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Jindal R, Nanda A, Pillai M, Ware KE, Singh D, Sehgal M, Armstrong AJ, Somarelli JA, Jolly MK. Emergent dynamics of underlying regulatory network links EMT and androgen receptor-dependent resistance in prostate cancer. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:1498-1509. [PMID: 36851919 PMCID: PMC9957767 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.01.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Advanced prostate cancer patients initially respond to hormone therapy, be it in the form of androgen deprivation therapy or second-generation hormone therapies, such as abiraterone acetate or enzalutamide. However, most men with prostate cancer eventually develop hormone therapy resistance. This resistance can arise through multiple mechanisms, such as through genetic mutations, epigenetic mechanisms, or through non-genetic pathways, such as lineage plasticity along epithelial-mesenchymal or neuroendocrine-like axes. These mechanisms of hormone therapy resistance often co-exist within a single patient's tumor and can overlap within a single cell. There exists a growing need to better understand how phenotypic heterogeneity and plasticity results from emergent dynamics of the regulatory networks governing androgen independence. Here, we investigated the dynamics of a regulatory network connecting the drivers of androgen receptor (AR) splice variant-mediated androgen independence and those of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Model simulations for this network revealed four possible phenotypes: epithelial-sensitive (ES), epithelial-resistant (ER), mesenchymal-resistant (MR) and mesenchymal-sensitive (MS), with the latter phenotype occurring rarely. We observed that well-coordinated "teams" of regulators working antagonistically within the network enable these phenotypes. These model predictions are supported by multiple transcriptomic datasets both at single-cell and bulk levels, including in vitro EMT induction models and clinical samples. Further, our simulations reveal spontaneous stochastic switching between the ES and MR states. Addition of the immune checkpoint molecule, PD-L1, to the network was able to capture the interactions between AR, PD-L1, and the mesenchymal marker SNAIL, which was also confirmed through quantitative experiments. This systems-level understanding of the driver of androgen independence and EMT could aid in understanding non-genetic transitions and progression of such cancers and help in identifying novel therapeutic strategies or targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rashi Jindal
- Center for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
- Undergraduate Programme, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Abheepsa Nanda
- Center for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
- Undergraduate Programme, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Maalavika Pillai
- Center for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
- Undergraduate Programme, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Kathryn E. Ware
- Department of Medicine, Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Divyoj Singh
- Center for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
- Undergraduate Programme, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Manas Sehgal
- Center for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Andrew J. Armstrong
- Department of Medicine, Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Jason A. Somarelli
- Department of Medicine, Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Mohit Kumar Jolly
- Center for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
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Erdmann É, Ould Madi Berthélémy P, Cottard F, Angel CZ, Schreyer E, Ye T, Morlet B, Negroni L, Kieffer B, Céraline J. Androgen receptor-mediated transcriptional repression targets cell plasticity in prostate cancer. Mol Oncol 2021; 16:2518-2536. [PMID: 34919781 PMCID: PMC9462842 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13164] [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: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Androgen receptor (AR) signaling remains the key therapeutic target in the management of hormone‐naïve‐advanced prostate cancer (PCa) and castration‐resistant PCa (CRPC). Recently, landmark molecular features have been reported for CRPC, including the expression of constitutively active AR variants that lack the ligand‐binding domain. Besides their role in CRPC, AR variants lead to the expression of genes involved in tumor progression. However, little is known about the specificity of their mode of action compared with that of wild‐type AR (AR‐WT). We performed AR transcriptome analyses in an androgen‐dependent PCa cell line as well as cross‐analyses with publicly available RNA‐seq datasets and established that transcriptional repression capacity that was marked for AR‐WT was pathologically lost by AR variants. Functional enrichment analyses allowed us to associate AR‐WT repressive function to a panel of genes involved in cell adhesion and epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition. So, we postulate that a less documented AR‐WT normal function in prostate epithelial cells could be the repression of a panel of genes linked to cell plasticity and that this repressive function could be pathologically abrogated by AR variants in PCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Éva Erdmann
- CNRS, UMR 7104, INSERM U1258 - IGBMC - University de Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Félicie Cottard
- University of Freiburg - Albert - Ludwigs - Universität Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Edwige Schreyer
- CNRS, UMR 7104, INSERM U1258 - IGBMC - University de Strasbourg, France
| | - Tao Ye
- CNRS, UMR 7104, INSERM U1258 - IGBMC - University de Strasbourg, France
| | - Bastien Morlet
- CNRS, UMR 7104, INSERM U1258 - IGBMC - University de Strasbourg, France
| | - Luc Negroni
- CNRS, UMR 7104, INSERM U1258 - IGBMC - University de Strasbourg, France
| | - Bruno Kieffer
- CNRS, UMR 7104, INSERM U1258 - IGBMC - University de Strasbourg, France
| | - Jocelyn Céraline
- CNRS, UMR 7104, INSERM U1258 - IGBMC - University de Strasbourg, France.,Institut de Cancérologie de Strasbourg Europe (ICANS), Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, France.,Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg - FMTS - Faculté de Médecine, Université de Strasbourg, France
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Thankamony AP, Subbalakshmi AR, Jolly MK, Nair R. Lineage Plasticity in Cancer: The Tale of a Skin-Walker. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:3602. [PMID: 34298815 PMCID: PMC8306016 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13143602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Revised: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Lineage plasticity, the switching of cells from one lineage to another, has been recognized as a cardinal property essential for embryonic development, tissue repair and homeostasis. However, such a highly regulated process goes awry when cancer cells exploit this inherent ability to their advantage, resulting in tumorigenesis, relapse, metastasis and therapy resistance. In this review, we summarize our current understanding on the role of lineage plasticity in tumor progression and therapeutic resistance in multiple cancers. Lineage plasticity can be triggered by treatment itself and is reported across various solid as well as liquid tumors. Here, we focus on the importance of lineage switching in tumor progression and therapeutic resistance of solid tumors such as the prostate, lung, hepatocellular and colorectal carcinoma and the myeloid and lymphoid lineage switch observed in leukemias. Besides this, we also discuss the role of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in facilitating the lineage switch in biphasic cancers such as aggressive carcinosarcomas. We also discuss the mechanisms involved, current therapeutic approaches and challenges that lie ahead in taming the scourge of lineage plasticity in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Archana P. Thankamony
- Cancer Research Program, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Kerala 695014, India;
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal 576104, India
| | - Ayalur Raghu Subbalakshmi
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India;
| | - Mohit Kumar Jolly
- Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India;
| | - Radhika Nair
- Cancer Research Program, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Kerala 695014, India;
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Androgen Deprivation Induces Transcriptional Reprogramming in Prostate Cancer Cells to Develop Stem Cell-Like Characteristics. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21249568. [PMID: 33339129 PMCID: PMC7765584 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Enzalutamide, an antiandrogen, is approved for therapy of castration resistant prostate cancer. Clinical applications have shown that approximately 30% of patients acquire resistance after a short period of treatment. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this resistance is not completely understood. To identify transcriptomic signatures associated with acquisition of drug resistance we profiled gene expression of paired enzalutamide sensitive and resistant human prostate cancer LNCaP (lymph node carcinoma of the prostate) and C4-2B cells. Overlapping genes differentially regulated in the enzalutamide resistant cells were ranked by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and their functional validation was performed using ingenuity knowledge database followed by confirmation to correlate transcript with protein expression. Analysis revealed that genes associated with cancer stem cells, such as POU5F1 (OCT4), SOX2, NANOG, BMI1, BMP2, CD44, SOX9, and ALDH1 were markedly upregulated in enzalutamide resistant cells. Amongst the pathways enriched in the enzalutamide-resistant cells were those associated with RUNX2, hedgehog, integrin signaling, and molecules associated with elastic fibers. Further examination of a patient cohort undergoing ADT and its comparison with no-ADT group demonstrated high expression of POU5F1 (OCT4), ALDH1, and SOX2 in ADT specimens, suggesting that they may be clinically relevant therapeutic targets. Altogether, our approach exhibits the potential of integrative transcriptomic analyses to identify critical genes and pathways of antiandrogen resistance as a promising approach for designing novel therapeutic strategies to circumvent drug resistance.
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