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Gimeno-Valiente F, López-Rodas G, Castillo J, Franco L. The Many Roads from Alternative Splicing to Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms Involving Driver Genes. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2123. [PMID: 38893242 PMCID: PMC11171328 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16112123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer driver genes are either oncogenes or tumour suppressor genes that are classically activated or inactivated, respectively, by driver mutations. Alternative splicing-which produces various mature mRNAs and, eventually, protein variants from a single gene-may also result in driving neoplastic transformation because of the different and often opposed functions of the variants of driver genes. The present review analyses the different alternative splicing events that result in driving neoplastic transformation, with an emphasis on their molecular mechanisms. To do this, we collected a list of 568 gene drivers of cancer and revised the literature to select those involved in the alternative splicing of other genes as well as those in which its pre-mRNA is subject to alternative splicing, with the result, in both cases, of producing an oncogenic isoform. Thirty-one genes fall into the first category, which includes splicing factors and components of the spliceosome and splicing regulators. In the second category, namely that comprising driver genes in which alternative splicing produces the oncogenic isoform, 168 genes were found. Then, we grouped them according to the molecular mechanisms responsible for alternative splicing yielding oncogenic isoforms, namely, mutations in cis splicing-determining elements, other causes involving non-mutated cis elements, changes in splicing factors, and epigenetic and chromatin-related changes. The data given in the present review substantiate the idea that aberrant splicing may regulate the activation of proto-oncogenes or inactivation of tumour suppressor genes and details on the mechanisms involved are given for more than 40 driver genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Gimeno-Valiente
- Cancer Evolution and Genome Instability Laboratory, University College London Cancer Institute, London WC1E 6DD, UK;
| | - Gerardo López-Rodas
- Department of Oncology, Institute of Health Research INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (G.L.-R.); (J.C.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat de València, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Josefa Castillo
- Department of Oncology, Institute of Health Research INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (G.L.-R.); (J.C.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat de València, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Cáncer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Franco
- Department of Oncology, Institute of Health Research INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (G.L.-R.); (J.C.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat de València, 46010 Valencia, Spain
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Guo T, Zamuner F, Ting S, Chen L, Rooper L, Tamayo P, Fakhry C, Gaykalova D, Mehra R. Clinical and genomic characterization of chemoradiation-resistant HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1336577. [PMID: 38505587 PMCID: PMC10949886 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1336577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Most patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) have an excellent response to chemoradiation, and trials are now investigating de-escalated treatment. However, up to 25% of patients with HPV-positive OPSCC will experience recurrence, and up to 5% will even progress through primary treatment. Currently, there are no molecular markers to identify patients with poor prognosis who would be harmed by de-escalation. Herein we report the clinical and genomic characteristics of persistent HPV-positive OPSCC after definitive platinum-based chemoradiation therapy. Methods Patients with HPV-positive OPSCC treated with curative intent platinum-based chemoradiation between 2007 and 2017 at two institutions and with a persistent locoregional disease were included. We evaluated clinical characteristics, including smoking status, age, stage, treatment, and overall survival. A subset of five patients had tissue available for targeted exome DNA sequencing and RNA sequencing. Genomic analysis was compared to a previously published cohort of 47 treatment-responsive HPV+ OPSCC tumors after batch correction. Mutational landscape, pathway activation, and OncoGPS tumor states were employed to characterize these tumors. Results Ten patients met the inclusion criteria. The tumor and nodal stages ranged from T1 to T4 and N1 to N2 by AJCC 8th edition staging. All patients were p16-positive by immunohistochemistry, and eight with available in situ hybridization were confirmed to be HPV-positive. The 1-year overall survival from the time of diagnosis was 57%, and the 2-year overall survival was 17%. TP53 mutations were present in three of five (60%) persistent tumors compared to 2% (one of 47) of treatment-responsive HPV-positive tumors (p = 0.008). Other genes with recurrent mutations in persistent HPV-positive OPSCC tumors were NF1, KMT2D, PIK3C2B, and TFGBR2. Compared to treatment-responsive HPV-positive tumors, persistent tumors demonstrated activation of DNA Repair and p53, EMT, MYC, SRC, and TGF-beta signaling pathways, with post-treatment samples demonstrating significant activation of the PI3K-EMT-Stem pathways compared to pretreatment samples. Conclusion Chemoradiation-resistant HPV-positive OPSCC occurs infrequently but portends a poor prognosis. These tumors demonstrate higher rates of p53 mutation and activation of MYC, SRC, and TGF-beta pathways. A comparison of tumors before and after treatment demonstrates PI3K-EMT-Stem pathways post-treatment in HPV-positive tumors with persistent disease after platinum-based chemoradiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Guo
- Department of Otolaryngology, Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Fernando Zamuner
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Stephanie Ting
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Liam Chen
- Division of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Lisa Rooper
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Pablo Tamayo
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Carole Fakhry
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Daria Gaykalova
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Ranee Mehra
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Wu K, Sun Q, Liu D, Lu J, Wen D, Zang X, Gao L. Alternative Splicing Landscape of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Technol Cancer Res Treat 2024; 23:15330338241272051. [PMID: 39113534 PMCID: PMC11307358 DOI: 10.1177/15330338241272051] [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: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Head and neck malignancies are a significant global health concern, with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) being the sixth most common cancer worldwide accounting for > 90% of cases. In recent years, there has been growing recognition of the potential role of alternative splicing (AS) in the etiology of cancer. Increasing evidence suggests that AS is associated with various aspects of cancer progression, including tumor occurrence, invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance. Additionally, AS is involved in shaping the tumor microenvironment, which plays a crucial role in tumor development and response to therapy. AS can influence the expression of factors involved in angiogenesis, immune response, and extracellular matrix remodeling, all of which contribute to the formation of a supportive microenvironment for tumor growth. Exploring the mechanism of AS events in HNSCC could provide insights into the development and progression of this cancer, as well as its interaction with the tumor microenvironment. Understanding how AS contributes to the molecular changes in HNSCC cells and influences the tumor microenvironment could lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets. Targeted chemotherapy and immunotherapy strategies tailored to the specific AS patterns in HNSCC could potentially improve treatment outcomes and reduce side effects. This review explores the concept, types, processes, and technological advancements of AS, focusing on its role in the initiation, progression, treatment, and prognosis of HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kehan Wu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China
| | - Qianhui Sun
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China
| | - Dongxu Liu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China
| | - Jiayi Lu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China
| | - Deyu Wen
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China
| | - Xiyan Zang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China
| | - Li Gao
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China
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Qualliotine JR, Nakagawa T, Rosenthal SB, Sadat S, Ballesteros-Merino C, Xu G, Mark A, Nasamran A, Gutkind JS, Fisch KM, Guo T, Fox BA, Khan Z, Molinolo AA, Califano JA. A Network Landscape of HPVOPC Reveals Methylation Alterations as Significant Drivers of Gene Expression via an Immune-Mediated GPCR Signal. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4379. [PMID: 37686653 PMCID: PMC10486378 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15174379] [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: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
HPV-associated oropharynx carcinoma (HPVOPC) tumors have a relatively low mutational burden. Elucidating the relative contributions of other tumor alterations, such as DNA methylation alterations, alternative splicing events (ASE), and copy number variation (CNV), could provide a deeper understanding of carcinogenesis drivers in this disease. We applied network propagation analysis to multiple classes of tumor alterations in a discovery cohort of 46 primary HPVOPC tumors and 25 cancer-unaffected controls and validated our findings with TCGA data. We identified significant overlap between differential gene expression networks and all alteration classes, and this association was highest for methylation and lowest for CNV. Significant overlap was seen for gene clusters of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) pathways. HPV16-human protein interaction analysis identified an enriched cluster defined by an immune-mediated GPCR signal, including CXCR3 cytokines CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11. CXCR3 was found to be expressed in primary HPVOPC, and scRNA-seq analysis demonstrated CXCR3 ligands to be highly expressed in M2 macrophages. In vivo models demonstrated decreased tumor growth with antagonism of the CXCR3 receptor in immunodeficient but not immunocompetent mice, suggesting that the CXCR3 axis can drive tumor proliferation in an autocrine fashion, but the effect is tempered by an intact immune system. In conclusion, methylation, ASE, and SNV alterations are highly associated with network gene expression changes in HPVOPC, suggesting that ASE and methylation alterations have an important role in driving the oncogenic phenotype. Network analysis identifies GPCR networks, specifically the CXCR3 chemokine axis, as modulators of tumor-immune interactions that may have proliferative effects on primary tumors as well as a role for immunosurveillance; however, CXCR3 inhibition should be used with caution, as these agents may both inhibit and stimulate tumor growth considering the competing effects of this cytokine axis. Further investigation is needed to explore opportunities for targeted therapy in this setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse R. Qualliotine
- Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Takuya Nakagawa
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - Sara Brin Rosenthal
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sayed Sadat
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | | | - Guorong Xu
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Adam Mark
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Art Nasamran
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - J. Silvio Gutkind
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Kathleen M. Fisch
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Theresa Guo
- Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Bernard A. Fox
- Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Providence Cancer Center, Portland, OR 97213, USA
| | - Zubair Khan
- Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Alfredo A. Molinolo
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Joseph A. Califano
- Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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Aguayo F, Perez-Dominguez F, Osorio JC, Oliva C, Calaf GM. PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway in HPV-Driven Head and Neck Carcinogenesis: Therapeutic Implications. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12050672. [PMID: 37237486 DOI: 10.3390/biology12050672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
High-risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPVs) are the causal agents of cervical, anogenital and a subset of head and neck carcinomas (HNCs). Indeed, oropharyngeal cancers are a type of HNC highly associated with HR-HPV infections and constitute a specific clinical entity. The oncogenic mechanism of HR-HPV involves E6/E7 oncoprotein overexpression for promoting cell immortalization and transformation, through the downregulation of p53 and pRB tumor suppressor proteins, among other cellular targets. Additionally, E6/E7 proteins are involved in promoting PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway alterations. In this review, we address the relationship between HR-HPV and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway activation in HNC with an emphasis on its therapeutic importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Aguayo
- Departamento de Biomedicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica 1000000, Chile
| | - Francisco Perez-Dominguez
- Laboratorio de Oncovirología, Programa de Virología, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas (ICBM), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380000, Chile
| | - Julio C Osorio
- Laboratorio de Oncovirología, Programa de Virología, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas (ICBM), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380000, Chile
| | - Carolina Oliva
- Laboratorio de Oncovirología, Programa de Virología, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas (ICBM), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380000, Chile
| | - Gloria M Calaf
- Instituto de Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica 1000000, Chile
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Sannigrahi MK, Rajagopalan P, Lai L, Liu X, Sahu V, Nakagawa H, Jalaly JB, Brody RM, Morgan IM, Windle BE, Wang X, Gimotty PA, Kelly DP, White EA, Basu D. HPV E6 regulates therapy responses in oropharyngeal cancer by repressing the PGC-1α/ERRα axis. JCI Insight 2022; 7:159600. [PMID: 36134662 PMCID: PMC9675449 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.159600] [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: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapy with radiation plus cisplatin kills HPV+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCCs) by increasing reactive oxygen species beyond cellular antioxidant capacity. To explore why these standard treatments fail for some patients, we evaluated whether the variation in HPV oncoprotein levels among HPV+ OPSCCs affects mitochondrial metabolism, a source of antioxidant capacity. In cell line and patient-derived xenograft models, levels of HPV full-length E6 (fl-E6) inversely correlated with oxidative phosphorylation, antioxidant capacity, and therapy resistance, and fl-E6 was the only HPV oncoprotein to display such correlations. Ectopically expressing fl-E6 in models with low baseline levels reduced mitochondrial mass, depleted antioxidant capacity, and sensitized to therapy. In this setting, fl-E6 repressed the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1α/estrogen-related receptor α (PGC-1α/ERRα) pathway for mitochondrial biogenesis by reducing p53-dependent PGC-1α transcription. Concordant observations were made in 3 clinical cohorts, where expression of mitochondrial components was higher in tumors of patients with reduced survival. These tumors contained the lowest fl-E6 levels, the highest p53 target gene expression, and an activated PGC-1α/ERRα pathway. Our findings demonstrate that E6 can potentiate treatment responses by depleting mitochondrial antioxidant capacity and provide evidence for low E6 negatively affecting patient survival. E6's interaction with the PGC-1α/ERRα axis has implications for predicting and targeting treatment resistance in OPSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ling Lai
- Cardiovascular Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Xinyi Liu
- Department of Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Varun Sahu
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Hiroshi Nakagawa
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jalal B. Jalaly
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Robert M. Brody
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery and
| | - Iain M. Morgan
- Philips Institute for Oral Health Research, School of Dentistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Bradford E. Windle
- Philips Institute for Oral Health Research, School of Dentistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Xiaowei Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Phyllis A. Gimotty
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Daniel P. Kelly
- Cardiovascular Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Devraj Basu
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery and
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Hurník P, Chyra Z, Ševčíková T, Štembírek J, Trtková KS, Gaykalova DA, Buchtová M, Hrubá E. Epigenetic Regulations of Perineural Invasion in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Front Genet 2022; 13:848557. [PMID: 35571032 PMCID: PMC9091179 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.848557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Carcinomas of the oral cavity and oropharynx belong among the ten most common malignancies in the human population. The prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is determined by the degree of invasiveness of the primary tumor and by the extent of metastatic spread into regional and distant lymph nodes. Moreover, the level of the perineural invasion itself associates with tumor localization, invasion's extent, and the presence of nodal metastases. Here, we summarize the current knowledge about different aspects of epigenetic changes, which can be associated with HNSCC while focusing on perineural invasion (PNI). We review epigenetic modifications of the genes involved in the PNI process in HNSCC from the omics perspective and specific epigenetic modifications in OSCC or other neurotropic cancers associated with perineural invasion. Moreover, we summarize DNA methylation status of tumor-suppressor genes, methylation and demethylation enzymes and histone post-translational modifications associated with PNI. The influence of other epigenetic factors on the HNSCC incidence and perineural invasion such as tobacco, alcohol and oral microbiome is overviewed and HPV infection is discussed as an epigenetic factor associated with OSCC and related perineural invasion. Understanding epigenetic regulations of axon growth that lead to tumorous spread or uncovering the molecular control of axon interaction with cancer tissue can help to discover new therapeutic targets for these tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Hurník
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Pathology and Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Faculty, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Zuzana Chyra
- Department of Hematooncology, University Hospital Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
| | - Tereza Ševčíková
- Department of Hematooncology, University Hospital Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
| | - Jan Štembírek
- Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
- Laboratory of Molecular Morphogenesis, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia
| | - Kateřina Smešný Trtková
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Pathology and Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czechia
| | - Daria A. Gaykalova
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Marcela Buchtová
- Laboratory of Molecular Morphogenesis, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Eva Hrubá
- Laboratory of Molecular Morphogenesis, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
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8
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Alternative Splicing, Epigenetic Modifications and Cancer: A Dangerous Triangle, or a Hopeful One? Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14030560. [PMID: 35158828 PMCID: PMC8833605 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14030560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Epigenetics studies the alteration of gene expression without changing DNA sequence and very often, epigenetic dysregulation causes cancer. Alternative splicing is a mechanism that results in the production of several mRNA isoforms from a single gene and aberrant splicing is also a frequent cause of cancer. The present review is built on the interrelations of epigenetics and alternative splicing. In an intuitive way, we say that epigenetic modifications and alternative splicing are at two vertices of a triangle, the third vertex being occupied by cancer. Interconnection between alternative splicing and epigenetic modifications occurs backward and forward and the mechanisms involved are widely reviewed. These connections also provide novel diagnostic or prognostic tools, which are listed. Finally, as epigenetic alterations are reversible and aberrant alternative splicing may be corrected, the therapeutic possibilities to break the triangle are discussed. Abstract The alteration of epigenetic modifications often causes cancer onset and development. In a similar way, aberrant alternative splicing may result in oncogenic products. These issues have often been individually reviewed, but there is a growing body of evidence for the interconnection of both causes of cancer. Actually, aberrant splicing may result from abnormal epigenetic signalization and epigenetic factors may be altered by alternative splicing. In this way, the interrelation between epigenetic marks and alternative splicing form the base of a triangle, while cancer may be placed at the vertex. The present review centers on the interconnections at the triangle base, i.e., between alternative splicing and epigenetic modifications, which may result in neoplastic transformations. The effects of different epigenetic factors, including DNA and histone modifications, the binding of non-coding RNAs and the alterations of chromatin organization on alternative splicing resulting in cancer are first considered. Other less-frequently considered questions, such as the epigenetic regulation of the splicing machinery, the aberrant splicing of epigenetic writers, readers and erasers, etc., are next reviewed in their connection with cancer. The knowledge of the above-mentioned relationships has allowed increasing the collection of biomarkers potentially useful as cancer diagnostic and/or prognostic tools. Finally, taking into account on one hand that epigenetic changes are reversible, and some epigenetic drugs already exist and, on the other hand, that drugs intended for reversing aberrations in alternative splicing, therapeutic possibilities for breaking the mentioned cancer-related triangle are discussed.
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Pang J, Nguyen N, Luebeck J, Ball L, Finegersh A, Ren S, Nakagawa T, Flagg M, Sadat S, Mischel PS, Xu G, Fisch K, Guo T, Cahill G, Panuganti B, Bafna V, Califano J. Extrachromosomal DNA in HPV-Mediated Oropharyngeal Cancer Drives Diverse Oncogene Transcription. Clin Cancer Res 2021; 27:6772-6786. [PMID: 34548317 PMCID: PMC8710294 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-21-2484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Human papillomavirus (HPV) plays a major role in oncogenesis and circular extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) is found in many cancers. However, the relationship between HPV and circular ecDNA in human cancer is not understood. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Forty-four primary tumor tissue samples were obtained from a cohort of patients with HPV-positive oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Twenty-eight additional HPV oropharyngeal cancer (HPVOPC) tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project were analyzed as a separate validation cohort. Genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, computational, and functional analyses of HPVOPC were applied to these datasets. RESULTS Our analysis revealed circular, oncogenic DNA in nearly all HPVOPC, with circular human and human-viral hybrid ecDNA present in over a third of HPVOPC and viral circular DNA in remaining tumors. Hybrid ecDNA highly express fusion transcripts from HPV promoters and HPV oncogenes linked to downstream human transcripts that drive oncogenic transformation and immune evasion, and splice multiple, diverse human acceptors to a canonical SA880 viral donor site. HPVOPC have high E6*I expression with specific viral oncogene expression pattern related to viral or hybrid ecDNA composition. CONCLUSIONS Nonchromosomal circular oncogenic DNA is a dominant feature of HPVOPC, revealing an unanticipated link between HPV and ecDNA that leverages the power of extrachromosomal inheritance to drive HPV and somatic oncogene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Pang
- UC San Diego School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, La Jolla, California
| | - Nam Nguyen
- UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, La Jolla, California
| | - Jens Luebeck
- Bioinformatics & Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Laurel Ball
- UC San Diego School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, La Jolla, California
| | - Andrey Finegersh
- UC San Diego School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, La Jolla, California
| | - Shuling Ren
- UC San Diego School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, La Jolla, California
| | - Takuya Nakagawa
- UC San Diego School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, La Jolla, California
| | - Mitchell Flagg
- UC San Diego School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, La Jolla, California
| | - Sayed Sadat
- UC San Diego School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, La Jolla, California
| | - Paul S Mischel
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, ChEM-H, Stanford, California
| | - Guorong Xu
- UC San Diego School of Medicine, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, La Jolla, California
| | - Kathleen Fisch
- UC San Diego School of Medicine, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, La Jolla, California
| | - Theresa Guo
- UC San Diego School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, La Jolla, California
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Gabrielle Cahill
- UC San Diego School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, La Jolla, California
| | - Bharat Panuganti
- UC San Diego School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, La Jolla, California
| | - Vineet Bafna
- UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, La Jolla, California.
| | - Joseph Califano
- UC San Diego School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, La Jolla, California.
- Bioinformatics & Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California
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10
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Soares-Lima SC, Mehanna H, Camuzi D, de Souza-Santos PT, Simão TDA, Nicolau-Neto P, Almeida Lopes MDS, Cuenin C, Talukdar FR, Batis N, Costa I, Dias F, Degli Esposti D, Boroni M, Herceg Z, Ribeiro Pinto LF. Upper Aerodigestive Tract Squamous Cell Carcinomas Show Distinct Overall DNA Methylation Profiles and Different Molecular Mechanisms behind WNT Signaling Disruption. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:3014. [PMID: 34208581 PMCID: PMC8234055 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13123014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) tumors present different biological behavior and prognosis, suggesting specific molecular mechanisms underlying their development. However, they are rarely considered as single entities (particularly head and neck subsites) and share the most common genetic alterations. Therefore, there is a need for a better understanding of the global DNA methylation differences among UADT tumors. We performed a genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of esophageal (ESCC), laryngeal (LSCC), oral (OSCC) and oropharyngeal (OPSCC) squamous cell carcinomas, and their non-tumor counterparts. The unsupervised analysis showed that non-tumor tissues present markedly distinct DNA methylation profiles, while tumors are highly heterogeneous. Hypomethylation was more frequent in LSCC and OPSCC, while ESCC and OSCC presented mostly hypermethylation, with the latter showing a CpG island overrepresentation. Differentially methylated regions affected genes in 127 signaling pathways, with only 3.1% of these being common among different tumor subsites, but with different genes affected. The WNT signaling pathway, known to be dysregulated in different epithelial tumors, is a frequent hit for DNA methylation and gene expression alterations in ESCC and OPSCC, but mostly for genetic alterations in LSCC and OSCC. UADT tumor subsites present differences in genome-wide methylation regarding their profile, intensity, genomic regions and signaling pathways affected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheila Coelho Soares-Lima
- Molecular Carcinogenesis Program, Brazilian National Cancer Institute, Rua André Cavalcanti, 37–6° Andar, Bairro de Fátima, Rio de Janeiro 20231-050, Brazil; (S.C.S.-L.); (D.C.); (P.N.-N.); (M.d.S.A.L.)
| | - Hisham Mehanna
- Institute of Head and Neck Studies and Education (InHANSE), Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; (H.M.); (N.B.)
| | - Diego Camuzi
- Molecular Carcinogenesis Program, Brazilian National Cancer Institute, Rua André Cavalcanti, 37–6° Andar, Bairro de Fátima, Rio de Janeiro 20231-050, Brazil; (S.C.S.-L.); (D.C.); (P.N.-N.); (M.d.S.A.L.)
| | | | - Tatiana de Almeida Simão
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Av. 28 de Setembro 87 fundos, Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro 20551-013, Brazil;
| | - Pedro Nicolau-Neto
- Molecular Carcinogenesis Program, Brazilian National Cancer Institute, Rua André Cavalcanti, 37–6° Andar, Bairro de Fátima, Rio de Janeiro 20231-050, Brazil; (S.C.S.-L.); (D.C.); (P.N.-N.); (M.d.S.A.L.)
| | - Monique de Souza Almeida Lopes
- Molecular Carcinogenesis Program, Brazilian National Cancer Institute, Rua André Cavalcanti, 37–6° Andar, Bairro de Fátima, Rio de Janeiro 20231-050, Brazil; (S.C.S.-L.); (D.C.); (P.N.-N.); (M.d.S.A.L.)
| | - Cyrille Cuenin
- Epigenetics Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, CEDEX 08, 69372 Lyon, France; (C.C.); (F.R.T.); (D.D.E.); (Z.H.)
| | - Fazlur Rahman Talukdar
- Epigenetics Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, CEDEX 08, 69372 Lyon, France; (C.C.); (F.R.T.); (D.D.E.); (Z.H.)
| | - Nikolaos Batis
- Institute of Head and Neck Studies and Education (InHANSE), Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; (H.M.); (N.B.)
| | - Izabella Costa
- Seção de Cirurgia de Cabeça e Pescoço, Instituto Nacional de Câncer—INCA, Praça da Cruz Vermelha, Rio de Janeiro 20230-130, Brazil; (I.C.); (F.D.)
| | - Fernando Dias
- Seção de Cirurgia de Cabeça e Pescoço, Instituto Nacional de Câncer—INCA, Praça da Cruz Vermelha, Rio de Janeiro 20230-130, Brazil; (I.C.); (F.D.)
| | - Davide Degli Esposti
- Epigenetics Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, CEDEX 08, 69372 Lyon, France; (C.C.); (F.R.T.); (D.D.E.); (Z.H.)
| | - Mariana Boroni
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Lab, Brazilian National Cancer Institute, Rua André Cavalcanti, 37–1° Andar, Bairro de Fátima, Rio de Janeiro 20231-050, Brazil;
| | - Zdenko Herceg
- Epigenetics Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, CEDEX 08, 69372 Lyon, France; (C.C.); (F.R.T.); (D.D.E.); (Z.H.)
| | - Luis Felipe Ribeiro Pinto
- Molecular Carcinogenesis Program, Brazilian National Cancer Institute, Rua André Cavalcanti, 37–6° Andar, Bairro de Fátima, Rio de Janeiro 20231-050, Brazil; (S.C.S.-L.); (D.C.); (P.N.-N.); (M.d.S.A.L.)
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Av. 28 de Setembro 87 fundos, Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro 20551-013, Brazil;
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11
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Humtsoe JO, Kim HS, Leonard B, Ling S, Keam B, Marchionni L, Afsari B, Considine M, Favorov AV, Fertig EJ, Kang H, Ha PK. Newly Identified Members of FGFR1 Splice Variants Engage in Cross-talk with AXL/AKT Axis in Salivary Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma. Cancer Res 2021; 81:1001-1013. [PMID: 33408119 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-20-1780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is the second most common malignancy of the salivary gland. Although characterized as an indolent tumor, ACC often leads to incurable metastatic disease. Patients with ACC respond poorly to currently available therapeutic drugs and factors contributing to the limited response remain unknown. Determining the role of molecular alterations frequently occurring in ACC may clarify ACC tumorigenesis and advance the development of effective treatment strategies. Applying Splice Expression Variant Analysis and outlier statistics on RNA sequencing of primary ACC tumors and matched normal salivary gland tissues, we identified multiple alternative splicing events (ASE) of genes specific to ACC. In ACC cells and patient-derived xenografts, FGFR1 was a uniquely expressed ASE. Detailed PCR analysis identified three novel, truncated, intracellular domain-lacking FGFR1 variants (FGFR1v). Cloning and expression analysis suggest that the three FGFR1v are cell surface proteins, that expression of FGFR1v augmented pAKT activity, and that cells became more resistant to pharmacologic FGFR1 inhibitor. FGFR1v-induced AKT activation was associated with AXL function, and inhibition of AXL activity in FGFR1v knockdown cells led to enhanced cytotoxicity in ACC. Moreover, cell killing effect was increased by dual inhibition of AXL and FGFR1 in ACC cells. This study demonstrates that these previously undescribed FGFR1v cooperate with AXL and desensitize cells to FGFR1 inhibitor, which supports further investigation into combined FGFR1 and AXL inhibition as an effective ACC therapy.This study identifies several FGFR1 variants that function through the AXL/AKT signaling pathway independent of FGF/FGFR1, desensitizing cells to FGFR1 inhibitor suggestive of a potential resistance mechanism in ACC. SIGNIFICANCE: This study identifies several FGFR1 variants that function through the AXL/AKT signaling pathway independent of FGF/FGFR1, desensitizing cells to FGFR1 inhibitor, suggestive of a potential resistance mechanism in ACC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph O Humtsoe
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California-San Francisco, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, California
| | - Hyun-Su Kim
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California-San Francisco, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, California
| | - Brandon Leonard
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California-San Francisco, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, California
| | - Shizhang Ling
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Bhumsuk Keam
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of South Korea
| | - Luigi Marchionni
- Department of Oncology, Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Bahman Afsari
- Department of Oncology, Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Michael Considine
- Department of Oncology, Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Alexander V Favorov
- Department of Oncology, Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Laboratory of Systems Biology and Computational Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elana J Fertig
- Department of Oncology, Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Hyunseok Kang
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California-San Francisco, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, California
| | - Patrick K Ha
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California-San Francisco, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, California.
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12
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Lopatina T, Favaro E, Danilova L, Fertig EJ, Favorov AV, Kagohara LT, Martone T, Bussolati B, Romagnoli R, Albera R, Pecorari G, Brizzi MF, Camussi G, Gaykalova DA. Extracellular Vesicles Released by Tumor Endothelial Cells Spread Immunosuppressive and Transforming Signals Through Various Recipient Cells. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:698. [PMID: 33015029 PMCID: PMC7509153 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a high recurrence and metastatic rate with an unknown mechanism of cancer spread. Tumor inflammation is the most critical processes of cancer onset, growth, and metastasis. We hypothesize that the release of extracellular vesicles (EVs) by tumor endothelial cells (TECs) induce reprogramming of immune cells as well as stromal cells to create an immunosuppressive microenvironment that favor tumor spread. We call this mechanism as non-metastatic contagious carcinogenesis. Extracellular vesicles were collected from primary HNSCC-derived endothelial cells (TEC-EV) and were used for stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and primary adipose mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs). Regulation of ASC gene expression was investigated by RNA sequencing and protein array. PBMC, stimulated with TEC-EV, were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. We validated in vitro the effects of TEC-EV on ASCs or PBMC by measuring invasion, adhesion, and proliferation. We found and confirmed that TEC-EV were able to change ASC inflammatory gene expression signature within 24-48 h. TEC-EV were also able to enhance the secretion of TGF-β1 and IL-10 by PBMC and to increase T regulatory cell (Treg) expansion. TEC-EV carry specific proteins and RNAs that are responsible for Treg differentiation and immune suppression. ASCs and PBMC, treated with TEC-EV, enhanced proliferation, adhesion of tumor cells, and their invasion. These data indicate that TEC-EV exhibit a mechanism of non-metastatic contagious carcinogenesis that regulates tumor microenvironment and reprograms immune cells to sustain tumor growth and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Lopatina
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Enrica Favaro
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Ludmila Danilova
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Laboratory of System Biology and Computational Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elana J Fertig
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Alexander V Favorov
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Laboratory of System Biology and Computational Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Luciane T Kagohara
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Tiziana Martone
- Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Benedetta Bussolati
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Renato Romagnoli
- General Surgery 2U, Liver Transplantation Center, AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Roberto Albera
- Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Turin School of Medicine, Turin, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Pecorari
- Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Turin School of Medicine, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Giovanni Camussi
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Daria A Gaykalova
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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13
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Sakai A, Ando M, Fukusumi T, Ren S, Liu C, Qualliotine J, Haft S, Sadat S, Saito Y, Guo TW, Xu G, Sasik R, Fisch KM, Gutkind JS, Fertig EJ, Molinolo AA, Califano JA. Aberrant expression of CPSF1 promotes head and neck squamous cell carcinoma via regulating alternative splicing. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0233380. [PMID: 32437477 PMCID: PMC7241804 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative mRNA splicing increases protein diversity, and alternative splicing events (ASEs) drive oncogenesis in multiple tumor types. However, the driving alterations that underlie the broad dysregulation of ASEs are incompletely defined. Using head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) as a model, we hypothesized that the genomic alteration of genes associated with the spliceosome may broadly induce ASEs across a broad range of target genes, driving an oncogenic phenotype. We identified 319 spliceosome genes and employed a discovery pipeline to identify 13 candidate spliceosome genes altered in HNSCC using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) HNSCC data. Phenotypic screens identified amplified and overexpressed CPSF1 as a target gene alteration that was validated in proliferation, colony formation, and apoptosis assays in cell line and xenograft systems as well as in primary HNSCC. We employed knockdown and overexpression assays followed by identification of ASEs regulated by CPSF1 overexpression to identify changes in ASEs, and the expression of these ASEs was validated using RNA from cell line models. Alterations in expression of spliceosome genes, including CPSF1, may contribute to HNSCC by mediating aberrant ASE expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Sakai
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tokai University, Isehara, Japan
| | - Mizuo Ando
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Takahito Fukusumi
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Shuling Ren
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Chao Liu
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Jesse Qualliotine
- Division of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Sunny Haft
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Sayed Sadat
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Yuki Saito
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Theresa W. Guo
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Guorong Xu
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Roman Sasik
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Kathleen M. Fisch
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - J. Silvio Gutkind
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Elana J. Fertig
- Division of Oncology Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Alfredo A. Molinolo
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Joseph A. Califano
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
- Division of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States of America
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14
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Guo Z, Zhu H, Xu W, Wang X, Liu H, Wu Y, Wang M, Chu H, Zhang Z. Alternative splicing related genetic variants contribute to bladder cancer risk. Mol Carcinog 2020; 59:923-929. [PMID: 32339354 DOI: 10.1002/mc.23207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Emerging evidence has shown that aberrant alternative splicing (AS) events are involved in the carcinogenesis. The association between genetic variants in AS and bladder cancer susceptibility remains to be fully elucidated. We searched for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which are located in splicing quantitative trait loci (sQTLs) in bladder cancer through CancerSplicingQTL database and the 1000 Genomes Project. A case-control study including 580 cases and 1,101 controls was conducted to assess the association between the functional genetic variants and bladder cancer risk. Next, we used GTEx, TCGA, and GEO databases conducting sQTL analysis and gene expression differences analysis to evaluate the potential biological function of the candidate SNPs and related genes. We found that SNP rs4383 C>G was remarkably related with the reduced risk of bladder cancer (odds ratio = 0.68, 95% confidence interval = 0.59-0.79, P = 3.91 × 10-7 ). Similar results were obtained in codominant, dominant and recessive model. Stratified analyses revealed that the effect of SNP rs4383 C>G on bladder cancer was more significant in the older subjects (age > 65), female and nonsmokers. sQTL analysis showed that SNP rs4383 was associated with the AS events of its downstream gene MAFF with a splicing event of alternative 5' splice site. The messenger RNA expression of MAFF in bladder tumor tissues was lowered compared with normal tissues. Patients with high expression of MAFF had higher survival rates. These findings indicated that SNP rs4383 related with the AS events of MAFF was associated with bladder cancer risk and could represent a possible biomarker for bladder cancer susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Guo
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Genetic Toxicology, The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Huanhuan Zhu
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Genetic Toxicology, The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Weidong Xu
- Department of Urology, Yizheng Hospital, Drum Tower Hospital Group of Nanjing, Yizheng, China
| | - Xi Wang
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Genetic Toxicology, The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hanting Liu
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Genetic Toxicology, The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yanling Wu
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Genetic Toxicology, The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Meilin Wang
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Genetic Toxicology, The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Haiyan Chu
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Genetic Toxicology, The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhengdong Zhang
- Department of Environmental Genomics, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Genetic Toxicology, The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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15
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Saito Y, Favorov AV, Forman M, Ren S, Sakai A, Fukusumi T, Liu C, Sadat S, Ando M, Xu G, Khan Z, Pang J, Valsamakis A, Fisch KM, Califano JA. Rational genomic optimization of DNA detection for human papillomavirus type 16 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Head Neck 2020; 42:688-697. [PMID: 31850594 PMCID: PMC7699136 DOI: 10.1002/hed.26041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We aimed to use genomic data for optimizing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer/probe sets for detection of human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 in body fluids of patients with HPV-related head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HPV-HNSCC). METHODS We used genomic HPV-HNSCC sequencing data from a single institutional and a TCGA cohort. Optimized primer/probe sets were designed and tested for analytical performance in CaSki HPV-16 genome and confirmed in salivary rinse samples from patients with HPV-HNSCC. RESULTS The highest read density was observed between E5 and L2 regions. The E1 region contained a region that was universally present. Among candidate PCR primer/probe sets created, six reliably detected 30 HPV-16 copy number. In a CLIA certified laboratory setting, the combination of two novel primer/probe with E7 sets improved performance in salivary rinse samples with a sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 100%. CONCLUSIONS PCR-based detection of HPV-16 DNA in HPV-HNSCC can be improved using rational genomic design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Saito
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Alexander V. Favorov
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Laboratory of Systems Biology and Computational Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Michael Forman
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Shuling Ren
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Akihiro Sakai
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Takahito Fukusumi
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Chao Liu
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Sayed Sadat
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Mizuo Ando
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Guorong Xu
- Center for Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Zubair Khan
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - John Pang
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Alex Valsamakis
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Kathleen M. Fisch
- Center for Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Joseph A. Califano
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
- Division of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
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16
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Zhou F, Tang D, Xu Y, He H, Wu Y, Lin L, Dong J, Tan W, Dai Y. Identification of microRNAs and their Endonucleolytic Cleavaged target mRNAs in colorectal cancer. BMC Cancer 2020; 20:242. [PMID: 32293320 PMCID: PMC7092451 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-020-06717-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks the third among the most common malignancies globally. It is well known that microRNAs (miRNAs) play vital roles in destabilizing mRNAs and repressing their translations in this disease. However, the mechanism of miRNA-induced mRNA cleavage remains to be investigated. Method In this study, high-throughput small RNA (sRNA) sequencing was utilized to identify and profile miRNAs from six pairs of colorectal cancer tissues (CTs) and adjacent tissues (CNs). Degradome sequencing (DS) was employed to detect the cleaved target genes. The Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) software was used for GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathway analysis. Results In total, 1278 known miRNAs (clustered into 337 families) and 131 novel miRNAs were characterized in the CT and CN libraries, respectively. Of those, 420 known and eight novel miRNAs were defined as differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) by comparing the expression levels observed in the CT and CN libraries. Furthermore, through DS, 9685 and 202 potential target transcripts were characterized as target genes for 268 known and 33 novel miRNAs, respectively. It was further predicted that a total of 264 targeted genes for the 85 DEmiRNAs are involved in proteoglycans in cancer and the AMP-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. After systemic analysis of prognosis-related miRNA targets in those cancer-related signal pathways, we found that two targets ezrin (EZR) and hematopoietic cell-specific Lyn substrate 1 (HCLS1) had the potential prognostic characteristics with CRC regarding over survival (OS) or recurrence. Conclusion In total, we found that endonucleolytic miRNA-directed mRNA cleavage occurs in CRC. A number of potential genes targeted by CRC-related miRNAs were identified and some may have the potential as prognosis markers of CRC. The present findings may lead to an improved better appreciation of the novel interaction mode between miRNAs and target genes in CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangbin Zhou
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), 1017 North Rd Dongmen, Luohu District, Shenzhen, China.,Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Postdoctoral research station, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Donge Tang
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), 1017 North Rd Dongmen, Luohu District, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yong Xu
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), 1017 North Rd Dongmen, Luohu District, Shenzhen, China
| | - Huiyan He
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), 1017 North Rd Dongmen, Luohu District, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yan Wu
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), 1017 North Rd Dongmen, Luohu District, Shenzhen, China
| | - Liewen Lin
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), 1017 North Rd Dongmen, Luohu District, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jun Dong
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Medical College of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenyong Tan
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), 1017 North Rd Dongmen, Luohu District, Shenzhen, China. .,Department of Oncology, Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Yong Dai
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University (Shenzhen People's Hospital), 1017 North Rd Dongmen, Luohu District, Shenzhen, China.
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17
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Guo T, Zambo KDA, Zamuner FT, Ou T, Hopkins C, Kelley DZ, Wulf HA, Winkler E, Erbe R, Danilova L, Considine M, Sidransky D, Favorov A, Florea L, Fertig EJ, Gaykalova DA. Chromatin structure regulates cancer-specific alternative splicing events in primary HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Epigenetics 2020; 15:959-971. [PMID: 32164487 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2020.1741757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV+ OPSCC) represents a unique disease entity within head and neck cancer with rising incidence. Previous work has shown that alternative splicing events (ASEs) are prevalent in HPV+ OPSCC, but further validation is needed to understand the regulation of this process and its role in these tumours. In this study, eleven ASEs (GIT2, CTNNB1, MKNK2, MRPL33, SIPA1L3, SNHG6, SYCP2, TPRG1, ZHX2, ZNF331, and ELOVL1) were selected for validation from 109 previously published candidate ASEs to elucidate the post-transcriptional mechanisms of oncogenesis in HPV+ disease. In vitro qRT-PCR confirmed differential expression of 9 of 11 ASE candidates, and in silico analysis within the TCGA cohort confirmed 8 of 11 candidates. Six ASEs (MRPL33, SIPA1L3, SNHG6, TPRG1, ZHX2, and ELOVL1) showed significant differential expression across both methods. Further evaluation of chromatin modification revealed that ASEs strongly correlated with cancer-specific distribution of acetylated lysine 27 of histone 3 (H3K27ac). Subsequent epigenetic treatment of HPV+ HNSCC cell lines (UM-SCC-047 and UPCI-SCC-090) with JQ1 not only induced downregulation of cancer-specific ASE isoforms, but also growth inhibition in both cell lines. The UPCI-SCC-090 cell line, with greater ASE expression, also showed more significant growth inhibition after JQ1 treatment. This study confirms several novel cancer-specific ASEs in HPV+OPSCC and provides evidence for the role of chromatin modifications in regulation of alternative splicing in HPV+OPSCC. This highlights the role of epigenetic changes in the oncogenesis of HPV+OPSCC, which represents a unique, unexplored target for therapeutics that can alter the global post-transcriptional landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Guo
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kristina Diana A Zambo
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Fernando T Zamuner
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Tingting Ou
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Christopher Hopkins
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Dylan Z Kelley
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hildegard A Wulf
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Eli Winkler
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rossin Erbe
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ludmila Danilova
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA.,Laboratory of Systems Biology and Computational Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences , Moscow, Russia
| | - Michael Considine
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - David Sidransky
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alexander Favorov
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA.,Laboratory of Systems Biology and Computational Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences , Moscow, Russia
| | - Liliana Florea
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elana J Fertig
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , MD, Baltimore, USA
| | - Daria A Gaykalova
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
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18
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Liu C, Sadat SH, Ebisumoto K, Sakai A, Panuganti BA, Ren S, Goto Y, Haft S, Fukusumi T, Ando M, Saito Y, Guo T, Tamayo P, Yeerna H, Kim W, Hubbard J, Sharabi AB, Gutkind JS, Califano JA. Cannabinoids Promote Progression of HPV-Positive Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma via p38 MAPK Activation. Clin Cancer Res 2020; 26:2693-2703. [PMID: 31932491 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-18-3301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is associated with daily marijuana use and is also increasing in parallel with increased marijuana use in the United States. Our study is designed to define the interaction between cannabinoids and HPV-positive HNSCC. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN The expression of cannabinoid receptors CNR1 and CNR2 was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) HNSCC data. We used agonists, antagonists, siRNAs, or shRNA-based models to explore the roles of CNR1 and CNR2 in HPV-positive HNSCC cell lines and animal models. Cannabinoid downstream pathways involved were determined by Western blotting and analyzed in a primary HPV HNSCC cohort with single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) and the OncoGenome Positioning System (Onco-GPS). RESULTS In TCGA cohort, the expression of CNR1 and CNR2 was elevated in HPV-positive HNSCC compared with HPV-negative HNSCC, and knockdown of CNR1/CNR2 expression inhibited proliferation in HPV-positive HNSCC cell lines. Specific CNR1 and CNR2 activation as well as nonselective cannabinoid receptor activation in cell lines and animal models promoted cell growth, migration, and inhibited apoptosis through p38 MAPK pathway activation. CNR1/CNR2 antagonists suppressed cell proliferation and migration and induced apoptosis. Using whole-genome expression analysis in a primary HPV HNSCC cohort, we identified specific p38 MAPK pathway activation signature in tumors from HPV HNSCC patients with objective measurement of concurrent cannabinoid exposure. CONCLUSIONS Cannabinoids can promote progression of HPV-positive HNSCC through p38 MAPK pathway activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Liu
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California.,Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Sayed H Sadat
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Koji Ebisumoto
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Akihiro Sakai
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Bharat A Panuganti
- Division of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Shuling Ren
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California.,Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yusuke Goto
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Sunny Haft
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Takahito Fukusumi
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Mizuo Ando
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Yuki Saito
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Theresa Guo
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Pablo Tamayo
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Huwate Yeerna
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - William Kim
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Jacqueline Hubbard
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Andrew B Sharabi
- Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - J Silvio Gutkind
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Joseph A Califano
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California. .,Division of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
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19
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Li Y, Ren Z, Peng Y, Li K, Wang X, Huang G, Qi S, Liu Y. Classification of glioma based on prognostic alternative splicing. BMC Med Genomics 2019; 12:165. [PMID: 31729991 PMCID: PMC6858651 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-019-0603-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previously developed classifications of glioma have provided enormous advantages for the diagnosis and treatment of glioma. Although the role of alternative splicing (AS) in cancer, especially in glioma, has been validated, a comprehensive analysis of AS in glioma has not yet been conducted. In this study, we aimed at classifying glioma based on prognostic AS. METHODS Using the TCGA glioblastoma (GBM) and low-grade glioma (LGG) datasets, we analyzed prognostic splicing events. Consensus clustering analysis was conducted to classified glioma samples and correlation analysis was conducted to characterize regulatory network of splicing factors and splicing events. RESULTS We analyzed prognostic splicing events and proposed novel splicing classifications across pan-glioma samples (labeled pST1-7) and across GBM samples (labeled ST1-3). Distinct splicing profiles between GBM and LGG were observed, and the primary discriminator for the pan-glioma splicing classification was tumor grade. Subtype-specific splicing events were identified; one example is AS of zinc finger proteins, which is involved in glioma prognosis. Furthermore, correlation analysis of splicing factors and splicing events identified SNRPB and CELF2 as hub splicing factors that upregulated and downregulated oncogenic AS, respectively. CONCLUSION A comprehensive analysis of AS in glioma was conducted in this study, shedding new light on glioma heterogeneity and providing new insights into glioma diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaomin Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Dadao Bei Street 1838#, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
- Laboratory for Precision Neurosurgery, Nanfang hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhonglu Ren
- College of Medical Information Engineering, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuping Peng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Dadao Bei Street 1838#, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Kaishu Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Dadao Bei Street 1838#, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
- Laboratory for Precision Neurosurgery, Nanfang hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiran Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Dadao Bei Street 1838#, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
- Laboratory for Precision Neurosurgery, Nanfang hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Guanglong Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Dadao Bei Street 1838#, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
- Laboratory for Precision Neurosurgery, Nanfang hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Songtao Qi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Dadao Bei Street 1838#, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
- Laboratory for Precision Neurosurgery, Nanfang hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.
| | - Yawei Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Dadao Bei Street 1838#, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
- Laboratory for Precision Neurosurgery, Nanfang hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.
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20
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Liu C, Guo T, Sakai A, Ren S, Fukusumi T, Ando M, Sadat S, Saito Y, Califano JA. A novel splice variant of LOXL2 promotes progression of human papillomavirus-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer 2019; 126:737-748. [PMID: 31721164 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.32610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers worldwide. LOXL2 demonstrates alternative splicing events in patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative HNSCC. The current study explored the role of a dominant LOXL2 variant in HPV-negative HNSCC. METHODS Expression of the LOXL2 variant was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas cohorts and validated using quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in a separate primary tumor set. The authors defined the effect of LOXL2 splice variants in assays for cell proliferation using a cell viability assay and colony formation assay. Cell migration and invasion were examined using a cell scratch assay and transwell cell migration and invasion assay in LOXL2 splice variant gain and loss of expression cells. Western blot analysis and gene set enrichment analysis were used to explore the potential mechanism of the LOXL2 splice variant in HPV-negative HNSCC. RESULTS Expression of a novel LOXL2 variant was found to be upregulated in The Cancer Genome Atlas HPV-negative HNSCC, and confirmed in the separate primary tumor validation set. Analyses of loss and gain of function demonstrated that this LOXL2 variant enhanced proliferation, migration, and invasion in HPV-negative HNSCC cells and activated the FAK/AKT pathway. A total of 837 upregulated and 820 downregulated genes and 526 upregulated and 124 downregulated pathways associated with LOXL2 variant expression were identified using gene set enrichment analysis, which helped in developing a better understanding of the networks activated by this LOXL2 variant in patients with HPV-negative HNSCC. CONCLUSIONS The novel LOXL2 variant can promote the progression of HPV-negative HNSCC, in part through FAK/AKT pathway activation, which may provide a new potential therapeutic target among patients with HPV-negative HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Liu
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Theresa Guo
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Akihiro Sakai
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Shuling Ren
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Takahito Fukusumi
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Mizuo Ando
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Sayed Sadat
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Yuki Saito
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Joseph A Califano
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California.,Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California
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21
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Flam EL, Danilova L, Kelley DZ, Stavrovskaya E, Guo T, Considine M, Qian J, Califano JA, Favorov A, Fertig EJ, Gaykalova DA. Differentially Methylated Super-Enhancers Regulate Target Gene Expression in Human Cancer. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15034. [PMID: 31636280 PMCID: PMC6803762 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51018-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Current literature suggests that epigenetically regulated super-enhancers (SEs) are drivers of aberrant gene expression in cancers. Many tumor types are still missing chromatin data to define cancer-specific SEs and their role in carcinogenesis. In this work, we develop a simple pipeline, which can utilize chromatin data from etiologically similar tumors to discover tissue-specific SEs and their target genes using gene expression and DNA methylation data. As an example, we applied our pipeline to human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV + OPSCC). This tumor type is characterized by abundant gene expression changes, which cannot be explained by genetic alterations alone. Chromatin data are still limited for this disease, so we used 3627 SE elements from public domain data for closely related tissues, including normal and tumor lung, and cervical cancer cell lines. We integrated the available DNA methylation and gene expression data for HPV + OPSCC samples to filter the candidate SEs to identify functional SEs and their affected targets, which are essential for cancer development. Overall, we found 159 differentially methylated SEs, including 87 SEs that actively regulate expression of 150 nearby genes (211 SE-gene pairs) in HPV + OPSCC. Of these, 132 SE-gene pairs were validated in a related TCGA cohort. Pathway analysis revealed that the SE-regulated genes were associated with pathways known to regulate nasopharyngeal, breast, melanoma, and bladder carcinogenesis and are regulated by the epigenetic landscape in those cancers. Thus, we propose that gene expression in HPV + OPSCC may be controlled by epigenetic alterations in SE elements, which are common between related tissues. Our pipeline can utilize a diversity of data inputs and can be further adapted to SE analysis of diseased and non-diseased tissues from different organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily L Flam
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ludmila Danilova
- Division of Oncology Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Laboratory of Systems Biology and Computational Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dylan Z Kelley
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Elena Stavrovskaya
- Department of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992, Russia.,Institute for Information Transmission Problems, RAS, Moscow, 127994, Russia
| | - Theresa Guo
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Michael Considine
- Division of Oncology Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jiang Qian
- Department of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Joseph A Califano
- Department of Surgery, Head and Neck Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Alexander Favorov
- Division of Oncology Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Laboratory of Systems Biology and Computational Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elana J Fertig
- Division of Oncology Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
| | - Daria A Gaykalova
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
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22
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Li ZX, Zheng ZQ, Wei ZH, Zhang LL, Li F, Lin L, Liu RQ, Huang XD, Lv JW, Chen FP, He XJ, Guan JL, Kou J, Ma J, Zhou GQ, Sun Y. Comprehensive characterization of the alternative splicing landscape in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma reveals novel events associated with tumorigenesis and the immune microenvironment. Am J Cancer Res 2019; 9:7648-7665. [PMID: 31695792 PMCID: PMC6831462 DOI: 10.7150/thno.36585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) has emerged as a key event in tumor development and microenvironment formation. However, comprehensive analysis of AS and its clinical significance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is urgently required. Methods: Genome-wide profiling of AS events using RNA-Seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) program was performed in a cohort of 464 patients with HNSC. Cancer-associated AS events (CASEs) were identified between paired HNSC and adjacent normal tissues and evaluated in functional enrichment analysis. Splicing networks and prognostic models were constructed using bioinformatics tools. Unsupervised clustering of the CASEs identified was conducted and associations with clinical, molecular and immune features were analyzed. Results: We detected a total of 32,309 AS events and identified 473 CASEs in HNSC; among these, 91 were validated in an independent cohort (n = 15). Functional protein domains were frequently altered, especially by CASEs affecting cancer drivers, such as PCSK5. CASE parent genes were significantly enriched in pathways related to HNSC and the tumor immune microenvironment, such as the viral carcinogenesis (FDR < 0.001), Human Papillomavirus infection (FDR < 0.001), chemokine (FDR < 0.001) and T cell receptor (FDR < 0.001) signaling pathways. CASEs enriched in immune-related pathways were closely associated with immune cell infiltration and cytolytic activity. AS regulatory networks suggested a significant association between splicing factor (SF) expression and CASEs and might be regulated by SF methylation. Eighteen CASEs were identified as independent prognostic factors for overall and disease-free survival. Unsupervised clustering analysis revealed distinct correlations between AS-based clusters and prognosis, molecular characteristics and immune features. Immunogenic features and immune subgroups cooperatively depict the immune features of AS-based clusters. Conclusion: This comprehensive genome-wide analysis of the AS landscape in HNSC revealed novel AS events related to carcinogenesis and immune microenvironment, with implications for prognosis and therapeutic responses.
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23
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Qualliotine JR, Bolat G, Beltrán-Gastélum M, de Ávila BEF, Wang J, Califano JA. Acoustic Nanomotors for Detection of Human Papillomavirus-Associated Head and Neck Cancer. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2019; 161:814-822. [PMID: 31547769 DOI: 10.1177/0194599819866407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) is a lethal disease with increasing incidence; however, technologies for early detection are limited. Nanomotors are synthetic nanostructures that can be powered by different mechanisms and functionalized for specific applications, such as biosensing. The objective of this investigation was to demonstrate an in vitro proof of concept for a novel nanomotor-based cancer detection approach toward in vivo detection of HPV-OPC. STUDY DESIGN In vitro cell line incubated with ultrasound-propelled nanomotors. SETTING Basic science and engineering laboratories. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Ultrasound-powered gold nanowire nanomotors were functionalized with graphene oxide and dye-labeled single-stranded DNA for the specific intracellular detection of HPV16 E6 mRNA transcripts. Nanomotors were incubated with HPV-positive or HPV-negative human OPC cells under static conditions or with an applied ultrasound field for 15 minutes. The resulting intracellular fluorescence was assessed with fluorescence microscopy and analysis software. RESULTS Nanomotors incubated with RNA extracted from HPV-positive OPC cells resulted in 60.7% of maximal fluorescence recovery, while incubation with RNA extracted from HPV-negative cells produced negligible fluorescence. Nanomotor incubation with intact HPV-negative cells produced minimal fluorescence (0.01 au), while incubation with HPV-positive cells produced a detectable signal (0.43 au) under static conditions and had 2.3-times greater intensity when powered with ultrasound. CONCLUSION Acoustically powered nanomotors can successfully identify HPV16 E6 mRNA transcripts extracellularly and within intact cells. This work represents the first step toward a novel, practical approach to address the challenge of visually detecting HPV-OPC in real time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse R Qualliotine
- Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Gulcin Bolat
- Department of Nanoengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Mara Beltrán-Gastélum
- Department of Nanoengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | | | - Joseph Wang
- Department of Nanoengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Joseph A Califano
- Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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24
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Liang Y, Song J, He D, Xia Y, Wu Y, Yin X, Liu J. Systematic analysis of survival-associated alternative splicing signatures uncovers prognostic predictors for head and neck cancer. J Cell Physiol 2019; 234:15836-15846. [PMID: 30740675 PMCID: PMC6618130 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.28241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies have shown that alternative splicing (AS) plays a key role in carcinogenesis and prognosis of cancer. However, systematic profiles of AS signatures in head and neck cancer (HNC) have not yet been reported. METHODS In this study, AS data, RNA-Seq data, and corresponding clinicopathological information of 489 HNC patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to screen for survival-associated AS events. Functional and pathway enrichment analysis was also performed. The prognostic models and splicing networks were constructed using integrated bioinformatics analysis tools. RESULTS Among the 42,849 alternating splicing events identified in 10,121 genes, 5,165 survival-associated AS events in 2,419 genes were observed in univariate Cox regression analysis. Among the seven types, alternate terminator events were the most powerful prognostic factors. Multivariate Cox analysis was then used to screen for the AS genes with prognostic value. Four candidate genes (TPM1, CLASRP, PRRC1, and DNASE1L1) were found to be independent prognostic factors for HNC patients. A prognostic prediction model was built based on the four genes. The area under the receiver operating characteristic risk score curve for predicting the survival status of HNC patients was 0.704. In addition, splicing interaction network indicated that the splicing factors have significant functions in HNC. CONCLUSION A comprehensive analysis of AS events in HNC was performed. A powerful prognostic predictor for HNC patients was established based on AS events could.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liang
- Department of Orthodontics, Guiyang Hospital of Stomatology, Medical CollegeGuiyangChina,Guiyang Stomatological Hospital Affiliated to Zunyi Medical UniversityGuizhouChina
| | - Jukun Song
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guizhou Provincial People's HospitalGuizhouChina
| | - Dengqi He
- Department of Stomatology, First Hospital of Lanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
| | - Yu Xia
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guizhou Provincial People's HospitalGuizhouChina
| | - Yadong Wu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guizhou Provincial People's HospitalGuizhouChina
| | - Xinhai Yin
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guizhou Provincial People's HospitalGuizhouChina
| | - Jianguo Liu
- Special Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases Research, Stomatological Hospital Affiliated to Zunyi Medical UniversityGuizhouChina
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25
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Afsari B, Guo T, Considine M, Florea L, Kagohara LT, Stein-O'Brien GL, Kelley D, Flam E, Zambo KD, Ha PK, Geman D, Ochs MF, Califano JA, Gaykalova DA, Favorov AV, Fertig EJ. Splice Expression Variation Analysis (SEVA) for inter-tumor heterogeneity of gene isoform usage in cancer. Bioinformatics 2019; 34:1859-1867. [PMID: 29342249 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/bty004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Motivation Current bioinformatics methods to detect changes in gene isoform usage in distinct phenotypes compare the relative expected isoform usage in phenotypes. These statistics model differences in isoform usage in normal tissues, which have stable regulation of gene splicing. Pathological conditions, such as cancer, can have broken regulation of splicing that increases the heterogeneity of the expression of splice variants. Inferring events with such differential heterogeneity in gene isoform usage requires new statistical approaches. Results We introduce Splice Expression Variability Analysis (SEVA) to model increased heterogeneity of splice variant usage between conditions (e.g. tumor and normal samples). SEVA uses a rank-based multivariate statistic that compares the variability of junction expression profiles within one condition to the variability within another. Simulated data show that SEVA is unique in modeling heterogeneity of gene isoform usage, and benchmark SEVA's performance against EBSeq, DiffSplice and rMATS that model differential isoform usage instead of heterogeneity. We confirm the accuracy of SEVA in identifying known splice variants in head and neck cancer and perform cross-study validation of novel splice variants. A novel comparison of splice variant heterogeneity between subtypes of head and neck cancer demonstrated unanticipated similarity between the heterogeneity of gene isoform usage in HPV-positive and HPV-negative subtypes and anticipated increased heterogeneity among HPV-negative samples with mutations in genes that regulate the splice variant machinery. These results show that SEVA accurately models differential heterogeneity of gene isoform usage from RNA-seq data. Availability and implementation SEVA is implemented in the R/Bioconductor package GSReg. Contact bahman@jhu.edu or favorov@sensi.org or ejfertig@jhmi.edu. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahman Afsari
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
| | - Theresa Guo
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
| | - Michael Considine
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
| | - Liliana Florea
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Luciane T Kagohara
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
| | - Genevieve L Stein-O'Brien
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
| | - Dylan Kelley
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
| | - Emily Flam
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
| | | | - Patrick K Ha
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Donald Geman
- Department of Applied Mathematics & Statistics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Michael F Ochs
- Department of Mathematics & Statistics, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ 08628, USA
| | - Joseph A Califano
- Division of Otolaryngology, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | | | - Alexander V Favorov
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.,Laboratory of Systems Biology and Computational Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, RAS, Moscow 119333, Russia
| | - Elana J Fertig
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
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26
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Sharma V, Nandan A, Singh H, Agarwal S, Tripathi R, Sinha DN, Mehrotra R. Events of alternative splicing in head and neck cancer via RNA sequencing - an update. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:442. [PMID: 31159745 PMCID: PMC6545735 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5794-y] [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] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Alternative splicing (AS) is a regulatory mechanism used to create many forms of mature messengers RNAs (mRNAs) from the same gene. Sequencing of RNA (RNA-Seq) is an advanced technology, which has been utilized by different studies to find AS mechanisms in head and neck cancer (HNC). Hitherto, there is no available review that could inform us of the major findings from these studies. Hence, we aim to perform a systematic literature search following PRISMA guidelines to study AS events in HNC identified through RNA-Seq studies. Results A total of five records were identified that utilized RNA-Seq data for identifying AS events in HNC. Five software was used in these records to identify AS events. Two genes influenced by AS i.e. MLL3 and RPS9 were found to be common in 4 out of 5 records. Likewise, 38 genes were identified to be similar in at least 3 records. Conclusions Alternative splicing in HNC is a multifaceted regulatory mechanism of gene expression. It can be studied via RNA-Seq using different bioinformatics tools. Genes MLL3, as well as RPS9, were repeatedly found to be associated with HNC, however needs further functional validation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-019-5794-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vishwas Sharma
- Department of Health Research, National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Amrita Nandan
- Society for Life Science and Human Health, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Harpreet Singh
- ICMR Computational Genomics Centre, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, 110029, India.,Informatics, Systems and Research Management, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Suyash Agarwal
- ICMR Computational Genomics Centre, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, 110029, India.,Informatics, Systems and Research Management, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Richa Tripathi
- Division of Molecular Cytology, National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Dhirendra Narain Sinha
- WHO FCTC Global Knowledge Hub on Smokeless Tobacco, National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Ravi Mehrotra
- Department of Health Research, National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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27
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Ando M, Saito Y, Xu G, Bui NQ, Medetgul-Ernar K, Pu M, Fisch K, Ren S, Sakai A, Fukusumi T, Liu C, Haft S, Pang J, Mark A, Gaykalova DA, Guo T, Favorov AV, Yegnasubramanian S, Fertig EJ, Ha P, Tamayo P, Yamasoba T, Ideker T, Messer K, Califano JA. Chromatin dysregulation and DNA methylation at transcription start sites associated with transcriptional repression in cancers. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2188. [PMID: 31097695 PMCID: PMC6522544 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09937-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Although promoter-associated CpG islands have been established as targets of DNA methylation changes in cancer, previous studies suggest that epigenetic dysregulation outside the promoter region may be more closely associated with transcriptional changes. Here we examine DNA methylation, chromatin marks, and transcriptional alterations to define the relationship between transcriptional modulation and spatial changes in chromatin structure. Using human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal carcinoma as a model, we show aberrant enrichment of repressive H3K9me3 at the transcriptional start site (TSS) with methylation-associated, tumor-specific gene silencing. Further analysis identifies a hypermethylated subtype which shows a functional convergence on MYC targets and association with CREBBP/EP300 mutation. The tumor-specific shift to transcriptional repression associated with DNA methylation at TSSs was confirmed in multiple tumor types. Our data may show a common underlying epigenetic dysregulation in cancer associated with broad enrichment of repressive chromatin marks and aberrant DNA hypermethylation at TSSs in combination with MYC network activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mizuo Ando
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan
| | - Yuki Saito
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan
| | - Guorong Xu
- Department of Medicine, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Nam Q Bui
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Department of Medicine (Oncology), Stanford University School of Medicine, 875 Blake Wilbur Dr, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
| | - Kate Medetgul-Ernar
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Minya Pu
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Kathleen Fisch
- Department of Medicine, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Shuling Ren
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Akihiro Sakai
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Takahito Fukusumi
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Chao Liu
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Sunny Haft
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - John Pang
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Adam Mark
- Department of Medicine, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Daria A Gaykalova
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 601 N Caroline St, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Theresa Guo
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 601 N Caroline St, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Alexander V Favorov
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 401 N Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA
- Laboratory of Systems Biology and Computational Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Gubkina str. 3, Moscow, 119333, Russia
| | - Srinivasan Yegnasubramanian
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 401 N Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA
| | - Elana J Fertig
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 401 N Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA
| | - Patrick Ha
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of California San Francisco, 2380 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Pablo Tamayo
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Tatsuya Yamasoba
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan
| | - Trey Ideker
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Karen Messer
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Joseph A Califano
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
- Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego, 9300 Campus Point Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
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28
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Xing L, Zhang X, Tong D. Systematic Profile Analysis of Prognostic Alternative Messenger RNA Splicing Signatures and Splicing Factors in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. DNA Cell Biol 2019; 38:627-638. [PMID: 31025877 DOI: 10.1089/dna.2019.4644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is a common malignancy with high mortality and poor prognosis. Alternative splicing (AS) is a transcriptional regulation mechanism that generates multiple transcripts from same genes, and aberrant AS signatures of cancers can be predictive for prognosis. We identified the survival-related AS events and splicing factors (SFs) from the RNA sequencing data and the corresponding clinical information of an HNSC cohort downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and SpliceSeq. The independent prognostic predictors were assessed by Cox proportional regression analysis, and the regulatory network of SFs and AS events was analyzed by Spearman's test and constructed. A total of 4626 survival-related AS events in 3280 genes were identified, and most were protective factors. Among the different types of splicing events, exon skip was the most frequent. The prognostic models were constructed for each type of AS, and the area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve of the combined prognostic model was 0.765, indicating good predictive performance. Finally, a correlation network between SF and AS events was constructed. We identified prognostic predictors based on AS events that stratified HNSC patients into the high- and low-risk groups, and revealed splicing networks that provide insights into the underlying mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Xing
- 1 Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Tissue Regeneration, School of Stomatology, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaoqian Zhang
- 2 Department of Stomatology, Haiyuan College of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Dongdong Tong
- 3 Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Tissue Regeneration, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, Shandong University, Jinan, China
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29
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Kelley DZ, Flam EL, Guo T, Danilova LV, Zamuner FT, Bohrson C, Considine M, Windsor EJ, Bishop JA, Zhang C, Koch WM, Sidransky D, Westra WH, Chung CH, Califano JA, Wheelan S, Favorov AV, Florea L, Fertig EJ, Gaykalova DA. Functional characterization of alternatively spliced GSN in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Transl Res 2018; 202:109-119. [PMID: 30118659 PMCID: PMC6218276 DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2018.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Revised: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
We have recently performed the characterization of alternative splicing events (ASEs) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, which allows dysregulation of protein expression common for cancer cells. Such analysis demonstrated a high ASE prevalence among tumor samples, including tumor-specific alternative splicing in the GSN gene.In vitro studies confirmed that overall expression of either ASE-GSN or wild-type GSN (WT-GSN) isoform inversely correlated with cell proliferation, whereas the high ratio of ASE-GSN to WT-GSN correlated with increased cellular invasion. Additionally, a change in expression of either isoform caused compensatory changes in expression of the other isoform. Our results suggest that the overall expression and the balance between GSN isoforms are mediating factors in proliferation, while increased overall expression of ASE-GSN is specific to cancer tissues. As a result, we propose ASE-GSN can serve not only as a biomarker of disease and disease progression, but also as a neoantigen for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treatment, for which only a limited number of disease-specific targeted therapies currently exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan Z Kelley
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Emily L Flam
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Theresa Guo
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ludmila V Danilova
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Laboratory of Systems Biology and Computational Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Fernando T Zamuner
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Craig Bohrson
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Michael Considine
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Eric J Windsor
- Department of Biotechnology, Maryland Holistics LLC, Ellicott City, Maryland
| | - Justin A Bishop
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Chi Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Wayne M Koch
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - David Sidransky
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - William H Westra
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Christine H Chung
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Joseph A Califano
- Head and Neck Cancer Center, Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California; Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, La Jolla, California
| | - Sarah Wheelan
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Alexander V Favorov
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Laboratory of Systems Biology and Computational Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Liliana Florea
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Center for Computational Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Elana J Fertig
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS), University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Daria A Gaykalova
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
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30
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Ren S, Gaykalova D, Wang J, Guo T, Danilova L, Favorov A, Fertig E, Bishop J, Khan Z, Flam E, Wysocki PT, DeJong P, Ando M, Liu C, Sakai A, Fukusumi T, Haft S, Sadat S, Califano JA. Discovery and development of differentially methylated regions in human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Int J Cancer 2018; 143:2425-2436. [PMID: 30070359 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.31778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2018] [Revised: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) exhibits a different composition of epigenetic alterations. In this study, we identified differentially methylated regions (DMRs) with potential utility in screening for HPV-positive OPSCC. Genome wide DNA methylation was measured using methyl-CpG binding domain protein-enriched genome sequencing (MBD-seq) in 50 HPV-positive OPSCC tissues and 25 normal tissues. Fifty-one DMRs were defined with maximal methylation specificity to cancer samples. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) methylation array data was used to evaluate the performance of the proposed candidates. Supervised hierarchical clustering of 51 DMRs found that HPV-positive OPSCC had significantly higher DNA methylation levels compared to normal samples, and non-HPV-related head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The methylation levels of all top 20 DNA methylation biomarkers in HPV-positive OPSCC were significantly higher than those in normal samples. Further confirmation using quantitative methylation specific PCR (QMSP) in an independent set of 24 HPV-related OPSCCs and 22 controls showed that 16 of the 20 candidates had significant higher methylation levels in HPV-positive OPSCC samples compared with controls. One candidate, OR6S1, had a sensitivity of 100%, while 17 candidates (KCNA3, EMBP1, CCDC181, DPP4, ITGA4, BEND4, ELMO1, SFMBT2, C1QL3, MIR129-2, NID2, HOXB4, ZNF439, ZNF93, VSTM2B, ZNF137P and ZNF773) had specificities of 100%. The prediction accuracy of the 20 candidates rang from 56.2% to 99.8% by receiver operating characteristic analysis. We have defined 20 highly specific DMRs in HPV-related OPSCC, which can potentially be applied to molecular-based detection tests and improve disease management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuling Ren
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA.,Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Daria Gaykalova
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jennifer Wang
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Theresa Guo
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD
| | - Ludmila Danilova
- Division of Oncology Biostatistics, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD.,Laboratory of Systems Biology and Computational Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, RAS, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander Favorov
- Division of Oncology Biostatistics, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD.,Laboratory of Systems Biology and Computational Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, RAS, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elana Fertig
- Division of Oncology Biostatistics, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD
| | - Justin Bishop
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Zubair Khan
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD
| | - Emily Flam
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD
| | - Piotr T Wysocki
- Laboratory of Human Cancer Genetics, Center of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.,The Maria Sklodowska-Curie Institute Oncology Center, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Peter DeJong
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA.,College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
| | - Mizuo Ando
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tokyo University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Chao Liu
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA.,Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Akihiro Sakai
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA.,Department of Otolaryngology, Center of Head and Neck Surgery, Tokai University, Isehara, Japan
| | - Takahito Fukusumi
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - Sunny Haft
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA.,Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - Sayed Sadat
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - Joseph A Califano
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA.,Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD.,Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
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31
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Liu C, Guo T, Xu G, Sakai A, Ren S, Fukusumi T, Ando M, Sadat S, Saito Y, Khan Z, Fisch KM, Califano J. Characterization of Alternative Splicing Events in HPV-Negative Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Identifies an Oncogenic DOCK5 Variant. Clin Cancer Res 2018; 24:5123-5132. [PMID: 29945995 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-18-0752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Revised: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Purpose: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide, and alternative splicing is considered to play important roles in tumor progression. Our study is designed to identify alternative splicing events (ASEs) in human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative HNSCC.Experimental Design: RNA sequencing data of 407 HPV-negative HNSCC and 38 normal samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and splice junctions were discovered using MapSplice. Outlier analysis was used to identify significant splicing junctions between HPV-negative HNSCC and normal samples. To explore the functional role of the identified DOCK5 variant, we checked its expression with qRT-PCR in a separate primary tumor validation set and performed proliferation, migration, and invasion assays.Results: A total of 580 significant splicing events were identified in HPV-negative HNSCC, and the most common type of splicing events was an alternative start site (33.3%). The prevalence of a given individual ASE among the tumor cohort ranged from 9.8% and 64.4%. Within the 407 HPV-negative HNSCC samples in TCGA, the number of significant ASEs differentially expressed in each tumor ranged from 17 to 290. We identified a novel candidate oncogenic DOCK5 variant confirmed using qRT-PCR in a separate primary tumor validation set. Loss- and gain-of-function experiments indicated that DOCK5 variant promoted proliferation, migration, and invasion of HPV-negative HNSCC cells, and patients with higher expression of DOCK5 variant showed decreased overall survival.Conclusions: Analysis of ASEs in HPV-negative HNSCC identifies multiple alterations likely related to carcinogenesis, including an oncogenic DOCK5 variant. Clin Cancer Res; 24(20); 5123-32. ©2018 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Liu
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California.,Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Theresa Guo
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Guorong Xu
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Akihiro Sakai
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Shuling Ren
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California.,Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Takahito Fukusumi
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Mizuo Ando
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Sayed Sadat
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Yuki Saito
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Zubair Khan
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Kathleen M Fisch
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Joseph Califano
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California. .,Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
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