1
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Lu X, Liu L. Genome stability from the perspective of telomere length. Trends Genet 2024; 40:175-186. [PMID: 37957036 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2023.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Telomeres and their associated proteins protect the ends of chromosomes to maintain genome stability. Telomeres undergo progressive shortening with each cell division in mammalian somatic cells without telomerase, resulting in genome instability. When telomeres reach a critically short length or are recognized as a damage signal, cells enter a state of senescence, followed by cell cycle arrest, programmed cell death, or immortalization. This review provides an overview of recent advances in the intricate relationship between telomeres and genome instability. Alongside well-established mechanisms such as chromosomal fusion and telomere fusion, we will delve into the perspective on genome stability by examining the role of retrotransposons. Retrotransposons represent an emerging pathway to regulate genome stability through their interactions with telomeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, Tianjin, Tianjin 300350, China.
| | - Lin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, Tianjin, Tianjin 300350, China; Frontiers Science Center for Cell Responses, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, Tianjin 300071, China; Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin 300020, China; Institute of Translational Medicine, Tianjin Union Medical Center, Nankai University, Tianjin 300000, China.
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2
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Ertunc O, Smearman E, Zheng Q, Hicks JL, Brosnan-Cashman JA, Jones T, Gomes-Alexandre C, Trabzonlu L, Meeker AK, De Marzo AM, Heaphy CM. Chromogenic detection of telomere lengths in situ aids the identification of precancerous lesions in the prostate. Prostate 2024; 84:148-157. [PMID: 37849074 PMCID: PMC10843147 DOI: 10.1002/pros.24633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Telomeres are terminal chromosomal elements that are essential for the maintenance of genomic integrity. The measurement of telomere content provides useful diagnostic and prognostic information, and fluorescent methods have been developed for this purpose. However, fluorescent-based tissue assays are cumbersome for investigators to undertake, both in research and clinical settings. METHODS A robust chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) approach was developed to visualize and quantify telomere content at single cell resolution in human prostate tissues, both frozen and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE). RESULTS This new assay (telomere chromogenic in situ hybridization ["Telo-CISH"]) produces permanently stained slides that are viewable with a standard light microscope, thus avoiding the need for specialized equipment and storage. The assay is compatible with standard immunohistochemistry, thereby allowing simultaneous assessment of histomorphology, identification of specific cell types, and assessment of telomere status. In addition, Telo-CISH eliminates the problem of autofluorescent interference that frequently occurs with fluorescent-based methods. Using this new assay, we demonstrate successful application of Telo-CISH to help identify precancerous lesions in the prostate by the presence of markedly short telomeres specifically in the luminal epithelial cells. CONCLUSIONS In summary, with fewer restrictions on the types of tissues that can be tested, and increased histologic information provided, the advantages presented by this novel chromogenic assay should extend the applicability of tissue-based telomere length assessment in research and clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onur Ertunc
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Erica Smearman
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Qizhi Zheng
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Jessica L. Hicks
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | - Tracy Jones
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | - Levent Trabzonlu
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Alan K. Meeker
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Urology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Angelo M. De Marzo
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Urology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Christopher M. Heaphy
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
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3
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Sutterlüty H, Bargl M, Holzmann K. Quantifying telomere transcripts as tool to improve risk assessment for genetic instability and genotoxicity. MUTATION RESEARCH. GENETIC TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MUTAGENESIS 2023; 891:503690. [PMID: 37770147 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2023.503690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Telomere repeat-containing RNAs (TERRA) are transcribed from telomeres as long non-coding RNAs and are part of the telomere structure with protective function. The genetic stability of cells requires telomeric repeats at the ends of chromosomes. Maintenance of telomere length (TL) is essential for proliferative capacity and chromosomal integrity. In contrast, telomere shortening is a recognized risk factor for carcinogenesis and a biomarker of aging due to the cumulative effects of environmental exposures and life experiences such as trauma or stress. In this context, telomere repeats are lost due to cell proliferation, but are also susceptible to stress factors including reactive oxygen species (ROS) inducing oxidative base damage. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) of genomic DNA is an established method to analyze TL as a tool to detect genotoxic events. That same qPCR method can be applied to RNA converted into cDNA to quantify TERRA as a useful tool to perform high-throughput screenings. This short review summarizes relevant qPCR studies using both TL and TERRA quantification, provides an overall view of the molecular mechanisms of telomere protection against ROS by TERRA, and summarizes the presented studies comparing the results at DNA and RNA levels, which indicate that fluctuations at transcript level might reflect a short-term response. Therefore, we conclude that performing both of these measurements together will improve genotoxicity studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hedwig Sutterlüty
- Center for Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University Vienna, Borschkegasse 8a, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Maximilian Bargl
- Center for Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University Vienna, Borschkegasse 8a, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Klaus Holzmann
- Center for Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University Vienna, Borschkegasse 8a, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
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4
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Yang K, Li X, Xie K. Senescence program and its reprogramming in pancreatic premalignancy. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:528. [PMID: 37591827 PMCID: PMC10435572 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-06040-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Tumor is a representative of cell immortalization, while senescence irreversibly arrests cell proliferation. Although tumorigenesis and senescence seem contrary to each other, they have similar mechanisms in many aspects. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is highly lethal disease, which occurs and progresses through a multi-step process. Senescence is prevalent in pancreatic premalignancy, as manifested by decreased cell proliferation and increased clearance of pre-malignant cells by immune system. However, the senescent microenvironment cooperates with multiple factors and significantly contributes to tumorigenesis. Evidently, PDA progression requires to evade the effects of cellular senescence. This review will focus on dual roles that senescence plays in PDA development and progression, the signaling effectors that critically regulate senescence in PDA, the identification and reactivation of molecular targets that control senescence program for the treatment of PDA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailing Yang
- Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, The South China University of Technology School of Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaojia Li
- Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, The South China University of Technology School of Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Keping Xie
- Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, The South China University of Technology School of Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
- The South China University of Technology Comprehensive Cancer Center, Guangdong, China.
- The Second Affiliated Hospital and Guangzhou First People's Hospital, South China University of Technology School of Medicine, Guangdong, China.
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5
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Ertunc O, Smearman E, Zheng Q, Hicks JL, Brosnan-Cashman JA, Jones T, Gomes-Alexandre C, Trabzonlu L, Meeker AK, De Marzo AM, Heaphy CM. Chromogenic detection of telomere lengths in situ aids the identification of precancerous lesions in the prostate. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.04.535575. [PMID: 37066381 PMCID: PMC10104079 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.04.535575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Telomeres are terminal chromosomal elements that are essential for the maintenance of genomic integrity. The measurement of telomere content provides useful diagnostic and prognostic information, and fluorescent methods have been developed for this purpose. However, fluorescent-based tissue assays are cumbersome for investigators to undertake, both in research and clinical settings. Here, a robust chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) approach was developed to visualize and quantify telomere content at single cell resolution in human prostate tissues, both frozen and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE). This new assay ("Telo-CISH") produces permanently stained slides that are viewable with a standard light microscope, thus avoiding the need for specialized equipment and storage. The assay is compatible with standard immunohistochemistry, thereby allowing simultaneous assessment of histomorphology, identification of specific cell types, and assessment of telomere status. In addition, Telo-CISH eliminates the problem of autofluorescent interference that frequently occurs with fluorescent-based methods. Using this new assay, we demonstrate successful application of Telo-CISH to help identify precancerous lesions in the prostate by the presence of markedly short telomeres specifically in the luminal epithelial cells. In summary, with fewer restrictions on the types of tissues that can be tested, and increased histologic information provided, the advantages presented by this novel chromogenic assay should extend the applicability of tissue-based telomere length assessment in research and clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onur Ertunc
- The Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
| | - Erica Smearman
- The Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
| | - Qizhi Zheng
- The Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
| | - Jessica L. Hicks
- The Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
| | | | - Tracy Jones
- The Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
| | | | - Levent Trabzonlu
- The Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
| | - Alan K. Meeker
- The Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- The Department of Urology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- The Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Angelo M. De Marzo
- The Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- The Department of Urology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- The Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Christopher M. Heaphy
- The Department of Medicine, Boston University, School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
- The Department Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University, School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
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6
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Prime SS, Cirillo N, Parkinson EK. Escape from Cellular Senescence Is Associated with Chromosomal Instability in Oral Pre-Malignancy. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12010103. [PMID: 36671795 PMCID: PMC9855962 DOI: 10.3390/biology12010103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
An escape from cellular senescence through the development of unlimited growth potential is one of the hallmarks of cancer, which is thought to be an early event in carcinogenesis. In this review, we propose that the molecular effectors of senescence, particularly the inactivation of TP53 and CDKN2A, together with telomere attrition and telomerase activation, all lead to aneuploidy in the keratinocytes from oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD). Premalignant keratinocytes, therefore, not only become immortal but also develop genotypic and phenotypic cellular diversity. As a result of these changes, certain clonal cell populations likely gain the capacity to invade the underlying connective tissue. We review the clinical implications of these changes and highlight a new PCR-based assay to identify aneuploid cell in fluids such as saliva, a technique that is extremely sensitive and could facilitate the regular monitoring of OPMD without the need for surgical biopsies and may avoid potential biopsy sampling errors. We also draw attention to recent studies designed to eliminate aneuploid tumour cell populations that, potentially, is a new therapeutic approach to prevent malignant transformations in OPMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen S. Prime
- Centre for Immunology and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Dentistry, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
- Correspondence: (S.S.P.); (E.K.P.)
| | - Nicola Cirillo
- Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, 720 Swanson Street, Melbourne, VIC 3053, Australia
| | - E. Kenneth Parkinson
- Centre for Immunology and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Dentistry, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
- Correspondence: (S.S.P.); (E.K.P.)
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Argani P, Tickoo SK, Matoso A, Pratilas CA, Mehra R, Tretiakova M, Sibony M, Meeker AK, Lin MT, Reuter VE, Epstein JI, Gagan J, Palsgrove DN. Adult Wilms Tumor: Genetic Evidence of Origin of a Subset of Cases From Metanephric Adenoma. Am J Surg Pathol 2022; 46:988-999. [PMID: 35184066 PMCID: PMC9310085 DOI: 10.1097/pas.0000000000001864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The genetics of nephroblastoma (Wilms tumor) occurring in adults is largely unknown, as studies have largely been limited to isolated case reports. We, therefore, studied 14 adult Wilms tumors for genetic alterations, using expanded targeted sequencing on 11 cases. The patients ranged from 17 to 46 years of age (mean and median, 31 y), and there were 8 males and 6 females. Five Wilms tumors harbored BRAF V600E mutations. All of these had better-differentiated areas identical to metanephric adenoma, as has previously been described. In 3 such cases, microdissection studies revealed that the BRAF V600E mutation was present in both the metanephric adenoma and Wilms tumor areas; however, additional genetic alterations (including TERT promoter mutations in 2 cases, ASLX1/ATR mutations in 1 other case) were limited to the Wilms tumor component. These findings suggest that the Wilms tumor developed from the metanephric adenoma. Other adult Wilms tumors harbored genetic alterations previously reported in the more common pediatric Wilms tumors, including WT1 mutations (2 cases), ASLX1 mutations (3 additional cases), NSD2 mutation (1 additional case), and 11p loss (3 cases). In summary, a significant subset of adult Wilms tumors (specifically those of epithelial type with differentiated areas) harbor targetable BRAF V600E mutations and appear to arise from metanephric adenomas as a consequence of additional acquired genetic alterations. Other adult Wilms tumors often harbor genetic alterations found in their more common pediatric counterparts, suggesting at least some similarities in their pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Satish K. Tickoo
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Andres Matoso
- Departments of Pathology
- Departments of Urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | | | - Rohit Mehra
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Maria Tretiakova
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | | | - Alan K. Meeker
- Departments of Pathology
- Departments of Oncology
- Departments of Urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | | | - Victor E. Reuter
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Jonathan I. Epstein
- Departments of Pathology
- Departments of Oncology
- Departments of Urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jeffrey Gagan
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Doreen N. Palsgrove
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
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8
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Miki A, Matsuda Y, Aida J, Watanabe J, Sanada Y, Sakuma Y, Lefor AK, Fukushima N, Sata N, Arai T, Takubo K, Ishiwata T. Telomere Attrition in Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms of the Pancreas Associated With Carcinogenesis and Aging. Pancreas 2022; 51:678-683. [PMID: 36206470 DOI: 10.1097/mpa.0000000000002081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES It is challenging to preoperatively distinguish malignant and benign forms of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) of the pancreas. The aims of this study were to investigate whether telomere length is associated with pathological grade of IPMNs and age and to clarify the utility of telomere length as a marker to identify malignant IPMNs. METHODS Pancreas tissue was obtained from 28 patients after resection. We measured the telomere lengths of tumor cells in IPMNs and normal duct cells by quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization. The association of normalized telomere-centromere ratio (NTCR) to pathological grade of IPMNs and age were determined. RESULTS The NTCR showed a gradual decrease with increasing pathological grade of IPMNs. The NTCR in intermediate- and high-grade dysplasia and adenocarcinoma lesions was significantly shorter than in normal pancreatic ducts (P < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, telomere length was most associated with carcinogenesis. When the cutoff value of NTCR was set to 0.74, the sensitivity for detection of high-grade dysplasia and adenocarcinoma was 82.8%, with a specificity of 87.5%. CONCLUSIONS Telomere shortening occurs with carcinogenesis and aging. A significant reduction of telomere length in IPMNs may be useful for surgical decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yoko Matsuda
- Oncology Pathology, Department of Pathology and Host-Defense, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa
| | - Junko Aida
- Division of Aging and Carcinogenesis, Research Team for Geriatric Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo
| | - Jun Watanabe
- From the Division of Gastroenterological, General and Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi
| | - Yukihiro Sanada
- From the Division of Gastroenterological, General and Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi
| | - Yasunaru Sakuma
- From the Division of Gastroenterological, General and Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi
| | - Alan K Lefor
- From the Division of Gastroenterological, General and Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi
| | | | - Naohiro Sata
- From the Division of Gastroenterological, General and Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi
| | - Tomio Arai
- Department of Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kaiyo Takubo
- Division of Aging and Carcinogenesis, Research Team for Geriatric Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo
| | - Toshiyuki Ishiwata
- Division of Aging and Carcinogenesis, Research Team for Geriatric Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo
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9
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Rybicki BA, Sadasivan SM, Chen Y, Loveless I, Gupta NS, Chitale DA, Williamson SR, Rundle AG, Tang DL. Race Differences in Telomere Length in Benign Prostate Biopsies and Subsequent Risk of Prostate Cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022; 31:991-998. [PMID: 35247880 DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-21-1221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Telomere shortening is linked to aging and may be associated with increased risk for cancer. Most cancer studies have used telomere length in leukocytes rather than in the target tissue of cancer origin. METHODS A case-control study of 524 case-control pairs with a benign prostate biopsy nested within a historical cohort of 10,478 men was conducted to determine whether premalignant prostate telomere length (assessed using a modified qRT-PCR) is associated with prostate cancer risk. RESULTS Telomere lengths in benign prostate biopsies of cases versus controls were similar (1.46 ± 0.38 vs. 1.45 ± 0.42; P = 0.49). African American (AA) men had significantly shorter telomeres compared with White men (1.51 ± 0.38 vs. 1.63 ± 0.39; P < 0.0001). In race-stratified analyses, increasing telomere length was more strongly associated with prostate cancer risk in White men, wherein those with telomere length in the highest quartile had 1.9-fold greater adjusted risk of prostate cancer compared with men with prostate telomere lengths in the lowest quartile [OR = 1.90; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.08-3.36]. Men in the highest telomere length quartile also had a greater risk of aggressive prostate cancer compared with men with telomere lengths in the lowest quartile (OR = 2.78; 95% CI = 1.25-6.19). CONCLUSIONS White men have longer telomeres in benign prostate tissue compared with AA men, and those with the longest telomeres may be at increased risk for prostate cancer, particularly the more aggressive form of the disease. IMPACT Race-specific telomere length measures may be an early biomarker of aggressive prostate cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin A Rybicki
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Sudha M Sadasivan
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Yalei Chen
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Ian Loveless
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Nilesh S Gupta
- Department of Pathology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan
| | | | | | - Andrew G Rundle
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Deliang L Tang
- Department of Environmental Heath Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York
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10
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Telomere lengths in Barrett's esophagus as a precancerous lesion. Esophagus 2022; 19:287-293. [PMID: 34559348 DOI: 10.1007/s10388-021-00884-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We have reported that precancerous conditions and lesions invariably have shorter telomeres and associated chromosomal instability relative to normal tissue. METHODS Using the Q-FISH method and our original software, Tissue Telo, we estimated telomere lengths in cardiac- and intestinal-type mucosae in 48 cases of Barrett's esophagus (short-segment (SS) n = 18; long-segment (LS) n = 30). RESULTS There were no significant differences in telomere length between the cardiac and intestinal types in any of the 48 cases, suggesting that the presence or absence of goblet cells in the columnar segments is unrelated to telomere-dependent chromosomal instability in Barrett's esophagus. In LS Barrett's esophagus, telomeres were shorter in cardiac-type than in intestinal-type mucosa, suggesting that the former may play a more important role than the latter as a precancerous lesion in LS. Telomeres in cardiac-type mucosa were longer in SS than in LS, supporting the possibility that cardiac-type LS may pose a higher risk as a precancerous lesion than cardiac-type SS. CONCLUSIONS Although it has been considered that Barrett's carcinoma arises only from intestinal-type mucosa, our present findings support previous histogenetic studies suggesting that cardiac-type mucosa is more important as a precancerous condition in Barrett's esophagus than anticipated.
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11
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Roger L, Tomas F, Gire V. Mechanisms and Regulation of Cellular Senescence. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222313173. [PMID: 34884978 PMCID: PMC8658264 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222313173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular senescence entails a state of an essentially irreversible proliferative arrest in which cells remain metabolically active and secrete a range of pro-inflammatory and proteolytic factors as part of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype. There are different types of senescent cells, and senescence can be induced in response to many DNA damage signals. Senescent cells accumulate in different tissues and organs where they have distinct physiological and pathological functions. Despite this diversity, all senescent cells must be able to survive in a nondividing state while protecting themselves from positive feedback loops linked to the constant activation of the DNA damage response. This capacity requires changes in core cellular programs. Understanding how different cell types can undergo extensive changes in their transcriptional programs, metabolism, heterochromatin patterns, and cellular structures to induce a common cellular state is crucial to preventing cancer development/progression and to improving health during aging. In this review, we discuss how senescent cells continuously evolve after their initial proliferative arrest and highlight the unifying features that define the senescent state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauréline Roger
- Structure and Instability of Genomes Laboratory, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), CNRS-UMR 7196/INSERM U1154, 43 Rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France;
| | - Fanny Tomas
- Centre de Recherche en Biologie cellulaire de Montpellier (CRBM), Université de Montpellier, CNRS UMR 5237, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France;
| | - Véronique Gire
- Centre de Recherche en Biologie cellulaire de Montpellier (CRBM), Université de Montpellier, CNRS UMR 5237, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +33-(0)-434359513; Fax: +33-(0)-434359410
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12
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Tang DG. Understanding and targeting prostate cancer cell heterogeneity and plasticity. Semin Cancer Biol 2021; 82:68-93. [PMID: 34844845 PMCID: PMC9106849 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Prostate cancer (PCa) is a prevalent malignancy that occurs primarily in old males. Prostate tumors in different patients manifest significant inter-patient heterogeneity with respect to histo-morphological presentations and molecular architecture. An individual patient tumor also harbors genetically distinct clones in which PCa cells display intra-tumor heterogeneity in molecular features and phenotypic marker expression. This inherent PCa cell heterogeneity, e.g., in the expression of androgen receptor (AR), constitutes a barrier to the long-term therapeutic efficacy of AR-targeting therapies. Furthermore, tumor progression as well as therapeutic treatments induce PCa cell plasticity such that AR-positive PCa cells may turn into AR-negative cells and prostate tumors may switch lineage identity from adenocarcinomas to neuroendocrine-like tumors. This induced PCa cell plasticity similarly confers resistance to AR-targeting and other therapies. In this review, I first discuss PCa from the perspective of an abnormal organ development and deregulated cellular differentiation, and discuss the luminal progenitor cells as the likely cells of origin for PCa. I then focus on intrinsic PCa cell heterogeneity in treatment-naïve tumors with the presence of prostate cancer stem cells (PCSCs). I further elaborate on PCa cell plasticity induced by genetic alterations and therapeutic interventions, and present potential strategies to therapeutically tackle PCa cell heterogeneity and plasticity. My discussions will make it clear that, to achieve enduring clinical efficacy, both intrinsic PCa cell heterogeneity and induced PCa cell plasticity need to be targeted with novel combinatorial approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean G Tang
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA; Experimental Therapeutics (ET) Graduate Program, The University at Buffalo & Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA.
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13
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Pal J, Rajput Y, Shrivastava S, Gahine R, Mungutwar V, Barardiya T, Chandrakar A, Ramakrishna PP, Mishra SS, Banjara H, Choudhary V, Patra PK, Shammas MA. A standalone approach to utilize telomere length measurement as a surveillance tool in oral leukoplakia. Mol Oncol 2021; 16:1650-1660. [PMID: 34725903 PMCID: PMC9019888 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is often preceded by a white patch on a surface of the mouth, called oral leukoplakia (OL). As accelerated telomere length (TL) shortening in dividing epithelial cells may lead to oncogenic transformation, telomere length measurement could serve as a predictive biomarker in OL. However, due to high variability and lack of a universal reference, there has been a limited translational application. Here, we describe an approach of evaluating TL using paired peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) as an internal reference and demonstrate its translational relevance. Oral brush biopsy and paired venous blood were collected from 50 male OL patients and 44 male healthy controls (HC). Relative TL was measured by quantitative PCR. TL of each OL or healthy sample was normalized to the paired PBMC sample (TL ratio). In OL patients, the mean TL ratio was significantly smaller not only in the patch but also in distal normal oral tissue, relative to healthy controls without a high‐risk oral habit. Dysplasia was frequently associated with a subgroup that showed a normal TL ratio at the patch but significantly smaller TL ratio at a paired normal distal site. Our data suggest that evaluation of TL attrition using a paired PBMC sample eliminates the requirement of external reference DNA, makes data universally comparable and provides a useful marker to define high‐risk OL groups for follow‐up programs. Larger studies will further validate the approach and its broader application in other premalignant conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jagannath Pal
- Multi-Disciplinary Research Unit (MRU), Pt. J.N.M. Medical College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Yogita Rajput
- Multi-Disciplinary Research Unit (MRU), Pt. J.N.M. Medical College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Shruti Shrivastava
- Department of Pathology, Govt. Medical College, Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, India.,Department of Pathology, Pt. J.N.M. Medical College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Renuka Gahine
- Multi-Disciplinary Research Unit (MRU), Pt. J.N.M. Medical College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India.,Department of Pathology, Pt. J.N.M. Medical College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Varsha Mungutwar
- Department of ENT, Dr. B.R.A.M. Hospital & Pt. J.N.M. Medical College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Tripti Barardiya
- Department of Biochemistry, Pt. J.N.M. Medical College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Ankur Chandrakar
- Department of ENT, Dr. B.R.A.M. Hospital & Pt. J.N.M. Medical College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
| | | | | | - Hansa Banjara
- Department of ENT, Dr. B.R.A.M. Hospital & Pt. J.N.M. Medical College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Vivek Choudhary
- Regional Cancer Centre, Dr. B.R.A.M. Hospital, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Pradeep K Patra
- Department of Biochemistry, Pt. J.N.M. Medical College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Masood A Shammas
- Harvard (Dana Farber) Cancer Institute and VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, USA
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14
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Hayashi Y, Fujita K, Netto GJ, Nonomura N. Clinical Application of TERT Promoter Mutations in Urothelial Carcinoma. Front Oncol 2021; 11:705440. [PMID: 34395278 PMCID: PMC8358429 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.705440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is a common urological malignancy with a high rate of disease recurrence. Telomerase activity, a hallmark of cancer characterized by overcoming the replicative senescence, is upregulated in over 90% of patients with UC. Somatic mutations in the promoter region of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) are frequently detected in UC, and drive telomerase activity. Recent studies have demonstrated a strong association between TERT promoter mutation and tumorigenesis of UC. Also, TERT promoter mutation has great potential for diagnosis, as well as prognosis in UC treatment, and this is also applicable for the liquid biopsy techniques. In this review, we discuss the progress in these areas and highlight the challenges, clinical potential, and future direction for developing UC treatment methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujiro Hayashi
- Department of Urology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.,Department of Urology, Osaka General Medical Center, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kazutoshi Fujita
- Department of Urology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Japan
| | - George J Netto
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Norio Nonomura
- Department of Urology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
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15
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Rachakonda S, Hoheisel JD, Kumar R. Occurrence, functionality and abundance of the TERT promoter mutations. Int J Cancer 2021; 149:1852-1862. [PMID: 34313327 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.33750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Telomere shortening at chromosomal ends due to the constraints of the DNA replication process acts as a tumor suppressor by restricting the replicative potential in primary cells. Cancers evade that limitation primarily through the reactivation of telomerase via different mechanisms. Mutations within the promoter of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene represent a definite mechanism for the ribonucleic enzyme regeneration predominantly in cancers that arise from tissues with low rates of self-renewal. The promoter mutations cause a moderate increase in TERT transcription and consequent telomerase upregulation to the levels sufficient to delay replicative senescence but not prevent bulk telomere shortening and genomic instability. Since the discovery, a staggering number of studies have resolved the discrete aspects, effects and clinical relevance of the TERT promoter mutations. The promoter mutations link transcription of TERT with oncogenic pathways, associate with markers of poor outcome and define patients with reduced survivals in several cancers. In this review, we discuss the occurrence and impact of the promoter mutations and highlight the mechanism of TERT activation. We further deliberate on the foundational question of the abundance of the TERT promoter mutations and a general dearth of functional mutations within noncoding sequences, as evident from pan-cancer analysis of the whole-genomes. We posit that the favorable genomic constellation within the TERT promoter may be less than a common occurrence in other noncoding functional elements. Besides, the evolutionary constraints limit the functional fraction within the human genome, hence the lack of abundant mutations outside the coding sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jörg D Hoheisel
- Division of Functional Genome Analysis, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rajiv Kumar
- Division of Functional Genome Analysis, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
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16
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Shorter Leukocyte Telomere Length Is Associated with Worse Survival of Patients with Bladder Cancer and Renal Cell Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13153774. [PMID: 34359672 PMCID: PMC8345040 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13153774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Intrinsic telomere shortening promotes tumorigenesis in cells with impaired DNA damage repair mechanisms, as dysfunctional telomeres lead to chromosomal instability. More recent data show that the telomere length of peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) cells can be a prognostic marker for survival of patients with solid tumors. However, reports on bladder cancer (BC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are not consistent and partly contradictory. Our results show, first, that telomere length is shorter in patients with BC or RCC compared to patients without malignant disease. More importantly, the relative telomere length (RTL) of PBL cells is associated with survival of patients with BC and RCC. Thus, telomere length in PBL cells could be an auxiliary prognostic marker in BC and RCC. Abstract Background: Telomeres are protein–DNA complexes at the tips of linear chromosomes. They protect the DNA from end-to-end fusion and exonucleolytic degradation. Shortening of telomeric DNA during aging can generate dysfunctional telomeres, promoting tumorigenesis. More recent data indicate that both short and long telomeres of peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) cells can serve as prognostic biomarkers for cancer risk and may be associated with survival of patients with solid cancers. Telomere length in PBL cells could also be a potential prognostic biomarker for survival in bladder cancer (BC) or renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Methods: The relative telomere length (RTL) of PBL cells was assessed in patients with BC (n = 144) and RCC (n = 144) by using qPCR. A control population of patients without malignant disease (NC, n = 73) was included for comparison. The correlation and association of RTL with histopathological parameters and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Results: Patients with BC and RCC had significantly shorter telomeres compared to patients without malignant disease. Within the cancer cohorts, multivariate analysis revealed that short RTL is an independent predictor of worse survival in BC (p = 0.039) and RCC (p = 0.041). Conclusion: Patients with BC and RCC had significantly shorter telomeres compared to the normal population. Shorter RTL in BC and RCC was an independent predictor of reduced survival.
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17
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Khodadadi E, Mir SM, Memar MY, Sadeghi H, Kashiri M, Faeghiniya M, Jamalpoor Z, Sheikh Arabi M. Shelterin complex at telomeres: Roles in cancers. GENE REPORTS 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.genrep.2021.101174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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18
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Niazi Y, Thomsen H, Smolkova B, Vodickova L, Vodenkova S, Kroupa M, Vymetalkova V, Kazimirova A, Barancokova M, Volkovova K, Staruchova M, Hoffmann P, Nöthen MM, Dusinska M, Musak L, Vodicka P, Försti A, Hemminki K. DNA repair gene polymorphisms and chromosomal aberrations in healthy, nonsmoking population. DNA Repair (Amst) 2021; 101:103079. [PMID: 33676360 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2021.103079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Nonspecific structural chromosomal aberrations (CAs) can be found at around 1% of circulating lymphocytes from healthy individuals but the frequency may be higher after exposure to carcinogenic chemicals or radiation. The frequency of CAs has been measured in occupational monitoring and an increased frequency of CAs has also been associated with cancer risk. Alterations in DNA damage repair and telomere maintenance are thought to contribute to the formation of CAs, which include chromosome type of aberrations and chromatid type of aberrations. In the present study, we used the result of our published genome-wide association studies to extract data on 153 DNA repair genes from 866 nonsmoking persons who had no known occupational exposure to genotoxic substances. Considering an arbitrary cut-off level of P< 5 × 10-3, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) tagging 22 DNA repair genes were significantly associated with CAs and they remained significant at P < 0.05 when adjustment for multiple comparisons was done by the Binomial Sequential Goodness of Fit test. Nucleotide excision repair pathway genes showed most associations with 6 genes. Among the associated genes were several in which mutations manifest CA phenotype, including Fanconi anemia, WRN, BLM and genes that are important in maintaining genome stability, as well as PARP2 and mismatch repair genes. RPA2 and RPA3 may participate in telomere maintenance through the synthesis of the C strand of telomeres. Errors in NHEJ1 function may lead to translocations. The present results show associations with some genes with known CA phenotype and suggest other pathways with mechanistic rationale for the formation of CAs in healthy nonsmoking population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmeen Niazi
- Department of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 580, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany; Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Hauke Thomsen
- Department of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 580, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; GeneWerk GmbH, Im Neuenheimer Feld 582, 6910 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bozena Smolkova
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84505 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ludmila Vodickova
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 00 Prague, Czech Republic; Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Albertov 4, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic; Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University in Prague, 30605 Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Soňa Vodenkova
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Kroupa
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 00 Prague, Czech Republic; Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University in Prague, 30605 Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Vymetalkova
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 00 Prague, Czech Republic; Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Albertov 4, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic; Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University in Prague, 30605 Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Alena Kazimirova
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Limbova 12, 833 03 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Magdalena Barancokova
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Limbova 12, 833 03 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Katarina Volkovova
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Limbova 12, 833 03 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Marta Staruchova
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Limbova 12, 833 03 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Per Hoffmann
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4003 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Markus M Nöthen
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Maria Dusinska
- Health Effects Laboratory, Department of Environmental Chemistry, NILU-Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Instituttveien 18, 2007 Kjeller, Norway
| | - Ludovit Musak
- Biomedical Center Martin, Comenius University in Bratislava, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Malá Hora 4D, 03601 Martin, Slovakia
| | - Pavel Vodicka
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 00 Prague, Czech Republic; Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Albertov 4, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic; Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University in Prague, 30605 Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Asta Försti
- Department of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 580, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany; Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kari Hemminki
- Department of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 580, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University in Prague, 30605 Pilsen, Czech Republic; Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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19
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Niazi Y, Thomsen H, Smolkova B, Vodickova L, Vodenkova S, Kroupa M, Vymetalkova V, Kazimirova A, Barancokova M, Volkovova K, Staruchova M, Hoffmann P, Nöthen MM, Dusinska M, Musak L, Vodicka P, Hemminki K, Försti A. DNA Repair Gene Polymorphisms and Chromosomal Aberrations in Exposed Populations. Front Genet 2021; 12:691947. [PMID: 34220964 PMCID: PMC8242355 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.691947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA damage and unrepaired or insufficiently repaired DNA double-strand breaks as well as telomere shortening contribute to the formation of structural chromosomal aberrations (CAs). Non-specific CAs have been used in the monitoring of individuals exposed to potential carcinogenic chemicals and radiation. The frequency of CAs in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) has been associated with cancer risk and the association has also been found in incident cancer patients. CAs include chromosome-type aberrations (CSAs) and chromatid-type aberrations (CTAs) and their sum CAtot. In the present study, we used data from our published genome-wide association studies (GWASs) and extracted the results for 153 DNA repair genes for 607 persons who had occupational exposure to diverse harmful substances/radiation and/or personal exposure to tobacco smoking. The analyses were conducted using linear and logistic regression models to study the association of DNA repair gene polymorphisms with CAs. Considering an arbitrary cutoff level of 5 × 10-3, 14 loci passed the threshold, and included 7 repair pathways for CTA, 4 for CSA, and 3 for CAtot; 10 SNPs were eQTLs influencing the expression of the target repair gene. For the base excision repair pathway, the implicated genes PARP1 and PARP2 encode poly(ADP-ribosyl) transferases with multiple regulatory functions. PARP1 and PARP2 have an important role in maintaining genome stability through diverse mechanisms. Other candidate genes with known roles for CSAs included GTF2H (general transcription factor IIH subunits 4 and 5), Fanconi anemia pathway genes, and PMS2, a mismatch repair gene. The present results suggest pathways with mechanistic rationale for the formation of CAs and emphasize the need to further develop techniques for measuring individual sensitivity to genotoxic exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmeen Niazi
- Department of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Hopp Children’s Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Yasmeen Niazi,
| | - Hauke Thomsen
- Department of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- GeneWerk GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bozena Smolkova
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ludmila Vodickova
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
- First Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czecia
| | - Sona Vodenkova
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Michal Kroupa
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czecia
| | - Veronika Vymetalkova
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
- First Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czecia
| | - Alena Kazimirova
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Magdalena Barancokova
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Katarina Volkovova
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Marta Staruchova
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Per Hoffmann
- Institute of Human Genetics, School of Medicine and University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Markus M. Nöthen
- Institute of Human Genetics, School of Medicine and University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Maria Dusinska
- Health Effects Laboratory, Department of Environmental Chemistry, NILU-Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Kjeller, Norway
| | - Ludovit Musak
- Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Biomedical Center Martin, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Pavel Vodicka
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
- First Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czecia
| | - Kari Hemminki
- Department of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czecia
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Kari Hemminki,
| | - Asta Försti
- Department of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Hopp Children’s Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
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20
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Putative Origins of Cell-Free DNA in Humans: A Review of Active and Passive Nucleic Acid Release Mechanisms. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21218062. [PMID: 33137955 PMCID: PMC7662960 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21218062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Through various pathways of cell death, degradation, and regulated extrusion, partial or complete genomes of various origins (e.g., host cells, fetal cells, and infiltrating viruses and microbes) are continuously shed into human body fluids in the form of segmented cell-free DNA (cfDNA) molecules. While the genetic complexity of total cfDNA is vast, the development of progressively efficient extraction, high-throughput sequencing, characterization via bioinformatics procedures, and detection have resulted in increasingly accurate partitioning and profiling of cfDNA subtypes. Not surprisingly, cfDNA analysis is emerging as a powerful clinical tool in many branches of medicine. In addition, the low invasiveness of longitudinal cfDNA sampling provides unprecedented access to study temporal genomic changes in a variety of contexts. However, the genetic diversity of cfDNA is also a great source of ambiguity and poses significant experimental and analytical challenges. For example, the cfDNA population in the bloodstream is heterogeneous and also fluctuates dynamically, differs between individuals, and exhibits numerous overlapping features despite often originating from different sources and processes. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the determining variables that impact the properties of cfDNA is crucial, however, thus far, is largely lacking. In this work we review recent and historical research on active vs. passive release mechanisms and estimate the significance and extent of their contribution to the composition of cfDNA.
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21
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Shih IM, Wang Y, Wang TL. The Origin of Ovarian Cancer Species and Precancerous Landscape. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2020; 191:26-39. [PMID: 33011111 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2020.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Unlike other human cancers, in which all primary tumors arise de novo, ovarian epithelial cancers are primarily imported from either endometrial or fallopian tube epithelium. The prevailing paradigm in the genesis of high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), the most common ovarian cancer, posits to its development in fallopian tubes through stepwise tumor progression. Recent progress has been made not only in gathering terabytes of omics data but also in detailing the histologic-molecular correlations required for looking into, and making sense of, the tissue origin of HGSC. This emerging paradigm is changing many facets of ovarian cancer research and routine gynecology practice. The precancerous landscape in fallopian tubes contains multiple concurrent precursor lesions, including serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC), with genetic heterogeneity providing a platform for HGSC evolution. Mathematical models imply that a prolonged time (decades) elapses from the development of a TP53 mutation, the earliest known molecular alteration, to an STIC, followed by a shorter span (6 years) for progression to an HGSC. Genetic predisposition accelerates the trajectory. This timeline may allow for the early diagnosis of HGSC and STIC, followed by intent-to-cure surgery. This review discusses the recent advances in this tubal paradigm and its biological and clinical implications, alongside the promise and challenge of studying STIC and other precancerous lesions of HGSC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ie-Ming Shih
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Pathobiology Graduate Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
| | - Yeh Wang
- Pathobiology Graduate Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Tian-Li Wang
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Pathobiology Graduate Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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22
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Hussien MT, Shaban S, Temerik DF, Helal SR, Mosad E, Elgammal S, Mostafa A, Hassan E, Ibrahim A. Impact of DAXX and ATRX expression on telomere length and prognosis of breast cancer patients. J Egypt Natl Canc Inst 2020; 32:34. [PMID: 32856116 DOI: 10.1186/s43046-020-00045-1] [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: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Telomere stability is one of the hallmarks of cancer that promotes cellular longevity, the accumulation of genetic alterations, and tumorigenesis. The loss of death domain-associated protein (DAXX) and α-thalassemia/mental retardation X-linked protein (ATRX) plays a role in telomere lengthening and stability. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic significance of telomere length (TL) and its association with DAXX and ATRX proteins in breast cancer (BC). Our study used the FISH technique to detect peptide nucleic acid (PNA) in the peripheral blood cells of a cohort of BC patients (n = 220) and a control group of apparently healthy individuals (n = 100). Expression of DAXX and ATRX proteins was evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC) in all BC tissues. RESULTS Patients with a shorter TL had worse disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). There were significant associations between shorter TL and advanced disease stages, lymph node metastasis, and positive HER2/neu expression. DAXX protein expression was significantly correlated with TL. Lower DAXX expression was significantly with shorter DFS. CONCLUSION Assessing TL can be used as a worthy prognostic indicator in BC patients. Specifically, short TL had a poor impact on the prognosis of BC patients. Low DAXX expression is associated with poor outcomes in BC. Further mechanistic studies are warranted to reveal the underlying mechanisms of these associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marwa T Hussien
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Shimaa Shaban
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Doaa F Temerik
- Department of Clinical Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
| | - Shaaban R Helal
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Eman Mosad
- Department of Clinical Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Sahar Elgammal
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Abeer Mostafa
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Eman Hassan
- Department of Clinical Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Abeer Ibrahim
- Department of Medical Oncology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
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Telomere length alterations and ATRX/DAXX loss in pituitary adenomas. Mod Pathol 2020; 33:1475-1481. [PMID: 32203094 PMCID: PMC8867890 DOI: 10.1038/s41379-020-0523-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes located at the termini of eukaryotic chromosomes that prevent exonucleolytic degradation and end-to-end chromosomal fusions. Cancers often have critically shortened, dysfunctional telomeres contributing to genomic instability. Telomere shortening has been reported in a wide range of precancerous lesions and invasive carcinomas. However, the role of telomere alterations, including the presence of alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT), has not been studied in pituitary adenomas. Telomere length and the presence of ALT were assessed directly at the single cell level using a telomere-specific fluorescence in situ hybridization assay in tissue microarrays. Tumors were characterized as either ALT-positive or having short, normal, or long telomere lengths and then these categories were compared with clinicopathological characteristics. ATRX and DAXX expression was studied through immunohistochemistry. We characterized a discovery set of 106 pituitary adenomas including both functional and nonfunctional subsets (88 primary, 18 recurrent). Telomere lengths were estimated and we observed 64 (59.4%) cases with short, 39 (36.8%) cases with normal, and 0 (0%) cases with long telomeres. We did not observe significant differences in the clinicopathological characteristics of the group with abnormally shortened telomeres compared to the group with normal telomeres. However, three pituitary adenomas were identified as ALT-positive of which two were recurrent tumors. Two of these three ALT-positive cases had alterations in either of the chromatin remodeling proteins, ATRX and DAXX, which are routinely altered in other ALT-positive tumor subtypes. In a second cohort of 32 recurrent pituitary adenomas from 22 patients, we found that the tumors from 36% of patients (n = 8) were ALT-positive. This study demonstrates that short telomere lengths are prevalent in pituitary adenomas and that ALT-positive pituitary adenomas are enriched in recurrent disease.
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Martínez-González K, Islas-Hernández A, Martínez-Ezquerro JD, Bermúdez-Rattoni F, Garcia-delaTorre P. Telomere length and oxidative stress variations in a murine model of Alzheimer's disease progression. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 52:4863-4874. [PMID: 32594585 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, and ageing is its major risk factor. Changes in telomere length have been associated with ageing and some degenerative diseases. Our aim was to explore some of the molecular changes caused by the progression of AD in a transgenic murine model (3xTg-AD; B6; 129-Psen1 <tm1Mpm> Tg (APPSwe, tauP301L) 1Lfa). Telomere length was assessed by qPCR in both brain tissue and peripheral blood cells and compared between three age groups: 5, 9 and 13 months. In addition, a possible effect of oxidative stress on telomere length and AD progression was explored. Shorter telomeres were found in blood cells of older transgenic mice compared to younger and wild-type mice but no changes in telomere length in the hippocampus. An increase in oxidative stress with age was found for all strains, but no correlation was found between oxidative stress and shorter telomere length for transgenic mice. Telomere length and oxidative stress are affected by AD progression in the 3xTg-AD murine model. Changes in blood cells are more noticeable than changes in brain tissue, suggesting that systemic changes can be detected early in the disease in this murine model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katia Martínez-González
- Unidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Neurológicas, Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de Mexico, México.,Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, Coyoacán, México
| | - Azul Islas-Hernández
- Unidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Neurológicas, Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de Mexico, México.,Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, Coyoacán, México
| | - José Darío Martínez-Ezquerro
- Unidad de Investigación Epidemiológica y en Servicios de Salud, Área de Envejecimiento, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México City, México
| | - Federico Bermúdez-Rattoni
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, Mexico
| | - Paola Garcia-delaTorre
- Unidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Neurológicas, Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de Mexico, México
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Vaiciulis P, Liutkeviciene R, Liutkevicius V, Vilkeviciute A, Gedvilaite G, Uloza V. Association of Relative Leucocyte Telomere Length and Gene Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms ( TERT, TRF1, TNKS2) in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Cancer Genomics Proteomics 2020; 17:431-439. [PMID: 32576588 PMCID: PMC7367600 DOI: 10.21873/cgp.20202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 05/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM The study aimed to evaluate associations of relative leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and polymorphisms of telomere length-associated genes TERT (rs2736098), TERT-CLPTM1L (rs401681), TRF1 (rs1545827, rs10107605) and TNKS2 (rs10509637, rs10509639) in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS The study consisted of 300 patients with LSCC and 369 healthy control subjects. Genotyping and relative LTL measuring were carried out using qPCR. RESULTS Relative LTL was statistically significantly shorter in the G3 (tumor differentiation grade) subgroup of patients with LSCC compared to the G1 and G2 subgroups. Significant differences were found in genotype distributions of TERT rs401681 and TNKS2 rs10509639 between the study groups. TERT rs401681 C/T and T/T genotypes were associated with approximately 30% decreased odds of LSCC development. CONCLUSION LTL was shorter in the G3 subgroup compared to the G2 and G1 subgroups of LSCC patients. TERT rs401681 and its C/T and T/T genotypes were associated with decreased odds of overall LSCC development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulius Vaiciulis
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Rasa Liutkeviciene
- Neuroscience Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Vykintas Liutkevicius
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Alvita Vilkeviciute
- Neuroscience Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Greta Gedvilaite
- Neuroscience Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Virgilijus Uloza
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
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Shanta K, Nakayama K, Ishikawa M, Ishibashi T, Yamashita H, Sato S, Sasamori H, Sawada K, Kurose S, Mahmud HM, Razia S, Iida K, Ishikawa N, Kyo S. Prognostic Value of Peripheral Blood Lymphocyte Telomere Length in Gynecologic Malignant Tumors. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12061469. [PMID: 32512904 PMCID: PMC7352644 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12061469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Lymphocyte telomere length is strongly correlated with patient prognosis in several malignant tumor types and is thought to be related to tumor immunity. However, this correlation has not been studied in gynecological cancers. We determined the prognostic significance of peripheral blood lymphocyte telomere length in gynecologic cancers. Methods: Telomere length of lymphocytes from patients with gynecological malignant tumors (ovarian cancer (OC), N = 72; cervical cancer (CC), N = 63; endometrial cancer (EC), N = 87) was examined by quantitative reverse-transcription PCR of isolated mononuclear cells. Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazard analyses were used to determine the association between lymphocyte telomere length and clinicopathological factors. Results: The overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of patients were based on the dichotomized lymphocyte telomere length using the median as a threshold (OC: 0.75, CC: 1.94, and EC: 1.09). A short telomere length was significantly correlated with residual tumors (≥1 cm) in OC and with advanced stage (III and IV) of CC. In OC and CC, patients with shorter relative lymphocyte telomere length (RLT) had significantly poorer OS and PFS than patients with longer RLT (p = 0.002, p = 0.003, and p = 0.001, p = 0.001, respectively). However, in EC, RLT was not significantly associated with OS or PFS (p = 0.567 and p = 0.304, log-rank test). Multivariate analysis showed that shorter RLT was a significant independent prognostic factor of PFS and OS for OC (p = 0.03 and p = 0.04, respectively) and CC (p = 0.02 and p = 0.03, respectively). Conclusions: Patients with OC and CC with shorter lymphocyte telomeres have significantly reduced survival; therefore, the peripheral blood lymphocyte telomere length is a prognostic biomarker in OC and CC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamrunnahar Shanta
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501, Japan; (K.S.); (M.I.); (T.I.); (H.Y.); (S.S.); (H.S.); (K.S.); (S.K.); (H.M.M.); (S.R.); (K.I.); (S.K.)
| | - Kentaro Nakayama
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501, Japan; (K.S.); (M.I.); (T.I.); (H.Y.); (S.S.); (H.S.); (K.S.); (S.K.); (H.M.M.); (S.R.); (K.I.); (S.K.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Masako Ishikawa
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501, Japan; (K.S.); (M.I.); (T.I.); (H.Y.); (S.S.); (H.S.); (K.S.); (S.K.); (H.M.M.); (S.R.); (K.I.); (S.K.)
| | - Tomoka Ishibashi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501, Japan; (K.S.); (M.I.); (T.I.); (H.Y.); (S.S.); (H.S.); (K.S.); (S.K.); (H.M.M.); (S.R.); (K.I.); (S.K.)
| | - Hitomi Yamashita
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501, Japan; (K.S.); (M.I.); (T.I.); (H.Y.); (S.S.); (H.S.); (K.S.); (S.K.); (H.M.M.); (S.R.); (K.I.); (S.K.)
| | - Seiya Sato
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501, Japan; (K.S.); (M.I.); (T.I.); (H.Y.); (S.S.); (H.S.); (K.S.); (S.K.); (H.M.M.); (S.R.); (K.I.); (S.K.)
| | - Hiroki Sasamori
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501, Japan; (K.S.); (M.I.); (T.I.); (H.Y.); (S.S.); (H.S.); (K.S.); (S.K.); (H.M.M.); (S.R.); (K.I.); (S.K.)
| | - Kiyoka Sawada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501, Japan; (K.S.); (M.I.); (T.I.); (H.Y.); (S.S.); (H.S.); (K.S.); (S.K.); (H.M.M.); (S.R.); (K.I.); (S.K.)
| | - Sonomi Kurose
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501, Japan; (K.S.); (M.I.); (T.I.); (H.Y.); (S.S.); (H.S.); (K.S.); (S.K.); (H.M.M.); (S.R.); (K.I.); (S.K.)
| | - Hossain Mohammad Mahmud
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501, Japan; (K.S.); (M.I.); (T.I.); (H.Y.); (S.S.); (H.S.); (K.S.); (S.K.); (H.M.M.); (S.R.); (K.I.); (S.K.)
| | - Sultana Razia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501, Japan; (K.S.); (M.I.); (T.I.); (H.Y.); (S.S.); (H.S.); (K.S.); (S.K.); (H.M.M.); (S.R.); (K.I.); (S.K.)
| | - Kouji Iida
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501, Japan; (K.S.); (M.I.); (T.I.); (H.Y.); (S.S.); (H.S.); (K.S.); (S.K.); (H.M.M.); (S.R.); (K.I.); (S.K.)
| | - Noriyoshi Ishikawa
- Department of Organ Pathology, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Izumo 693-8501, Japan;
| | - Satoru Kyo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501, Japan; (K.S.); (M.I.); (T.I.); (H.Y.); (S.S.); (H.S.); (K.S.); (S.K.); (H.M.M.); (S.R.); (K.I.); (S.K.)
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Wu J, Crowe DL. Telomere DNA Damage Signaling Regulates Prostate Cancer Tumorigenesis. Mol Cancer Res 2020; 18:1326-1339. [PMID: 32467172 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-19-1129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Telomere shortening has been demonstrated in benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), which is associated with prostate epithelial cell senescence. Telomere shortening is the most frequently observed genetic alteration in prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, and is associated with poor clinical outcomes in prostate cancer. Gene expression database analysis revealed decreased TRF2 expression during malignant progression of the prostate gland. We reasoned that reduced TRF2 expression in prostate epithelium, by activating the telomere DNA damage response, would allow us to model both benign and malignant prostate disease. Prostate glands with reduced epithelial TRF2 expression developed age- and p53-dependent hypertrophy, senescence, ductal dilation, and smooth muscle hyperplasia similar to human BPH. Prostate tumors with reduced TRF2 expression were classified as high-grade androgen receptor-negative adenocarcinomas, which exhibited decreased latency, increased proliferation, and distant metastases. Prostate cancer stem cells with reduced TRF2 expression were highly tumorigenic and maintained telomeres both by telomerase and alternative lengthening (ALT). Telomerase inhibition in prostate glands with reduced TRF2 expression produced significant reduction in prostate tumor incidence by halting progression at intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN). These lesions were highly differentiated, exhibited low proliferation index, and high apoptotic cell fraction. Prostate tumors with reduced TRF2 expression and telomerase inhibition failed to metastasize and did not exhibit ALT. IMPLICATIONS: Our results demonstrate that the telomere DNA damage response regulates BPH, PIN, and prostate cancer and may be therapeutically manipulated to prevent prostate cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianchun Wu
- University of Illinois Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois
| | - David L Crowe
- University of Illinois Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois.
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Cleal K, Baird DM. Catastrophic Endgames: Emerging Mechanisms of Telomere-Driven Genomic Instability. Trends Genet 2020; 36:347-359. [PMID: 32294415 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2020.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
When cells progress to malignancy, they must overcome a final telomere-mediated proliferative lifespan barrier called replicative crisis. Crisis is characterized by extensive telomere fusion that drives widespread genomic instability, mitotic arrest, hyperactivation of autophagy, and cell death. Recently, it has become apparent that that the resolution of dicentric chromosomes, which arise from telomere fusions during crisis, can initiate a sequence of events that leads to chromothripsis, a form of extreme genomic catastrophe. Chromothripsis is characterized by localized genomic regions containing tens to thousands of rearrangements and it is becoming increasingly apparent that chromothripsis occurs widely across tumor types and has a clinical impact. Here we discuss how telomere dysfunction can initiate genomic complexity and the emerging mechanisms of chromothripsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kez Cleal
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Duncan M Baird
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK.
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29
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Analysis of Telomere Lengths in p53 Signatures and Incidental Serous Tubal Intraepithelial Carcinomas Without Concurrent Ovarian Cancer. Am J Surg Pathol 2020; 43:1083-1091. [PMID: 31107721 DOI: 10.1097/pas.0000000000001283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Telomere alterations represent one of the major molecular changes in the development of human cancer. We have previously reported that telomere lengths in most serous tubal intraepithelial carcinomas (STIC) are shorter than they are in ovarian high-grade serous carcinomas (HGSC) or in normal-appearing fallopian tube epithelium from the same patients. However, it remains critical to determine if similar telomere alterations occur in TP53-mutated but histologically unremarkable "p53 signature" lesions, as well as incidental STICs without concurrent HGSC. In this study, we quantitatively measured telomere lengths by performing telomere-specific fluorescence in situ hybridization in conjunction with p53 immunolabeling in 15 p53 signatures and 30 incidental STICs without concurrent HGSC. We compared these new results with our previous data in paired STICs and concurrent HGSCs. We found that most p53 signatures (80%) and incidental STICs without HGSC (77%) exhibited significant telomere shortening compared with adjacent normal-appearing fallopian tube epithelium (P<0.01). Interestingly, however, p53 signatures and incidental STICs without HGSC displayed longer telomeres and less cell-to-cell telomere length heterogeneity than STICs associated with HGSC (P<0.001). These findings indicate that telomere shortening occurs in p53 signatures, the earliest precancer lesion. Moreover, incidental STICs without concurrent HGSC are indeed similar to p53 signatures as they have less telomere shortening and less cell-to-cell telomere length heterogeneity than STICs associated with HGSC.
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30
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Zhang C, Hansen HM, Semmes EC, Gonzalez-Maya J, Morimoto L, Wei Q, Eward WC, DeWitt SB, Hurst JH, Metayer C, de Smith AJ, Wiemels JL, Walsh KM. Common genetic variation and risk of osteosarcoma in a multi-ethnic pediatric and adolescent population. Bone 2020; 130:115070. [PMID: 31525475 PMCID: PMC6885126 DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2019.115070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Osteosarcoma, a malignant primary bone tumor most commonly diagnosed in children and adolescents, has a poorly understood genetic etiology. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and candidate-gene analyses have identified putative risk variants in subjects of European ancestry. However, despite higher incidence among African-American and Hispanic children, little is known regarding common heritable variation that contributes to osteosarcoma incidence and clinical presentation across racial/ethnic groups. In a multi-ethnic sample of non-Hispanic white, Hispanic, African-American and Asian/Pacific Islander children (537 cases, 2165 controls), we performed association analyses assessing previously-reported loci for osteosarcoma risk and metastasis, including meta-analysis across racial/ethnic groups. We also assessed a previously described association between genetic predisposition to longer leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and osteosarcoma risk in this independent multi-ethnic dataset. In our sample, we were unable to replicate previously-reported loci for osteosarcoma risk or metastasis detected in GWAS of European-ancestry individuals in either ethnicity-stratified analyses or meta-analysis across ethnic groups. Our analyses did confirm that genetic predisposition to longer LTL is a risk factor for osteosarcoma (ORmeta: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.09-1.36; P = 3.8 × 10-4), and the strongest effect was seen in Hispanic subjects (OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.12-1.54, P = 6.2 × 10-4). Our findings shed light on the replicability of osteosarcoma risk loci across ethnicities and motivate further characterization of these genetic factors in diverse clinical cohorts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenan Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, United States
| | - Helen M Hansen
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, United States
| | - Eleanor C Semmes
- Children's Health and Discovery Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, United States
| | - Julio Gonzalez-Maya
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, United States
| | - Libby Morimoto
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, United States
| | - Qingyi Wei
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University, United States; Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University, United States
| | - William C Eward
- Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University, United States; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University, United States
| | | | - Jillian H Hurst
- Children's Health and Discovery Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, United States
| | - Catherine Metayer
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, United States
| | - Adam J de Smith
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, University of Southern California, United States
| | - Joseph L Wiemels
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, United States; Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University, United States
| | - Kyle M Walsh
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, United States; Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University, United States; Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University, United States.
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Ustaoglu M, Bektas A, Bedir A, Bakir T, Duzgun A, Nar R, Ecemis O, Aslan R. The telomere length of gastric mucosal samples and peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients who have undergone Billroth II distal gastrectomy. Arch Med Sci 2020; 16:577-583. [PMID: 32399105 PMCID: PMC7212211 DOI: 10.5114/aoms.2020.94656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Telomeres play an important role in maintaining chromosomal integrity. Functional loss of telomeres increases the risk of cancer by causing genomic instability. Telomere length abnormalities have been reported in several precancerous lesions. There is no study that evaluates telomere length in Billroth II distal gastrectomy, which is known as a risk factor for gastric stump carcinogenesis, in the literature. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the telomere length of residual gastric mucosal samples, peripheral blood lymphocytes, and other clinicopathological parameters of patients who had undergone Billroth II distal gastrectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS There were two groups: a control group (n = 15) and a patient group (n = 15). In all cases, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed, and biopsies were taken during endoscopy. Telomere lengths were measured by qRT-PCR. RESULTS It was observed that the lengths of the telomeres were shortened as the time of postoperative period increased in the patient group (r = -0.126) (p > 0.05). Also, the lengths of the telomeres were shortened in chronic inflammation, neutrophil activity, glandular atrophy, and intestinal metaplasia. CONCLUSIONS The telomere length was shortened as the time of postoperative period increased in the patient group. The telomeres were also shorter in chronic inflammation, neutrophil activity, intestinal metaplasia, and glandular atrophy, in all of the study groups. Telomere length abnormalities in gastric stump carcinogenesis process may be a guide for early diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muge Ustaoglu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey
| | - Ahmet Bektas
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey
| | - Abdulkerim Bedir
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey
| | - Tulay Bakir
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey
| | - Aynur Duzgun
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey
| | - Rukiye Nar
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey
| | - Ozgur Ecemis
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey
| | - Rahmi Aslan
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey
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The protective function of non-coding DNA in DNA damage accumulation with age and its roles in age-related diseases. Biogerontology 2019; 20:741-761. [PMID: 31473864 DOI: 10.1007/s10522-019-09832-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Aging is a progressive decline of physiological function in tissue and organ accompanying both accumulation of DNA damage and reduction of non-coding DNA. Peripheral non-coding DNA/heterochromatin has been proposed to protect the genome and centrally-located protein-coding sequences in soma and male germ cells against radiation and the invasion of exogenous nucleic acids. Therefore, this review summarizes the reduction of non-coding DNA/heterochromatin (including telomeric DNA and rDNA) and DNA damage accumulation during normal physiological aging and in various aging-related diseases. Based on analysis of data, it is found that DNA damage accumulation is roughly negatively correlated with the reduction of non-coding DNA and therefore speculated that DNA damage accumulation is likely due to the reduction of non-coding DNA protection in genome defense during aging. Therefore, it is proposed here that means to increase the total amount of non-coding DNA and/or heterochromatin prior to the onset of these diseases could potentially better protect the genome and protein-coding DNA, reduce the incidence of aging-related diseases, and thus lead to better health during aging.
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Bach DH, Zhang W, Sood AK. Chromosomal Instability in Tumor Initiation and Development. Cancer Res 2019; 79:3995-4002. [PMID: 31350294 PMCID: PMC7694409 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-18-3235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Chromosomal instability (CIN) is one of the major forms of genomic instability in various human cancers and is recognized as a common hallmark of tumorigenesis and heterogeneity. However, some malignant tumors show a paucity of chromosomal alterations, suggesting that tumor progression and evolution can occur in the absence of CIN. It is unclear whether CIN is stable between precursor lesions, primary tumor, and metastases or if it evolves during these steps. In this review, we describe the influence of CIN on the various steps in tumor initiation and development. Given the recognized significant effects of CIN in cancer, CIN-targeted therapeutics could have a major impact on improving clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duc-Hiep Bach
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Wei Zhang
- Center for Cancer Genomics and Precision Oncology, Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Anil K Sood
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
- Center for RNA Interference and Non-Coding RNA, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
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34
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Wark L, Quon H, Ong A, Drachenberg D, Rangel-Pozzo A, Mai S. Long-Term Dynamics of Three Dimensional Telomere Profiles in Circulating Tumor Cells in High-Risk Prostate Cancer Patients Undergoing Androgen-Deprivation and Radiation Therapy. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11081165. [PMID: 31416141 PMCID: PMC6721586 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11081165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Patient-specific assessment, disease monitoring, and the development of an accurate early surrogate of the therapeutic efficacy of locally advanced prostate cancer still remain a clinical challenge. Contrary to prostate biopsies, circulating tumor cell (CTC) collection from blood is a less-invasive method and has potential as a real-time liquid biopsy and as a surrogate marker for treatment efficacy. In this study, we used size-based filtration to isolate CTCs from the blood of 100 prostate cancer patients with high-risk localized disease. CTCs from five time points: +0, +2, +6, +12 and +24 months were analyzed. Consenting treatment-naïve patients with cT3, Gleason 8-10, or prostate-specific antigen > 20 ng/mL and non-metastatic prostate cancer were included. For all time points, we performed 3D telomere-specific quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization on a minimum of thirty isolated CTCs. The patients were divided into five groups based on the changes of number of telomeres vs. telomere lengths over time and into three clusters based on all telomere parameters found on diagnosis. Group 2 was classified as non-respondent to treatment and the Cluster 3 presented more aggressive phenotype. Additionally, we compared our telomere results with the PSA levels for each patient at 6 months of ADT, at 6 months of completed RT, and at 36 months post-initial therapy. CTCs of patients with PSA levels above or equal to 0.1 ng/mL presented significant increases of nuclear volume, number of telomeres, and telomere aggregates. The 3D telomere analysis of CTCs identified disease heterogeneity among a clinically homogeneous group of patients, which suggests differences in therapeutic responses. Our finding suggests a new opportunity for better treatment monitoring of patients with localized high-risk prostate cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Landon Wark
- Cell Biology, Research Institute of Oncology and Hematology, University of Manitoba, CancerCare Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada
| | - Harvey Quon
- Manitoba Prostate Center, Cancer Care Manitoba, Section of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada
| | - Aldrich Ong
- Manitoba Prostate Center, Cancer Care Manitoba, Section of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada
| | - Darrel Drachenberg
- Manitoba Prostate Center, Cancer Care Manitoba, Section of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada
| | - Aline Rangel-Pozzo
- Cell Biology, Research Institute of Oncology and Hematology, University of Manitoba, CancerCare Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada.
| | - Sabine Mai
- Cell Biology, Research Institute of Oncology and Hematology, University of Manitoba, CancerCare Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada.
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35
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Rangel-Pozzo A, Corrêa de Souza D, Schmid-Braz AT, de Azambuja AP, Ferraz-Aguiar T, Borgonovo T, Mai S. 3D Telomere Structure Analysis to DetectGenomic Instability and Cytogenetic Evolutionin Myelodysplastic Syndromes. Cells 2019; 8:cells8040304. [PMID: 30987070 PMCID: PMC6526472 DOI: 10.3390/cells8040304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The disease course of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) features chromosome instability and clonal evolution, leading to the sequential acquisition of novel cytogenetic aberrations and the accumulation of these abnormalities in the bone marrow. Although clonal cytogenetic abnormalities can be detected by conventional cytogenetics in 50% of patients with MDS, such distinguishing patterns are lacking in the other 50%. Despite the increase in the prognostic value of some biomarkers, none of them is specific and able to discriminate between stable and unstable patients that subsequently progress to acute myeloid leukemia. This pilot study aimed to investigate the potential use of the 3D telomere profiling to detect genomic instability in MDS patients with or without clonal cytogenetic evolution. The comparison between different time points in patients with cytogenetic changes showed that in the CD34+ MDS cells, there was a significant decrease in the total number of telomeric signals, the average intensity of signals and the total intensity of telomeres. By contrast, the number of aggregates increased during cytogenetic evolution (p < 0.001). This pattern was observed only for MDS patients with cytogenetic evolution but was absent in patients without cytogenetic changes. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the 3D nuclear telomere organization was significantly altered during the MDS disease course, and may have contributed to cytogenetic clonal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Rangel-Pozzo
- Cell Biology, Research Institute of Oncology and Hematology, University of Manitoba, CancerCare Manitoba, The Genomic Centre for Cancer Research and Diagnosis, R3E 0V9 Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
| | - Daiane Corrêa de Souza
- Arthur Siqueira Cavalcanti Hematology Institute (HEMORIO), Rio de Janeiro 20211-030, Brazil.
| | - Ana Teresa Schmid-Braz
- Universidade Federal do Paraná, Hospital das Clínicas, Curitiba, Paraná 80060-240, Brazil.
| | - Ana Paula de Azambuja
- Universidade Federal do Paraná, Hospital das Clínicas, Curitiba, Paraná 80060-240, Brazil.
| | - Thais Ferraz-Aguiar
- Arthur Siqueira Cavalcanti Hematology Institute (HEMORIO), Rio de Janeiro 20211-030, Brazil.
| | - Tamara Borgonovo
- Universidade Federal do Paraná, Hospital das Clínicas, Curitiba, Paraná 80060-240, Brazil.
| | - Sabine Mai
- Cell Biology, Research Institute of Oncology and Hematology, University of Manitoba, CancerCare Manitoba, The Genomic Centre for Cancer Research and Diagnosis, R3E 0V9 Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
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36
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Cheng L, Montironi R, Davidson DD, Wang M, Lopez-Beltran A, Zhang S. Molecular evidence supporting the precursor nature of atypical adenomatous hyperplasia of the prostate. Mol Carcinog 2019; 58:1272-1278. [PMID: 30920030 DOI: 10.1002/mc.23009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Revised: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) of the prostate is characterized by lobular proliferation of closely packed small acini. It is hypothesized that AAH is a precursor lesion for low-grade prostate cancer arising from the transition zone. Telomere dysfunction is common during malignant transformation of epithelia. In this study, we investigate telomere shortening in AAH (n = 93), high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) ( n = 68), and prostatic adenocarcinoma (PCA) ( n = 70) using quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization. Twenty percent (19 of 93) of AAH specimens, 68% (46 of 68) of HGPIN, and 83% (58 of 70) of PCA showed significant telomere shortening. Thirty-two percent of AAH lesions had α-methylacyl-CoA racemase (AMACR) expression, a sensitive and specific marker for HGPIN and PCA. AMACR expression in AAH was seen more frequently in AAH foci with telomere shortening or coexisting PCA. Our findings indicate that a subset of AAH lesions have telomere shortening and AMACR expression, suggesting that these foci may be precursors for PCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Cheng
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana.,Department of Urology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Rodolfo Montironi
- Department of Pathological Anatomy and Histopathology, School of Medicine, Polytechnic University of the Marche Region (Ancona), Ancona, Italy
| | - Darrell D Davidson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Mingsheng Wang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Antonio Lopez-Beltran
- Department of Pathology and Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Cordoba University, Cordoba, Spain.,Pathology Service, Champalimaud Clinical Center, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Shaobo Zhang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
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Ngo G, Hyatt S, Grimstead J, Jones R, Hendrickson E, Pepper C, Baird D. PARP inhibition prevents escape from a telomere-driven crisis and inhibits cell immortalisation. Oncotarget 2018; 9:37549-37563. [PMID: 30680069 PMCID: PMC6331021 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.26499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [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: 08/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeric crisis is the final replicative barrier to cell immortalisation; it is characterised by genome instability and cell death and is triggered when telomeres become critically short and are subjected to fusion. Pre-cancerous lesions, or early stage cancers, often show signs of a telomere crisis, suggesting that escape from telomere crisis is a prerequisite for disease progression. Telomeric crisis therefore represents an attractive, and as yet unexplored, opportunity for therapeutic intervention. Here, we show that two clinically approved PARP inhibitors, selectively eliminate human cells undergoing a telomere-driven crisis. Clonal populations of a colorectal cancer cell line (HCT116), or the plasma cell leukaemia cell line (JJN-3), expressing a dominant-negative telomerase, entered a telomere-driven crisis at defined population doubling points and telomere lengths. The addition of the PARP inhibitors, olaparib or rucaparib prevented these cells from escaping crisis. PARP inhibition did not alter cellular proliferation prior to crisis, rates of telomere erosion or the telomere length at which crisis was initiated, but affected repair of eroded telomeres, resulting in an increased in intra-chromosomal telomere fusion. This was accompanied by enhanced DNA damage checkpoint activation and elevated levels of apoptosis. We propose that PARP inhibitors impair the repair of dysfunctional telomeres and/or induce replicative stress at telomeres to inhibit escape from a telomere crisis. This is the first demonstration that a drug can selectively kill cells experiencing telomeric crisis. We propose that this type of drug, which we term 'crisolytic', has the potential to eliminate pre-cancerous lesions and tumours exhibiting short dysfunctional telomeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg Ngo
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK
| | - Sam Hyatt
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK
| | - Julia Grimstead
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK
| | - Rhiannon Jones
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK
| | - Eric Hendrickson
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Chris Pepper
- University of Sussex, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, UK
| | - Duncan Baird
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK
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38
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Sinha VC, Piwnica-Worms H. Intratumoral Heterogeneity in Ductal Carcinoma In Situ: Chaos and Consequence. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia 2018; 23:191-205. [PMID: 30194658 PMCID: PMC6934090 DOI: 10.1007/s10911-018-9410-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a non-invasive proliferative growth in the breast that serves as a non-obligate precursor to invasive ductal carcinoma. The widespread adoption of screening mammography has led to a steep increase in the detection of DCIS, which now comprises approximately 20% of new breast cancer diagnoses in the United States. Interestingly, the intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH) that has been observed in invasive breast cancers may have been established early in tumorigenesis, given the vast and varied ITH that has been detected in DCIS. This review will discuss the intratumoral heterogeneity of DCIS, focusing on the phenotypic and genomic heterogeneity of tumor cells, as well as the compositional heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment. In addition, we will assess the spatial heterogeneity that is now being appreciated in these lesions, and summarize new approaches to evaluate heterogeneity of tumor and stromal cells in the context of their spatial organization. Importantly, we will discuss how a growing understanding of ITH has led to a more holistic appreciation of the complex biology of DCIS, specifically its evolution and natural history. Finally, we will consider ways in which our knowledge of DCIS ITH might be translated in the future to guide clinical care for DCIS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vidya C Sinha
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 6565 MD Anderson Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Helen Piwnica-Worms
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 6565 MD Anderson Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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39
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Pańczyszyn A, Boniewska-Bernacka E, Głąb G. Telomeres and Telomerase During Human Papillomavirus-Induced Carcinogenesis. Mol Diagn Ther 2018; 22:421-430. [PMID: 29777397 PMCID: PMC6061425 DOI: 10.1007/s40291-018-0336-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) belong to a small spherical virus family and are transmitted through direct contact, most often through sexual behavior. More than 200 types of HPV are known, a dozen or so of which are classified as high-risk viruses (HR HPV) and may contribute to the development of cervical cancer. HPV is a small virus with a capsid composed of L1 and L2 proteins, which are crucial for entry to the cell. The infection begins at the basal cell layer and progresses to involve cells from higher layers of the cervical epithelium. E6 and E7 viral proteins are involved in the process of carcinogenesis. They interact with suppressors of oncogenesis, including p53 and Rb proteins. This leads to DNA replication and intensive cell divisions. The persistent HR HPV infection leads to the development of dysplasia and these changes may progress to invasive cancer. During the initial stage of carcinogenesis, telomeres shorten until telomerase activates. The activation of telomerase, the enzyme necessary to extend chromosome ends (telomeres) is the key step in cell immortalization. Analyzing the expression level of hTERT and hTERC genes encoding telomerase and telomere length measurement may constitute new markers of the early carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Pańczyszyn
- Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, University of Opole, ul. Kominka 6, 45-035, Opole, Poland.
| | - Ewa Boniewska-Bernacka
- Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, University of Opole, ul. Kominka 6, 45-035, Opole, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Głąb
- Public Higher Medical Professional School in Opole, Opole, Poland
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40
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Bernal A, Moltó-Abad M, Domínguez D, Tusell L. Acute telomere deprotection prevents ongoing BFB cycles and rampant instability in p16 INK4a-deficient epithelial cells. Oncotarget 2018; 9:27151-27170. [PMID: 29930757 PMCID: PMC6007466 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.25502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere dysfunction drives chromosome instability through endless breakage-fusion-bridge (BFB) cycles that promote the formation of highly rearranged genomes. However, reactivation of telomerase or ALT-pathway is required for genome stabilisation and full malignant transformation. To allow the unrestricted proliferation of cells at risk of transformation, we have established a conditional system of telomere deprotection in p16INK4a-deficient MCF-10A cells with modified checkpoints. After sustained expression of a dominant negative form of the shelterin protein TRF2 (TRF2ΔBΔM), cells with telomere fusion did progress to anaphase but no signs of ongoing BFB cycles were observed, thus anticipating proliferation defects. Indeed, 96 h TRF2ΔBΔM expression resulted in noticeable growth proliferation defects in the absence of cell cycle disturbances. Further transient periods of 96 h telomere uncapping did not result in cell cycle disturbances either. And reduction of the telomere damage to short acute deprotection periods did not in any case engender cells with a reorganised karyotype. Strikingly, the growth arrest imposed in cells showing dysfunctional telomeres was not accompanied by an activation of the DNA damage response at cellular level, or by the presence of visible markers of senescence or apoptosis. We propose that the deprotection of many telomeres simultaneously, even for a short time, results in a local activation of the cellular stress response which consequently triggers gradual cell withdrawal from cell cycle, restraining the onset of genomic instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aina Bernal
- Unitat de Biologia Cel·lular, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Marc Moltó-Abad
- Unitat de Biologia Cel·lular, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.,Current address: Unitat de Malalties Minoritàries, Hospital Universitari de la Vall d'Hebron, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Domínguez
- Unitat de Biologia Cel·lular, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Laura Tusell
- Unitat de Biologia Cel·lular, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
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41
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Vodicka P, Musak L, Vodickova L, Vodenkova S, Catalano C, Kroupa M, Naccarati A, Polivkova Z, Vymetalkova V, Försti A, Hemminki K. Genetic variation of acquired structural chromosomal aberrations. MUTATION RESEARCH-GENETIC TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MUTAGENESIS 2018; 836:13-21. [PMID: 30389156 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2018.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Human malignancies are often hallmarked with genomic instability, which itself is also considered a causative event in malignant transformation. Genomic instability may manifest itself as genetic changes in the nucleotide sequence of DNA, or as structural or numerical changes of chromosomes. Unrepaired or insufficiently repaired DNA double-strand breaks, as well as telomere shortening, are important contributors in the formation of structural chromosomal aberrations (CAs). In the present review, we discuss potential mechanisms behind the formation of CAs and their relation to cancer. Based on our own studies, we also illustrate how inherited genetic variation may modify the frequency and types of CAs occurring in humans. Recently, we published a series of studies on variations in genes relevant to maintaining genomic integrity, such as those encoding xenobiotic-metabolising enzymes, DNA repair, the tumour suppressor TP53, the spindle assembly checkpoint, and cyclin D1 (CCND1). While individually genetic variation in these genes exerted small modulating effects, in interactions they were associated with CA frequencies in peripheral blood lymphocytes of healthy volunteers. Moreover, we observed opposite associations between the CCND1 splice site polymorphism rs9344 G870A and the frequency of CAs compared to their association with translocation t(11,14). We discuss the functional consequences of the CCND1 gene in interplay with DNA damage response and DNA repair during malignant transformation. Our review summarizes existing evidence that gene variations in relevant cellular pathways modulate the frequency of CAs, predominantly in a complex interaction. More functional/mechanistic studies elucidating these observations are required. Several questions emerge, such as the role of CAs in malignancies with respect to a particular phenotype and heterogeneity, the formation of CAs during the process of malignant transformation, and the formation of CAs in individual types of lymphocytes in relation to the immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Vodicka
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, 14220, Czech Republic; Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, 12800, Czech Republic; Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, 30605, Czech Republic.
| | - Ludovit Musak
- Biomedical Center Martin, Comenius University in Bratislava, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Martin, 03601, Slovakia
| | - Ludmila Vodickova
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, 14220, Czech Republic; Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, 12800, Czech Republic; Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, 30605, Czech Republic
| | - Sona Vodenkova
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, 14220, Czech Republic; Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, 12800, Czech Republic; Department of Medical Genetics, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, 10000, Czech Republic
| | - Calogerina Catalano
- Division of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, D69120, Germany
| | - Michal Kroupa
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, 14220, Czech Republic; Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, 30605, Czech Republic
| | - Alessio Naccarati
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, 14220, Czech Republic; Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine (IIGM), Torino, 10126, Italy
| | - Zdena Polivkova
- Department of Medical Genetics, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, 10000, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Vymetalkova
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, 14220, Czech Republic; Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, 12800, Czech Republic; Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, 30605, Czech Republic
| | - Asta Försti
- Division of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, D69120, Germany; Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Malmö, 214 28, Sweden
| | - Kari Hemminki
- Division of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, D69120, Germany; Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Malmö, 214 28, Sweden
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42
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Barthel FP, Wesseling P, Verhaak RGW. Reconstructing the molecular life history of gliomas. Acta Neuropathol 2018; 135:649-670. [PMID: 29616301 PMCID: PMC5904231 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-018-1842-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
At the time of their clinical manifestation, the heterogeneous group of adult and pediatric gliomas carries a wide range of diverse somatic genomic alterations, ranging from somatic single-nucleotide variants to structural chromosomal rearrangements. Somatic abnormalities may have functional consequences, such as a decrease, increase or change in mRNA transcripts, and cells pay a penalty for maintaining them. These abnormalities, therefore, must provide cells with a competitive advantage to become engrained into the glioma genome. Here, we propose a model of gliomagenesis consisting of the following five consecutive phases that glioma cells have traversed prior to clinical manifestation: (I) initial growth; (II) oncogene-induced senescence; (III) stressed growth; (IV) replicative senescence/crisis; (V) immortal growth. We have integrated the findings from a large number of studies in biology and (neuro)oncology and relate somatic alterations and other results discussed in these papers to each of these five phases. Understanding the story that each glioma tells at presentation may ultimately facilitate the design of novel, more effective therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floris P Barthel
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA.
- Department of Pathology, VU University Medical Center/Brain Tumor Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Pieter Wesseling
- Department of Pathology, VU University Medical Center/Brain Tumor Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Pathology, Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology and University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Roel G W Verhaak
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA
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43
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Abstract
The terminal regions of eukaryotic chromosomes, composed of telomere repeat sequences and sub-telomeric sequences, represent some of the most variable and rapidly evolving regions of the genome. The sub-telomeric regions are characterized by segmentally duplicated repetitive DNA elements, interstitial telomere repeat sequences and families of variable genes. Sub-telomeric repeat sequence families are shared among multiple chromosome ends, often rendering detailed sequence characterization difficult. These regions are composed of constitutive heterochromatin and are subjected to high levels of meiotic recombination. Dysfunction within telomere repeat arrays, either due to disruption in the chromatin structure or because of telomere shortening, can lead to chromosomal fusion and the generation of large-scale genomic rearrangements across the genome. The dynamic nature of telomeric regions, therefore, provides functionally useful variation to create genetic diversity, but also provides a mechanism for rapid genomic evolution that can lead to reproductive isolation and speciation. This article is part of the theme issue 'Understanding diversity in telomere dynamics'.This article is part of the theme issue 'Understanding diversity in telomere dynamics'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duncan M Baird
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
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44
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Benhamou Y, Picco V, Raybaud H, Sudaka A, Chamorey E, Brolih S, Monteverde M, Merlano M, Lo Nigro C, Ambrosetti D, Pagès G. Telomeric repeat-binding factor 2: a marker for survival and anti-EGFR efficacy in oral carcinoma. Oncotarget 2018; 7:44236-44251. [PMID: 27329590 PMCID: PMC5190092 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.10005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 05/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common oral cancer worldwide. Treatments including surgery, radio- and chemo-therapies mostly result in debilitating side effects. Thus, a more accurate evaluation of patients at risk of recurrence after radio/chemo treatment is important for preserving their quality of life. We assessed whether the Telomeric Repeat-binding Factor 2 (TERF2) influences tumor aggressiveness and treatment response. TERF2 is over-expressed in many cancers but its correlation to patient outcome remains controversial in OSCC. Our retrospective study on sixty-two patients showed that TERF2 overexpression has a negative impact on survival time. TERF2-dependent survival time was independent of tumor size in a multivariate analysis. In vitro, TERF2 knockdown by RNA interference had no effect on cell proliferation, migration, senescence and apoptosis. Instead, TERF2 knockdown increased the expression of cytokines implicated in inflammation and angiogenesis, except for vascular endothelial growth factor. TERF2 knockdown resulted in a decrease vascularization and growth of xenograft tumors. Finally, response to erlotinib/Tarceva and cetuximab/Erbitux treatment was increased in TRF2 knocked-down cells. Hence, TERF2 may represent an independent marker of survival for OSCC and a predictive marker for cetuximab/Erbitux and erlotinib/Tarceva efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yordan Benhamou
- CNRS UMR 7284/INSERM U1081, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France.,Odontology Department, Nice University Hospital, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France
| | - Vincent Picco
- Biomedical Department, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Principality of Monaco
| | - Hélène Raybaud
- Central Laboratory of Pathology, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France
| | - Anne Sudaka
- Department of Pathology, Research and Statistics, Centre Antoine Lacassagne, Nice, France
| | - Emmanuel Chamorey
- Department of Pathology, Research and Statistics, Centre Antoine Lacassagne, Nice, France
| | - Sanja Brolih
- Biomedical Department, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Principality of Monaco
| | - Martino Monteverde
- Cancer Genetics and Translational Oncology Laboratory, S. Croce & Carle Teaching Hospital, Cuneo, Italy
| | - Marco Merlano
- Medical Oncology, Oncology Department, S. Croce & Carle Teaching Hospital, Cuneo, Italy
| | - Cristiana Lo Nigro
- Cancer Genetics and Translational Oncology Laboratory, S. Croce & Carle Teaching Hospital, Cuneo, Italy
| | - Damien Ambrosetti
- Central Laboratory of Pathology, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France
| | - Gilles Pagès
- CNRS UMR 7284/INSERM U1081, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France
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45
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Cleal K, Norris K, Baird D. Telomere Length Dynamics and the Evolution of Cancer Genome Architecture. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:E482. [PMID: 29415479 PMCID: PMC5855704 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19020482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Revised: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are progressively eroded during repeated rounds of cell division due to the end replication problem but also undergo additional more substantial stochastic shortening events. In most cases, shortened telomeres induce a cell-cycle arrest or trigger apoptosis, although for those cells that bypass such signals during tumour progression, a critical length threshold is reached at which telomere dysfunction may ensue. Dysfunction of the telomere nucleoprotein complex can expose free chromosome ends to the DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair machinery, leading to telomere fusion with both telomeric and non-telomeric loci. The consequences of telomere fusions in promoting genome instability have long been appreciated through the breakage-fusion-bridge (BFB) cycle mechanism, although recent studies using high-throughput sequencing technologies have uncovered evidence of involvement in a wider spectrum of genomic rearrangements including chromothripsis. A critical step in cancer progression is the transition of a clone to immortality, through the stabilisation of the telomere repeat array. This can be achieved via the reactivation of telomerase, or the induction of the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway. Whilst telomere dysfunction may promote genome instability and tumour progression, by limiting the replicative potential of a cell and enforcing senescence, telomere shortening can act as a tumour suppressor mechanism. However, the burden of senescent cells has also been implicated as a driver of ageing and age-related pathology, and in the promotion of cancer through inflammatory signalling. Considering the critical role of telomere length in governing cancer biology, we review questions related to the prognostic value of studying the dynamics of telomere shortening and fusion, and discuss mechanisms and consequences of telomere-induced genome rearrangements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kez Cleal
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, UHW Main Building, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK.
| | - Kevin Norris
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, UHW Main Building, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK.
| | - Duncan Baird
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, UHW Main Building, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK.
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46
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Telomeres: Implications for Cancer Development. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19010294. [PMID: 29351238 PMCID: PMC5796239 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19010294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 01/12/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeres facilitate the protection of natural ends of chromosomes from constitutive exposure to the DNA damage response (DDR). This is most likely achieved by a lariat structure that hides the linear telomeric DNA through protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions. The telomere shortening associated with DNA replication in the absence of a compensatory mechanism culminates in unmasked telomeres. Then, the subsequent activation of the DDR will define the fate of cells according to the functionality of cell cycle checkpoints. Dysfunctional telomeres can suppress cancer development by engaging replicative senescence or apoptotic pathways, but they can also promote tumour initiation. Studies in telomere dynamics and karyotype analysis underpin telomere crisis as a key event driving genomic instability. Significant attainment of telomerase or alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT)-pathway to maintain telomere length may be permissive and required for clonal evolution of genomically-unstable cells during progression to malignancy. We summarise current knowledge of the role of telomeres in the maintenance of chromosomal stability and carcinogenesis.
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Vitelli V, Falvo P, G Nergadze S, Santagostino M, Khoriauli L, Pellanda P, Bertino G, Occhini A, Benazzo M, Morbini P, Paulli M, Porta C, Giulotto E. Telomeric Repeat-Containing RNAs (TERRA) Decrease in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck Is Associated with Worsened Clinical Outcome. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19010274. [PMID: 29342094 PMCID: PMC5796220 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19010274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2017] [Revised: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are transcribed into noncoding telomeric repeat-containing RNAs (TERRA), which are essential for telomere maintenance. Deregulation of TERRA transcription impairs telomere metabolism and a role in tumorigenesis has been proposed. Head and neck cancer (HNC) is one of the most frequent cancers worldwide, with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) being the predominant type. Since HNSCC patients are characterized by altered telomere maintenance, a dysfunction in telomere transcription can be hypothesized. In this prospective study, we compared TERRA levels in the tumor and matched normal tissue from 23 HNSCC patients. We then classified patients in two categories according to the level of TERRA expression in the tumor compared to the normal tissue: (1) lower expression in the tumor, (2) higher or similar expression in tumor. A significant proportion of patients in the first group died of the disease within less than 34 months postsurgery, while the majority of patients in the second group were alive and disease-free. Our results highlight a striking correlation between TERRA expression and tumor aggressiveness in HNSCC suggesting that TERRA levels may be proposed as a novel molecular prognostic marker for HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Vitelli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Paolo Falvo
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Solomon G Nergadze
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Marco Santagostino
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Lela Khoriauli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Paola Pellanda
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Giulia Bertino
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, IRCCS San Matteo University Hospital Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Antonio Occhini
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, IRCCS San Matteo University Hospital Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Marco Benazzo
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, IRCCS San Matteo University Hospital Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Patrizia Morbini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Marco Paulli
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Camillo Porta
- Division of Medical Oncology, IRCCS San Matteo University Hospital Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Elena Giulotto
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
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48
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Baird DM, Hendrickson EA. Telomeres and Chromosomal Translocations : There's a Ligase at the End of the Translocation. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2018; 1044:89-112. [PMID: 29956293 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-0593-1_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Chromosomal translocations are now well understood to not only constitute signature molecular markers for certain human cancers but often also to be causative in the genesis of that tumor. Despite the obvious importance of such events, the molecular mechanism of chromosomal translocations in human cells remains poorly understood. Part of the explanation for this dearth of knowledge is due to the complexity of the reaction and the need to archaeologically work backwards from the final product (a translocation) to the original unrearranged chromosomes to infer mechanism. Although not definitive, these studies have indicated that the aberrant usage of endogenous DNA repair pathways likely lies at the heart of the problem. An equally obfuscating aspect of this field, however, has also originated from the unfortunate species-specific differences that appear to exist in the relevant model systems that have been utilized to investigate this process. Specifically, yeast and murine systems (which are often used by basic science investigators) rely on different DNA repair pathways to promote chromosomal translocations than human somatic cells. In this chapter, we will review some of the basic concepts of chromosomal translocations and the DNA repair systems thought to be responsible for their genesis with an emphasis on underscoring the differences between other species and human cells. In addition, we will focus on a specific subset of translocations that involve the very end of a chromosome (a telomere). A better understanding of the relationship between DNA repair pathways and chromosomal translocations is guaranteed to lead to improved therapeutic treatments for cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duncan M Baird
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Eric A Hendrickson
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
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49
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Hata T, Dal Molin M, McGregor-Das A, Song TJ, Wolfgang C, Eshleman JR, Hruban RH, Goggins M. Simple Detection of Telomere Fusions in Pancreatic Cancer, Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm, and Pancreatic Cyst Fluid. J Mol Diagn 2017; 20:46-55. [PMID: 29229290 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2017.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2017] [Revised: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomere end-to-end fusions are an important source of chromosomal instability that arise in cells with critically shortened telomeres. We developed a nested real-time quantitative PCR method for telomere fusion detection in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs), and IPMN cyst fluids. Ninety-one pancreatic cancer cell lines and xenograft samples, 93 IPMNs, and 93 surgically aspirated IPMN cyst fluid samples were analyzed. The association between telomere shortening, telomerase activity, and telomere fusion detection was evaluated. Telomere fusions were detected in 56 of 91 pancreatic cancers (61.5%). Telomere fusion-positive cell lines had significantly shorter telomere lengths than fusion-negative lines (P = 0.003). Telomere fusions were undetectable in normal pancreas or IPMNs with low-grade dysplasia (0.0%) and were detected in IPMN with high-grade dysplasia (HGD; 48.0%) (P < 0.001). In IPMN cyst fluids, telomere fusions were more frequent in IPMNs with HGD (26.9%) or associated invasive cancer (42.9%) than IPMN with intermediate-grade dysplasia (15.4%) or low-grade dysplasia (0%) (P = 0.025). Telomerase activity levels were higher in cyst fluids with fusions than in those without (P = 0.0414). Cyst fluid telomere fusion status was an independent predictor of HGD/invasive cancer by multivariate analysis (odds ratio, 6.23; 95% CI, 1.61-28.0). Telomere fusions are detected in later stages of IPMN progression and can serve as a marker for predicting the presence of HGD and/or invasive cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuo Hata
- Department of Pathology, The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Marco Dal Molin
- Department of Pathology, The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Anne McGregor-Das
- Department of Pathology, The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Tae Jun Song
- Department of Pathology, The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Christopher Wolfgang
- Department of Surgery, The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - James R Eshleman
- Department of Pathology, The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Oncology, The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ralph H Hruban
- Department of Pathology, The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Oncology, The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Michael Goggins
- Department of Pathology, The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Oncology, The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Medicine, The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
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50
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γPNA FRET Pair Miniprobes for Quantitative Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization to Telomeric DNA in Cells and Tissue. Molecules 2017; 22:molecules22122117. [PMID: 29207465 PMCID: PMC5895088 DOI: 10.3390/molecules22122117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Revised: 11/24/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Measurement of telomere length by fluorescent in situ hybridization is widely used for biomedical and epidemiological research, but there has been relatively little development of the technology in the 20 years since it was first reported. This report describes the use of dual gammaPNA (γPNA) probes that hybridize at alternating sites along a telomere and give rise to Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) signals. Bright staining of telomeres is observed in nuclei, chromosome spreads and tissue samples. The use of FRET detection also allows for elimination of wash steps, normally required to remove unhybridized probes that would contribute to background signals. We found that these wash steps can diminish the signal intensity through the removal of bound, as well as unbound probes, so eliminating these steps not only accelerates the process but also enhances the quality of staining. Thus, γPNA FRET pairs allow for brighter and faster staining of telomeres in a wide range of research and clinical formats.
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