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Morena F, Cabrera AR, Greene NP. Exploring heterogeneity: a dive into preclinical models of cancer cachexia. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2024; 327:C310-C328. [PMID: 38853648 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00317.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Cancer cachexia (CC) is a multifactorial and complex syndrome experienced by up to 80% of patients with cancer and implicated in ∼40% of cancer-related deaths. Given its significant impact on patients' quality of life and prognosis, there has been a growing emphasis on elucidating the underlying mechanisms of CC using preclinical models. However, the mechanisms of cachexia appear to differ across several variables including tumor type and model and biologic variables such as sex. These differences may be exacerbated by variance in experimental approaches and data reporting. This review examines literature spanning from 2011 to March 2024, focusing on common preclinical models of CC, including Lewis Lung Carcinoma, pancreatic KPC, and colorectal colon-26 and Apcmin/+ models. Our analysis reveals considerable heterogeneity in phenotypic outcomes, and investigated mechanisms within each model, with particular attention to sex differences that may be exacerbated through methodological differences. Although searching for unified mechanisms is critical, we posit that effective treatment approaches are likely to leverage the heterogeneity presented by the tumor and pertinent biological variables to direct specific interventions. In exploring this heterogeneity, it becomes critical to consider methodological and data reporting approaches to best inform further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francielly Morena
- Cachexia Research Laboratory, Exercise Science Research Center, Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States
| | - Ana Regina Cabrera
- Cachexia Research Laboratory, Exercise Science Research Center, Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States
| | - Nicholas P Greene
- Cachexia Research Laboratory, Exercise Science Research Center, Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States
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Elhashani S, Glenn M, Raymant M, Schmid MC, Mielgo A. Expression of versican isoforms V0/V1 by pancreatic cancer associated fibroblasts increases fibroblast proliferation. Pancreatology 2024; 24:719-731. [PMID: 38719756 DOI: 10.1016/j.pan.2024.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Versican is a large extracellular matrix (ECM) proteoglycan with four isoforms V0-3. Elevated V0/V1 levels in breast cancer and glioma regulate cell migration and proliferation, but the role of versican in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains unclear. METHODS In this study, we evaluated the expression levels of versican isoforms, as well as their cellular source and interacting partners, in vivo, in human and mouse primary and metastatic PDAC tumours and in vitro, in pancreatic tumour cells and fibroblasts using immunostaining, confocal microscopy and qPCR techniques. We also investigated the effect of versican expression on fibroblast proliferation and migration using genetic and pharmacological approaches. RESULTS We found that versican V0/V1 is highly expressed by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in mouse and human primary and metastatic PDAC tumours. Our data also show that exposing fibroblasts to tumour-conditioned media upregulates V0 and V1 expressions, while Verbascoside (a CD44 inhibitor) downregulates V0/V1 expression. Importantly, V0/V1 knockdown significantly inhibits fibroblast proliferation. Mechanistically, we found that inhibiting hyaluronan synthesis does not affect versican co-localisation with CD44 in fibroblasts. CONCLUSION CAFs express high levels of versican V0/V1 in primary and liver metastatic PDAC tumours and versican V0/V1 supports fibroblast proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sufyan Elhashani
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK
| | - Mark Glenn
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK
| | - Meirion Raymant
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK
| | - Michael C Schmid
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK
| | - Ainhoa Mielgo
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3GE, UK.
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Shah KA, Rawal RM. A novel algorithm to differentiate between primary lung tumors and distant liver metastasis in lung cancers using an exosome based multi gene biomarker panel. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13769. [PMID: 38877052 PMCID: PMC11178885 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63252-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The lack of non-invasive methods for detection of early metastasis is a crucial reason for the poor prognosis of lung cancer (LC) liver metastasis (LM) patients. In this study, the goal was to identify circulating biomarkers based on a biomarker model for the early diagnosis and monitoring of patients with LCLM. An 8-gene panel identified in our previous study was validated in CTC, cfRNA and exosomes isolated from primary lung cancer with & without metastasis. Further multivariate analysis including PCA & ROC was performed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the biomarker panel. Model validation cohort (n = 79) was used to verify the stability of the constructed predictive model. Further, clinic-pathological factors, survival analysis and immune infiltration correlations were also performed. In comparison to our previous tissue data, exosomes demonstrated a good discriminative value with an AUC of 0.7247, specificity (72.48%) and sensitivity (96.87%) for the 8-gene panel. Further individual gene patterns led us to a 5- gene panel that showed an AUC of 0.9488 (p = < 0.001) and 0.9924 (p = < 0.001) respectively for tissue and exosomes. Additionally, on validating the model in a larger cohort a risk score was obtained (RS > 0.2) for prediction of liver metastasis with an accuracy of 95%. Survival analysis and immune filtration markers suggested that four exosomal markers were independently associated with poor overall survival. We report a novel blood-based exosomal biomarker panel for early diagnosis, monitoring of therapeutic response, and prognostic evaluation of patients with LCLM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanisha A Shah
- Division of Biological and Life Science, Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Rakesh M Rawal
- Department of Life Science, School of Sciences, Gujarat University, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 380009, India.
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Khan HY, Lou Y, Sexton-Bonacci RE. Editorial: Novel immunological characteristics and immunotherapeutic targets in pancreatic cancer. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1428740. [PMID: 38887302 PMCID: PMC11180842 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1428740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Husain Yar Khan
- Department of Oncology, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Yu Lou
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
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Spadafora V, Pryce BR, Oles A, Talbert EE, Romeo M, Vaena S, Berto S, Ostrowski MC, Wang DJ, Guttridge DC. Optimization of a mouse model of pancreatic cancer to simulate the human phenotypes of metastasis and cachexia. BMC Cancer 2024; 24:414. [PMID: 38570770 PMCID: PMC10993462 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-12104-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) presents with a high mortality rate. Two important features of PDAC contribute to this poor outcome. The first is metastasis which occurs in ~ 80% of PDAC patients. The second is cachexia, which compromises treatment tolerance for patients and reduces their quality of life. Although various mouse models of PDAC exist, recapitulating both metastatic and cachectic features have been challenging. METHODS Here, we optimize an orthotopic mouse model of PDAC by altering several conditions, including the subcloning of parental murine PDAC cells, implantation site, number of transplanted cells, and age of recipient mice. We perform spatial profiling to compare primary and metastatic immune microenvironments and RNA sequencing to gain insight into the mechanisms of muscle wasting in PDAC-induced cachexia, comparing non-metastatic to metastatic conditions. RESULTS These modifications extend the time course of the disease and concurrently increase the rate of metastasis to approximately 70%. Furthermore, reliable cachexia endpoints are achieved in both PDAC mice with and without metastases, which is reminiscent of patients. We also find that cachectic muscles from PDAC mice with metastasis exhibit a similar transcriptional profile to muscles derived from mice and patients without metastasis. CONCLUSION Together, this model is likely to be advantageous in both advancing our understanding of the mechanism of PDAC cachexia, as well as in the evaluation of novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Spadafora
- Department of Pediatrics, Darby Children's Research Institute, 416, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Benjamin R Pryce
- Department of Pediatrics, Darby Children's Research Institute, 416, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Alexander Oles
- Department of Pediatrics, Darby Children's Research Institute, 416, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Erin E Talbert
- Department of Health and Human Physiology, and the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa, Iowa, 52242, USA
| | - Martin Romeo
- Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Silvia Vaena
- Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Stefano Berto
- Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Michael C Ostrowski
- Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - David J Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Darby Children's Research Institute, 416, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
| | - Denis C Guttridge
- Department of Pediatrics, Darby Children's Research Institute, 416, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
- Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
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Zhang X, Detering L, Heo GS, Sultan D, Luehmann H, Li L, Somani V, Lesser J, Tao J, Kang LI, Li A, Lahad D, Rho S, Ruzinova MB, DeNardo DG, Dehdashti F, Lim KH, Liu Y. Chemokine Receptor 2 Targeted PET/CT Imaging Distant Metastases in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2024; 7:285-293. [PMID: 38230294 PMCID: PMC10789124 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.3c00303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive and treatment-refractory malignancies. The lack of an effective screening tool results in the majority of patients being diagnosed at late stages, which underscores the urgent need to develop more sensitive and specific imaging modalities, particularly in detecting occult metastases, to aid clinical decision-making. The tumor microenvironment of PDAC is heavily infiltrated with myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) that express C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2). These CCR2-expressing MDSCs accumulate at a very early stage of metastasis and greatly outnumber PDAC cells, making CCR2 a promising target for detecting early, small metastatic lesions that have scant PDAC cells. Herein, we evaluated a CCR2 targeting PET tracer (68Ga-DOTA-ECL1i) for PET imaging on PDAC metastasis in two mouse models. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging of 68Ga-DOTA-ECL1i was performed in a hemisplenic injection metastasis model (KI) and a genetically engineered orthotopic PDAC model (KPC), which were compared with 18F-FDG PET concurrently. Autoradiography, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), and CCR2 immunohistochemical staining were performed to characterize the metastatic lesions. PET/CT images visualized the PDAC metastases in the liver/lung of KI mice and in the liver of KPC mice. Quantitative uptake analysis revealed increased metastasis uptake during disease progression in both models. In comparison, 18F-FDG PET failed to detect any metastases during the time course studies. H&E staining showed metastases in the liver and lung of KI mice, within which immunostaining clearly demonstrated the overexpression of CCR2 as well as CCR2+ cell infiltration into the normal liver. H&E staining, CCR2 staining, and autoradiography also confirmed the expression of CCR2 and the uptake of 68Ga-DOTA-ECL1i in the metastatic foci in KPC mice. Using our novel CCR2 targeted radiotracer 68Ga-DOTA-ECL1i and PET/CT, we demonstrated the sensitive and specific detection of CCR2 in the early PDAC metastases in two mouse models, indicating its potential in future clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui Zhang
- Department
of Radiology, Washington University in St.
Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Lisa Detering
- Department
of Radiology, Washington University in St.
Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Gyu Seong Heo
- Department
of Radiology, Washington University in St.
Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Deborah Sultan
- Department
of Radiology, Washington University in St.
Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Hannah Luehmann
- Department
of Radiology, Washington University in St.
Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Lin Li
- Division
of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington
University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Vikas Somani
- Division
of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington
University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Josie Lesser
- Department
of Anthropology, Washington University in
St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Joan Tao
- Department
of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, United States
| | - Liang-I. Kang
- Department
of Pathology and Immunology, Washington
University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Alexandria Li
- Department
of Radiology, Washington University in St.
Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Divangana Lahad
- Department
of Radiology, Washington University in St.
Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Shinji Rho
- Department
of Medicine, Washington University in St.
Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Marianna B. Ruzinova
- Department
of Pathology and Immunology, Washington
University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - David G. DeNardo
- Division
of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington
University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
- Department
of Pathology and Immunology, Washington
University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Farrokh Dehdashti
- Department
of Radiology, Washington University in St.
Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Kian-Huat Lim
- Division
of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington
University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Yongjian Liu
- Department
of Radiology, Washington University in St.
Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
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