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Richard SA. The pivotal role of irradiation-induced apoptosis in the pathogenesis and therapy of medulloblastoma. Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2024; 7:e2048. [PMID: 38599791 PMCID: PMC11006592 DOI: 10.1002/cnr2.2048] [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: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medulloblastoma (MB) is a rare primitive neuroectodermal tumors originating from the cerebellum. MB is the most common malignant primary brain tumor of childhood. MB originates from neural precursor cells in distinctive regions of the rhombic lip, and their maturation occurs in the cerebellum or the brain stem during embryonal development. Also, apoptosis is a programmed cell death associated with numerous physiological as well as pathological regulations. RECENT FINDINGS Irradiation (IR)-induce apoptosis triggers cell death, with or without intervening mitosis within a few hours of IR and these share different morphologic alteration such as, loss of normal nuclear structure as well as degradation of DNA. Moreover, MB is strikingly sensitive to DNA-damaging therapies and the role of apoptosis a key treatment modality. Furthermore, in MB, the apoptotic pathways are made up of several triggers, modulators, as well as effectors. Notably, IR-induced apoptotic mechanisms in MB therapy are very complex and they either induce radiosensitivity or inhibit radioresistance leading to potential effective treatment strategies for MB. CONCLUSION This review explicitly explores the pivotal roles of IR-induced apoptosis in the pathogenesis and therapy of MB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seidu A. Richard
- Department of MedicinePrincefield UniversityHoGhana
- Institute of Neuroscience, Third Affiliated HospitalZhengzhou UniversityZhengzhouChina
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2
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Malawsky DS, Dismuke T, Liu H, Castellino E, Brenman J, Dasgupta B, Tikunov A, Gershon TR. Chronic AMPK inactivation slows SHH medulloblastoma progression by inhibiting mTORC1 signaling and depleting tumor stem cells. iScience 2023; 26:108443. [PMID: 38094249 PMCID: PMC10716552 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
We show that inactivating AMPK in a genetic medulloblastoma model depletes tumor stem cells and slows progression. In medulloblastoma, the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor, drug-resistant stem cells co-exist with transit-amplifying cells and terminally differentiated neuronal progeny. Prior studies show that Hk2-dependent glycolysis promotes medulloblastoma progression by suppressing neural differentiation. To determine how the metabolic regulator AMPK affects medulloblastoma growth and differentiation, we inactivated AMPK genetically in medulloblastomas. We bred conditional Prkaa1 and Prkaa2 deletions into medulloblastoma-prone SmoM2 mice and compared SmoM2-driven medulloblastomas with intact or inactivated AMPK. AMPK-inactivation increased event-free survival (EFS) and altered cellular heterogeneity, increasing differentiation and decreasing tumor stem cell populations. Surprisingly, AMPK-inactivation decreased mTORC1 activity and decreased Hk2 expression. Hk2 deletion similarly depleted medulloblastoma stem cells, implicating reduced glycolysis in the AMPK-inactivated phenotype. Our results show that AMPK inactivation disproportionately impairs medulloblastoma stem cell populations typically refractory to conventional therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Shiloh Malawsky
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Taylor Dismuke
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Hedi Liu
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Ethan Castellino
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Jay Brenman
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Biplab Dasgupta
- Division of Oncology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Andrey Tikunov
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Children’s Center for Neurosciences Research, Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Timothy R. Gershon
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Children’s Center for Neurosciences Research, Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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3
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Tu KJ, Stewart CE, Williams NT, Ma Y, Luo L, Ghosh D, Weidenhammer LB, Floyd SR, Fan Y, Kirsch DG, Oldham M, Reitman ZJ. Single-fraction Radiation Treatment Dose Response in a Genetically Engineered Mouse Model of Medulloblastoma. Radiat Res 2023; 200:587-592. [PMID: 37990957 PMCID: PMC11037923 DOI: 10.1667/rade-23-00126.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor of children. Although standard of care radiotherapy for pediatric medulloblastoma (PM) can lead to long-term remission or cure in many patients, it can also cause life-long cognitive impairment and other adverse effects. The pathophysiological mechanisms involved in radiation-induced cerebral damage are incompletely understood, and their elucidation may lead to interventions that mitigate radiation toxicity. To explore the mechanisms of radiation-induced cerebral damage, transgenic mouse models of PM and non-tumor-bearing controls were exposed to radiation doses that ranged from 0 to 30 Gy. Between 0-20 Gy, a significant dose-dependent reduction in tumor-associated hydrocephalus and increase in overall survival were observed. However, at 30 Gy, hydrocephalus incidence increased and median overall survival fell to near-untreated levels. Immunohistochemistry revealed that both tumor-bearing and non-tumor-bearing mice treated with 30 Gy of radiation had significantly more reactive astrocytes and microvascular damage compared to untreated controls. This effect was persistent across mice that were given 1 and 2 weeks of recovery time after irradiation. Our data suggest that radiation therapy promotes neural death by inducing long-term neuroinflammation in PM, suggesting radiation delivery methods that limit inflammation may be effective at widening the therapeutic window of radiation therapy in PM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin J. Tu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA 27710
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA 21044
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK CB2 0RE
| | - Connor E. Stewart
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA 27710
| | - Nerissa T. Williams
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA 27710
| | - Yan Ma
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA 27710
| | - Lixia Luo
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA 27710
| | - Debosir Ghosh
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA 27710
| | - Loren B. Weidenhammer
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA 27710
| | - Scott R. Floyd
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA 27710
| | - Yi Fan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA 19104
| | - David G. Kirsch
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA 27710
- Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Mark Oldham
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA 27710
| | - Zachary J. Reitman
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA 27710
- Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA 27710
- The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke, Durham, NC, USA 27710
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA 27710
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4
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Singh R, Yu S, Osman M, Inde Z, Fraser C, Cleveland AH, Almanzar N, Lim CB, Joshi GN, Spetz J, Qin X, Toprani SM, Nagel Z, Hocking MC, Cormack RA, Yock TI, Miller JW, Yuan ZM, Gershon T, Sarosiek KA. Radiotherapy-Induced Neurocognitive Impairment Is Driven by Heightened Apoptotic Priming in Early Life and Prevented by Blocking BAX. Cancer Res 2023; 83:3442-3461. [PMID: 37470810 PMCID: PMC10570680 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-22-1337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Although external beam radiotherapy (xRT) is commonly used to treat central nervous system (CNS) tumors in patients of all ages, young children treated with xRT frequently experience life-altering and dose-limiting neurocognitive impairment (NI) while adults do not. The lack of understanding of mechanisms responsible for these differences has impeded the development of neuroprotective treatments. Using a newly developed mouse model of xRT-induced NI, we found that neurocognitive function is impaired by ionizing radiation in a dose- and age-dependent manner, with the youngest animals being most affected. Histologic analysis revealed xRT-driven neuronal degeneration and cell death in neurogenic brain regions in young animals but not adults. BH3 profiling showed that neural stem and progenitor cells, neurons, and astrocytes in young mice are highly primed for apoptosis, rendering them hypersensitive to genotoxic damage. Analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data revealed that neural cell vulnerability stems from heightened expression of proapoptotic genes including BAX, which is associated with developmental and mitogenic signaling by MYC. xRT induced apoptosis in primed neural cells by triggering a p53- and PUMA-initiated, proapoptotic feedback loop requiring cleavage of BID and culminating in BAX oligomerization and caspase activation. Notably, loss of BAX protected against apoptosis induced by proapoptotic signaling in vitro and prevented xRT-induced apoptosis in neural cells in vivo as well as neurocognitive sequelae. On the basis of these findings, preventing xRT-induced apoptosis specifically in immature neural cells by blocking BAX, BIM, or BID via direct or upstream mechanisms is expected to ameliorate NI in pediatric patients with CNS tumor. SIGNIFICANCE Age- and differentiation-dependent apoptotic priming plays a pivotal role in driving radiotherapy-induced neurocognitive impairment and can be targeted for neuroprotection in pediatric patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rumani Singh
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Stacey Yu
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Marwa Osman
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Zintis Inde
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Cameron Fraser
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Abigail H. Cleveland
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, North Carolina Cancer Hospital, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Nicole Almanzar
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Chuan Bian Lim
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Gaurav N. Joshi
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Johan Spetz
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Xingping Qin
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Sneh M. Toprani
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Zachary Nagel
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Matthew C. Hocking
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Cancer Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Robert A. Cormack
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Torunn I. Yock
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Pediatric Radiation Oncology, Francis H. Burr Proton Therapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jeffrey W. Miller
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Zhi-Min Yuan
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Timothy Gershon
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, North Carolina Cancer Hospital, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Kristopher A. Sarosiek
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts
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5
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Cleveland AH, Malawsky D, Churiwal M, Rodriguez C, Reed F, Schniederjan M, Velazquez Vega JE, Davis I, Gershon TR. PRC2 disruption in cerebellar progenitors produces cerebellar hypoplasia and aberrant myoid differentiation without blocking medulloblastoma growth. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:8. [PMID: 36635771 PMCID: PMC9838053 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01508-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
We show that Polycomb Repressive Complex-2 (PRC2) components EED and EZH2 maintain neural identity in cerebellar granule neuron progenitors (CGNPs) and SHH-driven medulloblastoma, a cancer of CGNPs. Proliferating CGNPs and medulloblastoma cells inherit neural fate commitment through epigenetic mechanisms. The PRC2 is an epigenetic regulator that has been proposed as a therapeutic target in medulloblastoma. To define PRC2 function in cerebellar development and medulloblastoma, we conditionally deleted PRC2 components Eed or Ezh2 in CGNPs and analyzed medulloblastomas induced in Eed-deleted and Ezh2-deleted CGNPs by expressing SmoM2, an oncogenic allele of Smo. Eed deletion destabilized the PRC2, depleting EED and EZH2 proteins, while Ezh2 deletion did not deplete EED. Eed-deleted cerebella were hypoplastic, with reduced proliferation, increased apoptosis, and inappropriate muscle-like differentiation. Ezh2-deleted cerebella showed similar, milder phenotypes, with fewer muscle-like cells and without reduced growth. Eed-deleted and Ezh2-deleted medulloblastomas both demonstrated myoid differentiation and progressed more rapidly than PRC2-intact controls. The PRC2 thus maintains neural commitment in CGNPs and medulloblastoma, but is not required for SHH medulloblastoma progression. Our data define a role for the PRC2 in preventing inappropriate, non-neural fates during postnatal neurogenesis, and caution that targeting the PRC2 in SHH medulloblastoma may not produce durable therapeutic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail H. Cleveland
- grid.10698.360000000122483208Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA ,grid.10698.360000000122483208Cancer Cell Biology Training Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Daniel Malawsky
- grid.10698.360000000122483208Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA ,grid.10306.340000 0004 0606 5382Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Mehal Churiwal
- grid.10698.360000000122483208Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Claudia Rodriguez
- grid.10698.360000000122483208Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Frances Reed
- grid.10698.360000000122483208Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Matthew Schniederjan
- grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA
| | - Jose E. Velazquez Vega
- grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA
| | - Ian Davis
- grid.10698.360000000122483208Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Timothy R. Gershon
- grid.10698.360000000122483208Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA ,grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA ,grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Children’s Center for Neurosciences Research, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA ,grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA
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6
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De la Cruz G, Nikolaishvili-Feinberg N, Gershon TR. Automated Immunofluorescence Staining for Analysis of DNA Damage and Apoptosis in Brain Sections. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2583:55-61. [PMID: 36418725 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2752-5_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Neural progenitors show a strong tendency to undergo apoptosis in response to DNA damage, and both impaired DNA repair and increased neural progenitor apoptosis are associated with microcephaly. Here we present an immunohistochemistry-based method for assessing DNA damage and apoptosis in the neonatal mouse brain. These methods are suitable for determining in specific experimental conditions the fractions of cells with DNA double-strand breaks, the fractions of cells undergoing apoptosis, or both. While DNA damage in neural progenitors can trigger apoptosis, inappropriate apoptosis may also result from other processes. Simultaneous analysis of DNA damage and apoptosis in mouse models of microcephaly can determine how genetic instability and cell death contribute to the observed phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela De la Cruz
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Pathology Services Core, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Nana Nikolaishvili-Feinberg
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Pathology Services Core, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Timothy R Gershon
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Neurology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- UNC Neuroscience Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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7
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Zhang Y, Qiu L, Ren Y, Cheng Z, Li L, Yao S, Zhang C, Luo Z, Lu H. A meta-learning approach to improving radiation response prediction in cancers. Comput Biol Med 2022; 150:106163. [PMID: 37070625 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.106163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Predicting the efficacy of radiotherapy in individual patients has drawn widespread attention, but the limited sample size remains a bottleneck for utilizing high-dimensional multi-omics data to guide personalized radiotherapy. We hypothesize the recently developed meta-learning framework could address this limitation. METHODS AND MATERIALS By combining gene expression, DNA methylation, and clinical data of 806 patients who had received radiotherapy from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we applied the Model-Agnostic Meta-Learning (MAML) framework to tasks consisting of pan-cancer data, to obtain the best initial parameters of a neural network for a specific cancer with smaller number of samples. The performance of meta-learning framework was compared with four traditional machine learning methods based on two training schemes, and tested on Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) datasets. Moreover, biological significance of the models was investigated by survival analysis and feature interpretation. RESULTS The mean AUC (Area under the ROC Curve) [95% confidence interval] of our models across nine cancer types was 0.702 [0.691-0.713], which improved by 0.166 on average over other the four machine learning methods on two training schemes. Our models performed significantly better (p < 0.05) in seven cancer types and performed comparable to the other predictors in the rest of two cancer types. The more pan-cancer samples were used to transfer meta-knowledge, the greater the performance improved (p < 0.05). The predicted response scores that our models generated were negatively correlated with cell radiosensitivity index in four cancer types (p < 0.05), while not statistically significant in the other three cancer types. Moreover, the predicted response scores were shown to be prognostic factors in seven cancer types and eight potential radiosensitivity-related genes were identified. CONCLUSIONS For the first time, we established the meta-learning approach to improving individual radiation response prediction by transferring common knowledge from pan-cancer data with MAML framework. The results demonstrated the superiority, generalizability, and biological significance of our approach.
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8
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Peng KL, Vasudevan HN, Lockney DT, Baum R, Hendrickson RC, Raleigh DR, Schmitt AM. Miat and interacting protein Metadherin maintain a stem-like niche to promote medulloblastoma tumorigenesis and treatment resistance. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2203738119. [PMID: 36067288 PMCID: PMC9478675 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2203738119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play essential roles in the development and progression of many cancers. However, the contributions of lncRNAs to medulloblastoma (MB) remain poorly understood. Here, we identify Miat as an lncRNA enriched in the sonic hedgehog group of MB that is required for maintenance of a treatment-resistant stem-like phenotype in the disease. Loss of Miat results in the differentiation of tumor-initiating, stem-like MB cells and enforces the differentiation of tumorigenic stem-like MB cells into a nontumorigenic state. Miat expression in stem-like MB cells also facilitates treatment resistance by down-regulating p53 signaling and impairing radiation-induced cell death, which can be reversed by therapeutic inhibition of Miat using antisense oligonucleotides. Mechanistically, the RNA binding protein Metadherin (Mtdh), previously linked to resistance to cytotoxic therapy in cancer, binds to Miat in stem-like MB cells. Like the loss of Miat, the loss of Mtdh reduces tumorigenicity and increases sensitivity to radiation-induced death in stem-like MB cells. Moreover, Miat and Mtdh function to regulate the biogenesis of several microRNAs and facilitate tumorigenesis and treatment resistance. Taken together, these data reveal an essential role for the lncRNA Miat in sustaining a treatment-resistant pool of tumorigenic stem-like MB cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai-Lin Peng
- Division of Translational Oncology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065
| | - Harish N. Vasudevan
- Division of Translational Oncology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California San Francisco, CA, 94143
| | - Dennis T. Lockney
- Division of Translational Oncology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065
| | - Rachel Baum
- Division of Translational Oncology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065
| | - Ronald C. Hendrickson
- Microchemistry and Proteomics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065
| | - David R. Raleigh
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California San Francisco, CA, 94143
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, CA, 94143
| | - Adam M. Schmitt
- Division of Translational Oncology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065
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9
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Gringmuth M, Walther J, Greiser S, Toussaint M, Schwalm B, Kool M, Kortmann RD, Glasow A, Patties I. Enhanced Survival of High-Risk Medulloblastoma-Bearing Mice after Multimodal Treatment with Radiotherapy, Decitabine, and Abacavir. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073815. [PMID: 35409174 PMCID: PMC8998934 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Children with high-risk SHH/TP53-mut and Group 3 medulloblastoma (MB) have a 5-year overall survival of only 40%. Innovative approaches to enhance survival while preventing adverse effects are urgently needed. We investigated an innovative therapy approach combining irradiation (RT), decitabine (DEC), and abacavir (ABC) in a patient-derived orthotopic SHH/TP53-mut and Group 3 MB mouse model. MB-bearing mice were treated with DEC, ABC and RT. Mouse survival, tumor growth (BLI, MRT) tumor histology (H/E), proliferation (Ki-67), and endothelial (CD31) staining were analyzed. Gene expression was examined by microarray and RT-PCR (Ki-67, VEGF, CD31, CD15, CD133, nestin, CD68, IBA). The RT/DEC/ABC therapy inhibited tumor growth and enhanced mouse survival. Ki-67 decreased in SHH/TP53-mut MBs after RT, DEC, RT/ABC, and RT/DEC/ABC therapy. CD31 was higher in SHH/TP53-mut compared to Group 3 MBs and decreased after RT/DEC/ABC. Microarray analyses showed a therapy-induced downregulation of cell cycle genes. By RT-PCR, no therapy-induced effect on stem cell fraction or immune cell invasion/activation could be shown. We showed for the first time that RT/DEC/ABC therapy improves survival of orthotopic SHH/TP53-mut and Group 3 MB-bearing mice without inducing adverse effects suggesting the potential for an adjuvant application of this multimodal therapy approach in the human clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieke Gringmuth
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Leipzig, Stephanstraße 9a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (M.G.); (R.-D.K.); (A.G.)
| | - Jenny Walther
- Fraunhofer Center for Microelectronic and Optical Systems for Biomedicine, Herman-Hollerith-Straße 3, 99099 Erfurt, Germany; (J.W.); (S.G.)
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Perlickstraße 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sebastian Greiser
- Fraunhofer Center for Microelectronic and Optical Systems for Biomedicine, Herman-Hollerith-Straße 3, 99099 Erfurt, Germany; (J.W.); (S.G.)
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Perlickstraße 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Magali Toussaint
- Department of Neuroradiopharmaceuticals, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Research Site Leipzig, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany;
| | - Benjamin Schwalm
- Hopp Children’s Cancer Center (KiTZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 430, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (B.S.); (M.K.)
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marcel Kool
- Hopp Children’s Cancer Center (KiTZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 430, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (B.S.); (M.K.)
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Research Consortium (DKTK), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Heidelberglaan 25, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Rolf-Dieter Kortmann
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Leipzig, Stephanstraße 9a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (M.G.); (R.-D.K.); (A.G.)
| | - Annegret Glasow
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Leipzig, Stephanstraße 9a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (M.G.); (R.-D.K.); (A.G.)
| | - Ina Patties
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Leipzig, Stephanstraße 9a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (M.G.); (R.-D.K.); (A.G.)
- Correspondence:
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10
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Oligodendrocytes depend on MCL-1 to prevent spontaneous apoptosis and white matter degeneration. Cell Death Dis 2021; 12:1133. [PMID: 34873168 PMCID: PMC8648801 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-021-04422-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Neurologic disorders often disproportionately affect specific brain regions, and different apoptotic mechanisms may contribute to white matter pathology in leukodystrophies or gray matter pathology in poliodystrophies. We previously showed that neural progenitors that generate cerebellar gray matter depend on the anti-apoptotic protein BCL-xL. Conditional deletion of Bcl-xL in these progenitors produces spontaneous apoptosis and cerebellar hypoplasia, while similar conditional deletion of Mcl-1 produces no phenotype. Here we show that, in contrast, postnatal oligodendrocytes depend on MCL-1. We found that brain-wide Mcl-1 deletion caused apoptosis specifically in mature oligodendrocytes while sparing astrocytes and oligodendrocyte precursors, resulting in impaired myelination and progressive white matter degeneration. Disabling apoptosis through co-deletion of Bax or Bak rescued white matter degeneration, implicating the intrinsic apoptotic pathway in Mcl-1-dependence. Bax and Bak co-deletions rescued different aspects of the Mcl-1-deleted phenotype, demonstrating their discrete roles in white matter stability. MCL-1 protein abundance was reduced in eif2b5-mutant mouse model of the leukodystrophy vanishing white matter disease (VWMD), suggesting the potential for MCL-1 deficiency to contribute to clinical neurologic disease. Our data show that oligodendrocytes require MCL-1 to suppress apoptosis, implicate MCL-1 deficiency in white matter pathology, and suggest apoptosis inhibition as a leukodystrophy therapy.
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11
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Stem-Like Cell Populations, p53-Pathway Activation and Mechanisms of Recurrence in Sonic Hedgehog Medulloblastoma. Neuromolecular Med 2021; 24:13-17. [PMID: 34165693 DOI: 10.1007/s12017-021-08673-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
While most Sonic Hedgehog-associated medulloblastomas (SHH-MBs) respond to therapeutic intervention, radiation therapy often causes deleterious long-term neurocognitive defects, especially in infants and young children. To limit neurological comorbidities, the development of a reduction-of-therapy treatment or de-escalation approach was investigated. Although retrospective analysis of MBs indicated low-dose therapy was potentially effective, clinical de-escalation trials showed poor outcomes in infant SHH-MBs and was prematurely terminated. Recent studies suggest the existence of cancer-stem-cell (CSC)-like cell populations that are more resistant to therapies and drive tumor recurrence. This review will discuss the mechanism of these CSC-like cells in SHH-MBs in resisting to p53-pathway activation, which may contribute to the disappointing outcomes of the recent de-escalation trials.
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12
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Malawsky DS, Weir SJ, Ocasio JK, Babcock B, Dismuke T, Cleveland AH, Donson AM, Vibhakar R, Wilhelmsen K, Gershon TR. Cryptic developmental events determine medulloblastoma radiosensitivity and cellular heterogeneity without altering transcriptomic profile. Commun Biol 2021; 4:616. [PMID: 34021242 PMCID: PMC8139976 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02099-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
It is unclear why medulloblastoma patients receiving similar treatments experience different outcomes. Transcriptomic profiling identified subgroups with different prognoses, but in each subgroup, individuals remain at risk of incurable recurrence. To investigate why similar-appearing tumors produce variable outcomes, we analyzed medulloblastomas triggered in transgenic mice by a common driver mutation expressed at different points in brain development. We genetically engineered mice to express oncogenic SmoM2, starting in multipotent glio-neuronal stem cells, or committed neural progenitors. Both groups developed medulloblastomas with similar transcriptomic profiles. We compared medulloblastoma progression, radiosensitivity, and cellular heterogeneity, determined by single-cell transcriptomic analysis (scRNA-seq). Stem cell-triggered medulloblastomas progressed faster, contained more OLIG2-expressing stem-like cells, and consistently showed radioresistance. In contrast, progenitor-triggered MBs progressed slower, down-regulated stem-like cells and were curable with radiation. Progenitor-triggered medulloblastomas also contained more diverse stromal populations, with more Ccr2+ macrophages and fewer Igf1+ microglia, indicating that developmental events affected the subsequent tumor microenvironment. Reduced mTORC1 activity in M-Smo tumors suggests that differential Igf1 contributed to differences in phenotype. Developmental events in tumorigenesis that were obscure in transcriptomic profiles thus remained cryptic determinants of tumor composition and outcome. Precise understanding of medulloblastoma pathogenesis and prognosis requires supplementing transcriptomic/methylomic studies with analyses that resolve cellular heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Shiloh Malawsky
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Seth J Weir
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jennifer Karin Ocasio
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Benjamin Babcock
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Taylor Dismuke
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Abigail H Cleveland
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- UNC Cancer Cell Biology Training Program, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Andrew M Donson
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
- Morgan Adams Foundation Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Program, Children's, Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Rajeev Vibhakar
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
- Morgan Adams Foundation Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Program, Children's, Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Kirk Wilhelmsen
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- RENCI, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Timothy R Gershon
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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13
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Inhibition of SOCS6 confers radioresistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 550:92-98. [PMID: 33689885 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.02.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Esophageal cancer is one of the most common cancer of the digestive system and radiotherapy is widely applied in advanced esophageal cancer treatment, however radioresistance (RR) is one of the major reasons for radiotherapy failure. There is limited knowledge on the mechanisms that cause RR, here we identify suppressors of cytokine signaling 6 (SOCS6) is a negative regulator of radioresistance in ESCC cells. SOCS6 deficiency in ESCC cells conferred radioresistance in vitro and in vivo by increasing radiation-induced G2/M arrest, DNA damage repair and inhibiting radiation-induced apoptosis. Moreover, the transcriptome sequencing analysis demonstrates that the transcription of SOCS6 was partially p53-dependent. Importantly we found that highly correlated SOCS6 and P53 express lower in RR esophageal cancer tissues compare with radiosensitive ones. Collectedly our study uncovers that SOCS6, as a downstream effector of p53, is a key regulator involved in the radioresistance of ESCC.
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14
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Coleman CN, Eke I, Makinde AY, Chopra S, Demaria S, Formenti SC, Martello S, Bylicky M, Mitchell JB, Aryankalayil MJ. Radiation-induced Adaptive Response: New Potential for Cancer Treatment. Clin Cancer Res 2020; 26:5781-5790. [PMID: 32554542 PMCID: PMC7669567 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-20-0572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Radiotherapy is highly effective due to its ability to physically focus the treatment to target the tumor while sparing normal tissue and its ability to be combined with systemic therapy. This systemic therapy can be utilized before radiotherapy as an adjuvant or induction treatment, during radiotherapy as a radiation "sensitizer," or following radiotherapy as a part of combined modality therapy. As part of a unique concept of using radiation as "focused biology," we investigated how tumors and normal tissues adapt to clinically relevant multifraction (MF) and single-dose (SD) radiation to observe whether the adaptations can induce susceptibility to cell killing by available drugs or by immune enhancement. We identified an adaptation occurring after MF (3 × 2 Gy) that induced cell killing when AKT-mTOR inhibitors were delivered following cessation of radiotherapy. In addition, we identified inducible changes in integrin expression 2 months following cessation of radiotherapy that differ between MF (1 Gy × 10) and SD (10 Gy) that remain targetable compared with preradiotherapy. Adaptation is reflected across different "omics" studies, and thus the range of possible molecular targets is not only broad but also time, dose, and schedule dependent. While much remains to be studied about the radiation adaptive response, radiation should be characterized by its molecular perturbations in addition to physical dose. Consideration of the adaptive effects should result in the design of a tailored radiotherapy treatment plan that accounts for specific molecular changes to be targeted as part of precision multimodality cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Norman Coleman
- Radiation Oncology Branch and Radiation Biology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland.
| | - Iris Eke
- Radiation Oncology Branch and Radiation Biology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Adeola Y Makinde
- Radiation Oncology Branch and Radiation Biology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Sunita Chopra
- Radiation Oncology Branch and Radiation Biology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Sandra Demaria
- Radiation Oncology and Pathology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Silvia C Formenti
- Radiation Oncology and Pathology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Shannon Martello
- Radiation Oncology Branch and Radiation Biology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Michelle Bylicky
- Radiation Oncology Branch and Radiation Biology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - James B Mitchell
- Radiation Oncology Branch and Radiation Biology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Molykutty J Aryankalayil
- Radiation Oncology Branch and Radiation Biology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
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15
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Ocasio JK, Bates RDP, Rapp CD, Gershon TR. GSK-3 modulates SHH-driven proliferation in postnatal cerebellar neurogenesis and medulloblastoma. Development 2019; 146:dev.177550. [PMID: 31540917 DOI: 10.1242/dev.177550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Cerebellar development requires regulated proliferation of cerebellar granule neuron progenitors (CGNPs). Inadequate CGNP proliferation causes cerebellar hypoplasia whereas excessive CGNP proliferation can cause medulloblastoma, the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor. Although sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling is known to activate CGNP proliferation, the mechanisms downregulating proliferation are less defined. We investigated CGNP regulation by GSK-3, which downregulates proliferation in the forebrain, gut and breast by suppressing mitogenic WNT signaling in mouse. In striking contrast to these systems, we found that co-deleting Gsk3a and Gsk3b blocked CGNP proliferation, causing severe cerebellar hypoplasia. The GSK-3 inhibitor CHIR-98014 similarly downregulated SHH-driven proliferation. Transcriptomic analysis showed activated WNT signaling and upregulated Cdkn1a in Gsk3a/b -deleted CGNPs. Ctnnb co-deletion increased CGNP proliferation and rescued cerebellar hypoproliferation in Gsk3a/b mutants, demonstrating physiological control of CGNPs by GSK-3, mediated through WNT. SHH-driven medulloblastomas similarly required GSK-3, as co-deleting Gsk3a/b blocked tumor growth in medulloblastoma-prone SmoM2 mice. These data show that a GSK-3/WNT axis modulates the developmental proliferation of CGNPs and the pathological growth of SHH-driven medulloblastoma. The requirement for GSK-3 in SHH-driven proliferation suggests that GSK-3 may be targeted for SHH-driven medulloblastoma therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer K Ocasio
- UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA .,Department of Neurology, UNC School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Rolf Dale P Bates
- Department of Neurology, UNC School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Carolyn D Rapp
- Department of Neurology, UNC School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Timothy R Gershon
- UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA .,Department of Neurology, UNC School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
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16
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Treisman DM, Li Y, Pierce BR, Li C, Chervenak AP, Tomasek GJ, Lozano G, Zheng X, Kool M, Zhu Y. Sox2 + cells in Sonic Hedgehog-subtype medulloblastoma resist p53-mediated cell-cycle arrest response and drive therapy-induced recurrence. Neurooncol Adv 2019; 1:vdz027. [PMID: 31763624 PMCID: PMC6860004 DOI: 10.1093/noajnl/vdz027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background High-intensity therapy effectively treats most TP53 wild-type (TP53-WT) Sonic Hedgehog-subgroup medulloblastomas (SHH-MBs), but often cause long-term deleterious neurotoxicities in children. Recent clinical trials investigating reduction/de-escalation of therapy for TP53-WT SHH-MBs caused poor overall survival. Here, we investigated whether reduced levels of p53-pathway activation by low-intensity therapy potentially contribute to diminished therapeutic efficacy. Methods Using mouse SHH-MB models with different p53 activities, we investigated therapeutic efficacy by activating p53-mediated cell-cycle arrest versus p53-mediated apoptosis on radiation-induced recurrence. Results Upon radiation treatment, p53WT-mediated apoptosis was sufficient to eliminate all SHH-MB cells, including Sox2+ cells. The same treatment eliminated most Sox2− bulk tumor cells in SHH-MBs harboring p53R172P, an apoptosis-defective allele with cell-cycle arrest activity, via inducing robust neuronal differentiation. Rare quiescent Sox2+ cells survived radiation-enhanced p53R172P activation and entered a proliferative state, regenerating tumors. Transcriptomes of Sox2+ cells resembled quiescent Nestin-expressing progenitors in the developing cerebellum, expressing Olig2 known to suppress p53 and p21 expression. Importantly, high SOX2 expression is associated with poor survival of all four SHH-MB subgroups, independent of TP53 mutational status. Conclusions Quiescent Sox2+ cells are efficiently eliminated by p53-mediated apoptosis, but not cell-cycle arrest and differentiation. Their survival contributes to tumor recurrence due to insufficient p53-pathway activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Treisman
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Gilbert Family Neurofibromatosis Institute, Washington, DC.,Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Washington, DC.,Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
| | - Yinghua Li
- Gilbert Family Neurofibromatosis Institute, Washington, DC.,Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Washington, DC.,Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
| | - Brianna R Pierce
- Gilbert Family Neurofibromatosis Institute, Washington, DC.,Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Washington, DC.,Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
| | - Chaoyang Li
- Gilbert Family Neurofibromatosis Institute, Washington, DC.,Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Washington, DC.,Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
| | - Andrew P Chervenak
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Gerald J Tomasek
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Guillermina Lozano
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Section of Cancer Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Xiaoyan Zheng
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The GW Cancer Center, Washington, DC
| | - Marcel Kool
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Yuan Zhu
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Gilbert Family Neurofibromatosis Institute, Washington, DC.,Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Washington, DC.,Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
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17
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Mehrabian H, Detsky J, Soliman H, Sahgal A, Stanisz GJ. Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Techniques in Management of Brain Metastases. Front Oncol 2019; 9:440. [PMID: 31214496 PMCID: PMC6558019 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain metastases are the most common intracranial tumors and occur in 20–40% of all cancer patients. Lung cancer, breast cancer, and melanoma are the most frequent primary cancers to develop brain metastases. Treatment options include surgical resection, whole brain radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and systemic treatment such as targeted or immune therapy. Anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the tumor (in particular post-Gadolinium T1-weighted and T2-weighted FLAIR) provide information about lesion morphology and structure, and are routinely used in clinical practice for both detection and treatment response evaluation for brain metastases. Advanced MRI biomarkers that characterize the cellular, biophysical, micro-structural and metabolic features of tumors have the potential to improve the management of brain metastases from early detection and diagnosis, to evaluating treatment response. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST), quantitative magnetization transfer (qMT), diffusion-based tissue microstructure imaging, trans-membrane water exchange mapping, and magnetic susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) are advanced MRI techniques that will be reviewed in this article as they pertain to brain metastases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hatef Mehrabian
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Jay Detsky
- Radiation Oncology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hany Soliman
- Radiation Oncology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Arjun Sahgal
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Radiation Oncology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Greg J Stanisz
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Neurosurgery and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Medical University, Lublin, Poland
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18
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Peng Q, Lin K, Shen Y, Zhou P, Fan S, Shen Y, Zhu Y. Identification of potential genes and pathways for response prediction of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer by systemic biological analysis. Oncol Lett 2019; 17:492-501. [PMID: 30655792 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2018.9598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 09/13/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by radical surgery is the standard of care for locally advanced rectal cancer. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no effective biomarkers for predicting patients who may benefit from neoadjuvant treatment. The aim of the current study was to screen potential crucial genes and pathways associated with the response to CRT in rectal cancer, and provide valid biological information to assist further investigation of CRT optimization. In the current study, differentially expressed (DE) genes were identified from the tumor samples of responders and non-responders to neoadjuvant CRT in the GSE35452 gene expression profile. Seven hub genes and one significant module were identified from the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Functional enrichment analysis of all the DE genes and the hub genes, retrieved from PPI network analysis, revealed their associations with CRT response. Genes were identified that may be used to discriminate patients who would or would not clinically benefit from neoadjuvant CRT. Several important pathways enriched by the DE genes, hub genes and selected module were identified, and revealed to be closely associated with radiation response, including excision repair, homologous recombination, Ras signaling pathway, the forkhead box O signaling pathway, focal adhesion and the Wnt signaling pathway. In conclusion, the current study demonstrated that the identified gene signatures and pathways may be used as molecular biomarkers for predicting CRT response. Furthermore, combinations of these biomarkers may be helpful for optimizing CRT treatment and promoting understanding of the molecular basis of response differences; this needs to be confirmed by further experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiliang Peng
- Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China.,Institute of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Soochow University, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China.,Suzhou Key Laboratory for Radiation Oncology, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China
| | - Kaisu Lin
- Department of Oncology, Nantong Rich Hospital, Nantong, Jiangsu 226010, P.R. China
| | - Yi Shen
- Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China
| | - Ping Zhou
- Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China.,Institute of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Soochow University, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China.,Suzhou Key Laboratory for Radiation Oncology, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China
| | - Shaonan Fan
- Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China.,Institute of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Soochow University, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China.,Suzhou Key Laboratory for Radiation Oncology, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China
| | - Yuntian Shen
- Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China.,Institute of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Soochow University, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China.,Suzhou Key Laboratory for Radiation Oncology, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China
| | - Yaqun Zhu
- Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China.,Institute of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Soochow University, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China.,Suzhou Key Laboratory for Radiation Oncology, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China
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19
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N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 promotes oxaliplatin-triggered apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells via enhancing the ubiquitination of Bcl-2. Oncotarget 2018; 8:47709-47724. [PMID: 28537875 PMCID: PMC5564599 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.17711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
N-myc downstream-regulated gene1 (NDRG1) has been identified as a potent tumor suppressor gene. The molecular mechanisms of anti-tumor activity of NDRG1 involve its suppressive effects on a variety of tumorigenic signaling pathways. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of NDRG1 in the apoptosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. We first collected the clinical data of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients receiving oxaliplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in our medical center. Correlation analysis revealed that NDRG1 positively associated with the downstaging rates and prognosis of patients. Then, the effects of over-expression and depletion of NDRG1 gene on apoptosis of colorectal cancer were tested in vitro and in vivo. NDRG1 over-expression promoted apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells whereas depletion of NDRG1 resulted in resistance to oxaliplatin treatment. Furthermore, we observed that Bcl-2, a major anti-apoptotic protein, was regulated by NDRG1 at post-transcriptional level. By binding Protein kinase Cα (PKCα), a classical regulating factor of Bcl-2, NDRG1 enhanced the ubiquitination and degradation of Bcl-2, thus promoting apoptosis in CRC cells. In addition, NDRG1 inhibited tumor growth and promoted apoptosis in mouse xenograft model. In conclusion, NDRG1 promotes oxaliplatin-triggered apoptosis in colorectal cancer. Therefore, colorectal cancer patients can be stratified by the expression level of NDRG1. NDRG1-positive patients may benefit from oxaliplatin-containing chemotherapy regimens whereas those with negative NDRG1 expression should avoid the usage of this cytotoxic drug.
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20
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Scroggins BT, Burkeen J, White AO, Chung EJ, Wei D, Chung SI, Valle LF, Patil SS, McKay-Corkum G, Hudak KE, Linehan WM, Citrin DE. Mithramycin A Enhances Tumor Sensitivity to Mitotic Catastrophe Resulting From DNA Damage. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2017; 100:344-352. [PMID: 29157749 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2017.09.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Revised: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Specificity protein 1 (SP1) is involved in the transcription of several genes implicated in tumor maintenance. We investigated the effects of mithramycin A (MTA), an inhibitor of SP1 DNA binding, on radiation response. METHODS AND MATERIALS Clonogenic survival after irradiation was assessed in 2 tumor cell lines (A549, UM-UC-3) and 1 human fibroblast line (BJ) after SP1 knockdown or MTA treatment. DNA damage repair was evaluated using γH2AX foci formation, and mitotic catastrophe was assessed using nuclear morphology. Gene expression was evaluated using polymerase chain reaction arrays. In vivo tumor growth delay was used to evaluate the effects of MTA on radiosensitivity. RESULTS Targeting of SP1 with small interfering RNA or MTA sensitized A549 and UM-UC-3 to irradiation, with no effect on the BJ radiation response. MTA did not alter γH2AX foci formation after irradiation in tumor cells but did enhance mitotic catastrophe. Treatment with MTA suppressed transcription of genes involved in cell death. MTA administration to mice bearing A549 and UM-UC-3 xenografts enhanced radiation-induced tumor growth delay. CONCLUSIONS These results support SP1 as a target for radiation sensitization and confirm MTA as a radiation sensitizer in human tumor models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley T Scroggins
- Radiation Oncology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Jeffrey Burkeen
- Radiation Oncology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Ayla O White
- Radiation Oncology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Eun Joo Chung
- Radiation Oncology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Darmood Wei
- Urologic Oncology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Su I Chung
- Radiation Oncology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Luca F Valle
- Radiation Oncology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Shilpa S Patil
- Radiation Oncology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Grace McKay-Corkum
- Radiation Oncology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Kathryn E Hudak
- Radiation Oncology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - W Marston Linehan
- Urologic Oncology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Deborah E Citrin
- Radiation Oncology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
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Conduit SE, Ramaswamy V, Remke M, Watkins DN, Wainwright BJ, Taylor MD, Mitchell CA, Dyson JM. A compartmentalized phosphoinositide signaling axis at cilia is regulated by INPP5E to maintain cilia and promote Sonic Hedgehog medulloblastoma. Oncogene 2017. [PMID: 28650469 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2017.208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling at primary cilia drives the proliferation and progression of a subset of medulloblastomas, the most common malignant paediatric brain tumor. Severe side effects associated with conventional treatments and resistance to targeted therapies has led to the need for new strategies. SHH signaling is dependent on primary cilia for signal transduction suggesting the potential for cilia destabilizing mechanisms as a therapeutic target. INPP5E is an inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase that hydrolyses PtdIns(4,5)P2 and more potently, the phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase product PtdIns(3,4,5)P3. INPP5E promotes SHH signaling during embryonic development via PtdIns(4,5)P2 hydrolysis at cilia, that in turn regulates the cilia recruitment of the SHH suppressor GPR161. However, the role INPP5E plays in cancer is unknown and the contribution of PI3-kinase signaling to cilia function is little characterized. Here, we reveal INPP5E promotes SHH signaling in SHH medulloblastoma by negatively regulating a cilia-compartmentalized PI3-kinase signaling axis that maintains primary cilia on tumor cells. Conditional deletion of Inpp5e in a murine model of constitutively active Smoothened-driven medulloblastoma slowed tumor progression, suppressed cell proliferation, reduced SHH signaling and promoted tumor cell cilia loss. PtdIns(3,4,5)P3, its effector pAKT and the target pGSK3β, which when non-phosphorylated promotes cilia assembly/stability, localized to tumor cell cilia. The number of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3/pAKT/pGSK3β-positive cilia was increased in cultured Inpp5e-null tumor cells relative to controls. PI3-kinase inhibition or expression of wild-type, but not catalytically inactive HA-INPP5E partially rescued cilia loss in Inpp5e-null tumor cells in vitro. INPP5E mRNA and copy number were reduced in human SHH medulloblastoma compared to other molecular subtypes and consistent with the murine model, reduced INPP5E was associated with improved overall survival. Therefore our study identifies a compartmentalized PtdIns(3,4,5)P3/AKT/GSK3β signaling axis at cilia in SHH-dependent medulloblastoma that is regulated by INPP5E to maintain tumor cell cilia, promote SHH signaling and thereby medulloblastoma progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- S E Conduit
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cancer Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - V Ramaswamy
- Division of Haematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - M Remke
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Centre, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - D N Watkins
- The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia.,St. Vincent's Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia.,Department of Thoracic Medicine, St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
| | - B J Wainwright
- Division of Molecular Genetics and Development, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - M D Taylor
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Centre, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - C A Mitchell
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cancer Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - J M Dyson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cancer Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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