1
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Morel VJ, Rössler J, Bernasconi M. Targeted immunotherapy and nanomedicine for rhabdomyosarcoma: The way of the future. Med Res Rev 2024; 44:2730-2773. [PMID: 38885148 DOI: 10.1002/med.22059] [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: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma of childhood. Histology separates two main subtypes: embryonal RMS (eRMS; 60%-70%) and alveolar RMS (aRMS; 20%-30%). The aggressive aRMS carry one of two characteristic chromosomal translocations that result in the expression of a PAX3::FOXO1 or PAX7::FOXO1 fusion transcription factor; therefore, aRMS are now classified as fusion-positive (FP) RMS. Embryonal RMS have a better prognosis and are clinically indistinguishable from fusion-negative (FN) RMS. Next to histology and molecular characteristics, RMS risk groupings are now available defining low risk tumors with excellent outcomes and advanced stage disease with poor prognosis, with an overall survival of about only 20% despite intensified multimodal treatment. Therefore, development of novel effective targeted strategies to increase survival and to decrease long-term side effects is urgently needed. Recently, immunotherapies and nanomedicine have been emerging for potent and effective tumor treatments with minimal side effects, raising hopes for effective and safe cures for RMS patients. This review aims to describe the most relevant preclinical and clinical studies in immunotherapy and targeted nanomedicine performed so far in RMS and to provide an insight in future developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Judith Morel
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jochen Rössler
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michele Bernasconi
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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2
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Luo LY, Xue W, Qumseya A, Vasquez JC, Venkatramani R, Wolden SL, Casey DL. Whole Lung Irradiation in Rhabdomyosarcoma With Lung Metastases: A Report From the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Committee of the Children's Oncology Group. J Clin Oncol 2024:JCO2400928. [PMID: 39255438 DOI: 10.1200/jco.24.00928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Patients with rhabdomyosarcoma with metastatic disease have a poor prognosis despite therapy intensification. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of whole lung irradiation (WLI) in patients with rhabdomyosarcoma and lung metastases. METHODS Patients with rhabdomyosarcoma with lung metastases enrolled on four Children's Oncology Group protocols (D9802, D9803, ARST08P1, ARST0431) were retrospectively reviewed. Event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between patients who received and did not receive WLI. RESULTS In 143 patients with rhabdomyosarcoma with lung metastases, 65 patients (45.5%) received WLI and 78 patients (54.5%) did not receive WLI despite protocol requirements. The 5-year EFS was 38.3% (95% CI, 24.8 to 51.8) in patients who received WLI and 25.2% (95% CI, 13.8 to 36.6) in patients who did not receive WLI (P = .0496). The 5-year OS was 45.5% (95% CI, 31.8 to 59.3) in patients who received WLI and 32.4% (95% CI, 20.4 to 44.4) in patients who did not receive WLI (P = .08). In exploratory subgroup analyses, the benefit of WLI on EFS and OS was significant in patients 10 years and older. Other clinical factors associated with EFS on univariable analysis included age, histology FOXO1 fusion status, number of metastatic sites, location of metastatic sites, and Oberlin Score. CONCLUSION WLI is associated with improved EFS in patients with rhabdomyosarcoma with lung metastases. These results highlight the potential importance of WLI and need for more stringent protocol compliance for administering WLI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leo Y Luo
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Wei Xue
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Amira Qumseya
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Juan C Vasquez
- Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Rajkumar Venkatramani
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Suzanne L Wolden
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Dana L Casey
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
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3
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Habib S, Fatima B, Khan FR. Generalized root agenesis in permanent dentition of a young adolescent patient with rhabdomyosarcoma: a case report. BMC Oral Health 2024; 24:961. [PMID: 39154167 PMCID: PMC11330129 DOI: 10.1186/s12903-024-04709-5] [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: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parameningeal rhabdomyosarcoma (PM-RMS) is a rare and aggressive soft tissue malignancy that primarily occurs in the head and neck region. The standard treatment approach for RMS involves a multimodal therapy regimen, which includes surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. However, the routine use of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in young patients with RMS in the head and neck region can lead to adverse effects on dental development and thereby, pose a challenge in planning dental intervention. CASE PRESENTATION This case report outlines the dental and facial developmental consequences in a 13-year-old child, who received chemo-radiotherapeutic intervention at the age of 7 years for the management of PM-RMS. Following treatment, the child exhibited significant dental complications, including arrested root growth and restricted mouth opening. CONCLUSIONS This case highlights the necessity for interdisciplinary collaboration between oncologists, dentists, and other healthcare professionals to mitigate the adverse effects on dental health and overall quality of life in patients undergoing chemo-radiotherapy for rhabdomyosarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saqib Habib
- Executive Dentistry Clinics Rehman Medical Institute, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Bibi Fatima
- Operative Dentistry & Endodontics, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University Hospital, Stadium Road, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan.
| | - Farhan Raza Khan
- Operative Dentistry & Endodontics, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University Hospital, Stadium Road, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan
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4
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Sroka MW, Skopelitis D, Vermunt MW, Preall JB, El Demerdash O, de Almeida LMN, Chang K, Utama R, Gryder B, Caligiuri G, Ren D, Nalbant B, Milazzo JP, Tuveson DA, Dobin A, Hiebert SW, Stengel KR, Mantovani R, Khan J, Kohli RM, Shi J, Blobel GA, Vakoc CR. Myo-differentiation reporter screen reveals NF-Y as an activator of PAX3-FOXO1 in rhabdomyosarcoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2303859120. [PMID: 37639593 PMCID: PMC10483665 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2303859120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Recurrent chromosomal rearrangements found in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) produce the PAX3-FOXO1 fusion protein, which is an oncogenic driver and a dependency in this disease. One important function of PAX3-FOXO1 is to arrest myogenic differentiation, which is linked to the ability of RMS cells to gain an unlimited proliferation potential. Here, we developed a phenotypic screening strategy for identifying factors that collaborate with PAX3-FOXO1 to block myo-differentiation in RMS. Unlike most genes evaluated in our screen, we found that loss of any of the three subunits of the Nuclear Factor Y (NF-Y) complex leads to a myo-differentiation phenotype that resembles the effect of inactivating PAX3-FOXO1. While the transcriptomes of NF-Y- and PAX3-FOXO1-deficient RMS cells bear remarkable similarity to one another, we found that these two transcription factors occupy nonoverlapping sites along the genome: NF-Y preferentially occupies promoters, whereas PAX3-FOXO1 primarily binds to distal enhancers. By integrating multiple functional approaches, we map the PAX3 promoter as the point of intersection between these two regulators. We show that NF-Y occupies CCAAT motifs present upstream of PAX3 to function as a transcriptional activator of PAX3-FOXO1 expression in RMS. These findings reveal a critical upstream role of NF-Y in the oncogenic PAX3-FOXO1 pathway, highlighting how a broadly essential transcription factor can perform tumor-specific roles in governing cellular state.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marit W. Vermunt
- Division of Hematology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | | | | | | | - Kenneth Chang
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY11724
| | - Raditya Utama
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY11724
| | - Berkley Gryder
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH44106
| | | | - Diqiu Ren
- Department of Cancer Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Benan Nalbant
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY11724
| | | | | | | | - Scott W. Hiebert
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232
| | - Kristy R. Stengel
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY10461
| | - Roberto Mantovani
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133Milano, Italy
| | - Javed Khan
- Genetics Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD20892
| | - Rahul M. Kohli
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Junwei Shi
- Department of Cancer Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Gerd A. Blobel
- Division of Hematology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA19104
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5
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Regenold M, Kaneko K, Wang X, Peng HB, Evans JC, Bannigan P, Allen C. Triggered release from thermosensitive liposomes improves tumor targeting of vinorelbine. J Control Release 2023; 354:19-33. [PMID: 36503069 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Triggered drug delivery strategies have been shown to enhance drug accumulation at target diseased sites in comparison to administration of free drug. In particular, many studies have demonstrated improved targetability of chemotherapeutics when delivered via thermosensitive liposomes. However, most studies continue to focus on encapsulating doxorubicin while many other drugs would benefit from this targeted and localized delivery approach. The proposed study explores the therapeutic potential of a thermosensitive liposome formulation of the commonly used chemotherapy drug vinorelbine in combination with mild hyperthermia (39-43 °C) in a murine model of rhabdomyosarcoma. Rhabdomyosarcoma, the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children, is largely treated using conventional chemotherapy which is associated with significant adverse long-term sequelae. In this study, mild hyperthermia was pursued as a non-invasive, non-toxic means to improve the efficacy and safety profiles of vinorelbine. Thorough assessment of the pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, efficacy and toxicity of vinorelbine administered in the thermosensitive liposome formulation was compared to administration in a traditional, non-thermosensitive liposome formulation. This study shows the potential of an advanced formulation technology in combination with mild hyperthermia as a means to target an untargeted therapeutic agent and result in a significant improvement in its therapeutic index.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Regenold
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kan Kaneko
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Xuehan Wang
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - H Benson Peng
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - James C Evans
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pauric Bannigan
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christine Allen
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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6
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The RNA helicase DDX5 cooperates with EHMT2 to sustain alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma growth. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111267. [PMID: 36044855 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111267] [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: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft-tissue sarcoma of childhood characterized by the inability to exit the proliferative myoblast-like stage. The alveolar fusion positive subtype (FP-RMS) is the most aggressive and is mainly caused by the expression of PAX3/7-FOXO1 oncoproteins, which are challenging pharmacological targets. Here, we show that the DEAD box RNA helicase 5 (DDX5) is overexpressed in alveolar RMS cells and that its depletion and pharmacological inhibition decrease FP-RMS viability and slow tumor growth in xenograft models. Mechanistically, we provide evidence that DDX5 functions upstream of the EHMT2/AKT survival signaling pathway, by directly interacting with EHMT2 mRNA, modulating its stability and consequent protein expression. We show that EHMT2 in turns regulates PAX3-FOXO1 activity in a methylation-dependent manner, thus sustaining FP-RMS myoblastic state. Together, our findings identify another survival-promoting loop in FP-RMS and highlight DDX5 as a potential therapeutic target to arrest RMS growth.
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7
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Singh S, Abu-Zaid A, Jin H, Fang J, Wu Q, Wang T, Feng H, Quarni W, Shao Y, Maxham L, Abdolvahabi A, Yun MK, Vaithiyalingam S, Tan H, Bowling J, Honnell V, Young B, Guo Y, Bajpai R, Pruett-Miller SM, Grosveld GC, Hatley M, Xu B, Fan Y, Wu G, Chen EY, Chen T, Lewis PW, Rankovic Z, Li Y, Murphy AJ, Easton J, Peng J, Chen X, Wang R, White SW, Davidoff AM, Yang J. Targeting KDM4 for treating PAX3-FOXO1-driven alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabq2096. [PMID: 35857643 PMCID: PMC9548378 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abq2096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Chimeric transcription factors drive lineage-specific oncogenesis but are notoriously difficult to target. Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is an aggressive childhood soft tissue sarcoma transformed by the pathognomonic Paired Box 3-Forkhead Box O1 (PAX3-FOXO1) fusion protein, which governs a core regulatory circuitry transcription factor network. Here, we show that the histone lysine demethylase 4B (KDM4B) is a therapeutic vulnerability for PAX3-FOXO1+ RMS. Genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of KDM4B substantially delayed tumor growth. Suppression of KDM4 proteins inhibited the expression of core oncogenic transcription factors and caused epigenetic alterations of PAX3-FOXO1-governed superenhancers. Combining KDM4 inhibition with cytotoxic chemotherapy led to tumor regression in preclinical PAX3-FOXO1+ RMS subcutaneous xenograft models. In summary, we identified a targetable mechanism required for maintenance of the PAX3-FOXO1-related transcription factor network, which may translate to a therapeutic approach for fusion-positive RMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivendra Singh
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Ahmed Abu-Zaid
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Hongjian Jin
- Center for Applied Bioinformatics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Jie Fang
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Qiong Wu
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Tingting Wang
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disease, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Helin Feng
- Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, China
| | - Waise Quarni
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Ying Shao
- Department of Computational Biology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Lily Maxham
- Department of Computational Biology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Alireza Abdolvahabi
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Mi-Kyung Yun
- Department of Structural Biology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Sivaraja Vaithiyalingam
- Department of Structural Biology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.,Protein Technologies Center, Molecular Interaction Analysis, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Haiyan Tan
- Department of Structural Biology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.,Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - John Bowling
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Victoria Honnell
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Brandon Young
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Yian Guo
- Department of Biostatistics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Richa Bajpai
- Center for Advanced Genome Engineering, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Shondra M. Pruett-Miller
- Center for Advanced Genome Engineering, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Gerard C Grosveld
- Department of Genetics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Mark Hatley
- Department of Oncology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Beisi Xu
- Center for Applied Bioinformatics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Yiping Fan
- Center for Applied Bioinformatics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Gang Wu
- Center for Applied Bioinformatics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Eleanor Y. Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Taosheng Chen
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Peter W. Lewis
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, USA
| | - Zoran Rankovic
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Yimei Li
- Department of Biostatistics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Andrew J. Murphy
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - John Easton
- Department of Computational Biology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Junmin Peng
- Department of Structural Biology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.,Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Xiang Chen
- Department of Computational Biology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Ruoning Wang
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disease, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Stephen W. White
- Department of Structural Biology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.,Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Andrew M. Davidoff
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Jun Yang
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.,Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.,Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 930 Madison Ave, Suite 500, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
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8
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Savary C, Picard C, Corradini N, Castets M. Complex Elucidation of Cells-of-Origin in Pediatric Soft Tissue Sarcoma: From Concepts to Real Life, Hide-and-Seek through Epigenetic and Transcriptional Reprogramming. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:6310. [PMID: 35682989 PMCID: PMC9181261 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23116310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) comprise a large group of mesenchymal malignant tumors with heterogeneous cellular morphology, proliferative index, genetic lesions and, more importantly, clinical features. Full elucidation of this wide diversity remains a central question to improve their therapeutic management and the identity of cell(s)-of-origin from which these tumors arise is part of this enigma. Cellular reprogramming allows transitions of a mature cell between phenotypes, or identities, and represents one key driver of tumoral heterogeneity. Here, we discuss how cellular reprogramming mediated by driver genes in STS can profoundly reshape the molecular and morphological features of a transformed cell and lead to erroneous interpretation of its cell-of-origin. This review questions the fact that the epigenetic context in which a genetic alteration arises has to be taken into account as a key determinant of STS tumor initiation and progression. Retracing the cancer-initiating cell and its clonal evolution, notably via epigenetic approach, appears as a key lever for understanding the origin of these tumors and improving their clinical management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Savary
- Childhood Cancer & Cell Death (C3), LabEx DEVweCAN, Centre Léon Bérard, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon (CRCL), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, 69008 Lyon, France
| | - Cécile Picard
- Department of Pathology, Hôpital Femme-Mère-Enfant, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, 69002 Lyon, France;
| | - Nadège Corradini
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Institut d’Hematologie et d’Oncologie Pédiatrique, Centre Léon Bérard, 69008 Lyon, France;
- Department of Translational Research in Pediatric Oncology, Centre Léon Bérard, 69008 Lyon, France
| | - Marie Castets
- Childhood Cancer & Cell Death (C3), LabEx DEVweCAN, Centre Léon Bérard, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon (CRCL), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, 69008 Lyon, France
- Department of Translational Research in Pediatric Oncology, Centre Léon Bérard, 69008 Lyon, France
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9
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Quercetin induces pannexin 1 expression via an alternative transcript with a translationally active 5' leader in rhabdomyosarcoma. Oncogenesis 2022; 11:9. [PMID: 35194046 PMCID: PMC8864035 DOI: 10.1038/s41389-022-00384-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a deadly cancer of skeletal muscle origin. Pannexin 1 (PANX1) is down-regulated in RMS and increasing its levels drastically inhibits RMS progression. PANX1 upregulation thus represents a prospective new treatment strategy for this malignancy. However, the mechanisms regulating PANX1 expression, in RMS and other contexts, remain largely unknown. Here we show that both RMS and normal skeletal muscle express a comparable amount of PANX1 mRNAs, but surprisingly the canonical 5′ untranslated region (5′ UTR) or 5′ leader of the transcript is completely lost in RMS. We uncover that quercetin, a natural plant flavonoid, increases PANX1 protein levels in RMS by inducing re-expression of a 5′ leader-containing PANX1 transcript variant that is efficiently translated. This particular PANX1 mRNA variant is also present in differentiated human skeletal muscle myoblasts (HSMM) that highly express PANX1. Mechanistically, abolishing ETV4 transcription factor binding sites in the PANX1 promoter significantly reduced the luciferase reporter activities and PANX1 5′ UTR levels, and both quercetin treatment in RMS cells and induction of differentiation in HSMM enriched the binding of ETV4 to its consensus element in the PANX1 promoter. Notably, quercetin treatment promoted RMS differentiation in a PANX1-dependent manner. Further showing its therapeutic potential, quercetin treatment prevented RMS in vitro tumor formation while inducing complete regression of established spheroids. Collectively, our results demonstrate the tumor-suppressive effects of quercetin in RMS and present a hitherto undescribed mechanism of PANX1 regulation via ETV4-mediated transcription of a translationally functional 5′ leader-containing PANX1 mRNA.
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10
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Gunathilaka TL, Dilrangi KH, Ranasinghe P, Samarakoon KW, Peiris LDC. Mechanistic Insight into Apoptotic Induction in Human Rhabdomyosarcoma and Breast Adenocarcinoma Cells by Chnoospora minima: A Sri Lankan Brown Seaweed. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:1154. [PMID: 34832937 PMCID: PMC8622854 DOI: 10.3390/ph14111154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study determined the cytotoxic and apoptotic potential of the polyphenol-rich methanol extract of Chnoospora minima (C. minima) and its fractions against human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cells. MTT and neutral red assays were used to determine cytotoxicity. The clonogenic assay evaluated the antineoplastic activity, while the apoptotic activity was determined by cellular morphological changes, caspase 3/7 activity, and DNA fragmentation. Morphological alterations in apoptosis were observed by an inverted phase-contrast microscope and Hoechst 33342 staining methods. The total phenolic, flavonoids, alkaloids, and antioxidant activity in the hexane and chloroform fractions were determined, based on their cytotoxic activity. The hexane fraction of C. minima effectively reduced the cell growth that is concentration-dependent in human RMS and MCF-7 cell lines. It also exhibited low cytotoxicity on Vero cells. The characteristic cellular and nuclear apoptotic morphological features were observed. A noticeable caspase 3/7 activation and the fragmented DNA were detected only in the hexane fraction treated RMS cells, whereas MCF-7 cells showed low caspase 3/7 activation due to a lack of caspase 3 and no evidence of having a typical ladder pattern of apoptosis. Further analysis revealed that the hexane fraction-treated RMS cells upregulated the p53 gene twofold (2.72) compared to the p21 (0.77) gene, whereas in the MCF-7 cells, a 2.21-fold upregulation of p53 was observed compared to the p21 (0.64) gene. The hexane fraction exhibited moderate total phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids content, and antioxidant activity. According to the different antioxidant mechanisms, hexane and chloroform fractions showed the highest antioxidant activities by FRAP and ORAC assays, respectively. GC-MS analysis of hexane fraction revealed the presence of methyl tetradecanoate (38.314%) as the most abundant compound. The study's findings highlighted that the non-polar compounds present in the hexane fraction of C. minima suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis-mediated cell death in RMS and MCF-7 cells, mainly via the activation of the p53 gene. Hence, the isolation of compounds is warranted. However, more studies are required to understand the mechanistic insights of these observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thilina Lakmini Gunathilaka
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda 10250, Sri Lanka; (T.L.G.); (K.H.D.)
| | - Kulathungage Hiranthi Dilrangi
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda 10250, Sri Lanka; (T.L.G.); (K.H.D.)
| | | | - Kalpa W. Samarakoon
- Institute for Combinatorial Advanced Research and Education (KDU-CARE), General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Ratmalana 10390, Sri Lanka
| | - L. Dinithi C. Peiris
- Department of Zoology/Genetics & Molecular Biology Unit (Center for Biotechnology), Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda 10250, Sri Lanka
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11
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Aghaei M, Nasimian A, Rahmati M, Kawalec P, Machaj F, Rosik J, Bhushan B, Bathaie SZ, Azarpira N, Los MJ, Samali A, Perrin D, Gordon JW, Ghavami S. The Role of BiP and the IRE1α-XBP1 Axis in Rhabdomyosarcoma Pathology. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13194927. [PMID: 34638414 PMCID: PMC8508025 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13194927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft-tissue sarcoma in children, and is associated with a poor prognosis in patients presenting with recurrent or metastatic disease. The unfolded protein response (UPR) plays pivotal roles in tumor development and resistance to therapy, including RMS. METHODS In this study, we used immunohistochemistry and a tissue microarray (TMA) on human RMS and normal skeletal muscle to evaluate the expression of key UPR proteins (GRP78/BiP, IRE1α and cytosolic/nuclear XBP1 (spliced XBP1-sXBP1)) in the four main RMS subtypes: alveolar (ARMS), embryonal (ERMS), pleomorphic (PRMS) and sclerosing/spindle cell (SRMS) RMS. We also investigated the correlation of these proteins with the risk of RMS and several clinicopathological indices, such as lymph node involvement, distant metastasis, tumor stage and tumor scores. RESULTS Our results revealed that the expression of BiP, sXBP1, and IRE1α, but not cytosolic XBP1, are significantly associated with RMS (BiP and sXBP1 p-value = 0.0001, IRE1 p-value = 0.001) in all of the studied types of RMS tumors (n = 192) compared to normal skeletal muscle tissues (n = 16). In addition, significant correlations of BiP with the lymph node score (p = 0.05), and of IRE1α (p value = 0.004), cytosolic XBP1 (p = 0.001) and sXBP1 (p value = 0.001) with the stage score were observed. At the subtype level, BiP and sXBP1 expression were significantly associated with all subtypes of RMS, whereas IRE1α was associated with ARMS, PRMS and ERMS, and cytosolic XBP1 expression was associated with ARMS and SRMS. Importantly, the expression levels of IRE1α and sXBP1 were more pronounced in ARMS than in any of the other subtypes. The results also showed correlations of BiP with the lymph node score in ARMS (p value = 0.05), and of sXBP1 with the tumor score in PRMS (p value = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS In summary, this study demonstrates that the overall UPR is upregulated and, more specifically, that the IRE1/sXBP1 axis is active in RMS. The subtype and stage-specific dependency on the UPR machinery in RMS may open new avenues for the development of novel targeted therapeutic strategies and the identification of specific tumor markers in this rare but deadly childhood and young-adult disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud Aghaei
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 81746-73461, Iran;
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba College of Medicine, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada; (A.N.); (P.K.); (F.M.); (J.R.); (B.B.)
| | - Ahmad Nasimian
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba College of Medicine, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada; (A.N.); (P.K.); (F.M.); (J.R.); (B.B.)
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14155-331, Iran;
| | - Marveh Rahmati
- Cancer Biology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 14197-33141, Iran;
| | - Philip Kawalec
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba College of Medicine, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada; (A.N.); (P.K.); (F.M.); (J.R.); (B.B.)
| | - Filip Machaj
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba College of Medicine, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada; (A.N.); (P.K.); (F.M.); (J.R.); (B.B.)
| | - Jakub Rosik
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba College of Medicine, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada; (A.N.); (P.K.); (F.M.); (J.R.); (B.B.)
| | - Bhavya Bhushan
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba College of Medicine, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada; (A.N.); (P.K.); (F.M.); (J.R.); (B.B.)
| | - S. Zahra Bathaie
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14155-331, Iran;
- Institute for Natural Products and Medicinal Plants, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14155-331, Iran
| | - Negar Azarpira
- Transplant Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 7134814336, Iran;
| | - Marek J. Los
- Biotechnology Center, Silesian University of Technology, 71-344 Gliwice, Poland;
| | - Afshin Samali
- Apoptosis Research Centre, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland, H91 W2TY Galway, Ireland;
| | - David Perrin
- Section of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada;
| | - Joseph W. Gordon
- College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada;
| | - Saeid Ghavami
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba College of Medicine, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada; (A.N.); (P.K.); (F.M.); (J.R.); (B.B.)
- Research Institutes of Oncology and Hematology, Cancer Care Manitoba-University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada
- Biology of Breathing Theme, Children Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada
- Autophagy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 7134845794, Iran
- Faculty of Medicine, Katowice School of Technology, 40-555 Katowice, Poland
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-204-272-3061 or +1-204-272-3071
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12
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Regina C, Hamed E, Andrieux G, Angenendt S, Schneider M, Ku M, Follo M, Wachtel M, Ke E, Kikuchi K, Henssen AG, Schäfer BW, Boerries M, Wagers AJ, Keller C, Hettmer S. Negative correlation of single-cell PAX3:FOXO1 expression with tumorigenicity in rhabdomyosarcoma. Life Sci Alliance 2021; 4:4/9/e202001002. [PMID: 34187933 PMCID: PMC8321661 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202001002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Single-cell PAX3:FOXO1 expression in rhabdomyosarcoma is variable. PAX3:FOXO1 low cell states are characterized by more efficient adhesion, migration and tumor-propagating capacity. Rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) are phenotypically and functionally heterogeneous. Both primary human RMS cultures and low-passage Myf6Cre,Pax3:Foxo1,p53 mouse RMS cell lines, which express the fusion oncoprotein Pax3:Foxo1 and lack the tumor suppressor Tp53 (Myf6Cre,Pax3:Foxo1,p53), exhibit marked heterogeneity in PAX3:FOXO1 (P3F) expression at the single cell level. In mouse RMS cells, P3F expression is directed by the Pax3 promoter and coupled to eYFP. YFPlow/P3Flow mouse RMS cells included 87% G0/G1 cells and reorganized their actin cytoskeleton to produce a cellular phenotype characterized by more efficient adhesion and migration. This translated into higher tumor-propagating cell frequencies of YFPlow/P3Flow compared with YFPhigh/P3Fhigh cells. Both YFPlow/P3Flow and YFPhigh/P3Fhigh cells gave rise to mixed clones in vitro, consistent with fluctuations in P3F expression over time. Exposure to the anti-tropomyosin compound TR100 disrupted the cytoskeleton and reversed enhanced migration and adhesion of YFPlow/P3Flow RMS cells. Heterogeneous expression of PAX3:FOXO1 at the single cell level may provide a critical advantage during tumor progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Regina
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ebrahem Hamed
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Geoffroy Andrieux
- Institute of Medical Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Freiburg, Germany.,German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sina Angenendt
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michaela Schneider
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Manching Ku
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Marie Follo
- Department of Medicine I, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Marco Wachtel
- University Children's Hospital, Children's Research Center and Department of Oncology, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Eugene Ke
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Ken Kikuchi
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Anton G Henssen
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center of the Max Delbrück Center and Charité Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Beat W Schäfer
- University Children's Hospital, Children's Research Center and Department of Oncology, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Melanie Boerries
- Institute of Medical Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Freiburg, Germany.,German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.,Comprehensive Cancer Centre Freiburg, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Amy J Wagers
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, MA, USA.,Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Charles Keller
- Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute, Beaverton, OR, USA
| | - Simone Hettmer
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany .,Comprehensive Cancer Centre Freiburg, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM), Freiburg, Germany
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13
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Xu MC, Ghani MO, Apple A, Chen H, Whiteside M, Borinstein SC, Correa H, Lovvorn HN. Changes in FXR1 expression after Chemotherapy for Rhabdomyosarcoma. J Pediatr Surg 2021; 56:1148-1156. [PMID: 33736876 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2021.02.038] [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: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) arises from abnormal muscle development. We reported previously that Fragile-X-Related 1 (FXR1), essential to normal myogenesis, was highly expressed in RMS relative to other embryonal tumors. This current study explored FXR1 expression across RMS disease characteristics and treatment response. METHODS RMS patients ≤18 years (1980-2019; n = 152) were categorized according to tumor histology, PAX/FOXO1 translocation, and vital status. FXR1 protein expression was compared before and after chemotherapy. Impact of FXR1 expression on relapse-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS) was analyzed. RESULTS FXR1 was most intensely expressed in the cytosol of undifferentiated rhabdomyoblasts. At diagnosis, FXR1 expression was ubiquitous and strong across all disease characteristics and foremost associated with worse RFS in translocation-positive patients (p = 0.0411). Among embryonal and translocation-negative RMS, survivors showed a significantly greater decrease in FXR1 expression after chemotherapy (p < 0.001) compared to decedents (p = 0.8). In contrast, alveolar and translocation-positive RMS specimens showed insignificant changes in FXR1 expression across therapy. As expected, alveolar histology, translocation presence, stage, and clinical group associated with worse survival. CONCLUSIONS FXR1 was expressed strongly across RMS specimens at diagnosis regardless of disease or patient characteristics, and particularly in undifferentiated cells. Reduction in FXR1 expression after chemotherapy associated with improved survival for embryonal and translocation-negative RMS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark C Xu
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - M Owais Ghani
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Annie Apple
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Heidi Chen
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Martin Whiteside
- Office of Cancer Surveillance, Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Scott C Borinstein
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Hernan Correa
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Harold N Lovvorn
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
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14
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Shields CE, Potlapalli S, Cuya-Smith SM, Chappell SK, Chen D, Martinez D, Pogoriler J, Rathi KS, Patel SA, Oristian KM, Linardic CM, Maris JM, Haynes KA, Schnepp RW. Epigenetic regulator BMI1 promotes alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma proliferation and constitutes a novel therapeutic target. Mol Oncol 2021; 15:2156-2171. [PMID: 33523558 PMCID: PMC8333775 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is an aggressive pediatric soft tissue sarcoma. There are two main subtypes of RMS, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) and embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. ARMS typically encompasses fusion‐positive rhabdomyosarcoma, which expresses either PAX3‐FOXO1 or PAX7‐FOXO1 fusion proteins. There are no targeted therapies for ARMS; however, recent studies have begun to illustrate the cooperation between epigenetic proteins and the PAX3‐FOXO1 fusion, indicating that epigenetic proteins may serve as targets in ARMS. Here, we investigate the contribution of BMI1, given the established role of this epigenetic regulator in sustaining aggression in cancer. We determined that BMI1 is expressed across ARMS tumors, patient‐derived xenografts, and cell lines. We depleted BMI1 using RNAi and inhibitors (PTC‐209 and PTC‐028) and found that this leads to a decrease in cell growth/increase in apoptosis in vitro, and delays tumor growth in vivo. Our data suggest that BMI1 inhibition activates the Hippo pathway via phosphorylation of LATS1/2 and subsequent reduction in YAP levels and YAP/TAZ target genes. These results identify BMI1 as a potential therapeutic vulnerability in ARMS and warrant further investigation of BMI1 in ARMS and other sarcomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara E Shields
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sindhu Potlapalli
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Selma M Cuya-Smith
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sarah K Chappell
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Dongdong Chen
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Daniel Martinez
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jennifer Pogoriler
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Komal S Rathi
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Shiv A Patel
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kristianne M Oristian
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.,Department of Pharmacology & Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Corinne M Linardic
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.,Department of Pharmacology & Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - John M Maris
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Karmella A Haynes
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Robert W Schnepp
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
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15
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Gossel LDH, Heim C, Pfeffermann LM, Moser LM, Bönig HB, Klingebiel TE, Bader P, Wels WS, Merker M, Rettinger E. Retargeting of NK-92 Cells against High-Risk Rhabdomyosarcomas by Means of an ERBB2 (HER2/Neu)-Specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13061443. [PMID: 33809981 PMCID: PMC8004684 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13061443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The dismal prognosis of pediatric and young adult patients with high-risk rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) underscores the need for novel treatment options for this patient group. In previous studies, the tumor-associated surface antigen ERBB2 (HER2/neu) was identified as targetable in high-risk RMS. As a proof of concept, in this study, a novel treatment approach against RMS tumors using a genetically modified natural killer (NK)-92 cell line (NK-92/5.28.z) as an off-the-shelf ERBB2-chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered cell product was preclinically explored. In cytotoxicity assays, NK-92/5.28.z cells specifically recognized and efficiently eliminated RMS cell suspensions, tumor cell monolayers, and 3D tumor spheroids via the ERBB2-CAR even at effector-to-target ratios as low as 1:1. In contrast to unmodified parental NK-92 cells, which failed to lyse RMS cells, NK-92/5.28.z cells proliferated and became further activated through contact with ERBB2-positive tumor cells. Furthermore, high amounts of effector molecules, such as proinflammatory and antitumoral cytokines, were found in cocultures of NK-92/5.28.z cells with tumor cells. Taken together, our data suggest the enormous potential of this approach for improving the immunotherapy of treatment-resistant tumors, revealing the dual role of NK-92/5.28.z cells as CAR-targeted killers and modulators of endogenous adaptive immunity even in the inhibitory tumor microenvironment of high-risk RMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonie D. H. Gossel
- Department for Children and Adolescents, Division for Stem Cell Transplantation, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (L.D.H.G.); (C.H.); (L.M.M.); (P.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Catrin Heim
- Department for Children and Adolescents, Division for Stem Cell Transplantation, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (L.D.H.G.); (C.H.); (L.M.M.); (P.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Lisa-Marie Pfeffermann
- Department of Cellular Therapeutics/Cell Processing, Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology Frankfurt am Main, Goethe University Medical School, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (L.-M.P.); (H.B.B.)
| | - Laura M. Moser
- Department for Children and Adolescents, Division for Stem Cell Transplantation, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (L.D.H.G.); (C.H.); (L.M.M.); (P.B.); (M.M.)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (T.E.K.); (W.S.W.)
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT), 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Halvard B. Bönig
- Department of Cellular Therapeutics/Cell Processing, Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology Frankfurt am Main, Goethe University Medical School, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (L.-M.P.); (H.B.B.)
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98198-7720, USA
| | - Thomas E. Klingebiel
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (T.E.K.); (W.S.W.)
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT), 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department for Children and Adolescents, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Peter Bader
- Department for Children and Adolescents, Division for Stem Cell Transplantation, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (L.D.H.G.); (C.H.); (L.M.M.); (P.B.); (M.M.)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (T.E.K.); (W.S.W.)
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT), 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Winfried S. Wels
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (T.E.K.); (W.S.W.)
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT), 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Michael Merker
- Department for Children and Adolescents, Division for Stem Cell Transplantation, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (L.D.H.G.); (C.H.); (L.M.M.); (P.B.); (M.M.)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (T.E.K.); (W.S.W.)
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT), 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Eva Rettinger
- Department for Children and Adolescents, Division for Stem Cell Transplantation, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (L.D.H.G.); (C.H.); (L.M.M.); (P.B.); (M.M.)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (T.E.K.); (W.S.W.)
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT), 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-(0)69-6301-80631; Fax: +49-(0)69-6301-4202
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16
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Dasgupta A, Sierra L, Tsang SV, Kurenbekova L, Patel T, Rajapakse K, Shuck RL, Rainusso N, Landesman Y, Unger T, Coarfa C, Yustein JT. Targeting PAK4 Inhibits Ras-Mediated Signaling and Multiple Oncogenic Pathways in High-Risk Rhabdomyosarcoma. Cancer Res 2021; 81:199-212. [PMID: 33168646 PMCID: PMC7878415 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-20-0854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most prevalent pediatric soft-tissue sarcoma. Multimodal treatment, including surgery and traditional chemotherapy with radiotherapy, has contributed to improvements in overall survival rates. However, patients with recurrent or metastatic disease have 5-year survival rates of less than 30%. One reason for the lack of therapeutic advancement is identification and targeting of critical signaling nodes. p21-activated kinases (PAK) are a family of serine/threonine kinases downstream of multiple critical tumorigenic receptor tyrosine kinase receptors and oncogenic regulators, including IGFR and RAS signaling, that significantly contribute to aggressive malignant phenotypes. Here, we report that RMS cell lines and tumors exhibit enhanced PAK4 expression levels and activity, which are further activated by growth factors involved in RMS development. Molecular perturbation of PAK4 in multiple RMS models in vitro and in vivo resulted in inhibition of RMS development and progression. Fusion-positive and -negative RMS models were sensitive to two PAK4 small-molecule inhibitors, PF-3758309 and KPT-9274, which elicited significant antitumor and antimetastatic potential in several primary and metastatic in vivo models, including a relapsed RMS patient-derived xenograft model. Transcriptomic analysis of PAK4-targeted tumors revealed inhibition of the RAS-GTPase, Hedgehog, and Notch pathways, along with evidence of activation of antitumor immune response signatures. This PAK4-targeting gene signature showed prognostic significance for patients with sarcoma. Overall, our results show for the first time that PAK4 is a novel and viable therapeutic target for the treatment of high-risk RMS. SIGNIFICANCE: These data demonstrate a novel oncogenic role for PAK4 in rhabdomyosarcoma and show that targeting PAK4 activity is a promising viable therapeutic option for advanced rhabdomyosarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atreyi Dasgupta
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers and The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Laura Sierra
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers and The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Susan V Tsang
- Integrative Molecular and Biological Sciences Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Lyazat Kurenbekova
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers and The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Tajhal Patel
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers and The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Kimal Rajapakse
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Comprehensive Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Ryan L Shuck
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers and The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Nino Rainusso
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers and The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | | | | | - Cristian Coarfa
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Comprehensive Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Jason T Yustein
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers and The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
- Integrative Molecular and Biological Sciences Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Dan L. Duncan Cancer Comprehensive Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
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17
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Singh S, Abu-Zaid A, Lin W, Low J, Abdolvahabi A, Jin H, Wu Q, Cooke B, Fang J, Bowling J, Vaithiyalingam S, Currier D, Yun MK, Fernando DM, Maier J, Tillman H, Bulsara P, Lu Z, Das S, Shelat A, Li Z, Young B, Lee R, Rankovic Z, Murphy AJ, White SW, Davidoff AM, Chen T, Yang J. 17-DMAG dually inhibits Hsp90 and histone lysine demethylases in alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. iScience 2020; 24:101996. [PMID: 33490904 PMCID: PMC7811140 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Histone lysine demethylases (KDMs) play critical roles in oncogenesis and therefore may be effective targets for anticancer therapy. Using a time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer demethylation screen assay, in combination with multiple orthogonal validation approaches, we identified geldanamycin and its analog 17-DMAG as KDM inhibitors. In addition, we found that these Hsp90 inhibitors increase degradation of the alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (aRMS) driver oncoprotein PAX3-FOXO1 and induce the repressive epigenetic mark H3K9me3 and H3K36me3 at genomic loci of PAX3-FOXO1 targets. We found that as monotherapy 17-DMAG significantly inhibits expression of PAX3-FOXO1 target genes and multiple oncogenic pathways, induces a muscle differentiation signature, delays tumor growth and extends survival in aRMS xenograft mouse models. The combination of 17-DMAG with conventional chemotherapy significantly enhances therapeutic efficacy, indicating that targeting KDM in combination with chemotherapy may serve as a therapeutic approach to PAX3-FOXO1-positive aRMS. Identification of geldanamycin/17-DMAG as histone lysine demethylase inhibitors Geldanamycin/17-DMAG causes degradation of PAX3-FOXO1, an Hsp90 client Geldanamycin/17-DMAG induces epigenetic changes and targets PAX3-FOXO1 pathway 17-DMAG alone or combined with chemotherapy show potency to PAX3-FOXO1 xenografts
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivendra Singh
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis TN 38105, USA
| | - Ahmed Abu-Zaid
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis TN 38105, USA
| | - Wenwei Lin
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Jonathan Low
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Alireza Abdolvahabi
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Hongjian Jin
- Center for Applied Bioinformatics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Qiong Wu
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis TN 38105, USA
| | - Bailey Cooke
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis TN 38105, USA
| | - Jie Fang
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis TN 38105, USA
| | - John Bowling
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Sivaraja Vaithiyalingam
- Protein Technologies Center, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.,Department of Structural Biology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Duane Currier
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Mi-Kyung Yun
- Department of Structural Biology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Dinesh M Fernando
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Julie Maier
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Heather Tillman
- Department of Pathology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Purva Bulsara
- Department of Biostatistics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Zhaohua Lu
- Department of Biostatistics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Sourav Das
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Anang Shelat
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Zhenmei Li
- Department of Structural Biology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Brandon Young
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Richard Lee
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Zoran Rankovic
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Andrew J Murphy
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis TN 38105, USA
| | - Stephen W White
- Department of Structural Biology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.,Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Andrew M Davidoff
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis TN 38105, USA
| | - Taosheng Chen
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Jun Yang
- Department of Surgery, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis TN 38105, USA
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18
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Pal A, Leung JY, Ang GCK, Rao VK, Pignata L, Lim HJ, Hebrard M, Chang KT, Lee VK, Guccione E, Taneja R. EHMT2 epigenetically suppresses Wnt signaling and is a potential target in embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. eLife 2020; 9:57683. [PMID: 33252038 PMCID: PMC7728445 DOI: 10.7554/elife.57683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling is downregulated in embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) and contributes to the block of differentiation. Epigenetic mechanisms leading to its suppression are unknown and could pave the way toward novel therapeutic modalities. We demonstrate that EHMT2 suppresses canonical Wnt signaling by activating expression of the Wnt antagonist DKK1. Inhibition of EHMT2 expression or activity in human ERMS cell lines reduced DKK1 expression and elevated canonical Wnt signaling resulting in myogenic differentiation in vitro and in mouse xenograft models in vivo. Mechanistically, EHMT2 impacted Sp1 and p300 enrichment at the DKK1 promoter. The reduced tumor growth upon EHMT2 deficiency was reversed by recombinant DKK1 or LGK974, which also inhibits Wnt signaling. Consistently, among 13 drugs targeting chromatin modifiers, EHMT2 inhibitors were highly effective in reducing ERMS cell viability. Our study demonstrates that ERMS cells are vulnerable to EHMT2 inhibitors and suggest that targeting the EHMT2-DKK1-β-catenin node holds promise for differentiation therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ananya Pal
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jia Yu Leung
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gareth Chin Khye Ang
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vinay Kumar Rao
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Luca Pignata
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Huey Jin Lim
- Department of Pathology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Maxime Hebrard
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kenneth Te Chang
- Department of Pathology, KK Women and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Victor Km Lee
- Department of Pathology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ernesto Guccione
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Reshma Taneja
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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19
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Gonzalez Curto G, Der Vartanian A, Frarma YEM, Manceau L, Baldi L, Prisco S, Elarouci N, Causeret F, Korenkov D, Rigolet M, Aurade F, De Reynies A, Contremoulins V, Relaix F, Faklaris O, Briscoe J, Gilardi-Hebenstreit P, Ribes V. The PAX-FOXO1s trigger fast trans-differentiation of chick embryonic neural cells into alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma with tissue invasive properties limited by S phase entry inhibition. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1009164. [PMID: 33175861 PMCID: PMC7682867 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The chromosome translocations generating PAX3-FOXO1 and PAX7-FOXO1 chimeric proteins are the primary hallmarks of the paediatric fusion-positive alveolar subtype of Rhabdomyosarcoma (FP-RMS). Despite the ability of these transcription factors to remodel chromatin landscapes and promote the expression of tumour driver genes, they only inefficiently promote malignant transformation in vivo. The reason for this is unclear. To address this, we developed an in ovo model to follow the response of spinal cord progenitors to PAX-FOXO1s. Our data demonstrate that PAX-FOXO1s, but not wild-type PAX3 or PAX7, trigger the trans-differentiation of neural cells into FP-RMS-like cells with myogenic characteristics. In parallel, PAX-FOXO1s remodel the neural pseudo-stratified epithelium into a cohesive mesenchyme capable of tissue invasion. Surprisingly, expression of PAX-FOXO1s, similar to wild-type PAX3/7, reduce the levels of CDK-CYCLIN activity and increase the fraction of cells in G1. Introduction of CYCLIN D1 or MYCN overcomes this PAX-FOXO1-mediated cell cycle inhibition and promotes tumour growth. Together, our findings reveal a mechanism that can explain the apparent limited oncogenicity of PAX-FOXO1 fusion transcription factors. They are also consistent with certain clinical reports indicative of a neural origin of FP-RMS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Line Manceau
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
| | - Lorenzo Baldi
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
| | - Selene Prisco
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
| | - Nabila Elarouci
- Programme Cartes d'Identité des Tumeurs, Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Paris, France
| | - Frédéric Causeret
- Université de Paris, Imagine Institute, Team Genetics and Development of the Cerebral Cortex, Paris, France
- Université de Paris, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, INSERM U1266, Paris, France
| | - Daniil Korenkov
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
| | - Muriel Rigolet
- Univ Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, EnVA, EFS, IMRB, Créteil, France
| | - Frédéric Aurade
- Univ Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, EnVA, EFS, IMRB, Créteil, France
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, UMRS974, Center for Research in Myology, Paris, France
| | - Aurélien De Reynies
- Programme Cartes d'Identité des Tumeurs, Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Paris, France
| | - Vincent Contremoulins
- ImagoSeine core facility of Institut Jacques Monod and member of France-BioImaging, France
| | - Frédéric Relaix
- Univ Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, EnVA, EFS, IMRB, Créteil, France
| | - Orestis Faklaris
- ImagoSeine core facility of Institut Jacques Monod and member of France-BioImaging, France
| | - James Briscoe
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Vanessa Ribes
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France
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20
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Würtemberger J, Tchessalova D, Regina C, Bauer C, Schneider M, Wagers AJ, Hettmer S. Growth inhibition associated with disruption of the actin cytoskeleton by Latrunculin A in rhabdomyosarcoma cells. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0238572. [PMID: 32898143 PMCID: PMC7478754 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional genomic screening of KRAS-driven mouse sarcomas was previously employed to identify proliferation-relevant genes. Genes identified included Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 (Ube2c), Centromere Protein E (Cenpe), Hyaluronan Synthase 2 (Has2), and CAMP Responsive Element Binding Protein 3 Like 2 (Creb3l2). This study examines the expression and chemical inhibition of these candidate genes, identifying variable levels of protein expression and significant contributions to rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cell proliferation. Chemical treatment of human and murine RMS cell lines with bortezomib, UA62784, latrunculin A and sorafenib inhibited growth with approximate EC50 concentrations of 15-30nM for bortezomib, 25-80nM for UA62784 and 80-220nM for latrunculin A. The multi-kinase inhibitor sorafenib increased in vitro proliferation of 4 of 6 sarcoma cell lines tested. Latrunculin A was further associated with disruption of the actin cytoskeleton and reduced ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Together, this work advances opportunities for developing therapies to block progression of soft-tissue sarcomas and demonstrates that disruption of the actin cytoskeleton in sarcoma cells by latrunculin A is associated with a reduction in RMS cell growth. (167 words).
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Würtemberger
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Daria Tchessalova
- Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Carla Regina
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Bauer
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michaela Schneider
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Amy J. Wagers
- Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University and Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Simone Hettmer
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
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21
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Issaq SH, Mendoza A, Kidner R, Rosales TI, Duveau DY, Heske CM, Rohde JM, Boxer MB, Thomas CJ, DeBerardinis RJ, Helman LJ. EWS-FLI1-regulated Serine Synthesis and Exogenous Serine are Necessary for Ewing Sarcoma Cellular Proliferation and Tumor Growth. Mol Cancer Ther 2020; 19:1520-1529. [PMID: 32371575 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-19-0748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Despite a growing body of knowledge about the genomic landscape of Ewing sarcoma, translation of basic discoveries into targeted therapies and significant clinical gains has remained elusive. Recent insights have revealed that the oncogenic transcription factor EWS-FLI1 can impact Ewing sarcoma cellular metabolism, regulating expression of 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH), the first enzyme in de novo serine synthesis. Here, we have examined the importance of serine metabolism in Ewing sarcoma tumorigenesis and evaluated the therapeutic potential of targeting serine metabolism in preclinical models of Ewing sarcoma. We show that PHGDH knockdown resulted in decreased Ewing sarcoma cell proliferation, especially under serine limitation, and significantly inhibited xenograft tumorigenesis in preclinical orthotopic models of Ewing sarcoma. In addition, the PHGDH inhibitor NCT-503 caused a dose-dependent decrease in cellular proliferation. Moreover, we report a novel drug combination in which nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) inhibition, which blocks production of the PHGDH substrate NAD+, synergized with NCT-503 to abolish Ewing sarcoma cell proliferation and tumor growth. Furthermore, we show that serine deprivation inhibited Ewing sarcoma cell proliferation and tumorigenesis, indicating that Ewing sarcoma cells depend on exogenous serine in addition to de novo serine synthesis. Our findings suggest that serine metabolism is critical for Ewing sarcoma tumorigenesis, and that targeting metabolic dependencies should be further investigated as a potential therapeutic strategy for Ewing sarcoma. In addition, the combination strategy presented herein may have broader clinical applications in other PHGDH-overexpressing cancers as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sameer H Issaq
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland.
| | | | - Ria Kidner
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Tracy I Rosales
- Children's Medical Center Research Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Damien Y Duveau
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH, Rockville, Maryland
| | | | - Jason M Rohde
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH, Rockville, Maryland
| | - Matthew B Boxer
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH, Rockville, Maryland
| | - Craig J Thomas
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH, Rockville, Maryland
| | - Ralph J DeBerardinis
- Children's Medical Center Research Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Lee J Helman
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
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22
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Yohe ME, Heske CM, Stewart E, Adamson PC, Ahmed N, Antonescu CR, Chen E, Collins N, Ehrlich A, Galindo RL, Gryder BE, Hahn H, Hammond S, Hatley ME, Hawkins DS, Hayes MN, Hayes-Jordan A, Helman LJ, Hettmer S, Ignatius MS, Keller C, Khan J, Kirsch DG, Linardic CM, Lupo PJ, Rota R, Shern JF, Shipley J, Sindiri S, Tapscott SJ, Vakoc CR, Wexler LH, Langenau DM. Insights into pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma research: Challenges and goals. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2019; 66:e27869. [PMID: 31222885 PMCID: PMC6707829 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.27869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Revised: 05/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Overall survival rates for pediatric patients with high-risk or relapsed rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) have not improved significantly since the 1980s. Recent studies have identified a number of targetable vulnerabilities in RMS, but these discoveries have infrequently translated into clinical trials. We propose streamlining the process by which agents are selected for clinical evaluation in RMS. We believe that strong consideration should be given to the development of combination therapies that add biologically targeted agents to conventional cytotoxic drugs. One example of this type of combination is the addition of the WEE1 inhibitor AZD1775 to the conventional cytotoxic chemotherapeutics, vincristine and irinotecan.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Nabil Ahmed
- Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | | | | | | | | | - Rene L. Galindo
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | | | - Heidi Hahn
- University Medical Center Gӧttingen, Gӧttingen, Germany
| | | | - Mark E. Hatley
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105
| | - Douglas S. Hawkins
- Seattle Children’s Hospital, University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98105
| | - Madeline N. Hayes
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02114
| | | | - Lee J. Helman
- Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027
| | | | | | - Charles Keller
- Children’s Cancer Therapy Development Institute, Beaverton, OR 97005
| | - Javed Khan
- National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | | | | | - Philip J. Lupo
- Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Rossella Rota
- Children’s Hospital Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Janet Shipley
- The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | - David M. Langenau
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02114
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23
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Pal A, Chiu HY, Taneja R. Genetics, epigenetics and redox homeostasis in rhabdomyosarcoma: Emerging targets and therapeutics. Redox Biol 2019; 25:101124. [PMID: 30709791 PMCID: PMC6859585 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2019.101124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 01/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma accounting for 5-8% of malignant tumours in children and adolescents. Children with high risk disease have poor prognosis. Anti-RMS therapies include surgery, radiation and combination chemotherapy. While these strategies improved survival rates, they have plateaued since 1990s as drugs that target differentiation and self-renewal of tumours cells have not been identified. Moreover, prevailing treatments are aggressive with drug resistance and metastasis causing failure of several treatment regimes. Significant advances have been made recently in understanding the genetic and epigenetic landscape in RMS. These studies have identified novel diagnostic and prognostic markers and opened new avenues for treatment. An important target identified in high throughput drug screening studies is reactive oxygen species (ROS). Indeed, many drugs in clinical trials for RMS impact tumour progression through ROS. In light of such emerging evidence, we discuss recent findings highlighting key pathways, epigenetic alterations and their impacts on ROS that form the basis of developing novel molecularly targeted therapies in RMS. Such targeted therapies in combination with conventional therapy could reduce adverse side effects in young survivors and lead to a decline in long-term morbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ananya Pal
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117593, Singapore
| | - Hsin Yao Chiu
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117593, Singapore
| | - Reshma Taneja
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117593, Singapore.
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Codenotti S, Faggi F, Ronca R, Chiodelli P, Grillo E, Guescini M, Megiorni F, Marampon F, Fanzani A. Caveolin-1 enhances metastasis formation in a human model of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma through Erk signaling cooperation. Cancer Lett 2019; 449:135-144. [DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2019.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Revised: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Perry JA, Seong BKA, Stegmaier K. Biology and Therapy of Dominant Fusion Oncoproteins Involving Transcription Factor and Chromatin Regulators in Sarcomas. ANNUAL REVIEW OF CANCER BIOLOGY-SERIES 2019. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-cancerbio-030518-055710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
A third of soft tissue sarcomas have been shown to carry recurrent, characteristic chromosomal translocations, many of which generate fusion proteins that act as dominant transcription factors or as chromatin regulators. With routine use of massively parallel sequencing and advances in technology for the study of epigenetics and protein complexes, the last decade has seen a marked advancement in the identification of novel fusions and in our understanding of the mechanisms by which they contribute to the malignant state. Moreover, with new approaches in chemistry, such as the strategy of targeted protein degradation, we are now better poised to address these previously intractable targets. In this review, we describe three of the most common fusion-driven sarcomas (Ewing sarcoma, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, and synovial sarcoma), mechanistic themes emerging across these diseases, and novel approaches to their targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A. Perry
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Bo Kyung Alex Seong
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Kimberly Stegmaier
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
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Glutamine synthetase is necessary for sarcoma adaptation to glutamine deprivation and tumor growth. Oncogenesis 2019; 8:20. [PMID: 30808861 PMCID: PMC6391386 DOI: 10.1038/s41389-019-0129-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Revised: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite a growing body of knowledge about the genomic landscape and molecular pathogenesis of sarcomas, translation of basic discoveries into targeted therapies and significant clinical gains has remained elusive. Renewed interest in altered metabolic properties of cancer cells has led to an exploration of targeting metabolic dependencies as a novel therapeutic strategy. In this study, we have characterized the dependency of human pediatric sarcoma cells on key metabolic substrates and identified a mechanism of adaptation to metabolic stress by examining proliferation and bioenergetic properties of rhabdomyosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma cells under varying concentrations of glucose and glutamine. While all cell lines tested were completely growth-inhibited by lack of glucose, cells adapted to glutamine deprivation, and restored proliferation following an initial period of reduced growth. We show that expression of glutamine synthetase (GS), the enzyme responsible for de novo glutamine synthesis, increased during glutamine deprivation, and that pharmacological or shRNA-mediated GS inhibition abolished proliferation of glutamine-deprived cells, while having no effect on cells grown under normal culture conditions. Moreover, the GS substrates and glutamine precursors glutamate and ammonia restored proliferation of glutamine-deprived cells in a GS-dependent manner, further emphasizing the necessity of GS for adaptation to glutamine stress. Furthermore, pharmacological and shRNA-mediated GS inhibition significantly reduced orthotopic xenograft tumor growth. We also show that glutamine supports sarcoma nucleotide biosynthesis and optimal mitochondrial bioenergetics. Our findings demonstrate that GS mediates proliferation of glutamine-deprived pediatric sarcomas, and suggest that targeting metabolic dependencies of sarcomas should be further investigated as a potential therapeutic strategy.
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Kasiappan R, Jutooru I, Mohankumar K, Karki K, Lacey A, Safe S. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)-Inducing Triterpenoid Inhibits Rhabdomyosarcoma Cell and Tumor Growth through Targeting Sp Transcription Factors. Mol Cancer Res 2019; 17:794-805. [PMID: 30610105 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-18-1071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Revised: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Methyl 2-trifluoromethyl-3,11-dioxo-18β-olean-1,12-dien-3-oate (CF3DODA-Me) is derived synthetically from glycyrrhetinic acid, a major component of licorice, and this compound induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) in RD and Rh30 rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cells. CF3DODA-Me also inhibited growth and invasion and induced apoptosis in RMS cells, and these responses were attenuated after cotreatment with the antioxidant glutathione, demonstrating the effective anticancer activity of ROS in RMS. CF3DODA-Me also downregulated expression of specificity protein (Sp) transcription factors Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4 and prooncogenic Sp-regulated genes including PAX3-FOXO1 (in Rh30 cells). The mechanism of CF3DODA-Me-induced Sp-downregulation involved ROS-dependent repression of c-Myc and cMyc-regulated miR-27a and miR-17/20a, and this resulted in induction of the miRNA-regulated Sp repressors ZBTB4, ZBTB10, and ZBTB34. The cell and tumor growth effects of CF3DODA-Me further emphasize the sensitivity of RMS cells to ROS inducers and their potential clinical applications for treating this deadly disease. IMPLICATIONS: CF3DODA-Me and HDAC inhibitors that induce ROS-dependent Sp downregulation could be developed for clinical applications in treating rhabdomyosarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravi Kasiappan
- Department of Biochemistry, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, Karnataka, India
| | - Indira Jutooru
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Kumaravel Mohankumar
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Keshav Karki
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Alexandra Lacey
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Stephen Safe
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.
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Pannexin 1 inhibits rhabdomyosarcoma progression through a mechanism independent of its canonical channel function. Oncogenesis 2018; 7:89. [PMID: 30459312 PMCID: PMC6246549 DOI: 10.1038/s41389-018-0100-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is an aggressive soft tissue sarcoma of childhood thought to arise from impaired differentiation of skeletal muscle progenitors. We have recently identified Pannexin 1 (PANX1) channels as a novel regulator of skeletal myogenesis. In the present study, we determined that PANX1 transcript and protein levels are down-regulated in embryonal (eRMS) and alveolar RMS (aRMS) patient-derived cell lines and primary tumor specimens as compared to differentiated skeletal muscle myoblasts and tissue, respectively. While not sufficient to overcome the inability of RMS to reach terminal differentiation, ectopic expression of PANX1 in eRMS (Rh18) and aRMS (Rh30) cells significantly decreased their proliferative and migratory potential. Furthermore, ectopic PANX1 abolished 3D spheroid formation in eRMS and aRMS cells and induced regression of established spheroids through induction of apoptosis. Notably, PANX1 expression also significantly reduced the growth of human eRMS and aRMS tumor xenografts in vivo. Interestingly, PANX1 does not form active channels when expressed in eRMS (Rh18) and aRMS (Rh30) cells and the addition of PANX1 channel inhibitors did not alter or reverse the PANX1-mediated reduction of cell proliferation and migration. Moreover, expression of channel-defective PANX1 mutants not only disrupted eRMS and aRMS 3D spheroids, but also inhibited in vivo RMS tumor growth. Altogether our findings suggest that PANX1 alleviates RMS malignant properties in vitro and in vivo through a process that is independent of its canonical channel function.
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Owusu-Agyemang P, Cata JP, Kapoor R, Zavala AM, Williams UU, Van Meter A, Tsai JY, Zhang WH, Feng L, Hayes-Jordan A. An analysis of the survival impact of dexmedetomidine in children undergoing cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Int J Hyperthermia 2018; 35:435-440. [PMID: 30303410 DOI: 10.1080/02656736.2018.1506167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Recent evidence suggests the α2-adrenoreceptor agonist dexmedetomidine may promote metastasis of cancer cells. In this study we sought to evaluate the impact of dexmedetomidine administration on the survival of children and adolescents with cancer. DESIGN Retrospective chart review. SETTING Comprehensive cancer center. PATIENTS Children and adolescents who had undergone cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal carcinomatosis. INTERVENTION Intraoperative and/or early postoperative (within 24 hours of surgery) administration of dexmedetomidine. MEASUREMENTS Multivariable cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between dexmedetomidine administration and progression free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS). MAIN RESULTS Ninety-three patients were identified. The median age was 12 years, 42% were female, and 35% received dexmedetomidine. There were no significant differences between the baseline and perioperative characteristics of patients who received dexmedetomidine and those who did not. In the multivariable analysis, the administration of dexmedetomidine was not associated with PFS (HR = 1.20, 95% CI [0.60-2.41], p = .606) or OS (HR = 0.81, 95% CI [0.35-1.85], p = .611). CONCLUSION In this retrospective study of children and adolescents who had undergone a major oncologic surgery, the intraoperative and/or early postoperative administration of dexmedetomidine was not associated with survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Owusu-Agyemang
- a Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine , The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA.,b Anesthesiology and Surgical Oncology Research Group , Houston , TX , USA
| | - Juan P Cata
- a Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine , The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA.,b Anesthesiology and Surgical Oncology Research Group , Houston , TX , USA
| | - Ravish Kapoor
- a Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine , The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA
| | - Acsa M Zavala
- a Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine , The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA
| | - Uduak U Williams
- a Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine , The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA
| | - Antoinette Van Meter
- a Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine , The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA
| | - January Y Tsai
- a Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine , The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA
| | - Wei H Zhang
- a Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine , The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA
| | - Lei Feng
- c Department of Biostatistics , The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston , TX , USA
| | - Andrea Hayes-Jordan
- d Division of Pediatric Surgery , University of North Carolina School of Medicine , Chapel Hill , NC , USA
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30
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Wolff DW, Lee MH, Jothi M, Mal M, Li F, Mal AK. Camptothecin exhibits topoisomerase1-independent KMT1A suppression and myogenic differentiation in alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma cells. Oncotarget 2018; 9:25796-25807. [PMID: 29899822 PMCID: PMC5995248 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.25376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (aRMS) is an aggressive subtype of the most common soft tissue cancer in children. A hallmark of aRMS tumors is incomplete myogenic differentiation despite expression of master myogenic regulators such as MyoD. We previously reported that histone methyltransferase KMT1A suppresses MyoD function to maintain an undifferentiated state in aRMS cells, and that loss of KMT1A is sufficient to induce differentiation and suppress malignant phenotypes in these cells. Here, we develop a chemical compound screening approach using MyoD-responsive luciferase reporter myoblast cells to identify compounds that alleviate suppression of MyoD-mediated differentiation by KMT1A. A screen of pharmacological compounds yielded the topoisomerase I (TOP1) poison camptothecin (CPT) as the strongest hit in our assay system. Furthermore, treatment of aRMS cells with clinically relevant CPT derivative irinotecan restores MyoD function, and myogenic differentiation in vitro and in a xenograft model. This differentiated phenotype was associated with downregulation of the KMT1A protein. Remarkably, loss of KMT1A in CPT-treated cells occurs independently of its well-known anti-TOP1 mechanism. We further demonstrate that CPT can directly inhibit KMT1A activity in vitro. Collectively, these findings uncover a novel function of CPT that downregulates KMT1A independently of CPT-mediated TOP1 inhibition and permits differentiation of aRMS cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W. Wolff
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Min-Hyung Lee
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
- Current address: Division of Biotechnology Review and Research IV, Office of Biotechnology Products, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - Mathivanan Jothi
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
- Current address: Department of Human Genetics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, KA 560029, India
| | - Munmun Mal
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Fengzhi Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Asoke K. Mal
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
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31
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The tyrosine kinase inhibitor crizotinib does not have clinically meaningful activity in heavily pre-treated patients with advanced alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma with FOXO rearrangement: European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer phase 2 trial 90101 'CREATE'. Eur J Cancer 2018; 94:156-167. [PMID: 29567632 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2018.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas (ARMSs) can harbour MET and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) alterations. We prospectively assessed crizotinib in patients with advanced/metastatic ARMS. METHODS Eligible patients with a central diagnosis of ARMS received oral crizotinib 250 mg twice daily. Patients were attributed to MET/ALK+ or MET/ALK- subcohorts by assessing the presence or absence of the forkhead box O1 (FOXO1; a marker of MET upregulation) and/or ALK gene rearrangement. The primary end-point was the objective response rate (ORR). Secondary end-points included duration of response (DOR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), progression-free rate (PFR), overall survival (OS) and safety. FINDINGS Nineteen of 20 consenting patients had centrally confirmed ARMS. Molecular assessment revealed rearrangement of FOXO1 in 17 tumours and ALK in none. Thirteen eligible patients were treated, but only eight were evaluable for the primary end-point because of the observed aggressiveness of the disease. Among seven evaluable MET+/ALK- patients, only one achieved a confirmed partial response (ORR: 14.3%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.3-57.8) with a DOR of 52 d. Further MET+/ALK- efficacy end-points were DCR: 14.3% (95% CI: 0.3-57.8), median PFS: 1.3 months (95% CI: 0.5-1.5) and median OS: 5.6 months (95% CI: 0.7-7.0). The remaining MET+/ALK- and MET-/ALK- patients had early progression as best response. Common treatment-related adverse events were fatigue (5/13 [38.5%]), nausea (4/13 [30.8%]), anorexia (4/13 [30.8%]), vomiting (2/13 [15.4%]) and constipation (2/13 [15.4%]). All 13 treated patients died early because of progressive disease. INTERPRETATION Crizotinib is well tolerated but lacks clinically meaningful activity as a single agent in patients with advanced metastatic ARMS. Assessing single agents in aggressive, chemotherapy-refractory ARMS is challenging, and future trials should explore established chemotherapy ± investigational compounds in earlier lines of treatment. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER EORTC 90101, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01524926.
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32
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Teot LA, Schneider M, Thorner AR, Tian J, Chi YY, Ducar M, Lin L, Wlodarski M, Grier HE, Fletcher CDM, van Hummelen P, Skapek SX, Hawkins DS, Wagers AJ, Rodriguez-Galindo C, Hettmer S. Clinical and mutational spectrum of highly differentiated, paired box 3:forkhead box protein o1 fusion-negative rhabdomyosarcoma: A report from the Children's Oncology Group. Cancer 2018; 124:1973-1981. [PMID: 29461635 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.31286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Revised: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pediatric paired box 3:forkhead box protein O1 fusion-negative (PF-) rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) represents a diverse spectrum of tumors with marked differences in histology, myogenic differentiation, and clinical behavior. METHODS This study sought to evaluate the clinical and mutational spectrum of 24 pediatric PF- human RMS tumors with high levels of myogenic differentiation. Tumors were sequenced with OncoPanel v.2, a panel consisting of the coding regions of 504 genes previously linked to human cancer. RESULTS Most of the tumors (19 of 24) arose at head/neck or genitourinary sites, and the overall survival rate was 100% with a median follow-up time of 4.6 years (range, 1.4-8.6 years). RAS pathway gene mutations were the most common mutations in PF-, highly differentiated RMS tumors. In addition, Hedgehog (Hh) and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) gene mutations with evidence for functional relevance (high-impact) were identified in subsets of tumors. The presence of Hh and mTOR pathway gene mutations was mutually exclusive and was associated with high-impact RAS pathway gene mutations in 3 of 4 Hh-mutated tumors and in 1 of 6 mTOR-mutated tumors. CONCLUSIONS Interestingly, Hh and mTOR gene mutations were previously associated with rhabdomyomas, which are also known to preferentially arise at head/neck and genitourinary sites. Findings from this study further support the idea that PF-, highly differentiated RMS tumors and rhabdomyomas may represent a continuous spectrum of tumors. Cancer 2018;124:1973-81. © 2018 American Cancer Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa A Teot
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Michaela Schneider
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Germany
| | - Aaron R Thorner
- Center for Cancer Genome Discovery, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jing Tian
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Yueh-Yun Chi
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Matthew Ducar
- Center for Cancer Genome Discovery, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ling Lin
- Center for Cancer Genome Discovery, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Marcin Wlodarski
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Germany
| | - Holcombe E Grier
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Paul van Hummelen
- Center for Cancer Genome Discovery, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Stephen X Skapek
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Medical Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Douglas S Hawkins
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Amy J Wagers
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, Massachusetts
- Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo
- Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Simone Hettmer
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Germany
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Megiorni F, Gravina GL, Camero S, Ceccarelli S, Del Fattore A, Desiderio V, Papaccio F, McDowell HP, Shukla R, Pizzuti A, Beirinckx F, Pujuguet P, Saniere L, der Aar EV, Maggio R, De Felice F, Marchese C, Dominici C, Tombolini V, Festuccia C, Marampon F. Pharmacological targeting of the ephrin receptor kinase signalling by GLPG1790 in vitro and in vivo reverts oncophenotype, induces myogenic differentiation and radiosensitizes embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma cells. J Hematol Oncol 2017; 10:161. [PMID: 28985758 PMCID: PMC6389084 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-017-0530-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background EPH (erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular) receptors are clinically relevant targets in several malignancies. This report describes the effects of GLPG1790, a new potent pan-EPH inhibitor, in human embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) cell lines. Methods EPH-A2 and Ephrin-A1 mRNA expression was quantified by real-time PCR in 14 ERMS tumour samples and in normal skeletal muscle (NSM). GLPG1790 effects were tested in RD and TE671 cell lines, two in vitro models of ERMS, by performing flow cytometry analysis, Western blotting and immunofluorescence experiments. RNA interfering experiments were performed to assess the role of specific EPH receptors. Radiations were delivered using an x-6 MV photon linear accelerator. GLPG1790 (30 mg/kg) in vivo activity alone or in combination with irradiation (2 Gy) was determined in murine xenografts. Results Our study showed, for the first time, a significant upregulation of EPH-A2 receptor and Ephrin-A1 ligand in ERMS primary biopsies in comparison to NSM. GLPG1790 in vitro induced G1-growth arrest as demonstrated by Rb, Cyclin A and Cyclin B1 decrease, as well as by p21 and p27 increment. GLPG1790 reduced migratory capacity and clonogenic potential of ERMS cells, prevented rhabdosphere formation and downregulated CD133, CXCR4 and Nanog stem cell markers. Drug treatment committed ERMS cells towards skeletal muscle differentiation by inducing a myogenic-like phenotype and increasing MYOD1, Myogenin and MyHC levels. Furthermore, GLPG1790 significantly radiosensitized ERMS cells by impairing the DNA double-strand break repair pathway. Silencing of both EPH-A2 and EPH-B2, two receptors preferentially targeted by GLPG1790, closely matched the effects of the EPH pharmacological inhibition. GLPG1790 and radiation combined treatments reduced tumour mass by 83% in mouse TE671 xenografts. Conclusions Taken together, our data suggest that altered EPH signalling plays a key role in ERMS development and that its pharmacological inhibition might represent a potential therapeutic strategy to impair stemness and to rescue myogenic program in ERMS cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Megiorni
- Department of Paediatrics and Infantile Neuropsychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | - Giovanni Luca Gravina
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiation Oncology, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Simona Camero
- Department of Paediatrics and Infantile Neuropsychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Ceccarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Del Fattore
- Multi-Factorial Disease and Complex Phenotype Research Area, Bambino Gesu Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Desiderio
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Biotechnology and Medical Histology and Embriology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy
| | - Federica Papaccio
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and Surgery "F. Magrassi A. Lanzara", Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy
| | - Heather P McDowell
- Department of Paediatrics and Infantile Neuropsychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Oncology, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | - Rajeev Shukla
- Department of Perinatal and Paediatric Pathology, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | - Antonio Pizzuti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Filip Beirinckx
- Galapagos NV, Industriepark Mechelen Noord, General De Wittelaan L11 A3, 2880, Mechelen, Belgium
| | - Philippe Pujuguet
- Galapagos France, 102 avenue Gaston Roussel, 93230, Romainville, France
| | - Laurent Saniere
- Galapagos France, 102 avenue Gaston Roussel, 93230, Romainville, France
| | - Ellen Van der Aar
- Galapagos NV, Industriepark Mechelen Noord, General De Wittelaan L11 A3, 2880, Mechelen, Belgium
| | - Roberto Maggio
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Pharmacology, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Francesca De Felice
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Cinzia Marchese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Dominici
- Department of Paediatrics and Infantile Neuropsychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Tombolini
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Festuccia
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiation Oncology, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Francesco Marampon
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Division of Radiation Oncology, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
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Fanzani A, Poli M. Iron, Oxidative Damage and Ferroptosis in Rhabdomyosarcoma. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:ijms18081718. [PMID: 28783123 PMCID: PMC5578108 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18081718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent data have indicated a fundamental role of iron in mediating a non-apoptotic and non-necrotic oxidative form of programmed cell death termed ferroptosis that requires abundant cytosolic free labile iron to promote membrane lipid peroxidation. Different scavenger molecules and detoxifying enzymes, such as glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), have been shown to overwhelm or exacerbate ferroptosis depending on their expression magnitude. Ferroptosis is emerging as a potential weapon against tumor growth since it has been shown to potentiate cell death in some malignancies. However, this mechanism has been poorly studied in Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a myogenic tumor affecting childhood and adolescence. One of the main drivers of RMS genesis is the Retrovirus Associated DNA Sequences/Extracellular signal Regulated Kinases (RAS/ERK)signaling pathway, the deliberate activation of which correlates with tumor aggressiveness and oxidative stress levels. Since recent studies have indicated that treatment with oxidative inducers can significantly halt RMS tumor progression, in this review we covered different aspects, ranging from iron metabolism in carcinogenesis and tumor growth, to mechanisms of iron-mediated cell death, to highlight the potential role of ferroptosis in counteracting RMS growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Fanzani
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine (DMMT), University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Maura Poli
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine (DMMT), University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy.
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Zhang J, Song N, Zang D, Yu J, Li J, Di W, Guo R, Zhao W, Wang H. c-Myc promotes tumor proliferation and anti‑apoptosis by repressing p21 in rhabdomyosarcomas. Mol Med Rep 2017; 16:4089-4094. [PMID: 28765944 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2017.7101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2015] [Accepted: 01/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
v-myc avian myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog (c-Myc) is an important member protein of the Myc family that is important in cell cycle progression, apoptosis and tumorigenesis. In the present study, the role of c‑Myc in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) was assessed. Firstly, expression of endogenous c‑Myc and cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (p21) was examined in normal skeletal muscle, RMS specimens and TE671 RMS cells by immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Furthermore, cell cycle progression and apoptosis were assessed in TE671 RMS cells following treatment with a c‑Myc inhibitor, 10058‑F4. The results demonstrated that c‑Myc was overexpressed in clinical RMS tissues and TE671 cells, with the highest expression observed in the most RMS samples. Expression of p21 protein and apoptosis function were increased following treatment with 10058‑F4, but no difference was observed in cell cycle progression. In conclusion, the present study indicated that c‑Myc promotes RMS development by inhibiting apoptosis through repression of p21 transcription. Further studies will be required to evaluate c‑Myc as a target for RMS clinical treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinghang Zhang
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, P.R. China
| | - Na Song
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, P.R. China
| | - Dan Zang
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, P.R. China
| | - Jian Yu
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, P.R. China
| | - Jinsong Li
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, P.R. China
| | - Wenyu Di
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, P.R. China
| | - Ruina Guo
- Department of Pathology, Puyang Oilfield General Hospital, Puyang 457000, P.R. China
| | - Weixing Zhao
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, P.R. China
| | - Haijun Wang
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, P.R. China
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Sparreboom B, Litton B, Yaxley J. A Rare Case of Adult Rhabdomyosarcoma. Pol J Radiol 2017; 82:395-397. [PMID: 28811847 PMCID: PMC5536128 DOI: 10.12659/pjr.901967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2016] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare, soft tissue malignancy, diagnosed particularly in adults. It commonly metastasizes to the bone marrow. We present a rare case of an adult rhabdomyosarcoma which illustrates the importance of magnetic resonance imaging in identifying early changes in the internal bone structure. Case Report A 50-year-old male presented with acute urinary retention. The patient initially had a CT scan of the lumbar spine which only revealed a protrusion of the L5–S1 intervertebral disc and no apparent cause for the patient’s symptoms. One week later, an MRI was performed which showed extensive bone marrow metastases throughout the lumbar spine and a soft tissue mass in the lower sacral region. The bony metastases were not evident on the CT scan and the soft tissue mass was out of the coverage area of the CT. Subsequent biopsy of the soft tissue mass was performed and histopathology concluded the tissue to be a rhabdomyosarcoma. Unfortunately, the patient died one week after diagnosis. Conclusions Although adult rhabdomyosarcomas are very rare, this case highlights the advantage of MRI over CT in identifying early changes in the internal bone structure. Therefore, CT should not be relied upon to exclude bony metastases, particularly in the setting of primary cancer with a known tendency to metastasize to the bone marrow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Sparreboom
- Department of Medical Imaging, The Tweed Hospital, Tweed Heads, NSW, Australia
| | - Brendan Litton
- Department of Medical Imaging, The Tweed Hospital, Tweed Heads, NSW, Australia
| | - Julian Yaxley
- Department of Medicine, Townsville Hospital, Townsville, QLD, Australia
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Synergistic Antitumour Properties of viscumTT in Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma. J Immunol Res 2017; 2017:4874280. [PMID: 28791312 PMCID: PMC5534308 DOI: 10.1155/2017/4874280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Revised: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 05/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Aqueous mistletoe extracts from the European mistletoe (Viscum album) contain mainly mistletoe lectins and viscotoxins as cytotoxic compounds. Lipophilic triterpene acids, which do not occur in conventional mistletoe preparations, were solubilised with β-cyclodextrins. The combination of an aqueous extract (viscum) and a triterpene-containing extract (TT) recreated a whole mistletoe extract (viscumTT). These extracts were tested on rhabdomyosarcoma in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo with regard to anticancer effects. Viscum and viscumTT inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis effectively in a dose-dependent manner in vitro and ex vivo, whereas TT showed only moderate inhibitory effects. viscumTT proved to be more effective than the single extracts and displayed a synergistic effect in vitro and a stronger effect in vivo. viscumTT induced apoptosis via the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways, evidenced by the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of CASP8 and CASP9. CASP10 inhibitor inhibited apoptosis effectively, emphasising the importance of CASP10 in viscumTT-induced apoptosis. Additionally, viscumTT changed the ratio of apoptosis-associated proteins by downregulation of antiapoptotic proteins such as XIAP and BIRC5, thus shifting the balance towards apoptosis. viscumTT effectively reduced tumour volume in patient-derived xenografts in vivo and may be considered a promising substance for rhabdomyosarcoma therapy.
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Yan P, Huang Z, Zhu J. Matrine inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis of human rhabdomyosarcoma cells via downregulation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway. Oncol Lett 2017; 14:3148-3154. [PMID: 28927059 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2017.6564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Matrine, extracted from the Chinese traditional medicine Sophorae flavescentis, has been demonstrated to exhibit antitumor effects on numerous types of cancer in vivo and in vitro with low toxicity. However, its antitumor mechanism in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cells remains unclear. In the present study, the antitumor effects of matrine and its underlying mechanisms in RMS were investigated in vitro. The results demonstrated that matrine inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced apoptosis of RMS cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the expression levels of phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-MEK) and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) significantly decreased in RMS cells following matrine treatment. In addition, the apoptotic effects of matrine in RMS cells were partially inhibited upon MEK1 overexpression and enhanced upon combined treatment with an ERK inhibitor (U0126). In addition, the ratio of apoptosis regulator BCL-2/BAX significantly decreased following matrine treatment. In conclusion, these findings indicate that matrine inhibits cell proliferation and induces the apoptosis of RMS cells by suppressing the ERK signaling pathway, and may be a novel effective candidate for the treatment of patients with RMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Penghui Yan
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450003, P.R. China
| | - Zongqiang Huang
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450003, P.R. China
| | - Junbo Zhu
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450003, P.R. China
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Fischer K, Tognarelli S, Roesler S, Boedicker C, Schubert R, Steinle A, Klingebiel T, Bader P, Fulda S, Ullrich E. The Smac Mimetic BV6 Improves NK Cell-Mediated Killing of Rhabdomyosarcoma Cells by Simultaneously Targeting Tumor and Effector Cells. Front Immunol 2017; 8:202. [PMID: 28326081 PMCID: PMC5339542 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2016] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), the most common cancer of connective tissues in pediatrics, is often resistant to conventional therapies. One underlying mechanism of this resistance is the overexpression of Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) proteins, leading to a dysfunctional cell death program within tumor cells. Smac mimetics (SM) are small molecules that can reactivate the cell death program by antagonizing IAP proteins and thereby compensating their overexpression. Here, we report that SM sensitize two RMS cell lines (RD and RH30) toward natural killer (NK) cell-mediated killing on the one hand, and increase the cytotoxic potential of NK cells on the other. The SM-induced sensitization of RH30 cells toward NK cell-mediated killing is significantly reduced through blocking tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) on NK cells prior to coculture. In addition, the presence of zVAD.fmk, a pancaspase inhibitor, rescues tumor cells from the increase in killing, indicating an apoptosis-dependent cell death. On the NK cell side, the presence of SM in addition to IL-2 during the ex vivo expansion leads to an increase in their cytotoxic activity against RH30 cells. This effect is mainly TNFα-dependent and partially mediated by NK cell activation, which is associated with transcriptional upregulation of NF-κB target genes such as IκBα and RelB. Taken together, our findings implicate that SM represent a novel double-hit strategy, sensitizing tumor and activating NK cells with one single drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyra Fischer
- University Hospital Frankfurt, Department for Children and Adolescents Medicine, Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; LOEWE Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Sara Tognarelli
- University Hospital Frankfurt, Department for Children and Adolescents Medicine, Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; LOEWE Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Stefanie Roesler
- Institute for Experimental Cancer Research in Pediatrics, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany; German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Cathinka Boedicker
- Institute for Experimental Cancer Research in Pediatrics, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany; German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ralf Schubert
- University Hospital Frankfurt, Department for Children and Adolescents Medicine, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; University Hospital Frankfurt/Main, Department for Children and Adolescents Medicine, Division of Pulmonology, Allergy and Cystic Fibrosis, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Alexander Steinle
- University Hospital Frankfurt, Department for Molecular Medicine, Goethe University , Frankfurt , Germany
| | - Thomas Klingebiel
- LOEWE Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; University Hospital Frankfurt, Department for Children and Adolescents Medicine, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Peter Bader
- University Hospital Frankfurt, Department for Children and Adolescents Medicine, Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; LOEWE Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Simone Fulda
- Institute for Experimental Cancer Research in Pediatrics, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany; German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Evelyn Ullrich
- University Hospital Frankfurt, Department for Children and Adolescents Medicine, Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; LOEWE Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
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40
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Gravina GL, Festuccia C, Popov VM, Di Rocco A, Colapietro A, Sanità P, Monache SD, Musio D, De Felice F, Di Cesare E, Tombolini V, Marampon F. c-Myc Sustains Transformed Phenotype and Promotes Radioresistance of Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma Cell Lines. Radiat Res 2017; 185:411-22. [PMID: 27104757 DOI: 10.1667/rr14237.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
We have previously reported that the MEK/ERK pathway sustains in vitro and in vivo transformed phenotype and radioresistance of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) cell lines. Furthermore, we found that aberrant MEK/ERK signaling activation promotes c-Myc oncoprotein accumulation. In this study, the role of c-Myc in sustaining the ERMS transformed and radioresistant phenotype is characterized. RD and TE671 cell lines conditionally expressing MadMyc chimera protein, c-Myc-dominant negative and shRNA directed to c-Myc were used. Targeting c-Myc counteracted in vitro ERMS adherence and in suspension, growth motility and the expression of pro-angiogenic factors. c-Myc depletion decreased MMP-9, MMP-2, u-PA gelatinolytic activity, neural cell adhesion molecule sialylation status, HIF-1α, VEGF and increased TSP-1 protein expression levels. Rapid but not sustained targeting c-Myc radiosensitized ERMS cells by radiation-induced apoptosis, DNA damage and impairing the expression of DNA repair proteins RAD51 and DNA-PKcs, thereby silencing affected ERMS radioresistance. c-Myc sustains ERMS transformed phenotype and radioresistance by protecting cancer cells from radiation-induced apoptosis and DNA damage, while promoting radiation-induced DNA repair. This data suggest that c-Myc targeting can be tested as a promising treatment in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- G L Gravina
- a Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - C Festuccia
- a Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - V M Popov
- b Department of Radiation Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, Penn Center for Innovation Fellow, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - A Di Rocco
- c Department of Orthopedics/Surgery, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and
| | - A Colapietro
- a Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - P Sanità
- a Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - S Delle Monache
- a Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - D Musio
- d Department of Radiotherapy, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - F De Felice
- d Department of Radiotherapy, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - E Di Cesare
- a Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - V Tombolini
- d Department of Radiotherapy, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - F Marampon
- a Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
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Hayes MN, Langenau DM. Discovering novel oncogenic pathways and new therapies using zebrafish models of sarcoma. Methods Cell Biol 2017; 138:525-561. [PMID: 28129857 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2016.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Sarcoma is a type of cancer affecting connective, supportive, or soft tissue of mesenchymal origin. Despite rare incidence in adults (<1%), over 15% of pediatric cancers are sarcoma. Sadly, both adults and children with relapsed or metastatic disease have devastatingly high rates of mortality. Current treatment options for sarcoma include surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy; however, significant limitations exist with respect to the efficacy of these strategies. Strong impetus has been placed on the development of novel therapies and preclinical models for uncovering mechanisms involved in the development, progression, and therapy resistance of sarcoma. Over the past 15 years, the zebrafish has emerged as a powerful genetic model of human cancer. High genetic conservation when combined with a unique susceptibility to develop sarcoma has made the zebrafish an effective tool for studying these diseases. Transgenic and gene-activation strategies have been employed to develop zebrafish models of rhabdomyosarcoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, Ewing's sarcoma, chordoma, hemangiosarcoma, and liposarcoma. These models all display remarkable molecular and histopathological conservation with their human cancer counterparts and have offered excellent platforms for understanding disease progression in vivo. Short tumor latency and the amenability of zebrafish for ex vivo manipulation, live imaging studies, and tumor cell transplantation have allowed for efficient study of sarcoma initiation, growth, self-renewal, and maintenance. When coupled with facile chemical genetic approaches, zebrafish models of sarcoma have provided a strong translational tool to uncover novel drug pathways and new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- M N Hayes
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - D M Langenau
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA, United States
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42
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Abstract
In cancer research, it is an urgent need in the obtainment of a simple and reproducible model that mimics in all the complexity the pathological microenvironment. Specifically, the will to improve the overall survival of young patients affected by rhabdomyosarcoma compels researchers to develop new models resembling the multifaceted environment of the pathology to deeply study the disease under novel and different aspects. To this end, we developed a decellularization protocol for alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) able to maintain the three-dimensional structure. The attained extracellular matrix (ECM) can be used as 3D in vitro model suitable to both recapitulate the in vivo cancer microenvironment, and also for drug testing. Here, we first describe a detergent-enzymatic method and then we analyze the decellularization efficiency and the scaffold proteins.
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Exosomes derived from embryonal and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma carry differential miRNA cargo and promote invasion of recipient fibroblasts. Sci Rep 2016; 6:37088. [PMID: 27853183 PMCID: PMC5112573 DOI: 10.1038/srep37088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 10/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is an aggressive childhood soft tissue tumor, which exists in oncoprotein PAX-FOXO1 fusion positive and fusion negative subtypes, with the fusion-positive RMS being characterized by a more aggressive clinical behavior. Exosomes are small membranous vesicles secreted into body fluids by multiple cell types, including tumor cells, and have been implicated in metastatic progression through paracrine signaling. We characterized exosomes secreted by a panel of 5 RMS cell lines. Expression array analysis showed that, for both fusion-positive and fusion-negative cells, exosome miRNA clustered well together and to a higher extent than cellular miRNA. While enriched miRNA in exosomes of fusion-negative RMS cells were distinct from those of fusion-positive RMS cells, the most significant predicted disease and functions in both groups were related to processes relevant to cancer and tissue remodelling. Functionally, we found that RMS-derived exosomes exerted a positive effect on cellular proliferation of recipient RMS cells and fibroblasts, induced cellular migration and invasion of fibroblasts, and promoted angiogenesis. These findings show that RMS-derived exosomes enhance invasive properties of recipient cells, and that exosome content of fusion-positive RMS is different than that of fusion-negative RMS, possibly contributing to the different metastatic propensity of the two subtypes.
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Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a myogenic tumor classified as the most frequent soft tissue sarcoma affecting children and adolescents. The histopathological classification includes 5 different histotypes, with 2 most predominant referred as to embryonal and alveolar, the latter being characterized by adverse outcome. The current molecular classification identifies 2 major subsets, those harboring the fused Pax3-Foxo1 transcription factor generating from a recurrent specific translocation (fusion-positive RMS), and those lacking this signature but harboring mutations in the RAS/PI3K/AKT signaling axis (fusion-negative RMS). Since little attention has been devoted to RMS metabolism until now, in this review we summarize the "state of art" of metabolism and discuss how some of the molecular signatures found in this cancer, as observed in other more common tumors, can predict important metabolic challenges underlying continuous cell growth, oxidative stress resistance and metastasis, which could be the subject of future targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Monti
- a Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine , University of Brescia , Brescia , Italy
| | - Alessandro Fanzani
- a Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine , University of Brescia , Brescia , Italy.,b Interuniversity Institute of Myology , Rome , Italy
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45
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Thompson JC, Woods GM, Arnold MA, Elmaraghy C, Kahwash SB, Cripe TP, Setty BA. Pediatric Oral/Maxillofacial Soft Tissue Sarcomas: A Clinicopathologic Report of Four Cases. Case Rep Oncol 2016; 9:447-453. [PMID: 27721766 PMCID: PMC5043172 DOI: 10.1159/000447689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2016] [Accepted: 06/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Pediatric soft tissue sarcomas of the oral/maxillofacial region are rare neoplasms that present significant difficulty with respect to treatment and local control measures. We report four cases of pediatric oral/maxillofacial soft tissue sarcomas from our tertiary care pediatric hospital and emphasize the rarity of these malignancies and the challenges encountered in treating these lesions, and suggest areas for further research. We conclude that multimodal therapy and interdisciplinary cooperation are paramount to successful management of these lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel C. Thompson
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Gary M. Woods
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters, Norfolk, Va., USA
| | - Michael A. Arnold
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Charles Elmaraghy
- Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Samir B. Kahwash
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Timothy P. Cripe
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Bhuvana A. Setty
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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46
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Grünewald TGP, Fulda S. Editorial: Biology-Driven Targeted Therapy of Pediatric Soft-Tissue and Bone Tumors: Current Opportunities and Future Challenges. Front Oncol 2016; 6:39. [PMID: 26925391 PMCID: PMC4757644 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2016.00039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2015] [Accepted: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G P Grünewald
- Laboratory for Pediatric Sarcoma Biology, Institute of Pathology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich , Munich , Germany
| | - Simone Fulda
- Institute for Experimental Cancer Research in Pediatrics, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany; German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
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47
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48
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Hedrick E, Crose L, Linardic CM, Safe S. Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Inhibit Rhabdomyosarcoma by Reactive Oxygen Species-Dependent Targeting of Specificity Protein Transcription Factors. Mol Cancer Ther 2015; 14:2143-53. [PMID: 26162688 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-15-0148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2015] [Accepted: 06/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The two major types of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) are predominantly diagnosed in children, namely embryonal (ERMS) and alveolar (ARMS) RMS, and patients are treated with cytotoxic drugs, which results in multiple toxic side effects later in life. Therefore, development of innovative chemotherapeutic strategies is imperative, and a recent genomic analysis suggested the potential efficacy of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-inducing agents. Here, we demonstrate the efficacy of the potent histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, panobinostat and vorinostat, as agents that inhibit RMS tumor growth in vivo, induce apoptosis, and inhibit invasion of RD and Rh30 RMS cell lines. These effects are due to epigenetic repression of cMyc, which leads to decreased expression of cMyc-regulated miRs-17, -20a, and -27a; upregulation of ZBTB4, ZBTB10, and ZBTB34; and subsequent downregulation of Sp transcription factors. We also show that inhibition of RMS cell growth, survival and invasion, and repression of Sp transcription factors by the HDAC inhibitors are independent of histone acetylation but reversible after cotreatment with the antioxidant glutathione. These results show a novel ROS-dependent mechanism of antineoplastic activity for panobinostat and vorinostat that lies outside of their canonical HDAC-inhibitory activity and demonstrates the potential clinical utility for treating RMS patients with ROS-inducing agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Hedrick
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Lisa Crose
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Corinne M Linardic
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina. Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Stephen Safe
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Sciences Center, Houston, Texas.
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Kashi VP, Hatley ME, Galindo RL. Probing for a deeper understanding of rhabdomyosarcoma: insights from complementary model systems. Nat Rev Cancer 2015; 15:426-39. [PMID: 26105539 PMCID: PMC4599785 DOI: 10.1038/nrc3961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a mesenchymal malignancy composed of neoplastic primitive precursor cells that exhibit histological features of myogenic differentiation. Despite intensive conventional multimodal therapy, patients with high-risk RMS typically suffer from aggressive disease. The lack of directed therapies against RMS emphasizes the need to further uncover the molecular underpinnings of the disease. In this Review, we discuss the notable advances in the model systems now available to probe for new RMS-targetable pathogenetic mechanisms, and the possibilities for enhanced RMS therapeutics and improved clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkatesh P Kashi
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, Texas 75390-9072, USA
| | - Mark E Hatley
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
| | - Rene L Galindo
- 1] Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, Texas 75390-9072, USA. [2] Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, Texas 75390-9148, USA. [3] Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, Texas 75390-9063, USA
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50
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Faggi F, Codenotti S, Poliani PL, Cominelli M, Chiarelli N, Colombi M, Vezzoli M, Monti E, Bono F, Tulipano G, Fiorentini C, Zanola A, Lo HP, Parton RG, Keller C, Fanzani A. MURC/cavin-4 Is Co-Expressed with Caveolin-3 in Rhabdomyosarcoma Tumors and Its Silencing Prevents Myogenic Differentiation in the Human Embryonal RD Cell Line. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0130287. [PMID: 26086601 PMCID: PMC4472524 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether MURC/cavin-4, a plasma membrane and Z-line associated protein exhibiting an overlapping distribution with Caveolin-3 (Cav-3) in heart and muscle tissues, may be expressed and play a role in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), an aggressive myogenic tumor affecting childhood. We found MURC/cavin-4 to be expressed, often concurrently with Cav-3, in mouse and human RMS, as demonstrated through in silico analysis of gene datasets and immunohistochemical analysis of tumor samples. In vitro expression studies carried out using human cell lines and primary mouse tumor cultures showed that expression levels of both MURC/cavin-4 and Cav-3, while being low or undetectable during cell proliferation, became robustly increased during myogenic differentiation, as detected via semi-quantitative RT-PCR and immunoblotting analysis. Furthermore, confocal microscopy analysis performed on human RD and RH30 cell lines confirmed that MURC/cavin-4 mostly marks differentiated cell elements, colocalizing at the cell surface with Cav-3 and labeling myosin heavy chain (MHC) expressing cells. Finally, MURC/cavin-4 silencing prevented the differentiation in the RD cell line, leading to morphological cell impairment characterized by depletion of myogenin, Cav-3 and MHC protein levels. Overall, our data suggest that MURC/cavin-4, especially in combination with Cav-3, may play a consistent role in the differentiation process of RMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiorella Faggi
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy
- Interuniversity Institute of Myology (IIM), Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Codenotti
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy
- Interuniversity Institute of Myology (IIM), Rome, Italy
| | - Pietro Luigi Poliani
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Manuela Cominelli
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Nicola Chiarelli
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Marina Colombi
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Marika Vezzoli
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Eugenio Monti
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Federica Bono
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Giovanni Tulipano
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Chiara Fiorentini
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Alessandra Zanola
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Harriet P. Lo
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Robert G. Parton
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Charles Keller
- Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States of America
- Children’s Cancer Therapy Development Institute, Fort Collins, CO, United States of America
| | - Alessandro Fanzani
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy
- Interuniversity Institute of Myology (IIM), Rome, Italy
- * E-mail:
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