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Li Y, Du Y, Li R, Zhong W, Zou X, Li L, Xu L, Wu L, Che X. Spatial transcriptomics in pancreatic cancer: Advances, prospects and challenges. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2024; 203:104430. [PMID: 38942220 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2024.104430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest malignancies with an overall 5-year survival rate of 13 %. This dismal fact can be partly attributed to currently limited understanding of tumor heterogeneity and immune microenvironment. Traditional bulk-sequencing techniques overlook the diversity of tumor cells, while single-cell sequencing disorganizes the position localizing of cells in tumor microenvironment. The advent of spatial transcriptomics (ST) presents a novel solution by integrating location and whole transcript expression information. This technology allows for detailed observation of spatio-temporal changes across various cell subtypes within the pancreatic tumor microenvironment, providing insights into their potential functions. This review offers an overview of recent studies implementing ST in pancreatic cancer research, highlighting its instrumental role in investigating the heterogeneity and functions of tumor cells, stromal cells, and immune cells. On the basis, we also prospected and summarized the clinical application scenarios, technical limitations and challenges of ST technology in pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunlong Li
- Department of Pancreatic and Gastric Surgery, National Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Yongxing Du
- Department of Pancreatic and Gastric Surgery, National Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Rui Li
- BGI, Shenzhen 518083, China; BGI Research, Shenzhen 518083, China; Institute of Intelligent Medical Research (IIMR), BGI Genomics, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Wenhui Zhong
- Department of Pancreatic and Gastric Surgery, National Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Xuanxuan Zou
- BGI, Shenzhen 518083, China; BGI Research, Chongqing 401329, China; BGI Research, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Liji Li
- College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Lin Xu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital and Shenzhen Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Shenzhen 518172, China
| | - Liang Wu
- BGI, Shenzhen 518083, China; BGI Research, Chongqing 401329, China; BGI Research, Shenzhen 518083, China.
| | - Xu Che
- Department of Pancreatic and Gastric Surgery, National Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China; Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital and Shenzhen Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Shenzhen 518172, China.
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2
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Guillard J, Schwörer S. Metabolic control of collagen synthesis. Matrix Biol 2024; 133:43-56. [PMID: 39084474 DOI: 10.1016/j.matbio.2024.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2024] [Revised: 07/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is present in all tissues and crucial in maintaining normal tissue homeostasis and function. Defects in ECM synthesis and remodeling can lead to various diseases, while overproduction of ECM components can cause severe conditions like organ fibrosis and influence cancer progression and therapy resistance. Collagens are the most abundant core ECM proteins in physiological and pathological conditions and are predominantly synthesized by fibroblasts. Previous efforts to target aberrant collagen synthesis in fibroblasts by inhibiting pro-fibrotic signaling cascades have been ineffective. More recently, metabolic rewiring downstream of pro-fibrotic signaling has emerged as a critical regulator of collagen synthesis in fibroblasts. Here, we propose that targeting the metabolic pathways involved in ECM biomass generation provides a novel avenue for treating conditions characterized by excessive collagen accumulation. This review summarizes the unique metabolic challenges collagen synthesis imposes on fibroblasts and discusses how underlying metabolic networks could be exploited to create therapeutic opportunities in cancer and fibrotic disease. Finally, we provide a perspective on open questions in the field and how conceptual and technical advances will help address them to unlock novel metabolic vulnerabilities of collagen synthesis in fibroblasts and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Guillard
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Biological Sciences Division, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Simon Schwörer
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Biological Sciences Division, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA; Committee on Cancer Biology, Committee on Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
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3
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Li M, Freeman S, Franco-Barraza J, Cai KQ, Kim A, Jin S, Cukierman E, Ye K. A bioprinted sea-and-island multicellular model for dissecting human pancreatic tumor-stroma reciprocity and adaptive metabolism. Biomaterials 2024; 310:122631. [PMID: 38815457 PMCID: PMC11186049 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2024.122631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 05/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) presents a formidable clinical challenge due to its intricate microenvironment characterized by desmoplasia and complex tumor-stroma interactions. Conventional models hinder studying cellular crosstalk for therapeutic development. To recapitulate key features of PDAC masses, this study creates a novel sea-and-island PDAC tumor construct (s&i PTC). The s&i PTC consists of 3D-printed islands of human PDAC cells positioned within an interstitial extracellular matrix (ECM) populated by human cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). This design closely mimics the in vivo desmoplastic architecture and nutrient-poor conditions. The model enables studying dynamic tumor-stroma crosstalk and signaling reciprocity, revealing both known and yet-to-be-discovered multicellular metabolic adaptations. Using the model, we discovered the orchestrated dynamic alterations of CAFs under nutrient stress, resembling critical in vivo human tumor niches, such as the secretion of pro-tumoral inflammatory factors. Additionally, nutrient scarcity induces dynamic alterations in the ECM composition and exacerbates poor cancer cell differentiation-features well-established in PDAC progression. Proteomic analysis unveiled the enrichment of proteins associated with aggressive tumor behavior and ECM remodeling in response to poor nutritional conditions, mimicking the metabolic stresses experienced by avascular pancreatic tumor cores. Importantly, the model's relevance to patient outcomes is evident through an inverse correlation between biomarker expression patterns in the s&i PTCs and PDAC patient survival rates. Key findings include upregulated MMPs and key ECM proteins (such as collagen 11 and TGFβ) under nutrient-avid conditions, known to be regulated by CAFs, alongside the concomitant reduction in E-cadherin expression associated with a poorly differentiated PDAC state under nutrient deprivation. Furthermore, elevated levels of hyaluronic acid (HA) and integrins in response to nutrient deprivation underscore the model's fidelity to the PDAC microenvironment. We also observed increased IL-6 and reduced α-SMA expression under poor nutritional conditions, suggesting a transition of CAFs from myofibroblastic to inflammatory phenotypes under a nutrient stress akin to in vivo niches. In conclusion, the s&i PTC represents a significant advancement in engineering clinically relevant 3D models of PDAC masses. It offers a promising platform for elucidating tumor-stroma interactions and guiding future therapeutic strategies to improve patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center of Biomanufacturing for Regenerative Medicine, Binghamton University, SUNY, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Sebastian Freeman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center of Biomanufacturing for Regenerative Medicine, Binghamton University, SUNY, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Janusz Franco-Barraza
- Cancer Signaling and Microenvironment Program, Marvin and Concetta Greenberg Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Lewis Katz Temple School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kathy Q Cai
- Cancer Signaling and Microenvironment Program, Marvin and Concetta Greenberg Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Lewis Katz Temple School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Amy Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center of Biomanufacturing for Regenerative Medicine, Binghamton University, SUNY, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Sha Jin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center of Biomanufacturing for Regenerative Medicine, Binghamton University, SUNY, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Edna Cukierman
- Cancer Signaling and Microenvironment Program, Marvin and Concetta Greenberg Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Lewis Katz Temple School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Kaiming Ye
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center of Biomanufacturing for Regenerative Medicine, Binghamton University, SUNY, Binghamton, NY, USA.
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4
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Carlomagno S, Setti C, Ortolani F, Sivori S. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma microenvironment: Soluble factors and cancer associated fibroblasts as modulators of NK cell functions. Immunol Lett 2024; 269:106898. [PMID: 39019404 DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2024.106898] [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: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most frequent pancreatic cancer and represents one of the most aggressive human neoplasms. Typically identified at advance stage disease, most PDAC tumors are unresectable and resistant to standard therapies. The immunosuppressive microenvironment in PDAC impedes tumor control but a greater understanding of the complex stromal interactions within the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the development of strategies capable of restoring antitumor effector immune responses could be crucial to fight this aggressive tumor and its spread. Natural Killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in cancer immunosurveillance and represent an attractive target for immunotherapies, both as cell therapy and as a pharmaceutical target. This review describes some crucial components of the PDAC TME (collagens, soluble factors and fibroblasts) that can influence the presence, phenotype and function of NK cells in PDAC patients tumor tissue. This focused overview highlights the therapeutic relevance of dissecting the complex stromal composition to define new strategies for NK cell-based immunotherapies to improve the treatment of PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Carlomagno
- Department of Medicine (DMED), University of Udine, Piazzale Kolbe 4, Udine 33100, Italy.
| | - Chiara Setti
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genoa, Via Leon Battista Alberti 2, Genoa 16132, Italy
| | - Fulvia Ortolani
- Department of Medicine (DMED), University of Udine, Piazzale Kolbe 4, Udine 33100, Italy
| | - Simona Sivori
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genoa, Via Leon Battista Alberti 2, Genoa 16132, Italy; IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.
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5
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Lee JJ, Yeh JJ. Updates in Molecular Profiling of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Surg Clin North Am 2024; 104:939-950. [PMID: 39237169 PMCID: PMC11377860 DOI: 10.1016/j.suc.2024.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/07/2024]
Abstract
Outcomes from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remain poor and better methods of prognostication and therapeutic approaches are needed. Recent advances in cancer genomics have led to the development of molecular subtypes of PDAC associated with clinical outcomes. Current evidence also suggests that the subtypes have differential response to first-line chemotherapy regimens. PDAC is also characterized by different stroma and immune environments. Further work is needed to confirm the utility of these subtypes to predicting response to different systemic therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaewon James Lee
- Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 170 Manning Dr, CB7213, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7213, USA
| | - Jen Jen Yeh
- Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 170 Manning Dr, CB7213, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7213, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 450 West Drive, CB7295, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7295, USA.
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Lee JJ, Kearney JF, Trembath HE, Hariharan A, LaBella ME, Kharitonova EV, Chan PS, Morrison AB, Cliff A, Meyers MO, Kim HJ, Rashid NU, Peng XL, Yeh JJ. Tumor-intrinsic and Cancer-associated Fibroblast Subtypes Independently Predict Outcomes in Pancreatic Cancer. Ann Surg 2024; 280:659-666. [PMID: 38887930 PMCID: PMC11379537 DOI: 10.1097/sla.0000000000006416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess the utility of tumor-intrinsic and cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) subtypes of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in predicting response to neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) and overall survival (OS). BACKGROUND PDAC remains a deadly disease with limited treatment options, and both the tumor as well as the microenvironment play an important role in pathogenesis. Gene expression-based tumor-intrinsic subtypes (classical and basal-like) have been shown to predict outcomes, but tumor microenvironment subtypes are still evolving. METHODS RNA-sequencing was performed on 114 deidentified resected PDAC tumors. Clinical data were collected by retrospective chart review. Single sample classifiers were used to determine classical and basal-like subtypes as well as tumor-permissive permCAF and tumor-restraining restCAF subtypes. Survival was analyzed using the log-rank test. RESULTS Patients who received NAT had an increase in OS, with a median survival of 27.9 months compared with 20.1 months for those who did not receive NAT, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (hazard ratio: 0.64, P =0.076). Either tumor-intrinsic or CAF subtypes alone were associated with OS regardless of NAT or no NAT, and patients with classical or restCAF subtypes had the best outcomes. When evaluated together, patients with the classical-restCAF subtype had the best OS and basal-permCAF the worst OS ( P <0.0001). Patients undergoing NAT with the classical-restCAF subtype demonstrated the longest OS compared with the other groups ( P =0.00041). CONCLUSIONS CAF subtypes have an additive effect over tumor-intrinsic subtypes in predicting survival with or without neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX in PDAC. Molecular subtyping of both tumor and CAF compartments of PDAC may be important steps in selecting first-line systemic therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaewon J Lee
- Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Joseph F Kearney
- Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Hannah E Trembath
- Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Arthi Hariharan
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Michelle E LaBella
- Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Elena V Kharitonova
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Priscilla S Chan
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Ashley B Morrison
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Ashley Cliff
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Michael O Meyers
- Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Hong Jin Kim
- Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Naim U Rashid
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Xianlu L Peng
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Jen Jen Yeh
- Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
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7
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Axemaker H, Plesselova S, Calar K, Jorgensen M, Wollman J, de la Puente P. Reprogramming of normal fibroblasts into ovarian cancer-associated fibroblasts via non-vesicular paracrine signaling induces an activated fibroblast phenotype. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2024; 1871:119801. [PMID: 39038611 PMCID: PMC11365755 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2024.119801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are key contributors to ovarian cancer (OC) progression and therapeutic resistance through dysregulation of the extracellular matrix (ECM). CAFs are a heterogenous population derived from different cell types through activation and reprogramming. Current studies rely on uncharacterized heterogenous primary CAFs or normal fibroblasts that fail to recapitulate CAF-like tumor behavior. Here, we present that conditioned media from ovarian cancer lines leads to an increase in the activated state of fibroblasts demonstrated by functional assays and up-regulation of known CAF-related genes and ECM pathways. Phenotypic and functional characterization demonstrated that the conditioned CAFs expressed a CAF-like phenotype, strengthened proliferation, secretory, contractility, and ECM remodeling properties when compared to resting normal fibroblasts, consistent with an activated fibroblast status. Moreover, conditioned CAFs significantly enhanced drug resistance and tumor progression. Critically, the conditioned CAFs resemble a transcriptional signature with involvement of ECM remodeling. The present study provides mechanistic and functional insights about the activation and reprogramming of CAFs in the ovarian tumor microenvironment mediated by non-vesicular paracrine signaling. Moreover, it provides a translational based approach to reprogram normal fibroblasts from both uterine and ovarian origin into CAFs using tumor-derived conditioned media. Using these resources, further development of therapeutics that possess potentiality and specificity towards CAF/ECM-mediated chemoresistance in OC are further warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hailey Axemaker
- Cancer Biology and Immunotherapies Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD 57104, USA
| | - Simona Plesselova
- Cancer Biology and Immunotherapies Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD 57104, USA
| | - Kristin Calar
- Cancer Biology and Immunotherapies Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD 57104, USA
| | - Megan Jorgensen
- Cancer Biology and Immunotherapies Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD 57104, USA
| | - Jared Wollman
- Flow Cytometry Core, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD 57104, USA
| | - Pilar de la Puente
- Cancer Biology and Immunotherapies Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD 57104, USA; Flow Cytometry Core, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD 57104, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD 57105, USA; Department of Surgery, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD 57105, USA.
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8
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Zhang Q, Ding L, Li J, Liu K, Xia C, Chen S, Huang X, Pu Y, Song Y, Hu Q, Wang Y. Single-cell RNA sequencing of OSCC primary tumors and lymph nodes reveals distinct origin and phenotype of fibroblasts. Cancer Lett 2024; 600:217180. [PMID: 39154702 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 07/02/2024] [Accepted: 08/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024]
Abstract
Desmoplasia in fibroblasts within metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) serves as an indicator of extranodal extension (ENE), which led mortality in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, systematic studies on fibroblasts in MLNs are lacking. Therefore, this study characterized the differences in phenotype, function, and origin of fibroblasts between primary tumors (PTs) and lymph nodes (LNs) in OSCC. We generated single-cell maps of PTs and paired MLNs and draining LNs from three OSCC patients. The transcriptomic atlas, pseudotime analysis, intercellular communication networks and enrichment analysis of the single cells were characterized. Phenotype and function heterogeneity of fibroblast cells between PTs and MLNs were further verified in vitro. Among 44,052 fibroblasts, we identified two distinct subpopulations of cancer-associated myofibroblastic cells (mCAFs): RGS4+ mCAF1 and COMP + mCAF2. Notably, they exhibited distinct distributions, with mCAF1 predominantly localized in the PTs and mCAF2 in the MLNs. Moreover, pseudotime analysis revealed their distinct origins: mCAF1 originated from inherent normal myofibroblastic cells in the PT, whereas mCAF2 originated from fibroblastic reticular cells in the LNs. Further functional experiments using primary fibroblasts revealed that, compared to mCAF1, mCAF2 in MLNs exhibited weaker crosstalk with immune cells but enhanced extracellular matrix activity, which is closely linked to ENE formation in OSCC. Additionally, we identified two fibroblast subgroups in a transforming state, indicating a potential epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Our research offers profound insights into the heterogeneity of fibroblasts between the PT and MLN in OSCC, serving as an essential resource for future drug discovery endeavors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Zhang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China
| | - Liang Ding
- Central Laboratory of Stomatology, Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China
| | - Jingyi Li
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China
| | - Kunyu Liu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China
| | - Chengwan Xia
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China
| | - Sheng Chen
- Pathology Department, Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China
| | - Xiaofeng Huang
- Pathology Department, Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China
| | - Yumei Pu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China
| | - Yuxian Song
- Central Laboratory of Stomatology, Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China
| | - Qingang Hu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China.
| | - Yuxin Wang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China.
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Kooshan Z, Cárdenas-Piedra L, Clements J, Batra J. Glycolysis, the sweet appetite of the tumor microenvironment. Cancer Lett 2024; 600:217156. [PMID: 39127341 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 07/17/2024] [Accepted: 08/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Cancer cells display an altered metabolic phenotype, characterised by increased glycolysis and lactate production, even in the presence of sufficient oxygen - a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. This metabolic reprogramming is a crucial adaptation that enables cancer cells to meet their elevated energy and biosynthetic demands. Importantly, the tumor microenvironment plays a pivotal role in shaping and sustaining this metabolic shift in cancer cells. This review explores the intricate relationship between the tumor microenvironment and the Warburg effect, highlighting how communication within this niche regulates cancer cell metabolism and impacts tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. We discuss the potential of targeting the Warburg effect as a promising therapeutic strategy, with the aim of disrupting the metabolic advantage of cancer cells and enhancing our understanding of this complex interplay within the tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeinab Kooshan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia; Center for Genomics and Personalised Health, Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Lilibeth Cárdenas-Piedra
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia; Center for Genomics and Personalised Health, Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia; ARC Training Centre for Cell & Tissue Engineering Technologies, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Judith Clements
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia; Center for Genomics and Personalised Health, Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Jyotsna Batra
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia; Center for Genomics and Personalised Health, Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia; ARC Training Centre for Cell & Tissue Engineering Technologies, Brisbane, Australia.
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10
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Guo Y, Li Q, Ye Q, Jin Y, Yu Y, Zhang X, Xi L, Wang Y, Wu D, Pan Y, Wei S, Li Q, Wang H, Li J. Construction and drug screening of Co-culture system using extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma organoids and tumor-associated macrophages. Heliyon 2024; 10:e36377. [PMID: 39263166 PMCID: PMC11388766 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 08/13/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Patient-derived organoids (PDOs) have been proposed as a novel in vitro tumor model that can be applied to tumor research and drug screening. However, current tumor organoid models lack components of the tumor microenvironment, particularly tumor-associated macrophages(TAMs).We collected peripheral blood and tumor samples from 6 patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(eCCA). Monocytes were induced into TAMs by cytokine and conditioned medium, and then co-cultured with tumor organoids. Our comprehensive analysis and comparison of histopathology and genomics results confirmed that this co-culture model can better capture intra- and inter-tumor heterogeneity retain the specific mutations of the original tumor. Drug sensitivity data in vitro revealed that gemcitabine and cisplatin are effective drugs for cholangiocarcinoma, but TAMs in the tumor microenvironment promote organoids growth and chemotherapy resistance. In conclusion, our organoid model of cholangiocarcinoma co-cultured with TAMs can not only shorten the model construction cycle, but also preserve the heterogeneity of original tumors to improve the accuracy of drug screening, and can also be applied to the researches of TAMs and tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinghao Guo
- Department of Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Qi Li
- Department of Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Qinghuang Ye
- Department of Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yun Jin
- Department of Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yuanquan Yu
- Department of Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Zhang
- Department of Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Longfu Xi
- Department of Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yihang Wang
- Department of Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Di Wu
- Department of Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yanzhi Pan
- Department of Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Shumei Wei
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Qingyong Li
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Huiquan Wang
- Micro-Satellite Research Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Jiangtao Li
- Department of Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
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11
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Ju Y, Xu D, Liao MM, Sun Y, Bao WD, Yao F, Ma L. Barriers and opportunities in pancreatic cancer immunotherapy. NPJ Precis Oncol 2024; 8:199. [PMID: 39266715 PMCID: PMC11393360 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-024-00681-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 08/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) presents a fatal clinical challenge characterized by a dismal 5-year overall survival rate, primarily due to the lack of early diagnosis and limited therapeutic efficacy. Immunotherapy, a proven success in multiple cancers, has yet to demonstrate significant benefits in PDAC. Recent studies have revealed the immunosuppressive characteristics of the PDAC tumor microenvironment (TME), including immune cells with suppressive properties, desmoplastic stroma, microbiome influences, and PDAC-specific signaling pathways. In this article, we review recent advances in understanding the immunosuppressive TME of PDAC, TME differences among various mouse models of pancreatic cancer, and the mechanisms underlying resistance to immunotherapeutic interventions. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of targeting cancer cell-intrinsic pathways and TME components to sensitize PDAC to immune therapies, providing insights into strategies and future perspectives to break through the barriers in improving pancreatic cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Ju
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Biomedicine and Health, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
- Shenzhen Institute of Nutrition and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518000, China
| | - Dongzhi Xu
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Biomedicine and Health, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
- Shenzhen Institute of Nutrition and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518000, China
| | - Miao-Miao Liao
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Biomedicine and Health, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Yutong Sun
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Wen-Dai Bao
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Biomedicine and Health, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Fan Yao
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Biomedicine and Health, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
- Shenzhen Institute of Nutrition and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518000, China.
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518000, China.
| | - Li Ma
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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12
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Rafaqat S, Khurshid H, Hafeez R, Arif M, Zafar A, Gilani M, Ashraf H, Rafaqat S. Role of Interleukins in Pancreatic Cancer: A Literature Review. J Gastrointest Cancer 2024:10.1007/s12029-024-01111-w. [PMID: 39256264 DOI: 10.1007/s12029-024-01111-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/31/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE This review article summarizes the pathophysiological aspects of interleukins (ILs) including IL-1, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, and IL-10 in pancreatic cancer (PC). METHODS Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar were used for the literature review. The search was conducted until August 12, 2024, and particular keywords such as "Pancreatic Cancer," "Interleukins," "Pathophysiological Aspects," "Immunosuppression," "Invasiveness," and "Metastasis" were used. Focusing on interleukins related to pancreatic cancer, 61 original studies were included: 32 studies for human patients, 16 studies for animal models, and 13 studies for both animal models and human patients. All types of PC were considered. The timeframe of 1991 to 2024 was chosen for clinical studies. RESULTS In epithelial pancreatic tumors, IL-1 is a major inflammation factor. Serum concentrations of soluble interleukin-2-receptor were considerably greater in patients with PC and chronic pancreatitis than in healthy individuals. In comparison to controls, pancreatic cancer patients had considerably greater levels of macrophage colony-stimulating factor and significantly lower levels of stem cell factor and IL-3. The tissues and cells of pancreatic cancer have higher concentrations of IL-4 receptors. IL-5 has a role in the accumulation of pancreatic fibrosis. For individuals with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a high serum level of IL-6 may be a separate risk factor for the development of widespread liver metastases. PDAC patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells exhibit a substantial upregulation of IL-7 receptor. The role of IL-8 in the growth and spread of PC in humans. The miR-200a/β-catenin axis may be the mechanism by which IL-9 stimulates the proliferation and metastasis of PC cells. Blocking IL-10 in the local microenvironment appears to result in a significant reversal of tumor-induced immunosuppression. CONCLUSION The article concludes that interleukins 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 played significant roles in the pathogenesis of PC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saira Rafaqat
- Department of Zoology, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan.
| | - Huma Khurshid
- Department of Zoology, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Ramsha Hafeez
- Department of Zoology, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Mehnaz Arif
- Department of Zoology, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Ayesha Zafar
- Department of Zoology, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Mahrukh Gilani
- Department of Zoology, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Habiba Ashraf
- Department of Zoology, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Sana Rafaqat
- Department of Biotechnology (Human Genetics), Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
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13
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Athavale D, Balch C, Zhang Y, Yao X, Song S. The role of Hippo/YAP1 in cancer-associated fibroblasts: Literature review and future perspectives. Cancer Lett 2024; 604:217244. [PMID: 39260668 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217244] [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: 07/05/2024] [Revised: 08/27/2024] [Accepted: 09/07/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024]
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are activated fibroblasts that play a role in numerous malignant phenotypes, including hyperproliferation, invasion, and metastasis. These phenotypes correlate with activity of the Hippo pathway oncoprotein, Yes-associated protein-1 (YAP1), and its paralog, transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ). YAP1/TAZ are normally involved in organ growth, under the regulation of various kinases and upon phosphorylation, are retained in the cytoplasm by chaperone proteins, leading to their proteasomal degradation. In CAFs and tumor cells, however, a lack of YAP1 phosphorylation results in its translocation to the nucleus, binding to TEAD transcription factors, and activation of mitogenic pathways. In this review we summarize the literature discussing the central role of YAP1 in CAF activation, the upstream cues that promote YAP1-mediated CAF activation and extracellular matrix remodeling, and how CAFs mediate tumor-stroma crosstalk to support progression, invasion and metastasis in various cancer models. We further highlight YAP1+CAFs functions in modulating an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and propose evaluation of several YAP1 targets regarding their role in regulating intra-tumoral immune landscapes. Finally, we propose that co-administration of YAP1- targeted therapies with immune checkpoint inhibitors can improve therapeutic outcomes in patients with advanced tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipti Athavale
- Coriell Institute for Medical Research, 403 Haddon Ave, Camden, NJ, 08103, USA
| | - Curt Balch
- Coriell Institute for Medical Research, 403 Haddon Ave, Camden, NJ, 08103, USA
| | - Yanting Zhang
- Coriell Institute for Medical Research, 403 Haddon Ave, Camden, NJ, 08103, USA
| | - Xiaodan Yao
- Coriell Institute for Medical Research, 403 Haddon Ave, Camden, NJ, 08103, USA
| | - Shumei Song
- Coriell Institute for Medical Research, 403 Haddon Ave, Camden, NJ, 08103, USA; MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, Cooper University Hospital, 2 Cooper Plaza, Camden, NJ, 08103, USA; Departments of Surgery and Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, 401 Broadway, Camden, NJ, 08103, USA.
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14
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Arpinati L, Carradori G, Scherz-Shouval R. CAF-induced physical constraints controlling T cell state and localization in solid tumours. Nat Rev Cancer 2024:10.1038/s41568-024-00740-4. [PMID: 39251836 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-024-00740-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/11/2024]
Abstract
Solid tumours comprise cancer cells that engage in continuous interactions with non-malignant cells and with acellular components, forming the tumour microenvironment (TME). The TME has crucial and diverse roles in tumour progression and metastasis, and substantial efforts have been dedicated into understanding the functions of different cell types within the TME. These efforts highlighted the importance of non-cell-autonomous signalling in cancer, mediating interactions between the cancer cells, the immune microenvironment and the non-immune stroma. Much of this non-cell-autonomous signalling is mediated through acellular components of the TME, known as the extracellular matrix (ECM), and controlled by the cells that secrete and remodel the ECM - the cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). In this Review, we delve into the complex crosstalk among cancer cells, CAFs and immune cells, highlighting the effects of CAF-induced ECM remodelling on T cell functions and offering insights into the potential of targeting ECM components to improve cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovica Arpinati
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Giulia Carradori
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ruth Scherz-Shouval
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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15
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Chen D, Tong W, Ang B, Bai Y, Dong W, Deng X, Wang C, Zhang Y. Revealing the crosstalk between LOX + fibroblast and M2 macrophage in gastric cancer by single-cell sequencing. BMC Cancer 2024; 24:1117. [PMID: 39251966 PMCID: PMC11382413 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-12861-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/11/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS Gastric cancer (GC) ranks among the prevalent types of cancer, and its progression is influenced by the tumor microenvironment (TME). A comprehensive comprehension of the TME associated with GC has the potential to unveil therapeutic targets of significance. METHODS The complexity and heterogeneity of TME interactions were revealed through our investigation using an integrated analysis of single-cell and bulk-tissue sequencing data. RESULTS We constructed a single-cell transcriptomic atlas of 150,913 cells isolated from GC patients. Our analysis revealed the intricate nature and heterogeneity of the GC TME and the metabolic properties of major cell types. Furthermore, two cell subtypes, LOX+ Fibroblasts and M2 Macrophages, were enriched in tumor tissue and related to the outcome of GC patients. In addition, LOX+ Fibroblasts were significantly associated with M2 macrophages. immunofluorescence double labeling indicated LOX+ Fibroblasts and M2 Macrophages were tightly localized in GC tissue. The two cell subpopulations strongly interacted in a hypoxic microenvironment, yielding an immunosuppressive phenotype. Our findings further suggest that LOX+ Fibroblasts may act as a trigger for inducing the differentiation of monocytes into M2 Macrophages via the IL6-IL6R signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS Our study revealed the intricate and interdependent communication network between the fibroblast and macrophage subpopulations, which could offer valuable insights for targeted manipulation of the tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dapeng Chen
- Tianjin First Central Hospital Clinic Institute, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Wen Tong
- Tianjin First Central Hospital Clinic Institute, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Bing Ang
- Oncology Department, Tianjin First Central Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Yi Bai
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Tianjin First Central Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Wenhui Dong
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiyue Deng
- Tianjin First Central Hospital Clinic Institute, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Chunjiong Wang
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yamin Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Tianjin First Central Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300192, China.
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16
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Cords L, de Souza N, Bodenmiller B. Classifying cancer-associated fibroblasts-The good, the bad, and the target. Cancer Cell 2024; 42:1480-1485. [PMID: 39255773 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2024] [Revised: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/09/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024]
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are heterogeneous and ubiquitous stromal cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Numerous CAF types have been described, typically using single-cell technologies such as single-cell RNA sequencing. There is no general classification system for CAFs, hampering their study and therapeutic targeting. We propose a simple CAF classification system based on single-cell phenotypes and spatial locations of CAFs in multiple cancer types, assess how our scheme fits within current knowledge, and invite the CAF research community to further refine it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Cords
- University of Zurich, Department of Quantitative Biomedicine, Zurich, Switzerland; ETH Zurich, Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Natalie de Souza
- University of Zurich, Department of Quantitative Biomedicine, Zurich, Switzerland; ETH Zurich, Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, Zurich, Switzerland; ETH Zurich, Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bernd Bodenmiller
- University of Zurich, Department of Quantitative Biomedicine, Zurich, Switzerland; ETH Zurich, Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, Zurich, Switzerland.
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17
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Kanzaki R, Reid S, Bolivar P, Sjölund J, Staaf J, Larsson S, Shintani Y, Pietras K. FHL2 expression by cancer-associated fibroblasts promotes metastasis and angiogenesis in lung adenocarcinoma. Int J Cancer 2024. [PMID: 39244734 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.35174] [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: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2024] [Accepted: 08/12/2024] [Indexed: 09/10/2024]
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) contribute to the progression of lung cancer. Four and a half LIM domain protein-2 (FHL2) is a component of focal adhesion structures. We analyzed the function of FHL2 expressed by CAFs in lung adenocarcinoma. Expression of FHL2 in fibroblast subtypes was investigated using database of single-cell RNA-sequencing of lung cancer tissue. The role of FHL2 in the proliferation and migration of CAFs was assessed. The effects of FHL2 knockout on the migration and invasion of human lung adenocarcinoma cells and tube formation of endothelial cells induced by CAF-conditioned medium (CM) were evaluated. The effect of FHL2 knockout in CAFs on metastasis was determined using a murine orthotopic lung cancer model. The prognostic significance of stromal FHL2 was assessed by immunohistochemistry in human adenocarcinoma specimens. FHL2 is highly expressed in myofibroblasts in cancer tissue. TGF-β1 upregulated FHL2 expression in CAFs and FHL2 knockdown attenuated CAF proliferation. FHL2 knockout reduced CAF induced migration of A110L and H23 human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines, and the induction of tube formation of endothelial cells. FHL2 knockout reduced CAF-induced metastasis of lung adenocarcinomas in an orthotopic model in vivo. The concentration of Osteopontin (OPN) in CM from CAF was downregulated by FHL2 knockout. siRNA silencing and antibody blocking of OPN reduced the pro-migratory effect of CM from CAF on lung cancer cells. In resected lung adenocarcinoma specimens, positive stromal FHL2 expression was significantly associated with higher microvascular density and worse prognosis. In conclusion, FHL2 expression by CAFs enhances the progression of lung adenocarcinoma by promoting angiogenesis and metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryu Kanzaki
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University Cancer Centre, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Osaka, Japan
| | - Steven Reid
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University Cancer Centre, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Paulina Bolivar
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University Cancer Centre, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Jonas Sjölund
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University Cancer Centre, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Johan Staaf
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University Cancer Centre, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Sara Larsson
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University Cancer Centre, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Yasushi Shintani
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kristian Pietras
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University Cancer Centre, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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18
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Struth E, Labaf M, Karimnia V, Liu Y, Cramer G, Dahl JB, Slack FJ, Zarringhalam K, Celli JP. Drug resistant pancreatic cancer cells exhibit altered biophysical interactions with stromal fibroblasts in imaging studies of 3D co-culture models. Sci Rep 2024; 14:20698. [PMID: 39237667 PMCID: PMC11377574 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-71372-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Interactions between tumor and stromal cells are well known to play prominent roles in progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). As knowledge of stromal crosstalk in PDAC has evolved, it has become clear that cancer associated fibroblasts can play both tumor promoting and tumor suppressive roles through a combination of paracrine crosstalk and juxtacrine interactions involving direct physical contact. Another major contributor to dismal survival statistics for PDAC is development of resistance to chemotherapy drugs, though less is known about how the acquisition of chemoresistance impacts upon tumor-stromal crosstalk. Here, we use time lapse imaging and image analysis to study how co-culture geometry impacts interactions between epithelial and stromal cells. We show that extracellular matrix (ECM) overlay cultures in which stromal cells (pancreatic stellate cells, or normal human fibroblasts) are placed adjacent to PDAC cells (PANC1) result in direct heterotypic cell adhesions accompanied by dramatic fibroblast contractility. We analyze these interactions in co-cultures using particle image velocimetry (PIV) analysis to quantify cell velocities over the course of time lapse movie sequences. We further contrast co-cultures of PANC1 with those containing a drug resistant subline (PANC1-OR) previously established in our lab and find that heterotypic cell-cell interactions are suppressed in the latter relative to the parental line. We use RNA-seq and bioinformatics analysis to identify differential gene expression in PANC1 and PANC1-OR, which shows that negative regulation of cell adhesion molecules, consistent with increased epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), is also correlated with reduction in the hetrotypic cell-cell contact necessary for the contractile behavior observed in drug naïve cultures. Overall these findings elucidate the role of drug-resistance in inhibiting an avenue of stromal crosstalk which is associated with tumor suppression and also help to establish cell culture conditions useful for further mechanistic investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Struth
- Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, 02125, USA
| | - Maryam Labaf
- Department of Mathematics, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, 02125, USA
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, 02125, USA
| | - Vida Karimnia
- Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, 02125, USA
| | - Yiran Liu
- Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, 02125, USA
| | - Gwendolyn Cramer
- Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, 02125, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Joanna B Dahl
- Department of Engineering, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, 02125, USA
| | - Frank J Slack
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School Initiative for RNA Medicine, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Kourosh Zarringhalam
- Department of Mathematics, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, 02125, USA
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, 02125, USA
| | - Jonathan P Celli
- Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, 02125, USA.
- Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, 02125, USA.
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19
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Shiau C, Cao J, Gong D, Gregory MT, Caldwell NJ, Yin X, Cho JW, Wang PL, Su J, Wang S, Reeves JW, Kim TK, Kim Y, Guo JA, Lester NA, Bae JW, Zhao R, Schurman N, Barth JL, Ganci ML, Weissleder R, Jacks T, Qadan M, Hong TS, Wo JY, Roberts H, Beechem JM, Castillo CFD, Mino-Kenudson M, Ting DT, Hemberg M, Hwang WL. Spatially resolved analysis of pancreatic cancer identifies therapy-associated remodeling of the tumor microenvironment. Nat Genet 2024:10.1038/s41588-024-01890-9. [PMID: 39227743 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01890-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
In combination with cell-intrinsic properties, interactions in the tumor microenvironment modulate therapeutic response. We leveraged single-cell spatial transcriptomics to dissect the remodeling of multicellular neighborhoods and cell-cell interactions in human pancreatic cancer associated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We developed spatially constrained optimal transport interaction analysis (SCOTIA), an optimal transport model with a cost function that includes both spatial distance and ligand-receptor gene expression. Our results uncovered a marked change in ligand-receptor interactions between cancer-associated fibroblasts and malignant cells in response to treatment, which was supported by orthogonal datasets, including an ex vivo tumoroid coculture system. We identified enrichment in interleukin-6 family signaling that functionally confers resistance to chemotherapy. Overall, this study demonstrates that characterization of the tumor microenvironment using single-cell spatial transcriptomics allows for the identification of molecular interactions that may play a role in the emergence of therapeutic resistance and offers a spatially based analysis framework that can be broadly applied to other contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Shiau
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jingyi Cao
- Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dennis Gong
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Program, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Nicholas J Caldwell
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xunqin Yin
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jae-Won Cho
- Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter L Wang
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jennifer Su
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Steven Wang
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jimmy A Guo
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nicole A Lester
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jung Woo Bae
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ryan Zhao
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Jamie L Barth
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maria L Ganci
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ralph Weissleder
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tyler Jacks
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Motaz Qadan
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Theodore S Hong
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jennifer Y Wo
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hannah Roberts
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Mari Mino-Kenudson
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David T Ting
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Martin Hemberg
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - William L Hwang
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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20
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Poyia F, Neophytou CM, Christodoulou MI, Papageorgis P. The Role of Tumor Microenvironment in Pancreatic Cancer Immunotherapy: Current Status and Future Perspectives. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:9555. [PMID: 39273502 PMCID: PMC11395109 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25179555] [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: 07/26/2024] [Revised: 08/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer comprises different subtypes, where most cases include ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). It is one of the deadliest tumor types, with a poor prognosis. In the majority of patients, the disease has already spread by the time of diagnosis, making full recovery unlikely and increasing mortality risk. Despite developments in its detection and management, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapies as well as advances in immunotherapy, only in about 13% of PDAC patients does the overall survival exceed 5 years. This may be attributed, at least in part, to the highly desmoplastic tumor microenvironment (TME) that acts as a barrier limiting perfusion, drug delivery, and immune cell infiltration and contributes to the establishment of immunologically 'cold' conditions. Therefore, there is an urgent need to unravel the complexity of the TME that promotes PDAC progression and decipher the mechanisms of pancreatic tumors' resistance to immunotherapy. In this review, we provide an overview of the major cellular and non-cellular components of PDAC TME, as well as their biological interplays. We also discuss the current state of PDAC therapeutic treatments and focus on ongoing and future immunotherapy efforts and multimodal treatments aiming at remodeling the TME to improve therapeutic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fotini Poyia
- Tumor Microenvironment, Metastasis and Experimental Therapeutics Laboratory, Basic and Translational Cancer Research Center, Department of Life Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus
| | - Christiana M Neophytou
- Apoptosis and Cancer Chemoresistance Laboratory, Basic and Translational Cancer Research Center, Department of Life Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus
| | - Maria-Ioanna Christodoulou
- Tumor Immunology and Biomarkers Laboratory, Basic and Translational Cancer Research Center, Department of Life Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus
| | - Panagiotis Papageorgis
- Tumor Microenvironment, Metastasis and Experimental Therapeutics Laboratory, Basic and Translational Cancer Research Center, Department of Life Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus
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21
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Zhang F, Ma Y, Li D, Wei J, Chen K, Zhang E, Liu G, Chu X, Liu X, Liu W, Tian X, Yang Y. Cancer associated fibroblasts and metabolic reprogramming: unraveling the intricate crosstalk in tumor evolution. J Hematol Oncol 2024; 17:80. [PMID: 39223656 PMCID: PMC11367794 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-024-01600-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Metabolic reprogramming provides tumors with an energy source and biofuel to support their survival in the malignant microenvironment. Extensive research into the intrinsic oncogenic mechanisms of the tumor microenvironment (TME) has established that cancer-associated fibroblast (CAFs) and metabolic reprogramming regulates tumor progression through numerous biological activities, including tumor immunosuppression, chronic inflammation, and ecological niche remodeling. Specifically, immunosuppressive TME formation is promoted and mediators released via CAFs and multiple immune cells that collectively support chronic inflammation, thereby inducing pre-metastatic ecological niche formation, and ultimately driving a vicious cycle of tumor proliferation and metastasis. This review comprehensively explores the process of CAFs and metabolic regulation of the dynamic evolution of tumor-adapted TME, with particular focus on the mechanisms by which CAFs promote the formation of an immunosuppressive microenvironment and support metastasis. Existing findings confirm that multiple components of the TME act cooperatively to accelerate the progression of tumor events. The potential applications and challenges of targeted therapies based on CAFs in the clinical setting are further discussed in the context of advancing research related to CAFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fusheng Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Yongsu Ma
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Dongqi Li
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Jianlei Wei
- Key laboratory of Microecology-immune Regulatory Network and Related Diseases School of Basic Medicine, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, Heilongjiang Province, 154007, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Kai Chen
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Enkui Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Guangnian Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Xiangyu Chu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Xinxin Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Weikang Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Xiaodong Tian
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China.
| | - Yinmo Yang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China.
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22
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Wang M, Hong Y, Fu X, Sun X. Advances and applications of biomimetic biomaterials for endogenous skin regeneration. Bioact Mater 2024; 39:492-520. [PMID: 38883311 PMCID: PMC11179177 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2024.04.011] [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: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Endogenous regeneration is becoming an increasingly important strategy for wound healing as it facilitates skin's own regenerative potential for self-healing, thereby avoiding the risks of immune rejection and exogenous infection. However, currently applied biomaterials for inducing endogenous skin regeneration are simplistic in their structure and function, lacking the ability to accurately mimic the intricate tissue structure and regulate the disordered microenvironment. Novel biomimetic biomaterials with precise structure, chemical composition, and biophysical properties offer a promising avenue for achieving perfect endogenous skin regeneration. Here, we outline the recent advances in biomimetic materials induced endogenous skin regeneration from the aspects of structural and functional mimicry, physiological process regulation, and biophysical property design. Furthermore, novel techniques including in situ reprograming, flexible electronic skin, artificial intelligence, single-cell sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics, which have potential to contribute to the development of biomimetic biomaterials are highlighted. Finally, the prospects and challenges of further research and application of biomimetic biomaterials are discussed. This review provides reference to address the clinical problems of rapid and high-quality skin regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyang Wang
- Research Center for Tissue Repair and Regeneration Affiliated to the Medical Innovation Research Department, PLA General Hospital and PLA Medical College, Beijing, 100853, PR China
- PLA Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration, Beijing, 100089, PR China
| | - Yiyue Hong
- Research Center for Tissue Repair and Regeneration Affiliated to the Medical Innovation Research Department, PLA General Hospital and PLA Medical College, Beijing, 100853, PR China
- PLA Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration, Beijing, 100089, PR China
| | - Xiaobing Fu
- Research Center for Tissue Repair and Regeneration Affiliated to the Medical Innovation Research Department, PLA General Hospital and PLA Medical College, Beijing, 100853, PR China
- PLA Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration, Beijing, 100089, PR China
- Research Unit of Trauma Care, Tissue Repair and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU051, Beijing, 100048, PR China
| | - Xiaoyan Sun
- Research Center for Tissue Repair and Regeneration Affiliated to the Medical Innovation Research Department, PLA General Hospital and PLA Medical College, Beijing, 100853, PR China
- PLA Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration, Beijing, 100089, PR China
- Research Unit of Trauma Care, Tissue Repair and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU051, Beijing, 100048, PR China
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23
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Li H, Liu D, Li K, Wang Y, Zhang G, Qi L, Xie K. Pancreatic stellate cells and the interleukin family: Linking fibrosis and immunity to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (Review). Mol Med Rep 2024; 30:159. [PMID: 38994764 PMCID: PMC11258612 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2024.13283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an extremely aggressive form of cancer with a low survival rate. A successful treatment strategy should not be limited to targeting cancer cells alone, but should adopt a more comprehensive approach, taking into account other influential factors. These include the extracellular matrix (ECM) and immune microenvironment, both of which are integral components of the tumor microenvironment. The present review describes the roles of pancreatic stellate cells, differentiated cancer‑associated fibroblasts and the interleukin family, either independently or in combination, in the progression of precursor lesions in pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia and PDAC. These elements contribute to ECM deposition and immunosuppression in PDAC. Therapeutic strategies that integrate interleukin and/or stromal blockade for PDAC immunomodulation and fibrogenesis have yielded inconsistent results. A deeper comprehension of the intricate interplay between fibrosis, and immune responses could pave the way for more effective treatment targets, by elucidating the mechanisms and causes of ECM fibrosis during PDAC progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haichao Li
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Affiliated Qingyuan Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, Guangdong 511518, P.R. China
| | - Donglian Liu
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Affiliated Qingyuan Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, Guangdong 511518, P.R. China
| | - Kaishu Li
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Affiliated Qingyuan Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, Guangdong 511518, P.R. China
| | - Yichen Wang
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Affiliated Qingyuan Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, Guangdong 511518, P.R. China
| | - Gengqiang Zhang
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Affiliated Qingyuan Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, Guangdong 511518, P.R. China
| | - Ling Qi
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Affiliated Qingyuan Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, Guangdong 511518, P.R. China
| | - Keping Xie
- School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510000, P.R. China
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24
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Guo T, Xu J. Cancer-associated fibroblasts: a versatile mediator in tumor progression, metastasis, and targeted therapy. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2024; 43:1095-1116. [PMID: 38602594 PMCID: PMC11300527 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-024-10186-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Tumor microenvironment (TME) has been demonstrated to play a significant role in tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the major component of TME and exhibit heterogeneous properties in their communication with tumor cells. This heterogeneity of CAFs can be attributed to various origins, including quiescent fibroblasts, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), adipocytes, pericytes, endothelial cells, and mesothelial cells. Moreover, single-cell RNA sequencing has identified diverse phenotypes of CAFs, with myofibroblastic CAFs (myCAFs) and inflammatory CAFs (iCAFs) being the most acknowledged, alongside newly discovered subtypes like antigen-presenting CAFs (apCAFs). Due to these heterogeneities, CAFs exert multiple functions in tumorigenesis, cancer stemness, angiogenesis, immunosuppression, metabolism, and metastasis. As a result, targeted therapies aimed at the TME, particularly focusing on CAFs, are rapidly developing, fueling the promising future of advanced tumor-targeted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianchen Guo
- Women's Reproductive Health Laboratory of Zhejiang Province, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310006, Zhejiang, China
| | - Junfen Xu
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310006, Zhejiang, China.
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25
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Cai L, Kolonin MG, Anastassiou D. The fibro-adipogenic progenitor APOD+DCN+LUM+ cell population in aggressive carcinomas. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2024; 43:977-980. [PMID: 38466528 PMCID: PMC11300568 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-024-10181-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
We identified a progenitor cell population highly enriched in samples from invasive and chemo-resistant carcinomas, characterized by a well-defined multigene signature including APOD, DCN, and LUM. This cell population has previously been labeled as consisting of inflammatory cancer-associated fibroblasts (iCAFs). The same signature characterizes naturally occurring fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) as well as stromal cells abundant in normal adipose tissue. Our analysis of human gene expression databases provides evidence that adipose stromal cells (ASCs) are recruited by tumors and undergo differentiation into CAFs during cancer progression to invasive and chemotherapy-resistant stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingyi Cai
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mikhail G Kolonin
- The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Dimitris Anastassiou
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
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26
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Wang Z, Xie Z, Mou Y, Geng R, Chen C, Ke N. TIM-4 increases the proportion of CD4 +CD25 +FOXP3 + regulatory T cells in the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma microenvironment by inhibiting IL-6 secretion. Cancer Med 2024; 13:e70110. [PMID: 39235042 PMCID: PMC11375529 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.70110] [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: 02/03/2024] [Revised: 07/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/04/2024] [Indexed: 09/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Currently, creating more effector T cells and augmenting their functions is a focal point in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) treatment research. T cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain molecule 4 (TIM-4), known for promoting cancer progression in various malignancies, is implicated in the suppressive immune microenvironment of tumors. Analyzing of the role of TIM-4 in the immune regulation of PDAC can offer novel insights for immune therapy. METHODS We analyzed the TIM-4 expression in tumor specimens from PDAC patients. Meanwhile, multiple fluorescent immunohistochemical staining was used to study the distribution characteristics of TIM-4, and through tissue microarrays, we explored its correlation with patient prognosis. The influence of TIM-4 overexpression on cell function was analyzed using RNA-seq. Flow cytometry and ELISA were used for verification. Finally, the relationship between TIM-4 and T lymphocytes was analyzed by tissue microarray, and the impacts of TIM-4 on T cell subsets were observed by cell coculture technology and a mouse pancreatic cancer in situ model. RESULTS In PDAC, TIM-4 is mainly expressed in tumor cells and negatively correlated with patient prognosis. TIM-4 influences the differentiation of Treg by inhibiting IL-6 secretion in pancreatic cancer cells and facilitates the proliferation of pancreatic cancer in mice. Additionally, the mechanism may be through the CD8+ effector T cells (CD8+Tc). CONCLUSION TIM-4 has the potential to be an immunotherapeutic target or to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy for PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyao Wang
- Division of Pancreatic Surgery, Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zerong Xie
- Division of Pancreatic Surgery, Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Department of General Surgery, West China Tianfu Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yu Mou
- Division of Pancreatic Surgery, Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ruiman Geng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Chen Chen
- Department of Radiology, The First People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, China
| | - Nengwen Ke
- Division of Pancreatic Surgery, Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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27
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Vera R, Lamberti MJ, Gonzalez AL, Fernandez-Zapico ME. Epigenetic regulation of the tumor microenvironment: A leading force driving pancreatic cancer. Pancreatology 2024; 24:878-886. [PMID: 39095296 DOI: 10.1016/j.pan.2024.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2024] [Revised: 07/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Dysregulation of the epigenomic landscape of tumor cells has been implicated in the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer. However, these alterations are not only restricted to neoplastic cells. The behavior of other cell populations in the tumor stroma such as cancer-associated fibroblasts, immune cells, and others are mostly regulated by epigenetic pathways. Here, we present an overview of the main cellular and acellular components of the pancreatic cancer tumor microenvironment and discuss how the epigenetic mechanisms operate at different levels in the stroma to establish a differential gene expression to regulate distinct cellular phenotypes contributing to pancreatic tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renzo Vera
- Schulze Center for Novel Therapeutics, Division of Oncology Research, Rochester, MN, 55901, USA.
| | - María Julia Lamberti
- INBIAS-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto (UNRC), Río Cuarto, Córdoba, 5800, Argentina
| | - Alina L Gonzalez
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Ciencias de La Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa (INCITAP), Universidad Nacional de La Pampa - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UNLPam-CONICET), Santa Rosa, Argentina
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28
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Li P, Zhang H, Chen T, Zhou Y, Yang J, Zhou J. Cancer-associated fibroblasts promote proliferation, angiogenesis, metastasis and immunosuppression in gastric cancer. Matrix Biol 2024; 132:59-71. [PMID: 38936680 DOI: 10.1016/j.matbio.2024.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Despite advances in surgery, radiotherapy and immunotherapy, the mortality rate for gastric cancer remains one of the highest in the world. A large body of evidence has demonstrated that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), as core members of the stroma, can secrete cytokines, proteins and exosomes to create a tumour microenvironment that is conducive to cancer cell survival. CAFs can also interact with cancer cells to form a complex signalling network, enabling cancer cells to more easily metastasise to other organs and tissues in the body and develop metastatic foci. In this review, we provide an overview of the CAFs concept and activators. We focus on elucidating their effects on immune cells, intratumoural vasculature, extracellular matrix, as well as cancer cell activity, metastatic power and metabolism, and on enhancing the metastatic ability of cancer cells through activation of JAK/STAT, NF/κB and CXCL12/CXCR4. Various therapeutic agents targeting CAFs are also under development and are expected to improve the prognosis of gastric cancer in combination with existing treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiyuan Li
- Department of general surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Huan Zhang
- Department of general surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Tao Chen
- Department of general surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Yajing Zhou
- Department of general surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Jiaoyang Yang
- Department of general surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Jin Zhou
- Department of general surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China.
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29
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Ishii G. New insights into cancer pathology learned from the dynamics of cancer-associated fibroblasts. Pathol Int 2024; 74:493-507. [PMID: 38923250 DOI: 10.1111/pin.13461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2024] [Revised: 05/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Paget's "Seed and Soil" theory, proposed in 1889, emphasizes the importance of the microenvironment where cancer cells grow in metastatic sites. Over a century later, this concept remains a cornerstone in comprehending cancer biology and devising treatment strategies. The "Seed and Soil" theory, which initially explained how cancer spreads to distant organs, now also applies to the tumor microenvironment (TME) within primary tumors. This theory emphasizes the critical interaction between cancer cells ("seeds") and their surrounding environment ("soil") and how this interaction affects both tumor progression within the primary site and at metastatic sites. An important point to note is that the characteristics of the TME are not static but dynamic, undergoing substantial changes during tumor progression and after treatment with therapeutic drugs. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), recognized as the principal noncancerous cellular component within the TME, play multifaceted roles in tumor progression including promoting angiogenesis, remodeling the extracellular matrix, and regulating immune responses. In this comprehensive review, we focus on the findings regarding how the dynamics of CAFs contribute to cancer progression and drug sensitivity. Understanding the dynamics of CAFs could provide new insights into cancer pathology and lead to important advancements in cancer research and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genichiro Ishii
- Department of Pathology and Clinical Laboratories, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
- Division of Innovative Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
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30
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Chen A, Huang H, Fang S, Hang Q. ROS: A "booster" for chronic inflammation and tumor metastasis. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2024; 1879:189175. [PMID: 39218404 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2024.189175] [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: 05/09/2024] [Revised: 08/22/2024] [Accepted: 08/26/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are a group of highly active molecules produced by normal cellular metabolism and play a crucial role in the human body. In recent years, researchers have increasingly discovered that ROS plays a vital role in the progression of chronic inflammation and tumor metastasis. The inflammatory tumor microenvironment established by chronic inflammation can induce ROS production through inflammatory cells. ROS can then directly damage DNA or indirectly activate cellular signaling pathways to promote tumor metastasis and development, including breast cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, and so on. This review aims to elucidate the relationship between ROS, chronic inflammation, and tumor metastasis, explaining how chronic inflammation can induce tumor metastasis and how ROS can contribute to the evolution of chronic inflammation toward tumor metastasis. Interestingly, ROS can have a "double-edged sword" effect, promoting tumor metastasis in some cases and inhibiting it in others. This article also highlights the potential applications of ROS in inhibiting tumor metastasis and enhancing the precision of tumor-targeted therapy. Combining ROS with nanomaterials strategies may be a promising approach to enhance the efficacy of tumor treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anqi Chen
- Medical College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Haifeng Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng 224006, China; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yancheng Clinical Medical College of Jiangsu University, Yancheng 224006, China
| | - Sumeng Fang
- School of Mathematics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Qinglei Hang
- Jiangsu Provincial Innovation and Practice Base for Postdoctors, Suining People's Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Suining 221200, China; Key Laboratory of Jiangsu Province University for Nucleic Acid & Cell Fate Manipulation, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
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31
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Sgarminato V, Madrid-Wolff J, Boniface A, Ciardelli G, Tonda-Turo C, Moser C. 3D in vitromodeling of the exocrine pancreatic unit using tomographic volumetric bioprinting. Biofabrication 2024; 16:045034. [PMID: 39121863 DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/ad6d8d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 08/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common type of pancreatic cancer, a leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. Initial lesions of PDAC develop within the exocrine pancreas' functional units, with tumor progression driven by interactions between PDAC and stromal cells. Effective therapies require anatomically and functionally relevantin vitrohuman models of the pancreatic cancer microenvironment. We employed tomographic volumetric bioprinting, a novel biofabrication method, to create human fibroblast-laden constructs mimicking the tubuloacinar structures of the exocrine pancreas. Human pancreatic ductal epithelial (HPDE) cells overexpressing the KRAS oncogene (HPDE-KRAS) were seeded in the multiacinar cavity to replicate pathological tissue. HPDE cell growth and organization within the structure were assessed, demonstrating the formation of a thin epithelium covering the acini inner surfaces. Immunofluorescence assays showed significantly higher alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) vs. F-actin expression in fibroblasts co-cultured with cancerous versus wild-type HPDE cells. Additionally,α-SMA expression increased over time and was higher in fibroblasts closer to HPDE cells. Elevated interleukin (IL)-6 levels were quantified in supernatants from co-cultures of stromal and HPDE-KRAS cells. These findings align with inflamed tumor-associated myofibroblast behavior, serving as relevant biomarkers to monitor early disease progression and target drug efficacy. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a 3D bioprinted model of exocrine pancreas that recapitulates its true 3-dimensional microanatomy and shows tumor triggered inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viola Sgarminato
- Laboratory of Applied Photonics Devices, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Jorge Madrid-Wolff
- Laboratory of Applied Photonics Devices, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Antoine Boniface
- Laboratory of Applied Photonics Devices, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Gianluca Ciardelli
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Chiara Tonda-Turo
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Christophe Moser
- Laboratory of Applied Photonics Devices, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Gündel B, Liu X, Pfützenreuter A, Engelsberger V, Weiskirchen R, Löhr JM, Heuchel R. The Crosstalk Analysis between mPSCs and Panc1 Cells Identifies CCN1 as a Positive Regulator of Gemcitabine Sensitivity in Pancreatic Cancer Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:9369. [PMID: 39273316 PMCID: PMC11394772 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25179369] [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: 06/26/2024] [Revised: 08/15/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a deadly disease that is almost entirely resistant to conventional chemotherapy and radiation therapy. A significant factor in this resistance appears to be the dense desmoplastic stroma, which contains various cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) populations. However, our understanding of the communication between tumor cells and CAFs that contributes to this aggressive malignancy is still developing. Recently, we used an advanced three-dimensional heterospecies, heterospheroid co-culture model to investigate the signaling between human pancreatic tumor Panc1 cells and mouse pancreatic stellate cells (mPSCs) through global expression profiling. Upon discovering that CCN1 was significantly upregulated in Panc1 cells during co-culture, we decided to explore the role of CCN1 using CRISPR-Cas9 knockout technology. Panc1 cells lacking CCN1 showed reduced differentiation and decreased sensitivity to gemcitabine, primarily due to lower expression of genes involved in gemcitabine transport and metabolism. Additionally, we observed that stimulation with TGF-β1 and lysophosphatidic acid increased CCN1 expression in Panc1 cells and induced a shift in mPSCs towards a more myofibroblastic CAF-like phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beate Gündel
- Pancreas Cancer Research Lab, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, SE 141 86 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Xinyuan Liu
- Pancreas Cancer Research Lab, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, SE 141 86 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Anna Pfützenreuter
- Pancreas Cancer Research Lab, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, SE 141 86 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Veronika Engelsberger
- Pancreas Cancer Research Lab, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, SE 141 86 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Ralf Weiskirchen
- Institute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry (IFMPEGKC), RWTH University Hospital Aachen, D-52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - J-Matthias Löhr
- Pancreas Cancer Research Lab, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, SE 141 86 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Rainer Heuchel
- Pancreas Cancer Research Lab, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, SE 141 86 Huddinge, Sweden
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33
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Jiang J, Liu Y, Qin J, Chen J, Wu J, Pizzi MP, Lazcano R, Yamashita K, Xu Z, Pei G, Cho KS, Chu Y, Sinjab A, Peng F, Yan X, Han G, Wang R, Dai E, Dai Y, Czerniak BA, Futreal A, Maitra A, Lazar A, Kadara H, Jazaeri AA, Cheng X, Ajani J, Gao J, Hu J, Wang L. METI: deep profiling of tumor ecosystems by integrating cell morphology and spatial transcriptomics. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7312. [PMID: 39181865 PMCID: PMC11344794 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51708-9] [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: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in spatial transcriptomics (ST) techniques provide valuable insights into cellular interactions within the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, most analytical tools lack consideration of histological features and rely on matched single-cell RNA sequencing data, limiting their effectiveness in TME studies. To address this, we introduce the Morphology-Enhanced Spatial Transcriptome Analysis Integrator (METI), an end-to-end framework that maps cancer cells and TME components, stratifies cell types and states, and analyzes cell co-localization. By integrating spatial transcriptomics, cell morphology, and curated gene signatures, METI enhances our understanding of the molecular landscape and cellular interactions within the tissue. We evaluate the performance of METI on ST data generated from various tumor tissues, including gastric, lung, and bladder cancers, as well as premalignant tissues. We also conduct a quantitative comparison of METI with existing clustering and cell deconvolution tools, demonstrating METI's robust and consistent performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahui Jiang
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yunhe Liu
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jiangjiang Qin
- Department of Gastric Surgery, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jianfeng Chen
- Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jingjing Wu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Melissa P Pizzi
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Rossana Lazcano
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Kohei Yamashita
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zhiyuan Xu
- Department of Gastric Surgery, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| | - Guangsheng Pei
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Kyung Serk Cho
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yanshuo Chu
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ansam Sinjab
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Fuduan Peng
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Xinmiao Yan
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Guangchun Han
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ruiping Wang
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Enyu Dai
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yibo Dai
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS), Houston, TX, USA
| | - Bogdan A Czerniak
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Andrew Futreal
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Anirban Maitra
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Alexander Lazar
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Humam Kadara
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Amir A Jazaeri
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Xiangdong Cheng
- Department of Gastric Surgery, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jaffer Ajani
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jianjun Gao
- Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jian Hu
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Linghua Wang
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS), Houston, TX, USA.
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Bell ATF, Mitchell JT, Kiemen AL, Lyman M, Fujikura K, Lee JW, Coyne E, Shin SM, Nagaraj S, Deshpande A, Wu PH, Sidiropoulos DN, Erbe R, Stern J, Chan R, Williams S, Chell JM, Ciotti L, Zimmerman JW, Wirtz D, Ho WJ, Zaidi N, Thompson E, Jaffee EM, Wood LD, Fertig EJ, Kagohara LT. PanIN and CAF transitions in pancreatic carcinogenesis revealed with spatial data integration. Cell Syst 2024; 15:753-769.e5. [PMID: 39116880 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2024.07.001] [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: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
This study introduces a new imaging, spatial transcriptomics (ST), and single-cell RNA-sequencing integration pipeline to characterize neoplastic cell state transitions during tumorigenesis. We applied a semi-supervised analysis pipeline to examine premalignant pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PanINs) that can develop into pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Their strict diagnosis on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples limited the single-cell characterization of human PanINs within their microenvironment. We leverage whole transcriptome FFPE ST to enable the study of a rare cohort of matched low-grade (LG) and high-grade (HG) PanIN lesions to track progression and map cellular phenotypes relative to single-cell PDAC datasets. We demonstrate that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), including antigen-presenting CAFs, are located close to PanINs. We further observed a transition from CAF-related inflammatory signaling to cellular proliferation during PanIN progression. We validate these findings with single-cell high-dimensional imaging proteomics and transcriptomics technologies. Altogether, our semi-supervised learning framework for spatial multi-omics has broad applicability across cancer types to decipher the spatiotemporal dynamics of carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander T F Bell
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jacob T Mitchell
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ashley L Kiemen
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Melissa Lyman
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kohei Fujikura
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jae W Lee
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Erin Coyne
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sarah M Shin
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sushma Nagaraj
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Atul Deshpande
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Pei-Hsun Wu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Dimitrios N Sidiropoulos
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rossin Erbe
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Lauren Ciotti
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jacquelyn W Zimmerman
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; The Skip Viragh Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Denis Wirtz
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Johns Hopkins Physical Sciences - Oncology Center, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Won Jin Ho
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; The Skip Viragh Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Neeha Zaidi
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; The Skip Viragh Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elizabeth Thompson
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; The Skip Viragh Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Jaffee
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; The Skip Viragh Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Laura D Wood
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; The Skip Viragh Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elana J Fertig
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; The Skip Viragh Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Luciane T Kagohara
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Bloomberg Kimmel Immunology Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; The Skip Viragh Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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35
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Grisendi G, Dall'Ora M, Casari G, Spattini G, Farshchian M, Melandri A, Masicale V, Lepore F, Banchelli F, Costantini RC, D'Esposito A, Chiavelli C, Spano C, Spallanzani A, Petrachi T, Veronesi E, Ferracin M, Roncarati R, Vinet J, Magistri P, Catellani B, Candini O, Marra C, Eccher A, Bonetti LR, Horwtiz EM, Di Benedetto F, Dominici M. Combining gemcitabine and MSC delivering soluble TRAIL to target pancreatic adenocarcinoma and its stroma. Cell Rep Med 2024; 5:101685. [PMID: 39168103 PMCID: PMC11384958 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) still has a poor response to therapies, partly due to their cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Here, we investigate the synergistic impact of a combinatory approach between a known chemotherapy agent, such as gemcitabine (GEM), and gene-modified human mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) secreting the pro-apoptotic soluble (s)TRAIL (sTRAIL MSCs) on both PDAC cells and CAFs. The combo significantly impacts on PDAC survival in 2D and 3D models. In orthotopic xenograft models, GEM and sTRAIL MSCs induce tumor architecture shredding with a reduction of CK7- and CK8/18-positive cancer cells and the abrogation of spleen metastases. A cytotoxic effect on primary human CAFs is also observed along with an alteration of their transcriptome and a reduction of the related desmoplasia. Collectively, we demonstrate a promising therapeutic profile of combining GEM and sTRAIL MSCs to target both tumoral and stromal compartments in PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Grisendi
- Laboratory of Cellular Therapy, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), Modena, Italy.
| | | | - Giulia Casari
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, Biology and Physics, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona
| | | | - Moein Farshchian
- Laboratory of Cellular Therapy, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), Modena, Italy
| | - Aurora Melandri
- Laboratory of Cellular Therapy, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), Modena, Italy
| | - Valentina Masicale
- Laboratory of Cellular Therapy, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), Modena, Italy
| | - Fabio Lepore
- Laboratory of Cellular Therapy, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), Modena, Italy
| | - Federico Banchelli
- Center of Statistic, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, UNIMORE, Modena, Italy
| | | | - Angela D'Esposito
- Laboratory of Cellular Therapy, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), Modena, Italy
| | - Chiara Chiavelli
- Laboratory of Cellular Therapy, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), Modena, Italy
| | - Carlotta Spano
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic, and Neural Sciences, UNIMORE, Modena, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Manuela Ferracin
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna; IRCCS AOU di Bologna, Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna
| | | | | | - Paolo Magistri
- Hepato-pancreato-biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation Unit, UNIMORE, Modena, Italy
| | - Barbara Catellani
- Hepato-pancreato-biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation Unit, UNIMORE, Modena, Italy
| | | | - Caterina Marra
- Division of Plastic Surgery, University-Hospital of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | | | | | - Edwin M Horwtiz
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Fabrizio Di Benedetto
- Hepato-pancreato-biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation Unit, UNIMORE, Modena, Italy
| | - Massimo Dominici
- Laboratory of Cellular Therapy, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), Modena, Italy; Division of Oncology, University-Hospital of Modena, Modena, Italy; Division of Medical Oncology, Residency School of Medical Oncology, Program in Cellular Therapy and Immuno-oncology, Laboratory of Cellular Therapy, University Hospital of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
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Grasset EM, Deshpande A, Lee JW, Cho Y, Shin SM, Coyne EM, Hernandez A, Yuan X, Zhang Z, Cimino-Mathews A, Ewald AJ, Ho WJ. Mapping the breast tumor microenvironment: proximity analysis reveals spatial relationships between macrophage subtypes and metastasis-initiating cancer cells. Oncogene 2024:10.1038/s41388-024-03127-9. [PMID: 39164522 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-024-03127-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 07/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 08/22/2024]
Abstract
Metastasis is responsible for the majority of cancer-related fatalities. We previously identified specific cancer cell populations responsible for metastatic events which are cytokeratin-14 (CK14) and E-cadherin positive in luminal tumors, and E-cadherin and vimentin positive in triple-negative tumors. Since cancer cells evolve within a complex ecosystem comprised of immune cells and stromal cells, we sought to decipher the spatial interactions of these aggressive cancer cell populations within the tumor microenvironment (TME). We used imaging mass cytometry to detect 36 proteins in tumor microarrays containing paired primary and metastatic lesions from luminal or triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC), resulting in a dataset of 1,477,337 annotated cells. Focusing on metastasis-initiating cell populations, we observed close proximity to specific fibroblast and macrophage subtypes, a relationship maintained between primary and metastatic tumors. Notably, high CK14 in luminal cancer cells and high vimentin in TNBC cells correlated with close proximity to specific macrophage subtypes (CD163intCD206intPDL1intHLA-DR+ or PDL1highARG1high). Our in-depth spatial analysis demonstrates that metastasis-initiating cancer cells consistently colocalizes with distinct cell populations within the TME, suggesting a role for these cell-cell interactions in promoting metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloïse M Grasset
- Université de Nantes, INSERM, CNRS, CRCI2NA, Nantes, France.
- Équipe Labellisée LIGUE Contre le Cancer CRCI2NA, Nantes, France.
- Department of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Atul Deshpande
- Department of Oncology and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jae W Lee
- Department of Oncology and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Yeonju Cho
- Department of Oncology and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sarah M Shin
- Department of Oncology and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Erin M Coyne
- Department of Oncology and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alexei Hernandez
- Department of Oncology and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Xuan Yuan
- Department of Oncology and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Zhehao Zhang
- Department of Oncology and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ashley Cimino-Mathews
- Department of Oncology and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew J Ewald
- Department of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Oncology and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Giovanis Institute for Translational Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Won Jin Ho
- Department of Oncology and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Convergence Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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37
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Vitorakis N, Gargalionis AN, Papavassiliou KA, Adamopoulos C, Papavassiliou AG. Precision Targeting Strategies in Pancreatic Cancer: The Role of Tumor Microenvironment. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2876. [PMID: 39199647 PMCID: PMC11352254 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16162876] [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: 07/21/2024] [Revised: 08/14/2024] [Accepted: 08/17/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer demonstrates an ever-increasing incidence over the last years and represents one of the top causes of cancer-associated mortality. Cells of the tumor microenvironment (TME) interact with cancer cells in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumors to preserve cancer cells' metabolism, inhibit drug delivery, enhance immune suppression mechanisms and finally develop resistance to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. New strategies target TME genetic alterations and specific pathways in cell populations of the TME. Complex molecular interactions develop between PDAC cells and TME cell populations including cancer-associated fibroblasts, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, pancreatic stellate cells, tumor-associated macrophages, tumor-associated neutrophils, and regulatory T cells. In the present review, we aim to fully explore the molecular landscape of the pancreatic cancer TME cell populations and discuss current TME targeting strategies to provide thoughts for further research and preclinical testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos Vitorakis
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Antonios N Gargalionis
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, 'Attikon' University General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
| | - Kostas A Papavassiliou
- First University Department of Respiratory Medicine, 'Sotiria' Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Christos Adamopoulos
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Athanasios G Papavassiliou
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
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Tomecka P, Kunachowicz D, Górczyńska J, Gebuza M, Kuźnicki J, Skinderowicz K, Choromańska A. Factors Determining Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Cancer Progression. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:8972. [PMID: 39201656 PMCID: PMC11354349 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25168972] [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: 07/10/2024] [Revised: 08/12/2024] [Accepted: 08/15/2024] [Indexed: 09/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process in which an epithelial cell undergoes multiple modifications, acquiring both morphological and functional characteristics of a mesenchymal cell. This dynamic process is initiated by various inducing signals that activate numerous signaling pathways, leading to the stimulation of transcription factors. EMT plays a significant role in cancer progression, such as metastasis and tumor heterogeneity, as well as in drug resistance. In this article, we studied molecular mechanisms, epigenetic regulation, and cellular plasticity of EMT, as well as microenvironmental factors influencing this process. We included both in vivo and in vitro models in EMT investigation and clinical implications of EMT, such as the use of EMT in curing oncological patients and targeting its use in therapies. Additionally, this review concludes with future directions and challenges in the wide field of EMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina Tomecka
- Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland; (P.T.); (J.G.); (M.G.); (J.K.); (K.S.)
| | - Dominika Kunachowicz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 211a, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland;
| | - Julia Górczyńska
- Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland; (P.T.); (J.G.); (M.G.); (J.K.); (K.S.)
| | - Michał Gebuza
- Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland; (P.T.); (J.G.); (M.G.); (J.K.); (K.S.)
| | - Jacek Kuźnicki
- Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland; (P.T.); (J.G.); (M.G.); (J.K.); (K.S.)
| | - Katarzyna Skinderowicz
- Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland; (P.T.); (J.G.); (M.G.); (J.K.); (K.S.)
| | - Anna Choromańska
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 211a, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
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Espona-Fiedler M, Patthey C, Lindblad S, Sarró I, Öhlund D. Overcoming therapy resistance in pancreatic cancer: New insights and future directions. Biochem Pharmacol 2024; 229:116492. [PMID: 39153553 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 08/11/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is predicted to become the second leading cause of cancer deaths by 2030 and this is mostly due to therapy failure. Limited treatment options and resistance to standard-of-care (SoC) therapies makes PDAC one of the cancer types with poorest prognosis and survival rates [1,2]. Pancreatic tumors are renowned for their poor response to therapeutic interventions including targeted therapies, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Herein, we review hallmarks of therapy resistance in PDAC and current strategies aiming to tackle escape mechanisms and to re-sensitize cancer cells to therapy. We will further provide insights on recent advances in the field of drug discovery, nanomedicine, and disease models that are setting the ground for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarita Espona-Fiedler
- Department of Diagnostic and Intervention, Umeå Universitet, Umeå, Sweden; Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, Umeå Universitet, Umeå, Sweden.
| | - Cedric Patthey
- Department of Diagnostic and Intervention, Umeå Universitet, Umeå, Sweden; Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, Umeå Universitet, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Stina Lindblad
- Department of Diagnostic and Intervention, Umeå Universitet, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Irina Sarró
- Department of Diagnostic and Intervention, Umeå Universitet, Umeå, Sweden; Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Öhlund
- Department of Diagnostic and Intervention, Umeå Universitet, Umeå, Sweden; Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, Umeå Universitet, Umeå, Sweden.
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40
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Zhao JJ, Ong CAJ, Srivatsava S, Ann Chia DK, Ma H, Huang K, Sheng T, Ramnarayanan K, Ong X, Tay ST, Hagihara T, Keng Tan AL, Ching Teo MC, Tan QX, Ng G, Tan JWS, Hsien Ng MC, Gwee YX, Walsh R, Law JH, Shabbir A, Kim G, Tay Y, Her Z, Leoncini G, The BT, Hong JH, Kiat Tay RY, Teo CB, Dings MPG, Bijlsma M, Yew Lum JH, Mathur S, Pietrantonio F, Blum SM, van Laarhoven H, Klempner SJ, Yong WP, So JBY, Chen Q, Tan P, Sundar R. Spatially Resolved Niche and Tumor Microenvironmental Alterations in Gastric Cancer Peritoneal Metastases. Gastroenterology 2024:S0016-5085(24)05348-4. [PMID: 39147169 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2024.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2024] [Revised: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Peritoneal metastasis (PM) in gastric cancer (GC) is associated with poor prognosis and significant morbidity. We sought to understand the genomic, transcriptomic, and tumor microenvironment (TME) features that contribute to peritoneal organotropism in GC. METHODS We conducted a comprehensive multi-omic analysis of 548 samples from 326 patients, including primary tumors, matched normal tissues; peritoneal metastases, and adjacent-normal peritoneal tissues. We used whole exome sequencing, whole transcriptome sequencing, and digital spatial profiling to investigate molecular alterations, gene expression patterns, and TME characteristics associated with PM. RESULTS Our analysis identified specific genomic alterations in primary tumors, including mutations in ELF3, CDH1, and PIGR, and TME signatures, such as stromal infiltration and M2 macrophage enrichment, associated with increased risk of PM. We observed distinct transcriptional programs and immune compositions in GCPM compared with liver metastases, highlighting the importance of the TME in transcoelomic metastasis. We found differential expression of therapeutic targets between primary tumors and PM, with lower CLDN18.2 and FGFR2b expression in PM. We unravel the roles of the TME in niche reprogramming within the peritoneum, and provide evidence of pre-metastatic niche conditioning even in early GC without clinical PM. These findings were further validated using a humanized mouse model, which demonstrated niche remodeling in the peritoneum during transcoelomic metastasis. CONCLUSION Our study provides a comprehensive molecular characterization of GCPM and unveils key biological principles underlying transcoelomic metastasis. The identified predictive markers, therapeutic targets, and TME alterations offer potential avenues for targeted interventions and improved patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph J Zhao
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore; Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore
| | - Chin-Ann Johnny Ong
- Department of Sarcoma, Peritoneal and Rare Tumors (SPRinT), Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore; Department of Sarcoma, Peritoneal and Rare Tumors (SPRinT), Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore; Laboratory of Applied Human Genetics, Division of Medical Sciences, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore; SingHealth Duke-NUS Surgery Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; SingHealth Duke-NUS Oncology Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore; Singapore Gastric Cancer Consortium, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Daryl Kai Ann Chia
- Department of Surgery, University Surgical Cluster, National University Health System, Singapore
| | - Haoran Ma
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Kiekyon Huang
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Taotao Sheng
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | | | - Xuewen Ong
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Su Ting Tay
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Takeshi Hagihara
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Angie Lay Keng Tan
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Melissa Ching Ching Teo
- Department of Sarcoma, Peritoneal and Rare Tumors (SPRinT), Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore; Department of Sarcoma, Peritoneal and Rare Tumors (SPRinT), Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
| | - Qiu Xuan Tan
- Department of Sarcoma, Peritoneal and Rare Tumors (SPRinT), Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore; Department of Sarcoma, Peritoneal and Rare Tumors (SPRinT), Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore; Laboratory of Applied Human Genetics, Division of Medical Sciences, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gillian Ng
- Department of Sarcoma, Peritoneal and Rare Tumors (SPRinT), Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore; Department of Sarcoma, Peritoneal and Rare Tumors (SPRinT), Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore; Laboratory of Applied Human Genetics, Division of Medical Sciences, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore
| | - Joey Wee-Shan Tan
- Department of Sarcoma, Peritoneal and Rare Tumors (SPRinT), Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore; Department of Sarcoma, Peritoneal and Rare Tumors (SPRinT), Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore; Laboratory of Applied Human Genetics, Division of Medical Sciences, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Yong Xiang Gwee
- Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore
| | - Robert Walsh
- Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore
| | - Jia Hao Law
- Department of Surgery, University Surgical Cluster, National University Health System, Singapore
| | - Asim Shabbir
- Department of Surgery, University Surgical Cluster, National University Health System, Singapore
| | - Guowei Kim
- Department of Surgery, University Surgical Cluster, National University Health System, Singapore
| | - Yvonne Tay
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Zhisheng Her
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore
| | - Giuseppe Leoncini
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Bin Tean The
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Jing Han Hong
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Ryan Yong Kiat Tay
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Chong Boon Teo
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mark P G Dings
- Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Laboratory of Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Cancer Center Amsterdam, Imaging and Biomarkers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten Bijlsma
- Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Laboratory of Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Cancer Center Amsterdam, Imaging and Biomarkers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Sachin Mathur
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
| | - Filippo Pietrantonio
- Medical Oncology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Steven M Blum
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Hanneke van Laarhoven
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Imaging and Biomarkers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Medical Oncology, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Samuel J Klempner
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Wei Peng Yong
- Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore; Singapore Gastric Cancer Consortium, Singapore, Singapore; Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jimmy Bok Yan So
- Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore; Singapore Gastric Cancer Consortium, Singapore, Singapore; Department of Surgery, University Surgical Cluster, National University Health System, Singapore; Division of Surgical Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore
| | - Qingfeng Chen
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore.
| | - Patrick Tan
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; Singapore Gastric Cancer Consortium, Singapore, Singapore; Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore; SingHealth/Duke-NUS Institute of Precision Medicine, National Heart Centre Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Raghav Sundar
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore; Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; Singapore Gastric Cancer Consortium, Singapore, Singapore; The N.1 Institute for Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
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Wen B, Chen J, Ding T, Mao Z, Jin R, Wang Y, Shi M, Zhao L, Yang A, Qin X, Chen X. Development and experimental validation of hypoxia-related gene signatures for osteosarcoma diagnosis and prognosis based on WGCNA and machine learning. Sci Rep 2024; 14:18734. [PMID: 39134603 PMCID: PMC11319349 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-69638-3] [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: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant tumour of the bone with high mortality. Here, we comprehensively analysed the hypoxia signalling in OS and further constructed novel hypoxia-related gene signatures for OS prediction and prognosis. This study employed Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analyses to identify Stanniocalcin 2 (STC2) and Transmembrane Protein 45A (TMEM45A) as the diagnostic biomarkers, which further assessed by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC), decision curve analysis (DCA), and calibration curves in training and test dataset. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to construct the prognostic model. STC2 and metastasis were devised to forge the OS risk model. The nomogram, risk score, Kaplan Meier plot, ROC, DCA, and calibration curves results certified the excellent performance of the prognostic model. The expression level of STC2 and TMEM45A was validated in external datasets and cell lines. In immune cell infiltration analysis, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) were significantly higher in the low-risk group. And the immune infiltration of CAFs was negatively associated with the expression of STC2 (P < 0.05). Pan-cancer analysis revealed that the expression level of STC2 was significantly higher in Esophageal carcinoma (ESCA), Head and Neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC), Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), and Stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD). Additionally, the higher expression of STC2 was associated with the poor outcome in those cancers. In summary, this study identified STC2 and TMEM45A as novel markers for the diagnosis and prognosis of osteosarcoma, and STC2 was shown to correlate with immune infiltration of CAFs negatively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Wen
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin, 300050, China
- Department of Orthopedics, No. 945 Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force, Yaan, 625000, Sichuan, China
| | - Jian Chen
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin, 300050, China
| | - Tianqi Ding
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin, 300050, China
| | - Zhiyou Mao
- Department of Orthopedics, No. 945 Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force, Yaan, 625000, Sichuan, China
| | - Rong Jin
- Department of Orthopedics, No. 945 Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force, Yaan, 625000, Sichuan, China
| | - Yirui Wang
- Department of Cardiology, No. 945 Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force, Yaan, 625000, Sichuan, China
| | - Meiqin Shi
- Department of Orthopedics, No. 945 Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force, Yaan, 625000, Sichuan, China
| | - Lixun Zhao
- Department of Orthopedics, No. 945 Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force, Yaan, 625000, Sichuan, China
| | - Asang Yang
- Department of Orthopedics, No. 945 Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force, Yaan, 625000, Sichuan, China
| | - Xianyun Qin
- Department of Orthopedics, No. 945 Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force, Yaan, 625000, Sichuan, China.
| | - Xuewei Chen
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin, 300050, China.
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Oketch DJA, Giulietti M, Piva F. A Comparison of Tools That Identify Tumor Cells by Inferring Copy Number Variations from Single-Cell Experiments in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1759. [PMID: 39200223 PMCID: PMC11351975 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12081759] [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: 07/23/2024] [Revised: 08/01/2024] [Accepted: 08/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technique has enabled detailed analysis of gene expression at the single cell level, enhancing the understanding of subtle mechanisms that underly pathologies and drug resistance. To derive such biological meaning from sequencing data in oncology, some critical processing must be performed, including identification of the tumor cells by markers and algorithms that infer copy number variations (CNVs). We compared the performance of sciCNV, InferCNV, CopyKAT and SCEVAN tools that identify tumor cells by inferring CNVs from scRNA-seq data. Sequencing data from Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients, adjacent and healthy tissues were analyzed, and the predicted tumor cells were compared to those identified by well-assessed PDAC markers. Results from InferCNV, CopyKAT and SCEVAN overlapped by less than 30% with InferCNV showing the highest sensitivity (0.72) and SCEVAN the highest specificity (0.75). We show that the predictions are highly dependent on the sample and the software used, and that they return so many false positives hence are of little use in verifying or filtering predictions made via tumor biomarkers. We highlight how critical this processing can be, warn against the blind use of these software and point out the great need for more reliable algorithms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matteo Giulietti
- Department of Specialistic Clinical and Odontostomatological Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Francesco Piva
- Department of Specialistic Clinical and Odontostomatological Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
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Zourelidis A, Trojanowicz B, Sunami Y, Hause G, Vieweg D, Kleeff J. Distance-depending transcriptome changes of pancreatic stellate cells in paracrine pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma co-culture models. Sci Rep 2024; 14:18030. [PMID: 39098880 PMCID: PMC11298529 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-68148-6] [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: 02/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) are one source of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) and play, therefore, an essential role in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). Paracrine signalling between PDA cells and CAF has been widely studied, yet external influences on paracrine crosstalk are poorly understood. This study aimed to gain a deeper insight into the communication of PSC and cancer cells under different co-culture conditions via analysis of PSC gene expression profiles. Two contactless co-culture models with tumor cells from the p48-Cre; lox-stop-lox-KrasG12D/+; lox-stop-lox-Trp53R172H/+ mouse model (KPC) and murine PSC separated through a microporous membrane and grown in different compartments (standard co-culture) or on different sides of the same membrane (inverse co-culture), were established. RNA-Sequencing analysis of PSC mRNA was performed 24 h and 72 h after co-culture with KPC cells. For selected genes, results were confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry. Standard co-culture displayed 19 differentially expressed genes (DEG) at 24 h and 52 DEG at 72 h. In inverse co-culture, 800 DEG at 24 h and 2213 DEG at 72 h were enriched. PSC showed great heterogeneity in their gene expression profiles; however, mutually regulated genes of both co-cultures, such as VCAN and CHST11, could be identified. VCAN-protein-protein interaction-network analysis revealed several shared genes between co-culture models, such as SDC4 and FN1. In conclusion, PSC show a varying susceptibility to cancer cell signals depending on the co-culture method, with intensified transcriptome changes with closer proximity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anais Zourelidis
- Department of Visceral, Vascular and Endocrine Surgery, University Hospital Halle, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.
| | - Bogusz Trojanowicz
- Department of Visceral, Vascular and Endocrine Surgery, University Hospital Halle, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Yoshiaki Sunami
- Department of Visceral, Vascular and Endocrine Surgery, University Hospital Halle, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Gerd Hause
- Biocenter, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - David Vieweg
- Department of Visceral, Vascular and Endocrine Surgery, University Hospital Halle, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Jörg Kleeff
- Department of Visceral, Vascular and Endocrine Surgery, University Hospital Halle, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
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44
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Menche C, Schuhwerk H, Armstark I, Gupta P, Fuchs K, van Roey R, Mosa MH, Hartebrodt A, Hajjaj Y, Clavel Ezquerra A, Selvaraju MK, Geppert CI, Bärthel S, Saur D, Greten FR, Brabletz S, Blumenthal DB, Weigert A, Brabletz T, Farin HF, Stemmler MP. ZEB1-mediated fibroblast polarization controls inflammation and sensitivity to immunotherapy in colorectal cancer. EMBO Rep 2024; 25:3406-3431. [PMID: 38937629 PMCID: PMC11315988 DOI: 10.1038/s44319-024-00186-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The EMT-transcription factor ZEB1 is heterogeneously expressed in tumor cells and in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in colorectal cancer (CRC). While ZEB1 in tumor cells regulates metastasis and therapy resistance, its role in CAFs is largely unknown. Combining fibroblast-specific Zeb1 deletion with immunocompetent mouse models of CRC, we observe that inflammation-driven tumorigenesis is accelerated, whereas invasion and metastasis in sporadic cancers are reduced. Single-cell transcriptomics, histological characterization, and in vitro modeling reveal a crucial role of ZEB1 in CAF polarization, promoting myofibroblastic features by restricting inflammatory activation. Zeb1 deficiency impairs collagen deposition and CAF barrier function but increases NFκB-mediated cytokine production, jointly promoting lymphocyte recruitment and immune checkpoint activation. Strikingly, the Zeb1-deficient CAF repertoire sensitizes to immune checkpoint inhibition, offering a therapeutic opportunity of targeting ZEB1 in CAFs and its usage as a prognostic biomarker. Collectively, we demonstrate that ZEB1-dependent plasticity of CAFs suppresses anti-tumor immunity and promotes metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constantin Menche
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Harald Schuhwerk
- Department of Experimental Medicine 1, Nikolaus-Fiebiger Center for Molecular Medicine, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Isabell Armstark
- Department of Experimental Medicine 1, Nikolaus-Fiebiger Center for Molecular Medicine, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Pooja Gupta
- Core Unit for Bioinformatics, Data Integration and Analysis, Center for Medical Information and Communication Technology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Kathrin Fuchs
- Department of Experimental Medicine 1, Nikolaus-Fiebiger Center for Molecular Medicine, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Ruthger van Roey
- Department of Experimental Medicine 1, Nikolaus-Fiebiger Center for Molecular Medicine, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Mohammed H Mosa
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Anne Hartebrodt
- Biomedical Network Science Lab, Department Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering (AIBE), FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Yussuf Hajjaj
- Department of Experimental Medicine 1, Nikolaus-Fiebiger Center for Molecular Medicine, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Ana Clavel Ezquerra
- Department of Experimental Medicine 1, Nikolaus-Fiebiger Center for Molecular Medicine, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Manoj K Selvaraju
- Core Unit for Bioinformatics, Data Integration and Analysis, Center for Medical Information and Communication Technology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Carol I Geppert
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Stefanie Bärthel
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- Chair of Translational Cancer Research and Institute of Experimental Cancer Therapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, School of Medicine, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
- Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM), School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Dieter Saur
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- Chair of Translational Cancer Research and Institute of Experimental Cancer Therapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, School of Medicine, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
- Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM), School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Florian R Greten
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
- German Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Simone Brabletz
- Department of Experimental Medicine 1, Nikolaus-Fiebiger Center for Molecular Medicine, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - David B Blumenthal
- Biomedical Network Science Lab, Department Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering (AIBE), FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andreas Weigert
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Institute of Biochemistry I, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Thomas Brabletz
- Department of Experimental Medicine 1, Nikolaus-Fiebiger Center for Molecular Medicine, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Henner F Farin
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
- German Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Marc P Stemmler
- Department of Experimental Medicine 1, Nikolaus-Fiebiger Center for Molecular Medicine, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
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45
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Coursier D, Calvo F. CAFs vs. TECs: when blood feuds fuel cancer progression, dissemination and therapeutic resistance. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2024; 47:1091-1112. [PMID: 38453816 PMCID: PMC11322395 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-024-00931-z] [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] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Neoplastic progression involves complex interactions between cancer cells and the surrounding stromal milieu, fostering microenvironments that crucially drive tumor progression and dissemination. Of these stromal constituents, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) emerge as predominant inhabitants within the tumor microenvironment (TME), actively shaping multiple facets of tumorigenesis, including cancer cell proliferation, invasiveness, and immune evasion. Notably, CAFs also orchestrate the production of pro-angiogenic factors, fueling neovascularization to sustain the metabolic demands of proliferating cancer cells. Moreover, CAFs may also directly or indirectly affect endothelial cell behavior and vascular architecture, which may impact in tumor progression and responses to anti-cancer interventions. Conversely, tumor endothelial cells (TECs) exhibit a corrupted state that has been shown to affect cancer cell growth and inflammation. Both CAFs and TECs are emerging as pivotal regulators of the TME, engaging in multifaceted biological processes that significantly impact cancer progression, dissemination, and therapeutic responses. Yet, the intricate interplay between these stromal components and the orchestrated functions of each cell type remains incompletely elucidated. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the dynamic interrelationships between CAFs and TECs, discussing the challenges and prospects for leveraging their interactions towards therapeutic advancements in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane Coursier
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad de Cantabria), Santander, Spain
| | - Fernando Calvo
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad de Cantabria), Santander, Spain.
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46
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Wang G, Mao X, Wang W, Wang X, Li S, Wang Z. Bioprinted research models of urological malignancy. EXPLORATION (BEIJING, CHINA) 2024; 4:20230126. [PMID: 39175884 PMCID: PMC11335473 DOI: 10.1002/exp.20230126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
Urological malignancy (UM) is among the leading threats to health care worldwide. Recent years have seen much investment in fundamental UM research, including mechanistic investigation, early diagnosis, immunotherapy, and nanomedicine. However, the results are not fully satisfactory. Bioprinted research models (BRMs) with programmed spatial structures and functions can serve as powerful research tools and are likely to disrupt traditional UM research paradigms. Herein, a comprehensive review of BRMs of UM is presented. It begins with a brief introduction and comparison of existing UM research models, emphasizing the advantages of BRMs, such as modeling real tissues and organs. Six kinds of mainstream bioprinting techniques used to fabricate such BRMs are summarized with examples. Thereafter, research advances in the applications of UM BRMs, such as culturing tumor spheroids and organoids, modeling cancer metastasis, mimicking the tumor microenvironment, constructing organ chips for drug screening, and isolating circulating tumor cells, are comprehensively discussed. At the end of this review, current challenges and future development directions of BRMs and UM are highlighted from the perspective of interdisciplinary science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanyi Wang
- Department of UrologyCancer Precision Diagnosis and Treatment and Translational Medicine Hubei Engineering Research CenterZhongnan Hospital of Wuhan UniversityWuhanChina
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immune Related DiseaseTaiKang Medical School (School of Basic Medical Sciences)Wuhan UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Xiongmin Mao
- Department of UrologyCancer Precision Diagnosis and Treatment and Translational Medicine Hubei Engineering Research CenterZhongnan Hospital of Wuhan UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Wang Wang
- Department of UrologyCancer Precision Diagnosis and Treatment and Translational Medicine Hubei Engineering Research CenterZhongnan Hospital of Wuhan UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Xiaolong Wang
- Lewis Katz School of MedicineTemple UniversityPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Sheng Li
- Department of UrologyCancer Precision Diagnosis and Treatment and Translational Medicine Hubei Engineering Research CenterZhongnan Hospital of Wuhan UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Zijian Wang
- Department of UrologyCancer Precision Diagnosis and Treatment and Translational Medicine Hubei Engineering Research CenterZhongnan Hospital of Wuhan UniversityWuhanChina
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immune Related DiseaseTaiKang Medical School (School of Basic Medical Sciences)Wuhan UniversityWuhanChina
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47
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Polak R, Zhang ET, Kuo CJ. Cancer organoids 2.0: modelling the complexity of the tumour immune microenvironment. Nat Rev Cancer 2024; 24:523-539. [PMID: 38977835 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-024-00706-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
The development of neoplasia involves a complex and continuous interplay between malignantly transformed cells and the tumour microenvironment (TME). Cancer immunotherapies targeting the immune TME have been increasingly validated in clinical trials but response rates vary substantially between tumour histologies and are often transient, idiosyncratic and confounded by resistance. Faithful experimental models of the patient-specific tumour immune microenvironment, capable of recapitulating tumour biology and immunotherapy effects, would greatly improve patient selection, target identification and definition of resistance mechanisms for immuno-oncology therapeutics. In this Review, we discuss currently available and rapidly evolving 3D tumour organoid models that capture important immune features of the TME. We highlight diverse opportunities for organoid-based investigations of tumour immunity, drug development and precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roel Polak
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Elisa T Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Calvin J Kuo
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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48
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Qin C, Zhao B, Wang Y, Li Z, Li T, Zhao Y, Wang W, Zhao Y. Extracellular vesicles miR-31-5p promotes pancreatic cancer chemoresistance via regulating LATS2-Hippo pathway and promoting SPARC secretion from pancreatic stellate cells. J Extracell Vesicles 2024; 13:e12488. [PMID: 39104296 DOI: 10.1002/jev2.12488] [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: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal malignant diseases. Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy is still one of the first-line systemic treatments, but chemoresistance occurs in the majority of patients. Recently, accumulated evidence has demonstrated the role of the tumour microenvironment in promoting chemoresistance. In the tumour microenvironment, pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) are among the main cellular components, and extracellular vesicles (EVs) are common mediators of cell‒cell communication. In this study, we showed that SP1-transcribed miR-31-5p not only targeted LATS2 in pancreatic cancer cells but also regulated the Hippo pathway in PSCs through EV transfer. Consequently, PSCs synthesized and secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteins (SPARC), which was preferentially expressed in stromal cells, stimulating Extracellular Signal regulated kinase (ERK) signalling in pancreatic cancer cells. Therefore, pancreatic cancer cell survival and chemoresistance were improved due to both the intrinsic Hippo pathway regulated by miR-31-5p and external SPARC-induced ERK signalling. In mouse models, miR-31-5p overexpression in pancreatic cancer cells promoted the chemoresistance of coinjected xenografts. In a tissue microarray, pancreatic cancer patients with higher miR-31-5p expression had shorter overall survival. Therefore, miR-31-5p regulates the Hippo pathway in multiple cell types within the tumour microenvironment via EVs, ultimately contributing to the chemoresistance of pancreatic cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Qin
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Research in Pancreatic Tumor, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- National Science and Technology Key Infrastructure on Translational Medicine in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Bangbo Zhao
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Research in Pancreatic Tumor, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- National Science and Technology Key Infrastructure on Translational Medicine in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Yuanyang Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Research in Pancreatic Tumor, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- National Science and Technology Key Infrastructure on Translational Medicine in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Zeru Li
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Research in Pancreatic Tumor, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- National Science and Technology Key Infrastructure on Translational Medicine in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Tianyu Li
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Research in Pancreatic Tumor, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- National Science and Technology Key Infrastructure on Translational Medicine in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Yutong Zhao
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Research in Pancreatic Tumor, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- National Science and Technology Key Infrastructure on Translational Medicine in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Weibin Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Research in Pancreatic Tumor, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- National Science and Technology Key Infrastructure on Translational Medicine in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Yupei Zhao
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Research in Pancreatic Tumor, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- National Science and Technology Key Infrastructure on Translational Medicine in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, P. R. China
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49
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Dai S, Liu Y, Liu Z, Li R, Luo F, Li Y, Dai L, Peng X. Cancer-associated fibroblasts mediate resistance to anti-EGFR therapies in cancer. Pharmacol Res 2024; 206:107304. [PMID: 39002870 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2024.107304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2024] [Revised: 07/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
Over the last decade, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapies have transformed the treatment landscape for patients with advanced solid tumors. Despite these advances, resistance to anti-EGFR therapies is still a significant clinical challenge. While cell-autonomous mechanisms of resistance are well-documented, they do not fully elucidate the complexity of drug resistance. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), key mediators within the tumor microenvironment (TME), have emerged as pivotal players in cancer progression and chemoresistance. Recent evidence implicates CAFs in resistance to anti-EGFR therapies, suggesting they may undermine treatment efficacy. This review synthesizes current data, highlighting the critical role of CAFs in resistance pathogenesis and summarizing recent therapeutic strategies targeting CAFs. We underscore the challenges and advocate for the exploration of CAFs as a potential dual-targeted approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Dai
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Lung Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yingtong Liu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Zheran Liu
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu Sichuan, China
| | - Ruidan Li
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu Sichuan, China
| | - Feng Luo
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Lung Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yan Li
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Lung Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
| | - Lei Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
| | - Xingchen Peng
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu Sichuan, China.
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50
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Younesi FS, Miller AE, Barker TH, Rossi FMV, Hinz B. Fibroblast and myofibroblast activation in normal tissue repair and fibrosis. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2024; 25:617-638. [PMID: 38589640 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-024-00716-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
The term 'fibroblast' often serves as a catch-all for a diverse array of mesenchymal cells, including perivascular cells, stromal progenitor cells and bona fide fibroblasts. Although phenotypically similar, these subpopulations are functionally distinct, maintaining tissue integrity and serving as local progenitor reservoirs. In response to tissue injury, these cells undergo a dynamic fibroblast-myofibroblast transition, marked by extracellular matrix secretion and contraction of actomyosin-based stress fibres. Importantly, whereas transient activation into myofibroblasts aids in tissue repair, persistent activation triggers pathological fibrosis. In this Review, we discuss the roles of mechanical cues, such as tissue stiffness and strain, alongside cell signalling pathways and extracellular matrix ligands in modulating myofibroblast activation and survival. We also highlight the role of epigenetic modifications and myofibroblast memory in physiological and pathological processes. Finally, we discuss potential strategies for therapeutically interfering with these factors and the associated signal transduction pathways to improve the outcome of dysregulated healing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fereshteh Sadat Younesi
- Keenan Research Institute for Biomedical Science of the St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew E Miller
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Thomas H Barker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Fabio M V Rossi
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Boris Hinz
- Keenan Research Institute for Biomedical Science of the St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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