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Romiani A, Simonsson K, Pettersson D, Al-Awar A, Rassol N, Bakr H, Lind D, Umapathy G, Spetz J, Palmer R, Hallberg B, Helou K, Forssell-Aronsson E. Comparison of 177Lu-octreotate and 177Lu-octreotide for treatment in human neuroblastoma-bearing mice. Heliyon 2024; 10:e31409. [PMID: 38826727 PMCID: PMC11141386 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Patients with high-risk neuroblastoma (NB) have a 5-year event-free survival of less than 50 %, and novel and improved treatment options are needed. Radiolabeled somatostatin analogs (SSTAs) could be a treatment option. The aims of this work were to compare the biodistribution and the therapeutic effects of 177Lu-octreotate and 177Lu-octreotide in mice bearing the human CLB-BAR NB cell line, and to evaluate their regulatory effects on apoptosis-related genes. Methods The biodistribution of 177Lu-octreotide in mice bearing CLB-BAR tumors was studied at 1, 24, and 168 h after administration, and the absorbed dose was estimated to tumor and normal tissues. Further, animals were administered different amounts of 177Lu-octreotate or 177Lu-octreotide. Tumor volume was measured over time and compared to a control group given saline. RNA was extracted from tumors, and the expression of 84 selected genes involved in apoptosis was quantified with qPCR. Results The activity concentration was generally lower in most tissues for 177Lu-octreotide compared to 177Lu-octreotate. Mean absorbed dose per administered activity to tumor after injection of 1.5 MBq and 15 MBq was 0.74 and 0.03 Gy/MBq for 177Lu-octreotide and 2.9 and 0.45 Gy/MBq for 177Lu-octreotate, respectively. 177Lu-octreotide treatment resulted in statistically significant differences compared to controls. Fractionated administration led to a higher survival fraction than after a single administration. The pro-apoptotic genes TNSFS8, TNSFS10, and TRADD were regulated after administration with 177Lu-octreotate. Treatment with 177Lu-octreotide yielded regulation of the pro-apoptotic genes CASP5 and TRADD, and of the anti-apoptotic gene IL10 as well as the apoptosis-related gene TNF. Conclusion 177Lu-octreotide gave somewhat better anti-tumor effects than 177Lu-octreotate. The similar effect observed in the treated groups with 177Lu-octreotate suggests saturation of the somatostatin receptors. Pronounced anti-tumor effects following fractionated administration merited receptor saturation as an explanation. The gene expression analyses suggest apoptosis activation through the extrinsic pathway for both radiopharmaceuticals.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Romiani
- Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - K. Simonsson
- Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - D. Pettersson
- Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - A. Al-Awar
- Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - N. Rassol
- Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - H. Bakr
- Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - D.E. Lind
- Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - G. Umapathy
- Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - J. Spetz
- Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - R.H. Palmer
- Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - B. Hallberg
- Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - K. Helou
- Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Oncology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - E. Forssell-Aronsson
- Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Jin W, Zhang Y, Zhao Z, Gao M. Developing targeted therapies for neuroblastoma by dissecting the effects of metabolic reprogramming on tumor microenvironments and progression. Theranostics 2024; 14:3439-3469. [PMID: 38948053 PMCID: PMC11209723 DOI: 10.7150/thno.93962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Synergic reprogramming of metabolic dominates neuroblastoma (NB) progression. It is of great clinical implications to develop an individualized risk prognostication approach with stratification-guided therapeutic options for NB based on elucidating molecular mechanisms of metabolic reprogramming. Methods: With a machine learning-based multi-step program, the synergic mechanisms of metabolic reprogramming-driven malignant progression of NB were elucidated at single-cell and metabolite flux dimensions. Subsequently, a promising metabolic reprogramming-associated prognostic signature (MPS) and individualized therapeutic approaches based on MPS-stratification were developed and further validated independently using pre-clinical models. Results: MPS-identified MPS-I NB showed significantly higher activity of metabolic reprogramming than MPS-II counterparts. MPS demonstrated improved accuracy compared to current clinical characteristics [AUC: 0.915 vs. 0.657 (MYCN), 0.713 (INSS-stage), and 0.808 (INRG-stratification)] in predicting prognosis. AZD7762 and etoposide were identified as potent therapeutics against MPS-I and II NB, respectively. Subsequent biological tests revealed AZD7762 substantially inhibited growth, migration, and invasion of MPS-I NB cells, more effectively than that of MPS-II cells. Conversely, etoposide had better therapeutic effects on MPS-II NB cells. More encouragingly, AZD7762 and etoposide significantly inhibited in-vivo subcutaneous tumorigenesis, proliferation, and pulmonary metastasis in MPS-I and MPS-II samples, respectively; thereby prolonging survival of tumor-bearing mice. Mechanistically, AZD7762 and etoposide-induced apoptosis of the MPS-I and MPS-II cells, respectively, through mitochondria-dependent pathways; and MPS-I NB resisted etoposide-induced apoptosis by addiction of glutamate metabolism and acetyl coenzyme A. MPS-I NB progression was fueled by multiple metabolic reprogramming-driven factors including multidrug resistance, immunosuppressive and tumor-promoting inflammatory microenvironments. Immunologically, MPS-I NB suppressed immune cells via MIF and THBS signaling pathways. Metabolically, the malignant proliferation of MPS-I NB cells was remarkably supported by reprogrammed glutamate metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle, urea cycle, etc. Furthermore, MPS-I NB cells manifested a distinct tumor-promoting developmental lineage and self-communication patterns, as evidenced by enhanced oncogenic signaling pathways activated with development and self-communications. Conclusions: This study provides deep insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic reprogramming-mediated malignant progression of NB. It also sheds light on developing targeted medications guided by the novel precise risk prognostication approaches, which could contribute to a significantly improved therapeutic strategy for NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyi Jin
- Department of Orthopedics, Wenzhou Third Clinical Institute Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Shanghai University, Wenzhou People's Hospital, Wenzhou, China, 325041
- Department of Orthopedics, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 99 Zhangzhidong Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, China, 430060
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China, 999077
| | - Yubiao Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 99 Zhangzhidong Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, China, 430060
| | - Zhijie Zhao
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai 9th People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai, China, 200011
| | - Mingyong Gao
- Department of Orthopedics, Wenzhou Third Clinical Institute Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Shanghai University, Wenzhou People's Hospital, Wenzhou, China, 325041
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Qin X, Chen B. Comprehensive analysis and validation reveal potential MYCN regulatory biomarkers associated with neuroblastoma prognosis. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:8902-8917. [PMID: 36300516 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2138977] [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: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is an embryonic malignant tumor that occurs in the sympathetic nervous system. The treatment results of patients in the high-risk group are poor, and relapse and treatment failure can occur even with multiple combination treatments. The proto-oncogene MYCN is a BHLH Transcription Factor used as an independent prognostic factor for NB. The proportion of MYCN amplification in tumor tissues of high-risk patients reaches 40-50%. Hence, exploring new MYCN target genes is a meaningful approach in developing treatment for high-risk NB patients. The microarray datasets were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and miRPathDB were used for enrichment analysis. STRING and Cytoscape were used to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and for modular analysis. The miRNet and NetworkAnalyst databases were used to predict and construct gene-miRNA and gene-TFs networks. The R2 database was used for expression, correlation, and prognostic analyses. The diagnostic value of the biomarkers was predicted by ROC analysis, and RT-qPCR was used to validate the identified hub genes. Finally, using specific MYCN siRNA and overexpressing plasmids, the correlation between the identified hub genes and MYCN was investigated. Our results showed that FBXO9, HECW2, MIB2, RNF19B, RNF213, TRIM36, and ZBTB16 are novel biomarkers that affect the prognosis of the NB patients. In addition, FBXO9, RNF19B, and TRIM36 were preliminarily confirmed as potential target genes of MYCN. Overall, FBXO9, HECW2, MIB2, RNF19B, RNF213, TRIM36, and ZBTB16 are expected to become novel biomarkers for the treatment of high-risk NB patients.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuni Qin
- Guangzhou Concord Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bo Chen
- Medical Research Center, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
- Department of Pediatrics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
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Yang R, Liu N, Li T, Liu F, Zhang J, Zhao H, Zou L, He X. LncRNA AC142119.1 facilitates the progression of neuroblastoma by epigenetically initiating the transcription of MYCN. J Transl Med 2023; 21:659. [PMID: 37741985 PMCID: PMC10518117 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04535-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oncogene MYCN is closely related with malignant progression and poor prognosis of neuroblastoma (NB). Recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been recognized as crucial regulators in various cancers. However, whether lncRNAs contribute to the overexpression of MYCN in NB is unclear. METHODS Microarray analysis were applied to analyze the differentially expressed lncRNAs between MYCN-amplified and MYCN-non-amplified NB cell lines. Bioinformatic analyses were utilized to identify lncRNAs nearby MYCN locus. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression level of lncRNA AC142119.1 in NB cell lines and tissues. Gain- and loss-of-function assays were conducted to investigate the biological effect of AC142119.1 in NB. Fluorescence in situ hybridization, RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, RNA electrophoretic mobility shift, chromatin immunoprecipitation and chromatin isolation by RNA purification assays were performed to validate the interaction between AC142119.1 and WDR5 protein as well as MYCN promoter. RESULTS AC142119.1 was significantly elevated in NB tissues with MYCN amplification, advanced INSS stage and high risk, and associated with poor survival of NB patients. Moreover, enforced expression of AC142119.1 reinforced the proliferation of NB cells in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, AC142119.1 specifically recruited WDR5 protein to interact with MYCN promoter, further initiating the transcription of MYCN and accelerating NB progression. CONCLUSIONS We identified a novel lncRNA AC142119.1, which promoted the progression of NB through epigenetically initiating the transcription of MYCN via interacting with both WDR5 protein and the promoter of MYCN, indicating that AC142119.1 might be a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Yang
- Center for Clinical Molecular Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400014, China
| | - Nanjing Liu
- Center for Clinical Molecular Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400014, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Cancer Metastasis and Individualized Treatment, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, 400030, China
| | - Ting Li
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Fangjie Liu
- Center for Clinical Molecular Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400014, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Department of Oncological Surgery, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400014, China
| | - Hui Zhao
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Lin Zou
- Center for Clinical Molecular Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400014, China.
- Clinical Research Unit, Children's Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Institute of Pediatric Infection, Immunity, and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China.
| | - Xiaoyan He
- Center for Clinical Molecular Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400014, China.
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Yamaguchi J, Ohka F, Motomura K, Saito R. Latest classification of ependymoma in the molecular era and advances in its treatment: a review. Jpn J Clin Oncol 2023; 53:653-663. [PMID: 37288489 DOI: 10.1093/jjco/hyad056] [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: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Ependymoma is a rare central nervous system (CNS) tumour occurring in all age groups and is one of the most common paediatric malignant brain tumours. Unlike other malignant brain tumours, ependymomas have few identified point mutations and genetic and epigenetic features. With advances in molecular understanding, the latest 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of CNS tumours divided ependymomas into 10 diagnostic categories based on the histology, molecular information and location; this accurately reflected the prognosis and biology of this tumour. Although maximal surgical resection followed by radiotherapy is considered the standard treatment method, and chemotherapy is considered ineffective, the validation of the role of these treatment modalities continues. Although the rarity and long-term clinical course of ependymoma make designing and conducting prospective clinical trials challenging, knowledge is steadily accumulating and progress is being made. Much of the clinical knowledge obtained from clinical trials to date was based on the previous histology-based WHO classifications, and the addition of new molecular information may lead to more complex treatment strategies. Therefore, this review presents the latest findings on the molecular classification of ependymomas and advances in its treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junya Yamaguchi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Fumiharu Ohka
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Kazuya Motomura
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Ryuta Saito
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
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Cheng C, He T, Chen K, Cai Y, Gu Y, Pan L, Duan P, Wu Y, Wu Z. P300 Interacted With N-Myc and Regulated Its Protein Stability via Altering Its Post-Translational Modifications in Neuroblastoma. Mol Cell Proteomics 2023; 22:100504. [PMID: 36708875 PMCID: PMC9984901 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2023.100504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
MYCN amplification is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in neuroblastoma (NB), but its protein product cannot be directly targeted because of protein structure. Thus, this study aimed to explore novel ways to indirectly target N-Myc by regulating its post-translational modifications (PTMs) and therefore protein stability. N-Myc coimmunoprecipitation combined with HPLC-MS/MS identified 16 PTM residues and 114 potential N-Myc-interacting proteins. Notably, both acetylation and ubiquitination were identified on lysine 199 of N-Myc. We then discovered that p300, which can interact with N-Myc, modulated the protein stability of N-Myc in MYCN-amplified NB cell lines and simultaneously regulated the acetylation level and ubiquitination level on lysine-199 of N-Myc protein in vitro. Furthermore, p300 correlated with poor prognosis in NB patients. Taken together, p300 can be considered as a potential therapeutic target to treat MYCN-amplified NB patients, and other identified PTMs and interacting proteins also provide potential targets for further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Cheng
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Division of Pediatric Oncology, Shanghai Institute of Pediatric Research, Shanghai, China
| | - Tian He
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Division of Pediatric Oncology, Shanghai Institute of Pediatric Research, Shanghai, China
| | - Kai Chen
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Division of Pediatric Oncology, Shanghai Institute of Pediatric Research, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuanxia Cai
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Division of Pediatric Oncology, Shanghai Institute of Pediatric Research, Shanghai, China
| | - Yaoyao Gu
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Division of Pediatric Oncology, Shanghai Institute of Pediatric Research, Shanghai, China
| | - Lijia Pan
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Division of Pediatric Oncology, Shanghai Institute of Pediatric Research, Shanghai, China
| | - Peiwen Duan
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Division of Pediatric Oncology, Shanghai Institute of Pediatric Research, Shanghai, China
| | - Yeming Wu
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Division of Pediatric Oncology, Shanghai Institute of Pediatric Research, Shanghai, China; Department of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
| | - Zhixiang Wu
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Division of Pediatric Oncology, Shanghai Institute of Pediatric Research, Shanghai, China; Department of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
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Park JR, Villablanca JG, Hero B, Kushner BH, Wheatley K, Beiske KH, Ladenstein RL, Baruchel S, Macy ME, Moreno L, Seibel NL, Pearson AD, Matthay KK, Valteua-Couanet D. Early-phase clinical trial eligibility and response evaluation criteria for refractory, relapsed, or progressive neuroblastoma: A consensus statement from the National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials Planning Meeting. Cancer 2022; 128:3775-3783. [PMID: 36101004 PMCID: PMC9614386 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.34445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND International standardized criteria for eligibility, evaluable disease sites, and disease response assessment in patients with refractory, progressive, or relapsed high-risk neuroblastoma enrolled in early-phase clinical trials are lacking. METHODS A National Cancer Institute-sponsored Clinical Trials Planning Meeting was convened to develop an international consensus to refine the tumor site eligibility criteria and evaluation of disease response for early-phase clinical trials in children with high-risk neuroblastoma. RESULTS Standardized data collection of patient and disease characteristics (including specified genomic data), eligibility criteria, a definition of evaluable disease, and response evaluations for primary and metastatic sites of disease were developed. Eligibility included two distinct patient groups: progressive disease and refractory disease. The refractory disease group was subdivided into responding persistent disease and stable persistent disease to better capture the clinical heterogeneity of refractory neuroblastoma. Requirements for defining disease evaluable for a response assessment were provided; they included requirements for biopsy to confirm viable neuroblastoma and/or ganglioneuroblastoma in those patients with soft tissue or bone disease not avid for iodine-123 meta-iodobenzylguanidine. Standardized evaluations for response components and time intervals for response evaluations were established. CONCLUSIONS The use of international consensus eligibility, evaluability, and response criteria for early-phase clinical studies will facilitate the collection of comparable data across international trials and promote more rapid identification of effective treatment regimens for high-risk neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie R. Park
- Seattle Children’s Hospital and Department of Pediatrics University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle WA, 98105
| | - Judith G. Villablanca
- Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Department of Pediatrics, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Barbara Hero
- Children’s Hospital and University of Cologne, D 50924 Koeln, Germany
| | | | | | - Klaus H. Beiske
- Oslo University Hospital, Department of Pathology, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ruth L. Ladenstein
- Children’s Cancer Research Institute, St Anna Children’s Hospital, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Margaret E. Macy
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Lucas Moreno
- Division of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Vall d’Hebron Hospital Universitari, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nita L. Seibel
- Clinical Investigations Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Andrew D. Pearson
- Divisions of Cancer Therapeutics and Clinical Studies, Institute of Cancer Research and Children and Young People’s Unit, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, Surrey UK (Retired)
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Chen C, Lan MS. Interplay: The Essential Role between INSM1 and N-Myc in Aggressive Neuroblastoma. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11101376. [PMID: 36290282 PMCID: PMC9598261 DOI: 10.3390/biology11101376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Neuroblastoma (NB) is a cancer that starts in certain very early forms of nerve cells of the sympathetic nervous system, most often found in an embryo or fetus. Symptoms may include bone pain, an abdominal mass, frequent urination, limping, anemia, spinal cord weakness, or bruising of the eye area. N-Myc is a key driver of high-risk NB. An elevated expression of N-Myc often predicts a poorer prognosis, in both time to tumor progression and overall survival rate. We discovered a transcription factor, insulinoma-associated-1 (INSM1), as the downstream target gene of N-Myc. INSM1 has emerged as a novel NB biomarker that plays a critical role in facilitating NB tumor cell development. Both N-Myc and INSM1 demonstrate high clinical relevance to NB. Therefore, further understanding the association of INSM1 and N-Myc functions in aggressive NB should be beneficial for future NB treatment. Abstract An aggressive form of neuroblastoma (NB), a malignant childhood cancer derived from granule neuron precursors and sympathoadrenal lineage, frequently comprises MYCN amplification/elevated N-Myc expression, which contributes to the development of neural crest-derived embryonal malignancy. N-Myc is an oncogenic driver in NB. Persistent N-Myc expression during the maturation of SA precursor cells can cause blockage of the apoptosis and induce abnormal proliferation, resulting in NB development. An insulinoma-associated-1 (INSM1) zinc-finger transcription factor has emerged as an NB biomarker that plays a critical role in facilitating tumor cell growth and transformation. INSM1 plays an essential role in sympathoadrenal cell differentiation. N-Myc activates endogenous INSM1 through an E2-box of the INSM1 proximal promoter, whereas INSM1 enhances N-Myc stability via RAC-α-serine/threonine protein kinase (AKT) phosphorylation in NB. The ectopic expression of INSM1 stimulates NB tumor growth in contrast to the knockdown of INSM1 that inhibits NB cell proliferation. The clinical pathological result and bioinformatics analysis show that INSM1 is a strong diagnostic and a prognostic biomarker for the evaluation of NB progression. The INSM1/N-Myc expression shows high clinical relevance in NB. Therefore, targeting the INSM1/N-Myc-associated signaling axis should be a feasible approach to identifying new drugs for the suppression of NB tumor growth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael S. Lan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-504-568-2437; Fax: +1-504-568-8500
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Chen J, Sun M, Huang L, Fang Y. The Long noncoding RNA LINC00200 Promotes the Malignant Progression of MYCN-Amplified Neuroblastoma via Binding to Insulin like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) to Enhance the Stability of of Zic family member 2 (ZIC2) mRNA. Pathol Res Pract 2022; 237:154059. [DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2022.154059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
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10
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Gonzalez Malagon SG, Liu KJ. Linking neural crest development to neuroblastoma pathology. Development 2022; 149:276149. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.200331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Although rare, childhood (paediatric) cancers are a major cause of death in young children. Unlike many adult cancers, paediatric cancers, such as neuroblastoma (NB), are developmental diseases that rarely show genetic predispositions. NB is the most common extracranial solid tumour in children, accounting for ∼15% of paediatric cancer deaths. This heterogeneous cancer arises from undifferentiated neural crest-derived progenitor cells. As neural crest cells are multipotent and migratory, they are often considered the embryonic paradigm of cancer stem cells. However, very little is known about the events that trigger tumour initiation and progression. Here, we discuss recent insights into sympathoadrenal lineage specification, as well as genetic factors associated with NB. With this in mind, we consider the molecular underpinnings of NB in the context of developmental trajectories of the neural crest lineage. This allows us to compare distinct subtypes of the disease and gene-function interactions during sensitive phases of neural crest development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Guadalupe Gonzalez Malagon
- Biomedical Research Institute, Foundation for Research and Technology, University of Ioannina Campus 1 , 45115 Ioannina , Greece
- School of Health Sciences and Institute of Biosciences, University Research Centre, University of Ioannina 2 Department of Biological Applications and Technology , , 45110 Ioannina , Greece
| | - Karen J. Liu
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King's College London 3 , London SE1 9RT , UK
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11
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Larrew T, Saway BF, Lowe SR, Olar A. Molecular Classification and Therapeutic Targets in Ependymoma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13246218. [PMID: 34944845 PMCID: PMC8699461 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13246218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ependymoma is a biologically diverse tumor wherein molecular classification has superseded traditional histological grading based on its superior ability to characterize behavior, prognosis, and possible targeted therapies. The current, updated molecular classification of ependymoma consists of ten distinct subgroups spread evenly among the spinal, infratentorial, and supratentorial compartments, each with its own distinct clinical and molecular characteristics. In this review, the history, histopathology, standard of care, prognosis, oncogenic drivers, and hypothesized molecular targets for all subgroups of ependymoma are explored. This review emphasizes that despite the varied behavior of the ependymoma subgroups, it remains clear that research must be performed to further elucidate molecular targets for these tumors. Although not all ependymoma subgroups are oncologically aggressive, development of targeted therapies is essential, particularly for cases where surgical resection is not an option without causing significant morbidity. The development of molecular therapies must rely on building upon our current understanding of ependymoma oncogenesis, as well as cultivating transfer of knowledge based on malignancies with similar genomic alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Larrew
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; (T.L.); (B.F.S.)
| | - Brian Fabian Saway
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; (T.L.); (B.F.S.)
| | | | - Adriana Olar
- NOMIX Laboratories, Denver, CO 80218, USA
- Correspondence: or
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12
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Wong RLY, Wong MRE, Kuick CH, Saffari SE, Wong MK, Tan SH, Merchant K, Chang KTE, Thangavelu M, Periyasamy G, Chen ZX, Iyer P, Tan EEK, Soh SY, Iyer NG, Fan Q, Loh AHP. Integrated Genomic Profiling and Drug Screening of Patient-Derived Cultures Identifies Individualized Copy Number-Dependent Susceptibilities Involving PI3K Pathway and 17q Genes in Neuroblastoma. Front Oncol 2021; 11:709525. [PMID: 34722256 PMCID: PMC8551924 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.709525] [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: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the commonest extracranial pediatric malignancy. With few recurrent single nucleotide variations (SNVs), mutation-based precision oncology approaches have limited utility, but its frequent and heterogenous copy number variations (CNVs) could represent genomic dependencies that may be exploited for personalized therapy. Patient-derived cell culture (PDC) models can facilitate rapid testing of multiple agents to determine such individualized drug-responses. Thus, to study the relationship between individual genomic aberrations and therapeutic susceptibilities, we integrated comprehensive genomic profiling of neuroblastoma tumors with drug screening of corresponding PDCs against 418 targeted inhibitors. We quantified the strength of association between copy number and cytotoxicity, and validated significantly correlated gene-drug pairs in public data and using machine learning models. Somatic mutations were infrequent (3.1 per case), but copy number losses in 1p (31%) and 11q (38%), and gains in 17q (69%) were prevalent. Critically, in-vitro cytotoxicity significantly correlated only with CNVs, but not SNVs. Among 1278 significantly correlated gene-drug pairs, copy number of GNA13 and DNA damage response genes CBL, DNMT3A, and PPM1D were most significantly correlated with cytotoxicity; the drugs most commonly associated with these genes were PI3K/mTOR inhibitor PIK-75, and CDK inhibitors P276-00, SNS-032, AT7519, flavopiridol and dinaciclib. Predictive Markov random field models constructed from CNVs alone recapitulated the true z-score-weighted associations, with the strongest gene-drug functional interactions in subnetworks involving PI3K and JAK-STAT pathways. Together, our data defined individualized dose-dependent relationships between copy number gains of PI3K and STAT family genes particularly on 17q and susceptibility to PI3K and cell cycle agents in neuroblastoma. Integration of genomic profiling and drug screening of patient-derived models of neuroblastoma can quantitatively define copy number-dependent sensitivities to targeted inhibitors, which can guide personalized therapy for such mutationally quiet cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Megan R E Wong
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Chik Hong Kuick
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Seyed Ehsan Saffari
- Centre for Quantitative Medicine, Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Meng Kang Wong
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Sheng Hui Tan
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Khurshid Merchant
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kenneth T E Chang
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Matan Thangavelu
- Centre for High Throughput Phenomics (CHiP-GIS), Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Giridharan Periyasamy
- Centre for High Throughput Phenomics (CHiP-GIS), Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Zhi Xiong Chen
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Prasad Iyer
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Paediatric Subspecialties Haematology Oncology Service, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Enrica E K Tan
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Paediatric Subspecialties Haematology Oncology Service, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shui Yen Soh
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Paediatric Subspecialties Haematology Oncology Service, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - N Gopalakrishna Iyer
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,Division of Medical Sciences, National Cancer Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Qiao Fan
- Centre for Quantitative Medicine, Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Amos H P Loh
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children's Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Paediatric Surgery, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
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13
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Dorel M, Klinger B, Mari T, Toedling J, Blanc E, Messerschmidt C, Nadler-Holly M, Ziehm M, Sieber A, Hertwig F, Beule D, Eggert A, Schulte JH, Selbach M, Blüthgen N. Neuroblastoma signalling models unveil combination therapies targeting feedback-mediated resistance. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009515. [PMID: 34735429 PMCID: PMC8604339 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Very high risk neuroblastoma is characterised by increased MAPK signalling, and targeting MAPK signalling is a promising therapeutic strategy. We used a deeply characterised panel of neuroblastoma cell lines and found that the sensitivity to MEK inhibitors varied drastically between these cell lines. By generating quantitative perturbation data and mathematical modelling, we determined potential resistance mechanisms. We found that negative feedbacks within MAPK signalling and via the IGF receptor mediate re-activation of MAPK signalling upon treatment in resistant cell lines. By using cell-line specific models, we predict that combinations of MEK inhibitors with RAF or IGFR inhibitors can overcome resistance, and tested these predictions experimentally. In addition, phospho-proteomic profiling confirmed the cell-specific feedback effects and synergy of MEK and IGFR targeted treatment. Our study shows that a quantitative understanding of signalling and feedback mechanisms facilitated by models can help to develop and optimise therapeutic strategies. Our findings should be considered for the planning of future clinical trials introducing MEKi in the treatment of neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathurin Dorel
- Institute of Pathology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Integrative Research Institute for the Life Sciences and Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bertram Klinger
- Institute of Pathology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Integrative Research Institute for the Life Sciences and Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Berlin, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tommaso Mari
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Joern Toedling
- Department of Pediatric, Division of Oncology and Haematology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eric Blanc
- Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | - Matthias Ziehm
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Sieber
- Institute of Pathology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Integrative Research Institute for the Life Sciences and Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Berlin, Germany
| | - Falk Hertwig
- Department of Pediatric, Division of Oncology and Haematology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Angelika Eggert
- Department of Pediatric, Division of Oncology and Haematology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Berlin, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes H. Schulte
- Department of Pediatric, Division of Oncology and Haematology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Berlin, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Nils Blüthgen
- Institute of Pathology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Integrative Research Institute for the Life Sciences and Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
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14
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Treffy RW, Rajan SG, Jiang X, Nacke LM, Malkana UA, Naiche LA, Bergey DE, Santana D, Rajagopalan V, Kitajewski JK, O'Bryan JP, Saxena A. Neuroblastoma differentiation in vivo excludes cranial tumors. Dev Cell 2021; 56:2752-2764.e6. [PMID: 34610330 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB), the most common cancer in the first year of life, presents almost exclusively in the trunk. To understand why an early-onset cancer would have such a specific localization, we xenotransplanted human NB cells into discrete neural crest (NC) streams in zebrafish embryos. Here, we demonstrate that human NB cells remain in an undifferentiated, tumorigenic state when comigrating posteriorly with NC cells but, upon comigration into the head, differentiate into neurons and exhibit decreased survival. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this in vivo differentiation requires retinoic acid and brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling from the microenvironment, as well as cell-autonomous intersectin-1-dependent phosphoinositide 3-kinase-mediated signaling, likely via Akt kinase activation. Our findings suggest a microenvironment-driven explanation for NB's trunk-biased localization and highlight the potential for induced differentiation to promote NB resolution in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randall W Treffy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Sriivatsan G Rajan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Xinghang Jiang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Lynne M Nacke
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Usama A Malkana
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - L A Naiche
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Dani E Bergey
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Dianicha Santana
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Vinodh Rajagopalan
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Jan K Kitajewski
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - John P O'Bryan
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC 29401, USA
| | - Ankur Saxena
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA.
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15
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Blattner-Johnson M, Jones DTW, Pfaff E. Precision medicine in pediatric solid cancers. Semin Cancer Biol 2021; 84:214-227. [PMID: 34116162 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Despite huge advances in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric cancers over the past several decades, it remains one of the leading causes of death during childhood in developed countries. The development of new targeted treatments for these diseases has been hampered by two major factors. First, the extremely heterogeneous nature of the types of tumors encountered in this age group, and their fundamental differences from common adult carcinomas, has made it hard to truly get a handle on the complexities of the underlying biology driving tumor growth. Second, a reluctance of the pharmaceutical industry to develop products or trials for this population due to the relatively small size of the 'market', and a too-easy mechanism of obtaining waivers for pediatric development of adult oncology drugs based on disease type rather than mechanism of action, led to significant difficulties in getting access to new drugs. Thankfully, the field has now started to change, both scientifically and from a regulatory perspective, in order to address some of these challenges. In this review, we will examine some of the recent insights into molecular features which make pediatric tumors so unique and how these might represent therapeutic targets; highlight ongoing international initiatives for providing comprehensive, personalized genomic profiling of childhood tumors in a clinically-relevant timeframe, and look briefly at where the field of pediatric precision oncology may be heading in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirjam Blattner-Johnson
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Pediatric Glioma Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - David T W Jones
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Pediatric Glioma Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Elke Pfaff
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Pediatric Glioma Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology, Immunology and Pulmonology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
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16
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Bai Z, Feng M, Du Y, Cong L, Cheng Y. Carboxypeptidase E down-regulation regulates transcriptional and epigenetic profiles in pancreatic cancer cell line: A network analysis. Cancer Biomark 2021; 29:79-88. [PMID: 32675394 DOI: 10.3233/cbm-191163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor and its incidence has increased in recent years. Carboxypeptidase E (CPE) is a prohormone/proneuropeptide processing enzyme that has been shown to be associated with tumor growth and invasion in various cancers including pancreatic cancer. OBJECTIVE To understand the molecular mechanism underlying the proliferative effects of CPE in cancer cells. METHODS We down-regulated CPE gene expression in PANC-1 cell, a pancreatic cell line, and investigated mRNA, miRNA, circRNA and lncRNA expression profiling in PANC-1 cells from control group and CPE knock-down group by microarray analysis. We further validated the top 14 differentially expressed circRNAs by qRT-PCR. RESULTS Our results showed that CPE down-regulation caused decreased cell proliferation. The microarray data showed 107, 15, 299 and 360 differentially expressed mRNAs, miRNAs, circRNAs, and lncRNAs, respectively between control group and CPE knock-down group. Of Which, 41 mRNAs, 12 miRNAs, 133 circRNAs, and 262 lncRNAs were down-regulated; 66 mRNAs, 3 miRNAs, 166 circRNAs, and 98 lncRNAs were up-regulated. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the top significantly enriched pathways for the differentially expressed RNAs were related to cancer onset and/or progression, these included p53 signaling pathway, ECM-receptor interaction, focal adhesion and Wnt signaling pathway. We further performed network analysis to assess the mRNA, miRNA, circRNA and lncRNA correlations, and showed that HUWE1, hsa-miR-6780b-5p, has_circ_0058208 and lnc-G3BP1-3:8 were in the core position of the network. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these results identified potential CPE regulated core genes and pathways for cell proliferation in pancreatic cancer cell, and therefore provide potential targets for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhile Bai
- Key Laboratory of Ethnomedicine for Ministry of Education, Center on Translational Neuroscience, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Mengyu Feng
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.,Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Du
- Key Laboratory of Ethnomedicine for Ministry of Education, Center on Translational Neuroscience, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Cong
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Ethnomedicine for Ministry of Education, Center on Translational Neuroscience, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China
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17
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Pan C, Zhu Y, Yu M, Zhao Y, Zhang C, Zhang X, Yao Y. Control Analysis of Protein-Protein Interaction Network Reveals Potential Regulatory Targets for MYCN. Front Oncol 2021; 11:633579. [PMID: 33968733 PMCID: PMC8096904 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.633579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND MYCN is an oncogenic transcription factor of the MYC family and plays an important role in the formation of tissues and organs during development before birth. Due to the difficulty in drugging MYCN directly, revealing the molecules in MYCN regulatory networks will help to identify effective therapeutic targets. METHODS We utilized network controllability theory, a recent developed powerful tool, to identify the potential drug target around MYCN based on Protein-Protein interaction network of MYCN. First, we constructed a Protein-Protein interaction network of MYCN based on public databases. Second, network control analysis was applied on network to identify driver genes and indispensable genes of the MYCN regulatory network. Finally, we developed a novel integrated approach to identify potential drug targets for regulating the function of the MYCN regulatory network. RESULTS We constructed an MYCN regulatory network that has 79 genes and 129 interactions. Based on network controllability theory, we analyzed driver genes which capable to fully control the network. We found 10 indispensable genes whose alternation will significantly change the regulatory pathways of the MYCN network. We evaluated the stability and correlation analysis of these genes and found EGFR may be the potential drug target which closely associated with MYCN. CONCLUSION Together, our findings indicate that EGFR plays an important role in the regulatory network and pathways of MYCN and therefore may represent an attractive therapeutic target for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyu Pan
- Northeastern University, Shenyang, China
- Joint Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Precision Medicine of China Medical University and Northeastern University, Shenyang, China
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuyan Zhu
- Joint Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Precision Medicine of China Medical University and Northeastern University, Shenyang, China
- Department of Urology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Meng Yu
- Department of Reproductive Biology and Transgenic Animal, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yongkang Zhao
- National Institute of Health and Medical Big Data, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | | | - Xizhe Zhang
- Joint Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Precision Medicine of China Medical University and Northeastern University, Shenyang, China
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yang Yao
- Department of Physiology, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
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18
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Waetzig R, Matthes M, Leister J, Penkivech G, Heise T, Corbacioglu S, Sommer G. Comparing mTOR inhibitor Rapamycin with Torin-2 within the RIST molecular-targeted regimen in neuroblastoma cells. Int J Med Sci 2021; 18:137-149. [PMID: 33390782 PMCID: PMC7738968 DOI: 10.7150/ijms.48393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The prognosis for patients with relapsed or refractory high-risk neuroblastoma remains dismal and novel therapeutic options are urgently needed. The RIST treatment protocol has a multimodal metronomic therapy design combining molecular-targeted drugs (Rapamycin and Dasatinib) with chemotherapy backbone (Irinotecan and Temozolomide), which is currently verified in a phase II clinical trial (NCT01467986). With the availability of novel and more potent ATP competitive mTOR inhibitors, we expect to improve the RIST combination therapy. By comparing the IC50 values of Torin-1, Torin-2, AZD3147 and PP242 we established that only Torin-2 inhibited cell viability of all three MycN-amplified neuroblastoma cell lines tested at nanomolar concentration. Single treatment of both mTOR inhibitors induced a significant G1 cell cycle arrest and combination treatment with Dasatinib reduced the expression of cell cycle regulator cyclin D1 or increased the expression of cell cycle inhibitor p21. The combinatorial index depicted for both mTOR inhibitors a synergistic effect with Dasatinib. Interestingly, compared to Rapamycin, the combination treatment with Torin-2 resulted in a broader mTOR pathway inhibition as indicated by reduced phosphorylation of AKT (Thr308, Ser473), 4E-BP (Ser65), and S6K (Thr389). Furthermore, substituting Rapamycin in the modified multimodal RIST protocol with Torin-2 reduced cell viability and induced apoptosis despite a significant lower Torin-2 drug concentration applied. The efficacy of nanomolar concentrations may significantly reduce unwanted immunosuppression associated with Rapamycin. However, at this point we cannot rule out that Torin-2 has increased toxicity due to its potency in more complex systems. Nonetheless, our results suggest that including Torin-2 as a substitute for Rapamycin in the RIST protocol may represent a valid option to be evaluated in prospective clinical trials for relapsed or treatment-refractory high-risk neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Waetzig
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Hospital of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Marie Matthes
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Hospital of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Leister
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Hospital of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Gina Penkivech
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Hospital of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Tilman Heise
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Hospital of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Selim Corbacioglu
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Hospital of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Gunhild Sommer
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Hospital of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
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19
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Turnock S, Turton DR, Martins CD, Chesler L, Wilson TC, Gouverneur V, Smith G, Kramer-Marek G. 18F-meta-fluorobenzylguanidine ( 18F-mFBG) to monitor changes in norepinephrine transporter expression in response to therapeutic intervention in neuroblastoma models. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20918. [PMID: 33262374 PMCID: PMC7708446 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77788-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Targeted radiotherapy with 131I-mIBG, a substrate of the human norepinephrine transporter (NET-1), shows promising responses in heavily pre-treated neuroblastoma (NB) patients. Combinatorial approaches that enhance 131I-mIBG tumour uptake are of substantial clinical interest but biomarkers of response are needed. Here, we investigate the potential of 18F-mFBG, a positron emission tomography (PET) analogue of the 123I-mIBG radiotracer, to quantify NET-1 expression levels in mouse models of NB following treatment with AZD2014, a dual mTOR inhibitor. The response to AZD2014 treatment was evaluated in MYCN amplified NB cell lines (Kelly and SK-N-BE(2)C) by Western blot (WB) and immunohistochemistry. PET quantification of 18F-mFBG uptake post-treatment in vivo was performed, and data correlated with NET-1 protein levels measured ex vivo. Following 72 h AZD2014 treatment, in vitro WB analysis indicated decreased mTOR signalling and enhanced NET-1 expression in both cell lines, and 18F-mFBG revealed a concentration-dependent increase in NET-1 function. AZD2014 treatment failed however to inhibit mTOR signalling in vivo and did not significantly modulate intratumoural NET-1 activity. Image analysis of 18F-mFBG PET data showed correlation to tumour NET-1 protein expression, while further studies are needed to elucidate whether NET-1 upregulation induced by blocking mTOR might be a useful adjunct to 131I-mIBG therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Turnock
- Preclinical Molecular Imaging, Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, 123 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3RP, UK
| | - David R Turton
- PET Radiochemistry, Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, 123 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3RP, UK
| | - Carlos Daniel Martins
- Preclinical Molecular Imaging, Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, 123 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3RP, UK
| | - Louis Chesler
- Division of Clinical Studies, The Institute of Cancer Research, 123 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3RP, UK
| | - Thomas C Wilson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Véronique Gouverneur
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Graham Smith
- PET Radiochemistry, Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, 123 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3RP, UK
| | - Gabriela Kramer-Marek
- Preclinical Molecular Imaging, Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, 123 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3RP, UK.
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20
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Thakar S, Sivaraju L, Ghosal N, Aryan S, Hegde AS. Fatal holocord recurrence of a pregnancy-related, low-grade spinal ependymoma: case report and review of an unusual clinical phenomenon. Spinal Cord Ser Cases 2020; 6:93. [PMID: 33009374 DOI: 10.1038/s41394-020-00343-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pregnancy-related spinal tumors (PRSTs) are unusual tumors that present during pregnancy or within a year after delivery. We describe a fatal holocord recurrence of a spinal ependymoma, which, to the best of our knowledge, is one of the most extensive PRSTs reported thus far. CASE PRESENTATION A 21-year-old primigravida presented at 6 months of gestation with urinary incontinence for 2 months and spastic paraparesis for 1 month. MRI showed a conus intramedullary lesion from T10 to 12. Near-total resection of the lesion was performed. The histopathological diagnosis was that of a cellular ependymoma (WHO grade II). The patient presented 6 months later with progressive quadriparesis and breathing difficulty. MRI demonstrated holocord recurrence of the tumor with edema extending to the pontomedullary junction. The patient succumbed to respiratory failure before decompression of the tumor could be performed. DISCUSSION This case highlights an unusual clinical course of a pregnancy-related, low-grade spinal ependymoma. The possible hormonal and genetic mechanisms underlying the aggressive involvement of the entire spinal cord by the recurrent tumor are discussed in the light of a literature review. Future studies may shed light on the possibility of utilizing these mechanisms as therapeutic targets to alter the clinical course of aggressive spinal ependymomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumit Thakar
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, EPIP Area, Whitefield, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560066, India.
| | - Laxminadh Sivaraju
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, EPIP Area, Whitefield, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560066, India
| | - Nandita Ghosal
- Department of Pathology, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, EPIP Area, Whitefield, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560066, India
| | - Saritha Aryan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, EPIP Area, Whitefield, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560066, India
| | - Alangar S Hegde
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, EPIP Area, Whitefield, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560066, India
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21
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Hicks D, Rafiee G, Schwalbe EC, Howell CI, Lindsey JC, Hill RM, Smith AJ, Adidharma P, Steel C, Richardson S, Pease L, Danilenko M, Crosier S, Joshi A, Wharton SB, Jacques TS, Pizer B, Michalski A, Williamson D, Bailey S, Clifford SC. The molecular landscape and associated clinical experience in infant medulloblastoma: prognostic significance of second-generation subtypes. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2020; 47:236-250. [PMID: 32779246 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Biomarker-driven therapies have not been developed for infant medulloblastoma (iMB). We sought to robustly sub-classify iMB, and proffer strategies for personalized, risk-adapted therapies. METHODS We characterized the iMB molecular landscape, including second-generation subtyping, and the associated retrospective clinical experience, using large independent discovery/validation cohorts (n = 387). RESULTS iMBGrp3 (42%) and iMBSHH (40%) subgroups predominated. iMBGrp3 harboured second-generation subtypes II/III/IV. Subtype II strongly associated with large-cell/anaplastic pathology (LCA; 23%) and MYC amplification (19%), defining a very-high-risk group (0% 10yr overall survival (OS)), which progressed rapidly on all therapies; novel approaches are urgently required. Subtype VII (predominant within iMBGrp4 ) and subtype IV tumours were standard risk (80% OS) using upfront CSI-based therapies; randomized-controlled trials of upfront radiation-sparing and/or second-line radiotherapy should be considered. Seventy-five per cent of iMBSHH showed DN/MBEN histopathology in discovery and validation cohorts (P < 0.0001); central pathology review determined diagnosis of histological variants to WHO standards. In multivariable models, non-DN/MBEN pathology was associated significantly with worse outcomes within iMBSHH . iMBSHH harboured two distinct subtypes (iMBSHH-I/II ). Within the discriminated favourable-risk iMBSHH DN/MBEN patient group, iMBSHH-II had significantly better progression-free survival than iMBSHH-I , offering opportunities for risk-adapted stratification of upfront therapies. Both iMBSHH-I and iMBSHH-II showed notable rescue rates (56% combined post-relapse survival), further supporting delay of irradiation. Survival models and risk factors described were reproducible in independent cohorts, strongly supporting their further investigation and development. CONCLUSIONS Investigations of large, retrospective cohorts have enabled the comprehensive and robust characterization of molecular heterogeneity within iMB. Novel subtypes are clinically significant and subgroup-dependent survival models highlight opportunities for biomarker-directed therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Hicks
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - G Rafiee
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.,School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - E C Schwalbe
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.,Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - C I Howell
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - J C Lindsey
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - R M Hill
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - A J Smith
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - P Adidharma
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - C Steel
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - S Richardson
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - L Pease
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - M Danilenko
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - S Crosier
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - A Joshi
- Department of Neuropathology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle University Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - S B Wharton
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - B Pizer
- Institute of Translational Research, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - D Williamson
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - S Bailey
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - S C Clifford
- Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
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22
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Mobasheri T, Rayzan E, Shabani M, Hosseini M, Mahmoodi Chalbatani G, Rezaei N. Neuroblastoma-targeted nanoparticles and novel nanotechnology-based treatment methods. J Cell Physiol 2020; 236:1751-1775. [PMID: 32735058 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.29979] [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: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is a complicated pediatric tumor, originating from the neural crest, which is the most prevalent in adrenal glands, but may rarely be seen in some other tissues as well. Studies are focused on developing new strategies through novel chemo- and immuno-therapeutic drug targets. Different types of oncogenes such as MYCN, tumor suppressor genes such as p53, and some structural genes such as vascular endothelial growth factor are considered as targets for neuroblastoma therapy. The individual expression patterns in NB cells make them appropriate for this purpose. The combined effect of nano-drug delivery systems and specific drug targets will result in lower systemic side effects, prolonged therapeutic effects, and improvements in the pharmacokinetic properties of the drugs. Some of these novel drug delivery systems with a focus on liposomes as carriers are also discussed. In this review, genes and protein products that are beneficial as drug targets in the treatment of neuroblastoma have been discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taranom Mobasheri
- International Hematology/Oncology of Pediatrics Experts (IHOPE), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.,School of Pharmacy, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Elham Rayzan
- International Hematology/Oncology of Pediatrics Experts (IHOPE), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.,Research Center for Immunodeficiencies (RCID), Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahsima Shabani
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies (RCID), Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,International Hematology/Oncology of Pediatrics Experts (IHOPE), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Mina Hosseini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Nima Rezaei
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies (RCID), Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
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23
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Gao J, Jung M, Mayoh C, Venkat P, Hannan KM, Fletcher JI, Kamili A, Gifford AJ, Kusnadi EP, Pearson RB, Hannan RD, Haber M, Norris MD, Somers K, Henderson MJ. Suppression of ABCE1-Mediated mRNA Translation Limits N-MYC-Driven Cancer Progression. Cancer Res 2020; 80:3706-3718. [PMID: 32651259 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-19-3914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The ability of the N-MYC transcription factor to drive cancer progression is well demonstrated in neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial pediatric solid tumor, where MYCN amplification heralds a poor prognosis, with only 11% of high-risk patients surviving past 5 years. However, decades of attempts of direct inhibition of N-MYC or its paralogues has led to the conclusion that this protein is "undruggable." Therefore, targeting pathways upregulated by N-MYC signaling presents an alternative therapeutic approach. Here, we show that MYCN-amplified neuroblastomas are characterized by elevated rates of protein synthesis and that high expression of ABCE1, a translation factor directly upregulated by N-MYC, is itself a strong predictor of poor clinical outcome. Despite the potent ability of N-MYC in heightening protein synthesis and malignant characteristics in cancer cells, suppression of ABCE1 alone selectively negated this effect, returning the rate of translation to baseline levels and significantly reducing the growth, motility, and invasiveness of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells and patient-derived xenograft tumors in vivo. The growth of nonmalignant cells or MYCN-nonamplified neuroblastoma cells remained unaffected by reduced ABCE1, supporting a therapeutic window associated with targeting ABCE1. Neuroblastoma cells with c-MYC overexpression also required ABCE1 to maintain cell proliferation and translation. Taken together, ABCE1-mediated translation constitutes a critical process in the progression of N-MYC-driven and c-MYC-driven cancers that warrants investigations into methods of its therapeutic inhibition. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings demonstrate that N-MYC-driven cancers are reliant on elevated rates of protein synthesis driven by heightened expression of ABCE1, a vulnerability that can be exploited through suppression of ABCE1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jixuan Gao
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - MoonSun Jung
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Chelsea Mayoh
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pooja Venkat
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Katherine M Hannan
- The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra City.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jamie I Fletcher
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Alvin Kamili
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Andrew J Gifford
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Department of Anatomical Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Eric P Kusnadi
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Richard B Pearson
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ross D Hannan
- The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra City.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michelle Haber
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Murray D Norris
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,UNSW Centre for Childhood Cancer Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Klaartje Somers
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Michelle J Henderson
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. .,School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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24
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Wang Q, Kumar V, Lin F, Sethi B, Coulter DW, McGuire TR, Mahato RI. ApoE mimetic peptide targeted nanoparticles carrying a BRD4 inhibitor for treating Medulloblastoma in mice. J Control Release 2020; 323:463-474. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.04.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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25
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Nagasaki-Maeoka E, Ikeda K, Takayama KI, Hirano T, Ishizuka Y, Koshinaga T, Tsukune N, Takayama T, Inoue S, Fujiwara K. Polyethylene glycol derivative 9bw suppresses growth of neuroblastoma cells by inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation. Cancer Sci 2020; 111:2943-2953. [PMID: 32495467 PMCID: PMC7419032 DOI: 10.1111/cas.14512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is a childhood malignancy originating from the sympathetic nervous system, and accounts for approximately 15% of all pediatric cancer‐related deaths. As the 5‐y survival rate of patients with high‐risk NB is <50%, novel therapeutic strategies for NB patients are urgently required. Nonaethylene glycol mono(′4‐iodo‐4‐biphenyl)ester (9bw) is a polyethylene glycol derivative, synthesized by modifying a compound originally extracted from filamentous bacteria. Although 9bw shows remarkable inhibition of tumor cell growth, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we examined the efficacy of 9bw on human NB‐derived cells, and investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the cytotoxic effects of 9bw on these cells. Our results indicated that 9bw induced cell death in NB cells by decreasing the production of ATP. Metabolome analysis and measurement of oxygen consumption indicated that 9bw markedly suppressed oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Further analyses indicated that 9bw inhibited the activity of mitochondrial respiratory complex I. Moreover, we showed that 9bw inhibited growth of NB in vivo. Based on the results of the present study, 9bw is a good candidate as a novel agent for treatment of NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eri Nagasaki-Maeoka
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Itabashi, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Ikeda
- Division of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction, Research Center for Genomic Medicine, Saitama Medical University, Hidaka, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Takayama
- Department of Systems Aging Science and Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi-ku, Japan
| | - Takayuki Hirano
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Itabashi, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Ishizuka
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Itabashi, Japan
| | - Tsugumichi Koshinaga
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Itabashi, Japan
| | - Naoya Tsukune
- Department of Periodontology, Nihon University School of Dentistry, Chiyoda, Japan
| | - Tadateru Takayama
- Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Itabashi, Japan
| | - Satoshi Inoue
- Division of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction, Research Center for Genomic Medicine, Saitama Medical University, Hidaka, Japan.,Department of Systems Aging Science and Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi-ku, Japan
| | - Kyoko Fujiwara
- Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Itabashi, Japan.,Department of Anatomy, Nihon University School of Dentistry, Chiyoda, Japan
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26
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Jin W, Zhang Y, Liu Z, Che Z, Gao M, Peng H. Exploration of the molecular characteristics of the tumor-immune interaction and the development of an individualized immune prognostic signature for neuroblastoma. J Cell Physiol 2020; 236:294-308. [PMID: 32510620 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.29842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NBL) exists in a complex tumor-immune microenvironment. Immune cell infiltration and tumor-immune molecules play a critical role in tumor development and significantly impact the prognosis of patients. However, the molecular characteristics describing the NBL-immune interaction and their prognostic potential have yet to be investigated systematically. We first employed multiple machine learning algorithms, such as Gene Sets Enrichment Analysis and cell type identification by estimating relative subsets of RNA transcripts, to identify immunophenotypes and immunological characteristics in NBL patient data from public databases and then investigated the prognostic potential and regulatory networks of identified immune-related genes involved in the NBL-immune interaction. The immunity signature combining nine immunity genes was confirmed as more effective for individual risk stratification and survival outcome prediction in NBL patients than common clinical characteristics (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.819, C-index = 0.718, p < .001). A mechanistic exploration revealed the regulatory network of molecules involved in the NBL-immune interaction. These immune molecules were also discovered to possess a significant correlation with plasma cell infiltration, MYCN status, and the level of chemokines and macrophage-related molecules (p < .001). A nomogram was constructed based on the immune signature and clinical characteristics, which showed high potential for prognosis prediction (AUC = 0.856, C-index = 0.755, p < .001). We systematically elucidated the complex regulatory mechanisms and characteristics of the molecules involved in the NBL-immune interaction and their prognostic potential, which may have important implications for further understanding the molecular mechanism of the NBL-immune interaction and identifying high-risk NBL patients to guide clinical treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyi Jin
- Department of Orthopedics, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuchang, Wuhan, China
| | - Yubiao Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuchang, Wuhan, China
| | - Zilin Liu
- Department of Orthopedics, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuchang, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhifei Che
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan, China
| | - Mingyong Gao
- Department of Orthopedics, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuchang, Wuhan, China
| | - Hao Peng
- Department of Orthopedics, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuchang, Wuhan, China
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27
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Yoshida GJ. Beyond the Warburg Effect: N-Myc Contributes to Metabolic Reprogramming in Cancer Cells. Front Oncol 2020; 10:791. [PMID: 32547946 PMCID: PMC7269178 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.00791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells generate large amounts of lactate derived from glucose regardless of the available oxygen level. Cancer cells finely control ATP synthesis by modulating the uptake of substrates and the activity of enzymes involved in aerobic glycolysis (Warburg effect), which enables them to adapt to the tumor microenvironment. However, increasing evidence suggests that mitochondrial metabolism, including the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and glutaminolysis, is paradoxically activated in MYCN-amplified malignancies. Unlike non-amplified cells, MYCN-amplified cancer cells significantly promote OXPHOS-dependent ATP synthesis. Furthermore, tumor cells are differentially dependent on fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) according to N-Myc status. Therefore, upregulation of FAO-associated enzymes is positively correlated with both N-Myc expression level and poor clinical outcome. This review explores therapeutic strategies targeting cancer stem-like cells for the treatment of tumors associated with MYCN amplification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Go J Yoshida
- Department of Pathology and Oncology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Immunological Diagnosis, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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28
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Le Grand M, Mukha A, Püschel J, Valli E, Kamili A, Vittorio O, Dubrovska A, Kavallaris M. Interplay between MycN and c-Myc regulates radioresistance and cancer stem cell phenotype in neuroblastoma upon glutamine deprivation. Am J Cancer Res 2020; 10:6411-6429. [PMID: 32483461 PMCID: PMC7255021 DOI: 10.7150/thno.42602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeting glutamine metabolism has emerged as a potential therapeutic strategy for Myc overexpressing cancer cells. Myc proteins contribute to an aggressive neuroblastoma phenotype. Radiotherapy is one of the treatment modalities for high-risk neuroblastoma patients. Herein, we investigated the effect of glutamine deprivation in combination with irradiation in neuroblastoma cells representative of high-risk disease and studied the role of Myc member interplay in regulating neuroblastoma cell radioresistance. Methods: Cell proliferation and viability assays were used to establish the effect of glutamine deprivation in neuroblastoma cells expressing c-Myc or MycN. Gene silencing and overexpression were used to modulate the expression of Myc genes to determine their role in neuroblastoma radioresistance. qPCR and western blot investigated interplay between expression of Myc members. The impact of glutamine deprivation on cell response following irradiation was explored using a radiobiological 3D colony assay. DNA repair gene pathways as well as CSC-related genes were studied by qPCR array. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and glutathione (GSH) levels were detected by fluorescence and luminescence probes respectively. Cancer-stem cell (CSC) properties were investigated by sphere-forming assay and flow cytometry to quantify CSC markers. Expression of DNA repair genes and CSC-related genes was analysed by mining publicly available patient datasets. Results: Our results showed that glutamine deprivation decreased neuroblastoma cell proliferation and viability and modulated Myc member expression. We then demonstrated for the first time that combined glutamine deprivation with irradiation led to a selective radioresistance of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells. By exploring the underlying mechanism of neuroblastoma radioresistance properties, our results highlight interplay between c-Myc and MycN expression suggesting compensatory mechanisms in Myc proteins leading to radioresistance in MYCN-amplified cells. This result was associated with the ability of MYCN-amplified cells to dysregulate the DNA repair gene pathway, maintain GSH and ROS levels and to increase the CSC-like population and properties. Conversely, glutamine deprivation led to radiosensitization in non-MYCN amplified cell lines through a disruption of the cell redox balance and a trend to decrease in the CSC-like populations. Mining publicly available gene expression dataset obtained from pediatric neuroblastoma patients, we identified a correlation pattern between Myc members and CSC-related genes as well as a specific group of DNA repair gene pathways. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that MycN and c-Myc tightly cooperate in regulation of the neuroblastoma CSC phenotypes and radioresistance upon glutamine deprivation. Pharmacologically, strategies targeting glutamine metabolism may prove beneficial in Myc-driven tumors. Consideration of MycN/c-Myc status in selecting neuroblastoma patients for glutamine metabolism treatment will be important to avoid potential radioresistance.
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29
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Maeshima R, Moulding D, Stoker AW, Hart SL. MYCN Silencing by RNAi Induces Neurogenesis and Suppresses Proliferation in Models of Neuroblastoma with Resistance to Retinoic Acid. Nucleic Acid Ther 2020; 30:237-248. [PMID: 32240058 DOI: 10.1089/nat.2019.0831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common solid tumor in childhood. Twenty percent of patients display MYCN amplification, which indicates a very poor prognosis. MYCN is a highly specific target for an NB tumor therapy as MYCN expression is absent or very low in most normal cells, while, as a transcription factor, it regulates many essential cell activities in tumor cells. We aim to develop a therapy for NB based on MYCN silencing by short interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules, which can silence target genes by RNA interference (RNAi), a naturally occurring method of gene silencing. It has been shown previously that MYCN silencing can induce apoptosis and differentiation in MYCN amplified NB. In this article, we have demonstrated that siRNA-mediated silencing of MYCN in MYCN-amplified NB cells induced neurogenesis in NB cells, whereas retinoic acid (RA) treatment did not. RA can differentiate NB cells and is used for treatment of residual disease after surgery or chemotherapy, but resistance can develop. In addition, MYCN siRNA treatment suppressed growth in a MYCN-amplified NB cell line more than that by RA. Our result suggests that gene therapy using RNAi targeting MYCN can be a novel therapy toward MYCN-amplified NB that have complete or partial resistance toward RA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruhina Maeshima
- Genetics and Genomic Medicine Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dale Moulding
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew W Stoker
- Developmental Biology & Cancer Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen L Hart
- Genetics and Genomic Medicine Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
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30
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MYCN RNA levels determined by quantitative in situ hybridization is better than MYCN gene dosages in predicting the prognosis of neuroblastoma patients. Mod Pathol 2020; 33:531-540. [PMID: 31695155 DOI: 10.1038/s41379-019-0410-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic role of MYCN RNA expression by quantitative RNA in situ hybridization and its association with MYCN amplification in neuroblastoma. MYCN RNA expression in 69 neuroblastoma tumors was evaluated by an ultrasensitive quantitative RNA in situ hybridization technique, RNAscope. The correlations between MYCN RNA expression, MYCN amplification, and other clinicopathologic variables of neuroblastoma were analyzed. High expression levels of MYCN RNA were detected 30 of 69 (43%) of neuroblastomas, mainly in those with undifferentiated or poorly differentiated histology. High expression of MYCN RNA was significantly associated with MYCN amplification (P < 0.001) and other adversely prognostic factors, including older age at diagnosis (>18 months, P = 0.017), advanced clinical stage (International Neuroblastoma Staging System stage 3, 4, P = 0.002), unfavorable International Neuroblastoma Pathology Classification tumor histology (P < 0.001), and high-risk Children's Oncology Group risk group (P = 0.001). In Kaplan-Meier analysis, MYCN RNA levels determined by quantitative in situ hybridization were better than MYCN gene dosages determined by chromogenic in situ hybridization in discriminating good and poor prognostic groups of neuroblastoma patients. In multivariate analysis, we further confirmed that high expression of MYCN RNA was an independent adverse prognostic factor for event-free and overall survival. Furthermore, high expression of MYCN RNA predicted unfavorable survival outcomes for neuroblastoma patients with MYCN non-amplification or high-risk Children's Oncology Group risk group. In conclusion, our study is the first report to show the application of MYCN RNA in situ hybridization in neuroblastoma and established that high expression of MYCN RNA could be a better biomarker than MYCN amplification for predicting poor prognosis of neuroblastoma patients.
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31
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Le Grand M, Kimpton K, Gana CC, Valli E, Fletcher JI, Kavallaris M. Targeting Functional Activity of AKT Has Efficacy against Aggressive Neuroblastoma. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2020; 3:148-160. [PMID: 32259094 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.9b00085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma is one of the deadliest forms of childhood cancer and remains a significant clinical challenge. Direct pharmacological inhibition of MYCN is not currently achievable. One strategy could be to target the AKT/GSK3β pathway, which directly regulates the stability of the MYCN protein. Numerous potent and isoform-specific small-molecule AKT inhibitors have been developed. However, the selection of the right drug combinations in the relevant indication will have a significant impact on AKT inhibitor clinical success. To maximally exploit the potential of AKT inhibitors, a better understanding of AKT isoform functions in cancer is crucial. Here using RNAi to downregulate specific AKT isoforms, we demonstrated that loss of total AKT activity rather than isoform-specific expression was necessary to decrease MYCN expression and cause a significant decrease in neuroblastoma cell proliferation. Consistent with these observations, isoform-specific pharmacological inhibition of AKT was substantially less effective than pan-AKT inhibition in combination with cytotoxic drugs in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma. The allosteric pan-AKT inhibitor perifosine had promising in vitro and in vivo activity in combination with conventional cytotoxic drugs in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells. Our results demonstrated that perifosine drug combination was able to induce apoptosis and downregulate ABC transporter expression. Collectively, this study shows that selecting pan-AKT inhibitors rather than isoform-specific drugs to synergize with first-line chemotherapy treatment should be considered for clinical trials for aggressive neuroblastoma and, potentially, other MYCN -driven cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Le Grand
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Australian Centre for Nanomedicine, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Kathleen Kimpton
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Australian Centre for Nanomedicine, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Christine C Gana
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Emanuele Valli
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Jamie I Fletcher
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Maria Kavallaris
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Australian Centre for Nanomedicine, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
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32
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Silencing E3 Ubiqutin ligase ITCH as a potential therapy to enhance chemotherapy efficacy in p53 mutant neuroblastoma cells. Sci Rep 2020; 10:1046. [PMID: 31974512 PMCID: PMC6978385 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-57854-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
P53 mutations are responsible for drug-resistance of tumour cells which impacts on the efficacy of treatment. Alternative tumour suppressor pathways need to be explored to treat p53- deficient tumours. The E3 ubiquitin ligase, ITCH, negatively regulates the tumour suppressor protein TP73, providing a therapeutic target to enhance the sensitivity of the tumour cells to the treatment. In the present study, two p53-mutant neuroblastoma cell lines were used as in vitro models. Using immunostaining, western blot and qPCR methods, we firstly identified that ITCH was expressed on p53-mutant neuroblastoma cell lines. Transfection of these cell lines with ITCH siRNA could effectively silence the ITCH expression, and result in the stabilization of TP73 protein, which mediated the apoptosis of the neuroblastoma cells upon irradiation treatment. Finally, in vivo delivery of the ITCH siRNA using nanoparticles to the neuroblastoma xenograft mouse model showed around 15–20% ITCH silencing 48 hours after transfection. Our data suggest that ITCH could be silenced both in vitro and in vivo using nanoparticles, and silencing of ITCH sensitizes the tumour cells to irradiation treatment. This strategy could be further explored to combine the chemotherapy/radiotherapy treatment to enhance the therapeutic effects on p53-deficient neuroblastoma.
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33
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Ghasemi DR, Sill M, Okonechnikov K, Korshunov A, Yip S, Schutz PW, Scheie D, Kruse A, Harter PN, Kastelan M, Wagner M, Hartmann C, Benzel J, Maass KK, Khasraw M, Sträter R, Thomas C, Paulus W, Kratz CP, Witt H, Kawauchi D, Herold-Mende C, Sahm F, Brandner S, Kool M, Jones DTW, von Deimling A, Pfister SM, Reuss DE, Pajtler KW. MYCN amplification drives an aggressive form of spinal ependymoma. Acta Neuropathol 2019; 138:1075-1089. [PMID: 31414211 PMCID: PMC6851394 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-019-02056-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Spinal ependymal tumors form a histologically and molecularly heterogeneous group of tumors with generally good prognosis. However, their treatment can be challenging if infiltration of the spinal cord or dissemination throughout the central nervous system (CNS) occurs and, in these cases, clinical outcome remains poor. Here, we describe a new and relatively rare subgroup of spinal ependymal tumors identified using DNA methylation profiling that is distinct from other molecular subgroups of ependymoma. Copy number variation plots derived from DNA methylation arrays showed MYCN amplification as a characteristic genetic alteration in all cases of our cohort (n = 13), which was subsequently validated using fluorescence in situ hybridization. The histological diagnosis was anaplastic ependymoma (WHO Grade III) in ten cases and classic ependymoma (WHO Grade II) in three cases. Histological re-evaluation in five primary tumors and seven relapses showed characteristic histological features of ependymoma, namely pseudorosettes, GFAP- and EMA positivity. Electron microscopy revealed cilia, complex intercellular junctions and intermediate filaments in a representative sample. Taking these findings into account, we suggest to designate this molecular subgroup spinal ependymoma with MYCN amplification, SP-EPN-MYCN. SP-EPN-MYCN tumors showed distinct growth patterns with intradural, extramedullary localization mostly within the thoracic and cervical spine, diffuse leptomeningeal spread throughout the whole CNS and infiltrative invasion of the spinal cord. Dissemination was observed in 100% of cases. Despite high-intensity treatment, SP-EPN-MYCN showed significantly worse median progression free survival (PFS) (17 months) and median overall survival (OS) (87 months) than all other previously described molecular spinal ependymoma subgroups. OS and PFS were similar to supratentorial ependymoma with RELA-fusion (ST-EPN-RELA) and posterior fossa ependymoma A (PF-EPN-A), further highlighting the aggressiveness of this distinct new subgroup. We, therefore, propose to establish SP-EPN-MYCN as a new molecular subgroup in ependymoma and advocate for testing newly diagnosed spinal ependymal tumors for MYCN amplification.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R Ghasemi
- Hopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Martin Sill
- Hopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Konstantin Okonechnikov
- Hopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andrey Korshunov
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuropathology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stephen Yip
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Peter W Schutz
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - David Scheie
- Department of Pathology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anders Kruse
- Spine Section, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Patrick N Harter
- Institute of Neurology (Edinger-Institute), University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Marina Kastelan
- Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- The Brain Cancer Group, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Marlies Wagner
- LOEWE Center for Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (CePTER), Frankfurt, Germany
- Institute of Neuroradiology, Goethe University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Christian Hartmann
- Department of Neuropathology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Julia Benzel
- Hopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kendra K Maass
- Hopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology, and Immunology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mustafa Khasraw
- Royal North Shore Hospital, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ronald Sträter
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Christian Thomas
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Werner Paulus
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Christian P Kratz
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Hendrik Witt
- Hopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology, and Immunology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Daisuke Kawauchi
- Hopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Felix Sahm
- Hopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuropathology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Brandner
- Division of Neuropathology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
| | - Marcel Kool
- Hopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - David T W Jones
- Hopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Pediatric Glioma Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andreas von Deimling
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuropathology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan M Pfister
- Hopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology, and Immunology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - David E Reuss
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuropathology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Kristian W Pajtler
- Hopp-Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology, and Immunology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
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34
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Gao L, Lin P, Chen P, Gao R, Yang H, He Y, Chen J, Luo Y, Xu Q, Liang S, Gu J, Huang Z, Dang Y, Chen G. A novel risk signature that combines 10 long noncoding RNAs to predict neuroblastoma prognosis. J Cell Physiol 2019; 235:3823-3834. [PMID: 31612488 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.29277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Li Gao
- Department of Pathology First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Peng Lin
- Department of Ultrasound First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Peng Chen
- Department of Pediatric Surgery First calculated using the following formula Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Rui‐Zhi Gao
- Department of Ultrasound First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Hong Yang
- Department of Ultrasound First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Yun He
- Department of Ultrasound First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Jia‐Bo Chen
- Department of Pediatric Surgery First calculated using the following formula Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Yi‐Ge Luo
- Department of Pediatric Surgery First calculated using the following formula Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Qiong‐Qian Xu
- Department of Pediatric Surgery First calculated using the following formula Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Song‐Wu Liang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery First calculated using the following formula Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Jin‐Han Gu
- Department of Pediatric Surgery First calculated using the following formula Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Zhi‐Guang Huang
- Department of Pathology First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Yi‐Wu Dang
- Department of Pathology First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Gang Chen
- Department of Pathology First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China
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35
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Pastor ER, Mousa SA. Current management of neuroblastoma and future direction. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2019; 138:38-43. [PMID: 31092383 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2019.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most common solid extracranial tumor in pediatrics and can regress spontaneously or grow and metastasize with resistance to multiple therapeutic approaches. The prognosis and approach to treatment depends on the tumor presentation and whether it expresses certain drivers such as MYCN, ALK, and TrkB. Expression or mutation of these genes and kinases correlates with high-risk and poor prognosis. Multiple therapeutic approaches are being used to target MYCN, ALK, and TrkB, as well as GD2, a surface antigen present on the surface of neuroblastoma tumor cells. This review discusses the nature of these targets and several current therapies for neuroblastoma. A focus is placed on recent therapeutic developments including targeted delivery of chemotherapy, novel radiation therapy, and immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth R Pastor
- The Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Rensselaer, NY, USA
| | - Shaker A Mousa
- The Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Rensselaer, NY, USA.
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36
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Watts E, Heidenreich D, Tucker E, Raab M, Strebhardt K, Chesler L, Knapp S, Bellenie B, Hoelder S. Designing Dual Inhibitors of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) and Bromodomain-4 (BRD4) by Tuning Kinase Selectivity. J Med Chem 2019; 62:2618-2637. [PMID: 30789735 PMCID: PMC6421522 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Concomitant inhibition of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and bromodomain-4 (BRD4) is a potential therapeutic strategy for targeting two key oncogenic drivers that co-segregate in a significant fraction of high-risk neuroblastoma patients, mutation of ALK and amplification of MYCN. Starting from known dual polo-like kinase (PLK)-1-BRD4 inhibitor BI-2536, we employed structure-based design to redesign this series toward compounds with a dual ALK-BRD4 profile. These efforts led to compound ( R)-2-((2-ethoxy-4-(1-methylpiperidin-4-yl)phenyl)amino)-7-ethyl-5-methyl-8-((4-methylthiophen-2-yl)methyl)-7,8-dihydropteridin-6(5 H)-one (16k) demonstrating improved ALK activity and significantly reduced PLK-1 activity, while maintaining BRD4 activity and overall kinome selectivity. We demonstrate the compounds' on-target engagement with ALK and BRD4 in cells as well as favorable broad kinase and bromodomain selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Watts
- Cancer
Research UK Cancer Therapeutics Unit at The Institute of Cancer Research, London SM2 5NG, U.K.
| | - David Heidenreich
- Institute
for Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Johann Wolfgang
Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Strasse
9, D-60438 Frankfurt
am Main, Germany
- Structural
Genomics Consortium, BMLS, Goethe-University
Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Elizabeth Tucker
- Paediatric
and Solid Tumour Biology and Therapeutics Group, The Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, London SM2 5NG, U.K.
| | - Monika Raab
- Department
of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johann Wolfgang
Goethe-University, Theodor-Stern
Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt
am Main, Germany
| | - Klaus Strebhardt
- Department
of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johann Wolfgang
Goethe-University, Theodor-Stern
Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt
am Main, Germany
| | - Louis Chesler
- Paediatric
and Solid Tumour Biology and Therapeutics Group, The Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, London SM2 5NG, U.K.
| | - Stefan Knapp
- Institute
for Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Johann Wolfgang
Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Strasse
9, D-60438 Frankfurt
am Main, Germany
- Structural
Genomics Consortium, BMLS, Goethe-University
Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
- German Cancer
Network (DKTK), Site
Frankfurt/Mainz, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Benjamin Bellenie
- Cancer
Research UK Cancer Therapeutics Unit at The Institute of Cancer Research, London SM2 5NG, U.K.
| | - Swen Hoelder
- Cancer
Research UK Cancer Therapeutics Unit at The Institute of Cancer Research, London SM2 5NG, U.K.
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37
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Oh JM, Lee J, Im WT, Chun S. Ginsenoside Rk1 Induces Apoptosis in Neuroblastoma Cells Through Loss of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential and Activation of Caspases. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20051213. [PMID: 30862004 PMCID: PMC6429382 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20051213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common childhood cancer, with a very poor prognosis. More than 60% of children with NB die within five years; therefore, a more effective therapy for NB is required. Although ginsenoside has been shown to significantly inhibit the growth of various cancers, the effect of ginsenoside Rk1 on neuroblastoma has not been known yet. Hence, we examined the anticancer effects of highly pure Rk1 on neuroblastoma cell lines. The apoptotic effects of Rk1 on neuroblastoma cells were examined using cell viability assay, flow cytometry and cell staining assay, and the change in gene expression levels were analysed using RT-PCR, western blots, and immunohistochemistry. The metastatic effect of Rk1 was monitored by wound healing assay, invasion and migration with Matrigels. Rk1 inhibited neuroblastoma cell viability dose-dependently. Rk1-induced apoptosis was investigated through nuclear condensation and mitochondrial membrane potential loss, and it showed that Rk1 can induce cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase but also inhibit the metastatic ability of neuroblastoma cells. Moreover, Rk1 (30 mg/kg) injections markedly inhibited xenograft tumor growth. These findings demonstrate that Rk1 might be valuable in the development of anti-cancer agents for neuroblastoma treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung-Mi Oh
- Department of Physiology, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju 54907, Korea.
| | - Jeongwoo Lee
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Chonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju 54907, Korea.
| | - Wan-Taek Im
- Department of Biotechnology, Hankyoung National University, Anseong 17579, Korea.
| | - Sungkun Chun
- Department of Physiology, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju 54907, Korea.
- Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 54907, Korea.
- Biomedical Research Institute of Chonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju 54907, Korea.
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The roles played by the MYCN, Trk, and ALK genes in neuroblastoma and neural development. Surg Today 2019; 49:721-727. [PMID: 30848386 DOI: 10.1007/s00595-019-01790-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is one of the most frequent, yet distinctive and challenging childhood tumors. The uniqueness of this tumor depends on its biological markers, which classify neuroblastomas into favorable and unfavorable, with 5-year survival rates ranging from almost 100-30%. In this review, we focus on some biological factors that play major roles in neuroblastoma: MYCN, Trk, and ALK. The MYCN and Trk family genes have been studied for decades and are known to be crucial for the tumorigenesis and progression of neuroblastoma. ALK gene mutations have been recognized recently to be responsible for familial neuroblastomas. Each factor plays an important role in normal neural development, regulating cell proliferation or differentiation by activating several signaling pathways, and interacting with each other. These factors have been studied not only as prognostic factors, but also as targets of neuroblastoma therapy, and some clinical trials are ongoing. We review the basic aspects of MYCN, Trk, and ALK in both neural development and in neuroblastoma.
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Lee MW, Kim DS, Kim HR, Park HJ, Lee JW, Sung KW, Koo HH, Yoo KH. Inhibition of N-myc expression sensitizes human neuroblastoma IMR-32 cells expressing caspase-8 to TRAIL. Cell Prolif 2019; 52:e12577. [PMID: 30724400 PMCID: PMC6536445 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.12577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 12/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives This study aims to explore the roles of N‐myc and caspase‐8 in TRAIL‐resistant IMR‐32 cells which exhibit MYCN oncogene amplification and lack caspase‐8 expression. Materials and methods We established N‐myc–downregulated IMR‐32 cells using shRNA lentiviral particles targeting N‐myc and examined the effect the N‐myc inhibition on TRAIL susceptibility in human neuroblastoma IMR‐32 cells expressing caspase‐8. Results Cisplatin treatment in IMR‐32 cells increased the expression of death receptor 5 (DR5; TRAIL‐R2), but not other receptors, via downregulation of NF‐κB activity. However, the cisplatin‐mediated increase in DR5 failed to induce cell death following TRAIL treatment. Furthermore, interferon (IFN)‐γ pretreatment increased caspase‐8 expression in IMR‐32 cells, but cisplatin failed to trigger TRAIL cytotoxicity. We downregulated N‐myc expression in IMR‐32 cells using N‐myc–targeting shRNA. These cells showed decreased growth rate and Bcl‐2 expression accompanied by a mild collapse in the mitochondrial membrane potential as compared with those treated with scrambled shRNA. TRAIL treatment in N‐myc–negative cells expressing caspase‐8 following IFN‐γ treatment significantly triggered apoptotic cell death. Concurrent treatment with cisplatin enhanced TRAIL‐mediated cytotoxicity, which was abrogated by an additional pretreatment with DR5:Fc chimera protein. Conclusions N‐myc and caspase‐8 expressions are involved in TRAIL susceptibility in IMR‐32 cells, and the combination of treatment with cisplatin and TRAIL may serve as a promising strategy for the development of therapeutics against neuroblastoma that is controlled by N‐myc and caspase‐8 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myoung Woo Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Dae Seong Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hye Ryung Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hyun Jin Park
- Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Ji Won Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Ki Woong Sung
- Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hong Hoe Koo
- Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.,Department of Health Sciences and Technology, SAIHST, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Keon Hee Yoo
- Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.,Department of Health Sciences and Technology, SAIHST, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea
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Vanhauwaert S, Decaesteker B, De Brouwer S, Leonelli C, Durinck K, Mestdagh P, Vandesompele J, Sermon K, Denecker G, Van Neste C, Speleman F, De Preter K. In silico discovery of a FOXM1 driven embryonal signaling pathway in therapy resistant neuroblastoma tumors. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17468. [PMID: 30504901 PMCID: PMC6269481 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35868-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemotherapy resistance is responsible for high mortality rates in neuroblastoma. MYCN, an oncogenic driver in neuroblastoma, controls pluripotency genes including LIN28B. We hypothesized that enhanced embryonic stem cell (ESC) gene regulatory programs could mark tumors with high pluripotency capacity and subsequently increased risk for therapy failure. An ESC miRNA signature was established based on publicly available data. In addition, an ESC mRNA signature was generated including the 500 protein coding genes with the highest positive expression correlation with the ESC miRNA signature score in 200 neuroblastomas. High ESC m(i)RNA expression signature scores were significantly correlated with poor neuroblastoma patient outcome specifically in the subgroup of MYCN amplified tumors and stage 4 nonamplified tumors. Further data-mining identified FOXM1, as the major predicted driver of this ESC signature, controlling a large set of genes implicated in cell cycle control and DNA damage response. Of further interest, re-analysis of published data showed that MYCN transcriptionally activates FOXM1 in neuroblastoma cells. In conclusion, a novel ESC m(i)RNA signature stratifies neuroblastomas with poor prognosis, enabling the identification of therapy-resistant tumors. The finding that this signature is strongly FOXM1 driven, warrants for drug design targeted at FOXM1 or key components controlling this pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne Vanhauwaert
- Center for Medical Genetics (CMGG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bieke Decaesteker
- Center for Medical Genetics (CMGG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sara De Brouwer
- Center for Medical Genetics (CMGG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Carina Leonelli
- Center for Medical Genetics (CMGG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kaat Durinck
- Center for Medical Genetics (CMGG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Pieter Mestdagh
- Center for Medical Genetics (CMGG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jo Vandesompele
- Center for Medical Genetics (CMGG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Karen Sermon
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Geertrui Denecker
- Center for Medical Genetics (CMGG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Christophe Van Neste
- Center for Medical Genetics (CMGG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Frank Speleman
- Center for Medical Genetics (CMGG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Katleen De Preter
- Center for Medical Genetics (CMGG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. .,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
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Zhong X, Liu Y, Liu H, Zhang Y, Wang L, Zhang H. Identification of Potential Prognostic Genes for Neuroblastoma. Front Genet 2018; 9:589. [PMID: 30555514 PMCID: PMC6282001 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Objective: Neuroblastoma (NB), the most common pediatric solid tumor apart from brain tumor, is associated with dismal long-term survival. The aim of this study was to identify a gene signature to predict the prognosis of NB patients. Materials and Methods: GSE49710 dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was downloaded and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed using R package “limma” and SPSS software. The gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analysis were established via DAVID database. Random forest (RF) and risk score model were used to pick out the gene signature in predicting the prognosis of NB patients. Simultaneously, the receiving operating characteristic (ROC) and Kaplan-Meier curve were plotted. GSE45480 and GSE16476 datasets were employed to validate the robustness of the gene signature. Results: A total of 131 DEGs were identified, which were mainly enriched in cancer-related pathways. Four genes (ERCC6L, AHCY, STK33, and NCAN) were selected as a gene signature, which was included in the top six important features in RF model, to predict the prognosis in NB patients, its area under the curve (AUC) could reach 0.86, and Cox regression analysis revealed that the 4-gene signature was an independent prognostic factor of overall survival and event-free survival. As well as in GSE16476. Additionally, the robustness of discriminating different groups of the 4-gene signature was verified to have a commendable performance in GSE45480 and GSE49710. Conclusion: The present study identified a gene-signature in predicting the prognosis in NB, which may provide novel prognostic markers, and some of the genes may be as treatment targets according to biological experiments in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodan Zhong
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Key Laboratory of Symbolic Computation and Knowledge Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Department of Pediatric Oncology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yuanning Liu
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Key Laboratory of Symbolic Computation and Knowledge Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Haiming Liu
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Key Laboratory of Symbolic Computation and Knowledge Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yutong Zhang
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Linyu Wang
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Key Laboratory of Symbolic Computation and Knowledge Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Key Laboratory of Symbolic Computation and Knowledge Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, China
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Molecularly Targeted Therapy for Neuroblastoma. CHILDREN-BASEL 2018; 5:children5100142. [PMID: 30326621 PMCID: PMC6210520 DOI: 10.3390/children5100142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2018] [Revised: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most common extra-cranial solid tumor encountered in childhood and accounts for 15% of pediatric cancer-related deaths. Although there has been significant improvement in the outcomes for patients with high-risk disease, the therapy needed to achieve a cure is quite toxic and for those that do experience a disease recurrence, the prognosis is very dismal. Given this, there is a tremendous need for novel therapies for children with high-risk neuroblastoma and the molecular discoveries over recent years provide hope for developing new, less toxic, and potentially more efficacious treatments. Here I discuss many of the molecular aberrations identified thus far in neuroblastoma, as well as the agents in development to target these changes. The progress made in both the preclinical arena and in early phase drug development provide much promise for the future of precision medicine in neuroblastoma.
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43
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Duffy DJ, Konietzny A, Krstic A, Mehta JP, Halasz M, Kolch W. Identification of a MYCN and Wnt-related VANGL2-ITLN1 fusion gene in neuroblastoma. GENE REPORTS 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.genrep.2018.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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44
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Gonzalez Malagon SG, Liu KJ. ALK and GSK3: Shared Features of Neuroblastoma and Neural Crest Cells. J Exp Neurosci 2018; 12:1179069518792499. [PMID: 30127638 PMCID: PMC6090488 DOI: 10.1177/1179069518792499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is one of the most common and deadly childhood cancers.
Neuroblastoma arises from transformed cells of the neural crest lineage.
Outcomes of the disease vary greatly, ranging from spontaneous regression to
aggressive metastases. While this variability may reflect the inherent migratory
capabilities and multipotency of neural crest cells, there have been few direct
comparisons between neuroblastoma and embryonic neural crest cells, in part
because of the limited in vivo accessibility of the mammalian neural crest
lineage. Our recent studies demonstrate a novel link between anaplastic lymphoma
kinase (ALK) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3). Our work suggests that
ALK-dependent regulation of GSK3 via tyrosine phosphorylation may alter the
substrate specificity of GSK3, thus regulating cytoskeletal dynamics in
migrating neural crest cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra G Gonzalez Malagon
- Centre for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology, King's College London, London, UK.,Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, FORTH. Department of Biomedical Research, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Karen J Liu
- Centre for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology, King's College London, London, UK
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45
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Nakagawara A, Li Y, Izumi H, Muramori K, Inada H, Nishi M. Neuroblastoma. Jpn J Clin Oncol 2018; 48:214-241. [PMID: 29378002 DOI: 10.1093/jjco/hyx176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is one of the most common solid tumors in children and has a diverse clinical behavior that largely depends on the tumor biology. Neuroblastoma exhibits unique features, such as early age of onset, high frequency of metastatic disease at diagnosis in patients over 1 year of age and the tendency for spontaneous regression of tumors in infants. The high-risk tumors frequently have amplification of the MYCN oncogene as well as segmental chromosome alterations with poor survival. Recent advanced genomic sequencing technology has revealed that mutation of ALK, which is present in ~10% of primary tumors, often causes familial neuroblastoma with germline mutation. However, the frequency of gene mutations is relatively small and other aberrations, such as epigenetic abnormalities, have also been proposed. The risk-stratified therapy was introduced by the Japan Neuroblastoma Study Group (JNBSG), which is now moving to the Neuroblastoma Committee of Japan Children's Cancer Group (JCCG). Several clinical studies have facilitated the reduction of therapy for children with low-risk neuroblastoma disease and the significant improvement of cure rates for patients with intermediate-risk as well as high-risk disease. Therapy for patients with high-risk disease includes intensive induction chemotherapy and myeloablative chemotherapy, followed by the treatment of minimal residual disease using differentiation therapy and immunotherapy. The JCCG aims for better cures and long-term quality of life for children with cancer by facilitating new approaches targeting novel driver proteins, genetic pathways and the tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yuanyuan Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Life Science Research Institute, Saga Medical Center Koseikan
| | - Hideki Izumi
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Life Science Research Institute, Saga Medical Center Koseikan
| | | | - Hiroko Inada
- Department of Pediatrics, Saga Medical Center Koseikan
| | - Masanori Nishi
- Department of Pediatrics, Saga University, Saga 849-8501, Japan
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46
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MicroRNA-193b-3p represses neuroblastoma cell growth via downregulation of Cyclin D1, MCL-1 and MYCN. Oncotarget 2018; 9:18160-18179. [PMID: 29719597 PMCID: PMC5915064 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.24793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most common diagnosed tumor in infants and the second most common extracranial tumor of childhood. The survival rate of patients with high-risk neuroblastoma is still very low despite intensive multimodal treatments. Therefore, new treatment strategies are needed. In recent years, miRNA-based anticancer therapy has received growing attention. Advances in this novel treatment strategy strongly depends on the identification of candidate miRNAs with broad-spectrum antitumor activity. Here, we identify miR-193b as a miRNA with tumor suppressive properties. We show that miR-193b is expressed at low levels in neuroblastoma cell lines and primary tumor samples. Introduction of miR-193b mimics into nine neuroblastoma cell lines with distinct genetic characteristics significantly reduces cell growth in vitro independent of risk factors such as p53 functionality or MYCN amplification. Functionally, miR-193b induces a G1 cell cycle arrest and cell death in neuroblastoma cell lines by reducing the expression of MYCN, Cyclin D1 and MCL-1, three important oncogenes in neuroblastoma of which inhibition has shown promising results in preclinical testing. Therefore, we suggest that miR-193b may represent a new candidate for miRNA-based anticancer therapy in neuroblastoma.
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47
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Protein arginine methyltransferase 1 is a novel regulator of MYCN in neuroblastoma. Oncotarget 2018; 7:63629-63639. [PMID: 27571165 PMCID: PMC5325390 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.11556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2016] [Accepted: 08/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Amplification or overexpression of MYCN is associated with poor prognosis of human neuroblastoma. We have recently defined a MYCN-dependent transcriptional signature, including protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1), which identifies a subgroup of patients with high-risk disease. Here we provide several lines of evidence demonstrating PRMT1 as a novel regulator of MYCN and implicating PRMT1 as a potential therapeutic target in neuroblastoma pathogenesis. First, we observed a strong correlation between MYCN and PRMT1 protein levels in primary neuroblastoma tumors. Second, MYCN physically associates with PRMT1 by direct protein-protein interaction. Third, depletion of PRMT1 through siRNA knockdown reduced neuroblastoma cell viability and MYCN expression. Fourth, we showed that PRMT1 regulates MYCN stability and identified MYCN as a novel substrate of PRMT1. Finally, we demonstrated that mutation of putatively methylated arginine R65 to alanine decreased MYCN stability by altering phosphorylation at residues serine 62 and threonine 58. These results provide mechanistic insights into the modulation of MYCN oncoprotein by PRMT1, and suggest that targeting PRMT1 may have a therapeutic impact on MYCN-driven oncogenesis.
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48
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Gonzalez Malagon SG, Lopez Muñoz AM, Doro D, Bolger TG, Poon E, Tucker ER, Adel Al-Lami H, Krause M, Phiel CJ, Chesler L, Liu KJ. Glycogen synthase kinase 3 controls migration of the neural crest lineage in mouse and Xenopus. Nat Commun 2018; 9:1126. [PMID: 29555900 PMCID: PMC5859133 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03512-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural crest migration is critical to its physiological function. Mechanisms controlling mammalian neural crest migration are comparatively unknown, due to difficulties accessing this cell population in vivo. Here we report requirements of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) in regulating the neural crest in Xenopus and mouse models. We demonstrate that GSK3 is tyrosine phosphorylated (pY) in mouse neural crest cells and that loss of GSK3 leads to increased pFAK and misregulation of Rac1 and lamellipodin, key regulators of cell migration. Genetic reduction of GSK3 results in failure of migration. We find that pY-GSK3 phosphorylation depends on anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), a protein associated with neuroblastoma. Consistent with this, neuroblastoma cells with increased ALK activity express high levels of pY-GSK3, and blockade of GSK3 or ALK can affect migration of these cells. Altogether, this work identifies a role for GSK3 in cell migration during neural crest development and cancer. Defects in neural crest development cause neurocristopathies and cancer, but what regulates this is unclear. Here, the authors show that glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) regulates migration of neural crest cells, as shown on genetic deletion of GSK3 in the mouse, and that this acts via anaplastic lymphoma kinase.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna M Lopez Muñoz
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King's College London, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Daniel Doro
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King's College London, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Triòna G Bolger
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King's College London, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Evon Poon
- Paediatric Solid Tumour Biology, Institute of Cancer Research/Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Surrey, SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Elizabeth R Tucker
- Paediatric Solid Tumour Biology, Institute of Cancer Research/Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Surrey, SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Hadeel Adel Al-Lami
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King's College London, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Matthias Krause
- Randall Division of Cell & Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Christopher J Phiel
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, 80204, USA
| | - Louis Chesler
- Paediatric Solid Tumour Biology, Institute of Cancer Research/Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Surrey, SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Karen J Liu
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King's College London, London, SE1 9RT, UK.
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Wu T, Wang G, Chen W, Zhu Z, Liu Y, Huang Z, Huang Y, Du P, Yang Y, Liu CY, Cui L. Co-inhibition of BET proteins and NF-κB as a potential therapy for colorectal cancer through synergistic inhibiting MYC and FOXM1 expressions. Cell Death Dis 2018; 9:315. [PMID: 29472532 PMCID: PMC5833769 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-018-0354-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2017] [Revised: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The bromodomain and extra-terminal domain inhibitors (BETi) are promising epigenetic drugs for the treatment of various cancers through suppression of oncogenic transcription factors. However, only a subset of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells response to BETi. We investigate additional agents that could be combined with BETi to overcome this obstacle. JQ1-resistant CRC cells were used for screening of the effective combination therapies with JQ1. RNA-seq was performed to explore the mechanism of synergistic effect. The efficacy of combinational treatment was tested in the CRC cell line- and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. In BETi-sensitive CRC cells, JQ1 also impaired tumor angiogenesis through the c-myc/miR-17-92/CTGF+THBS1 axis. CTGF knockdown moderately counteracted anti-angiogenic effect of JQ1 and led to partially attenuated tumor regression. JQ1 decreased c-myc expression and NF-κB activity in BETi-sensitive CRC cells but not in resistant cells. Bortezomib synergistically sensitized BETi-resistant cells to the JQ1 treatment, and JQ1+Bortezomib induced G2/M arrest in CRC cells. Mechanistically, inhibition of NF-κB by Bortezomib or NF-κB inhibitor or IKK1/2 siRNA all rendered BETi-resistant cells more sensitive to BETi by synergistic repression of c-myc, which in turn induces GADD45s’ expression, and by synergistic repression of FOXM1 which in turn inhibit G2/M checkpoint genes’ expression. Activation of NF-κB by IκBα siRNA induced resistance to JQ1 in BETi-sensitive CRC cells. Last, JQ1+Bortezomib inhibited tumor growth and angiogenesis in CRC cell line xenograft model and four PDX models. Our results indicate that anti-angiogenic effect of JQ1 plays a vital role in therapeutic effect of JQ1 in CRC, and provide a rationale for combined inhibition of BET proteins and NF-κB as a potential therapy for CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingyu Wu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Colorectal Cancer Research Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Guanghui Wang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Colorectal Cancer Research Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Colorectal Cancer Research Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhehui Zhu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Colorectal Cancer Research Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Yun Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zhenyu Huang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Colorectal Cancer Research Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuji Huang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Colorectal Cancer Research Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Peng Du
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Colorectal Cancer Research Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Yili Yang
- Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Center for Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Suzhou, China
| | - Chen-Ying Liu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. .,Shanghai Colorectal Cancer Research Center, Shanghai, China.
| | - Long Cui
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. .,Shanghai Colorectal Cancer Research Center, Shanghai, China.
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Johnsen JI, Dyberg C, Fransson S, Wickström M. Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets in neuroblastoma. Pharmacol Res 2018; 131:164-176. [PMID: 29466695 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2018.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Revised: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranical tumor of childhood and the most deadly tumor of infancy. It is characterized by early age onset and high frequencies of metastatic disease but also the capacity to spontaneously regress. Despite intensive therapy, the survival for patients with high-risk neuroblastoma and those with recurrent or relapsed disease is low. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop new therapies for these patient groups. The molecular pathogenesis based on high-throughput omics technologies of neuroblastoma is beginning to be resolved which have given the opportunity to develop personalized therapies for high-risk patients. Here we discuss the potential of developing targeted therapies against aberrantly expressed molecules detected in sub-populations of neuroblastoma patients and how these selected targets can be drugged in order to overcome treatment resistance, improve survival and quality of life for these patients and also the possibilities to transfer preclinical research into clinical testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Inge Johnsen
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Cecilia Dyberg
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Susanne Fransson
- Department of Pathology and Genetics, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Malin Wickström
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
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