1
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Längle D, Wojtowicz-Piotrowski S, Priegann T, Keller N, Wesseler F, Reckzeh ES, Steffens K, Grathwol C, Lemke J, Flasshoff M, Näther C, Jonson AC, Link A, Koch O, Di Guglielmo GM, Schade D. Expanding the Chemical Space of Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGFβ) Receptor Type II Degraders with 3,4-Disubstituted Indole Derivatives. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2024; 7:1069-1085. [PMID: 38633593 PMCID: PMC11020067 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.3c00371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
The TGFβ type II receptor (TβRII) is a central player in all TGFβ signaling downstream events, has been linked to cancer progression, and thus, has emerged as an auspicious anti-TGFβ strategy. Especially its targeted degradation presents an excellent goal for effective TGFβ pathway inhibition. Here, cellular structure-activity relationship (SAR) data from the TβRII degrader chemotype 1 was successfully transformed into predictive ligand-based pharmacophore models that allowed scaffold hopping. Two distinct 3,4-disubstituted indoles were identified from virtual screening: tetrahydro-4-oxo-indole 2 and indole-3-acetate 3. Design, synthesis, and screening of focused amide libraries confirmed 2r and 3n as potent TGFβ inhibitors. They were validated to fully recapitulate the ability of 1 to selectively degrade TβRII, without affecting TβRI. Consequently, 2r and 3n efficiently blocked endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition and cell migration in different cancer cell lines while not perturbing the microtubule network. Hence, 2 and 3 present novel TβRII degrader chemotypes that will (1) aid target deconvolution efforts and (2) accelerate proof-of-concept studies for small-molecule-driven TβRII degradation in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Längle
- Department
of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Gutenbergstrasse 76, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Stephanie Wojtowicz-Piotrowski
- Department
of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich
School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London N6A 5C1, ON, Canada
| | - Till Priegann
- Department
of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Gutenbergstrasse 76, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Niklas Keller
- Department
of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Gutenbergstrasse 76, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Fabian Wesseler
- Department
of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Gutenbergstrasse 76, 24118 Kiel, Germany
- Faculty
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Technical
University Dortmund, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Elena S. Reckzeh
- Faculty
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Technical
University Dortmund, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Karsten Steffens
- Department
of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Gutenbergstrasse 76, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Christoph Grathwol
- Institute
of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Strasse 17, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Jana Lemke
- Institute
of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Strasse 17, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Maren Flasshoff
- Faculty
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Technical
University Dortmund, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Christian Näther
- Institute
of Inorganic Chemistry, Christian-Albrechts-University
of Kiel, Max-Eyth-Straße
2, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Anna C. Jonson
- Early Chemical
Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca Gothenburg, Mölndal SE-43183, Sweden
| | - Andreas Link
- Institute
of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Strasse 17, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Oliver Koch
- Faculty
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Technical
University Dortmund, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
- Institute
of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry and German Center of Infection
Research, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Gianni M. Di Guglielmo
- Department
of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich
School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London N6A 5C1, ON, Canada
| | - Dennis Schade
- Department
of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Gutenbergstrasse 76, 24118 Kiel, Germany
- Partner
Site Kiel, DZHK, German Center for Cardiovascular Research, 24105 Kiel, Germany
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2
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Wei H, Ren H. Precision treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Cancer Lett 2024; 585:216636. [PMID: 38278471 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly heterogeneous tumor comprising pancreatic cancer cells, fibroblasts, immune cells, vascular epithelial cells, and other cells in the mesenchymal tissue. PDAC is difficult to treat because of the complexity of the tissue components; therefore, achieving therapeutic effects with a single therapeutic method or target is problematic. Recently, precision therapy has provided new directions and opportunities for treating PDAC using genetic information from an individual's disease to guide treatment. It selects and applies appropriate therapeutic methods for each patient, with an aim to minimize medical damage and costs, while maximizing patient benefits. Molecular targeted therapy is effective in most clinical studies; however, it has been ineffective in large-scale randomized controlled trials of PDAC, mainly because the enrolled populations were not stratified on a molecular basis. Molecular stratification allows the identification of the PDAC population being treated, optimizing therapeutic effect. However, a systematic review of precision therapies for patients with highly heterogeneous PDAC backgrounds has not been conducted. Here, we review the molecular background and current potential therapeutic targets related to PDAC and provide new directions for PDAC precision therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyun Wei
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266003, China; Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Diseases, Center of Tumor Immunology and Cytotherapy, Medical Research Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266003, China.
| | - He Ren
- Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Diseases, Center of Tumor Immunology and Cytotherapy, Medical Research Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266003, China.
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3
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TGF-β2 antisense oligonucleotide enhances T-cell mediated anti-tumor activities by IL-2 via attenuation of fibrotic reaction in a humanized mouse model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 159:114212. [PMID: 36610224 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.114212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive cancers, with high mortality and recurrence rate. In this study, we generated a human immune system mouse model by transplanting human peripheral blood mononuclear cells into NSG-B2m mice followed by xenografting AsPC-1 cells, after which we assessed the role of transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2) in T-cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity. We observed that inhibiting the TGF-β2 production by TGF-β2 antisense oligonucleotide (TASO) combined with IL-2 delays pancreatic cancer growth. Co-treatment of TASO and IL-2 had little effect on the SMAD-dependent pathway, but significantly inhibited the Akt phosphorylation and sequentially activated GSK-3β. Activation of GSK-3β by TASO subsequently suppressed β-catenin and α-SMA expression and resulted in attenuated fibrotic reactions, facilitating the infiltration of CD8 + cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) into the tumor. TGF-β2 inhibition suppressed the Foxp3 + regulatory T-cells in peripheral blood and tumors, thereby enhancing the tumoricidal effects of CTLs associated with increased granzyme B and cleaved caspase-3. Moreover, changes in the T-cell composition in peripheral blood and at the tumor site by TASO and IL-2 induced the increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IFN-γ and TNF-α and the decrease of anti-inflammatory cytokines such as TGF-βs. These results indicate that the TGF-β2 inhibition by TASO combined with IL-2 enhances the T-cell mediated anti-tumor immunity against SMAD4-mutated PDAC by modulating the tumor-associated fibrosis, suggesting that TASO in combination with IL-2 may be a promising immunotherapeutic intervention for PDAC.
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4
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Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition as Mechanism of Progression of Pancreatic Cancer: From Mice to Men. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14235797. [PMID: 36497278 PMCID: PMC9735867 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14235797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Owed to its aggressive yet subtle nature, pancreatic cancer remains unnoticed till an advanced stage so that in most cases the diagnosis is made when the cancer has already spread to other organs with deadly efficiency. The progression from primary tumor to metastasis involves an intricate cascade of events comprising the pleiotropic process of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) facilitating cancer spread. The elucidation of this pivotal phenotypic change in cancer cell morphology, initially heretic, moved from basic studies dissecting the progression of pancreatic cancer in animal models to move towards human disease, although no clinical translation of the concept emerged yet. Despite this transition, a full-blown mesenchymal phenotype may not be accomplished; rather, the plasticity of the program and its dependency on heterotopic signals implies a series of fluctuating modifications of cancer cells encompassing mesenchymal and epithelial features. Despite the evidence supporting the activation of EMT and MET during cancer progression, our understanding of the relationship between tumor microenvironment and EMT is not yet mature for a clinical application. In this review, we attempt to resume the knowledge on EMT and pancreatic cancer, aiming to include the EMT among the hallmarks of cancer that could potentially modify our clinical thinking with the purpose of filling the gap between the results pursued in basic research by animal models and those achieved in translational research by surrogate biomarkers, as well as their application for prognostic and predictive purposes.
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5
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Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: tumor microenvironment and problems in the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Clin Exp Med 2022:10.1007/s10238-022-00886-1. [DOI: 10.1007/s10238-022-00886-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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6
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Mehra S, Singh S, Nagathihalli N. Emerging Role of CREB in Epithelial to Mesenchymal Plasticity of Pancreatic Cancer. Front Oncol 2022; 12:925687. [PMID: 35800049 PMCID: PMC9253527 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.925687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive solid malignancy with a high rate of metastasis and therapeutic resistance as its major hallmarks. Although a defining mutational event in pancreatic cancer initiation is the presence of oncogenic KRAS, more advanced PDAC lesions accumulate additional genomic alterations, including loss of tumor suppressor gene TP53. Co-occurrence of mutant KRAS and TP53 in PDAC promotes hyperactivation of cancer cell signaling pathways driving epithelial to mesenchymal plasticity (EMP). The cellular process of EMP influences the biological behavior of cancer cells by increasing their migratory and invasive properties, thus promoting metastasis. Our previous work has demonstrated that oncogenic KRAS-mediated activation of cyclic AMP response element-binding protein 1 (CREB) is one of the critical drivers of PDAC aggressiveness. The therapeutic approach of targeting this key transcription factor attenuates tumor burden in genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of this disease. Herein, we discuss the significant role of CREB in perpetuating disease aggressiveness and therapeutic resistance through the EMP process. Furthermore, this review updates the therapeutic implications of targeting CREB, highlighting the challenges and emerging approaches in PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddharth Mehra
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Samara Singh
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Nagaraj Nagathihalli
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States
- *Correspondence: Nagaraj Nagathihalli,
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7
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Ferdek PE, Krzysztofik D, Stopa KB, Kusiak AA, Paw M, Wnuk D, Jakubowska MA. When healing turns into killing ‐ the pathophysiology of pancreatic and hepatic fibrosis. J Physiol 2022; 600:2579-2612. [DOI: 10.1113/jp281135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Pawel E. Ferdek
- Department of Cell Biology Faculty of Biochemistry Biophysics and Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Krakow Poland
| | - Daria Krzysztofik
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Krakow Poland
| | - Kinga B. Stopa
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Krakow Poland
| | - Agnieszka A. Kusiak
- Department of Cell Biology Faculty of Biochemistry Biophysics and Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Krakow Poland
| | - Milena Paw
- Department of Cell Biology Faculty of Biochemistry Biophysics and Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Krakow Poland
| | - Dawid Wnuk
- Department of Cell Biology Faculty of Biochemistry Biophysics and Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Krakow Poland
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8
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Hamon P, Gerbé De Thoré M, Classe M, Signolle N, Liu W, Bawa O, Meziani L, Clémenson C, Milliat F, Deutsch E, Mondini M. TGFβ receptor inhibition unleashes interferon-β production by tumor-associated macrophages and enhances radiotherapy efficacy. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-003519. [PMID: 35301235 PMCID: PMC8932273 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) can limit the efficacy of cancer treatments, including radiotherapy (RT), by inducing an immunosuppressive tumor environment. The association of TGFβ with impaired T cell infiltration and antitumor immunity is known, but the mechanisms by which TGFβ participates in immune cell exclusion and limits the efficacy of antitumor therapies warrant further investigations. Methods We used the clinically relevant TGFβ receptor 2 (TGFβR2)-neutralizing antibody MT1 and the small molecule TGFβR1 inhibitor LY3200882 and evaluated their efficacy in combination with RT against murine orthotopic models of head and neck and lung cancer. Results We demonstrated that TGFβ pathway inhibition strongly increased the efficacy of RT. TGFβR2 antibody upregulated interferon beta expression in tumor-associated macrophages within the irradiated tumors and favored T cell infiltration at the periphery and within the core of the tumor lesions. We highlighted that both the antitumor efficacy and the increased lymphocyte infiltration observed with the combination of MT1 and RT were dependent on type I interferon signaling. Conclusions These data shed new light on the role of TGFβ in limiting the efficacy of RT, identifying a novel mechanism involving the inhibition of macrophage-derived type I interferon production, and fostering the use of TGFβR inhibition in combination with RT in therapeutic strategies for the management of head and neck and lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Hamon
- INSERM U1030, Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | | | - Marion Classe
- INSERM U1030, Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France.,Départment de Pathologie, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | - Nicolas Signolle
- Plateforme de pathologie expérimentale et translationnelle, UMS AMMICA, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | - Winchygn Liu
- INSERM U1030, Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Olivia Bawa
- Départment de Pathologie, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | - Lydia Meziani
- INSERM U1030, Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Céline Clémenson
- INSERM U1030, Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Fabien Milliat
- Department of RAdiobiology and Regenerative MEDicine (SERAMED), Laboratory of MEDical Radiobiology (LRMed), Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Eric Deutsch
- INSERM U1030, Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France .,Département d'Oncologie-Radiothérapie, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | - Michele Mondini
- INSERM U1030, Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
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9
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Liu W, Gao M, Li L, Chen Y, Fan H, Cai Q, Shi Y, Pan C, Liu J, Cheng LS, Yang H, Cheng G. Homeoprotein SIX1 compromises antitumor immunity through TGF-β-mediated regulation of collagens. Cell Mol Immunol 2021; 18:2660-2672. [PMID: 34782761 PMCID: PMC8633173 DOI: 10.1038/s41423-021-00800-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME), including infiltrated immune cells, is known to play an important role in tumor growth; however, the mechanisms underlying tumor immunogenicity have not been fully elucidated. Here, we discovered an unexpected role for the transcription factor SIX1 in regulating the tumor immune microenvironment. Based on analyses of patient datasets, we found that SIX1 was upregulated in human tumor tissues and that its expression levels were negatively correlated with immune cell infiltration in the TME and the overall survival rates of cancer patients. Deletion of Six1 in cancer cells significantly reduced tumor growth in an immune-dependent manner with enhanced antitumor immunity in the TME. Mechanistically, SIX1 was required for the expression of multiple collagen genes via the TGFBR2-dependent Smad2/3 activation pathway, and collagen deposition in the TME hampered immune cell infiltration and activation. Thus, our study uncovers a crucial role for SIX1 in modulating tumor immunogenicity and provides proof-of-concept evidence for targeting SIX1 in cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wancheng Liu
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005 China ,grid.494590.5Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Suzhou, 215123 China
| | - Meiling Gao
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005 China ,grid.494590.5Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Suzhou, 215123 China
| | - Lili Li
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005 China ,grid.494590.5Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Suzhou, 215123 China
| | - Yu Chen
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005 China ,grid.494590.5Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Suzhou, 215123 China
| | - Huimin Fan
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005 China ,grid.494590.5Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Suzhou, 215123 China
| | - Qiaomei Cai
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005 China ,grid.494590.5Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Suzhou, 215123 China
| | - Yueyue Shi
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005 China ,grid.494590.5Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Suzhou, 215123 China
| | - Chaohu Pan
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005 China ,grid.494590.5Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Suzhou, 215123 China
| | - Junxiao Liu
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005 China ,grid.494590.5Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Suzhou, 215123 China
| | - Lucy S. Cheng
- grid.412689.00000 0001 0650 7433Department of Dermatology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 3708 Fifth Avenue, Suite 500.68, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA
| | - Heng Yang
- Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, China. .,Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Suzhou, 215123, China.
| | - Genhong Cheng
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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10
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Watt DM, Morton JP. Heterogeneity in Pancreatic Cancer Fibroblasts-TGFβ as a Master Regulator? Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:4984. [PMID: 34638468 PMCID: PMC8508541 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13194984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is an aggressive disease for which there are very few available therapies. It is notable for its high degree of tumour complexity, with the tumour microenvironment often accounting for the majority of the tumour volume. Until recently, the biology of the stroma was poorly understood, particularly in terms of heterogeneity. Recent research, however, has shed light on the intricacy of signalling within the stroma and particularly the molecular and functional heterogeneity of the cancer associated fibroblasts. In this review, we summarise the recent improvements in our understanding of the different fibroblast populations within PDAC, with a focus on the role TGFβ plays to dictate their formation and function. These studies have highlighted some of the reasons for the failure of trials targeting the tumour stroma, however, there are still considerable gaps in our knowledge, and more work is needed to make effective fibroblast targeting a reality in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dale M. Watt
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK;
| | - Jennifer P. Morton
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
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11
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Zhao X, Yang X, Wang X, Zhao X, Zhang Y, Liu S, Anderson GJ, Kim SJ, Li Y, Nie G. Penetration Cascade of Size Switchable Nanosystem in Desmoplastic Stroma for Improved Pancreatic Cancer Therapy. ACS NANO 2021; 15:14149-14161. [PMID: 34478262 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c08860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells are surrounded by a dense extracellular matrix (ECM), which greatly restricts the access of therapeutic agents, resulting in poor clinical response to chemotherapy. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) signaling plays a crucial role in construction of the desmoplastic stroma and provides potential targets for PDAC therapy. To surmount the pathological obstacle, we developed a size switchable nanosystem based on PEG-PLGA nanospheres encapsulated within liposomes for the combined delivery of vactosertib (VAC), a TGF-β1 receptor kinase inhibitor, and the cytotoxic drug paclitaxel (TAX). By surface modification of the liposomes with a peptide, APTEDB, the nanosystem can be anchored to abundant tumor-associated fibronectin in PDAC stroma and decreases its size by releasing encapsulated TAX-loaded nanospheres, as well as VAC after collapse of the liposomes. The inhibition of ECM hyperplasia by VAC allows TAX more ready access to the cancer cells in addition to its small size, thereby shrinking pancreatic tumor xenografts more effectively than a combination of the free drugs. This size switchable nanosystem enables sequential delivery of drugs at a fixed dose combination with simplified administration and provides an encouraging cascade approach of drug penetration for enhanced chemotherapy in cancers with a dense desmoplastic stroma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaozheng Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Xiao Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, P. R. China
| | - Xudong Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, P. R. China
| | - Xiao Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, P. R. China
| | - Yinlong Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, P. R. China
| | - Shaoli Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, P. R. China
| | - Gregory J Anderson
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland 4029, Australia
| | - Seong-Jin Kim
- GILO Institute, GILO Foundation, Seoul 06668, Republic of Korea
- Medpacto Inc., 92 Myeongdal-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul 06668, Republic of Korea
| | - Yiye Li
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Guangjun Nie
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
- GBA Research Innovation Institute for Nanotechnology, Guangdong 510700, China
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12
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Immunomodulation: An immune regulatory mechanism in carcinoma therapeutics. Int Immunopharmacol 2021; 99:107984. [PMID: 34303999 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2021.107984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Cancer has been generally related to the possession of numerous mutations which interrupt important signaling pathways. Nevertheless, deregulated immunological signaling is considered as one of the key factors associated with the development and progression of cancer. The signaling pathways operate as modular network with different components interacting in a switch-like fashion with two proteins interplaying between each other leading to direct or indirect inhibition or stimulation of down-stream factors. Genetic, epigenetic, and transcriptomic alterations maintain the pathological conduit of different signaling pathways via affecting diverse mechanisms including cell destiny. At present, immunotherapy is one of the best therapies opted for cancer treatment. The cancer immunotherapy strategy includes harnessing the specificity and killing mechanisms of the immunological system to target and eradicate malignant cells. Targeted therapies utilizing several little molecules including Galunisertib, Astragaloside-IV, Melatonin, and Jervine capable of regulating key signaling pathways can effectively help in the management of different carcinomas.
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13
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Osborne N, Sundseth R, Gay MD, Cao H, Tucker RD, Nadella S, Wang S, Liu X, Kroemer A, Sutton L, Cato A, Smith JP. Vaccine against gastrin, a polyclonal antibody stimulator, decreases pancreatic cancer metastases. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2019; 317:G682-G693. [PMID: 31433212 PMCID: PMC6879893 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00145.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Growth of pancreatic cancer is stimulated by gastrin in both a paracrine and an autocrine fashion. Traditional therapies have not significantly improved survival, and recently pancreatic cancer has been deemed a "cold" tumor due to its poor response to immunotherapy. Strategies to improve survival of pancreatic cancer are desperately needed. In the current investigation, we studied the effects of an anti-gastrin cancer vaccine, polyclonal antibody stimulator (PAS; formerly called G17DT and Gastrimmune), used alone or in combination with a programmed cell death receptor (PD)-1 immune checkpoint antibody on pancreatic cancer growth, metastases, and the tumor microenvironment (TME). Immune-competent female C57BL/6 mice bearing syngeneic orthotopic murine pancreatic cancer treated with PAS had significantly smaller tumors and fewer metastases. Examination of the TME demonstrated decreased fibrosis with fewer M2 and more M1 tumor-associated macrophages. Expression of the E-cadherin gene was significantly increased and expression of the TGFβR2 gene was decreased compared with controls. Mice treated with PAS or the combination of PAS and PD-1 antibody exhibited significantly less tumor expression of phospho-paxillin, the focal adhesion protein β-catenin, and matrix metalloproteinase-7. This study suggests that inhibition of the cancer-promoting effects of gastrin in pancreatic cancer can decrease metastases by altering the TME and decreasing pathways that activate the epithelial mesenchymal transition. The PAS vaccine appears to change the TME, making it more susceptible to therapy with an immune checkpoint antibody. This novel combination of two immunotherapies may improve survival of pancreatic cancer by decreasing both tumor growth and metastasis formation.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Survival from advanced pancreatic cancer is poor, in part due to dense fibrosis of the tumor microenvironment, increased number of M2-polarized macrophages that promote angiogenesis and invasion, and lack of "target-specific" therapy. Herein, we report that a tumor vaccine that selectively targets gastrin decreases pancreatic cancer growth and metastases. Furthermore, the gastrin vaccine polyclonal antibody stimulator alters the tumor microenvironment rendering it more responsive to immunotherapy with a programmed cell death receptor-1 immune checkpoint antibody.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Martha D Gay
- Department of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Hong Cao
- Department of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Robin D Tucker
- Department of Pathology, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Sandeep Nadella
- Department of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Shangzi Wang
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Xunxian Liu
- The MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Alexander Kroemer
- The MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | | | | | - Jill P Smith
- Department of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
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14
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Abstract
Cancer can be conceptualized as arising from somatic mutations resulting in a single renegade cell escaping from the constraints of multicellularity. Thus, the era of precision medicine has led to intense focus on the cancer cell to target these mutations that result in oncogenic signaling and sustain malignancy. However, in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) there are only four abundantly common driver mutations (KRAS, CDKN2A, TP53, and SMAD4), which are not currently actionable. Thus, precision therapy for PDAC must look beyond the cancer cell. In fact, PDAC is more than a collection of renegade cells, instead representing an extensive, supportive ecosystem, having developed over several years, and consisting of numerous interactions between the cancer cells, normal mesenchymal cells, immune cells, and the dense extracellular matrix. In this issue, Huang and colleagues demonstrate how elucidation of these complex relationships within the tumor microenvironment (TME) can be exploited for therapeutic intervention in PDAC. They identify in a subset of PDAC with mutations in TGFβ signaling, that a paracrine signaling axis can be abrogated to modulate the TME and improve outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan M Carr
- Schulze Center for Novel Therapeutics, Division of Oncology Research, Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Martin E Fernandez-Zapico
- Schulze Center for Novel Therapeutics, Division of Oncology Research, Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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15
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Huang H, Zhang Y, Gallegos V, Sorrelle N, Zaid MM, Toombs J, Du W, Wright S, Hagopian M, Wang Z, Hosein AN, Sathe AA, Xing C, Koay EJ, Driscoll KE, Brekken RA. Targeting TGFβR2-mutant tumors exposes vulnerabilities to stromal TGFβ blockade in pancreatic cancer. EMBO Mol Med 2019; 11:e10515. [PMID: 31609088 PMCID: PMC6835203 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201910515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Revised: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
TGFβ is important during pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) progression. Canonical TGFβ signaling suppresses epithelial pancreatic cancer cell proliferation; as a result, inhibiting TGFβ has not been successful in PDA. In contrast, we demonstrate that inhibition of stromal TGFβR2 reduces IL‐6 production from cancer‐associated fibroblasts, resulting in a reduction of STAT3 activation in tumor cells and reversion of the immunosuppressive landscape. Up to 7% of human PDA have tumor cell‐specific deficiency in canonical TGFβ signaling via loss of TGFβR2. We demonstrate that in PDA that harbors epithelial loss of TGFβR2, inhibition of TGFβ signaling is selective for stromal cells and results in a therapeutic benefit. Our study highlights the potential benefit of TGFβ blockade in PDA and the importance of stratifying PDA patients who might benefit from such therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huocong Huang
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Yuqing Zhang
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.,Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Valerie Gallegos
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Noah Sorrelle
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Mohamed Medhat Zaid
- Division of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jason Toombs
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Wenting Du
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.,Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Steven Wright
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Moriah Hagopian
- Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Zhaoning Wang
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Abdel Nasser Hosein
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Adwait Amod Sathe
- McDermott Center of Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Chao Xing
- McDermott Center of Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Eugene J Koay
- Division of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Rolf A Brekken
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.,Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.,Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
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16
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Yang Y, Yang HH, Tang B, Wu AML, Flanders KC, Moshkovich N, Weinberg DS, Welsh MA, Weng J, Ochoa HJ, Hu TY, Herrmann MA, Chen J, Edmondson EF, Simpson RM, Liu F, Liu H, Lee MP, Wakefield LM. The Outcome of TGFβ Antagonism in Metastatic Breast Cancer Models In Vivo Reflects a Complex Balance between Tumor-Suppressive and Proprogression Activities of TGFβ. Clin Cancer Res 2019; 26:643-656. [PMID: 31582516 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-19-2370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE TGFβs are overexpressed in many advanced cancers and promote cancer progression through mechanisms that include suppression of immunosurveillance. Multiple strategies to antagonize the TGFβ pathway are in early-phase oncology trials. However, TGFβs also have tumor-suppressive activities early in tumorigenesis, and the extent to which these might be retained in advanced disease has not been fully explored. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN A panel of 12 immunocompetent mouse allograft models of metastatic breast cancer was tested for the effect of neutralizing anti-TGFβ antibodies on lung metastatic burden. Extensive correlative biology analyses were performed to assess potential predictive biomarkers and probe underlying mechanisms. RESULTS Heterogeneous responses to anti-TGFβ treatment were observed, with 5 of 12 models (42%) showing suppression of metastasis, 4 of 12 (33%) showing no response, and 3 of 12 (25%) showing an undesirable stimulation (up to 9-fold) of metastasis. Inhibition of metastasis was immune-dependent, whereas stimulation of metastasis was immune-independent and targeted the tumor cell compartment, potentially affecting the cancer stem cell. Thus, the integrated outcome of TGFβ antagonism depends on a complex balance between enhancing effective antitumor immunity and disrupting persistent tumor-suppressive effects of TGFβ on the tumor cell. Applying transcriptomic signatures derived from treatment-naïve mouse primary tumors to human breast cancer datasets suggested that patients with breast cancer with high-grade, estrogen receptor-negative disease are most likely to benefit from anti-TGFβ therapy. CONCLUSIONS Contrary to dogma, tumor-suppressive responses to TGFβ are retained in some advanced metastatic tumors. Safe deployment of TGFβ antagonists in the clinic will require good predictive biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Yang
- Lab of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Howard H Yang
- Lab of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Binwu Tang
- Lab of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Alex Man Lai Wu
- Lab of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Kathleen C Flanders
- Lab of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Nellie Moshkovich
- Lab of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Douglas S Weinberg
- Lab of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Michael A Welsh
- Lab of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Jia Weng
- Lab of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Humberto J Ochoa
- Lab of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Tiffany Y Hu
- Collaborative Protein Technology Resource, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Michelle A Herrmann
- Collaborative Protein Technology Resource, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Jinqiu Chen
- Collaborative Protein Technology Resource, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Elijah F Edmondson
- Pathology Histotechnology Laboratory, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland
| | - R Mark Simpson
- Lab of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Fang Liu
- Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Susan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey
| | - Huaitian Liu
- Lab of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Maxwell P Lee
- Lab of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Lalage M Wakefield
- Lab of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland.
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17
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Population pharmacokinetics and exposure-overall survival analysis of the transforming growth factor-β inhibitor galunisertib in patients with pancreatic cancer. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2019; 84:1003-1015. [PMID: 31482224 DOI: 10.1007/s00280-019-03931-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To evaluate the exposure-overall survival (OS) relationship in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer treated with galunisertib plus gemcitabine (GG) or gemcitabine plus placebo (GP). METHODS Galunisertib 300 mg/day was given orally as intermittent dosing and gemcitabine as per label. Galunisertib exposure metrics for each patient in the GG arm (n = 99) of a phase 2 study of pancreatic cancer were calculated. Parametric survival models were used to identify influential baseline and response covariates on OS. RESULTS The population pharmacokinetics dataset included data from 297 patients/healthy subjects (age: 22-84 years, weight: 39-126 kg) across multiple studies, including this pancreatic cancer study. Galunisertib was rapidly absorbed with peak concentrations attained within 0.5-2 h and had an elimination half-life of 8 h. Between-subject variance on apparent clearance was estimated to be 47%. Age was the only characteristic to have a statistically significant effect on apparent clearance. A parametric Weibull survival model with treatment effect (dose) estimated a hazard ratio of 0.796, after adjusting for patient baseline factors that were significantly associated with OS. There was also a flat daily exposure-OS relationship within the observed exposure range, once all significant baseline covariates were included. Response covariates, such as reduction in CA19-9, time on treatment, and cumulative exposure over treatment cycles were also identified as significant factors for OS for patients with pancreatic cancer. CONCLUSIONS This analysis suggests that 300 mg/day galunisertib administered as 150 mg twice daily for 14 days on/14 days off treatment is an appropriate dosing regimen for patients with pancreatic cancer.
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18
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Hosein AN, Huang H, Wang Z, Parmar K, Du W, Huang J, Maitra A, Olson E, Verma U, Brekken RA. Cellular heterogeneity during mouse pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma progression at single-cell resolution. JCI Insight 2019; 5:129212. [PMID: 31335328 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.129212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a major cause of cancer-related death with limited therapeutic options available. This highlights the need for improved understanding of the biology of PDA progression, a highly complex and dynamic process featuring changes in cancer cells and stromal cells. A comprehensive characterization of PDA cancer cell and stromal cell heterogeneity during disease progression is lacking. In this study, we aimed to profile cell populations and understand their phenotypic changes during PDA progression. To that end, we employed single-cell RNA sequencing technology to agnostically profile cell heterogeneity during different stages of PDA progression in genetically engineered mouse models. Our data indicate that an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of cancer cells accompanies tumor progression in addition to distinct populations of macrophages with increasing inflammatory features. We also noted the existence of three distinct molecular subtypes of fibroblasts in the normal mouse pancreas, which ultimately gave rise to two distinct populations of fibroblasts in advanced PDA, supporting recent reports on intratumoral fibroblast heterogeneity. Our data also suggest that cancer cells and fibroblasts may be dynamically regulated by epigenetic mechanisms. This study systematically describes the landscape of cellular heterogeneity during the progression of PDA and has the potential to act as a resource in the development of therapeutic strategies against specific cell populations of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdel Nasser Hosein
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, and.,Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.,Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Huocong Huang
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, and
| | | | - Kamalpreet Parmar
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Wenting Du
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, and
| | - Jonathan Huang
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Anirban Maitra
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Udit Verma
- Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Rolf A Brekken
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, and.,Department of Pharmacology and.,Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
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19
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Cruz VH, Arner EN, Du W, Bremauntz AE, Brekken RA. Axl-mediated activation of TBK1 drives epithelial plasticity in pancreatic cancer. JCI Insight 2019; 5:126117. [PMID: 30938713 PMCID: PMC6538328 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.126117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is characterized by an activating mutation in KRAS. Direct inhibition of KRAS through pharmacological means remains a challenge; however, targeting key KRAS effectors has therapeutic potential. We investigated the contribution of TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1), a critical downstream effector of mutant active KRAS, to PDA progression. We report that TBK1 supports the growth and metastasis of KRAS-mutant PDA by driving an epithelial plasticity program in tumor cells that enhances invasive and metastatic capacity. Further, we identify that the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl induces TBK1 activity in a Ras-RalB-dependent manner. These findings demonstrate that TBK1 is central to an Axl-driven epithelial-mesenchymal transition in KRAS-mutant PDA and suggest that interruption of the Axl-TBK1 signaling cascade above or below KRAS has potential therapeutic efficacy in this recalcitrant disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria H. Cruz
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, and the Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research
| | - Emily N. Arner
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, and the Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research
| | - Wenting Du
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, and the Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research
| | | | - Rolf A. Brekken
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, and the Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
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20
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Zhou Q, Xia S, Guo F, Hu F, Wang Z, Ni Y, Wei T, Xiang H, Shang D. Transforming growth factor-β in pancreatic diseases: Mechanisms and therapeutic potential. Pharmacol Res 2019; 142:58-69. [PMID: 30682425 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2019.01.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Revised: 12/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic diseases, such as acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer, are common gastrointestinal diseases resulting in the development of local and systemic complications with a high risk of death. Numerous studies have examined pancreatic diseases over the past few decades; however, the pathogenesis remains unclear, and there is a lack of effective treatment options. Recently, emerging evidence has suggested that transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) exerts controversial functions in apoptosis, inflammatory responses, and carcinogenesis, indicating its complex role in the pathogenesis of pancreas-associated disease. Therefore, a further understanding of relevant TGF-β signalling will provide new ideas and potential therapeutic targets for preventing disease progression. This is the first systematic review of recent data from animal and human clinical studies focusing on TGF-β signalling in pancreas damage and diseases. This information may aid in the development of therapeutic agents for regulating TGF-β in this pathology to prevent or treat pancreatic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Zhou
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China; Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Shilin Xia
- Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Fangyue Guo
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Fenglin Hu
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Zhizhou Wang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Yujia Ni
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Tianfu Wei
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Hong Xiang
- Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
| | - Dong Shang
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China; Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
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21
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Thomas D, Radhakrishnan P. Tumor-stromal crosstalk in pancreatic cancer and tissue fibrosis. Mol Cancer 2019; 18:14. [PMID: 30665410 PMCID: PMC6341551 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-018-0927-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 249] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. To date, limited therapeutic achievements targeting cell proliferation and related mechanisms has led researchers to focus on the microenvironment where pancreatic cancers develop. The anomalous proliferation of stromal cells, such as pancreatic stellate cells, and an increased deposition of altered matrix proteins create an environment that facilitates tumor growth, metastasis and drug resistance. Here, we summarize our understanding of recent advances in research about the role of fibrosis in pancreatic cancer progression, with particular emphasize on the involvement of fibrotic machineries such as wound healing, extra cellular matrix degradation, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. The precise influence of these mechanisms on the biological behaviors and growth of cancer cells has great impact on clinical therapy and therefore deserves more attention. We also discuss the role of various stromal components in conferring drug resistance to PDAC which further worsening the pessimistic disease prognosis. A more in depth understanding of cancer-stroma crosstalk within the tumor microenvironment and stroma based clinical and translational therapies may provide new therapeutic strategies for the prevention of pancreatic cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divya Thomas
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986805 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-6805, USA
| | - Prakash Radhakrishnan
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986805 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-6805, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
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22
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New Horizons in the Treatment of Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer: A Review of the Key Biology Features and the Most Recent Advances to Treat Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer. Target Oncol 2018; 13:691-704. [DOI: 10.1007/s11523-018-0609-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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23
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Loss of Myeloid-Specific TGF-β Signaling Decreases CTHRC1 to Downregulate bFGF and the Development of H1993-Induced Osteolytic Bone Lesions. Cancers (Basel) 2018; 10:cancers10120463. [PMID: 30469488 PMCID: PMC6315699 DOI: 10.3390/cancers10120463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of myeloid cell-specific TGF-β signaling in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)-induced osteolytic bone lesion development is unknown. We used a genetically engineered mouse model, Tgfbr2LysMCre knockout (KO), which has a loss of TGF-β signaling specifically in myeloid lineage cells, and we found that the area of H1993 cell-induced osteolytic bone lesions was decreased in Tgfbr2LysMCre KO mice, relative to the area in control littermates. The bone lesion areas were correlated with tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and osteoclastogenesis in the microenvironment. The smaller bone lesion area was partially rescued by bFGF, which was expressed by osteoblasts. Interestingly, bFGF was able to rescue the osteoclastogenesis, but not the tumor cell proliferation or angiogenesis. We then focused on identifying osteoclast factors that regulate bFGF expression in osteoblasts. We found that the expression and secretion of CTHRC1 was downregulated in osteoclasts from Tgfbr2LysMCre KO mice; CTHRC1 was able to promote bFGF expression in osteoblasts, possibly through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Functionally, bFGF stimulated osteoclastogenesis and inhibited osteoblastogenesis, but had no effect on H1993 cell proliferation. On the other hand, CTHRC1 promoted osteoblastogenesis and H1993 cell proliferation. Together, our data show that myeloid-specific TGF-β signaling promoted osteolytic bone lesion development and bFGF expression in osteoblasts; that osteoclast-secreted CTHRC1 stimulated bFGF expression in osteoblasts in a paracrine manner; and that CTHRC1 and bFGF had different cell-specific functions that contributed to bone lesion development.
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24
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Regulatory mechanisms of miR-145 expression and the importance of its function in cancer metastasis. Biomed Pharmacother 2018; 109:195-207. [PMID: 30396077 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.10.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs are post-transcriptional mediators of gene expression and regulation, which play influential roles in tumorigenesis and cancer metastasis. The expression of tumor suppressor miR-145 is reduced in various cancer cell lines, containing both solid tumors and blood malignancies. However, the responsible mechanisms of its down-regulation are a complicated network. miR-145 is potentially able to inhbit tumor cell metastasis by targeting of multiple oncogenes, including MUC1, FSCN1, Vimentin, Cadherin, Fibronectin, Metadherin, GOLM1, ARF6, SMAD3, MMP11, Snail1, ZEB1/2, HIF-1α and Rock-1. This distinctive role of miR-145 in the regulation of metastasis-related gene expression may introduce miR-145 as an ideal candidate for controlling of cancer metastasis by miRNA replacement therapy. The present review aims to discuss the current understanding of the different aspects of molecular mechanisms of miR-145 regulation as well as its role in r metastasis regulation.
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25
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Yasmin-Karim S, Bruck PT, Moreau M, Kunjachan S, Chen GZ, Kumar R, Grabow S, Dougan SK, Ngwa W. Radiation and Local Anti-CD40 Generate an Effective in situ Vaccine in Preclinical Models of Pancreatic Cancer. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2030. [PMID: 30245691 PMCID: PMC6137176 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Radiation therapy induces immunogenic cell death, which can theoretically stimulate T cell priming and induction of tumor-specific memory T cell responses, serving as an in situ vaccine. In practice, this abscopal effect is rarely observed. We use two mouse models of pancreatic cancer to show that a single dose of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) synergizes with intratumoral injection of agonistic anti-CD40, resulting in regression of non-treated contralateral tumors and formation of long-term immunologic memory. Long-term survival was not observed when mice received multiple fractions of SBRT, or when TGFβ blockade was combined with SBRT. SBRT and anti-CD40 was so effective at augmenting T cell priming, that memory CD8 T cell responses to both tumor and self-antigens were induced, resulting in vitiligo in long-term survivors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayeda Yasmin-Karim
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Patrick T Bruck
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Michele Moreau
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA, United States
| | - Sijumon Kunjachan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Gui Zhen Chen
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Rajiv Kumar
- Electronic Materials Research Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Stephanie Grabow
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Stephanie K Dougan
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Wilfred Ngwa
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA, United States
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TGF-βRII Knock-down in Pancreatic Cancer Cells Promotes Tumor Growth and Gemcitabine Resistance. Importance of STAT3 Phosphorylation on S727. Cancers (Basel) 2018; 10:cancers10080254. [PMID: 30065235 PMCID: PMC6116183 DOI: 10.3390/cancers10080254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Revised: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most deadly cancers in the Western world because of a lack of early diagnostic markers and efficient therapeutics. At the time of diagnosis, more than 80% of patients have metastasis or locally advanced cancer and are therefore not eligible for surgical resection. Pancreatic cancer cells also harbour a high resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs such as gemcitabine that is one of the main palliative treatments for PDAC. Proteins involved in TGF-β signaling pathway (SMAD4 or TGF-βRII) are frequently mutated in PDAC (50–80%). TGF-β signalling pathway plays antagonistic roles during carcinogenesis by initially inhibiting epithelial growth and later promoting the progression of advanced tumors and thus emerged as both tumor suppressor and oncogenic pathways. In order to decipher the role of TGF-β in pancreatic carcinogenesis and chemoresistance, we generated CAPAN-1 and CAPAN-2 cell lines knocked down for TGF-βRII (first actor of TGF-β signaling). The impact on biological properties of these TGF-βRII-KD cells was studied both in vitro and in vivo. We show that TGF-βRII silencing alters tumor growth and migration as well as resistance to gemcitabine. TGF-βRII silencing also leads to S727 STAT3 and S63 c-Jun phosphorylation, decrease of MRP3 and increase of MRP4 ABC transporter expression and induction of a partial EMT phenotype. These markers associated with TGF-β signaling pathways may thus appear as potent therapeutic tools to better treat/manage pancreatic cancer.
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Miyazono K, Katsuno Y, Koinuma D, Ehata S, Morikawa M. Intracellular and extracellular TGF-β signaling in cancer: some recent topics. Front Med 2018; 12:387-411. [PMID: 30043220 DOI: 10.1007/s11684-018-0646-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β regulates a wide variety of cellular responses, including cell growth arrest, apoptosis, cell differentiation, motility, invasion, extracellular matrix production, tissue fibrosis, angiogenesis, and immune function. Although tumor-suppressive roles of TGF-β have been extensively studied and well-characterized in many cancers, especially at early stages, accumulating evidence has revealed the critical roles of TGF-β as a pro-tumorigenic factor in various types of cancer. This review will focus on recent findings regarding epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by TGF-β, in relation to crosstalk with some other signaling pathways, and the roles of TGF-β in lung and pancreatic cancers, in which TGF-β has been shown to be involved in cancer progression. Recent findings also strongly suggested that targeting TGF-β signaling using specific inhibitors may be useful for the treatment of some cancers. TGF-β plays a pivotal role in the differentiation and function of regulatory T cells (Tregs). TGF-β is produced as latent high molecular weight complexes, and the latent TGF-β complex expressed on the surface of Tregs contains glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP, also known as leucine-rich repeat containing 32 or LRRC32). Inhibition of the TGF-β activities through regulation of the latent TGF-β complex activation will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Miyazono
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
| | - Yoko Katsuno
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Daizo Koinuma
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Shogo Ehata
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Masato Morikawa
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
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Holmgaard RB, Schaer DA, Li Y, Castaneda SP, Murphy MY, Xu X, Inigo I, Dobkin J, Manro JR, Iversen PW, Surguladze D, Hall GE, Novosiadly RD, Benhadji KA, Plowman GD, Kalos M, Driscoll KE. Targeting the TGFβ pathway with galunisertib, a TGFβRI small molecule inhibitor, promotes anti-tumor immunity leading to durable, complete responses, as monotherapy and in combination with checkpoint blockade. J Immunother Cancer 2018; 6:47. [PMID: 29866156 PMCID: PMC5987416 DOI: 10.1186/s40425-018-0356-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 230] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background TGFβ signaling plays a pleotropic role in tumor biology, promoting tumor proliferation, invasion and metastasis, and escape from immune surveillance. Inhibiting TGFβ’s immune suppressive effects has become of particular interest as a way to increase the benefit of cancer immunotherapy. Here we utilized preclinical models to explore the impact of the clinical stage TGFβ pathway inhibitor, galunisertib, on anti-tumor immunity at clinically relevant doses. Results In vitro treatment with galunisertib reversed TGFβ and regulatory T cell mediated suppression of human T cell proliferation. In vivo treatment of mice with established 4T1-LP tumors resulted in strong dose-dependent anti-tumor activity with close to 100% inhibition of tumor growth and complete regressions upon cessation of treatment in 50% of animals. This effect was CD8+ T cell dependent, and led to increased T cell numbers in treated tumors. Mice with durable regressions rejected tumor rechallenge, demonstrating the establishment of immunological memory. Consequently, mice that rejected immunogenic 4T1-LP tumors were able to resist rechallenge with poorly immunogenic 4 T1 parental cells, suggesting the development of a secondary immune response via antigen spreading as a consequence of effective tumor targeting. Combination of galunisertib with PD-L1 blockade resulted in improved tumor growth inhibition and complete regressions in colon carcinoma models, demonstrating the potential synergy when cotargeting TGFβ and PD-1/PD-L1 pathways. Combination therapy was associated with enhanced anti-tumor immune related gene expression profile that was accelerated compared to anti-PD-L1 monotherapy. Conclusions Together these data highlight the ability of galunisertib to modulate T cell immunity and the therapeutic potential of combining galunisertib with current PD-1/L1 immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rikke B Holmgaard
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Eli Lilly and Company 450 East 29th Street New York USA
| | - David A Schaer
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Eli Lilly and Company 450 East 29th Street New York USA
| | - Yanxia Li
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Eli Lilly and Company 450 East 29th Street New York USA
| | - Stephen P Castaneda
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Eli Lilly and Company 450 East 29th Street New York USA
| | - Mary Y Murphy
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Eli Lilly and Company 450 East 29th Street New York USA
| | - Xiaohong Xu
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Eli Lilly and Company 450 East 29th Street New York USA
| | - Ivan Inigo
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Eli Lilly and Company 450 East 29th Street New York USA
| | - Julie Dobkin
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Eli Lilly and Company 450 East 29th Street New York USA
| | - Jason R Manro
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company 46285 Indianapolis IN USA
| | - Philip W Iversen
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company 46285 Indianapolis IN USA
| | - David Surguladze
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Eli Lilly and Company 450 East 29th Street New York USA
| | - Gerald E Hall
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Eli Lilly and Company 450 East 29th Street New York USA
| | - Ruslan D Novosiadly
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Eli Lilly and Company 450 East 29th Street New York USA
| | - Karim A Benhadji
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Eli Lilly and Company 450 East 29th Street New York USA
| | - Gregory D Plowman
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Eli Lilly and Company 450 East 29th Street New York USA
| | - Michael Kalos
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Eli Lilly and Company 450 East 29th Street New York USA.,Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson and Johnson Spring House PA USA
| | - Kyla E Driscoll
- 0000 0000 2220 2544grid.417540.3Eli Lilly and Company 450 East 29th Street New York USA
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Silvestris N, Brunetti O, Pinto R, Petriella D, Argentiero A, Fucci L, Tommasi S, Danza K, De Summa S. Immunological mutational signature in adenosquamous cancer of pancreas: an exploratory study of potentially therapeutic targets. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2018; 22:453-461. [PMID: 29561217 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2018.1456530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Adenosquamous cancer of pancreas (ASCP) is a rare variant of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC). It is characterized by poor prognosis and lacks of literature data supporting the choice of systemic therapies. The role of immunotherapy for this malignancy is still unknown. In this study, we evaluated any differences between immune-related genes of PDAC and its adenosquamous variant with the aim to characterize these histothistotypes and eventually identify potential biomarkers useful for an immune-therapy approach in ASCP. METHODS We compared the mutational status of a customized gene panel, including 41 genes involved in immunity checkpoint, inflammation and control of leukocytes, B and T cells proliferation of PDAC and ASCP. Moreover, we evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1). RESULTS We observed a status of 'hypermutation' of genes included in our panel in ASCP (22/41 mutated genes). Furtheremore, PD-L1 was found to be expressed in about 15% of the squamous component of ASCP tissue. CONCLUSION Due to genetic characteristics and to PD-L1 expression in ASCP compared to PDAC tissue, we can conclude that ASCP presents a potential sensitivity to immunological therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Silvestris
- a Medical Oncology Unit and Scientific Directorate , Istituto Tumori "Giovanni Paolo II" , Bari , Italy
| | - Oronzo Brunetti
- b Medical Oncology Unit , Hospital of Barletta , Barletta , Italy
| | - Rosamaria Pinto
- c Pharmacogenetics and Molecular Diagnostic Unit , Istituto Tumori "Giovanni Paolo II" , Bari , Italy
| | - Daniela Petriella
- c Pharmacogenetics and Molecular Diagnostic Unit , Istituto Tumori "Giovanni Paolo II" , Bari , Italy
| | | | - Livia Fucci
- e Histopathological Unit , Istituto Tumori "Giovanni Paolo II" , Bari , Italy
| | - Stefania Tommasi
- c Pharmacogenetics and Molecular Diagnostic Unit , Istituto Tumori "Giovanni Paolo II" , Bari , Italy
| | - Katia Danza
- c Pharmacogenetics and Molecular Diagnostic Unit , Istituto Tumori "Giovanni Paolo II" , Bari , Italy
| | - Simona De Summa
- c Pharmacogenetics and Molecular Diagnostic Unit , Istituto Tumori "Giovanni Paolo II" , Bari , Italy
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30
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Yingling JM, McMillen WT, Yan L, Huang H, Sawyer JS, Graff J, Clawson DK, Britt KS, Anderson BD, Beight DW, Desaiah D, Lahn MM, Benhadji KA, Lallena MJ, Holmgaard RB, Xu X, Zhang F, Manro JR, Iversen PW, Iyer CV, Brekken RA, Kalos MD, Driscoll KE. Preclinical assessment of galunisertib (LY2157299 monohydrate), a first-in-class transforming growth factor-β receptor type I inhibitor. Oncotarget 2018; 9:6659-6677. [PMID: 29467918 PMCID: PMC5805504 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.23795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) is an important driver of tumor growth via intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms, and is therefore an attractive target for developing cancer therapeutics. Using preclinical models, we characterized the anti-tumor activity of a small molecule inhibitor of TGFβ receptor I (TGFβRI), galunisertib (LY2157299 monohydrate). Galunisertib demonstrated potent and selective inhibition of TGFβRI with corresponding inhibition of downstream signaling via inhibition of SMAD phosphorylation (pSMAD). Galunisertib also inhibited TGFβ-induced pSMAD in vivo, which enabled a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profile in Calu6 and EMT6-LM2 tumors. Galunisertib demonstrated anti-tumor activity including inhibition of tumor cell migration and mesenchymal phenotype, reversal of TGFβ-mediated immune-suppression, and tumor growth delay. A concentration-effect relationship was established with a dosing schedule to achieve the optimal level of target modulation. Finally, a rat model demonstrated a correlation between galunisertib-dependent inhibition of pSMAD in tumor tissues and in PBMCs, supporting the use of PBMCs for assessing pharmacodynamic effects. Galunisertib has been tested in several clinical studies with evidence of anti-tumor activity observed in subsets of patients. Here, we demonstrate that galunisertib inhibits a number of TGFβ-dependent functions leading to anti-tumor activity. The enhanced understanding of galunisertib provides rationale for further informed clinical development of TGFβ pathway inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - William T. McMillen
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Lei Yan
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Huocong Huang
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - J. Scott Sawyer
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Jeremy Graff
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - David K. Clawson
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Karen S. Britt
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Bryan D. Anderson
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Douglas W. Beight
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Durisala Desaiah
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael M. Lahn
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Karim A. Benhadji
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Maria J. Lallena
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Rikke B. Holmgaard
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Xiaohong Xu
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Faming Zhang
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Jason R. Manro
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Philip W. Iversen
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Chandrasekar V. Iyer
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Rolf A. Brekken
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Michael D. Kalos
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
| | - Kyla E. Driscoll
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN and New York, NY, USA
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Duan J, Zhang H, Qu Y, Deng T, Huang D, Liu R, Zhang L, Bai M, Zhou L, Ying G, Ba Y. Onco-miR-130 promotes cell proliferation and migration by targeting TGFβR2 in gastric cancer. Oncotarget 2018; 7:44522-44533. [PMID: 27304191 PMCID: PMC5190115 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.9936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2015] [Accepted: 05/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been proved to play crucial roles in tumorigenesis. TGFβ signal pathway abnormality is found in various cancers and correlates with tumor proliferation and metastasis. However, the mechanisms underlying the dys-regulation of TGFβR2 expression in GC have not been investigated yet. In this study, we found that the TGFβR2 protein was clearly repressed in tumor tissues, while miR-130 expression level was dramatically increased in GC tissues. Firefly luciferase activity assay revealed that miR-130 could directly bind to 3′UTR of TGFβR2 mRNA. Meanwhile, miR-130 mimics lead to the decreased TGFβR2 protein levels, while miR-130 inhibitors enhanced TGFβR2 expression in SGC7901 cells. Subsequent functional experiments showed that overexpressed miR-130 could promote proliferation and migration of SGC7901 cells. And siRNA-mediated TGFβR2 down-regulation could simulate the effects of miR-130 mimics on phenotypes of SGC7901 cells. Furthermore, there existed intense relationship between the expression level of miR-130 and epithelial-mesenchymal markers. Our results demonstrated that miR-130 was an oncogene by directly targeting TGFβR2 in GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Duan
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Haiyang Zhang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Yanjun Qu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Ting Deng
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Dingzhi Huang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Rui Liu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Le Zhang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Ming Bai
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Likun Zhou
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Guoguang Ying
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Yi Ba
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, China
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Ludwig KF, Du W, Sorrelle NB, Wnuk-Lipinska K, Topalovski M, Toombs JE, Cruz VH, Yabuuchi S, Rajeshkumar NV, Maitra A, Lorens JB, Brekken RA. Small-Molecule Inhibition of Axl Targets Tumor Immune Suppression and Enhances Chemotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Res 2017; 78:246-255. [PMID: 29180468 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-17-1973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Revised: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl is associated with poor outcomes in pancreatic cancer (PDAC), where it coordinately mediates immune evasion and drug resistance. Here, we demonstrate that the selective Axl kinase inhibitor BGB324 targets the tumor-immune interface to blunt the aggressive traits of PDAC cells in vitro and enhance gemcitibine efficacy in vivo Axl signaling stimulates the TBK1-NFκB pathway and innate immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment. In tumor cells, BGB324 treatment drove epithelial differentiation, expression of nucleoside transporters affecting gemcitabine response, and an immune stimulatory microenvironment. Our results establish a preclinical mechanistic rationale for the clinical development of Axl inhibitors to improve the treatment of PDAC patients.Significance: These results establish a preclinical mechanistic rationale for the clinical development of AXL inhibitors to improve the treatment of PDAC patients. Cancer Res; 78(1); 246-55. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen F Ludwig
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.,Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Wenting Du
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Noah B Sorrelle
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | | | - Mary Topalovski
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Jason E Toombs
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Victoria H Cruz
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Shinichi Yabuuchi
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - N V Rajeshkumar
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Anirban Maitra
- Departments of Pathology and Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rolf A Brekken
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. .,Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
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33
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Lin HJ, Lin J. Seed-in-Soil: Pancreatic Cancer Influenced by Tumor Microenvironment. Cancers (Basel) 2017; 9:cancers9070093. [PMID: 28753978 PMCID: PMC5532629 DOI: 10.3390/cancers9070093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a fatal malignancy with a five-year survival rate lower than 7%, and most patients dying within six months of diagnosis. The factors that contribute to the aggressiveness of the disease include, but are not limited to: late diagnosis, prompt metastasis to adjacent vital organs, poor response, and resistance to anticancer treatments. This malignancy is uniquely associated with desmoplastic stroma that accounts for 80% of tumor mass. Understanding the biology of stroma can aid the discovery of innovative strategies for eradicating this lethal cancer in the future. This review highlights the critical components in the stroma and how they interact with the cancer cells to convey the devastating tumor progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huey-Jen Lin
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Delaware, Room 305, Willard Hall Education Building, 16 West Main Street, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
| | - Jiayuh Lin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Molecular Medicine Graduate Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine and Comprehensive Cancer Center, 108 N. Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
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Giovannetti E, van der Borden CL, Frampton AE, Ali A, Firuzi O, Peters GJ. Never let it go: Stopping key mechanisms underlying metastasis to fight pancreatic cancer. Semin Cancer Biol 2017; 44:43-59. [PMID: 28438662 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2017.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Revised: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an extremely aggressive neoplasm, predicted to become the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths before 2030. This dismal trend is mainly due to lack of effective treatments against its metastatic behavior. Therefore, a better understanding of the key mechanisms underlying metastasis should provide new opportunities for therapeutic purposes. Genomic analyses revealed that aberrations that fuel PDAC tumorigenesis and progression, such as SMAD4 loss, are also implicated in metastasis. Recently, microRNAs have been shown to play a regulatory role in the metastatic behavior of many tumors, including PDAC. In particular, miR-10 and miR-21 have appeared as master regulators of the metastatic program, while members of the miR-200 family are involved in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal switch, favoring cell migration and invasiveness. Several studies have also found a close relationship between cancer stem cells (CSCs) and biological features of metastasis, and the CSC markers ALDH1, ABCG2 and c-Met are expressed at high levels in metastatic PDAC cells. Emerging evidence reveals that exosomes are involved in the modulation of the tumor microenvironment and can initiate PDAC pre-metastatic niche formation in the liver and lungs. In this review, we provide an overview of the role of all these pivotal factors in the metastatic behavior of PDAC, and discuss their potential exploitation in the clinic to improve current therapeutics and identify new drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Giovannetti
- Lab Medical Oncology, Dept. Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center (VUmc), Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Cancer Pharmacology Lab, AIRC Start Up Unit, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - C L van der Borden
- Lab Medical Oncology, Dept. Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center (VUmc), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - A E Frampton
- HPB Surgical Unit, Dept. of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, UK
| | - A Ali
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, KP, Pakistan; Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK
| | - O Firuzi
- Lab Medical Oncology, Dept. Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center (VUmc), Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - G J Peters
- Lab Medical Oncology, Dept. Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center (VUmc), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Shah K, Patel S, Mirza S, Raval A, Rawal RM. Data mining and manual curation of published microarray datasets to establish a multi-gene panel for prediction of liver metastasis. Meta Gene 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mgene.2016.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
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36
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Targeting TGF-β Signaling in Cancer. Trends Cancer 2017; 3:56-71. [PMID: 28718426 DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2016.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 665] [Impact Index Per Article: 95.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Revised: 11/18/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling pathway is deregulated in many diseases, including cancer. In healthy cells and early-stage cancer cells, this pathway has tumor-suppressor functions, including cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. However, its activation in late-stage cancer can promote tumorigenesis, including metastasis and chemoresistance. The dual function and pleiotropic nature of TGF-β signaling make it a challenging target and imply the need for careful therapeutic dosing of TGF-β drugs and patient selection. We review here the rationale for targeting TGF-β signaling in cancer and summarize the clinical status of pharmacological inhibitors. We discuss the direct effects of TGF-β signaling blockade on tumor and stromal cells, as well as biomarkers that can predict the efficacy of TGF-β inhibitors in cancer patients.
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37
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Lee SH, Park SW. [Inflammation and Cancer Development in Pancreatic and Biliary Tract Cancer]. THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY 2016; 66:325-39. [PMID: 26691190 DOI: 10.4166/kjg.2015.66.6.325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Chronic inflammation has been known to be a risk for many kinds of cancers, including pancreatic and biliary tract cancer. Recently, inflammatory process has emerged as a key mediator of cancer development and progression. Many efforts with experimental results have been given to identify the underlying mechanisms that contribute to inflammation-induced tumorigenesis. Diverse inflammatory pathways have been investigated and inhibitors for inflammation-related signaling pathways have been developed for cancer treatment. This review will summarize recent outcomes about this distinctive process in pancreatic and biliary tract cancer. Taking this evidence into consideration, modulation of inflammatory process will provide useful options for pancreatic and biliary tract cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang Hoon Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.,Pancreatobiliary Cancer Center, Yonsei Cancer Hospital, Seoul, Korea
| | - Seung Woo Park
- Department of Internal Medicine, Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.,Pancreatobiliary Cancer Center, Yonsei Cancer Hospital, Seoul, Korea
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38
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TGFβ promotes mesenchymal phenotype of pancreatic cancer cells, in part, through epigenetic activation of VAV1. Oncogene 2016; 36:2202-2214. [PMID: 27893715 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2016.378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2016] [Revised: 08/14/2016] [Accepted: 08/29/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The highly homeostasis-resistant nature of cancer cells leads to their escape from treatment and to liver metastasis, which in turn makes pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) difficult to treat, especially the squamous/epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like subtype. As the molecular mechanisms underlying tumour heterogeneity remain elusive, we investigated whether epigenetic regulation might explain inter-individual differences in the progression of specific subtypes. DNA methylation profiling performed on cancer tissues prior to chemo/radiotherapy identified one hypermethylated CpG site (CpG6882469) in the VAV1 gene body that was correlated with demethylation of two promoter CpGs (CpG6772370/CpG6772811) in both PDAC and peripheral blood. Transforming growth factor β treatment induced gene-body hypermethylation, dissociation of DNMT1 from the promoter, and VAV1 expression via SMAD4 and mutant KrasG12D. Pharmacological inhibition of TGFβ-VAV1 signalling decreased the squamous/EMT-like cancer cells, promoted nuclear VAV1 localization, and enhanced the efficacy of gemcitabine in prolonging the survival of KPfl/flC mice. Together, the three VAV1 CpGs serve as biomarkers for prognosis and early detection, and the TGFβ-VAV1 axis represents a therapeutic target.
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Topalovski M, Hagopian M, Wang M, Brekken RA. Hypoxia and Transforming Growth Factor β Cooperate to Induce Fibulin-5 Expression in Pancreatic Cancer. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:22244-22252. [PMID: 27531748 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.730945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) is a defining feature of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), where ECM signaling can promote cancer cell survival and epithelial plasticity programs. However, ECM signaling can also limit PDA tumor growth by producing cytotoxic levels of reactive oxygen species. For example, excess fibronectin stimulation of α5β1 integrin on stromal cells in PDA results in reduced angiogenesis and increased tumor cell apoptosis because of oxidative stress. Fibulin-5 (Fbln5) is a matricellular protein that blocks fibronectin-integrin interaction and thus directly limits ECM-driven reactive oxygen species production and supports PDA progression. Compared with normal pancreatic tissue, Fbln5 is expressed abundantly in the stroma of PDA; however, the mechanisms underlying the stimulation of Fbln5 expression in PDA are undefined. Using in vitro and in vivo approaches, we report that hypoxia triggers Fbln5 expression in a TGF-β- and PI3K-dependent manner. Pharmacologic inhibition of TGF-β receptor, PI3K, or protein kinase B (AKT) was found to block hypoxia-induced Fbln5 expression in mouse embryonic fibroblasts and 3T3 fibroblasts. Moreover, tumor-associated fibroblasts from mouse PDA were also responsive to TGF-β receptor and PI3K/AKT inhibition with regard to suppression of Fbln5. In genetically engineered mouse models of PDA, therapy-induced hypoxia elevated Fbln5 expression, whereas pharmacologic inhibition of TGF-β signaling reduced Fbln5 expression. These findings offer insight into the signaling axis that induces Fbln5 expression in PDA and a potential strategy to block its production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Topalovski
- From the Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Cancer Biology Graduate Program
| | | | - Miao Wang
- From the Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research
| | - Rolf A Brekken
- From the Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, Cancer Biology Graduate Program, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, and Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-8593
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40
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Abstract
Tumour metastasis, the movement of tumour cells from a primary site to progressively colonize distant organs, is a major contributor to the deaths of cancer patients. Therapeutic goals are the prevention of an initial metastasis in high-risk patients, shrinkage of established lesions and prevention of additional metastases in patients with limited disease. Instead of being autonomous, tumour cells engage in bidirectional interactions with metastatic microenvironments to alter antitumour immunity, the extracellular milieu, genomic stability, survival signalling, chemotherapeutic resistance and proliferative cycles. Can targeting of these interactions significantly improve patient outcomes? In this Review preclinical research, combination therapies and clinical trial designs are re-examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia S Steeg
- Women's Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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41
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Principe DR, DeCant B, Mascariñas E, Wayne EA, Diaz AM, Akagi N, Hwang R, Pasche B, Dawson DW, Fang D, Bentrem DJ, Munshi HG, Jung B, Grippo PJ. TGFβ Signaling in the Pancreatic Tumor Microenvironment Promotes Fibrosis and Immune Evasion to Facilitate Tumorigenesis. Cancer Res 2016; 76:2525-39. [PMID: 26980767 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-15-1293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In early pancreatic carcinogenesis, TGFβ acts as a tumor suppressor due to its growth-inhibitory effects in epithelial cells. However, in advanced disease, TGFβ appears to promote tumor progression. Therefore, to better understand the contributions of TGFβ signaling to pancreatic carcinogenesis, we generated mouse models of pancreatic cancer with either epithelial or systemic TGFBR deficiency. We found that epithelial suppression of TGFβ signals facilitated pancreatic tumorigenesis, whereas global loss of TGFβ signaling protected against tumor development via inhibition of tumor-associated fibrosis, stromal TGFβ1 production, and the resultant restoration of antitumor immune function. Similarly, TGFBR-deficient T cells resisted TGFβ-induced inactivation ex vivo, and adoptive transfer of TGFBR-deficient CD8(+) T cells led to enhanced infiltration and granzyme B-mediated destruction of developing tumors. These findings paralleled our observations in human patients, where TGFβ expression correlated with increased fibrosis and associated negatively with expression of granzyme B. Collectively, our findings suggest that, despite opposing the proliferation of some epithelial cells, TGFβ may promote pancreatic cancer development by affecting stromal and hematopoietic cell function. Therefore, the use of TGFBR inhibition to target components of the tumor microenvironment warrants consideration as a potential therapy for pancreatic cancer, particularly in patients who have already lost tumor-suppressive TGFβ signals in the epithelium. Cancer Res; 76(9); 2525-39. ©2016 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Principe
- University of Illinois College of Medicine, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
| | - Brian DeCant
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Emman Mascariñas
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Elizabeth A Wayne
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Andrew M Diaz
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Naomi Akagi
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Rosa Hwang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Boris Pasche
- Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - David W Dawson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California
| | - Deyu Fang
- Department of Pathology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - David J Bentrem
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Hidayatullah G Munshi
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois. Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Barbara Jung
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
| | - Paul J Grippo
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
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42
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Ito H, Tanaka S, Akiyama Y, Shimada S, Adikrisna R, Matsumura S, Aihara A, Mitsunori Y, Ban D, Ochiai T, Kudo A, Arii S, Yamaoka S, Tanabe M. Dominant Expression of DCLK1 in Human Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells Accelerates Tumor Invasion and Metastasis. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0146564. [PMID: 26764906 PMCID: PMC4713149 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2015] [Accepted: 12/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with pancreatic cancer typically develop tumor invasion and metastasis in the early stage. These malignant behaviors might be originated from cancer stem cells (CSCs), but the responsible target is less known about invisible CSCs especially for invasion and metastasis. We previously examined the proteasome activity of CSCs and constructed a real-time visualization system for human pancreatic CSCs. In the present study, we found that CSCs were highly metastatic and dominantly localized at the invading tumor margins in a liver metastasis model. Microarray and siRNA screening assays showed that doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1) was predominantly expressed with histone modification in pancreatic CSCs with invasive and metastatic potential. Overexpression of DCLK1 led to amoeboid morphology, which promotes the migration of pancreatic cancer cells. Knockdown of DCLK1 profoundly suppressed in vivo liver metastasis of pancreatic CSCs. Clinically, DCLK1 was overexpressed in the metastatic tumors in patients with pancreatic cancer. Our studies revealed that DCLK1 is essential for the invasive and metastatic properties of CSCs and may be a promising epigenetic and therapeutic target in human pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiromitsu Ito
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shinji Tanaka
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshimitsu Akiyama
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shu Shimada
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Rama Adikrisna
- Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoshi Matsumura
- Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Arihiro Aihara
- Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yusuke Mitsunori
- Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Daisuke Ban
- Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takanori Ochiai
- Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsushi Kudo
- Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shigeki Arii
- Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shoji Yamaoka
- Department of Molecular Virology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Minoru Tanabe
- Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
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43
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Wang M, Topalovski M, Toombs JE, Wright CM, Moore ZR, Boothman DA, Yanagisawa H, Wang H, Witkiewicz A, Castrillon DH, Brekken RA. Fibulin-5 Blocks Microenvironmental ROS in Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Res 2015; 75:5058-69. [PMID: 26577699 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-15-0744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2015] [Accepted: 08/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Elevated oxidative stress is an aberration seen in many solid tumors, and exploiting this biochemical difference has the potential to enhance the efficacy of anticancer agents. Homeostasis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is important for normal cell function, but excessive production of ROS can result in cellular toxicity, and therefore ROS levels must be balanced finely. Here, we highlight the relationship between the extracellular matrix and ROS production by reporting a novel function of the matricellular protein Fibulin-5 (Fbln5). We used genetically engineered mouse models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and found that mutation of the integrin-binding domain of Fbln5 led to decreased tumor growth, increased survival, and enhanced chemoresponse to standard PDAC therapies. Through mechanistic investigations, we found that improved survival was due to increased levels of oxidative stress in Fbln5-mutant tumors. Furthermore, loss of the Fbln5-integrin interaction augmented fibronectin signaling, driving integrin-induced ROS production in a 5-lipooxygenase-dependent manner. These data indicate that Fbln5 promotes PDAC progression by functioning as a molecular rheostat that modulates cell-ECM interactions to reduce ROS production, and thus tip the balance in favor of tumor cell survival and treatment-refractory disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Wang
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Mary Topalovski
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Jason E Toombs
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Christopher M Wright
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Zachary R Moore
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - David A Boothman
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Hiromi Yanagisawa
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Huamin Wang
- Department of Pathology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | | | | | - Rolf A Brekken
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Department of Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
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44
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Roy N, Malik S, Villanueva KE, Urano A, Lu X, Von Figura G, Seeley ES, Dawson DW, Collisson EA, Hebrok M. Brg1 promotes both tumor-suppressive and oncogenic activities at distinct stages of pancreatic cancer formation. Genes Dev 2015; 29:658-71. [PMID: 25792600 PMCID: PMC4378197 DOI: 10.1101/gad.256628.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDA) develops predominantly through pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) precursor lesions. Roy et al. identify critical antagonistic roles for Brg1, a catalytic subunit of the SWI/SNF complexes, during IPMN-PDA development. In mature duct cells Brg1 inhibits the dedifferentiation that precedes neoplastic transformation. In contrast, Brg1 promotes tumorigenesis in full-blown PDA by supporting a mesenchymal-like transcriptional landscape. JQ1 impairs PDA tumorigenesis by both mimicking some and inhibiting other Brg1-mediated functions. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) develops predominantly through pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) precursor lesions. Pancreatic acinar cells are reprogrammed to a “ductal-like” state during PanIN-PDA formation. Here, we demonstrate a parallel mechanism operative in mature duct cells during which functional cells undergo “ductal retrogression” to form IPMN-PDA. We further identify critical antagonistic roles for Brahma-related gene 1 (Brg1), a catalytic subunit of the SWI/SNF complexes, during IPMN-PDA development. In mature duct cells, Brg1 inhibits the dedifferentiation that precedes neoplastic transformation, thus attenuating tumor initiation. In contrast, Brg1 promotes tumorigenesis in full-blown PDA by supporting a mesenchymal-like transcriptional landscape. We further show that JQ1, a drug that is currently being tested in clinical trials for hematological malignancies, impairs PDA tumorigenesis by both mimicking some and inhibiting other Brg1-mediated functions. In summary, our study demonstrates the context-dependent roles of Brg1 and points to potential therapeutic treatment options based on epigenetic regulation in PDA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nilotpal Roy
- Diabetes Center, Department of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
| | - Shivani Malik
- Department of Medicine/Hematology and Oncology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
| | - Karina E Villanueva
- Diabetes Center, Department of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
| | - Atsushi Urano
- Diabetes Center, Department of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
| | - Xinyuan Lu
- Department of Medicine/Hematology and Oncology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
| | - Guido Von Figura
- II. Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, Klinikum Rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - E Scott Seeley
- Department of Pathology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
| | - David W Dawson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - Eric A Collisson
- Department of Medicine/Hematology and Oncology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
| | - Matthias Hebrok
- Diabetes Center, Department of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA;
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45
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Ocal O, Pashkov V, Kollipara RK, Zolghadri Y, Cruz VH, Hale MA, Heath BR, Artyukhin AB, Christie AL, Tsoulfas P, Lorens JB, Swift GH, Brekken RA, Wilkie TM. A rapid in vivo screen for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma therapeutics. Dis Model Mech 2015; 8:1201-11. [PMID: 26438693 PMCID: PMC4610235 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.020933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, and is projected to be second by 2025. It has the worst survival rate among all major cancers. Two pressing needs for extending life expectancy of affected individuals are the development of new approaches to identify improved therapeutics, addressed herein, and the identification of early markers. PDA advances through a complex series of intercellular and physiological interactions that drive cancer progression in response to organ stress, organ failure, malnutrition, and infiltrating immune and stromal cells. Candidate drugs identified in organ culture or cell-based screens must be validated in preclinical models such as KIC (p48(Cre);LSL-Kras(G12D);Cdkn2a(f/f)) mice, a genetically engineered model of PDA in which large aggressive tumors develop by 4 weeks of age. We report a rapid, systematic and robust in vivo screen for effective drug combinations to treat Kras-dependent PDA. Kras mutations occur early in tumor progression in over 90% of human PDA cases. Protein kinase and G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling activates Kras. Regulators of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins are coincidence detectors that can be induced by multiple inputs to feedback-regulate GPCR signaling. We crossed Rgs16::GFP bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenic mice with KIC mice and show that the Rgs16::GFP transgene is a Kras(G12D)-dependent marker of all stages of PDA, and increases proportionally to tumor burden in KIC mice. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis of cultured primary PDA cells reveals characteristics of embryonic progenitors of pancreatic ducts and endocrine cells, and extraordinarily high expression of the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl, an emerging cancer drug target. In proof-of-principle drug screens, we find that weanling KIC mice with PDA treated for 2 weeks with gemcitabine (with or without Abraxane) plus inhibitors of Axl signaling (warfarin and BGB324) have fewer tumor initiation sites and reduced tumor size compared with the standard-of-care treatment. Rgs16::GFP is therefore an in vivo reporter of PDA progression and sensitivity to new chemotherapeutic drug regimens such as Axl-targeted agents. This screening strategy can potentially be applied to identify improved therapeutics for other cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ozhan Ocal
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Victor Pashkov
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Rahul K Kollipara
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yalda Zolghadri
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA Department of Basic Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Victoria H Cruz
- Department of Surgery and Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Michael A Hale
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Blake R Heath
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Alex B Artyukhin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Alana L Christie
- Simmons Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Pantelis Tsoulfas
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, N-5009 Bergen, Norway
| | - Galvin H Swift
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Rolf A Brekken
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA Department of Surgery and Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Thomas M Wilkie
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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46
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Herbertz S, Sawyer JS, Stauber AJ, Gueorguieva I, Driscoll KE, Estrem ST, Cleverly AL, Desaiah D, Guba SC, Benhadji KA, Slapak CA, Lahn MM. Clinical development of galunisertib (LY2157299 monohydrate), a small molecule inhibitor of transforming growth factor-beta signaling pathway. Drug Des Devel Ther 2015; 9:4479-99. [PMID: 26309397 PMCID: PMC4539082 DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s86621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 248] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signaling regulates a wide range of biological processes. TGF-β plays an important role in tumorigenesis and contributes to the hallmarks of cancer, including tumor proliferation, invasion and metastasis, inflammation, angiogenesis, and escape of immune surveillance. There are several pharmacological approaches to block TGF-β signaling, such as monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, antisense oligonucleotides, and small molecule inhibitors. Galunisertib (LY2157299 monohydrate) is an oral small molecule inhibitor of the TGF-β receptor I kinase that specifically downregulates the phosphorylation of SMAD2, abrogating activation of the canonical pathway. Furthermore, galunisertib has antitumor activity in tumor-bearing animal models such as breast, colon, lung cancers, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Continuous long-term exposure to galunisertib caused cardiac toxicities in animals requiring adoption of a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic-based dosing strategy to allow further development. The use of such a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model defined a therapeutic window with an appropriate safety profile that enabled the clinical investigation of galunisertib. These efforts resulted in an intermittent dosing regimen (14 days on/14 days off, on a 28-day cycle) of galunisertib for all ongoing trials. Galunisertib is being investigated either as monotherapy or in combination with standard antitumor regimens (including nivolumab) in patients with cancer with high unmet medical needs such as glioblastoma, pancreatic cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The present review summarizes the past and current experiences with different pharmacological treatments that enabled galunisertib to be investigated in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - J Scott Sawyer
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Anja J Stauber
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | | | - Kyla E Driscoll
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shawn T Estrem
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Ann L Cleverly
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Windlesham, Surrey, UK
| | - Durisala Desaiah
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Susan C Guba
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Karim A Benhadji
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | | | - Michael M Lahn
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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Kirane A, Ludwig KF, Sorrelle N, Haaland G, Sandal T, Ranaweera R, Toombs JE, Wang M, Dineen SP, Micklem D, Dellinger MT, Lorens JB, Brekken RA. Warfarin Blocks Gas6-Mediated Axl Activation Required for Pancreatic Cancer Epithelial Plasticity and Metastasis. Cancer Res 2015. [PMID: 26206560 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-14-2887-t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Repurposing "old" drugs can facilitate rapid clinical translation but necessitates novel mechanistic insight. Warfarin, a vitamin K "antagonist" used clinically for the prevention of thrombosis for more than 50 years, has been shown to have anticancer effects. We hypothesized that the molecular mechanism underlying its antitumor activity is unrelated to its effect on coagulation, but is due to inhibition of the Axl receptor tyrosine kinase on tumor cells. Activation of Axl by its ligand Gas6, a vitamin K-dependent protein, is inhibited at doses of warfarin that do not affect coagulation. Here, we show that inhibiting Gas6-dependent Axl activation with low-dose warfarin, or with other tumor-specific Axl-targeting agents, blocks the progression and spread of pancreatic cancer. Warfarin also inhibited Axl-dependent tumor cell migration, invasiveness, and proliferation while increasing apoptosis and sensitivity to chemotherapy. We conclude that Gas6-induced Axl signaling is a critical driver of pancreatic cancer progression and its inhibition with low-dose warfarin or other Axl-targeting agents may improve outcome in patients with Axl-expressing tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Kirane
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Kathleen F Ludwig
- Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Noah Sorrelle
- Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Cell Regulation Graduate Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Gry Haaland
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Tone Sandal
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Renate Ranaweera
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Jason E Toombs
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Miao Wang
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Sean P Dineen
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | | | - Michael T Dellinger
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Norwegian Centre of Excellence, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rolf A Brekken
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
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48
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Hagopian MM, Brekken RA. Stromal TGFβR2 signaling: a gateway to progression for pancreatic cancer. Mol Cell Oncol 2015; 2:e975606. [PMID: 27308449 PMCID: PMC4905287 DOI: 10.4161/23723556.2014.975606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2014] [Revised: 09/24/2014] [Accepted: 09/25/2014] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The function of transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) in the progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is complex and therapeutic targeting of this pathway is challenging. We showed that antibody-mediated inhibition of stromal Tgfβr2 prevented or reversed epithelial plasticity resulting in a potent reduction of metastasis in xenograft models of PDA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moriah M Hagopian
- Division of Surgical Oncology; Department of Surgery and Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research; University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, TX USA
| | - Rolf A Brekken
- Division of Surgical Oncology; Department of Surgery and Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research; University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, TX USA
- Correspondence to: Rolf A Brekken;
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49
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Zhao T, Ren H, Li J, Chen J, Zhang H, Xin W, Sun Y, Sun L, Yang Y, Sun J, Wang X, Gao S, Huang C, Zhang H, Yang S, Hao J. LASP1 is a HIF1α target gene critical for metastasis of pancreatic cancer. Cancer Res 2015; 75:111-9. [PMID: 25385028 PMCID: PMC4286473 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-14-2040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
LASP1 is an actin-binding protein associated with actin assembly dynamics in cancer cells. Here, we report that LASP1 is overexpressed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) where it promotes invasion and metastasis. We found that LASP1 overexpression in PDAC cells was mediated by HIF1α through direct binding to a hypoxia response element in the LASP1 promoter. HIF1α stimulated LASP1 expression in PDAC cells in vitro and mouse tumor xenografts in vivo. Clinically, LASP1 overexpression in PDAC patient specimens was associated significantly with lymph node metastasis and overall survival. Overall, our results defined LASP1 as a direct target gene for HIF1α upregulation that is critical for metastatic progression of PDAC.
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MESH Headings
- Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/genetics
- Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/metabolism
- Animals
- Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal/genetics
- Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal/metabolism
- Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal/pathology
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cell Movement/physiology
- Cytoskeletal Proteins/genetics
- Cytoskeletal Proteins/metabolism
- Female
- Heterografts
- Homeodomain Proteins/genetics
- Homeodomain Proteins/metabolism
- Humans
- Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/genetics
- Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/metabolism
- LIM Domain Proteins/genetics
- LIM Domain Proteins/metabolism
- Mice
- Mice, Nude
- Neoplasm Metastasis
- Pancreatic Neoplasms/genetics
- Pancreatic Neoplasms/metabolism
- Pancreatic Neoplasms/pathology
- Promoter Regions, Genetic
- Transcriptional Activation
- Transfection
- Pancreatic Neoplasms
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiansuo Zhao
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China. Department of Pancreatic Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China
| | - He Ren
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China. Department of Pancreatic Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Jing Li
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China. Department of Pancreatic Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Jing Chen
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China. Department of Pancreatic Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Huan Zhang
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China. Department of Pancreatic Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Wen Xin
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China. Department of Pancreatic Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Yan Sun
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China. Department of Pancreatic Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Lei Sun
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China. Department of Pancreatic Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Yongwei Yang
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China. Department of Pancreatic Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Junwei Sun
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China. Department of Pancreatic Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiuchao Wang
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China. Department of Pancreatic Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Song Gao
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China. Department of Pancreatic Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Chongbiao Huang
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China. Department of Pancreatic Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Huafeng Zhang
- School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Shengyu Yang
- Department of Tumor Biology and Comprehensive Melanoma Research Center, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida
| | - Jihui Hao
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China. Department of Pancreatic Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China.
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50
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TRAF6 is over-expressed in pancreatic cancer and promotes the tumorigenicity of pancreatic cancer cells. Med Oncol 2014; 31:260. [DOI: 10.1007/s12032-014-0260-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2014] [Accepted: 09/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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