1
|
Dhungel N, Dragoi AM. Exploring the multifaceted role of direct interaction between cancer cells and fibroblasts in cancer progression. Front Mol Biosci 2024; 11:1379971. [PMID: 38863965 PMCID: PMC11165130 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2024.1379971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The interaction between the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the cancer cells is a complex and mutually beneficial system that leads to rapid cancer cells proliferation, metastasis, and resistance to therapy. It is now recognized that cancer cells are not isolated, and tumor progression is governed among others, by many components of the TME. The reciprocal cross-talk between cancer cells and their microenvironment can be indirect through the secretion of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and paracrine signaling through exosomes, cytokines, and growth factors, or direct by cell-to-cell contact mediated by cell surface receptors and adhesion molecules. Among TME components, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are of unique interest. As one of the most abundant components of the TME, CAFs play key roles in the reorganization of the extracellular matrix, facilitating metastasis and chemotherapy evasion. Both direct and indirect roles have been described for CAFs in modulating tumor progression. In this review, we focus on recent advances in understanding the role of direct contact between cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in driving tumor development and metastasis. We also summarize recent findings on the role of direct contact between cancer cells and CAFs in chemotherapy resistance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nilu Dhungel
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, LSUHSC, Shreveport, LA, United States
| | - Ana-Maria Dragoi
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, LSUHSC, Shreveport, LA, United States
- Feist-Weiller Cancer Center, INLET Core, LSUHSC, Shreveport, LA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wieder R. Fibroblasts as Turned Agents in Cancer Progression. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15072014. [PMID: 37046676 PMCID: PMC10093070 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15072014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Differentiated epithelial cells reside in the homeostatic microenvironment of the native organ stroma. The stroma supports their normal function, their G0 differentiated state, and their expansion/contraction through the various stages of the life cycle and physiologic functions of the host. When malignant transformation begins, the microenvironment tries to suppress and eliminate the transformed cells, while cancer cells, in turn, try to resist these suppressive efforts. The tumor microenvironment encompasses a large variety of cell types recruited by the tumor to perform different functions, among which fibroblasts are the most abundant. The dynamics of the mutual relationship change as the sides undertake an epic battle for control of the other. In the process, the cancer “wounds” the microenvironment through a variety of mechanisms and attracts distant mesenchymal stem cells to change their function from one attempting to suppress the cancer, to one that supports its growth, survival, and metastasis. Analogous reciprocal interactions occur as well between disseminated cancer cells and the metastatic microenvironment, where the microenvironment attempts to eliminate cancer cells or suppress their proliferation. However, the altered microenvironmental cells acquire novel characteristics that support malignant progression. Investigations have attempted to use these traits as targets of novel therapeutic approaches.
Collapse
|
3
|
Louault K, Li RR, DeClerck YA. Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts: Understanding Their Heterogeneity. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12113108. [PMID: 33114328 PMCID: PMC7690906 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12113108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play an important contributory role in the microenvironment of tumors. They originate from different cells, have multiple pro-and anti-tumorigenic functions in tumors and their presence is variable among cancer types. Recently, there has been evidence that CAFs represent a highly heterogeneous group of cells that can now be characterized and identified at the single cell level. This review article summarizes our recent understanding of the highly heterogeneous nature of the origin, phenotype and function of CAFs and how such understanding will lead to a more precise approach to target or use CAFs and their precursor cells in the treatment of cancer. Abstract The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a critical role in tumor progression. Among its multiple components are cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) that are the main suppliers of extracellular matrix molecules and important contributors to inflammation. As a source of growth factors, cytokines, chemokines and other regulatory molecules, they participate in cancer progression, metastasis, angiogenesis, immune cell reprogramming and therapeutic resistance. Nevertheless, their role is not fully understood, and is sometimes controversial due to their heterogeneity. CAFs are heterogeneous in their origin, phenotype, function and presence within tumors. As a result, strategies to target CAFs in cancer therapy have been hampered by the difficulties in better defining the various populations of CAFs and by the lack of clear recognition of their specific function in cancer progression. This review discusses how a greater understanding of the heterogeneous nature of CAFs could lead to better approaches aimed at their use or at their targeting in the treatment of cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kévin Louault
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
- The Saban Research Institute, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
- Correspondence: or (K.L); (Y.A.D.); Tel.: +1-323-361-5649 (Y.A.D.); Fax: +1-323-361-4902 (Y.A.D.)
| | - Rong-Rong Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA;
| | - Yves A. DeClerck
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
- The Saban Research Institute, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
- Correspondence: or (K.L); (Y.A.D.); Tel.: +1-323-361-5649 (Y.A.D.); Fax: +1-323-361-4902 (Y.A.D.)
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Jeggari A, Alekseenko Z, Petrov I, Dias JM, Ericson J, Alexeyenko A. EviNet: a web platform for network enrichment analysis with flexible definition of gene sets. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:W163-W170. [PMID: 29893885 PMCID: PMC6030852 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The new web resource EviNet provides an easily run interface to network enrichment analysis for exploration of novel, experimentally defined gene sets. The major advantages of this analysis are (i) applicability to any genes found in the global network rather than only to those with pathway/ontology term annotations, (ii) ability to connect genes via different molecular mechanisms rather than within one high-throughput platform, and (iii) statistical power sufficient to detect enrichment of very small sets, down to individual genes. The users’ gene sets are either defined prior to upload or derived interactively from an uploaded file by differential expression criteria. The pathways and networks used in the analysis can be chosen from the collection menu. The calculation is typically done within seconds or minutes and the stable URL is provided immediately. The results are presented in both visual (network graphs) and tabular formats using jQuery libraries. Uploaded data and analysis results are kept in separated project directories not accessible by other users. EviNet is available at https://www.evinet.org/.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashwini Jeggari
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Zhanna Alekseenko
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Iurii Petrov
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - José M Dias
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johan Ericson
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrey Alexeyenko
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, Science for Life Laboratory, Box 1031, 171 21 Solna, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Alkasalias T, Moyano-Galceran L, Arsenian-Henriksson M, Lehti K. Fibroblasts in the Tumor Microenvironment: Shield or Spear? Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19051532. [PMID: 29883428 PMCID: PMC5983719 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19051532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Revised: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumorigenesis is a complex process involving dynamic interactions between malignant cells and their surrounding stroma, including both the cellular and acellular components. Within the stroma, fibroblasts represent not only a predominant cell type, but also a major source of the acellular tissue microenvironment comprising the extracellular matrix (ECM) and soluble factors. Normal fibroblasts can exert diverse suppressive functions against cancer initiating and metastatic cells via direct cell-cell contact, paracrine signaling by soluble factors, and ECM integrity. The loss of such suppressive functions is an inherent step in tumor progression. A tumor cell-induced switch of normal fibroblasts into cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), in turn, triggers a range of pro-tumorigenic signals accompanied by distraction of the normal tissue architecture, thus creating an optimal niche for cancer cells to grow extensively. To further support tumor progression and metastasis, CAFs secrete factors such as ECM remodeling enzymes that further modify the tumor microenvironment in combination with the altered adhesive forces and cell-cell interactions. These paradoxical tumor suppressive and promoting actions of fibroblasts are the focus of this review, highlighting the heterogenic molecular properties of both normal and cancer-associated fibroblasts, as well as their main mechanisms of action, including the emerging impact on immunomodulation and different therapy responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Twana Alkasalias
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solnavägen 9, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden.
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Salahaddin University, Irbil 44002, Kurdistan-Iraq.
| | - Lidia Moyano-Galceran
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solnavägen 9, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Marie Arsenian-Henriksson
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solnavägen 9, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Kaisa Lehti
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solnavägen 9, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden.
- Research Programs Unit, Genome-Scale Biology and Medicum, University of Helsinki, and Helsinki University Hospital, P.O. Box 63, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Nagar SD, Aggarwal B, Joon S, Bhatnagar R, Bhatnagar S. A Network Biology Approach to Decipher Stress Response in Bacteria Using Escherichia coli As a Model. OMICS-A JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY 2018; 20:310-24. [PMID: 27195968 DOI: 10.1089/omi.2016.0028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The development of drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria poses challenges to global health for their treatment and control. In this context, stress response enables bacterial populations to survive extreme perturbations in the environment but remains poorly understood. Specific modules are activated for unique stressors with few recognized global regulators. The phenomenon of cross-stress protection strongly suggests the presence of central proteins that control the diverse stress responses. In this work, Escherichia coli was used to model the bacterial stress response. A Protein-Protein Interaction Network was generated by integrating differentially expressed genes in eight stress conditions of pH, temperature, and antibiotics with relevant gene ontology terms. Topological analysis identified 24 central proteins. The well-documented role of 16 central proteins in stress indicates central control of the response, while the remaining eight proteins may have a novel role in stress response. Cluster analysis of the generated network implicated RNA binding, flagellar assembly, ABC transporters, and DNA repair as important processes during response to stress. Pathway analysis showed crosstalk of Two Component Systems with metabolic processes, oxidative phosphorylation, and ABC transporters. The results were further validated by analysis of an independent cross-stress protection dataset. This study also reports on the ways in which bacterial stress response can progress to biofilm formation. In conclusion, we suggest that drug targets or pathways disrupting bacterial stress responses can potentially be exploited to combat antibiotic tolerance and multidrug resistance in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shashwat Deepali Nagar
- 1 Computational and Structural Biology Laboratory, Division of Biotechnology, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology , New Delhi, India
| | - Bhavye Aggarwal
- 1 Computational and Structural Biology Laboratory, Division of Biotechnology, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology , New Delhi, India
| | - Shikha Joon
- 1 Computational and Structural Biology Laboratory, Division of Biotechnology, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology , New Delhi, India .,2 Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University , New Delhi, India
| | - Rakesh Bhatnagar
- 2 Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University , New Delhi, India
| | - Sonika Bhatnagar
- 1 Computational and Structural Biology Laboratory, Division of Biotechnology, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology , New Delhi, India
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Jeggari A, Alexeyenko A. NEArender: an R package for functional interpretation of 'omics' data via network enrichment analysis. BMC Bioinformatics 2017; 18:118. [PMID: 28361684 PMCID: PMC5374688 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-017-1534-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The statistical evaluation of pathway enrichment, i.e. of gene profiles' confluence to the pathway level, allows exploring molecular landscapes using functionally annotated gene sets. However, pathway scores can also be used as predictive features in machine learning. That requires, firstly, increasing statistical power and biological relevance via a network enrichment analysis (NEA) and, secondly, a fast and convenient procedure for rendering the original data into a space of pathway scores. However, previous implementations of NEA involved multiple runs of network randomization and were therefore slow. Results Here, we present a new R package NEArender which can transform raw 'omics' features of experimental or clinical samples into matrices describing the same samples with many fewer NEA-based pathway scores. This is done via a parametric estimation of the null binomial distribution and is thus much faster and less biased than randomization procedures. Further, we compare estimates from these two alternative procedures and demonstrate that the summarization of individual genes to pathways increases the statistical power compared to both the default differential expression analysis on individual genes and the state-of-the-art gene set enrichment analysis. The package also contains functions for preparing input, modeling null distributions, and evaluating alternative versions of the global network. Conclusions Beyond the state-of-the-art exploration of molecular data through pathway enrichment, score matrices produced by NEArender can be used in larger bioinformatics pipelines as input for phenotype modeling, predicting disease outcomes etc. This approach is often more sensitive and robust than using the original data. The package NEArender is complementary to the online NEA tool EviNet (https://www.evinet.org) and, unlike of the latter, enables high performance of computations off-line. The R package NEArender version 1.4 is available at CRAN repository https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/NEArender/ Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12859-017-1534-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashwini Jeggari
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrey Alexeyenko
- National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden. .,Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
RhoA knockout fibroblasts lose tumor-inhibitory capacity in vitro and promote tumor growth in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E1413-E1421. [PMID: 28174275 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1621161114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Fibroblasts are a main player in the tumor-inhibitory microenvironment. Upon tumor initiation and progression, fibroblasts can lose their tumor-inhibitory capacity and promote tumor growth. The molecular mechanisms that underlie this switch have not been defined completely. Previously, we identified four proteins overexpressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts and linked to Rho GTPase signaling. Here, we show that knocking out the Ras homolog family member A (RhoA) gene in normal fibroblasts decreased their tumor-inhibitory capacity, as judged by neighbor suppression in vitro and accompanied by promotion of tumor growth in vivo. This also induced PC3 cancer cell motility and increased colony size in 2D cultures. RhoA knockout in fibroblasts induced vimentin intermediate filament reorganization, accompanied by reduced contractile force and increased stiffness of cells. There was also loss of wide F-actin stress fibers and large focal adhesions. In addition, we observed a significant loss of α-smooth muscle actin, which indicates a difference between RhoA knockout fibroblasts and classic cancer-associated fibroblasts. In 3D collagen matrix, RhoA knockout reduced fibroblast branching and meshwork formation and resulted in more compactly clustered tumor-cell colonies in coculture with PC3 cells, which might boost tumor stem-like properties. Coculturing RhoA knockout fibroblasts and PC3 cells induced expression of proinflammatory genes in both. Inflammatory mediators may induce tumor cell stemness. Network enrichment analysis of transcriptomic changes, however, revealed that the Rho signaling pathway per se was significantly triggered only after coculturing with tumor cells. Taken together, our findings in vivo and in vitro indicate that Rho signaling governs the inhibitory effects by fibroblasts on tumor-cell growth.
Collapse
|
9
|
Csermely P, Korcsmáros T, Nussinov R. Intracellular and intercellular signaling networks in cancer initiation, development and precision anti-cancer therapy: RAS acts as contextual signaling hub. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2016; 58:55-9. [PMID: 27395026 PMCID: PMC5028272 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 07/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Cancer initiation and development are increasingly perceived as systems-level phenomena, where intra- and inter-cellular signaling networks of the ecosystem of cancer and stromal cells offer efficient methodologies for outcome prediction and intervention design. Within this framework, RAS emerges as a 'contextual signaling hub', i.e. the final result of RAS activation or inhibition is determined by the signaling network context. Current therapies often 'train' cancer cells shifting them to a novel attractor, which has increased metastatic potential and drug resistance. The few therapy-surviving cancer cells are surrounded by massive cell death triggering a primordial adaptive and reparative general wound healing response. Overall, dynamic analysis of patient- and disease-stage specific intracellular and intercellular signaling networks may open new areas of anticancer therapy using multitarget drugs, drugs combinations, edgetic drugs, as well as help design 'gentler', differentiation and maintenance therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Csermely
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Semmelweis University, P.O. Box 2, H-1428 Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Tamás Korcsmáros
- Gut Health and Food Safety Programme, Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UA, UK; Earlham Institute/TGAC, The Genome Analysis Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Ruth Nussinov
- Cancer and Inflammation Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA; Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Zhai Y, Zhang J, Wang H, Lu W, Liu S, Yu Y, Weng W, Ding Z, Zhu Q, Shi J. Growth differentiation factor 15 contributes to cancer-associated fibroblasts-mediated chemo-protection of AML cells. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2016; 35:147. [PMID: 27643489 PMCID: PMC5029001 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-016-0405-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2016] [Accepted: 08/11/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chemo-resistance is still a major obstacle in efforts to overcome acute myeloid leukemia (AML). An emerging concept has proposed that interactions between the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment and leukemia cells reduce the sensitivity of the leukemia cells to chemotherapy. As an important element of the tumor microenvironment, the cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are considered to be activated modulators in the chemo-resistance of many solid tumors. But their contribution to AML has yet to be fully understood. Here we report a critical role for CAFs which were thought to be a survival and chemo-protective factor for leukemia cells. METHODS A retrospective study on the BM biopsies from 63 primary AML patients and 59 normal controls was applied to quantitative analysis the fiber stroma in the BM sections. Then immunohistochemistry on the BM biopsies were used to detect the makers of the CAFs. Their effects on drug resistance of leukemia cells were further to be assessed by co-cultured experiments in vitro. Moreover, the possible mechanisms involved in CAF-mediated chemo-protection of AML cells was investigated by antibody neutralization and siRNA knockdown experiments, with particular emphasis on the role of GDF15. RESULTS In our study, excessive reticular fibers in the BM led to higher frequency of relapse and mortality in primary AML patients, bringing the inspiration for us to investigate the functional roles of the fiber-devied cells. We declared that the CAF cells which expressed higher levels of FSP1, α-SMA or FAP protein were widely distributed in the marrow of AML. Then in vitro co-cultured tests showed that these CAFs could protect leukemia cell lines (THP-1/K562) from chemotherapy. Interestingly, this effect could be decreased by either treatment with a neutralizing anti-GDF15 antibody or knockdown GDF15 (with siGDF15) in CAFs. Furthermore, we also confirmed that the GDF15(+) cells mainly co-localized with FAP, which was identified as the typical phenotype of CAFs in the BM stroma. CONCLUSIONS We firstly demonstrate that the functional CAFs are widespread within the BM of AML patients and should be a critical chemo-protective element for AML cells by producing amount of GDF15.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuanmei Zhai
- Department of Hematology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200233, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Hematology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200233, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Hematology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200233, China
| | - Wei Lu
- Department of Hematology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200233, China
| | - Sihong Liu
- Department of Hematology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200233, China
| | - Yehua Yu
- Department of Hematology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200233, China
| | - Wei Weng
- Department of Hematology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200336, China
| | - Zhiyong Ding
- Department of Hematology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital South campus, Shanghai, 201400, China
| | - Qi Zhu
- Department of Hematology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, China
| | - Jun Shi
- Department of Hematology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200233, China.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Tran TB, Baek C, Min J. Electric Cell-Substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS) with Microelectrode Arrays for Investigation of Cancer Cell-Fibroblasts Interaction. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153813. [PMID: 27088611 PMCID: PMC4835071 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment, including stromal cells, surrounding blood vessels and extracellular matrix components, has been defined as a crucial factor that influences the proliferation, drug-resistance, invasion and metastasis of malignant epithelial cells. Among other factors, the communications and interaction between cancer cells and stromal cells have been reported to play pivotal roles in cancer promotion and progression. To investigate these relationships, an on-chip co-culture model was developed to study the cellular interaction between A549—human lung carcinoma cells and MRC-5—human lung epithelial cells in both normal proliferation and treatment conditions. In brief, a co-culture device consisting of 2 individual fluidic chambers in parallel, which were separated by a 100 μm fence was utilized for cell patterning. Microelectrodes arrays were installed within each chamber including electrodes at various distances away from the confrontation line for the electrochemical impedimetric sensing assessment of cell-to-cell influence. After the fence was removed and cell-to-cell contact occurred, by evaluating the impedance signal responses representing cell condition and behavior, both direct and indirect cell-to-cell interactions through conditioned media were investigated. The impact of specific distances that lead to different influences of fibroblast cells on cancer cells in the co-culture environment was also defined.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Trong Binh Tran
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Changyoon Baek
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Junhong Min
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|