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Zheng S, He S, Liang Y, Tan Y, Liu Q, Liu T, Lu X. Understanding PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling in squamous cell carcinoma: mutated PIK3CA as an example. MOLECULAR BIOMEDICINE 2024; 5:13. [PMID: 38616230 PMCID: PMC11016524 DOI: 10.1186/s43556-024-00176-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Compared with those in adenocarcinoma, PIK3CA mutations are more common in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), which arises from stratified squamous epithelia that are usually exposed to adverse environmental factors. Although hotspot mutations in exons 9 and 20 of PIK3CA, including E542K, E545K, H1047L and H1047R, are frequently encountered in the clinic, their clinicopathological meaning remains to be determined in the context of SCC. Considering that few reviews on PIK3CA mutations in SCC are available in the literature, we undertook this review to shed light on the clinical significance of PIK3CA mutations, mainly regarding the implications and ramifications of PIK3CA mutations in malignant cell behavior, prognosis, relapse or recurrence and chemo- or radioresistance of SCC. It should be noted that only those studies regarding SCC in which PIK3CA was mutated were cherry-picked, which fell within the scope of this review. However, the role of mutated PIK3CA in adenocarcinoma has not been discussed. In addition, mutations occurring in other main members of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway other than PIK3CA were also excluded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shutao Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment of High Incidence Diseases in Central Asia, Clinical Medical Research Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830054, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuo He
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment of High Incidence Diseases in Central Asia, Clinical Medical Research Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830054, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment of High Incidence Diseases in Central Asia, Clinical Medical Research Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830054, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Yiyi Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment of High Incidence Diseases in Central Asia, Clinical Medical Research Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830054, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment of High Incidence Diseases in Central Asia, Clinical Medical Research Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830054, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830054, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaomei Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment of High Incidence Diseases in Central Asia, Clinical Medical Research Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830054, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China.
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Tasoulas J, Srivastava S, Xu X, Tarasova V, Maniakas A, Karreth FA, Amelio AL. Genetically engineered mouse models of head and neck cancers. Oncogene 2023; 42:2593-2609. [PMID: 37474617 PMCID: PMC10457205 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-023-02783-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
The head and neck region is one of the anatomic sites commonly afflicted by cancer, with ~1.5 million new diagnoses reported worldwide in 2020 alone. Remarkable progress has been made in understanding the underlying disease mechanisms, personalizing care based on each tumor's individual molecular characteristics, and even therapeutically exploiting the inherent vulnerabilities of these neoplasms. In this regard, genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) have played an instrumental role. While progress in the development of GEMMs has been slower than in other major cancer types, several GEMMs are now available that recapitulate most of the heterogeneous characteristics of head and neck cancers such as the tumor microenvironment. Different approaches have been employed in GEMM development and implementation, though each can generally recapitulate only certain disease aspects. As a result, appropriate model selection is essential for addressing specific research questions. In this review, we present an overview of all currently available head and neck cancer GEMMs, encompassing models for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and salivary and thyroid gland carcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Tasoulas
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Sonal Srivastava
- Department of Tumor Biology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Xiaonan Xu
- Department of Molecular Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Valentina Tarasova
- Department of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Anastasios Maniakas
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Florian A Karreth
- Department of Molecular Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Antonio L Amelio
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Tumor Biology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA.
- Department of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA.
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Modic Z, Cemazar M, Markelc B, Cör A, Sersa G, Kranjc Brezar S, Jesenko T. HPV-positive murine oral squamous cell carcinoma: development and characterization of a new mouse tumor model for immunological studies. J Transl Med 2023; 21:376. [PMID: 37296466 PMCID: PMC10257320 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04221-4] [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: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) strains is one of the risk factors for the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Some patients with HPV-positive OSCC have a better prognosis and respond better to various treatment modalities, including radiotherapy or immunotherapy. However, since HPV can only infect human cells, there are only a few immunocompetent mouse models available that enable immunological studies. Therefore, the aim of our study was to develop a transplantable immunocompetent mouse model of HPV-positive OSCC and characterize it in vitro and in vivo. METHODS Two monoclonal HPV-positive OSCC mouse cell lines were established by inducing the expression of HPV-16 oncogenes E6 and E7 in the MOC1 OSCC cell line using retroviral transduction. After confirming stable expression of HPV-16 E6 and E7 with quantitative real-time PCR and immunofluorescence staining, the cell lines were further characterized in vitro using proliferation assay, wound healing assay, clonogenic assay and RNA sequencing. In addition, tumor models were characterized in vivo in C57Bl/6NCrl mice in terms of their histological properties, tumor growth kinetics, and radiosensitivity. Furthermore, immunofluorescence staining of blood vessels, hypoxic areas, proliferating cells and immune cells was performed to characterize the tumor microenvironment of all three tumor models. RESULTS Characterization of the resulting MOC1-HPV cell lines and tumor models confirmed stable expression of HPV-16 oncogenes and differences in cell morphology, in vitro migration capacity, and tumor microenvironment characteristics. Although the cell lines did not differ in their intrinsic radiosensitivity, one of the HPV-positive tumor models, MOC1-HPV K1, showed a significantly longer growth delay after irradiation with a single dose of 15 Gy compared to parental MOC1 tumors. Consistent with this, MOC1-HPV K1 tumors had a lower percentage of hypoxic tumor area and a higher percentage of proliferating cells. Characteristics of the newly developed HPV-positive OSCC tumor models correlate with the transcriptomic profile of MOC1-HPV cell lines. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, we developed and characterized a novel immunocompetent mouse model of HPV-positive OSCC that exhibits increased radiosensitivity and enables studies of immune-based treatment approaches in HPV-positive OSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziva Modic
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska cesta 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Cemazar
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska cesta 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, Polje 42, Izola, Slovenia.
| | - Bostjan Markelc
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska cesta 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Zdravstvena pot 5, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Andrej Cör
- Department of Research, Valdoltra Orthopedic Hospital, Jadranska cesta 31, Ankaran, Slovenia
- Faculty of Education, University of Primorska, Cankarjeva pot 5, Koper, Slovenia
| | - Gregor Sersa
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska cesta 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Zdravstvena pot 5, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Simona Kranjc Brezar
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska cesta 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tanja Jesenko
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska cesta 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Rangel R, Pickering CR, Sikora AG, Spiotto MT. Genetic Changes Driving Immunosuppressive Microenvironments in Oral Premalignancy. Front Immunol 2022; 13:840923. [PMID: 35154165 PMCID: PMC8829003 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.840923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Oral premalignant lesions (OPLs) are the precursors to oral cavity cancers, and have variable rates of progression to invasive disease. As an intermediate state, OPLs have acquired a subset of the genomic alterations while arising in an oral inflammatory environment. These specific genomic changes may facilitate the transition to an immune microenvironment that permits malignant transformation. Here, we will discuss mechanisms by which OPLs develop an immunosuppressive microenvironment that facilitates progression to invasive cancer. We will describe how genomic alterations and immune microenvironmental changes co-evolve and cooperate to promote OSCC progression. Finally, we will describe how these immune microenvironmental changes provide specific and unique evolutionary vulnerabilities for targeted therapies. Therefore, understanding the genomic changes that drive immunosuppressive microenvironments may eventually translate into novel biomarker and/or therapeutic approaches to limit the progression of OPLs to potential lethal oral cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Rangel
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Curtis R Pickering
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Andrew G Sikora
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Michael T Spiotto
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
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Berta GN, Di Scipio F, Yang Z, Oberto A, Abbadessa G, Romano F, Carere ME, Ceccarelli A, Hirsch E, Mognetti B. Chemical Oral Cancerogenesis Is Impaired in PI3Kγ Knockout and Kinase-Dead Mice. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13164211. [PMID: 34439365 PMCID: PMC8391366 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13164211] [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: 07/18/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/08/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the role of PI3Kγ in oral carcinogenesis by using a murine model of oral squamous carcinoma generated by exposure to 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO) and the continuous human cancer cell line HSC-2 and Cal-27. PI3Kγ knockout (not expressing PI3Kγ), PI3Kγ kinase-dead (carrying a mutation in the PI3Kγ gene causing loss of kinase activity) and wild-type (WT) C57Bl/6 mice were administered 4NQO via drinking water to induce oral carcinomas. At sacrifice, lesions were histologically examined and stained for prognostic tumoral markers (EGFR, Neu, cKit, Ki67) and inflammatory infiltrate (CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19 and CD68). Prevalence and incidence of preneoplastic and exophytic lesions were significantly and similarly delayed in both transgenic mice versus the control. The expression of prognostic markers, as well as CD19+ and CD68+ cells, was higher in WT, while T lymphocytes were more abundant in tongues isolated from transgenic mice. HSC-2 and Cal-27 cells were cultured in the presence of the specific PI3Kγ-inhibitor (IPI-549) which significantly impaired cell vitality in a dose-dependent manner, as shown by the MTT test. Here, we highlighted two different mechanisms, namely the modulation of the tumor-infiltrating cells and the direct inhibition of cancer-cell proliferation, which might impair oral cancerogenesis in the absence/inhibition of PI3Kγ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Nicolao Berta
- Department of Clinical and Biological Science, University of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, 10043 Orbassano, TO, Italy; (F.D.S.); (G.A.); (M.E.C.); (A.C.)
- Correspondence: (G.N.B.); (B.M.); Tel.: +39-011-670-5446 (G.N.B.); +39-011-670-4518 (B.M.)
| | - Federica Di Scipio
- Department of Clinical and Biological Science, University of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, 10043 Orbassano, TO, Italy; (F.D.S.); (G.A.); (M.E.C.); (A.C.)
| | - Zhiqian Yang
- Scientific Research Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, No. 19 Nonglinxia Road, Guangzhou 510080, China;
| | - Alessandra Oberto
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, 10043 Orbassano, TO, Italy;
- Neuroscience Institute of the Cavalieri-Ottolenghi Foundation, Regione Gonzole 10, 10043 Orbassano, TO, Italy
| | - Giuliana Abbadessa
- Department of Clinical and Biological Science, University of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, 10043 Orbassano, TO, Italy; (F.D.S.); (G.A.); (M.E.C.); (A.C.)
| | - Federica Romano
- Department of Surgical Sciences, C.I.R. Dental School, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy;
| | - Maria Elisabetta Carere
- Department of Clinical and Biological Science, University of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, 10043 Orbassano, TO, Italy; (F.D.S.); (G.A.); (M.E.C.); (A.C.)
| | - Adriano Ceccarelli
- Department of Clinical and Biological Science, University of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, 10043 Orbassano, TO, Italy; (F.D.S.); (G.A.); (M.E.C.); (A.C.)
- Neuroscience Institute of the Cavalieri-Ottolenghi Foundation, Regione Gonzole 10, 10043 Orbassano, TO, Italy
| | - Emilio Hirsch
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy;
| | - Barbara Mognetti
- Department of Life Science and System Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Turin, Italy
- Correspondence: (G.N.B.); (B.M.); Tel.: +39-011-670-5446 (G.N.B.); +39-011-670-4518 (B.M.)
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Sagheer SH, Whitaker-Menezes D, Han JYS, Curry JM, Martinez-Outschoorn U, Philp NJ. 4NQO induced carcinogenesis: A mouse model for oral squamous cell carcinoma. Methods Cell Biol 2021; 163:93-111. [PMID: 33785171 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2021.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common subsite of head and neck cancer, with a 5-year survival rate of only 50%. There is a pressing need for animal models that recapitulate the human disease to understand the factors driving OSCC carcinogenesis. Many laboratories have used the chemical carcinogen 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO) to investigate OSCC formation. The importance of the 4NQO mouse model is that it mimics the stepwise progression observed in OSCC patients. The 4NQO carcinogen model has the advantage that it can be used with transgenic mice with genetic modification in specific tissue types to investigate their role in driving cancer progression. Herein, we describe the basic approach for administering 4NQO to mice to induce OSCC and methods for assessing the tissue and disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Hamad Sagheer
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Diana Whitaker-Menezes
- Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - John Y S Han
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy & Cell Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Joseph M Curry
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
| | | | - Nancy J Philp
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy & Cell Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
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Tan MT, Wu JG, Callejas-Valera JL, Schwarz RA, Gillenwater AM, Richards-Kortum RR, Vigneswaran N. A PIK3CA transgenic mouse model with chemical carcinogen exposure mimics human oral tongue tumorigenesis. Int J Exp Pathol 2020; 101:45-54. [PMID: 32436348 DOI: 10.1111/iep.12347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Revised: 02/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Oral cancer causes significant global mortality and has a five-year survival rate of around 64%. Poor prognosis results from late-stage diagnosis, highlighting an important need to develop better approaches to detect oral premalignant lesions (OPLs) and identify which OPLs are at highest risk of progression to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). An appropriate animal model that reflects the genetic, histologic, immunologic, molecular and gross visual features of human OSCC would aid in the development and evaluation of early detection and risk assessment strategies. Here, we present an experimental PIK3CA + 4NQO transgenic mouse model of oral carcinogenesis that combines the PIK3CA oncogene mutation with oral exposure to the chemical carcinogen 4NQO, an alternate experimental transgenic mouse model with PIK3CA as well as E6 and E7 mutations, and an existing wild-type mouse model based on oral exposure to 4NQO alone. We compare changes in dorsal and ventral tongue gross visual appearance, histologic features and molecular biomarker expression over a time course of carcinogenesis. Both transgenic models exhibit cytological and architectural features of dysplasia that mimic human disease and exhibit slightly increased staining for Ki-67, a cell proliferation marker. The PIK3CA + 4NQO model additionally exhibits consistent lymphocytic infiltration, presents with prominent dorsal and ventral tongue tumours, and develops cancer quickly relative to the other models. Thus, the PIK3CA + 4NQO model recapitulates the multistep genetic model of human oral carcinogenesis and host immune response in carcinogen-induced tongue cancer, making it a useful resource for future OSCC studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melody T Tan
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jean G Wu
- Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas School of Dentistry, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | | | - Ann M Gillenwater
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Nadarajah Vigneswaran
- Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas School of Dentistry, Houston, TX, USA
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