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Mast Cell–Tumor Interactions: Molecular Mechanisms of Recruitment, Intratumoral Communication and Potential Therapeutic Targets for Tumor Growth. Cells 2022; 11:cells11030349. [PMID: 35159157 PMCID: PMC8834237 DOI: 10.3390/cells11030349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mast cells (MCs) are tissue-resident immune cells that are important players in diseases associated with chronic inflammation such as cancer. Since MCs can infiltrate solid tumors and promote or limit tumor growth, a possible polarization of MCs to pro-tumoral or anti-tumoral phenotypes has been proposed and remains as a challenging research field. Here, we review the recent evidence regarding the complex relationship between MCs and tumor cells. In particular, we consider: (1) the multifaceted role of MCs on tumor growth suggested by histological analysis of tumor biopsies and studies performed in MC-deficient animal models; (2) the signaling pathways triggered by tumor-derived chemotactic mediators and bioactive lipids that promote MC migration and modulate their function inside tumors; (3) the possible phenotypic changes on MCs triggered by prevalent conditions in the tumor microenvironment (TME) such as hypoxia; (4) the signaling pathways that specifically lead to the production of angiogenic factors, mainly VEGF; and (5) the possible role of MCs on tumor fibrosis and metastasis. Finally, we discuss the novel literature on the molecular mechanisms potentially related to phenotypic changes that MCs undergo into the TME and some therapeutic strategies targeting MC activation to limit tumor growth.
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He L, Zhu Z, Chen S, Wang Y, Gu H. Mammary tumor growth and metastasis are reduced in c-Kit mutant Sash mice. Cancer Med 2016; 5:1292-7. [PMID: 26992445 PMCID: PMC4924387 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2015] [Revised: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 02/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Besides its well‐known function in allergic response, mast cell, one of the key immune cells present in tumor microenvironment, plays important roles in cancer progression. However, the functional role of mast cells in breast cancer development and metastasis is not well understood. To test the involvement of mast cells in breast cancer, we examined the effects of loss of mast cells on mammary tumor development by crossing the well‐known mast cell deficient mouse strain sash (KitW‐sh/W‐sh) with the mammary tumor transgenic mouse strain MMTV‐Polyoma Middle T antigen (PyMT). Although mammary tumor onset was not affected in the absence of mast cells, mammary growth and metastasis were reduced in PyMT/KitW‐sh/W‐sh mice compared with PyMT/wild‐type mice (WT). Histological and immunofluorescent analyses showed that tumors from PyMT/KitW‐sh/W‐sh mice showed largely differentiated morphology with reduced angiogenesis compared with MMTV‐PyMT/WT mice. Our results suggest that mast cells may promote breast cancer growth and metastasis. Agents that can block mast cells growth are potential new therapies to treat metastatic breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Licai He
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Zhenfeng Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Shang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Yongping Wang
- Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, 80045
| | - Haihua Gu
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China.,Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, 80045
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Faustino-Rocha AI, Ferreira R, Oliveira PA, Gama A, Ginja M. N-Methyl-N-nitrosourea as a mammary carcinogenic agent. Tumour Biol 2015; 36:9095-117. [PMID: 26386719 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-015-3973-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 08/21/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The administration of chemical carcinogens is one of the most commonly used methods to induce tumors in several organs in laboratory animals in order to study oncologic diseases of humans. The carcinogen agent N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) is the oldest member of the nitroso compounds that has the ability to alkylate DNA. MNU is classified as a complete, potent, and direct alkylating compound. Depending on the animals' species and strain, dose, route, and age at the administration, MNU may induce tumors' development in several organs. The aim of this manuscript was to review MNU as a carcinogenic agent, taking into account that this carcinogen agent has been frequently used in experimental protocols to study the carcinogenesis in several tissues, namely breast, ovary, uterus, prostate, liver, spleen, kidney, stomach, small intestine, colon, hematopoietic system, lung, skin, retina, and urinary bladder. In this paper, we also reviewed the experimental conditions to the chemical induction of tumors in different organs with this carcinogen agent, with a special emphasis in the mammary carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana I Faustino-Rocha
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, UTAD, 5001-911, Vila Real, Portugal. .,Center for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), UTAD, 5001-911, Vila Real, Portugal.
| | - Rita Ferreira
- Organic Chemistry of Natural Products and Agrifood (QOPNA), Mass Spectrometry Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Paula A Oliveira
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, UTAD, 5001-911, Vila Real, Portugal.,Center for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), UTAD, 5001-911, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Adelina Gama
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, UTAD, 5001-911, Vila Real, Portugal.,Animal and Veterinary Research Center (CECAV), School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, UTAD, 5001-911, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Mário Ginja
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, UTAD, 5001-911, Vila Real, Portugal.,Center for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), UTAD, 5001-911, Vila Real, Portugal
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Karamitopoulou E, Shoni M, Theoharides TC. Increased number of non-degranulated mast cells in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma but not in acute pancreatitis. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol 2014; 27:213-20. [PMID: 25004833 DOI: 10.1177/039463201402700208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence indicates that tumor microenvironment (TME) is crucial in tumor survival and metastases. Inflammatory cells accumulate around tumors and strangely appear to be permissive to their growth. One key stroma cell is the mast cell (MC), which can secrete numerous pro- and antitumor molecules. We investigated the presence and degranulation state of MC in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) as compared to acute ancreatitis (AP). Three different detection methods: (a) toluidine blue staining, as well as immunohistochemistry for (b) tryptase and (c) c-kit, were utilized to assess the number and extent of degranulation of MC in PDAC tissue (n=7), uninvolved pancreatic tissue derived from tumor-free margins (n=7) and tissue form AP (n=4). The number of MC detected with all three methods was significantly increased in PDAC, as compared to normal pancreatic tissue derived from tumor-free margins (p<0.05). The highest number of MC was identified by c-kit, 22.2∓7.5 per high power field (HPF) in PDAC vs 9.7∓5.1 per HPF in normal tissue. Contrary to MC in AP, where most of the detected MC were found degranulated, MC in PDAC appeared intact. In conclusion, MC are increased in number, but not degranulated in PDAC, suggesting that they may contribute to cancer growth by permitting selective release of pro-tumorogenic molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Karamitopoulou
- Department of Histopathology, Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - M Shoni
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunopharmacology and Drug Discovery, Department of Integrative Physiology and Pathobiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - T C Theoharides
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunopharmacology and Drug Discovery, Department of Integrative Physiology and Pathobiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
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Gavert N, Shvab A, Sheffer M, Ben-Shmuel A, Haase G, Bakos E, Domany E, Ben-Ze'ev A. c-Kit is suppressed in human colon cancer tissue and contributes to L1-mediated metastasis. Cancer Res 2013; 73:5754-63. [PMID: 24008320 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-13-0576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The transmembrane neural cell adhesion receptor L1 is a Wnt/β-catenin target gene expressed in many tumor types. In human colorectal cancer, L1 localizes preferentially to the invasive front of tumors and when overexpressed in colorectal cancer cells, it facilitates their metastasis to the liver. In this study, we investigated genes that are regulated in human colorectal cancer and by the L1-NF-κB pathway that has been implicated in liver metastasis. c-Kit was the most highly suppressed gene in both colorectal cancer tissue and the L1-NF-κB pathway. c-Kit suppression that resulted from L1-mediated signaling relied upon NF-κB, which directly inhibited the transcription of SP1, a major activator of the c-Kit gene promoter. Reconstituting c-Kit expression in L1-transfected cells blocked the biological effects conferred by L1 overexpression in driving motility and liver metastasis. We found that c-Kit expression in colorectal cancer cells is associated with a more pronounced epithelial morphology, along with increased expression of E-cadherin and decreased expression of Slug. Although c-Kit overexpression inhibited the motility and metastasis of L1-expressing colorectal cancer cells, it enhanced colorectal cancer cell proliferation and tumorigenesis, arguing that separate pathways mediate tumorigenicity and metastasis by c-Kit. Our findings provide insights into how colorectal cancer metastasizes to the liver, the most common site of dissemination in this cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Gavert
- Authors' Affiliations: Departments of Molecular Cell Biology; and Physics and Complex Systems, The Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot, Israel
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de Melo Maia B, Lavorato-Rocha AM, Rodrigues IS, Baiocchi G, Cestari FM, Stiepcich MM, Chinen LTD, Carvalho KC, Soares FA, Rocha RM. Prognostic significance of c-KIT in vulvar cancer: bringing this molecular marker from bench to bedside. J Transl Med 2012; 10:150. [PMID: 22839358 PMCID: PMC3478999 DOI: 10.1186/1479-5876-10-150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2012] [Accepted: 07/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Vulvar carcinomas are rare tumors, and there is limited data regarding molecular alterations. To our knowledge there are no published studies on c-KIT and squamous cell carcinomas of the vulva (VSCC). Although there are a significant number of other tumor types which express c-KIT, there remains controversy as to its relationship to patient outcome. Thus, we wished to investigate such controversial findings to determine the prognostic importance of c-KIT by evaluating its protein and mRNA expression in VSCCs, correlating these findings with clinicopathological features and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Methods c-KIT expression was scored by immunohistochemistry (IHC) as positive or negative in 139 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cases of vulvar carcinomas arrayed in a tissue microarray (TMA) using the DAKO® A4502 rabbit polyclonal c-KIT antibody (diluted 1:100). c-KIT mRNA was evaluated by qRT-PCR in 34 frozen samples from AC Camargo Hospital Biobank (17 tumoral and 17 non-tumoral samples) using TaqMan probes–Applied Biosystems [Hs00174029_m1]. HPV genotyping was assessed in 103 samples using Linear Array® HPV Genotyping Test kit (Roche Molecular Diagnostics, Basel, Switzerland). All results obtained were correlated with clinical and pathological data of the patients. Results c-KIT protein was positive by immunohistochemistry in 70.5% of the cases and this was associated with a higher global survival (p = 0.007), a higher recurrence-free survival (p < 0.0001), an absence of associated lesions (p = 0.001), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.0053), and HPV infection (p = 0.034). Furthermore, c-KIT mRNA quantitation revealed higher levels of transcripts in normal samples compared to tumor samples (p = 0,0009). Conclusions Our findings indicate that those vulvar tumors staining positively for c-KIT present better prognosis. Thus, positivity of c-KIT as evaluated by IHC may be a good predictor for use of more conservative surgery techniques and lymph node dissection in vulvar cancer. So part of the essence of our study is to see the possibility of translating our current results from the bench to the bedside. This will help provide patients a more appropriate, less mutilating treatment, in order to keep the maximum physical and psychic quality as possible to these women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz de Melo Maia
- Anatomic Pathology Department, Hospital AC Camargo, Rua Antônio Prudente, 109, 1o Andar-Patologia Investigativa, Liberdade, São Paulo, SP, CEP: 01509-900, Brazil.
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Schwarz S, Rotter N. Human salivary gland stem cells: isolation, propagation, and characterization. Methods Mol Biol 2012; 879:403-442. [PMID: 22610574 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-61779-815-3_25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Stem cells are of outstanding interest for a variety of applications in regenerative medicine. The identification and characterization of novel tissue sources in order to reduce donor site morbidity and to provide specific cells in clinically applicable numbers have led to the detection of stem cells in almost all adult tissues. Salivary glands are of specific interest to our lab, as these tissues are easily accessible for the head and neck surgeon with low donor site morbidity. On the other hand, they possess an endocrine and exocrine function and thus play a very specific role in the human body. Stem cell identity however can only be demonstrated using a combination of different methods in vitro, as there is not a single marker or feature allowing for definite identification of such cells. In this chapter, we provide a comprehensive summary of our experimental methods for the isolation and characterization of human salivary gland stem cells in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silke Schwarz
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
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Wright LE, Frye JB, Lukefahr AL, Marion SL, Hoyer PB, Besselsen DG, Funk JL. 4-Vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD) inhibits mammary epithelial differentiation and induces fibroadenoma formation in female Sprague Dawley rats. Reprod Toxicol 2011; 32:26-32. [PMID: 21621605 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2011.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2010] [Revised: 03/24/2011] [Accepted: 05/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
4-Vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD), an occupational chemical that targets ovarian follicles and accelerates ovarian failure in rodents, was used to test the effect of early-onset reproductive senescence on mammary fibroadenoma formation. One-month female Sprague Dawley rats were dosed with VCD (80 mg/kg or 160 mg/kg) and monitored for 22 months for persistent estrus and tumor development. Only high-dose VCD treatment accelerated the onset of persistent estrus relative to controls. However, both doses of VCD accelerated mammary tumor onset by 5 months, increasing incidence to 84% (vs. 38% in controls). Tumor development was independent of time in persistent estrus, 17 β-estradiol, androstenedione and prolactin. Delay in VCD administration until after completion of mammary epithelial differentiation (3 months) did not alter tumor formation despite acceleration of ovarian senescence. VCD administration to 1-month rats acutely decreased mammary alveolar bud number and expression of β-casein, suggesting that VCD's tumorigenic effect requires exposure during mammary epithelial differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Wright
- Department of Medicine, The University of Arizona, 1656 E Mabel St., PO Box 245218, Tucson, AZ 85724, United States.
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Theoharides TC, Rozniecki JJ, Sahagian G, Jocobson S, Kempuraj D, Conti P, Kalogeromitros D. Impact of stress and mast cells on brain metastases. J Neuroimmunol 2008; 205:1-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2008.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2008] [Revised: 09/12/2008] [Accepted: 09/15/2008] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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