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Wang J, Alhaskawi A, Dong Y, Tian T, Abdalbary SA, Lu H. Advances in spatial multi-omics in tumors. TUMORI JOURNAL 2024:3008916241271458. [PMID: 39185632 DOI: 10.1177/03008916241271458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/27/2024]
Abstract
Single-cell techniques have convincingly demonstrated that tumor tissue usually contains multiple genetically defined cell subclones with different gene mutation sets as well as various transcriptional profiles, but the spatial heterogeneity of the microenvironment and the macrobiological characteristics of the tumor ecosystem have not been described. For the past few years, spatial multi-omics technologies have revealed the cellular interactions, microenvironment, and even systemic tumor-host interactions in the tumor ecosystem at the spatial level, which can not only improve classical therapies such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy but also promote the development of emerging targeted therapies in immunotherapy. Here, we review some emerging spatial omics techniques in cancer research and therapeutic applications and propose prospects for their future development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyan Wang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ahmad Alhaskawi
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yanzhao Dong
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tu Tian
- Department of Plastic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Sahar Ahmed Abdalbary
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Department of Orthopedic Physical Therapy, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Nahda University in Beni Suef, Beni Suef, Egypt
| | - Hui Lu
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Duan S, Sawyer TW, Witten BL, Song H, Else T, Merchant JL. Spatial profiling reveals tissue-specific neuro-immune interactions in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. J Pathol 2024; 262:362-376. [PMID: 38229586 PMCID: PMC10869639 DOI: 10.1002/path.6241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) are heterogeneous malignancies that arise from complex cellular interactions within the tissue microenvironment. Here, we sought to decipher tumor-derived signals from the surrounding microenvironment by applying digital spatial profiling (DSP) to hormone-secreting and non-functional GEP-NETs. By combining this approach with in vitro studies of human-derived organoids, we demonstrated the convergence of cell autonomous immune and pro-inflammatory proteins that suggests their role in neuroendocrine differentiation and tumorigenesis. DSP was used to evaluate the expression of 40 neural- and immune-related proteins in surgically resected duodenal and pancreatic NETs (n = 20) primarily consisting of gastrinomas (18/20). A total of 279 regions of interest were examined between tumors, adjacent normal and abnormal-appearing epithelium, and the surrounding stroma. The results were stratified by tissue type and multiple endocrine neoplasia I (MEN1) status, whereas protein expression was validated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). A tumor immune cell autonomous inflammatory signature was further evaluated by IHC and RNAscope, while functional pro-inflammatory signaling was confirmed using patient-derived duodenal organoids. Gastrin-secreting and non-functional pancreatic NETs showed a higher abundance of immune cell markers and immune infiltrate compared with duodenal gastrinomas. Compared with non-MEN1 tumors, MEN1 gastrinomas and preneoplastic lesions showed strong immune exclusion and upregulated expression of neuropathological proteins. Despite a paucity of immune cells, duodenal gastrinomas expressed the pro-inflammatory and pro-neural factor IL-17B. Treatment of human duodenal organoids with IL-17B activated NF-κB and STAT3 signaling and induced the expression of neuroendocrine markers. In conclusion, multiplexed spatial protein analysis identified tissue-specific neuro-immune signatures in GEP-NETs. Duodenal gastrinomas are characterized by an immunologically cold microenvironment that permits cellular reprogramming and neoplastic transformation of the preneoplastic epithelium. Moreover, duodenal gastrinomas cell autonomously express immune and pro-inflammatory factors, including tumor-derived IL-17B, that stimulate the neuroendocrine phenotype. © 2024 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzann Duan
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Travis W. Sawyer
- Department of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona Wyant College of Optical Sciences, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Brandon L. Witten
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Heyu Song
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Tobias Else
- Department of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, University of Michigan, Ann Harbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Juanita L. Merchant
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA
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Yan S, Guo Y, Lin L, Zhang W. Breaks for Precision Medicine in Cancer: Development and Prospects of Spatiotemporal Transcriptomics. Cancer Biother Radiopharm 2024; 39:35-45. [PMID: 38181185 DOI: 10.1089/cbr.2023.0116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2024] Open
Abstract
With the development of the social economy and the deepening understanding of cancer, cancer has become a significant cause of death, threatening human health. Although researchers have made rapid progress in cancer treatment strategies in recent years, the overall survival of cancer patients is still not optimistic. Therefore, it is essential to reveal the spatial pattern of gene expression, spatial heterogeneity of cell populations, microenvironment interactions, and other aspects of cancer. Spatiotemporal transcriptomics can help analyze the mechanism of cancer occurrence and development, greatly help precise cancer treatment, and improve clinical prognosis. Here, we review the integration strategies of single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics data, summarize the recent advances in spatiotemporal transcriptomics in cancer studies, and discuss the combined application of spatial multiomics, which provides new directions and strategies for the precise treatment and clinical prognosis of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiqi Yan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yilin Guo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Lizhong Lin
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First People's Hospital of Changde City, Changde, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenling Zhang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
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Duan S, Sheriff S, Elvis-Offiah UB, Witten BL, Sawyer TW, Sundaresan S, Cierpicki T, Grembecka J, Merchant JL. Clinically Defined Mutations in MEN1 Alter Its Tumor-suppressive Function Through Increased Menin Turnover. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:1318-1334. [PMID: 37492626 PMCID: PMC10364643 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-22-0522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
Loss of the tumor suppressor protein menin is a critical event underlying the formation of neuroendocrine tumors (NET) in hormone-expressing tissues including gastrinomas. While aberrant expression of menin impairs its tumor suppression, few studies explore the structure-function relationship of clinical multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 1 (MEN1) mutations in the absence of a complete LOH at both loci. Here, we determined whether clinical MEN1 mutations render nuclear menin unstable and lead to its functional inactivation. We studied the structural and functional implications of two clinical MEN1 mutations (R516fs, E235K) and a third variant (A541T) recently identified in 10 patients with gastroenteropancreatic (GEP)-NETs. We evaluated the subcellular localization and half-lives of the mutants and variant in Men1-null mouse embryo fibroblast cells and in hormone-expressing human gastric adenocarcinoma and NET cell lines. Loss of menin function was assessed by cell proliferation and gastrin gene expression assays. Finally, we evaluated the effect of the small-molecule compound MI-503 on stabilizing nuclear menin expression and function in vitro and in a previously reported mouse model of gastric NET development. Both the R516fs and E235K mutants exhibited severe defects in total and subcellular expression of menin, and this was consistent with reduced half-lives of these mutants. Mutated menin proteins exhibited loss of function in suppressing tumor cell proliferation and gastrin expression. Treatment with MI-503 rescued nuclear menin expression and attenuated hypergastrinemia and gastric hyperplasia in NET-bearing mice. Clinically defined MEN1 mutations and a germline variant confer pathogenicity by destabilizing nuclear menin expression. Significance We examined the function of somatic and germline mutations and a variant of MEN1 sequenced from gastroenteropancreatic NETs. We report that these mutations and variant promote tumor cell growth and gastrin expression by rendering menin protein unstable and prone to increased degradation. We demonstrate that the menin-MLL (mixed lineage leukemia) inhibitor MI-503 restores menin protein expression and function in vitro and in vivo, suggesting a potential novel therapeutic approach to target MEN1 GEP-NETs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzann Duan
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Sulaiman Sheriff
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Uloma B. Elvis-Offiah
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Brandon L. Witten
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Travis W. Sawyer
- Department of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona Wyant College of Optical Sciences, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Sinju Sundaresan
- Department of Physiology, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, Illinois
| | - Tomasz Cierpicki
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Jolanta Grembecka
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Juanita L. Merchant
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona
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Knapp TG, Duan S, Merchant JL, Sawyer TW. Quantitative characterization of duodenal gastrinoma autofluorescence using multiphoton microscopy. Lasers Surg Med 2023; 55:208-225. [PMID: 36515355 PMCID: PMC9957894 DOI: 10.1002/lsm.23619] [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: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Duodenal gastrinomas (DGASTs) are neuroendocrine tumors that develop in the submucosa of the duodenum and produce the hormone gastrin. Surgical resection of DGASTs is complicated by the small size of these tumors and the tendency for them to develop diffusely in the duodenum. Endoscopic mucosal resection of DGASTs is an increasingly popular method for treating this disease due to its low complication rate but suffers from poor rates of pathologically negative margins. Multiphoton microscopy can capture high-resolution images of biological tissue with contrast generated from endogenous fluorescence (autofluorescence [AF]) through two-photon excited fluorescence (2PEF). Second harmonic generation is another popular method of generating image contrast with multiphoton microscopy (MPM) and is a light-scattering phenomenon that occurs predominantly from structures such as collagen in biological samples. Some molecules that contribute to AF change in abundance from processes related to the cancer disease process (e.g., metabolic changes, oxidative stress, and angiogenesis). STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS MPM was used to image 12 separate patient samples of formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded duodenal gastrinoma slides with a second-harmonic generation (SHG) channel and four 2PEF channels. The excitation and emission profiles of each 2PEF channel were tuned to capture signal dominated by distinct fluorophores with well-characterized fluorescent spectra and known connections to the physiologic changes that arise in cancerous tissue. RESULTS We found that there was a significant difference in the relative abundance of signal generated in the 2PEF channels for regions of DGASTs in comparison to the neighboring tissues of the duodenum. Data generated from texture feature extraction of the MPM images were used in linear discriminant analysis models to create classifiers for tumor versus all other tissue types before and after principal component analysis (PCA). PCA improved the classifier accuracy and reduced the number of features required to achieve maximum accuracy. The linear discriminant classifier after PCA distinguished between tumor and other tissue types with an accuracy of 90.6%-93.8%. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that multiphoton microscopy 2PEF and SHG imaging is a promising label-free method for discriminating between DGASTs and normal duodenal tissue which has implications for future applications of in vivo assessment of resection margins with endoscopic MPM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G. Knapp
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Suzann Duan
- College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | | | - Travis W. Sawyer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Wyant College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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Pavlidis ET, Pavlidis TE. Molecular factors, diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal tract neuroendocrine tumors: An update. World J Clin Cases 2022; 10:9573-9587. [PMID: 36186187 PMCID: PMC9516923 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i27.9573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 07/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors (GI-NETs) is increasing, and despite recent advances in their therapy, it remains inadequate in patients with advanced well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors. These tumors present many challenges concerning the molecular basis and genomic profile, pathophysiology, clinicopathological features, histopathologic classification, diagnosis and treatment. There has been an ongoing debate on diagnostic criteria and clinical behavior, and various changes have been made over the last few years. Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gastrointestinal system is a rare but highly malignant neoplasm that is genetically distinct from gastrointestinal system neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). The diagnosis and management have changed over the past decade. Emerging novel biomarkers and metabolic players in cancer cells are useful and promising new diagnostic tools. Progress in positron emission tomography-computerized tomography and scintigraphy with new radioactive agents (64Cu-DOTATATE or 68Ga-DOTATATE) replacing enough octreoscan, has improved further the current diagnostic imaging. Promising results provide targeted therapies with biological agents, new drugs, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. However, the role of surgery is important, since it is the cornerstone of management. Simultaneous resection of small bowel NETs with synchronous liver metastases is a surgical challenge. Endoscopy offers novel options not only for diagnosis but also for interventional management. The therapeutic option should be individualized based on current multidisciplinary information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efstathios Theodoros Pavlidis
- Department of 2nd Surgical Propedeutic, Hippocration Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Medicine, Thessaloniki 54642, Greece
| | - Theodoros Efstathios Pavlidis
- Department of 2nd Surgical Propedeutic, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Medicine, Thessaloniki 54642, Greece
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Kleino I, Frolovaitė P, Suomi T, Elo LL. Computational solutions for spatial transcriptomics. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:4870-4884. [PMID: 36147664 PMCID: PMC9464853 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.08.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcriptome level expression data connected to the spatial organization of the cells and molecules would allow a comprehensive understanding of how gene expression is connected to the structure and function in the biological systems. The spatial transcriptomics platforms may soon provide such information. However, the current platforms still lack spatial resolution, capture only a fraction of the transcriptome heterogeneity, or lack the throughput for large scale studies. The strengths and weaknesses in current ST platforms and computational solutions need to be taken into account when planning spatial transcriptomics studies. The basis of the computational ST analysis is the solutions developed for single-cell RNA-sequencing data, with advancements taking into account the spatial connectedness of the transcriptomes. The scRNA-seq tools are modified for spatial transcriptomics or new solutions like deep learning-based joint analysis of expression, spatial, and image data are developed to extract biological information in the spatially resolved transcriptomes. The computational ST analysis can reveal remarkable biological insights into spatial patterns of gene expression, cell signaling, and cell type variations in connection with cell type-specific signaling and organization in complex tissues. This review covers the topics that help choosing the platform and computational solutions for spatial transcriptomics research. We focus on the currently available ST methods and platforms and their strengths and limitations. Of the computational solutions, we provide an overview of the analysis steps and tools used in the ST data analysis. The compatibility with the data types and the tools provided by the current ST analysis frameworks are summarized.
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Key Words
- AOI, area of illumination
- BICCN, Brain Initiative Cell Census Network
- BOLORAMIS, barcoded oligonucleotides ligated on RNA amplified for multiplexed and parallel in situ analyses
- Baysor, Bayesian Segmentation of Spatial Transcriptomics Data
- BinSpect, Binary Spatial Extraction
- CCC, cell–cell communication
- CCI, cell–cell interactions
- CNV, copy-number variation
- Computational biology
- DSP, digital spatial profiling
- DbiT-Seq, Deterministic Barcoding in Tissue for spatial omics sequencing
- FA, factor analysis
- FFPE, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded
- FISH, fluorescence in situ hybridization
- FISSEQ, fluorescence in situ sequencing of RNA
- FOV, Field of view
- GRNs, gene regulation networks
- GSEA, gene set enrichment analysis
- GSVA, gene set variation analysis
- HDST, high definition spatial transcriptomics
- HMRF, hidden Markov random field
- ICG, interaction changed genes
- ISH, in situ hybridization
- ISS, in situ sequencing
- JSTA, Joint cell segmentation and cell type annotation
- KNN, k-nearest neighbor
- LCM, Laser Capture Microdissection
- LCM-seq, laser capture microdissection coupled with RNA sequencing
- LOH, loss of heterozygosity analysis
- MC, Molecular Cartography
- MERFISH, multiplexed error-robust FISH
- NMF (NNMF), Non-negative matrix factorization
- PCA, Principal Component Analysis
- PIXEL-seq, Polony (or DNA cluster)-indexed library-sequencing
- PL-lig, padlock ligation
- QC, quality control
- RNAseq, RNA sequencing
- ROI, region of interest
- SCENIC, Single-Cell rEgulatory Network Inference and Clustering
- SME, Spatial Morphological gene Expression normalization
- SPATA, SPAtial Transcriptomic Analysis
- ST Pipeline, Spatial Transcriptomics Pipeline
- ST, Spatial transcriptomics
- STARmap, spatially-resolved transcript amplicon readout mapping
- Single-cell analysis
- Spatial data analysis frameworks
- Spatial deconvolution
- Spatial transcriptomics
- TIVA, Transcriptome in Vivo Analysis
- TMA, tissue microarray
- TME, tumor micro environment
- UMAP, Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection for Dimension Reduction
- UMI, unique molecular identifier
- ZipSeq, zipcoded sequencing.
- scRNA-seq, single-cell RNA sequencing
- scvi-tools, single-cell variational inference tools
- seqFISH, sequential fluorescence in situ hybridization
- sequ-smFISH, sequential single-molecule fluorescent in situ hybridization
- smFISH, single molecule FISH
- t-SNE, t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding
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Affiliation(s)
- Iivari Kleino
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Paulina Frolovaitė
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Tomi Suomi
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Laura L. Elo
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University Turku, Turku, Finland
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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Duan S, Sawyer TW, Sontz RA, Wieland BA, Diaz AF, Merchant JL. GFAP-directed Inactivation of Men1 Exploits Glial Cell Plasticity in Favor of Neuroendocrine Reprogramming. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022; 14:1025-1051. [PMID: 35835391 PMCID: PMC9490044 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2022.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Efforts to characterize the signaling mechanisms that underlie gastroenteropancreatic neoplasms (GEP-NENs) are precluded by a lack of comprehensive models that recapitulate pathogenesis. Investigation into a potential cell-of-origin for gastrin-secreting NENs revealed a non-cell autonomous role for loss of menin in neuroendocrine cell specification, resulting in an induction of gastrin in enteric glia. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that cell autonomous Men1 inactivation in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-expressing cells induced neuroendocrine differentiation and tumorigenesis. METHODS Transgenic GFAPΔMen1 mice were generated by conditional GFAP-directed Men1 deletion in GFAP-expressing cells. Cre specificity was confirmed using a tdTomato reporter. GFAPΔMen1 mice were evaluated for GEP-NEN development and neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia. Small interfering RNA-mediated Men1 silencing in a rat enteric glial cell line was performed in parallel. RESULTS GFAPΔMen1 mice developed pancreatic NENs, in addition to pituitary prolactinomas that phenocopied the human MEN1 syndrome. GFAPΔMen1 mice exhibited gastric neuroendocrine hyperplasia that coincided with a significant loss of GFAP expression. Men1 deletion induced loss of glial-restricted progenitor lineage markers and an increase in neuroendocrine genes, suggesting a reprogramming of GFAP+ cells. Deleting Kif3a, a mediator of Hedgehog signaling, in GFAP-expressing cells attenuated neuroendocrine hyperplasia by restricting the neuroendocrine cell fate. Similar results in the pancreas were observed when Sox10 was used to delete Men1. CONCLUSIONS GFAP-directed Men1 inactivation exploits glial cell plasticity in favor of neuroendocrine differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzann Duan
- University of Arizona College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Travis W. Sawyer
- Wyant College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Ricky A. Sontz
- University of Arizona College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Bradley A. Wieland
- University of Arizona College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Andres F. Diaz
- University of Arizona College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Juanita L. Merchant
- University of Arizona College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Tucson, Arizona,Correspondence Address correspondence to: Dr Juanita L. Merchant, University of Arizona, 1515 N. Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ 85724; tel: (520) 626-7897; fax: (520) 626-1291.
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Duan S, Rico K, Merchant JL. Gastrin: From Physiology to Gastrointestinal Malignancies. FUNCTION (OXFORD, ENGLAND) 2021; 3:zqab062. [PMID: 35330921 PMCID: PMC8788842 DOI: 10.1093/function/zqab062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Abetted by widespread usage of acid-suppressing proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), the mitogenic actions of the peptide hormone gastrin are being revisited as a recurring theme in various gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies. While pathological gastrin levels are intricately linked to hyperplasia of enterochromaffin-like cells leading to carcinoid development, the signaling effects exerted by gastrin on distinct cell types of the gastric mucosa are more nuanced. Indeed, mounting evidence suggests dichotomous roles for gastrin in both promoting and suppressing tumorigenesis. Here, we review the major upstream mediators of gastrin gene regulation, including inflammation secondary to Helicobacter pylori infection and the use of PPIs. We further explore the molecular biology of gastrin in GI malignancies, with particular emphasis on the regulation of gastrin in neuroendocrine neoplasms. Finally, we highlight tissue-specific transcriptional targets as an avenue for targetable therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzann Duan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Arizona Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Karen Rico
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Arizona Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
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