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Wölfl
- Department of Mathematics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hedy te Rietmole
- Department of Molecular Cancer Research, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Monica Salvioli
- Department of Mathematics, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Artem Kaznatcheev
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Frank Thuijsman
- Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Joel S. Brown
- Department of Integrated Mathematical Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Boudewijn Burgering
- Department of Molecular Cancer Research, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- The Oncode Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Kateřina Staňková
- Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Engineering Systems and Services, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
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20
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Gandhi A, Masand V, Zaki MEA, Al-Hussain SA, Ghorbal AB, Chapolikar A. Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship Evaluation of MDA-MB-231 Cell Anti-Proliferative Leads. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26164795. [PMID: 34443383 PMCID: PMC8401583 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26164795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In the present endeavor, for the dataset of 219 in vitro MDA-MB-231 TNBC cell antagonists, a (QSAR) quantitative structure–activity relationships model has been carried out. The quantitative and explicative assessments were performed to identify inconspicuous yet pre-eminent structural features that govern the anti-tumor activity of these compounds. GA-MLR (genetic algorithm multi-linear regression) methodology was employed to build statistically robust and highly predictive multiple QSAR models, abiding by the OECD guidelines. Thoroughly validated QSAR models attained values for various statistical parameters well above the threshold values (i.e., R2 = 0.79, Q2LOO = 0.77, Q2LMO = 0.76–0.77, Q2-Fn = 0.72–0.76). Both de novo QSAR models have a sound balance of descriptive and statistical approaches. Decidedly, these QSAR models are serviceable in the development of MDA-MB-231 TNBC cell antagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajaykumar Gandhi
- Department of Chemistry, Government College of Arts and Science, Aurangabad 431 004, Maharashtra, India;
- Correspondence: (A.G.); (M.E.A.Z.)
| | - Vijay Masand
- Department of Chemistry, Vidya Bharati Mahavidyalaya, Amravati 444 602, Maharashtra, India;
| | - Magdi E. A. Zaki
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh 13318, Saudi Arabia;
- Correspondence: (A.G.); (M.E.A.Z.)
| | - Sami A. Al-Hussain
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh 13318, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Anis Ben Ghorbal
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Sciences, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh 13318, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Archana Chapolikar
- Department of Chemistry, Government College of Arts and Science, Aurangabad 431 004, Maharashtra, India;
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21
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Gillies RJ. Cancer heterogeneity and metastasis: life at the edge. Clin Exp Metastasis 2021; 39:15-19. [PMID: 33999364 DOI: 10.1007/s10585-021-10101-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
There is abundant evidence that the phenotype of cells the tumor at the stromal interface is distinct from the tumor cells that are within the core. Molecular phenotyping of cells at the edge show that they express higher levels of proteins associated with elevated glycolytic metabolism, including GLUT-1, HIF-1, and CA-IX. An end product of glycolysis is the production of acid, and acidosis of tumors is strongly associated with increased metastatic potential across a wide variety of tumor types. The molecular machinery promoting this export of acid is being defined, with close collaboration between carbonic anhydrases, sodium dependent bicarbonate and monocarboxylate transporters. Neutralization of this acidity can prevent local invasion and metastasis, and this has led to the "acid-mediated invasion hypothesis" wherein export of acid from the tumor into the stroma leads to matrix remodeling, which can promote local invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Gillies
- Department of Cancer Physiology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
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22
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Rodriguez Messan M, Damaghi M, Freischel A, Miao Y, Brown J, Gillies R, Wallace D. Predicting the results of competition between two breast cancer lines grown in 3-D spheroid culture. Math Biosci 2021; 336:108575. [PMID: 33757835 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2021.108575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This study develops a novel model of a consumer-resource system with mobility included, in order to explain a novel experiment of competition between two breast cancer cell lines grown in 3D in vitro spheroid culture. The model reproduces observed differences in monoculture, such as overshoot phenomena and final size. It also explains both theoretically and through simulation the inevitable triumph of the same cell line in co-culture, independent of initial conditions. The mobility of one cell line (MDA-MB-231) is required to explain both the success and the rapidity with which that species dominates the population and drives the other species (MCF-7) to extinction. It is shown that mobility directly interferes with the other species and that the cost of that mobility is in resource usage rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisabel Rodriguez Messan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, United States of America.
| | - Mehdi Damaghi
- Moffitt Cancer Research Center, Tampa, FL, 33612, United States of America.
| | - Audrey Freischel
- Department of Mathematics, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, United States of America.
| | - Yan Miao
- Department of Mathematics, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, United States of America.
| | - Joel Brown
- Moffitt Cancer Research Center, Tampa, FL, 33612, United States of America.
| | - Robert Gillies
- Moffitt Cancer Research Center, Tampa, FL, 33612, United States of America.
| | - Dorothy Wallace
- Department of Mathematics, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, United States of America.
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