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Hussein R, Abou-Shanab AM, Badr E. A multi-omics approach for biomarker discovery in neuroblastoma: a network-based framework. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2024; 10:52. [PMID: 38760476 PMCID: PMC11101461 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-024-00371-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the leading causes of cancer-associated death in children. MYCN amplification is a prominent genetic marker for NB, and its targeting to halt NB progression is difficult to achieve. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the molecular interactome of NB is needed to improve treatment outcomes. Analysis of NB multi-omics unravels valuable insight into the interplay between MYCN transcriptional and miRNA post-transcriptional modulation. Moreover, it aids in the identification of various miRNAs that participate in NB development and progression. This study proposes an integrated computational framework with three levels of high-throughput NB data (mRNA-seq, miRNA-seq, and methylation array). Similarity Network Fusion (SNF) and ranked SNF methods were utilized to identify essential genes and miRNAs. The specified genes included both miRNA-target genes and transcription factors (TFs). The interactions between TFs and miRNAs and between miRNAs and their target genes were retrieved where a regulatory network was developed. Finally, an interaction network-based analysis was performed to identify candidate biomarkers. The candidate biomarkers were further analyzed for their potential use in prognosis and diagnosis. The candidate biomarkers included three TFs and seven miRNAs. Four biomarkers have been previously studied and tested in NB, while the remaining identified biomarkers have known roles in other types of cancer. Although the specific molecular role is yet to be addressed, most identified biomarkers possess evidence of involvement in NB tumorigenesis. Analyzing cellular interactome to identify potential biomarkers is a promising approach that can contribute to optimizing efficient therapeutic regimens to target NB vulnerabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahma Hussein
- Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Science and Technology, Zewail City of Science and Technology, Giza, 12578, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Abou-Shanab
- Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Science and Technology, Zewail City of Science and Technology, Giza, 12578, Egypt
| | - Eman Badr
- Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Science and Technology, Zewail City of Science and Technology, Giza, 12578, Egypt.
- Faculty of Computers and Artificial Intelligence, Cairo University, Giza, 12613, Egypt.
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2
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Liu Z, Zhang X, Xu M, Hong JJ, Ciardiello A, Lei H, Shern JF, Thiele CJ. MYCN drives oncogenesis by cooperating with the histone methyltransferase G9a and the WDR5 adaptor to orchestrate global gene transcription. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002240. [PMID: 38547242 PMCID: PMC11003700 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
MYCN activates canonical MYC targets involved in ribosome biogenesis, protein synthesis, and represses neuronal differentiation genes to drive oncogenesis in neuroblastoma (NB). How MYCN orchestrates global gene expression remains incompletely understood. Our study finds that MYCN binds promoters to up-regulate canonical MYC targets but binds to both enhancers and promoters to repress differentiation genes. MYCN binding also increases H3K4me3 and H3K27ac on canonical MYC target promoters and decreases H3K27ac on neuronal differentiation gene enhancers and promoters. WDR5 facilitates MYCN promoter binding to activate canonical MYC target genes, whereas MYCN recruits G9a to enhancers to repress neuronal differentiation genes. Targeting both MYCN's active and repressive transcriptional activities using both WDR5 and G9a inhibitors synergistically suppresses NB growth. We demonstrate that MYCN cooperates with WDR5 and G9a to orchestrate global gene transcription. The targeting of both these cofactors is a novel therapeutic strategy to indirectly target the oncogenic activity of MYCN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihui Liu
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Xiyuan Zhang
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Man Xu
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jason J. Hong
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Amanda Ciardiello
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Haiyan Lei
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jack F. Shern
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Carol J. Thiele
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
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Liu Z, Zhang X, Xu M, Hong JJ, Ciardiello A, Lei H, Shern JF, Thiele CJ. MYCN driven oncogenesis involves cooperation with WDR5 to activate canonical MYC targets and G9a to repress differentiation genes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.11.548643. [PMID: 37781575 PMCID: PMC10541123 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.11.548643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
MYCN activates canonical MYC targets involved in ribosome biogenesis, protein synthesis and represses neuronal differentiation genes to drive oncogenesis in neuroblastoma (NB). How MYCN orchestrates global gene expression remains incompletely understood. Our study finds that MYCN binds promoters to up-regulate canonical MYC targets but binds to both enhancers and promoters to repress differentiation genes. MYCN-binding also increases H3K4me3 and H3K27ac on canonical MYC target promoters and decreases H3K27ac on neuronal differentiation gene enhancers and promoters. WDR5 is needed to facilitate MYCN promoter binding to activate canonical MYC target genes, whereas MYCN recruits G9a to enhancers to repress neuronal differentiation genes. Targeting both MYCN's active and repressive transcriptional activities using both WDR5 and G9a inhibitors synergistically suppresses NB growth. We demonstrate that MYCN cooperates with WDR5 and G9a to orchestrate global gene transcription. The targeting of both these cofactors is a novel therapeutic strategy to indirectly target the oncogenic activity of MYCN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihui Liu
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Xiyuan Zhang
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Man Xu
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jason J. Hong
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Amanda Ciardiello
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Haiyan Lei
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jack F. Shern
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Carol J. Thiele
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Ponzoni M, Bachetti T, Corrias MV, Brignole C, Pastorino F, Calarco E, Bensa V, Giusto E, Ceccherini I, Perri P. Recent advances in the developmental origin of neuroblastoma: an overview. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2022; 41:92. [PMID: 35277192 PMCID: PMC8915499 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02281-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is a pediatric tumor that originates from neural crest-derived cells undergoing a defective differentiation due to genomic and epigenetic impairments. Therefore, NB may arise at any final site reached by migrating neural crest cells (NCCs) and their progeny, preferentially in the adrenal medulla or in the para-spinal ganglia. NB shows a remarkable genetic heterogeneity including several chromosome/gene alterations and deregulated expression of key oncogenes that drive tumor initiation and promote disease progression. NB substantially contributes to childhood cancer mortality, with a survival rate of only 40% for high-risk patients suffering chemo-resistant relapse. Hence, NB remains a challenge in pediatric oncology and the need of designing new therapies targeted to specific genetic/epigenetic alterations become imperative to improve the outcome of high-risk NB patients with refractory disease or chemo-resistant relapse. In this review, we give a broad overview of the latest advances that have unraveled the developmental origin of NB and its complex epigenetic landscape. Single-cell RNA sequencing with spatial transcriptomics and lineage tracing have identified the NCC progeny involved in normal development and in NB oncogenesis, revealing that adrenal NB cells transcriptionally resemble immature neuroblasts or their closest progenitors. The comparison of adrenal NB cells from patients classified into risk subgroups with normal sympatho-adrenal cells has highlighted that tumor phenotype severity correlates with neuroblast differentiation grade. Transcriptional profiling of NB tumors has identified two cell identities that represent divergent differentiation states, i.e. undifferentiated mesenchymal (MES) and committed adrenergic (ADRN), able to interconvert by epigenetic reprogramming and to confer intra-tumoral heterogeneity and high plasticity to NB. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing has disclosed the existence of two super-enhancers and their associated transcription factor networks underlying MES and ADRN identities and controlling NB gene expression programs. The discovery of NB-specific regulatory circuitries driving oncogenic transformation and maintaining the malignant state opens new perspectives on the design of innovative therapies targeted to the genetic and epigenetic determinants of NB. Remodeling the disrupted regulatory networks from a dysregulated expression, which blocks differentiation and enhances proliferation, toward a controlled expression that prompts the most differentiated state may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirco Ponzoni
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Tiziana Bachetti
- U.O. Proteomica e Spettrometria di Massa, IRCSS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Maria Valeria Corrias
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Chiara Brignole
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Fabio Pastorino
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Enzo Calarco
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Veronica Bensa
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Elena Giusto
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Isabella Ceccherini
- Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics of Rare Diseases, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Patrizia Perri
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via G. Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy.
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Epigenetic state determines inflammatory sensing in neuroblastoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2102358119. [PMID: 35121657 PMCID: PMC8832972 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2102358119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, but many cancers are not impacted by currently available immunotherapeutic strategies. Here, we investigated inflammatory signaling pathways in neuroblastoma, a classically "cold" pediatric cancer. By testing the functional response of a panel of 20 diverse neuroblastoma cell lines to three different inflammatory stimuli, we found that all cell lines have intact interferon signaling, and all but one lack functional cytosolic DNA sensing via cGAS-STING. However, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) sensing via Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) was heterogeneous, as was signaling through other dsRNA sensors and TLRs more broadly. Seven cell lines showed robust response to dsRNA, six of which are in the mesenchymal epigenetic state, while all unresponsive cell lines are in the adrenergic state. Genetically switching adrenergic cell lines toward the mesenchymal state fully restored responsiveness. In responsive cells, dsRNA sensing results in the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, enrichment of inflammatory transcriptomic signatures, and increased tumor killing by T cells in vitro. Using single-cell RNA sequencing data, we show that human neuroblastoma cells with stronger mesenchymal signatures have a higher basal inflammatory state, demonstrating intratumoral heterogeneity in inflammatory signaling that has significant implications for immunotherapeutic strategies in this aggressive childhood cancer.
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Patni AP, Harishankar MK, Joseph JP, Sreeshma B, Jayaraj R, Devi A. Comprehending the crosstalk between Notch, Wnt and Hedgehog signaling pathways in oral squamous cell carcinoma - clinical implications. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2021; 44:473-494. [PMID: 33704672 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-021-00591-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a malignant oral cavity neoplasm that affects many people, especially in developing countries. Despite several advances that have been made in diagnosis and treatment, the morbidity and mortality rates due to OSCC remain high. Accumulating evidence indicates that aberrant activation of cellular signaling pathways, such as the Notch, Wnt and Hedgehog pathways, occurs during the development and metastasis of OSCC. In this review, we have articulated the roles of the Notch, Wnt and Hedgehog signaling pathways in OSCC and their crosstalk during tumor development and progression. We have also examined possible interactions and associations between these pathways and treatment regimens that could be employed to effectively tackle OSCC and/or prevent its recurrence. CONCLUSIONS Activation of the Notch signaling pathway upregulates the expression of several genes, including c-Myc, β-catenin, NF-κB and Shh. Associations between the Notch signaling pathway and other pathways have been shown to enhance OSCC tumor aggressiveness. Crosstalk between these pathways supports the maintenance of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and regulates OSCC cell motility. Thus, application of compounds that block these pathways may be a valid strategy to treat OSCC. Such compounds have already been employed in other types of cancer and could be repurposed for OSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali P Patni
- Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Genetic Engineering, School of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kanchipuram, Kattankulathur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 603203, India
| | - M K Harishankar
- Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Genetic Engineering, School of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kanchipuram, Kattankulathur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 603203, India
| | - Joel P Joseph
- Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Genetic Engineering, School of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kanchipuram, Kattankulathur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 603203, India
| | - Bhuvanadas Sreeshma
- Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Genetic Engineering, School of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kanchipuram, Kattankulathur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 603203, India
| | - Rama Jayaraj
- College of Human and Human Sciences, Charles Darwin University, Ellangowan Drive, Darwin, Northern Territory, 0909, Australia
| | - Arikketh Devi
- Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Genetic Engineering, School of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kanchipuram, Kattankulathur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 603203, India.
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7
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Custers L, Paassen I, Drost J. In vitro Modeling of Embryonal Tumors. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:640633. [PMID: 33718380 PMCID: PMC7952537 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.640633] [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: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
A subset of pediatric tumors affects very young children and are thought to arise during fetal life. A common theme is that these embryonal tumors hijack developmental programs, causing a block in differentiation and, as a consequence, unrestricted proliferation. Embryonal tumors, therefore typically maintain an embryonic gene signature not found in their differentiated progeny. Still, the processes underpinning malignant transformation remain largely unknown, which is hampering therapeutic innovation. To gain more insight into these processes, in vitro and in vivo research models are indispensable. However, embryonic development is an extremely dynamic process with continuously changing cellular identities, making it challenging to define cells-of-origin. This is crucial for the development of representative models, as targeting the wrong cell or targeting a cell within an incorrect developmental time window can result in completely different phenotypes. Recent innovations in in vitro cell models may provide more versatile platforms to study embryonal tumors in a scalable manner. In this review, we outline different in vitro models that can be explored to study embryonal tumorigenesis and for therapy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Custers
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Irene Paassen
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Jarno Drost
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
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Huo Z, Bilang R, Brantner B, von der Weid N, Holland-Cunz SG, Gros SJ. Perspective on Similarities and Possible Overlaps of Congenital Disease Formation-Exemplified on a Case of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia and Neuroblastoma in a Neonate. CHILDREN-BASEL 2021; 8:children8020163. [PMID: 33671521 PMCID: PMC7926624 DOI: 10.3390/children8020163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The coincidence of two rare diseases such as congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) and neuroblastoma is exceptional. With an incidence of around 2–3:10,000 and 1:8000 for either disease occurring on its own, the chance of simultaneous presentation of both pathologies at birth is extremely low. Unfortunately, the underlying processes leading to congenital malformation and neonatal tumors are not yet thoroughly understood. There are several hypotheses revolving around the formation of CDH and neuroblastoma. The aim of our study was to put the respective hypotheses of disease formation as well as known factors in this process into perspective regarding their similarities and possible overlaps of congenital disease formation. We present the joint occurrence of these two rare diseases based on a patient presentation and immunochemical prognostic marker evaluation. The aim of this manuscript is to elucidate possible similarities in the pathogeneses of both disease entities. Discussed are the role of toxins, cell differentiation, the influence of retinoic acid and NMYC as well as of hypoxia. The detailed discussion reveals that some of the proposed pathophysiological mechanisms of both malformations have common aspects. Especially disturbances of the retinoic acid pathway and NMYC expression can influence and disrupt cell differentiation in either disease. Due to the rarity of both diseases, interdisciplinary efforts and multi-center studies are needed to investigate the reasons for congenital malformations and their interlinkage with neonatal tumor disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihe Huo
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children’s Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; (Z.H.); (R.B.); (B.B.); (S.G.H.-C.)
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland;
| | - Remo Bilang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children’s Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; (Z.H.); (R.B.); (B.B.); (S.G.H.-C.)
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland;
| | - Benedikt Brantner
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children’s Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; (Z.H.); (R.B.); (B.B.); (S.G.H.-C.)
| | - Nicolas von der Weid
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland;
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Children’s Hospital Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stefan G. Holland-Cunz
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children’s Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; (Z.H.); (R.B.); (B.B.); (S.G.H.-C.)
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland;
| | - Stephanie J. Gros
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children’s Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; (Z.H.); (R.B.); (B.B.); (S.G.H.-C.)
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland;
- Correspondence:
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Ruiz-Pérez MV, Sainero-Alcolado L, Oliynyk G, Matuschek I, Balboni N, Ubhayasekera SKA, Snaebjornsson MT, Makowski K, Aaltonen K, Bexell D, Serra D, Nilsson R, Bergquist J, Schulze A, Arsenian-Henriksson M. Inhibition of fatty acid synthesis induces differentiation and reduces tumor burden in childhood neuroblastoma. iScience 2021; 24:102128. [PMID: 33659885 PMCID: PMC7895756 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many metabolic pathways, including lipid metabolism, are rewired in tumors to support energy and biomass production and to allow adaptation to stressful environments. Neuroblastoma is the second deadliest solid tumor in children. Genetic aberrations, as the amplification of the MYCN-oncogene, correlate strongly with disease progression. Yet, there are only a few molecular targets successfully exploited in the clinic. Here we show that inhibition of fatty acid synthesis led to increased neural differentiation and reduced tumor burden in neuroblastoma xenograft experiments independently of MYCN-status. This was accompanied by reduced levels of the MYCN or c-MYC oncoproteins and activation of ERK signaling. Importantly, the expression levels of genes involved in de novo fatty acid synthesis showed prognostic value for neuroblastoma patients. Our findings demonstrate that inhibition of de novo fatty acid synthesis is a promising pharmacological intervention strategy for the treatment of neuroblastoma independently of MYCN-status.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Victoria Ruiz-Pérez
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Biomedicum B7, Karolinska Institutet, 171 65 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lourdes Sainero-Alcolado
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Biomedicum B7, Karolinska Institutet, 171 65 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ganna Oliynyk
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Biomedicum B7, Karolinska Institutet, 171 65 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Isabell Matuschek
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Biomedicum B7, Karolinska Institutet, 171 65 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nicola Balboni
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Biomedicum B7, Karolinska Institutet, 171 65 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - S.J. Kumari A. Ubhayasekera
- Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, 751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Kamil Makowski
- Department of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry, Section of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Daniel Bexell
- Translational Cancer Research, Lund University, 22381 Lund, Sweden
| | - Dolors Serra
- Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, School of Pharmacy, Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain, and CIBER Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN), Institute of Health Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Roland Nilsson
- Cardiovascular Medicine Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jonas Bergquist
- Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, 751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Almut Schulze
- Tumor Metabolism and Microenvironment, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marie Arsenian-Henriksson
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Biomedicum B7, Karolinska Institutet, 171 65 Stockholm, Sweden
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Single-Cell Gene Network Analysis and Transcriptional Landscape of MYCN-Amplified Neuroblastoma Cell Lines. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11020177. [PMID: 33525507 PMCID: PMC7912277 DOI: 10.3390/biom11020177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NBL) is a pediatric cancer responsible for more than 15% of cancer deaths in children, with 800 new cases each year in the United States alone. Genomic amplification of the MYC oncogene family member MYCN characterizes a subset of high-risk pediatric neuroblastomas. Several cellular models have been implemented to study this disease over the years. Two of these, SK-N-BE-2-C (BE2C) and Kelly, are amongst the most used worldwide as models of MYCN-Amplified human NBL. Here, we provide a transcriptome-wide quantitative measurement of gene expression and transcriptional network activity in BE2C and Kelly cell lines at an unprecedented single-cell resolution. We obtained 1105 Kelly and 962 BE2C unsynchronized cells, with an average number of mapped reads/cell of roughly 38,000. The single-cell data recapitulate gene expression signatures previously generated from bulk RNA-Seq. We highlight low variance for commonly used housekeeping genes between different cells (ACTB, B2M and GAPDH), while showing higher than expected variance for metallothionein transcripts in Kelly cells. The high number of samples, despite the relatively low read coverage of single cells, allowed for robust pathway enrichment analysis and master regulator analysis (MRA), both of which highlight the more mesenchymal nature of BE2C cells as compared to Kelly cells, and the upregulation of TWIST1 and DNAJC1 transcriptional networks. We further defined master regulators at the single cell level and showed that MYCN is not constantly active or expressed within Kelly and BE2C cells, independently of cell cycle phase. The dataset, alongside a detailed and commented programming protocol to analyze it, is fully shared and reusable.
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11
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Pini N, Huo Z, Kym U, Holland-Cunz S, Gros SJ. AQP1-Driven Migration Is Independent of Other Known Adverse Factors but Requires a Hypoxic Undifferentiated Cell Profile in Neuroblastoma. CHILDREN-BASEL 2021; 8:children8010048. [PMID: 33467498 PMCID: PMC7829990 DOI: 10.3390/children8010048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is a biologically very heterogeneous tumor with its clinical manifestation ranging from spontaneous regression to highly aggressive metastatic disease. Several adverse factors have been linked to oncogenesis, tumor progression and metastases of neuroblastoma including NMYC amplification, the neural adhesion molecule NCAM, as well as CXCR4 as a promoter of metastases. In this study, we investigate to what extent the expression of AQP1 in neuroblastoma correlates with changing cellular factors such as the hypoxic status, differentiation, expression of known adverse factors such as NMYC and NCAM, and CXCR4-related metastatic spread. Our results show that while AQP1 expression leads to an increased migratory behavior of neuroblastoma cells under hypoxic conditions, we find that hypoxia is associated with a reduction of NMYC in the same cells. A similar effect can be observed when using the tetracycline driven mechanism of SH-EP/Tet cells. When NMYC is not expressed, the expression of AQP1 is increased together with an increased expression of HIF-1α and HIF-2α. We furthermore show that when growing cells in different cell densities, they express AQP1, HIF-1α, HIF-2α, NMYC and NCAM to different degrees. AQP1 expression correlates with a hypoxic profile of these cells with increased HIF-1α and HIF-2α expression, as well as with NMYC and NCAM expression in two out of three neuroblastoma cell lines. When investigating cell properties of the cells that actually migrate, we find that the increased APQ1 expression in the migrated cells correlates with an increased NMYC and NCAM expression again in two out of three cell lines. Expression of the tumor cell homing marker CXCR4 varies between different tumor areas and between cell lines. While some migrated tumor cells highly express CXCR4, cells of other origin do not. In the initial phase of migration, we determined a dominant role of AQP1 expression of migrating cells in the scratch assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Pini
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children’s Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; (N.P.); (Z.H.); (U.K.); (S.H.-C.)
| | - Zihe Huo
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children’s Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; (N.P.); (Z.H.); (U.K.); (S.H.-C.)
| | - Urs Kym
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children’s Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; (N.P.); (Z.H.); (U.K.); (S.H.-C.)
| | - Stefan Holland-Cunz
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children’s Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; (N.P.); (Z.H.); (U.K.); (S.H.-C.)
| | - Stephanie J. Gros
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children’s Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; (N.P.); (Z.H.); (U.K.); (S.H.-C.)
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Correspondence:
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12
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Zhao Z, Shelton SD, Oviedo A, Baker AL, Bryant CP, Omidvarnia S, Du L. The PLAGL2/MYCN/miR-506-3p interplay regulates neuroblastoma cell fate and associates with neuroblastoma progression. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2020; 39:41. [PMID: 32087738 PMCID: PMC7036248 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-020-1531-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Background The oncogene MYCN is critical for tumorigenesis of several types of cancers including neuroblastoma. We previously reported that miR-506-3p repressed MYCN expression in neuroblastoma cells. However, the mechanism underlying such regulation was undetermined since there is no miR-506-3p target site in MYCN 3’UTR. Methods By a systematic investigation combining microarray, informatics and luciferase reporter assay, we identified that the transcriptional factor pleiomorphic adenoma gene-like 2 (PLAGL2) is a direct target of miR-506-3p that mediates its regulation on MYCN expression. Using CHIP-PCR and luciferase reporter assay, we validated the transcriptional regulation of MYCN by PLAGL2 and we further demonstrated the transcriptional regulation of PLAGL2 by MYCN. We examined the function of PLAGL2 in regulating neuroblastoma cell fate by cell viability assay, colony formation and Western blotting of differentiation markers. We examined the effect of retinoic acid, the differentiation agent used in neuroblastoma therapy, on miR-506-3p, PLAGL2 and MYCN expressions by quantitative PCR and Western blots. We investigated the clinical relevance of PLAGL2 expression by examining the correlation of tumor PLAGL2 mRNA levels with MYCN mRNA expression and patient survival using public neuroblastoma patient datasets. Results We found that miR-506-3p directly down-regulated PLAGL2 expression, and we validated a PLAGL2 binding site in the MYCN promoter region responsible for promoting MYCN transcription, thereby establishing a mechanism through which miR-506-3p regulates MYCN expression. Conversely, we discovered that MYCN regulated PLAGL2 transcription through five N-Myc-binding E-boxes in the PLAGL2 promoter region. We further confirmed the reciprocal regulation between endogenous PLAGL2 and MYCN in multiple neuroblastoma cell lines. Moreover, we found that PLAGL2 knockdown induced neuroblastoma cell differentiation and reduced cell proliferation, and combined knockdown of PLAGL2 and MYCN showed a synergistic effect. More strikingly, we found that high tumor PLAGL2 mRNA levels were significantly correlated with high MYCN mRNA levels and poor patient survival in neuroblastoma patients. Furthermore, we found that retinoic acid increased expression of miR-506-3p and repressed expression of MYCN and PLAGL2. Conclusions Our findings altogether suggest that the interplay network formed by PLAGL2, MYCN and miR-506-3p is an important mechanism in regulating neuroblastoma cell fate, determining neuroblastoma prognosis, and mediating the therapeutic function of retinoic acid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenze Zhao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA
| | - Spencer D Shelton
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA
| | - Alejandro Oviedo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA
| | - Amy L Baker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA
| | - Collin P Bryant
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA
| | - Soroush Omidvarnia
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA
| | - Liqin Du
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA.
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13
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MYCN-enhanced Oxidative and Glycolytic Metabolism Reveals Vulnerabilities for Targeting Neuroblastoma. iScience 2019; 21:188-204. [PMID: 31670074 PMCID: PMC6889365 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In pediatric neuroblastoma, MYCN-amplification correlates to poor clinical outcome and new treatment options are needed for these patients. Identifying the metabolic adaptations crucial for tumor progression may be a promising strategy to discover novel therapeutic targets. Here, we have combined proteomics, gene expression profiling, functional analysis, and metabolic tracing to decipher the impact of MYCN on neuroblastoma cell metabolism. We found that high MYCN levels are correlated with altered expression of proteins involved in multiple metabolic processes, including enhanced glycolysis and increased oxidative phosphorylation. Unexpectedly, we discovered that MYCN-amplified cells showed de novo glutamine synthesis. Furthermore, inhibition of β-oxidation reduced the viability of MYCN-amplified cells in vitro and decreased tumor burden in vivo, while not affecting non-MYCN–amplified tumors. Our data provide information on metabolic processes in MYCN expressing tumors, which could be exploited for the development of novel targeted therapies. High MYCN expression enhances glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation in neuroblastoma Neuroblastoma cells with MYCN-amplification display de novo glutamine synthesis MYCN-amplified cells show fatty acid–dependent mitochondrial respiration Fatty acid oxidation is a vulnerability in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma
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14
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Zhang J, Xu S, Xu J, Li Y, Zhang J, Zhang J, Lu X. miR‑767‑5p inhibits glioma proliferation and metastasis by targeting SUZ12. Oncol Rep 2019; 42:55-66. [PMID: 31115583 PMCID: PMC6549087 DOI: 10.3892/or.2019.7156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of evidence implicates aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) and dysregulation of mRNA translation in the development and growth of cancer cells. However, little is known about the mechanisms of action of miRNAs in glioma, the most common form of adult-onset malignant brain tumor. In the present study, the expression and function of miR-767-5p were examined in human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tissue specimens and cell lines. miR-767-5p expression levels were analyzed by quantitative reverse-transcription PCR; cell proliferation was assessed by CCK-8, colony formation and 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EDU) assays; the cell cycle phase and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry; and cell invasiveness was analyzed using wound healing and Transwell invasion assays. It was revealed found that miR-767-5p was significantly upregulated in GBM tissues (n=18) compared with normal brain tissues (n=8) and in 6 GBM cell lines compared with normal human astrocytes. Ectopic expression of miR-767-5p suppressed proliferation, colony formation, and migration, and promoted cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in GBM cell lines in vitro, and inhibited GBM tumor growth in a mouse xenograft model. Bioinformatics analysis identified the PRC2 component suppressor of zeste-12 (SUZ12) as a putative target of miR-767-5p. Co-transfection of miR-767-5p inhibited the activity of a luciferase reporter construct driven by the wild-type 3′ untranslated region of SUZ12 mRNA, but this was abolished by mutation of the putative miR-767-5p-binding sites. Consistent with the possibility that miR-767-5p acts by regulating SUZ12 expression, it was revealed that the inhibitory effects of miR-767-5p on GBM cell phenotypes were reversed by overexpression of SUZ12. Our results indicated that forced upregulation of miR-767-5p may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for glioma patients by targeting SUZ12.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiale Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Shuo Xu
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, Zhenjiang First People's Hospital, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212002, P.R. China
| | - Jia Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Yangyang Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Jian Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoming Lu
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
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15
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Zhang Q, Zhang Q, Jiang X, Ye Y, Liao H, Zhu F, Yan J, Luo L, Tian L, Jiang C, Chen Y, Liang X, Sun Y. Collaborative ISL1/GATA3 interaction in controlling neuroblastoma oncogenic pathways overlapping with but distinct from MYCN. Theranostics 2019; 9:986-1000. [PMID: 30867811 PMCID: PMC6401405 DOI: 10.7150/thno.30199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Transcription factor ISL1 plays a critical role in sympathetic neurogenesis. Expression of ISL1 has been associated with neuroblastoma, a pediatric tumor derived from sympatho-adrenal progenitors, however the role of ISL1 in neuroblastoma remains unexplored. Method: Here, we knocked down ISL1 (KD) in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and performed RNA-seq and ISL1 ChIP-seq analyses. Results: Analyses of these data revealed that ISL1 acts upstream of multiple oncogenic genes and pathways essential for neuroblastoma proliferation and differentiation, including LMO1 and LIN28B. ISL1 promotes expression of a number of cell cycle associated genes, but represses differentiation associated genes including RA receptors and the downstream target genes EPAS1 and CDKN1A. Consequently, Knockdown of ISL1 inhibits neuroblastoma cell proliferation and migration in vitro and impedes tumor growth in vivo, and enhances neuronal differentiation by RA treatment. Furthermore, genome-wide mapping revealed a substantial co-occupancy of binding regions by ISL1 and GATA3, and ISL1 physically interacts with GATA3, and together they synergistically regulate the aforementioned oncogenic pathways. In addition, analyses of the roles of ISL1 and MYCN in MYCN-amplified and MYCN non-amplified neuroblastoma cells revealed an epistatic relationship between ISL1 and MYCN. ISL1 and MYCN function in parallel to regulate common yet distinct oncogenic pathways in neuroblastoma. Conclusion: Our study has demonstrated that ISL1 plays an essential role in neuroblastoma regulatory networks and may serve as a potential therapeutic target in neuroblastoma.
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16
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Inhibitors of ribosome biogenesis repress the growth of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma. Oncogene 2018; 38:2800-2813. [PMID: 30542116 PMCID: PMC6484764 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-018-0611-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Abnormal increases in nucleolar size and number caused by dysregulation of ribosome biogenesis has emerged as a hallmark in the majority of spontaneous cancers. The observed ribosome hyperactivity can be directly induced by the MYC transcription factors controlling the expression of RNA and protein components of the ribosome. Neuroblastoma, a highly malignant childhood tumor of the sympathetic nervous system, is frequently characterized by MYCN gene amplification and high expression of MYCN and c-MYC signature genes. Here, we show a strong correlation between high-risk disease, MYCN expression, poor survival, and ribosome biogenesis in neuroblastoma patients. Treatment of neuroblastoma cells with quarfloxin or CX-5461, two small molecule inhibitors of RNA polymerase I, suppressed MycN expression, induced DNA damage, and activated p53 followed by cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. CX-5461 repressed the growth of established MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma xenograft tumors in nude mice. These findings suggest that inhibition of ribosome biogenesis represent new therapeutic opportunities for children with high-risk neuroblastomas expressing high levels of Myc.
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17
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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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18
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Cheng J, Park DE, Berrios C, White EA, Arora R, Yoon R, Branigan T, Xiao T, Westerling T, Federation A, Zeid R, Strober B, Swanson SK, Florens L, Bradner JE, Brown M, Howley PM, Padi M, Washburn MP, DeCaprio JA. Merkel cell polyomavirus recruits MYCL to the EP400 complex to promote oncogenesis. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006668. [PMID: 29028833 PMCID: PMC5640240 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) frequently contains integrated copies of Merkel cell polyomavirus DNA that express a truncated form of Large T antigen (LT) and an intact Small T antigen (ST). While LT binds RB and inactivates its tumor suppressor function, it is less clear how ST contributes to MCC tumorigenesis. Here we show that ST binds specifically to the MYC homolog MYCL (L-MYC) and recruits it to the 15-component EP400 histone acetyltransferase and chromatin remodeling complex. We performed a large-scale immunoprecipitation for ST and identified co-precipitating proteins by mass spectrometry. In addition to protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) subunits, we identified MYCL and its heterodimeric partner MAX plus the EP400 complex. Immunoprecipitation for MAX and EP400 complex components confirmed their association with ST. We determined that the ST-MYCL-EP400 complex binds together to specific gene promoters and activates their expression by integrating chromatin immunoprecipitation with sequencing (ChIP-seq) and RNA-seq. MYCL and EP400 were required for maintenance of cell viability and cooperated with ST to promote gene expression in MCC cell lines. A genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screen confirmed the requirement for MYCL and EP400 in MCPyV-positive MCC cell lines. We demonstrate that ST can activate gene expression in a EP400 and MYCL dependent manner and this activity contributes to cellular transformation and generation of induced pluripotent stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwei Cheng
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Donglim Esther Park
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Christian Berrios
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth A. White
- Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Reety Arora
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Rosa Yoon
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Timothy Branigan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Tengfei Xiao
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Thomas Westerling
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Alexander Federation
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Rhamy Zeid
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Benjamin Strober
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Selene K. Swanson
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Laurence Florens
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
| | - James E. Bradner
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Myles Brown
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Peter M. Howley
- Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Megha Padi
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Michael P. Washburn
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, United States of America
| | - James A. DeCaprio
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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ZAR1 knockdown promotes the differentiation of human neuroblastoma cells by suppression of MYCN expression. Med Oncol 2017; 34:158. [PMID: 28791558 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-017-0999-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Although DNA hypermethylation at non-promoter region of the Zygote arrest 1 (ZAR1) gene has been observed in many types of tumor, including neuroblastoma (NB), the role of this gene in tumor development and/or progression is unclear. One reason is that knowledge about the function of ZAR1 protein is limited. Although it has been reported that ZAR1 plays a crucial role in early embryogenesis and may act as a transcriptional repressor for some transcripts, the detailed mechanism is still elusive. In the present study, we analyzed public data of NB patients and found that higher expression levels of ZAR1 were significantly associated with a shorter survival period. Consistent with this result, ZAR1-depleted NB cells showed well-differentiated phenotypes with elongated neurites and upregulated expression of TRKA and RET, which are markers for differentiated NB. Moreover, the expression level of MYCN protein was markedly suppressed in ZAR1-depleted NB cells. MYCN-depleted cells showed similar phenotypes to ZAR1-depleted cells. The present findings indicate that ZAR1 has oncogenic effects in NB by suppressing cell differentiation via regulation of MYCN expression.
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Proliferation and Survival of Embryonic Sympathetic Neuroblasts by MYCN and Activated ALK Signaling. J Neurosci 2017; 36:10425-10439. [PMID: 27707976 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0183-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is a childhood tumor that arises from the sympathoadrenal lineage. MYCN amplification is the most reliable marker for poor prognosis and MYCN overexpression in embryonic mouse sympathetic ganglia results in NB-like tumors. MYCN cooperates with mutational activation of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), which promotes progression to NB, but the role of MYCN and ALK in tumorigenesis is still poorly understood. Here, we use chick sympathetic neuroblasts to examine the normal function of MYCN and MYC in the control of neuroblast proliferation, as well as effects of overexpression of MYCN, MYC, and activated ALK, alone and in combination. We demonstrate that MYC is more strongly expressed than MYCN during neurogenesis and is important for in vitro neuroblast proliferation. MYC and MYCN overexpression elicits increased proliferation but does not sustain neuroblast survival. Unexpectedly, long-term expression of activated ALKF1174L leads to cell-cycle arrest and promotes differentiation and survival of postmitotic neurons. ALKF1174L induces NEFM, RET, and VACHT and results in decreased expression of proapototic (BMF, BIM), adrenergic (TH), and cell-cycle genes (e.g., CDC25A, CDK1). In contrast, neuroblast proliferation is maintained when MYCN and ALKF1174L are coexpressed. Proliferating MYCN/ALKF1174L neuroblasts display a differentiated phenotype but differ from ALK-expressing neurons by the upregulation of SKP2, CCNA2, E2F8, and DKC1 Inhibition of the ubiquitin ligase SKP2 (S-phase kinase-associated protein 2), which targets the CDK inhibitor p27 for degradation, reduces neuroblast proliferation, implicating SKP2 in the maintained proliferation of MYCN/ALKF1174L neuroblasts. Together, our results characterize MYCN/ALK cooperation leading to neuroblast proliferation and survival that may represent initial steps toward NB development. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT MYCN overexpression combined with activated anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is sufficient to induce neuroblastoma (NB) in mouse sympathoadrenal cells. To address cellular and molecular effects elicited by MYCN/ALK cooperation, we used cultures of chick sympathetic neuroblasts. We demonstrate that MYCN increases proliferation but not survival, whereas long-term expression of ALKF1174L elicits cell-cycle exit, differentiation, and survival of postmitotic neurons. Combined MYCN/ALKF1174L expression allows long-term proliferation and survival of neuroblasts with differentiated characteristics. In the presence of ALKF1174L signaling, MYCN induces the expression of the ubiquitin ligase SKP2 (S-phase kinase-associated protein 2), which targets p27 for degradation and is also upregulated in high-risk NB. SKP2 inhibition supports a function for SKP2 in the maintained neuroblast proliferation downstream of MYCN/ALK, which may represent an early step toward tumorigenesis.
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Estiar MA, Javan F, Zekri A, Mehrazin M, Mehdipour P. Prognostic significance of MYCN gene amplification and protein expression in primary brain tumors: Astrocytoma and meningioma. Cancer Biomark 2017; 19:341-351. [PMID: 28453467 DOI: 10.3233/cbm-160546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Astrocytoma and meningioma are the most common primary brain tumors. MYCN as a member of MYC proto-oncogenes has recently appeared as an attractive therapeutic target. Functions of MYCN are critical for growth of nervous system and neural differentiation. OBJECTIVE We examined MYCN amplification and protein expression in astrocytoma and meningioma cases. METHODS In this study, we used real-time PCR, FISH assay and flowcytometry to analyze DNA amplification and protein expression of MYCN. RESULTS Among 30 samples of brain tumor, 14 cases (46.6%) revealed MYCN amplification. High-protein expression of MYCN was also observed in 43.3% of patients. There was a significant correlation between MYCN gene amplification and protein expression (r= 0.523; p= 0.003), interestingly five case showed discrepancy between the gene amplification and protein expression. Although MYCN amplification fails to show correlation with poor prognosis (p= 0.305), protein high-expression of MYCN significantly reduce disease-free survival (p= 0.019). CONCLUSIONS Our results challenge the concept of the neural specificity of MYCN by demonstrating contribution of MYCN in meningioma. Moreover, this study highlights the importance of research at both level of DNA and protein, to determine the biological functions and medical impacts of MYCN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehrdad Asghari Estiar
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Firouzeh Javan
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Zekri
- Physiology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Biology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masoud Mehrazin
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parvin Mehdipour
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Ma Z, Hu J, Yu G, Qin JG. Gene expression of bone morphogenetic proteins and jaw malformation in golden pompano Trachinotus ovatus larvae in different feeding regimes. JOURNAL OF APPLIED ANIMAL RESEARCH 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/09712119.2017.1282371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhenhua Ma
- South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of South China Sea Fishery Resources Exploitation and Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Jing Hu
- South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Gang Yu
- South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jian G. Qin
- School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
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Al-Mahdi R, Babteen N, Thillai K, Holt M, Johansen B, Wetting HL, Seternes OM, Wells CM. A novel role for atypical MAPK kinase ERK3 in regulating breast cancer cell morphology and migration. Cell Adh Migr 2016; 9:483-94. [PMID: 26588708 PMCID: PMC4955959 DOI: 10.1080/19336918.2015.1112485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
ERK3 is an atypical Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK6). Despite the fact that the Erk3 gene was originally identified in 1991, its function is still unknown. MK5 (MAP kinase- activated protein kinase 5) also called PRAK is the only known substrate for ERK3. Recently, it was found that group I p21 protein activated kinases (PAKs) are critical effectors of ERK3. PAKs link Rho family of GTPases to actin cytoskeletal dynamics and are known to be involved in the regulation of cell adhesion and migration. In this study we demonstrate that ERK3 protein levels are elevated as MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells adhere to collagen I which is concomitant with changes in cellular morphology where cells become less well spread following nascent adhesion formation. During this early cellular adhesion event we observe that the cells retain protrusive activity while reducing overall cellular area. Interestingly exogenous expression of ERK3 delivers a comparable reduction in cell spread area, while depletion of ERK3 expression increases cell spread area. Importantly, we have detected a novel specific endogenous ERK3 localization at the cell periphery. Furthermore we find that ERK3 overexpressing cells exhibit a rounded morphology and increased cell migration speed. Surprisingly, exogenous expression of a kinase inactive mutant of ERK3 phenocopies ERK3 overexpression, suggesting a novel kinase independent function for ERK3. Taken together our data suggest that as cells initiate adhesion to matrix increasing levels of ERK3 at the cell periphery are required to orchestrate cell morphology changes which can then drive migratory behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rania Al-Mahdi
- a Department of Pharmacy ; UiT The Arctic University of Norway ; Tromsø , Norway
| | - Nouf Babteen
- b Division of Cancer Studies; New Hunts House ; Guy's Campus; King's College London ; London , UK
| | - Kiruthikah Thillai
- b Division of Cancer Studies; New Hunts House ; Guy's Campus; King's College London ; London , UK
| | - Mark Holt
- c Randall Division for Cell and Molecular Biophysics and Cardiovascular Division; King's College London ; London , UK
| | - Bjarne Johansen
- a Department of Pharmacy ; UiT The Arctic University of Norway ; Tromsø , Norway
| | - Hilde Ljones Wetting
- a Department of Pharmacy ; UiT The Arctic University of Norway ; Tromsø , Norway
| | - Ole-Morten Seternes
- a Department of Pharmacy ; UiT The Arctic University of Norway ; Tromsø , Norway
| | - Claire M Wells
- b Division of Cancer Studies; New Hunts House ; Guy's Campus; King's College London ; London , UK
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de Boisvilliers M, Perrin F, Hebache S, Balandre AC, Bensalma S, Garnier A, Vaudry D, Fournier A, Festy F, Muller JM, Chadéneau C. VIP and PACAP analogs regulate therapeutic targets in high-risk neuroblastoma cells. Peptides 2016; 78:30-41. [PMID: 26826611 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2016.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Revised: 12/30/2015] [Accepted: 01/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is a pediatric cancer. New therapies for high-risk NB aim to induce cell differentiation and to inhibit MYCN and ALK signaling in NB. The vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) are 2 related neuropeptides sharing common receptors. The level of VIP increases with NB differentiation. Here, the effects of VIP and PACAP analogs developed for therapeutic use were studied in MYCN-amplified NB SK-N-DZ and IMR-32 cells and in Kelly cells that in addition present the F1174L ALK mutation. As previously reported by our group in IMR-32 cells, VIP induced neuritogenesis in SK-N-DZ and Kelly cells and reduced MYCN expression in Kelly but not in SK-N-DZ cells. VIP decreased AKT activity in the ALK-mutated Kelly cells. These effects were PKA-dependent. IMR-32, SK-NDZ and Kelly cells expressed the genes encoding the 3 subtypes of VIP and PACAP receptors, VPAC1, VPAC2 and PAC1. In parallel to its effect on MYCN expression, VIP inhibited invasion in IMR-32 and Kelly cells. Among the 3 PACAP analogs tested, [Hyp(2)]PACAP-27 showed higher efficiency than VIP in Kelly cells. These results indicate that VIP and PACAP analogs act on molecular and cellular processes that could reduce aggressiveness of high-risk NB.
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MESH Headings
- Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase
- Cell Differentiation/drug effects
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cell Movement/drug effects
- Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases/genetics
- Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases/metabolism
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects
- Humans
- Mutation
- N-Myc Proto-Oncogene Protein/genetics
- N-Myc Proto-Oncogene Protein/metabolism
- Neurons/drug effects
- Neurons/metabolism
- Neurons/pathology
- Organ Specificity
- Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide/chemical synthesis
- Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide/pharmacology
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism
- Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/genetics
- Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/metabolism
- Receptors, Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide, Type I/genetics
- Receptors, Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide, Type I/metabolism
- Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide, Type II/genetics
- Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide, Type II/metabolism
- Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide, Type I/genetics
- Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide, Type I/metabolism
- Signal Transduction
- Structure-Activity Relationship
- Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide/chemical synthesis
- Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide/pharmacology
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Affiliation(s)
- Madryssa de Boisvilliers
- Université de Poitiers, Équipe Récepteurs, Régulations et Cellules Tumorales (2RCT), Pôle Biologie Santé, Bât. B36/B37, UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, 1 rue Georges Bonnet TSA, 51106 86073 Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - Florian Perrin
- Université de Poitiers, Équipe Récepteurs, Régulations et Cellules Tumorales (2RCT), Pôle Biologie Santé, Bât. B36/B37, UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, 1 rue Georges Bonnet TSA, 51106 86073 Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - Salima Hebache
- Université de Poitiers, Équipe Récepteurs, Régulations et Cellules Tumorales (2RCT), Pôle Biologie Santé, Bât. B36/B37, UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, 1 rue Georges Bonnet TSA, 51106 86073 Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - Annie-Claire Balandre
- Université de Poitiers, Équipe Récepteurs, Régulations et Cellules Tumorales (2RCT), Pôle Biologie Santé, Bât. B36/B37, UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, 1 rue Georges Bonnet TSA, 51106 86073 Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - Souheyla Bensalma
- Université de Poitiers, Équipe Récepteurs, Régulations et Cellules Tumorales (2RCT), Pôle Biologie Santé, Bât. B36/B37, UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, 1 rue Georges Bonnet TSA, 51106 86073 Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - Agnès Garnier
- Université de Poitiers, Équipe Récepteurs, Régulations et Cellules Tumorales (2RCT), Pôle Biologie Santé, Bât. B36/B37, UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, 1 rue Georges Bonnet TSA, 51106 86073 Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - David Vaudry
- Université de Rouen, INSERM U982, Equipe Neuropeptides, survie neuronale et plasticité cellulaire, IRIB, UFR Sciences et Techniques, Place E. Blondel, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Alain Fournier
- INRS, Institut Armand-Frappier, 531 boul. des Prairies, Laval, QC H7V 1B7, Canada
| | - Franck Festy
- Université de la Réunion, Stemcis c/o CYROI, 2, rue Maxime Rivière, 97490 Sainte Clotilde, France
| | - Jean-Marc Muller
- Université de Poitiers, Équipe Récepteurs, Régulations et Cellules Tumorales (2RCT), Pôle Biologie Santé, Bât. B36/B37, UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, 1 rue Georges Bonnet TSA, 51106 86073 Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - Corinne Chadéneau
- Université de Poitiers, Équipe Récepteurs, Régulations et Cellules Tumorales (2RCT), Pôle Biologie Santé, Bât. B36/B37, UFR Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées, 1 rue Georges Bonnet TSA, 51106 86073 Poitiers Cedex 9, France.
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CTCF cooperates with noncoding RNA MYCNOS to promote neuroblastoma progression through facilitating MYCN expression. Oncogene 2015; 35:3565-76. [PMID: 26549029 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2015.422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2015] [Revised: 07/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have indicated the important roles of MYCN in tumorigenesis and progression of neuroblastoma (NB), the most common extracranial solid tumor derived from neural crest in childhood. However, the regulatory mechanisms of MYCN expression in NB still remain largely unknown. In this study, through mining public microarray databases and analyzing the cis-regulatory elements and chromatin immunoprecipitation data sets, we identified CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) as a crucial transcription factor facilitating the MYCN expression in NB. RNA immunoprecipitation, RNA electrophoretic mobility shift assay, RNA pull down and in vitro binding assay indicated the physical interaction between CTCF and MYCN opposite strand (MYCNOS), a natural noncoding RNA surrounding the MYNC promoter. Gain- and loss-of-function studies revealed that MYCNOS facilitated the recruitment of CTCF to its binding sites within the MYCN promoter to induce chromatin remodeling, resulting in enhanced MYCN levels and altered downstream gene expression, in cultured NB cell lines. CTCF cooperated with MYCNOS to suppress the differentiation and promote the growth, invasion and metastasis of NB cells in vitro and in vivo. In clinical NB tissues and cell lines, CTCF and MYCNOS were upregulated and positively correlated with MYCN expression. CTCF was an independent prognostic factor for unfavorable outcome of NB, and patients with high MYCNOS expression had lower survival probability. Taken together, these results demonstrate that CTCF cooperates with noncoding RNA MYCNOS to exhibit oncogenic activity that affects the aggressiveness and progression of NB through transcriptional upregulation of MYCN.
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Mobley BC, Kwon M, Kraemer BR, Hickman FE, Qiao J, Chung DH, Carter BD. Expression of MYCN in Multipotent Sympathoadrenal Progenitors Induces Proliferation and Neural Differentiation, but Is Not Sufficient for Tumorigenesis. PLoS One 2015. [PMID: 26222553 PMCID: PMC4519318 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is a pediatric malignancy of the sympathetic ganglia and adrenal glands, hypothesized to originate from progenitors of the developing sympathetic nervous system. Amplification of the MYCN oncogene is a genetic marker of risk in this disease. Understanding the impact of oncogene expression on sympathoadrenal progenitor development may improve our knowledge of neuroblastoma initiation and progression. We isolated sympathoadrenal progenitor cells from the postnatal murine adrenal gland by sphere culture and found them to be multipotent, generating differentiated colonies of neurons, Schwann cells, and myofibroblasts. MYCN overexpression in spheres promoted commitment to the neural lineage, evidenced by an increased frequency of neuron-containing colonies. MYCN promoted proliferation of both sympathoadrenal progenitor spheres and differentiated neurons derived from these spheres, but there was also an increase in apoptosis. The proliferation, apoptosis, and neural lineage commitment induced by MYCN are tumor-like characteristics and thereby support the hypothesis that multipotent adrenal medullary progenitor cells are cells of origin for neuroblastoma. We find, however, that MYCN overexpression is not sufficient for these cells to form tumors in nude mice, suggesting that additional transforming mutations are necessary for tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bret C. Mobley
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Division of Neuropathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, the United States of America
- * E-mail: (BCM); (BDC)
| | - Minjae Kwon
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Division of Neuropathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, the United States of America
| | - Bradley R. Kraemer
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, the United States of America
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, the United States of America
| | - F. Edward Hickman
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, the United States of America
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, the United States of America
| | - Jingbo Qiao
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Nashville, Tennessee, the United States of America
| | - Dai H. Chung
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Nashville, Tennessee, the United States of America
| | - Bruce D. Carter
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, the United States of America
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, the United States of America
- * E-mail: (BCM); (BDC)
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27
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Light and electron microscopic studies of the intestinal epithelium in Notoplana humilis (Platyhelminthes, Polycladida): the contribution of mesodermal/gastrodermal neoblasts to intestinal regeneration. Cell Tissue Res 2015; 362:529-40. [DOI: 10.1007/s00441-015-2221-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2014] [Accepted: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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28
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Stempel AJ, Morgans CW, Stout JT, Appukuttan B. Simultaneous visualization and cell-specific confirmation of RNA and protein in the mouse retina. Mol Vis 2014; 20:1366-73. [PMID: 25352743 PMCID: PMC4169891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2013] [Accepted: 09/19/2014] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Simultaneous dual labeling to visualize specific RNA and protein content within the same formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) section can be technically challenging and usually impossible, because of variables such as tissue fixation time and pretreatment methods to access the target RNA or protein. Within a specific experiment, ocular tissue sections can be a precious commodity. Thus, the ability to easily and consistently detect and localize cell-specific expression of RNA and protein within a single slide would be advantageous. In this study, we describe a simplified and reliable method for combined in situ hybridization (ISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for detection of mRNA and protein, respectively, within the same FFPE ocular tissue. METHODS Whole mouse eyes were prepared for 5 micron FFPE sections after fixation for 3, 24, 48 or 72 h. Customized probes from Advanced Cell Diagnostics to detect mRNA for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α), and hypoxia-inducible factor 2-alpha (HIF-2α) were used for ISH. Various parameters were tested using the novel RNAscope method for ISH and optimized for compatibility with subsequent IHC for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) or GS-lectin within the same tissue section. Dual fluorescent visualization of Fast Red ISH and Alexa Fluor 488 IHC signal was observed with confocal microscopy. RESULTS A fixation time of 72 h was found to be optimal for ISH and subsequent IHC. The RNAscope probes for VEGF, HIF-1α, and HIF-2α mRNA all gave a strong Fast Red signal with both 48 h and 72 h fixed tissue, but the optimal IHC signal for either GFAP or GS-lectin within a retinal tissue section after ISH processing was observed with 72 h fixation. A pretreatment boiling time of 15 min and a dilution factor of 1:15 for the pretreatment protease solution were found to be optimal and necessary for successful ISH visualization with 72 h FFPE ocular tissue. CONCLUSIONS The protocol presented here provides a simple and reliable method to simultaneously detect mRNA and protein within the same paraffin-embedded ocular tissue section. The procedure, after preparation of FFPE sections, can be performed over a 2-day or 4-day period. We provide an optimization strategy that may be adapted for any RNAscope probe set and antibody for determining retinal or ocular cell-specific patterns of expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J. Stempel
- Eye and Vision Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Catherine W. Morgans
- Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
| | | | - Binoy Appukuttan
- Eye and Vision Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Abstract
Myc-family proteins are key controllers of the metabolic and proliferative status of the cell, and are subjected to a complex network of regulatory events that guarantee their efficient and fast modulation by extracellular stimuli. Hence, unbalances in regulatory mechanisms leading to altered Myc levels or activities are often reported in cancer cells. Here we show that c- and N-Myc are conjugated to SUMO proteins at conserved lysines in their C-terminal domain. No obvious effects of SUMOylation were detected on bulk N-Myc stability or activities, including the regulation of transcription, proliferation or apoptosis. N-Myc SUMOylation could be induced by cellular stresses, such as heat shock and proteasome inhibition, and in all instances concerned a small fraction of the N-Myc protein. We surmise that, as shown for other substrates, SUMOylation may be part of a quality-control mechanism acting on misfolded Myc proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Sabò
- Center for Genomic Science of IIT@SEMM, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Milan, Italy
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan, Italy
| | - Mirko Doni
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan, Italy
| | - Bruno Amati
- Center for Genomic Science of IIT@SEMM, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Milan, Italy
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan, Italy
- * E-mail:
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30
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Abstract
Neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial solid tumor of childhood, is thought to originate from undifferentiated neural crest cells. Amplification of the MYC family member, MYCN, is found in ∼25% of cases and correlates with high-risk disease and poor prognosis. Currently, amplification of MYCN remains the best-characterized genetic marker of risk in neuroblastoma. This article reviews roles for MYCN in neuroblastoma and highlights recent identification of other driver mutations. Strategies to target MYCN at the level of protein stability and transcription are also reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miller Huang
- Departments of Neurology, Pediatrics, and Neurosurgery, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158-9001
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Hossain MM, Banik NL, Ray SK. N-Myc knockdown and apigenin treatment controlled growth of malignant neuroblastoma cells having N-Myc amplification. Gene 2013; 529:27-36. [PMID: 23941992 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2013.07.094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2013] [Revised: 07/24/2013] [Accepted: 07/26/2013] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Malignant neuroblastomas mostly occur in children and are frequently associated with N-Myc amplification. Oncogene amplification, which is selective increase in copy number of the oncogene, provides survival advantages in solid tumors including malignant neuroblastoma. We have decreased expression of N-Myc oncogene using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) plasmid to increase anti-tumor efficacy of the isoflavonoid apigenin (APG) in human malignant neuroblastoma SK-N-DZ and SK-N-BE2 cell lines that harbor N-Myc amplification. N-Myc knockdown induced morphological and biochemical features of neuronal differentiation. Combination of N-Myc knockdown and APG most effectively induced morphological and biochemical features of apoptotic death. This combination therapy also prevented cell migration and decreased N-Myc driven survival, angiogenic, and invasive factors. Collectively, N-Myc knockdown and APG treatment is a promising strategy for controlling the growth of human malignant neuroblastoma cell lines that harbor N-Myc amplification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Motarab Hossain
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Columbia, SC 29209, USA
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Functional MYCN signature predicts outcome of neuroblastoma irrespective of MYCN amplification. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:19190-5. [PMID: 23091029 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1208215109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is a pediatric tumor of the sympathetic nervous system. MYCN (V-myc myelocytomatosis viral-related oncogene, neuroblastoma derived [avian]) is amplified in 20% of neuroblastomas, and these tumors carry a poor prognosis. However, tumors without MYCN amplification also may have a poor outcome. Here, we identified downstream targets of MYCN by shRNA-mediated silencing MYCN in neuroblastoma cells. From these targets, 157 genes showed an expression profile correlating with MYCN mRNA levels in NB88, a series of 88 neuroblastoma tumors, and therefore represent in vivo relevant MYCN pathway genes. This 157-gene signature identified very poor prognosis tumors in NB88 and independent neuroblastoma cohorts and was more powerful than MYCN amplification or MYCN expression alone. Remarkably, this signature also identified poor outcome of a group of tumors without MYCN amplification. Most of these tumors have low MYCN mRNA levels but high nuclear MYCN protein levels, suggesting stabilization of MYCN at the protein level. One tumor has an MYC amplification and high MYC expression. Chip-on-chip analyses showed that most genes in this signature are directly regulated by MYCN. MYCN induces genes functioning in cell cycle and DNA repair while repressing neuronal differentiation genes. The functional MYCN-157 signature recognizes classical neuroblastoma with MYCN amplification, as well as a newly identified group marked by MYCN protein stabilization.
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Abstract
Neuroblastoma is a pediatric tumor of the sympathetic nervous system. Amplification and overexpression of the MYCN proto-oncogene occurs in approximately 20% of neuroblastomas and is associated with advanced stage disease, rapid tumor progression, and poor prognosis. MYCN encodes the transcriptional regulator N-myc, which has been shown to both up- and downregulate many target genes involved in cell cycle, DNA damage, differentiation, and apoptosis in neuroblastoma. During the last years, it has become clear that N-myc also modulates the expression of several classes of noncoding RNAs, in particular microRNAs. MicroRNAs are the most widely studied noncoding RNA molecules in neuroblastoma. They function as negative regulators of gene expression at the posttranscriptional level in diverse cellular processes. Aberrant regulation of miRNA expression has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neuroblastoma. While the N-myc protein is established as an important regulator of several miRNAs involved in neuroblastoma tumorigenesis, tumor suppressor miRNAs have also been documented to repress MYCN expression and inhibit cell proliferation of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells. It is now becoming increasingly evident that N-myc also regulates the expression of long noncoding RNAs such as T-UCRs and ncRAN. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the interplay between N-myc and noncoding RNAs in neuroblastoma and how this contributes to neuroblastoma tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochen Buechner
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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Exploitation of chick embryo environments to reprogram MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells to a benign phenotype, lacking detectable MYCN expression. Oncogenesis 2012; 1:e24. [PMID: 23552815 PMCID: PMC3503288 DOI: 10.1038/oncsis.2012.24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is a paediatric cancer that arises from the sympathetic ganglia (SG) or adrenal gland. Tumours that occur in patients under 18 months of age have a particularly good prognosis and frequently undergo spontaneous regression. This led to the hypothesis that developmental cues in the youngest patients may prompt belated differentiation and/or apoptosis of the tumour cells. To test our hypothesis, we have injected MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells into the extra embryonic veins of chick embryos at embryonic day 3 (E3) and E6 and analysed the response of these Kelly cells at E10 and E14. Amplification of the MYCN gene occurs in up to 30% of tumours and is normally associated with a very poor prognosis. Kelly cells injected at E3 follow neural crest pathways and integrate into neural locations such as SG and the enteric nervous system although never into the adrenal gland. Additionally they migrate to non-neural locations such as the heart, meninges, jaw regions and tail. The cells respond to their respective microenvironments and in SG, some cells differentiate, they show reduced cell division and crucially all cells have undetectable MYCN expression by E10. In non-neural locations, cells form more rapidly dividing clumps and continue to express MYCN. The downregulation of MYCN is dependent on continuous and direct interaction with the sympathetic ganglion environment. We propose that the MYCN-amplicon in the Kelly cells retains the ability to correctly interpret the environmental cues leading to downregulation of MYCN.
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The mouse is the most widely used model organism to study gene function in the kidney in vivo. Here we review recent advances in technologies to manipulate the mouse genome and gene function to study renal biology. We discuss strengths and weaknesses of the approaches and provide examples in which they have been used to address renal questions. In addition, we provide a summary of the available resources of mouse tools and gene-targeting consortia. RECENT FINDINGS Although conventional gene-targeting and spontaneous genetic mutations in mice have provided great insights into kidney function over several decades, the addition of powerful renal-specific gene-targeting tools and the advent of RNA technologies to manipulate gene function in vivo allow investigators to address research questions more precisely in the laboratory. Together with the establishment of multiple international consortia to target all the genes in the mouse genome and the development of gene trap and N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea resources, genetic manipulation in mice has become more efficient. SUMMARY The availability of newer technologies and tremendous resources for mouse strains and reagents ensures that the mouse will remain a key model organism to study renal function.
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The MYCN oncogene and differentiation in neuroblastoma. Semin Cancer Biol 2011; 21:256-66. [PMID: 21849159 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2011.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2011] [Accepted: 08/03/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Childhood neuroblastoma exhibits a heterogeneous clinical behavior ranging from low-risk tumors with the ability to spontaneously differentiate and regress, to high-risk tumors causing the highest number of cancer related deaths in infants. Amplification of the MYCN oncogene is one of the few prediction markers for adverse outcome. This gene encodes the MYCN transcriptional regulator predominantly expressed in the developing peripheral neural crest. MYCN is vital for proliferation, migration and stem cell homeostasis while decreased levels are associated with terminal neuronal differentiation. Interestingly, high-risk tumors without MYCN amplification frequently display increased c-MYC expression and/or activation of MYC signaling pathways. On the other hand, downregulation of MYCN leads to decreased proliferation and differentiation, emphasizing the importance of MYC signaling in neuroblastoma biology. Furthermore, expression of the neurotrophin receptor TrkA is associated with good prognosis, the ability to differentiate and spontaneous regression while expression of the related TrkB receptor is correlated with bad prognosis and MYCN amplification. Here we discuss the role of MYCN in neuroblastoma with a special focus on the contribution of elevated MYCN signaling for an aggressive and undifferentiated phenotype as well as the potential of using MYCN as a therapeutic target.
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MicroRNA and DNA methylation alterations mediating retinoic acid induced neuroblastoma cell differentiation. Semin Cancer Biol 2011; 21:283-90. [PMID: 21771658 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2011.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2011] [Accepted: 07/04/2011] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Many neuroblastoma cell lines can be induced to differentiate into a mature neuronal cell type with retinoic acid and other compounds, providing an important model system for elucidating signalling pathways involved in this highly complex process. Recently, it has become apparent that miRNAs, which act as regulators of gene expression at a post-transcriptional level, are differentially expressed in differentiating cells and play important roles governing many aspects of this process. This includes the down-regulation of DNA methyltransferases that cause the de-methylation and transcriptional activation of numerous protein coding gene sequences. The purpose of this article is to review involvement of miRNAs and DNA methylation alterations in the process of neuroblastoma cell differentiation. A thorough understanding of miRNA and genetic pathways regulating neuroblastoma cell differentiation potentially could lead to targeted therapies for this disease.
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Tumour-suppressor microRNAs let-7 and mir-101 target the proto-oncogene MYCN and inhibit cell proliferation in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma. Br J Cancer 2011; 105:296-303. [PMID: 21654684 PMCID: PMC3142803 DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2011.220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate expression of many cancer-related genes through posttranscriptional repression of their mRNAs. In this study we investigate the proto-oncogene MYCN as a target for miRNA regulation. Methods: A luciferase reporter assay was used to investigate software-predicted miRNA target sites in the 3′-untranslated region (3′UTR) of MYCN. The miRNAs were overexpressed in cell lines by transfection of miRNA mimics or miRNA-expressing plasmids. Mutation of the target sites was used to validate MYCN 3′UTR as a direct target of several miRNAs. To measure miRNA-mediated suppression of endogenous N-myc protein, inhibition of proliferation and inhibition of clonogenic growth, miRNAs were overexpressed in a MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cell line. Results: The results from this study show that MYCN is targeted by several miRNAs. In addition to the previously shown mir-34a/c, we experimentally validate mir-449, mir-19a/b, mir-29a/b/c, mir-101 and let-7e/mir-202 as direct MYCN-targeting miRNAs. These miRNAs were able to suppress endogenous N-myc protein in a MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cell line. The let-7e and mir-202 were strong negative regulators of MYCN expression. The mir-101 and the let-7 family miRNAs let-7e and mir-202 inhibited proliferation and clonogenic growth when overexpressed in Kelly cells. Conclusion: The tumour-suppressor miRNAs let-7 and mir-101 target MYCN and inhibit proliferation and clonogenic growth of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells.
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Haug BH, Henriksen JR, Buechner J, Geerts D, Tømte E, Kogner P, Martinsson T, Flægstad T, Sveinbjørnsson B, Einvik C. MYCN-regulated miRNA-92 inhibits secretion of the tumor suppressor DICKKOPF-3 (DKK3) in neuroblastoma. Carcinogenesis 2011; 32:1005-12. [PMID: 21572098 DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgr073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The MYCN oncogene is frequently amplified in neuroblastoma. It is one of the most consistent markers of bad prognosis for this disease. Dickkopf-3 (DKK3) is a secreted protein of the DKK family of Wnt regulators. It functions as a tumor suppressor in a range of cancers, including neuroblastoma. MYCN was recently found to downregulate DKK3 mRNA. In this study, we show that MYCN knockdown in MYCN-amplified (MNA) neuroblastoma cell lines increases secretion of endogenous DKK3 to the culture media. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are ∼20 nt long single-stranded RNA molecules that downregulate messenger RNAs by targeting the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR). Many miRNAs regulate genes involved in the pathogenesis of cancer and are extensively deregulated in different tumors. Using miRNA target prediction software, we found several MYCN-regulated miRNAs that could target the 3'UTR sequence of DKK3, including mir-92a, mir-92b and let-7e. Luciferase expression from a reporter vector containing the DKK3-3'UTR was decreased when this construct was cotransfected with mir-92a, mir-92b or let-7e in HEK293 cells. Mutation of the mir-92 seed sequence in the 3'UTR completely rescued the observed decrease in reporter expression when cotransfected with mir-92a and mir-92b. Antagomir and miRNA-mimic transfections in neuroblastoma cell lines confirmed that DKK3 secretion to the culture media is regulated by mir-92. Consistent with reports from other cancers, we found DKK3 to be expressed in the endothelium of primary neuroblastoma samples and to be absent in tumors with MYCN amplification. Our data demonstrate that MYCN-regulated miRNAs are able to modulate the expression of the tumor suppressor DKK3 in neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bjørn Helge Haug
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of North-Norway, NO-9038 Tromsø, Norway
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