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Zaarour RF, Ribeiro M, Azzarone B, Kapoor S, Chouaib S. Tumor microenvironment-induced tumor cell plasticity: relationship with hypoxic stress and impact on tumor resistance. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1222575. [PMID: 37886168 PMCID: PMC10598765 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1222575] [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: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of tumor interaction with stromal components during carcinogenesis is crucial for the design of efficient cancer treatment approaches. It is widely admitted that tumor hypoxic stress is associated with tumor aggressiveness and thus impacts susceptibility and resistance to different types of treatments. Notable biological processes that hypoxia functions in include its regulation of tumor heterogeneity and plasticity. While hypoxia has been reported as a major player in tumor survival and dissemination regulation, the significance of hypoxia inducible factors in cancer stem cell development remains poorly understood. Several reports indicate that the emergence of cancer stem cells in addition to their phenotype and function within a hypoxic tumor microenvironment impacts cancer progression. In this respect, evidence showed that cancer stem cells are key elements of intratumoral heterogeneity and more importantly are responsible for tumor relapse and escape to treatments. This paper briefly reviews our current knowledge of the interaction between tumor hypoxic stress and its role in stemness acquisition and maintenance. Our review extensively covers the influence of hypoxia on the formation and maintenance of cancer stem cells and discusses the potential of targeting hypoxia-induced alterations in the expression and function of the so far known stem cell markers in cancer therapy approaches. We believe that a better and integrated understanding of the effect of hypoxia on stemness during carcinogenesis might lead to new strategies for exploiting hypoxia-associated pathways and their targeting in the clinical setting in order to overcome resistance mechanisms. More importantly, at the present time, efforts are oriented towards the design of innovative therapeutical approaches that specifically target cancer stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- RF. Zaarour
- Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
| | - M. Ribeiro
- Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
| | - B. Azzarone
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - S. Kapoor
- Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
| | - S. Chouaib
- Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Gustave Roussy, Faculty of Medicine, University Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
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Cataldo ML, De Placido P, Esposito D, Formisano L, Arpino G, Giuliano M, Bianco R, De Angelis C, Veneziani BM. The effect of the alpha-specific PI3K inhibitor alpelisib combined with anti-HER2 therapy in HER2+/PIK3CA mutant breast cancer. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1108242. [PMID: 37469415 PMCID: PMC10353540 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1108242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Background HER2 is amplified or overexpressed in around 20% of breast cancers (BC). HER2-targeted therapies have significantly improved the prognosis of patients with HER2+ BC, however, de novo and acquired resistance to anti-HER2 treatment is common. Activating mutations in the PIK3CA gene are reported in ∼30% of HER2+ BC and are associated with resistance to anti-HER2 therapies and a poor prognosis. Here, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo antitumor efficacy of the alpha-specific PI3K inhibitor alpelisib alone or in combination with anti-HER2 therapy using a panel of HER2+ BC cell lines. We also generated models of acquired resistance to alpelisib to investigate the mechanisms underlying resistance to alpha-specific PI3K inhibition. Materials and methods PIK3CA mutant (HCC1954, KPL4 and JMT1) and wild-type (BT474 and SKBR3) HER2+ BC cell lines were used. The HCC1954 and KPL4 cells were chronically exposed to increasing concentrations of alpelisib or to alpelisib + trastuzumab in order to generate derivatives with acquired resistance to alpelisib (AR) and to alpelisib + trastuzumab (ATR). The transcriptomic profiles of HCC1954, KPL4 and their AR and ATR derivatives were determined by RNA sequencing. Cell growth was assessed by MTT assay. Changes in the protein levels of key PI3K pathway components were assessed by Western blotting. Gene expression, cellular and patients' data from the Cancer Dependency Map (DepMap) and KMPlot datasets were interrogated. Results HER2+ BC cell lines harboring activating mutations in PIK3CA were less sensitive to single or dual anti-HER2 blockade compared to PIK3CA wild-type cells. Alpelisib treatment resulted in dose-dependent inhibition of the growth of cells with or without PIK3CA mutations and enhanced the antitumor efficacy of anti-HER2 therapies in vitro. In addition, alpelisib greatly delayed tumor growth of HCC1954 xenografts in vivo. Functional annotation of the significantly differentially expressed genes suggested the common activation of biological processes associated with oxidation reduction, cell proliferation, immune response and RNA synthesis in alpelisib-resistant models compared with native cells. Eight commonly upregulated genes (log2 fold-change >1, False Discovery Rate [FDR] <0.05) in models with acquired resistance to alpelisib or alpelisib + trastuzumab were identified. Among these, AKR1C1 was associated with alpelisib-resistance in vitro and with a poor prognosis in patients with HER2+ BC. Conclusions Our findings support the use of an alpha-selective PI3K inhibitor to overcome the therapeutic limitations associated with single or dual HER2 blockade in PIK3CA-mutant HER2+ breast cancer. Future studies are warranted to confirm the potential role of candidate genes/pathways in resistance to alpelisib.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Letizia Cataldo
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Pietro De Placido
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Daniela Esposito
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Formisano
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Grazia Arpino
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Mario Giuliano
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Roberto Bianco
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Carmine De Angelis
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Bianca Maria Veneziani
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
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Role of Snai2 and Notch signaling in salivary gland myoepithelial cell fate. J Transl Med 2022; 102:1245-1256. [PMID: 36775450 DOI: 10.1038/s41374-022-00814-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Myoepithelial (ME) cells in exocrine glands exhibit both epithelial and mesenchymal features, contributing to fluid secretion through contraction. However, the regulation mechanism of behind this unique phenotype in salivary glands remains unclear. We established a flow cytometry-based purification method using cell surface molecules, epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) and alpha 6 integrin (CD49f), to characterize ME cells. EpCAM+CD49fhigh cells showed relatively high expression of ME cell-marker genes, such as alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). For lineage tracing and strict isolation, tdTomato+EpCAM+CD49fhigh-ME cells were obtained from myosin heavy chain 11 (Myh11) -CreERT2/tdTomato mice. Transcriptome analysis revealed that expression of genes involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, including Snai2, were upregulated in the ME cell-enriched subset. Snai2 suppression in stable ME cells decreased α-SMA and increased Krt14 expression, suggesting that ME cell features may be controlled by the epithelial-mesenchymal balance regulated by Snai2. In contrast, ME cells showed reduced ME properties and expressed the ductal markers Krt18/19 under sphere culture conditions. Notch signaling was activated under sphere culture conditions; excessive activation of Notch signaling accelerated Krt18/19 expression, but reduced α-SMA and Snai2 expression, suggesting that the behavior of Snai2-expressing ME cells may be controlled by Notch signaling.
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Feng C, Wang Z, Liu C, Liu S, Wang Y, Zeng Y, Wang Q, Peng T, Pu X, Liu J. Integrated bioinformatical analysis, machine learning and in vitro experiment-identified m6A subtype, and predictive drug target signatures for diagnosing renal fibrosis. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:909784. [PMID: 36120336 PMCID: PMC9470879 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.909784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Renal biopsy is the gold standard for defining renal fibrosis which causes calcium deposits in the kidneys. Persistent calcium deposition leads to kidney inflammation, cell necrosis, and is related to serious kidney diseases. However, it is invasive and involves the risk of complications such as bleeding, especially in patients with end-stage renal diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to identify specific diagnostic biomarkers for renal fibrosis. This study aimed to develop a predictive drug target signature to diagnose renal fibrosis based on m6A subtypes. We then performed an unsupervised consensus clustering analysis to identify three different m6A subtypes of renal fibrosis based on the expressions of 21 m6A regulators. We evaluated the immune infiltration characteristics and expression of canonical immune checkpoints and immune-related genes with distinct m6A modification patterns. Subsequently, we performed the WGCNA analysis using the expression data of 1,611 drug targets to identify 474 genes associated with the m6A modification. 92 overlapping drug targets between WGCNA and DEGs (renal fibrosis vs. normal samples) were defined as key drug targets. A five target gene predictive model was developed through the combination of LASSO regression and stepwise logistic regression (LASSO-SLR) to diagnose renal fibrosis. We further performed drug sensitivity analysis and extracellular matrix analysis on model genes. The ROC curve showed that the risk score (AUC = 0.863) performed well in diagnosing renal fibrosis in the training dataset. In addition, the external validation dataset further confirmed the outstanding predictive performance of the risk score (AUC = 0.755). These results indicate that the risk model has an excellent predictive performance for diagnosing the disease. Furthermore, our results show that this 5-target gene model is significantly associated with many drugs and extracellular matrix activities. Finally, the expression levels of both predictive signature genes EGR1 and PLA2G4A were validated in renal fibrosis and adjacent normal tissues by using qRT-PCR and Western blot method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunxiang Feng
- Department of Urology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Guangzhou, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhixian Wang
- Department of Urology, Wuhan Hospital of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Urology, Wuhan No. 1 Hospital, Wuhan, China
| | - Chang Liu
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shiliang Liu
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuxi Wang
- Department of Nephrology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuanyuan Zeng
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qianqian Wang
- Department of Urology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Guangzhou, Wuhan, China
| | - Tianming Peng
- Department of Urology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Guangzhou, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaoyong Pu
- Department of Urology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Guangzhou, Wuhan, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaoyong Pu, ; Jiumin Liu,
| | - Jiumin Liu
- Department of Urology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Guangzhou, Wuhan, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaoyong Pu, ; Jiumin Liu,
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Hwang SH, Yang Y, Woo SH, Jung JH, Seo D, Kim DY, Kim Y. Thyroglobulin as a negative marker for malignancy in canine and human breast tumors. Mol Carcinog 2021; 60:455-468. [PMID: 34003526 DOI: 10.1002/mc.23304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Canine mammary gland tumors (CMTs) are the most common tumor type in female dogs. This study evaluated the expression pattern and role of thyroglobulin (Tg) in CMT and in human breast cancer (HBC). CMT samples were subjected to fine-needle aspiration, primary cell culture, and histopathology. The expression level of Tg was higher in benign CMT than in malignant CMT (mCMT) primary cells, particularly in the epithelial lineage. Moreover, treatment with Tg enhanced the sensitivity of doxorubicin in mCMT epithelial cells and mitigated proinflammatory response by increasing nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). The proximal region of the Tg promoter was hypermethylated in mCMT epithelial cells, silencing Tg expression with concurrent downregulation of Nrf2-mediated antioxidant signaling. An identical pattern of Tg expression was observed in cytological and tissue samples. Tissue microarray analysis showed that Tg was highly expressed in normal and benign tissues when compared with their malignant counterparts, which was diminished along with higher histological grades. The survival rate was significantly higher in HBC patients with high Tg expression than those with low Tg expression. This study also showed that the progression of HBC is accompanied by the reduction of Tg expression along with augmentation of proinflammatory signaling. Our data suggested that Tg could be a negative indicator of malignancy in canine and human breast neoplasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung-Hyun Hwang
- Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,BK21 PLUS Program for Creative Veterinary Science Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeseul Yang
- Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,BK21 PLUS Program for Creative Veterinary Science Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Ho Woo
- BK21 PLUS Program for Creative Veterinary Science Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Ha Jung
- Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,BK21 PLUS Program for Creative Veterinary Science Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Dansong Seo
- Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,BK21 PLUS Program for Creative Veterinary Science Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae-Yong Kim
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yongbaek Kim
- Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Yang J, Zhan XZ, Malola J, Li ZY, Pawar JS, Zhang HT, Zha ZG. The multiple roles of Thy-1 in cell differentiation and regeneration. Differentiation 2020; 113:38-48. [PMID: 32403041 DOI: 10.1016/j.diff.2020.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Thy-1 is a 25-37 kDa glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored cell surface protein that was discovered more than 50 years ago. Recent findings have suggested that Thy-1 is expressed on thymocytes, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), cancer stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, endothelial cells, neuronal smooth muscle cells, and pan T cells. Thy-1 plays vital roles in cell migration, adhesion, differentiation, transdifferentiation, apoptosis, mechanotransduction, and cell division, which in turn are involved in tumor development, pulmonary fibrosis, neurite outgrowth, and T cell activation. Studies have increasingly indicated a significant role of Thy-1 in cell differentiation and regeneration. However, despite recent research, many questions remain regarding the roles of Thy-1 in cell differentiation and regeneration. This review aimed to summarize the roles of Thy-1 in cell differentiation and regeneration. Furthermore, since Thy-1 is an outer leaflet membrane protein anchored by GPI, we attempted to address how Thy-1 regulates intracellular pathways through cis and trans signals. Due to the complexity and mystery surrounding the issue, we also summarized the Thy-1-related pathways in different biological processes, and this might provide novel insights in the field of cell differentiation and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yang
- Institute of Orthopedic Diseases and Department of Bone and Joint Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiao-Zhen Zhan
- Department of Stomatology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, Guangdong, China
| | - Jonathan Malola
- College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, 47906, IN, USA
| | - Zhen-Yan Li
- Institute of Orthopedic Diseases and Department of Bone and Joint Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, Guangdong, China
| | - Jogendra Singh Pawar
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, 47906, IN, USA
| | - Huan-Tian Zhang
- Institute of Orthopedic Diseases and Department of Bone and Joint Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, Guangdong, China.
| | - Zhen-Gang Zha
- Institute of Orthopedic Diseases and Department of Bone and Joint Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, Guangdong, China.
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