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Diaz JEL, Barcessat V, Bahamon C, Hecht C, Das TK, Cagan RL. Functional exploration of copy number alterations in a Drosophila model of triple-negative breast cancer. Dis Model Mech 2024; 17:dmm050191. [PMID: 38721669 PMCID: PMC11247506 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.050191] [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: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Accounting for 10-20% of breast cancer cases, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with a disproportionate number of breast cancer deaths. One challenge in studying TNBC is its genomic profile: with the exception of TP53 loss, most breast cancer tumors are characterized by a high number of copy number alterations (CNAs), making modeling the disease in whole animals challenging. We computationally analyzed 186 CNA regions previously identified in breast cancer tumors to rank genes within each region by likelihood of acting as a tumor driver. We then used a Drosophila p53-Myc TNBC model to identify 48 genes as functional drivers. To demonstrate the utility of this functional database, we established six 3-hit models; altering candidate genes led to increased aspects of transformation as well as resistance to the chemotherapeutic drug fluorouracil. Our work provides a functional database of CNA-associated TNBC drivers, and a template for an integrated computational/whole-animal approach to identify functional drivers of transformation and drug resistance within CNAs in other tumor types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E L Diaz
- Department of Cell, Development, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Internal Medicine, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, CA 90095, USA
| | - Vanessa Barcessat
- Department of Cell, Development, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Christian Bahamon
- Department of Cell, Development, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Chana Hecht
- Department of Cell, Development, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Tirtha K Das
- Department of Cell, Development, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Ross L Cagan
- Department of Cell, Development, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- School of Cancer Sciences and Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
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2
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Fukuda J, Kosuge S, Satoh Y, Sekiya S, Yamamura R, Ooshio T, Hirata T, Sato R, Hatanaka KC, Mitsuhashi T, Nakamura T, Matsuno Y, Hatanaka Y, Hirano S, Sonoshita M. Concurrent targeting of GSK3 and MEK as a therapeutic strategy to treat pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Cancer Sci 2024; 115:1333-1345. [PMID: 38320747 PMCID: PMC11007052 DOI: 10.1111/cas.16100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide. However, drug discovery for PDAC treatment has proven complicated, leading to stagnant therapeutic outcomes. Here, we identify Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) as a therapeutic target through a whole-body genetic screening utilizing a '4-hit' Drosophila model mimicking the PDAC genotype. Reducing the gene dosage of GSK3 in a whole-body manner or knocking down GSK3 specifically in transformed cells suppressed 4-hit fly lethality, similar to Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), the therapeutic target in PDAC we have recently reported. Consistently, a combination of the GSK3 inhibitor CHIR99021 and the MEK inhibitor trametinib suppressed the phosphorylation of Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) as well as the growth of orthotopic human PDAC xenografts in mice. Additionally, reducing PLK1 genetically in 4-hit flies rescued their lethality. Our results reveal a therapeutic vulnerability in PDAC that offers a treatment opportunity for patients by inhibiting multiple targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junki Fukuda
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery IIHokkaido University Faculty of MedicineSapporoJapan
| | - Shinya Kosuge
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery IIHokkaido University Faculty of MedicineSapporoJapan
| | - Yusuke Satoh
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Sho Sekiya
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery IIHokkaido University Faculty of MedicineSapporoJapan
| | - Ryodai Yamamura
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Takako Ooshio
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Taiga Hirata
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Reo Sato
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Kanako C. Hatanaka
- Center for Development of Advanced DiagnosticsHokkaido University HospitalSapporoJapan
| | - Tomoko Mitsuhashi
- Department of Surgical PathologyHokkaido University HospitalSapporoJapan
| | - Toru Nakamura
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery IIHokkaido University Faculty of MedicineSapporoJapan
| | - Yoshihiro Matsuno
- Department of Surgical PathologyHokkaido University HospitalSapporoJapan
| | - Yutaka Hatanaka
- Center for Development of Advanced DiagnosticsHokkaido University HospitalSapporoJapan
- Research Division of Genome Companion DiagnosticsHokkaido University HospitalSapporoJapan
| | - Satoshi Hirano
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery IIHokkaido University Faculty of MedicineSapporoJapan
| | - Masahiro Sonoshita
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
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3
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Han J, Xie C, Liu B, Wang Y, Pang R, Bi W, Sheng R, He G, Kong L, Yu J, Ding Z, Chen L, Jia J, Zhang J, Nie C. Tetraspanin 1 regulates papillary thyroid tumor growth and metastasis through c-Myc-mediated glycolysis. Cancer Sci 2023; 114:4535-4547. [PMID: 37750019 PMCID: PMC10728014 DOI: 10.1111/cas.15970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common form of thyroid cancer and is characterized by its tendency for lymphatic metastasis, leading to a poor prognosis. Tetraspanin 1 (TSPAN1) is a member of the tetra-transmembrane protein superfamily and has been implicated in tumorigenesis and cancer metastasis in various studies. However, the role of TSPAN1 in PTC tumor development remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of TSPAN1 on PTC cell behavior. Our results demonstrate that knockdown of TSPAN1 inhibits PTC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while overexpression of TSPAN1 has the opposite effect. These findings suggest that TSPAN1 might play a role in the tumorigenesis and invasiveness of PTC. Mechanistically, we found that TSPAN1 activates the ERK pathway by increasing its phosphorylation, subsequently leading to upregulated expression of c-Myc. Additionally, we observed that TSPAN1-ERK-c-Myc axis activation promotes glycolytic activity in PTC cells, as evidenced by the upregulation of glycolytic genes such as LDHA. Taken together, our findings indicate that TSPAN1 acts as an oncogene in PTC by regulating glycolytic metabolism. This discovery highlights the potential of TSPAN1 as a promising therapeutic target for PTC treatment. Further research in this area could provide valuable insights into the development of targeted therapies for PTC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihua Han
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryHarbin Medical University Cancer HospitalHarbinChina
| | - Changming Xie
- Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, Department of General SurgeryThe First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical UniversityHarbinChina
| | - Bo Liu
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryHarbin Medical University Cancer HospitalHarbinChina
| | - Yan Wang
- Department of Colorectal SurgeryHarbin Medical University Cancer HospitalHarbinChina
| | - Rui Pang
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryHarbin Medical University Cancer HospitalHarbinChina
| | - Wen Bi
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryHarbin Medical University Cancer HospitalHarbinChina
| | - Rinan Sheng
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryHarbin Medical University Cancer HospitalHarbinChina
| | - Guoqing He
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryHarbin Medical University Cancer HospitalHarbinChina
| | - Lingyu Kong
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryHarbin Medical University Cancer HospitalHarbinChina
| | - Jiawei Yu
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryHarbin Medical University Cancer HospitalHarbinChina
| | - Zhaoming Ding
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryHarbin Medical University Cancer HospitalHarbinChina
| | - Lili Chen
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryHarbin Medical University Cancer HospitalHarbinChina
| | - Jinliang Jia
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryHarbin Medical University Cancer HospitalHarbinChina
| | - Jiewu Zhang
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryHarbin Medical University Cancer HospitalHarbinChina
| | - Chunlei Nie
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryHarbin Medical University Cancer HospitalHarbinChina
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4
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Sekiya S, Fukuda J, Yamamura R, Ooshio T, Satoh Y, Kosuge S, Sato R, Hatanaka KC, Hatanaka Y, Mitsuhashi T, Nakamura T, Matsuno Y, Hirano S, Sonoshita M. Drosophila Screening Identifies Dual Inhibition of MEK and AURKB as an Effective Therapy for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Cancer Res 2023; 83:2704-2715. [PMID: 37378549 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-22-3762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Significant progress has been made in understanding the pathogenesis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) by generating and using murine models. To accelerate drug discovery by identifying novel therapeutic targets on a systemic level, here we generated a Drosophila model mimicking the genetic signature in PDAC (KRAS, TP53, CDKN2A, and SMAD4 alterations), which is associated with the worst prognosis in patients. The '4-hit' flies displayed epithelial transformation and decreased survival. Comprehensive genetic screening of their entire kinome revealed kinases including MEK and AURKB as therapeutic targets. Consistently, a combination of the MEK inhibitor trametinib and the AURKB inhibitor BI-831266 suppressed the growth of human PDAC xenografts in mice. In patients with PDAC, the activity of AURKB was associated with poor prognosis. This fly-based platform provides an efficient whole-body approach that complements current methods for identifying therapeutic targets in PDAC. SIGNIFICANCE Development of a Drosophila model mimicking genetic alterations in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma provides a tool for genetic screening that identifies MEK and AURKB inhibition as a potential treatment strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sho Sekiya
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery II, Hokkaido University Faculty of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Junki Fukuda
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery II, Hokkaido University Faculty of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Ryodai Yamamura
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Takako Ooshio
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yusuke Satoh
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Shinya Kosuge
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery II, Hokkaido University Faculty of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Reo Sato
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kanako C Hatanaka
- Center for Development of Advanced Diagnostics, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yutaka Hatanaka
- Center for Development of Advanced Diagnostics, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
- Research Division of Genome Companion Diagnostics, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Tomoko Mitsuhashi
- Department of Surgical Pathology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Toru Nakamura
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery II, Hokkaido University Faculty of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Matsuno
- Department of Surgical Pathology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Satoshi Hirano
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery II, Hokkaido University Faculty of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Masahiro Sonoshita
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Global Station for Biosurfaces and Drug Discovery, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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5
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Jiang H, Kimura T, Hai H, Yamamura R, Sonoshita M. Drosophila as a toolkit to tackle cancer and its metabolism. Front Oncol 2022; 12:982751. [PMID: 36091180 PMCID: PMC9458318 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.982751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is one of the most severe health problems worldwide accounting for the second leading cause of death. Studies have indicated that cancers utilize different metabolic systems as compared with normal cells to produce extra energy and substances required for their survival, which contributes to tumor formation and progression. Recently, the fruit fly Drosophila has been attracting significant attention as a whole-body model for elucidating the cancer mechanisms including metabolism. This tiny organism offers a valuable toolkit with various advantages such as high genetic conservation and similar drug response to mammals. In this review, we introduce flies modeling for cancer patient genotypes which have pinpointed novel therapeutic targets and drug candidates in the salivary gland, thyroid, colon, lung, and brain. Furthermore, we introduce fly models for metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, and cachexia. Diabetes mellitus and obesity are widely acknowledged risk factors for cancer, while cachexia is a cancer-related metabolic condition. In addition, we specifically focus on two cancer metabolic alterations: the Warburg effect and redox metabolism. Indeed, flies proved useful to reveal the relationship between these metabolic changes and cancer. Such accumulating achievements indicate that Drosophila offers an efficient platform to clarify the mechanisms of cancer as a systemic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Jiang
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Taku Kimura
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Department of Oral Diagnosis and Medicine, Graduate school of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Han Hai
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Ryodai Yamamura
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Global Station for Biosurfaces and Drug Discovery, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- *Correspondence: Ryodai Yamamura, ; Masahiro Sonoshita,
| | - Masahiro Sonoshita
- Division of Biomedical Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Global Station for Biosurfaces and Drug Discovery, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- *Correspondence: Ryodai Yamamura, ; Masahiro Sonoshita,
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6
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Munnik C, Xaba MP, Malindisa ST, Russell BL, Sooklal SA. Drosophila melanogaster: A platform for anticancer drug discovery and personalized therapies. Front Genet 2022; 13:949241. [PMID: 36003330 PMCID: PMC9393232 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.949241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a complex disease whereby multiple genetic aberrations, epigenetic modifications, metabolic reprogramming, and the microenvironment contribute to the development of a tumor. In the traditional anticancer drug discovery pipeline, drug candidates are usually screened in vitro using two-dimensional or three-dimensional cell culture. However, these methods fail to accurately mimic the human disease state. This has led to the poor success rate of anticancer drugs in the preclinical stages since many drugs are abandoned due to inefficacy or toxicity when transitioned to whole-organism models. The common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has emerged as a beneficial system for modeling human cancers. Decades of fundamental research have shown the evolutionary conservation of key genes and signaling pathways between flies and humans. Moreover, Drosophila has a lower genetic redundancy in comparison to mammals. These factors, in addition to the advancement of genetic toolkits for manipulating gene expression, allow for the generation of complex Drosophila genotypes and phenotypes. Numerous studies have successfully created Drosophila models for colorectal, lung, thyroid, and brain cancers. These models were utilized in the high-throughput screening of FDA-approved drugs which led to the identification of several compounds capable of reducing proliferation and rescuing phenotypes. More noteworthy, Drosophila has also unlocked the potential for personalized therapies. Drosophila ‘avatars’ presenting the same mutations as a patient are used to screen multiple therapeutic agents targeting multiple pathways to find the most appropriate combination of drugs. The outcomes of these studies have translated to significant responses in patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma and metastatic colorectal cancers. Despite not being widely utilized, the concept of in vivo screening of drugs in Drosophila is making significant contributions to the current drug discovery pipeline. In this review, we discuss the application of Drosophila as a platform in anticancer drug discovery; with special focus on the cancer models that have been generated, drug libraries that have been screened and the status of personalized therapies. In addition, we elaborate on the biological and technical limitations of this system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chamoné Munnik
- Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Malungi P. Xaba
- Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Sibusiso T. Malindisa
- Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Bonnie L. Russell
- Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
- Buboo (Pty) Ltd, The Innovation Hub, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Selisha A. Sooklal
- Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
- *Correspondence: Selisha A. Sooklal,
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7
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Regua AT, Najjar M, Lo HW. RET signaling pathway and RET inhibitors in human cancer. Front Oncol 2022; 12:932353. [PMID: 35957881 PMCID: PMC9359433 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.932353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rearranged during transfection (RET) receptor tyrosine kinase was first identified over thirty years ago as a novel transforming gene. Since its discovery and subsequent pathway characterization, RET alterations have been identified in numerous cancer types and are most prevalent in thyroid carcinomas and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In other tumor types such as breast cancer and salivary gland carcinomas, RET alterations can be found at lower frequencies. Aberrant RET activity is associated with poor prognosis of thyroid and lung carcinoma patients, and is strongly correlated with increased risk of distant metastases. RET aberrations encompass a variety of genomic or proteomic alterations, most of which confer constitutive activation of RET. Activating RET alterations, such as point mutations or gene fusions, enhance activity of signaling pathways downstream of RET, namely PI3K/AKT, RAS/RAF, MAPK, and PLCγ pathways, to promote cell proliferation, growth, and survival. Given the important role that mutant RET plays in metastatic cancers, significant efforts have been made in developing inhibitors against RET kinase activity. These efforts have led to FDA approval of Selpercatinib and Pralsetinib for NSCLC, as well as, additional selective RET inhibitors in preclinical and clinical testing. This review covers the current biological understanding of RET signaling, the impact of RET hyperactivity on tumor progression in multiple tumor types, and RET inhibitors with promising preclinical and clinical efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelina T. Regua
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States
| | - Mariana Najjar
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States
| | - Hui-Wen Lo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States
- Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winston-Salem, NC, United States
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8
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Qu N, Hui Z, Shen Z, Kan C, Hou N, Sun X, Han F. Thyroid Cancer and COVID-19: Prospects for Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Development. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:873027. [PMID: 35600591 PMCID: PMC9114699 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.873027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Thyroid cancer is the most prevalent endocrine malignancy and the reported incidence of thyroid cancer has continued to increase in recent years. Since 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been spreading worldwide in a global pandemic. COVID-19 aggravates primary illnesses and affects disease management; relevant changes include delayed diagnosis and treatment. The thyroid is an endocrine organ that is susceptible to autoimmune attack; thus, thyroid cancer after COVID-19 has gradually attracted attention. Whether COVID-19 affects the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer has also attracted the attention of many researchers. This review examines the literature regarding the influence of COVID-19 on the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of thyroid cancer; it also focuses on drug therapies to promote research into strategies for improving therapy and management in thyroid cancer patients with COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Qu
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
- Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Zongguang Hui
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
- Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Zhixin Shen
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Chengxia Kan
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
- Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Ningning Hou
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
- Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Xiaodong Sun
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
- Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
- *Correspondence: Fang Han, ; Xiaodong Sun,
| | - Fang Han
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
- Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
- *Correspondence: Fang Han, ; Xiaodong Sun,
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9
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Xiong Z, Jeon M, Allaway RJ, Kang J, Park D, Lee J, Jeon H, Ko M, Jiang H, Zheng M, Tan AC, Guo X, Dang KK, Tropsha A, Hecht C, Das TK, Carlson HA, Abagyan R, Guinney J, Schlessinger A, Cagan R. Crowdsourced identification of multi-target kinase inhibitors for RET- and TAU- based disease: The Multi-Targeting Drug DREAM Challenge. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009302. [PMID: 34520464 PMCID: PMC8483411 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
A continuing challenge in modern medicine is the identification of safer and more efficacious drugs. Precision therapeutics, which have one molecular target, have been long promised to be safer and more effective than traditional therapies. This approach has proven to be challenging for multiple reasons including lack of efficacy, rapidly acquired drug resistance, and narrow patient eligibility criteria. An alternative approach is the development of drugs that address the overall disease network by targeting multiple biological targets ('polypharmacology'). Rational development of these molecules will require improved methods for predicting single chemical structures that target multiple drug targets. To address this need, we developed the Multi-Targeting Drug DREAM Challenge, in which we challenged participants to predict single chemical entities that target pro-targets but avoid anti-targets for two unrelated diseases: RET-based tumors and a common form of inherited Tauopathy. Here, we report the results of this DREAM Challenge and the development of two neural network-based machine learning approaches that were applied to the challenge of rational polypharmacology. Together, these platforms provide a potentially useful first step towards developing lead therapeutic compounds that address disease complexity through rational polypharmacology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoping Xiong
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Minji Jeon
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Jaewoo Kang
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Donghyeon Park
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinhyuk Lee
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hwisang Jeon
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Miyoung Ko
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hualiang Jiang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Mingyue Zheng
- Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Aik Choon Tan
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Xindi Guo
- Sage Bionetworks, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | | | - Kristen K. Dang
- Sage Bionetworks, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Alex Tropsha
- Laboratory for Molecular Modeling, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Chana Hecht
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, United States of America
| | - Tirtha K. Das
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, United States of America
| | - Heather A. Carlson
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Ruben Abagyan
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Justin Guinney
- Sage Bionetworks, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Avner Schlessinger
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, United States of America
| | - Ross Cagan
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, United States of America
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow; Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
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10
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Gondal MN, Butt RN, Shah OS, Sultan MU, Mustafa G, Nasir Z, Hussain R, Khawar H, Qazi R, Tariq M, Faisal A, Chaudhary SU. A Personalized Therapeutics Approach Using an In Silico Drosophila Patient Model Reveals Optimal Chemo- and Targeted Therapy Combinations for Colorectal Cancer. Front Oncol 2021; 11:692592. [PMID: 34336681 PMCID: PMC8323493 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.692592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In silico models of biomolecular regulation in cancer, annotated with patient-specific gene expression data, can aid in the development of novel personalized cancer therapeutic strategies. Drosophila melanogaster is a well-established animal model that is increasingly being employed to evaluate such preclinical personalized cancer therapies. Here, we report five Boolean network models of biomolecular regulation in cells lining the Drosophila midgut epithelium and annotate them with colorectal cancer patient-specific mutation data to develop an in silico Drosophila Patient Model (DPM). We employed cell-type-specific RNA-seq gene expression data from the FlyGut-seq database to annotate and then validate these networks. Next, we developed three literature-based colorectal cancer case studies to evaluate cell fate outcomes from the model. Results obtained from analyses of the proposed DPM help: (i) elucidate cell fate evolution in colorectal tumorigenesis, (ii) validate cytotoxicity of nine FDA-approved CRC drugs, and (iii) devise optimal personalized treatment combinations. The personalized network models helped identify synergistic combinations of paclitaxel-regorafenib, paclitaxel-bortezomib, docetaxel-bortezomib, and paclitaxel-imatinib for treating different colorectal cancer patients. Follow-on therapeutic screening of six colorectal cancer patients from cBioPortal using this drug combination demonstrated a 100% increase in apoptosis and a 100% decrease in proliferation. In conclusion, this work outlines a novel roadmap for decoding colorectal tumorigenesis along with the development of personalized combinatorial therapeutics for preclinical translational studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahnoor Naseer Gondal
- Biomedical Informatics Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Rida Nasir Butt
- Biomedical Informatics Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Osama Shiraz Shah
- Biomedical Informatics Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Umer Sultan
- Biomedical Informatics Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Ghulam Mustafa
- Biomedical Informatics Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Zainab Nasir
- Biomedical Informatics Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Risham Hussain
- Biomedical Informatics Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Huma Khawar
- Biomedical Informatics Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Romena Qazi
- Department of Pathology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Tariq
- Epigenetics Laboratory, Department of Biology, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Amir Faisal
- Cancer Therapeutics Laboratory, Department of Biology, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Safee Ullah Chaudhary
- Biomedical Informatics Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
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11
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Abstract
AbstractAn important goal in the fight against cancer is to understand how tumors become invasive and metastatic. A crucial early step in metastasis is thought to be the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), the process in which epithelial cells transition into a more migratory and invasive, mesenchymal state. Since the genetic regulatory networks driving EMT in tumors derive from those used in development, analysis of EMTs in genetic model organisms such as the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster, can provide great insight into cancer. In this review I highlight the many ways in which studies in the fly are shedding light on cancer metastasis. The review covers both normal developmental events in which epithelial cells become migratory, as well as induced events, whereby normal epithelial cells become metastatic due to genetic manipulations. The ability to make such precise genetic perturbations in the context of a normal, in vivo environment, complete with a working innate immune system, is making the fly increasingly important in understanding metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Murray
- School of BioSciences, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Melbourne, Australia
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12
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Amatruda JF. Modeling the developmental origins of pediatric cancer to improve patient outcomes. Dis Model Mech 2021; 14:14/2/dmm048930. [PMID: 33619212 PMCID: PMC7927656 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.048930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In the treatment of children and adolescents with cancer, multimodal approaches combining surgery, chemotherapy and radiation can cure most patients, but may cause lifelong health problems in survivors. Current therapies only modestly reflect increased knowledge about the molecular mechanisms of these cancers. Advances in next-generation sequencing have provided unprecedented cataloging of genetic aberrations in tumors, but understanding how these genetic changes drive cellular transformation, and how they can be effectively targeted, will require multidisciplinary collaboration and preclinical models that are truly representative of the in vivo environment. Here, I discuss some of the key challenges in pediatric cancer from my perspective as a physician-scientist, and touch on some promising new approaches that have the potential to transform our understanding of these diseases. Summary: This Perspective discusses the special features that make it challenging to develop new therapies for pediatric cancers, and the ways in which collaboration centered on improved models can meet these challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- James F Amatruda
- Cancer and Blood Disease Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
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13
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Parkhitko AA, Singh A, Hsieh S, Hu Y, Binari R, Lord CJ, Hannenhalli S, Ryan CJ, Perrimon N. Cross-species identification of PIP5K1-, splicing- and ubiquitin-related pathways as potential targets for RB1-deficient cells. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009354. [PMID: 33591981 PMCID: PMC7909629 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The RB1 tumor suppressor is recurrently mutated in a variety of cancers including retinoblastomas, small cell lung cancers, triple-negative breast cancers, prostate cancers, and osteosarcomas. Finding new synthetic lethal (SL) interactions with RB1 could lead to new approaches to treating cancers with inactivated RB1. We identified 95 SL partners of RB1 based on a Drosophila screen for genetic modifiers of the eye phenotype caused by defects in the RB1 ortholog, Rbf1. We validated 38 mammalian orthologs of Rbf1 modifiers as RB1 SL partners in human cancer cell lines with defective RB1 alleles. We further show that for many of the RB1 SL genes validated in human cancer cell lines, low activity of the SL gene in human tumors, when concurrent with low levels of RB1 was associated with improved patient survival. We investigated higher order combinatorial gene interactions by creating a novel Drosophila cancer model with co-occurring Rbf1, Pten and Ras mutations, and found that targeting RB1 SL genes in this background suppressed the dramatic tumor growth and rescued fly survival whilst having minimal effects on wild-type cells. Finally, we found that drugs targeting the identified RB1 interacting genes/pathways, such as UNC3230, PYR-41, TAK-243, isoginkgetin, madrasin, and celastrol also elicit SL in human cancer cell lines. In summary, we identified several high confidence, evolutionarily conserved, novel targets for RB1-deficient cells that may be further adapted for the treatment of human cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey A. Parkhitko
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Aging Institute of UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Arashdeep Singh
- Cancer Data Science Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Sharon Hsieh
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Richard Binari
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Christopher J. Lord
- CRUK Gene Function Laboratory, The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sridhar Hannenhalli
- Cancer Data Science Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Colm J. Ryan
- Systems Biology Ireland, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Computer Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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14
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Yamamura R, Ooshio T, Sonoshita M. Tiny Drosophila makes giant strides in cancer research. Cancer Sci 2021; 112:505-514. [PMID: 33275812 PMCID: PMC7893992 DOI: 10.1111/cas.14747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer burden has been increasing worldwide, making cancer the second leading cause of death in the world. Over the past decades, various experimental models have provided important insights into the nature of cancer. Among them, the fruit fly Drosophila as a whole-animal toolkit has made a decisive contribution to our understanding of fundamental mechanisms of cancer development including loss of cell polarity. In recent years, scalable Drosophila platforms have proven useful also in developing anti-cancer regimens that are effective not only in mammalian models but also in patients. Here, we review studies using Drosophila as a tool to advance cancer study by complementing other traditional research systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryodai Yamamura
- Division of Biomedical OncologyInstitute for Genetic MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Takako Ooshio
- Division of Biomedical OncologyInstitute for Genetic MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Masahiro Sonoshita
- Division of Biomedical OncologyInstitute for Genetic MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
- Global Station for Biosurfaces and Drug DiscoveryHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
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15
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Nagy N, Guyer RA, Hotta R, Zhang D, Newgreen DF, Halasy V, Kovacs T, Goldstein AM. RET overactivation leads to concurrent Hirschsprung disease and intestinal ganglioneuromas. Development 2020; 147:dev190900. [PMID: 32994173 PMCID: PMC7657479 DOI: 10.1242/dev.190900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Appropriately balanced RET signaling is of crucial importance during embryonic neural crest cell migration, proliferation and differentiation. RET deficiency, for example, leads to intestinal aganglionosis (Hirschsprung disease), whereas overactive RET can lead to multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) syndromes. Some RET mutations are associated with both intestinal aganglionosis and MEN-associated tumors. This seemingly paradoxical occurrence has led to speculation of a 'Janus mutation' in RET that causes overactivation or impairment of RET activity depending on the cellular context. Using an intestinal catenary culture system to test the effects of GDNF-mediated RET activation, we demonstrate the concurrent development of distal colonic aganglionosis and intestinal ganglioneuromas. Interestingly, the tumors induced by GDNF stimulation contain enteric neuronal progenitors capable of reconstituting an enteric nervous system when transplanted into a normal developmental environment. These results suggest that a Janus mutation may not be required to explain co-existing Hirschsprung disease and MEN-associated tumors, but rather that RET overstimulation alone is enough to cause both phenotypes. The results also suggest that reprogramming tumor cells toward non-pathological fates may represent a possible therapeutic avenue for MEN-associated neoplasms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nandor Nagy
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, 1094, Hungary
| | - Richard A Guyer
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Ryo Hotta
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Dongcheng Zhang
- Neural Crest Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Donald F Newgreen
- Neural Crest Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Viktoria Halasy
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, 1094, Hungary
| | - Tamas Kovacs
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, 1094, Hungary
| | - Allan M Goldstein
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
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16
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17
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Drosophila as a model to understand autophagy deregulation in human disorders. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2020. [PMID: 32620249 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2020.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Autophagy has important functions in normal physiology to maintain homeostasis and protect against cellular stresses by the removal of harmful cargos such as dysfunctional organelles, protein aggregates and invading pathogens. The deregulation of autophagy is a hallmark of many diseases and therapeutic targeting of autophagy is highly topical. With the complex role of autophagy in disease it is essential to understand the genetic and molecular basis of the contribution of autophagy to pathogenesis. The model organism, Drosophila, provides a genetically amenable system to dissect out the contribution of autophagy to human disease models. Here we review the roles of autophagy in human disease and how autophagy studies in Drosophila have contributed to the understanding of pathophysiology.
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18
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Pfeifle I, Bohnekamp J, Volkhardt A, Kirsten H, Rohwedder A, Thum A, Magin TM, Kunz M. MEK inhibitor cobimetinib rescues a dRaf mutant lethal phenotype in Drosophila melanogaster. Exp Dermatol 2019; 28:1079-1082. [PMID: 31338879 DOI: 10.1111/exd.14010] [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: 06/22/2018] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Since Drosophila melanogaster has proven to be a useful model system to study phenotypes of oncogenic mutations and to identify new anti-cancer drugs, we generated human BRAFV600E homologous dRaf mutant (dRafA572E ) Drosophila melanogaster strains to use these for characterisation of mutant phenotypes and exploit these phenotypes for drug testing. For mutant gene expression, the GAL4/UAS expression system was used. dRafA572E was expressed tissue-specific in the eye, epidermis, heart, wings, secretory glands and in the whole animal. Expression of dRaf A572E under the control of an eye-specific driver led to semi-lethality and a rough eye phenotype. The vast majority of other tissue-specific and ubiquitous drivers led to a lethal phenotype only. The rough eye phenotype was used to test BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib and MEK1/2 inhibitor cobimetinib. There was no phenotype rescue by this treatment. However, a significant rescue of the lethal phenotype was observed under a gut-specific driver. Here, MEK1/2 inhibitor cobimetinib rescued Drosophila larvae to reach pupal stage in 37% of cases as compared to 1% in control experiments. Taken together, the BRAFV600E homolog dRaf A572E exerts mostly lethal effects in Drosophila. Gut-specific dRaf A572E expression might in future be developed further for drug testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Pfeifle
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jens Bohnekamp
- Institute of Biology, Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Division of Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anna Volkhardt
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Holger Kirsten
- Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics and Bioinformatics Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Astrid Rohwedder
- Division of Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Andreas Thum
- Division of Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas M Magin
- Institute of Biology, Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Manfred Kunz
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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19
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Cagan RL, Zon LI, White RM. Modeling Cancer with Flies and Fish. Dev Cell 2019; 49:317-324. [PMID: 31063751 PMCID: PMC6506185 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2019.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 04/07/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cancer has joined heart disease as the leading source of mortality in the US. In an era of organoids, patient-derived xenografts, and organs on a chip, model organisms continue to thrive with a combination of powerful genetic tools, rapid pace of discovery, and affordability. Model organisms enable the analysis of both the tumor and its associated microenvironment, aspects that are particularly relevant to our understanding of metastasis and drug resistance. In this Perspective, we explore some of the strengths of fruit flies and zebrafish for addressing fundamental cancer questions and how these two organisms can contribute to identifying promising therapeutic candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross L Cagan
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Leonard I Zon
- Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Richard M White
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
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20
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Su TT. Drug screening in Drosophila; why, when, and when not? WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2019; 8:e346. [PMID: 31056843 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The best global seller among oncology drugs in 2018 is lenalidomide, an analog of thalidomide. It took 53 years and a circuitous route from the discovery of thalidomide to approval of an analog for use in treatment of cancer. We understand now a lot more about the genetic and molecular basis of diseases than we did in 1953 when thalidomide was discovered. We have also no shortage of chemical libraries with hundreds of thousands of compounds, both synthetic and natural. What we need are better ways to search among these rich resources for compounds with the potential to do what we want them to do. This review summarizes examples from the literature that make Drosophila melanogaster a good model to screen for drugs, and discusses knowledge gaps and technical challenges that make Drosophila models not as widely used as they could or should be. This article is categorized under: Technologies > Analysis of Cell, Tissue, and Animal Phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tin Tin Su
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado.,Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center, Aurora, Colorado
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21
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Ung PMU, Sonoshita M, Scopton AP, Dar AC, Cagan RL, Schlessinger A. Integrated computational and Drosophila cancer model platform captures previously unappreciated chemicals perturbing a kinase network. PLoS Comput Biol 2019; 15:e1006878. [PMID: 31026276 PMCID: PMC6506148 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Revised: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Drosophila provides an inexpensive and quantitative platform for measuring whole animal drug response. A complementary approach is virtual screening, where chemical libraries can be efficiently screened against protein target(s). Here, we present a unique discovery platform integrating structure-based modeling with Drosophila biology and organic synthesis. We demonstrate this platform by developing chemicals targeting a Drosophila model of Medullary Thyroid Cancer (MTC) characterized by a transformation network activated by oncogenic dRetM955T. Structural models for kinases relevant to MTC were generated for virtual screening to identify unique preliminary hits that suppressed dRetM955T-induced transformation. We then combined features from our hits with those of known inhibitors to create a ‘hybrid’ molecule with improved suppression of dRetM955T transformation. Our platform provides a framework to efficiently explore novel kinase inhibitors outside of explored inhibitor chemical space that are effective in inhibiting cancer networks while minimizing whole body toxicity. Effective and safe treatment of multigenic diseases often involves drugs that address multiple points along disease networks, i.e., polypharmacology. Polypharmacology is increasingly appreciated as a potentially desirable property of kinase drugs. However, most known drugs that interact with multiple targets have been identified as such by chance and most polypharmacological compounds are not chemically unique, resembling structures of known kinase inhibitors. The fruit fly Drosophila provides an inexpensive, rapid, quantitative, whole animal screening platform that has the potential to complement computational approaches. We present a chemical genetics approach that efficiently combines Drosophila with structural prediction and virtual screening, creating a unique discovery platform. We demonstrate the utility of our approach by developing useful small molecules targeting a kinase network in a Drosophila model of Medullary Thyroid Cancer (MTC) driven by oncogenic dRetM955T.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M U Ung
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Masahiro Sonoshita
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Alex P Scopton
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Arvin C Dar
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Ross L Cagan
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Avner Schlessinger
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States of America
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22
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Villegas SN. One hundred years of Drosophila cancer research: no longer in solitude. Dis Model Mech 2019; 12:12/4/dmm039032. [PMID: 30952627 PMCID: PMC6505481 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.039032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
When Mary Stark first described the presence of tumours in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster in 1918, would she ever have imagined that flies would become an invaluable organism for modelling and understanding oncogenesis? And if so, would she have expected it to take 100 years for this model to be fully accredited? This Special Article summarises the efforts and achievements of Drosophilists to establish the fly as a valid model in cancer research through different scientific periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Nahuel Villegas
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) and Universidad Miguel Hernandez (UMH), Campus de Sant Joan, Apartado 18, 03550 Sant Joan, Alicante, Spain
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23
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Mirzoyan Z, Sollazzo M, Allocca M, Valenza AM, Grifoni D, Bellosta P. Drosophila melanogaster: A Model Organism to Study Cancer. Front Genet 2019; 10:51. [PMID: 30881374 PMCID: PMC6405444 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a multistep disease driven by the activation of specific oncogenic pathways concomitantly with the loss of function of tumor suppressor genes that act as sentinels to control physiological growth. The conservation of most of these signaling pathways in Drosophila, and the ability to easily manipulate them genetically, has made the fruit fly a useful model organism to study cancer biology. In this review we outline the basic mechanisms and signaling pathways conserved between humans and flies responsible of inducing uncontrolled growth and cancer development. Second, we describe classic and novel Drosophila models used to study different cancers, with the objective to discuss their strengths and limitations on their use to identify signals driving growth cell autonomously and within organs, drug discovery and for therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhasmine Mirzoyan
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Manuela Sollazzo
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Mariateresa Allocca
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | | | - Daniela Grifoni
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Paola Bellosta
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.,Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Department of Medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
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24
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Papanikolopoulou K, Mudher A, Skoulakis E. An assessment of the translational relevance of Drosophila in drug discovery. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2019; 14:303-313. [PMID: 30664368 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2019.1569624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Drosophila melanogaster offers a powerful expedient and economical system with facile genetics. Because of the high sequence and functional conservation with human disease-associated genes, it has been cardinal in deciphering disease mechanisms at the genetic and molecular level. Drosophila are amenable to and respond well to pharmaceutical treatment which coupled to their genetic tractability has led to discovery, repositioning, and validation of a number of compounds. Areas covered: This review summarizes the generation of fly models of human diseases, their advantages and use in elucidation of human disease mechanisms. Representative studies provide examples of the utility of this system in modeling diseases and the discovery, repositioning and testing on pharmaceuticals to ameliorate them. Expert opinion: Drosophila offers a facile and economical whole animal system with many homologous organs to humans, high functional conservation and established methods of generating and validating human disease models. Nevertheless, it remains relatively underused as a drug discovery tool probably because its relevance to mammalian systems remains under question. However, recent exciting success stories using Drosophila disease models for drug screening, repositioning and validation strongly suggest that fly models should figure prominently in the drug discovery pipeline from bench to bedside.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Papanikolopoulou
- a Division of Neuroscience , Biomedical Sciences Research Centre "Alexander Fleming" , Vari , Greece
| | - Amrit Mudher
- b Centre for Biological Sciences , University of Southampton , Southampton , UK
| | - Efthimios Skoulakis
- a Division of Neuroscience , Biomedical Sciences Research Centre "Alexander Fleming" , Vari , Greece
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25
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Abstract
Cancer is a cumulative manifestation of several complicated disease states that affect multiple organs. Over the last few decades, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, has become a successful model for studying human cancers. The genetic simplicity and vast arsenal of genetic tools available in Drosophila provides a unique opportunity to address questions regarding cancer initiation and progression that would be extremely challenging in other model systems. In this chapter we provide a historical overview of Drosophila as a model organism for cancer research, summarize the multitude of genetic tools available, offer a brief comparison between different model organisms and cell culture platforms used in cancer studies and briefly discuss some of the latest models and concepts in recent Drosophila cancer research.
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26
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Bangi E. A Drosophila Based Cancer Drug Discovery Framework. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1167:237-248. [PMID: 31520359 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-23629-8_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, there has been growing interest in using Drosophila for drug discovery as it provides a unique opportunity to screen small molecules against complex disease phenotypes in a whole animal setting. Furthermore, gene-compound interaction experiments that combine compound feeding with complex genetic manipulations enable exploration of compound mechanisms of response and resistance to an extent that is difficult to achieve in other experimental models. Here, I discuss how compound screening and testing approaches reported in Drosophila fit into the current cancer drug discovery pipeline. I then propose a framework for a Drosophila-based cancer drug discovery strategy which would allow the Drosophila research community to effectively leverage the power of Drosophila to identify candidate therapeutics and push our discoveries into the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erdem Bangi
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
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27
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Pozo K, Zahler S, Ishimatsu K, Carter AM, Telange R, Tan C, Wang S, Pfragner R, Fujimoto J, Grubbs EG, Takahashi M, Oltmann SC, Bibb JA. Preclinical characterization of tyrosine kinase inhibitor-based targeted therapies for neuroendocrine thyroid cancer. Oncotarget 2018; 9:37662-37675. [PMID: 30701022 PMCID: PMC6340867 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.26480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a slow growing neuroendocrine (NE) tumor for which few treatment options are available. Its incidence is rising and mortality rates have remained unchanged for decades. Increasing the repertoire of available treatments is thus crucial to manage MTC progression. Scarcity of patient samples and of relevant animal models are two challenges that have limited the development of effective non-surgical treatments. Here we use a clinically accurate mouse model of MTC to assess the effects and mode of action of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) Vandetanib, one of only two drugs currently available to treat MTC. Effects on tumor progression, histopathology, and tumorigenic signaling were evaluated. Vandetanib blocked MTC growth through an anti-angiogenic mechanism. Furthermore, Vandetanib had an apparent anti-angiogenic effect in a patient MTC sample. Vandetanib displayed minimal anti-proliferative effects in vivo and in human and mouse MTC tumor-derived cells. Based on these results, we evaluated the second-generation TKI, Nintedanib, alone and in combination with the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, Romidepsin, as potential alternative treatments to Vandetanib. Nintedanib showed an anti-angiogenic effect while Romidepsin decreased proliferation. Mechanistically, TKIs attenuated RET-, VEGFR2- and PI3K/AKT/FOXO signaling cascades. Nintedanib alone or in combination with Romidepsin, but not Vandetanib, inhibited mTOR signaling suggesting Nintedanib may have broader anti-cancer applicability. These findings validate the MTC mouse model as a clinically relevant platform for preclinical drug testing and reveal the modes of action and limitations of TKI therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Pozo
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.,Department of Surgery, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Stefan Zahler
- Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Keisuke Ishimatsu
- Advanced Imaging Research Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Angela M Carter
- Department of Surgery, The University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Rahul Telange
- Department of Surgery, The University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Chunfeng Tan
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Shuaijun Wang
- Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Roswitha Pfragner
- Institute of Pathophysiology and Immunology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Junya Fujimoto
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Elizabeth Gardner Grubbs
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Masaya Takahashi
- Advanced Imaging Research Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Sarah C Oltmann
- Department of Surgery, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - James A Bibb
- Department of Surgery, The University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA
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28
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Howe DG, Blake JA, Bradford YM, Bult CJ, Calvi BR, Engel SR, Kadin JA, Kaufman TC, Kishore R, Laulederkind SJF, Lewis SE, Moxon SAT, Richardson JE, Smith C. Model organism data evolving in support of translational medicine. Lab Anim (NY) 2018; 47:277-289. [PMID: 30224793 PMCID: PMC6322546 DOI: 10.1038/s41684-018-0150-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Model organism databases (MODs) have been collecting and integrating biomedical research data for 30 years and were designed to meet specific needs of each model organism research community. The contributions of model organism research to understanding biological systems would be hard to overstate. Modern molecular biology methods and cost reductions in nucleotide sequencing have opened avenues for direct application of model organism research to elucidating mechanisms of human diseases. Thus, the mandate for model organism research and databases has now grown to include facilitating use of these data in translational applications. Challenges in meeting this opportunity include the distribution of research data across many databases and websites, a lack of data format standards for some data types, and sustainability of scale and cost for genomic database resources like MODs. The issues of widely distributed data and application of data standards are some of the challenges addressed by FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable) data principles. The Alliance of Genome Resources is now moving to address these challenges by bringing together expertly curated research data from fly, mouse, rat, worm, yeast, zebrafish, and the Gene Ontology consortium. Centralized multi-species data access, integration, and format standardization will lower the data utilization barrier in comparative genomics and translational applications and will provide a framework in which sustainable scale and cost can be addressed. This article presents a brief historical perspective on how the Alliance model organisms are complementary and how they have already contributed to understanding the etiology of human diseases. In addition, we discuss four challenges for using data from MODs in translational applications and how the Alliance is working to address them, in part by applying FAIR data principles. Ultimately, combined data from these animal models are more powerful than the sum of the parts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas G Howe
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA.
| | | | - Yvonne M Bradford
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | | | - Brian R Calvi
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Stacia R Engel
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Ranjana Kishore
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Stanley J F Laulederkind
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Suzanna E Lewis
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Sierra A T Moxon
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
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29
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Modelling Cooperative Tumorigenesis in Drosophila. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 2018:4258387. [PMID: 29693007 PMCID: PMC5859872 DOI: 10.1155/2018/4258387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2017] [Accepted: 01/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The development of human metastatic cancer is a multistep process, involving the acquisition of several genetic mutations, tumour heterogeneity, and interactions with the surrounding microenvironment. Due to the complexity of cancer development in mammals, simpler model organisms, such as the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster, are being utilized to provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms involved. In this review, we highlight recent advances in modelling tumorigenesis using the Drosophila model, focusing on the cooperation of oncogenes or tumour suppressors, and the interaction of mutant cells with the surrounding tissue in epithelial tumour initiation and progression.
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30
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Das TK, Cagan RL. Non-mammalian models of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2. Endocr Relat Cancer 2018; 25:T91-T104. [PMID: 29348307 PMCID: PMC5935467 DOI: 10.1530/erc-17-0411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Twenty-five years ago, RET was identified as the primary driver of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) syndrome. MEN2 is characterized by several transformation events including pheochromocytoma, parathyroid adenoma and, especially penetrant, medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). Overall, MTC is a rare but aggressive type of thyroid cancer for which no effective treatment currently exists. Surgery, radiation, radioisotope treatment and chemotherapeutics have all shown limited success, and none of these approaches have proven durable in advanced disease. Non-mammalian models that incorporate the oncogenic RET isoforms associated with MEN2 and other RET-associated diseases have been useful in delineating mechanisms underlying disease progression. These models have also identified novel targeted therapies as single agents and as combinations. These studies highlight the importance of modeling disease in the context of the whole animal, accounting for the complex interplay between tumor and normal cells in controlling disease progression as well as response to therapy. With convenient access to whole genome sequencing data from expanded thyroid cancer patient cohorts, non-mammalian models will become more complex, sophisticated and continue to complement future mammalian studies. In this review, we explore the contributions of non-mammalian models to our understanding of thyroid cancer including MTC, with a focus on Danio rerio and Drosophila melanogaster (fish and fly) models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tirtha K Das
- Department of Cell Developmental and Regenerative Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ross L Cagan
- Department of Cell Developmental and Regenerative Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
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31
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Redaelli S, Plaza-Menacho I, Mologni L. Novel targeted therapeutics for MEN2. Endocr Relat Cancer 2018; 25:T53-T68. [PMID: 29348306 DOI: 10.1530/erc-17-0297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The rearranged during transfection (RET) proto-oncogene was recognized as the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) causing gene in 1993. Since then, much effort has been put into a clear understanding of its oncogenic signaling, its biochemical function and ways to block its aberrant activation in MEN2 and related cancers. Several small molecules have been designed, developed or redirected as RET inhibitors for the treatment of MEN2 and sporadic MTC. However, current drugs are mostly active against several other kinases, as they were not originally developed for RET. This limits efficacy and poses safety issues. Therefore, there is still much to do to improve targeted MEN2 treatments. New, more potent and selective molecules, or combinatorial strategies may lead to more effective therapies in the near future. Here, we review the rationale for RET targeting in MEN2, the use of currently available drugs and novel preclinical and clinical RET inhibitor candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Redaelli
- School of Medicine and SurgeryUniversity of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | | | - Luca Mologni
- School of Medicine and SurgeryUniversity of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
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32
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Sonoshita M, Scopton AP, Ung PMU, Murray MA, Silber L, Maldonado AY, Real A, Schlessinger A, Cagan RL, Dar AC. A whole-animal platform to advance a clinical kinase inhibitor into new disease space. Nat Chem Biol 2018; 14:291-298. [PMID: 29355849 PMCID: PMC5931369 DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.2556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic tailoring of approved drugs for new indications is often difficult, as the most appropriate targets may not be readily apparent, and therefore few roadmaps exist to guide chemistry. Here, we report a multidisciplinary approach for accessing novel target and chemical space starting from an FDA-approved kinase inhibitor. By combining chemical and genetic modifier screening with computational modeling, we identify distinct kinases that strongly enhance ('pro-targets') or limit ('anti-targets') whole-animal activity of the clinical kinase inhibitor sorafenib in a Drosophila medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) model. We demonstrate that RAF-the original intended sorafenib target-and MKNK kinases function as pharmacological liabilities because of inhibitor-induced transactivation and negative feedback, respectively. Through progressive synthetic refinement, we report a new class of 'tumor calibrated inhibitors' with unique polypharmacology and strongly improved therapeutic index in fly and human MTC xenograft models. This platform provides a rational approach to creating new high-efficacy and low-toxicity drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiro Sonoshita
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.,Department of Systems Neuropharmacology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Alex P Scopton
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Peter M U Ung
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Matthew A Murray
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Lisa Silber
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Andres Y Maldonado
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Alexander Real
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Avner Schlessinger
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ross L Cagan
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Arvin C Dar
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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33
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34
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Volkhardt A, Bohnekamp J, Pfeifle I, Engel C, Magin TM, Kunz M. Mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway inhibitors rescue lethal phenotypes in a BRAF gain-of-function Drosophila melanogaster model. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2017; 31:545-548. [PMID: 29288529 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.12683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Volkhardt
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jens Bohnekamp
- Institute of Biology, Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Division of Genetics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Isabelle Pfeifle
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christoph Engel
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas M Magin
- Institute of Biology, Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Manfred Kunz
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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35
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Abstract
Accumulating epidemiological evidence indicates a strong clinical association between obesity and an increased risk of cancer. The global pandemic of obesity indicates a public health trend towards a substantial increase in cancer incidence and mortality. However, the mechanisms that link obesity to cancer remain incompletely understood. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been increasingly used to model an expanding spectrum of human diseases. Fly models provide a genetically simpler system that is ideal for use as a first step towards dissecting disease interactions. Recently, the combining of fly models of diet-induced obesity with models of cancer has provided a novel model system in which to study the biological mechanisms that underlie the connections between obesity and cancer. In this Review, I summarize recent advances, made using Drosophila, in our understanding of the interplay between diet, obesity, insulin resistance and cancer. I also discuss how the biological mechanisms and therapeutic targets that have been identified in fly studies could be utilized to develop preventative interventions and treatment strategies for obesity-associated cancers. Summary: This Review highlights a Drosophila model of diet-induced obesity and cancer, and how these two models are combined to study the interplay between obesity and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susumu Hirabayashi
- Metabolism and Cell Growth Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre (CSC), Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
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36
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Levinson S, Cagan RL. Drosophila Cancer Models Identify Functional Differences between Ret Fusions. Cell Rep 2017; 16:3052-3061. [PMID: 27626672 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Revised: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We generated and compared Drosophila models of RET fusions CCDC6-RET and NCOA4-RET. Both RET fusions directed cells to migrate, delaminate, and undergo EMT, and both resulted in lethality when broadly expressed. In all phenotypes examined, NCOA4-RET was more severe than CCDC6-RET, mirroring their effects on patients. A functional screen against the Drosophila kinome and a library of cancer drugs found that CCDC6-RET and NCOA4-RET acted through different signaling networks and displayed distinct drug sensitivities. Combining data from the kinome and drug screens identified the WEE1 inhibitor AZD1775 plus the multi-kinase inhibitor sorafenib as a synergistic drug combination that is specific for NCOA4-RET. Our work emphasizes the importance of identifying and tailoring a patient's treatment to their specific RET fusion isoform and identifies a multi-targeted therapy that may prove effective against tumors containing the NCOA4-RET fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Levinson
- Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-1020, USA
| | - Ross L Cagan
- Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-1020, USA.
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37
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Abstract
With a century-old history of fundamental discoveries, the fruit fly has long been a favored experimental organism for a wide range of scientific inquiries. But Drosophila is not a “legacy” model organism; technical and intellectual innovations continue to revitalize fly research and drive advances in our understanding of conserved mechanisms of animal biology. Here, we provide an overview of this “ecosystem” and discuss how to address emerging challenges to ensure its continued productivity. Drosophila researchers are fortunate to have a sophisticated and ever-growing toolkit for the analysis of gene function. Access to these tools depends upon continued support for both physical and informational resources. Uncertainty regarding stable support for bioinformatic databases is a particular concern, at a time when there is the need to make the vast knowledge of functional biology provided by this model animal accessible to scientists studying other organisms. Communication and advocacy efforts will promote appreciation of the value of the fly in delivering biomedically important insights. Well-tended traditions of large-scale tool development, open sharing of reagents, and community engagement provide a strong basis for coordinated and proactive initiatives to improve the fly research ecosystem. Overall, there has never been a better time to be a fly pusher.
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38
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Vitale G, Gaudenzi G, Circelli L, Manzoni MF, Bassi A, Fioritti N, Faggiano A, Colao A. Animal models of medullary thyroid cancer: state of the art and view to the future. Endocr Relat Cancer 2017; 24:R1-R12. [PMID: 27799362 DOI: 10.1530/erc-16-0399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Medullary thyroid carcinoma is a neuroendocrine tumour originating from parafollicular C cells accounting for 5-10% of thyroid cancers. Increased understanding of disease-specific molecular targets of therapy has led to the regulatory approval of two drugs (vandetanib and cabozantinib) for the treatment of medullary thyroid carcinoma. These drugs increase progression-free survival; however, they are often poorly tolerated and most treatment responses are transient. Animal models are indispensable tools for investigating the pathogenesis, mechanisms for tumour invasion and metastasis and new therapeutic approaches for cancer. Unfortunately, only few models are available for medullary thyroid carcinoma. This review provides an overview of the state of the art of animal models in medullary thyroid carcinoma and highlights future developments in this field, with the aim of addressing salient features and clinical relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Vitale
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health (DISCCO)University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Laboratory of Endocrine and Metabolic ResearchIstituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Germano Gaudenzi
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health (DISCCO)University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Circelli
- Department of Experimental OncologyLaboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, 'Fondazione Pascale' - IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Marco F Manzoni
- Department of Endocrinology and Internal MedicineEndocrine Tumors Unit, San Raffaele Hospital Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Bassi
- Department of PhysicsPolitecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Antongiulio Faggiano
- Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery UnitIstituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori 'Fondazione G. Pascale' - IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Annamaria Colao
- Department of Clinical Medicine and SurgerySection of Endocrinology, 'Federico II' University of Naples, Naples, Italy
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39
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The Lantibiotic NAI-107 Efficiently Rescues Drosophila melanogaster from Infection with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2016; 60:5427-36. [PMID: 27381394 PMCID: PMC4997821 DOI: 10.1128/aac.02965-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2015] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We used the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a cost-effective in vivo model to evaluate the efficacy of novel antibacterial peptides and peptoids for treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. A panel of peptides with known antibacterial activity in vitro and/or in vivo was tested in Drosophila Although most peptides and peptoids that were effective in vitro failed to rescue lethal effects of S. aureus infections in vivo, we found that two lantibiotics, nisin and NAI-107, rescued adult flies from fatal infections. Furthermore, NAI-107 rescued mortality of infection with the MRSA strain USA300 with an efficacy equivalent to that of vancomycin, a widely applied antibiotic for the treatment of serious MRSA infections. These results establish Drosophila as a useful model for in vivo drug evaluation of antibacterial peptides.
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40
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Abstract
Cancer is a complex disease that affects multiple organs. Whole-body animal models provide important insights into oncology that can lead to clinical impact. Here, we review novel concepts that Drosophila studies have established for cancer biology, drug discovery, and patient therapy. Genetic studies using Drosophila have explored the roles of oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes that when dysregulated promote cancer formation, making Drosophila a useful model to study multiple aspects of transformation. Not limited to mechanism analyses, Drosophila has recently been showing its value in facilitating drug development. Flies offer rapid, efficient platforms by which novel classes of drugs can be identified as candidate anticancer leads. Further, we discuss the use of Drosophila as a platform to develop therapies for individual patients by modeling the tumor's genetic complexity. Drosophila provides both a classical and a novel tool to identify new therapeutics, complementing other more traditional cancer tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Sonoshita
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States; Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - R L Cagan
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.
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41
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Yadav AK, Srikrishna S, Gupta SC. Cancer Drug Development Using Drosophila as an in vivo Tool: From Bedside to Bench and Back. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2016; 37:789-806. [PMID: 27298020 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2016.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2016] [Revised: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been used for modeling cancer and as an in vivo tool for the validation and/or development of cancer therapeutics. The impetus for the use of Drosophila in cancer research stems from the high conservation of its signaling pathways, lower genetic redundancy, short life cycle, genetic amenability, and ease of maintenance. Several cell signaling pathways in Drosophila have been used for cancer drug development. The efficacy of combination therapy and uptake/bioavailability of drugs have also been studied. Drosophila has been validated using several FDA-approved drugs, suggesting a potential application of this model in drug repurposing. The model is emerging as a powerful tool for high-throughput screening and should significantly reduce the cost and time associated with drug development. In this review we discuss the applications of Drosophila in cancer drug development. The advantages and limitations of the model are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amarish Kumar Yadav
- Cancer and Neurobiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India
| | - Saripella Srikrishna
- Cancer and Neurobiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India.
| | - Subash Chandra Gupta
- Laboratory for Translational Cancer Research, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India.
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42
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Abstract
This protocol describes a method to allograft Drosophila larval tissue into adult fly hosts that can be used to assay the tumorigenic potential of mutant tissues. The tissue of interest is dissected, loaded into a fine glass needle and implanted into a host. Upon implantation, nontransformed tissues do not overgrow beyond their normal size, but malignant tumors grow without limit, are invasive and kill the host. By using this method, Drosophila malignant tumors can be transplanted repeatedly, for years, and therefore they can be aged beyond the short life span of flies. Because several hosts can be implanted using different pieces from a single tumor, the method also allows the tumor mass to be increased to facilitate further studies that may require large amounts of tissue (i.e., genomics, proteomics and so on). This method also provides an operational definition of hyperplastic, benign and malignant growth. The injection procedure itself requires only ∼1 d. Tumor development can then be monitored until the death of the implanted hosts.
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43
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Bennett D, Lyulcheva E, Cobbe N. Drosophila as a Potential Model for Ocular Tumors. Ocul Oncol Pathol 2015; 1:190-9. [PMID: 27172095 DOI: 10.1159/000370155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2014] [Accepted: 11/26/2014] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Drosophila has made many contributions to our understanding of cancer genes and mechanisms that have subsequently been validated in mammals. Despite anatomical differences between fly and human eyes, flies offer a tractable genetic model in which to dissect the functional importance of genetic lesions found to be affected in human ocular tumors. Here, we discuss different approaches for using Drosophila as a model for ocular cancer and how studies on ocular cancer genes in flies have begun to reveal potential strategies for therapeutic intervention. We also discuss recent developments in the use of Drosophila for drug discovery, which is coming to the fore as Drosophila models are becoming tailored to study tumor types found in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daimark Bennett
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, Salford, UK
| | - Ekaterina Lyulcheva
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, Salford, UK; North Western Deanery, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Salford, UK
| | - Neville Cobbe
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, Salford, UK
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44
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Zhu HG, Zhao JY, Zhang R, Liao L, Dong JJ. New agent to treat advanced or metastasized thyroid cancer, its efficacy, safety, and mechanism. Thorac Cancer 2015; 6:539-43. [PMID: 26273412 PMCID: PMC4511335 DOI: 10.1111/1759-7714.12238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2014] [Accepted: 12/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vandetanib is the first US Food and Drug Administration approved agent to treat advanced or metastasized thyroid cancer. To gain a better understanding of the drug, we conducted a systematic review of its efficacy and safety in patients with thyroid cancers. METHODS Trial data was retrieved from Pubmed, EMBASE, Medline, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and the Cochrane database without restrictions on language. A systematic review of the literature was performed to assess median progression-free survival (PFS) and adverse events associated with vandetanib therapy for advanced or metastasized thyroid cancers. RESULTS Vandetanib statistically prolonged PFS in comparison with the placebo (30.5 vs. 19.3 months, hazard ratio 0.46), It even prolonged PFS in surgically unresectable or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer cases compared with the placebo (11.1 vs. 5.9 months, hazard ratio 0.63). Rash, diarrhea, neutropenia, and hypertension were the most frequent side effects. CONCLUSION Vandetanib can significantly improve PFS. Though it has some side effects, it is still a promising agent in the treatment of advanced or metastasized thyroid cancer, especially in those with metastasized or advanced medullary thyroid carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan-Gao Zhu
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University Jinan, China
| | - Jun-Yu Zhao
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital Jinan, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital Jinan, China
| | - Lin Liao
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital Jinan, China
| | - Jian-Jun Dong
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University Jinan, China
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45
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Muñoz-Soriano V, López-Domenech S, Paricio N. Why mammalian wound-healing researchers may wish to turn toDrosophilaas a model. Exp Dermatol 2014; 23:538-42. [DOI: 10.1111/exd.12472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Verónica Muñoz-Soriano
- Departamento de Genética; Facultad CC Biológicas; Universidad de Valencia; Burjasot Spain
| | - Sandra López-Domenech
- Departamento de Genética; Facultad CC Biológicas; Universidad de Valencia; Burjasot Spain
| | - Nuria Paricio
- Departamento de Genética; Facultad CC Biológicas; Universidad de Valencia; Burjasot Spain
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46
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Das TK, Cagan RL. A Drosophila approach to thyroid cancer therapeutics. DRUG DISCOVERY TODAY. TECHNOLOGIES 2014; 10:e65-71. [PMID: 24050232 DOI: 10.1016/j.ddtec.2012.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Thyroid neoplasias represent among the fastest growing cancers. While surgery has become the treatment of choice for most thyroid tumors, many require chemotherapy. In this review, we examine the contributions of work in the fruit fly Drosophila toward multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2), a Ret-based disease to which recent Drosophila models have proven useful both for understanding disease mechanism as well as helping identify new generation therapeutics.
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47
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Macagno JP, Diaz Vera J, Yu Y, MacPherson I, Sandilands E, Palmer R, Norman JC, Frame M, Vidal M. FAK acts as a suppressor of RTK-MAP kinase signalling in Drosophila melanogaster epithelia and human cancer cells. PLoS Genet 2014; 10:e1004262. [PMID: 24676055 PMCID: PMC3967952 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2013] [Accepted: 02/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTKs) and Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) regulate multiple signalling pathways, including mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway. FAK interacts with several RTKs but little is known about how FAK regulates their downstream signalling. Here we investigated how FAK regulates signalling resulting from the overexpression of the RTKs RET and EGFR. FAK suppressed RTKs signalling in Drosophila melanogaster epithelia by impairing MAPK pathway. This regulation was also observed in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells, suggesting it is a conserved phenomenon in humans. Mechanistically, FAK reduced receptor recycling into the plasma membrane, which resulted in lower MAPK activation. Conversely, increasing the membrane pool of the receptor increased MAPK pathway signalling. FAK is widely considered as a therapeutic target in cancer biology; however, it also has tumour suppressor properties in some contexts. Therefore, the FAK-mediated negative regulation of RTK/MAPK signalling described here may have potential implications in the designing of therapy strategies for RTK-driven tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Pablo Macagno
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Jesica Diaz Vera
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Yachuan Yu
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Iain MacPherson
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Emma Sandilands
- Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Centre, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Ruth Palmer
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Jim C. Norman
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Margaret Frame
- Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Centre, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Marcos Vidal
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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Broutin S, Commo F, De Koning L, Marty-Prouvost B, Lacroix L, Talbot M, Caillou B, Dubois T, Ryan AJ, Dupuy C, Schlumberger M, Bidart JM. Changes in signaling pathways induced by vandetanib in a human medullary thyroid carcinoma model, as analyzed by reverse phase protein array. Thyroid 2014; 24:43-51. [PMID: 24256343 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2013.0514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare tumor that is caused by activating mutations in the proto-oncogene RET. Vandetanib, a tyrosine-kinase inhibitor, has been recently approved to treat adult patients with metastatic MTC. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in signaling pathways induced by vandetanib treatment in preclinical MTC models, using the reverse-phase protein array method (RPPA). METHODS The human TT cell line was used to assess in vitro and in vivo activity of vandetanib. Protein extracts from TT cells or TT xenografted mice, treated by increasing concentrations of vandetanib for different periods of time, were probed with a set of 12 antibodies representing major signaling pathways, using RPPA. Results were validated using two distinct protein detection methods: Western immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Vandetanib displays antiproliferative and antiangiogenic activities and inhibits RET autophosphorylation. The MAPK and AKT pathways were the two major signaling pathways inhibited by vandetanib. Interestingly, phosphorylated levels of NFκB-p65 were significantly increased by vandetanib. Comparable results were obtained in both the in vitro and in vivo approaches, as well as for the protein detection methods. However, some discrepancies were observed between RPPA and Western immunoblotting, possibly due to lack of specificity of the primary antibodies used. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our results confirmed the interest of RPPA for screening global changes induced in signaling pathways by kinase inhibitors. MAPK and AKT were identified as the main pathways involved in vandetanib response in MTC models. Our results also suggest alternative routes for controlling the disease, and provide a rationale for the development of therapeutic combinations based on the comprehensive identification of molecular events induced by inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Broutin
- 1 Genetic Stability and Oncogenesis Research Unit, National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS UMR 8200), Gustave Roussy and University of Paris-Sud , Villejuif, France
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Limaye S, Riley S, Zhao S, O’Neill A, Posner M, Adkins D, Jaffa Z, Clark J, Haddad R. A randomized phase II study of docetaxel with or without vandetanib in recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN). Oral Oncol 2013; 49:835-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2013.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2013] [Revised: 04/24/2013] [Accepted: 04/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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50
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Broutin S, Commo F, De Koning L, Marty-Prouvost B, Lacroix L, Talbot M, Caillou B, Dubois T, Ryan AJ, Dupuy C, Schlumberger M, Bidart JM. Changes in signaling pathways induced by vandetanib in a human medullary thyroid carcinoma model, as analyzed by reverse phase protein array. Thyroid 2013. [PMID: 23822199 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2012.0224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare tumor that is due to activating mutations in the proto-oncogene RET. Vandetanib, a tyrosine-kinase inhibitor, has been recently approved to treat adult patients with metastatic MTC. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in signaling pathways induced by vandetanib treatment in preclinical MTC models, using the reverse-phase protein array method (RPPA). METHODS The human TT cell line was used to assess in vitro and in vivo activity of vandetanib. Protein extracts from TT cells or TT xenografted mice, treated by increasing concentrations of vandetanib for different periods of time, were probed with a set of 12 antibodies representing major signaling pathways, using RPPA. Results were validated using two distinct protein detection methods, western-immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Vandetanib displays antiproliferative and antiangiogenic activities and inhibits RET auto-phosphorylation. MAPK and AKT pathways were the two major signaling pathways inhibited by vandetanib. Interestingly, phosphorylated levels of NFκB-p65 were significantly increased by vandetanib. Comparable results were obtained in both the in vitro and in vivo approaches as well as for the protein detection methods, although some discrepancies were observed between RPPA and western-immunoblotting. CONCLUSIONS Results confirmed the reliability and the utility of RPPA for screening global changes induced in signaling pathways by kinase inhibitors. MAPK and AKT were identified as the main pathways involved in vandetanib response in MTC models. Our results also suggest alternative routes for controlling the disease and provide a rationale for the development of therapeutic combinations based on the comprehensive identification of molecular events induced by inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Broutin
- Institut Gustave-Roussy, CNRS UMR8200, Villejuif, France ;
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