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Karedath T, Al-Dasim FM, Ahmed I, Al-Qurashi A, Raza A, Andrews SS, Ahmed AA, Ali Mohamoud Y, Dermime S, Malek JA. Regulation of Circular RNA CircNFATC3 in Cancer Cells Alters Proliferation, Migration, and Oxidative Phosphorylation. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:595156. [PMID: 33816459 PMCID: PMC8017239 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.595156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Circular RNAs were once considered artifacts of transcriptome sequencing but have recently been identified as functionally relevant in different types of cancer. Although there is still no clear main function of circRNAs, several studies have revealed that circRNAs are expressed in various eukaryotic organisms in a regulated manner often independent of their parental linear isoforms demonstrating conservation across species. circNFATC3, an abundant and uncharacterized circular RNA of exon 2 and 3 from NFATC3, was identified in transcriptomic data of solid tumors. Here we show that circNFATC3 gain- and loss-of-function experiments using RNAi-mediated circRNA silencing and circular mini vector-mediated overexpression of circularized constructs in breast and ovarian cancer cell lines affect molecular phenotypes. The knockdown of circNFATC3 induces a reduction in cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and oxidative phosphorylation. Gain-of-function of circNFATC3 in MDA-MB-231 and SK-OV-3 cells show a significant increase in cell proliferation, migration, and respiration. The above results suggest that circNFATC3 is a functionally relevant circular RNA in breast and ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thasni Karedath
- Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Doha, Qatar
- Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Ikhlak Ahmed
- Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Doha, Qatar
- Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Afsheen Raza
- National Center for Cancer Care and Research, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
| | | | | | | | - Said Dermime
- National Center for Cancer Care and Research, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
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Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the USA, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) constitutes 85% of pancreatic cancer diagnoses. PDA frequently metastasizes to the peritoneum, but effective treatment of peritoneal metastasis remains a clinical challenge. Despite this unmet need, understanding of the biological mechanisms that contribute to development and progression of PDA peritoneal metastasis is sparse. By contrast, a vast number of studies have investigated mechanisms of peritoneal metastasis in ovarian and gastric cancers. Here, we contrast similarities and differences between peritoneal metastasis in PDA as compared with those in gastric and ovarian cancer by outlining molecular mediators involved in each step of the peritoneal metastasis cascade. This review aims to provide mechanistic insights that could be translated into effective targeted therapies for patients with peritoneal metastasis from PDA.
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Sallinen H, Janhonen S, Pölönen P, Niskanen H, Liu OH, Kivelä A, Hartikainen JM, Anttila M, Heinäniemi M, Ylä-Herttuala S, Kaikkonen MU. Comparative transcriptome analysis of matched primary and distant metastatic ovarian carcinoma. BMC Cancer 2019; 19:1121. [PMID: 31744494 PMCID: PMC6862850 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-019-6339-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND High grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) is the most common subtype of epithelial ovarian cancers (EOC) with poor prognosis. In most cases EOC is widely disseminated at the time of diagnosis. Despite the optimal cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy most patients develop chemoresistance, and the 5-year overall survival being only 25-35%. METHODS Here we analyzed the gene expression profiles of 10 primary HGSOC tumors and 10 related omental metastases using RNA sequencing and identified 100 differentially expressed genes. RESULTS The differentially expressed genes were associated with decreased embryogenesis and vasculogenesis and increased cellular proliferation and organismal death. Top upstream regulators responsible for this gene signature were NR5A1, GATA4, FOXL2, TP53 and BMP7. A subset of these genes were highly expressed in the ovarian cancer among the cancer transcriptomes of The Cancer Genome Atlas. Importantly, the metastatic gene signature was suggestive of poor survival in TCGA data based on gene enrichment analysis. CONCLUSION By comparing the gene expression profiles of primary HGSOC tumors and their matched metastasis, we provide evidence that a signature of 100 genes is able to separate these two sample types and potentially predict patient survival. Our study identifies functional categories of genes and transcription factors that could play important roles in promoting metastases and serve as markers for cancer prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. Sallinen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
| | - S. Janhonen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - P. Pölönen
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - H. Niskanen
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - O. H. Liu
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - A. Kivelä
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - J. M. Hartikainen
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Pathology and Forensic Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - M. Anttila
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
| | - M. Heinäniemi
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - S. Ylä-Herttuala
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - M. U. Kaikkonen
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
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4
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Mariani A, Wang C, Oberg AL, Riska SM, Torres M, Kumka J, Multinu F, Sagar G, Roy D, Jung DB, Zhang Q, Grassi T, Visscher DW, Patel VP, Jin L, Staub JK, Cliby WA, Weroha SJ, Kalli KR, Hartmann LC, Kaufmann SH, Goode EL, Shridhar V. Genes associated with bowel metastases in ovarian cancer. Gynecol Oncol 2019; 154:495-504. [PMID: 31204077 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2019.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study is designed to identify genes and pathways that could promote metastasis to the bowel in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (OC) and evaluate their associations with clinical outcomes. METHODS We performed RNA sequencing of OC primary tumors (PTs) and their corresponding bowel metastases (n = 21 discovery set; n = 18 replication set). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were those expressed at least 2-fold higher in bowel metastases (BMets) than PTs in at least 30% of patients (P < .05) with no increased expression in paired benign bowel tissue and were validated with quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Using an independent OC cohort (n = 333), associations between DEGs in PTs and surgical and clinical outcomes were performed. Immunohistochemistry and mouse xenograft studies were performed to confirm the role of LRRC15 in promoting metastasis. RESULTS Among 27 DEGs in the discovery set, 21 were confirmed in the replication set: SFRP2, Col11A1, LRRC15, ADAM12, ADAMTS12, MFAP5, LUM, PLPP4, FAP, POSTN, GRP, MMP11, MMP13, C1QTNF3, EPYC, DIO2, KCNA1, NETO1, NTM, MYH13, and PVALB. Higher expression of more than half of the genes in the PT was associated with an increased requirement for bowel resection at primary surgery and an inability to achieve complete cytoreduction. Increased expression of LRRC15 in BMets was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and knockdown of LRRC15 significantly inhibited tumor progression in mice. CONCLUSIONS We identified 21 genes that are overexpressed in bowel metastases among patients with OC. Our findings will help select potential molecular targets for the prevention and treatment of malignant bowel obstruction in OC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Mariani
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Chen Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Ann L Oberg
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Shaun M Riska
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Michelle Torres
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Joseph Kumka
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Francesco Multinu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Gunisha Sagar
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Debarshi Roy
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Deok-Beom Jung
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Qing Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Tommaso Grassi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Daniel W Visscher
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Vatsal P Patel
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Ling Jin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Julie K Staub
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - William A Cliby
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Saravut J Weroha
- Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Kimberly R Kalli
- Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Lynn C Hartmann
- Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Scott H Kaufmann
- Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Ellen L Goode
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Viji Shridhar
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
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5
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Tan TZ, Heong V, Ye J, Lim D, Low J, Choolani M, Scott C, Tan DSP, Huang RYJ. Decoding transcriptomic intra-tumour heterogeneity to guide personalised medicine in ovarian cancer. J Pathol 2018; 247:305-319. [PMID: 30374975 DOI: 10.1002/path.5191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Revised: 10/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The evaluation of intra-tumour heterogeneity (ITH) from a transcriptomic point of view is limited. Single-cell cancer studies reveal significant genomic and transcriptomic ITH within a tumour and it is no longer adequate to employ single-subtype assignment as this does not acknowledge the ITH that exists. Molecular assessment of subtype heterogeneity (MASH) was developed to comprehensively report on the composition of all transcriptomic subtypes within a tumour lesion. Using MASH on 3431 ovarian cancer samples, correlation and association analyses with survival, metastasis and clinical outcomes were performed to assess the impact of subtype composition as a surrogate for ITH. The association was validated on two independent cohorts. We identified that 30% of ovarian tumours consist of two or more subtypes. When biological features of the subtype constituents were examined, we identified significant impact on clinical outcomes with the presence of poor prognostic subtypes (Mes or Stem-A). Poorer outcomes correlated with having higher degrees of poor prognostic subtype populations within the tumour. Subtype prediction in several independent datasets reflected a similar prognostic trend. In addition, paired analysis of primary and recurrent/metastatic tumours demonstrated Mes and/or Stem-A subtypes predominated in recurrent and metastatic tumours regardless of the original primary subtype. Given the biological and prognostic value in delineating individual subtypes within a tumour, a clinically applicable MASH assay using NanoString® technology was developed as a classification tool to comprehensively describe constituents of molecular subtypes. Copyright © 2018 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuan Zea Tan
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Center for Translational Medicine, Singapore
| | - Valerie Heong
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Center for Translational Medicine, Singapore.,Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute Singapore, Level 8 NUH Medical Center, Singapore.,Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jieru Ye
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Center for Translational Medicine, Singapore
| | - Diana Lim
- Department of Pathology, National University Health System, Singapore.,Department of Pathology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jeffrey Low
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National University Health System, Singapore
| | - Mahesh Choolani
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National University Health System, Singapore
| | - Clare Scott
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - David Shao Peng Tan
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Center for Translational Medicine, Singapore.,Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute Singapore, Level 8 NUH Medical Center, Singapore.,Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ruby Yun-Ju Huang
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Center for Translational Medicine, Singapore.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National University Health System, Singapore.,Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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6
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Le Naour A, Mevel R, Thibault B, Courtais E, Chantalat E, Delord JP, Couderc B, Guillermet-Guibert J, Martinez A. Effect of combined inhibition of p110 alpha PI3K isoform and STAT3 pathway in ovarian cancer platinum-based resistance. Oncotarget 2018; 9:27220-27232. [PMID: 29930760 PMCID: PMC6007481 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.25513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 04/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ovarian cancer is associated with poor prognostic outcome due to late diagnosis and to intrinsic and acquired resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy in a large number of patients. This chemoresistance is acquired through the peritoneal and ascites microenvironment by several released factors, such as IL-6,. Preclinical studies have implicated the activation of PI3K pathway in chemoresistance, showing it to extend tumor cell survival and modulate multidrug resistance. We aimed to evaluate the implication of the p110 alpha PI3K subunit in ovarian cancer chemoresistance acquisition, and to evaluate whether the STAT3 pathway can mediate resistance to PI3K inhibitors through secretion of IL6. Results Human ovarian adenocarcinoma IGROV-1 and JHOC-5 cells cultured in ascites showed an increase in carboplatinum-based resistance. Level of chemoresistance was associated to IL6 concentration in ascites. Activation of PI3K/Akt, STAT and MAPK pathways was observed after IGROV-1 incubation with ascites and treatment with carboplatin. Neither IGROV-1 nor JHOC-5 cells exposed to ascites treated with additional IL-6 directed antibody showed any reversion of the chemoresistance. Conclusion IL6-related resistance was not abolished by the selective inhibition of PI3K alpha subunit coupled with the anti-IL6-receptor antibody tocilizumab. This dual inhibition requires further exploration in other ovarian cancer models such as clear cell carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Augustin Le Naour
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse (CRCT), UMR 1037 INSERM, University Toulouse III, Toulouse, France
| | - Renaud Mevel
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse (CRCT), UMR 1037 INSERM, University Toulouse III, Toulouse, France
| | - Benoit Thibault
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse (CRCT), UMR 1037 INSERM, University Toulouse III, Toulouse, France
| | - Elise Courtais
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse (CRCT), UMR 1037 INSERM, University Toulouse III, Toulouse, France
| | - Elodie Chantalat
- Department Surgical Oncology, Institut Claudius Regaud, Institut Universitaire du Cancer Toulouse-Oncopole, Toulouse, France
| | - Jean Pierre Delord
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse (CRCT), UMR 1037 INSERM, University Toulouse III, Toulouse, France.,Department Medical Oncology, Institut Claudius Regaud, Institut Universitaire du Cancer Toulouse-Oncopole, Toulouse, France
| | - Bettina Couderc
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse (CRCT), UMR 1037 INSERM, University Toulouse III, Toulouse, France.,Department Biology, Institut Claudius Regaud, Institut Universitaire du Cancer, Toulouse, France
| | - Julie Guillermet-Guibert
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse (CRCT), UMR 1037 INSERM, University Toulouse III, Toulouse, France.,Laboratoire d'excellence LABEX TouCAN, Toulouse, France
| | - Alejandra Martinez
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse (CRCT), UMR 1037 INSERM, University Toulouse III, Toulouse, France.,Department Surgical Oncology, Institut Claudius Regaud, Institut Universitaire du Cancer Toulouse-Oncopole, Toulouse, France
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7
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Wu CI, Wang HY, Ling S, Lu X. The Ecology and Evolution of Cancer: The Ultra-Microevolutionary Process. Annu Rev Genet 2016; 50:347-369. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-112414-054842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chung-I Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, College of Ecology and Evolution, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China;
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637;
| | - Hurng-Yi Wang
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine and Hepatitis Research Center, National Taiwan University and Hospital, Taipei 106, Taiwan;
| | - Shaoping Ling
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, College of Ecology and Evolution, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China;
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;
| | - Xuemei Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;
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8
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Ahmed I, Karedath T, Andrews SS, Al IK, Mohamoud YA, Querleu D, Rafii A, Malek JA. Altered expression pattern of circular RNAs in primary and metastatic sites of epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Oncotarget 2016; 7:36366-36381. [PMID: 27119352 PMCID: PMC5095006 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.8917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2015] [Accepted: 04/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, a class of endogenous species of RNA called circular RNA (circRNA) has been shown to regulate gene expression in mammals and their role in cellular function is just beginning to be understood. To investigate the role of circRNAs in ovarian cancer, we performed paired-end RNA sequencing of primary sites, peritoneal and lymph node metastases from three patients with stage IIIC ovarian cancer. We developed an in-house computational pipeline to identify and characterize the circRNA expression from paired-end RNA-Seq libraries. This pipeline revealed thousands of circular isoforms in Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma (EOC). These circRNAs are enriched for potentially effective miRNA seed matches. A significantly larger number of circRNAs are differentially expressed between tumor sites than mRNAs. Circular and linear expression exhibits an inverse trend for many cancer related pathways and signaling pathways like NFkB, PI3k/AKT and TGF-β typically activated for mRNA in metastases are inhibited for circRNA expression. Further, circRNAs show a more robust expression pattern across patients than mRNA forms indicating their suitability as biomarkers in highly heterogeneous cancer transcriptomes. The consistency of circular RNA expression may offer new candidates for cancer treatment and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ikhlak Ahmed
- Department of Genetic medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar
| | - Thasni Karedath
- Department of Genetic medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar
| | - Simeon S. Andrews
- Department of Genetic medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar
| | - Iman K. Al
- Genomics Core, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar
| | - Yasmin Ali Mohamoud
- Genomics Core, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar
| | - Denis Querleu
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Université Montepllier 1, Montpellier, France
| | - Arash Rafii
- Stem Cell and Microenvironment Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar
| | - Joel A. Malek
- Department of Genetic medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar
- Genomics Core, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar
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9
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Halabi NM, Martinez A, Al-Farsi H, Mery E, Puydenus L, Pujol P, Khalak HG, McLurcan C, Ferron G, Querleu D, Al-Azwani I, Al-Dous E, Mohamoud YA, Malek JA, Rafii A. Preferential Allele Expression Analysis Identifies Shared Germline and Somatic Driver Genes in Advanced Ovarian Cancer. PLoS Genet 2016; 12:e1005755. [PMID: 26735499 PMCID: PMC4703369 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2014] [Accepted: 11/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Identifying genes where a variant allele is preferentially expressed in tumors could lead to a better understanding of cancer biology and optimization of targeted therapy. However, tumor sample heterogeneity complicates standard approaches for detecting preferential allele expression. We therefore developed a novel approach combining genome and transcriptome sequencing data from the same sample that corrects for sample heterogeneity and identifies significant preferentially expressed alleles. We applied this analysis to epithelial ovarian cancer samples consisting of matched primary ovary and peritoneum and lymph node metastasis. We find that preferentially expressed variant alleles include germline and somatic variants, are shared at a relatively high frequency between patients, and are in gene networks known to be involved in cancer processes. Analysis at a patient level identifies patient-specific preferentially expressed alleles in genes that are targets for known drugs. Analysis at a site level identifies patterns of site specific preferential allele expression with similar pathways being impacted in the primary and metastasis sites. We conclude that genes with preferentially expressed variant alleles can act as cancer drivers and that targeting those genes could lead to new therapeutic strategies. Identifying genes that contribute to cancer biology is complicated partly because cancers can have dozens of somatic mutations and thousands of germline variants. Somatic mutations are gene variants that arise after conception in an organism while germline variants are gene variants present at conception in an organism. Most methods to identify cancer drivers have focused on determining somatic mutations. In this study we attempt to identify, from a tumor sample, important germline and somatic variants by determining if a variant is expressed (made into RNA) more than expected from the amount of the variant in the genome. The preferred expression of a variant could benefit cancer cells. When applying our analysis to ovarian cancer samples we found that despite the apparent heterogeneity, different patients frequently share the same genes with preferentially expressed variants. These genes in many cases are known to affect cancer processes such as DNA repair, cell adhesion and cell signaling and are targetable with known drugs. We therefore conclude that our analysis can identify germline and somatic gene variants that contribute to cancer biology and can potentially guide individualized therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najeeb M. Halabi
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill-Cornell Medical College, New York, United States of America
| | | | - Halema Al-Farsi
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill-Cornell Medical College, New York, United States of America
| | - Eliane Mery
- Pathology Department, Institute Claudius Regaud, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Pascal Pujol
- Oncogenetics, Centre Hospitalier Regional Universitaire de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Hanif G. Khalak
- Advanced Computing, Weill-Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Doha, Qatar
| | - Cameron McLurcan
- Biosciences Department, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Gwenael Ferron
- Surgery Department, Institute Claudius Regaud, Toulouse, France
| | - Denis Querleu
- Surgery Department, Institute Claudius Regaud, Toulouse, France
| | - Iman Al-Azwani
- Genomics Core, Weill-Cornell Medical in Qatar, Doha, Qatar
| | - Eman Al-Dous
- Genomics Core, Weill-Cornell Medical in Qatar, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Joel A. Malek
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill-Cornell Medical College, New York, United States of America
- Genomics Core, Weill-Cornell Medical in Qatar, Doha, Qatar
| | - Arash Rafii
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill-Cornell Medical College, New York, United States of America
- Stem Cells and Microenvironment Laboratory, Weill-Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Doha, Qatar
- * E-mail:
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10
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Pasquier J, Abu-Kaoud N, Al Thani H, Rafii A. Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in a Clinical Perspective. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2015; 2015:792182. [PMID: 26425122 PMCID: PMC4575734 DOI: 10.1155/2015/792182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2014] [Accepted: 01/13/2015] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Tumor growth and metastatic dissemination rely on cellular plasticity. Among the different phenotypes acquired by cancer cells, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been extensively illustrated. Indeed, this transition allows an epithelial polarized cell to acquire a more mesenchymal phenotype with increased mobility and invasiveness. The role of EMT is quite clear during developmental stage. In the neoplastic context in many tumors EMT has been associated with a more aggressive tumor phenotype including local invasion and distant metastasis. EMT allows the cell to invade surrounding tissues and survive in the general circulation and through a stem cell phenotype grown in the host organ. The molecular pathways underlying EMT have also been clearly defined and their description is beyond the scope of this review. Here we will summarize and analyze the attempts made to block EMT in the therapeutic context. Indeed, till today, most of the studies are made in animal models. Few clinical trials are ongoing with no obvious benefits of EMT inhibitors yet. We point out the limitations of EMT targeting such tumor heterogeneity or the dynamics of EMT during disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Pasquier
- Stem Cell and Microenvironment Laboratory, Department of Genetic Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box 24144, Doha, Qatar
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Nadine Abu-Kaoud
- Stem Cell and Microenvironment Laboratory, Department of Genetic Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box 24144, Doha, Qatar
| | - Haya Al Thani
- Stem Cell and Microenvironment Laboratory, Department of Genetic Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box 24144, Doha, Qatar
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Arash Rafii
- Stem Cell and Microenvironment Laboratory, Department of Genetic Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box 24144, Doha, Qatar
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA
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11
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Abstract
Until recently, a diagnosis of peritoneal carcinomatosis was uniformly accompanied by a grim prognosis that was typically measured in weeks to months. Consequently, the management of carcinomatosis revolves largely around palliation of symptoms such as bowel obstruction, nausea, pain, fatigue, and cachexia. A prior lack of effective treatment options created the nihilistic view that currently exists and persists despite improvements in the efficacy of systemic therapy and the evolution of multimodality approaches including surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy. This article reviews the evolution and current state of treatment options for patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis. In addition, it highlights recent advances in understanding the molecular biology of carcinomatosis and the focus of current and future clinical trials. Finally, this article provides practical management options for the palliation of common complications of carcinomatosis. It is hoped that the reader will recognize that carcinomatosis is no longer an imminent death sentence and that through continued research and therapeutic innovation, clinicians can make an even greater impact on this form of metastatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Lambert
- Associate Professor, Division of Surgical Oncology, Division of Palliative Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, MA
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12
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Ovarian cancer microenvironment: implications for cancer dissemination and chemoresistance acquisition. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2015; 33:17-39. [PMID: 24357056 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-013-9456-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Ovarian adenocarcinoma is characterized by a late detection, dissemination of cancer cells into the whole peritoneum, and the frequent acquisition of chemoresistance. If these particularities can be explained in part by intrinsic properties of ovarian cancer cells, an increased number of studies show the importance of the tumor microenvironment in tumor progression. Ovarian cancer cells can regulate the composition of their stroma in promoting the formation of ascitic fluid, rich in cytokines and bioactive lipids, and in stimulating the differentiation of stromal cells into a pro-tumoral phenotype. In return, cancer-associated fibroblasts, cancer-associated mesenchymal stem cells, tumor-associated macrophages, or other peritoneal cells, such as adipocytes and mesothelial cells can regulate tumor growth, angiogenesis, dissemination, and chemoresistance. This review focuses on the current knowledge about the roles of stromal cells and the associated secreted factors on tumor progression. We also summarize the different studies showing that targeting the microenvironment represents a great potential for improving the prognosis of patients with ovarian adenocarcinoma.
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13
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Alexeyenko A, Alkasalias T, Pavlova T, Szekely L, Kashuba V, Rundqvist H, Wiklund P, Egevad L, Csermely P, Korcsmaros T, Guven H, Klein G. Confrontation of fibroblasts with cancer cells in vitro: gene network analysis of transcriptome changes and differential capacity to inhibit tumor growth. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2015; 34:62. [PMID: 26081588 PMCID: PMC4472614 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-015-0178-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 06/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is growing evidence that emerging malignancies in solid tissues might be kept under control by physical intercellular contacts with normal fibroblasts. METHODS Here we characterize transcriptional landscapes of fibroblasts that confronted cancer cells. We studied four pairs of in vitro and ex vivo fibroblast lines which, within each pair, differed in their capacity to inhibit cancer cells. The natural process was modeled in vitro by confronting the fibroblasts with PC-3 cancer cells. Fibroblast transcriptomes were recorded by Affymetrix microarrays and then investigated using network analysis. RESULTS The network enrichment analysis allowed us to separate confrontation- and inhibition-specific components of the fibroblast transcriptional response. Confrontation-specific differences were stronger and were characterized by changes in a number of pathways, including Rho, the YAP/TAZ cascade, NF-kB, and TGF-beta signaling, as well as the transcription factor RELA. Inhibition-specific differences were more subtle and characterized by involvement of Rho signaling at the pathway level and by potential individual regulators such as IL6, MAPK8, MAP2K4, PRKCA, JUN, STAT3, and STAT5A. CONCLUSIONS We investigated the interaction between cancer cells and fibroblasts in order to shed light on the potential mechanisms and explain the differential inhibitory capacity of the latter, which enabled both a holistic view on the process and details at the gene/protein level. The combination of our methods pointed to proteins, such as members of the Rho pathway, pro-inflammatory signature and the YAP1/TAZ cascade, that warrant further investigation via tools of experimental perturbation. We also demonstrated functional congruence between the in vitro and ex vivo models. The microarray data are made available via the Gene Expression Omnibus as GSE57199.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Alexeyenko
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. .,Bioinformatics Infrastructure for Life Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Karolinska Institutet, Box 1031, 171 21, Solna, Sweden.
| | - Twana Alkasalias
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. .,College of Science, Department of Biology, Salahaddin University, Erbil, Kurdistan-Iraq.
| | - Tatiana Pavlova
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Laszlo Szekely
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Vladimir Kashuba
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. .,Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, UNAS, Kiev, Ukraine.
| | - Helene Rundqvist
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Peter Wiklund
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, section of Urology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Lars Egevad
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Peter Csermely
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Semmelweis University, P.O. Box 260, H-1444, Budapest 8, Hungary.
| | - Tamas Korcsmaros
- TGAC, The Genome Analysis Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK. .,Gut Health and Food Safety Programme, Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK.
| | - Hayrettin Guven
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - George Klein
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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14
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Burgos-Ojeda D, Wu R, McLean K, Chen YC, Talpaz M, Yoon E, Cho KR, Buckanovich RJ. CD24+ Ovarian Cancer Cells Are Enriched for Cancer-Initiating Cells and Dependent on JAK2 Signaling for Growth and Metastasis. Mol Cancer Ther 2015; 14:1717-27. [PMID: 25969154 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-14-0607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2014] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is known to be composed of distinct populations of cancer cells, some of which demonstrate increased capacity for cancer initiation and/or metastasis. The study of human cancer cell populations is difficult due to long requirements for tumor growth, interpatient variability, and the need for tumor growth in immune-deficient mice. We therefore characterized the cancer initiation capacity of distinct cancer cell populations in a transgenic murine model of ovarian cancer. In this model, conditional deletion of Apc, Pten, and Trp53 in the ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) results in the generation of high-grade metastatic ovarian carcinomas. Cell lines derived from these murine tumors express numerous putative stem cell markers, including CD24, CD44, CD90, CD117, CD133, and ALDH. We show that CD24(+) and CD133(+) cells have increased tumor sphere-forming capacity. CD133(+) cells demonstrated a trend for increased tumor initiation while CD24(+) cells versus CD24(-) cells had significantly greater tumor initiation and tumor growth capacity. No preferential tumor-initiating or growth capacity was observed for CD44(+), CD90(+), CD117(+), or ALDH(+) versus their negative counterparts. We have found that CD24(+) cells, compared with CD24(-) cells, have increased phosphorylation of STAT3 and increased expression of STAT3 target Nanog and c-myc. JAK2 inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation preferentially induced cytotoxicity in CD24(+) cells. In vivo JAK2 inhibitor therapy dramatically reduced tumor metastases, and prolonged overall survival. These findings indicate that CD24(+) cells play a role in tumor migration and metastasis and support JAK2 as a therapeutic target in ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Burgos-Ojeda
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Department of Internal Medicine Division Hematology-Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Rong Wu
- Department of Pathology, Division of Gynecological Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Karen McLean
- Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Yu-Chih Chen
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Moshe Talpaz
- Department of Internal Medicine Division Hematology-Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Euisik Yoon
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Kathleen R Cho
- Department of Pathology, Division of Gynecological Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Ronald J Buckanovich
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Department of Internal Medicine Division Hematology-Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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15
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Touboul C, Vidal F, Pasquier J, Lis R, Rafii A. Role of mesenchymal cells in the natural history of ovarian cancer: a review. J Transl Med 2014; 12:271. [PMID: 25303976 PMCID: PMC4197295 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-014-0271-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2014] [Accepted: 09/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynaecologic malignancy. Despite progresses in chemotherapy and ultra-radical surgeries, this locally metastatic disease presents a high rate of local recurrence advocating for the role of a peritoneal niche. For several years, it was believed that tumor initiation, progression and metastasis were merely due to the changes in the neoplastic cell population and the adjacent non-neoplastic tissues were regarded as bystanders. The importance of the tumor microenvironment and its cellular component emerged from studies on the histopathological sequence of changes at the interface between putative tumor cells and the surrounding non-neoplastic tissues during carcinogenesis. Method In this review we aimed to describe the pro-tumoral crosstalk between ovarian cancer and mesenchymal stem cells. A PubMed search was performed for articles published pertaining to mesenchymal stem cells and specific to ovarian cancer. Results Mesenchymal stem cells participate to an elaborate crosstalk through direct and paracrine interaction with ovarian cancer cells. They play a role at different stages of the disease: survival and peritoneal infiltration at early stage, proliferation in distant sites, chemoresistance and recurrence at later stage. Conclusion The dialogue between ovarian and mesenchymal stem cells induces the constitution of a pro-tumoral mesencrine niche. Understanding the dynamics of such interaction in a clinical setting might propose new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril Touboul
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hôpital Intercommunal de Créteil, Université Paris Est, UPEC-Paris XII, 12 avenue de Verdun, 94000, Créteil, France. .,UMR INSERM U965: Angiogenèse et Recherche translationnelle Hôpital Lariboisière, 49 bd de la chapelle, 75010, Paris, France.
| | - Fabien Vidal
- Stem Cell and Microenvironment Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar. .,Department Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, Manhattan, NY, USA. .,Department of Genetic Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stem Cell and Microenvironment Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Qatar-Foundation PO: 24144, Doha, Qatar.
| | - Jennifer Pasquier
- Stem Cell and Microenvironment Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar. .,Department Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, Manhattan, NY, USA.
| | - Raphael Lis
- Department Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, Manhattan, NY, USA.
| | - Arash Rafii
- Stem Cell and Microenvironment Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar. .,Department Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, Manhattan, NY, USA.
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16
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Rafii A, Vidal F, Rathat G, Alix-Panabières C. [Circulating tumor cells: cornerstone of personalized medicine]. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 43:640-8. [PMID: 25017712 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgyn.2014.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2014] [Revised: 06/09/2014] [Accepted: 06/18/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Cancer treatment has evolved toward personalized medicine. It is mandatory for clinicians to ascertain tumor biological features in order to optimize patients' treatment. Identification and characterization of circulating tumor cells demonstrated a prognostic value in many solid tumors. Here, we describe the main technologies for identification and characterization of circulating tumor cells and their clinical application in gynecologic and breast cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Rafii
- Département de Genetic Medicine et Obstetrics and Gynecology, laboratoire cellules souches et microenvironnement, Weill Cornell Medical College, NY, États-Unis; Département de chirurgie gynécologique, hôpital Arnaud-de-Villeneuve, CHRU, université Montpellier 1, 34093 Montpellier, France.
| | - F Vidal
- Département de Genetic Medicine et Obstetrics and Gynecology, laboratoire cellules souches et microenvironnement, Weill Cornell Medical College, NY, États-Unis
| | - G Rathat
- Département de chirurgie gynécologique, hôpital Arnaud-de-Villeneuve, CHRU, université Montpellier 1, 34093 Montpellier, France
| | - C Alix-Panabières
- Laboratoire cellules circulantes rares humaines, département de biopathologie cellulaire et tissulaire des tumeurs, institut de médecine régénératrice et biothérapie, hôpital Saint-Éloi, CHRU, université Montpellier 1, 80, avenue Augustin-Fliche, Montpellier, France; EA2415 épidémiologie, biostatistiques et santé publique, institut universitaire de recherche clinique, 641, avenue du Doyen-Gaston-Giraud, 34093 Montpellier, France
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17
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Abubaker K, Luwor RB, Zhu H, McNally O, Quinn MA, Burns CJ, Thompson EW, Findlay JK, Ahmed N. Inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway in ovarian cancer results in the loss of cancer stem cell-like characteristics and a reduced tumor burden. BMC Cancer 2014; 14:317. [PMID: 24886434 PMCID: PMC4025194 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2407-14-317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2013] [Accepted: 04/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Current treatment of ovarian cancer patients with chemotherapy leaves behind a residual tumor which results in recurrent ovarian cancer within a short time frame. We have previously demonstrated that a single short-term treatment of ovarian cancer cells with chemotherapy in vitro resulted in a cancer stem cell (CSC)-like enriched residual population which generated significantly greater tumor burden compared to the tumor burden generated by control untreated cells. In this report we looked at the mechanisms of the enrichment of CSC-like residual cells in response to paclitaxel treatment. Methods The mechanism of survival of paclitaxel-treated residual cells at a growth inhibitory concentration of 50% (GI50) was determined on isolated tumor cells from the ascites of recurrent ovarian cancer patients and HEY ovarian cancer cell line by in vitro assays and in a mouse xenograft model. Results Treatment of isolated tumor cells from the ascites of ovarian cancer patients and HEY ovarian cancer cell line with paclitaxel resulted in a CSC-like residual population which coincided with the activation of Janus activated kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activation of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway in paclitaxel surviving cells. Both paclitaxel-induced JAK2/STAT3 activation and CSC-like characteristics were inhibited by a low dose JAK2-specific small molecule inhibitor CYT387 (1 μM) in vitro. Subsequent, in vivo transplantation of paclitaxel and CYT387-treated HEY cells in mice resulted in a significantly reduced tumor burden compared to that seen with paclitaxel only-treated transplanted cells. In vitro analysis of tumor xenografts at protein and mRNA levels demonstrated a loss of CSC-like markers and CA125 expression in paclitaxel and CYT387-treated cell-derived xenografts, compared to paclitaxel only-treated cell-derived xenografts. These results were consistent with significantly reduced activation of JAK2 and STAT3 in paclitaxel and CYT387-treated cell-derived xenografts compared to paclitaxel only-treated cell derived xenografts. Conclusions This proof of principle study demonstrates that inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway by the addition of CYT387 suppresses the ‘stemness’ profile in chemotherapy-treated residual cells in vitro, which is replicated in vivo, leading to a reduced tumor burden. These findings have important implications for ovarian cancer patients who are treated with taxane and/or platinum-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Nuzhat Ahmed
- Women's Cancer Research Centre, Royal Women's Hospital, 20 Flemington Road, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia.
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18
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Brodsky AS, Fischer A, Miller DH, Vang S, MacLaughlan S, Wu HT, Yu J, Steinhoff M, Collins C, Smith PJS, Raphael BJ, Brard L. Expression profiling of primary and metastatic ovarian tumors reveals differences indicative of aggressive disease. PLoS One 2014; 9:e94476. [PMID: 24732363 PMCID: PMC3986100 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2014] [Accepted: 03/16/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The behavior and genetics of serous epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) metastasis, the form of the disease lethal to patients, is poorly understood. The unique properties of metastases are critical to understand to improve treatments of the disease that remains in patients after debulking surgery. We sought to identify the genetic and phenotypic landscape of metastatic progression of EOC to understand how metastases compare to primary tumors. DNA copy number and mRNA expression differences between matched primary human tumors and omental metastases, collected at the same time during debulking surgery before chemotherapy, were measured using microarrays. qPCR and immunohistochemistry validated findings. Pathway analysis of mRNA expression revealed metastatic cancer cells are more proliferative and less apoptotic than primary tumors, perhaps explaining the aggressive nature of these lesions. Most cases had copy number aberrations (CNAs) that differed between primary and metastatic tumors, but we did not detect CNAs that are recurrent across cases. A six gene expression signature distinguishes primary from metastatic tumors and predicts overall survival in independent datasets. The genetic differences between primary and metastatic tumors, yet common expression changes, suggest that the major clone in metastases is not the same as in primary tumors, but the cancer cells adapt to the omentum similarly. Together, these data highlight how ovarian tumors develop into a distinct, more aggressive metastatic state that should be considered for therapy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander S. Brodsky
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
- Center for Genomics and Proteomics, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Andrew Fischer
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Daniel H. Miller
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Souriya Vang
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Shannon MacLaughlan
- Program in Women's Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women and Infants’ Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Hsin-Ta Wu
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
- Department of Computer Science, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Jovian Yu
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Margaret Steinhoff
- Department of Pathology, Women and Infants’ Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | | | - Peter J. S. Smith
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, England
| | - Benjamin J. Raphael
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
- Department of Computer Science, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Laurent Brard
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, Illinois, United States of America
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19
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Lis R, Touboul C, Halabi NM, Madduri AS, Querleu D, Mezey J, Malek JA, Suhre K, Rafii A. Mesenchymal cell interaction with ovarian cancer cells induces a background dependent pro-metastatic transcriptomic profile. J Transl Med 2014; 12:59. [PMID: 24597747 PMCID: PMC4132214 DOI: 10.1186/1479-5876-12-59] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2013] [Accepted: 02/06/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The cross talk between the stroma and cancer cells plays a major role in phenotypic modulation. During peritoneal carcinomatosis ovarian cancer cells interact with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) resulting in increased metastatic ability. Understanding the transcriptomic changes underlying the phenotypic modulation will allow identification of key genes to target. However in the context of personalized medicine we must consider inter and intra tumoral heterogeneity. In this study we used a pathway-based approach to illustrate the role of cell line background in transcriptomic modification during a cross talk with MSC. METHODS We used two ovarian cancer cell lines as a surrogate for different ovarian cancer subtypes: OVCAR3 for an epithelial and SKOV3 for a mesenchymal subtype. We co-cultured them with MSCs. Genome wide gene expression was determined after cell sorting. Ingenuity pathway analysis was used to decipher the cell specific transcriptomic changes related to different pro-metastatic traits (Adherence, migration, invasion, proliferation and chemoresistance). RESULTS We demonstrate that co-culture of ovarian cancer cells in direct cellular contact with MSCs induces broad transcriptomic changes related to enhance metastatic ability. Genes related to cellular adhesion, invasion, migration, proliferation and chemoresistance were enriched under these experimental conditions. Network analysis of differentially expressed genes clearly shows a cell type specific pattern. CONCLUSION The contact with the mesenchymal niche increase metastatic initiation and expansion through cancer cells' transcriptome modification dependent of the cellular subtype. Personalized medicine strategy might benefit from network analysis revealing the subtype specific nodes to target to disrupt acquired pro-metastatic profile.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Arash Rafii
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stem cell and microenvironment laboratory, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q), Education City, Qatar Foundation, Qatar-Foundation PO: 24144, Doha, Qatar.
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20
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Rafii A, Halabi NM, Malek JA. High-prevalence and broad spectrum of Cell Adhesion and Extracellular Matrix gene pathway mutations in epithelial ovarian cancer. J Clin Bioinforma 2012; 2:15. [PMID: 23006666 PMCID: PMC3492115 DOI: 10.1186/2043-9113-2-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2012] [Accepted: 09/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ovarian cancer is the most deadly gynecological cancer because of late diagnosis, frequently with diffuse peritoneal metastases. Recent findings have shown that serous epithelial ovarian cancer has a narrow mutational spectrum with TP53 being the most frequently targeted when single genes are considered. It is, however, important to understand which pathways as a whole may be targeted for mutation. Findings Previously published mutational data provided by the cancer genome atlas networks findings on ovarian cancer was searched for statistically significant enrichment of genes in pathways. These pathways were then searched in all patients to identify the spectrum of mutations. Statistical significance was further shown through in-silico permutations of exome sequences using empirically observed mutation rates. We detected mutations in the cell adhesion pathway genes in more than 89% of serous epithelial ovarian cancer patients. This level of near universal mutational targeting of the cell adhesion pathway, including the extracellular matrix pathway, is previously unreported in epithelial ovarian cancer. Conclusions Taken together with previous studies on the role of cell adhesion and extracellular matrix gene expression in ovarian cancer and metastasis, our results identify pathways for which the mutational prevalence has previously been overlooked using single gene approaches. Analysis of mutations at the pathway level will be critical in studying heterogeneous diseases such as ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arash Rafii
- Stem cell and microenvironment laboratory, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Education city, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar.,Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, NY, NY, USA
| | - Najeeb M Halabi
- Stem cell and microenvironment laboratory, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Education city, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Joel A Malek
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, NY, NY, USA.,Genomics Core, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Education city, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar.,Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, Genomics Core Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Qatar-Foundation, Doha, Qatar
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