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Shen X, Tan J, Liu R, Zhu G, Rooper L, Xing M. The genetic duet of concurrent RASAL1 and PTEN alterations promotes cancer aggressiveness by cooperatively activating the PI3K-AKT pathway. Mol Oncol 2024. [PMID: 39032134 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13701] [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: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The significance of the prominent tumor suppressor gene for RAS protein activator-like 1 (RASAL1) could be better understood by combined genetic, clinical, and functional studies. Here, we investigated the oncogenic and clinical impacts of genetic alterations of RASAL1, particularly when coexisting with genetic alterations of the gene for phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), in 9924 cancers of 33 types in the TCGA database. We found common concurrent genetic alterations of the two genes, which were cooperatively associated with activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT pathway, with cancer progression and mortality rates being 46.36% and 31.72% with concurrent gene alterations, versus 29.80% and 16.93% with neither gene alteration (HR 1.64, 95% CI 1.46-1.84 and 1.77, 95% CI 1.53-2.05), respectively. This was enhanced by additional tumor protein p53 (TP53) gene alterations, with cancer progression and mortality rates being 47.65% and 34.46% with coexisting RASAL1, PTEN, and TP53 alterations versus 25.30% and 13.11% with no alteration (HR 2.21, 95% CI 1.92-2.56 and 2.76, 95% CI 2.31-3.30), respectively. In the case of breast cancer, this genetic trio was associated with a triple-negative risk of 68.75% versus 3.83% with no genetic alteration (RR 17.94, 95% CI 9.60-33.51), consistent with the aggressive nature of triple-negative breast cancer. Mice with double knockouts of Rasal1 and Pten displayed robust Pi3k pathway activation, with the development of metastasizing malignancies, while single gene knockout resulted in only benign neoplasma. These results suggest that RASAL1, like PTEN, is a critical player in negatively regulating the PI3K-AKT pathway; defect in RASAL1 causes RAS activation, thus initiating the PI3K-AKT pathway signaling, which cannot terminate with concurrent PTEN defects. Thus, the unique concurrent RASAL1 and PTEN defects drive oncogenesis and cancer aggressiveness by cooperatively activating the PI3K-AKT pathway. This represents a robust genetic mechanism to promote human cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaopei Shen
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jie Tan
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rengyun Liu
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Guangwu Zhu
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lisa Rooper
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mingzhao Xing
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Borowczyk M, Dobosz P, Szczepanek-Parulska E, Budny B, Dębicki S, Filipowicz D, Wrotkowska E, Oszywa M, Verburg FA, Janicka-Jedyńska M, Ziemnicka K, Ruchała M. Follicular Thyroid Adenoma and Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma-A Common or Distinct Background? Loss of Heterozygosity in Comprehensive Microarray Study. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:638. [PMID: 36765597 PMCID: PMC9913827 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15030638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Pre- and postsurgical differentiation between follicular thyroid adenoma (FTA) and follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) represents a significant diagnostic challenge. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether they share a common or distinct background and what the mechanisms underlying follicular thyroid lesions malignancy are. The study aimed to compare FTA and FTC by the comprehensive microarray and to identify recurrent regions of loss of heterozygosity (LOH). We analyzed formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples acquired from 32 Caucasian patients diagnosed with FTA (16) and FTC (16). We used the OncoScan™ microarray assay (Affymetrix, USA), using highly multiplexed molecular inversion probes for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). The total number of LOH was higher in FTC compared with FTA (18 vs. 15). The most common LOH present in 21 cases, in both FTA (10 cases) and FTC (11 cases), was 16p12.1, which encompasses many cancer-related genes, such as TP53, and was followed by 3p21.31. The only LOH present exclusively in FTA patients (56% vs. 0%) was 11p11.2-p11.12. The alteration which tended to be detected more often in FTC (6 vs. 1 in FTA) was 12q24.11-q24.13 overlapping FOXN4, MYL2, PTPN11 genes. FTA and FTC may share a common genetic background, even though differentiating rearrangements may also be detected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martyna Borowczyk
- Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-355 Poznan, Poland
- Department of Medical Simulation, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland
| | - Paula Dobosz
- Department of Genetics and Genomics, Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Interior Affairs and Administration, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ewelina Szczepanek-Parulska
- Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-355 Poznan, Poland
| | - Bartłomiej Budny
- Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-355 Poznan, Poland
| | - Szymon Dębicki
- Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-355 Poznan, Poland
| | - Dorota Filipowicz
- Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-355 Poznan, Poland
| | - Elżbieta Wrotkowska
- Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-355 Poznan, Poland
| | - Michalina Oszywa
- Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-355 Poznan, Poland
| | - Frederik A. Verburg
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Katarzyna Ziemnicka
- Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-355 Poznan, Poland
| | - Marek Ruchała
- Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-355 Poznan, Poland
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3
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Rajabi S, Alix-Panabières C, Alaei AS, Abooshahab R, Shakib H, Ashrafi MR. Looking at Thyroid Cancer from the Tumor-Suppressor Genes Point of View. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:2461. [PMID: 35626065 PMCID: PMC9139614 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14102461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Thyroid cancer is the most frequent endocrine malignancy and accounts for approximately 1% of all diagnosed cancers. A variety of mechanisms are involved in the transformation of a normal tissue into a malignant one. Loss of tumor-suppressor gene (TSG) function is one of these mechanisms. The normal functions of TSGs include cell proliferation and differentiation control, genomic integrity maintenance, DNA damage repair, and signaling pathway regulation. TSGs are generally classified into three subclasses: (i) gatekeepers that encode proteins involved in cell cycle and apoptosis control; (ii) caretakers that produce proteins implicated in the genomic stability maintenance; and (iii) landscapers that, when mutated, create a suitable environment for malignant cell growth. Several possible mechanisms have been implicated in TSG inactivation. Reviewing the various TSG alteration types detected in thyroid cancers may help researchers to better understand the TSG defects implicated in the development/progression of this cancer type and to find potential targets for prognostic, predictive, diagnostic, and therapeutic purposes. Hence, the main purposes of this review article are to describe the various TSG inactivation mechanisms and alterations in human thyroid cancer, and the current therapeutic options for targeting TSGs in thyroid cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadegh Rajabi
- Traditional Medicine and Materia Medica Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 19839-63113, Iran;
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 19839-63113, Iran
| | - Catherine Alix-Panabières
- Laboratory of Rare Human Circulating Cells (LCCRH), University Medical Centre of Montpellier, CEDEX 5, 34093 Montpellier, France
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Cancer Research (CREEC), Unité Mixte de Recherches, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) 224–Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 5290–University of Montpellier, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | - Arshia Sharbatdar Alaei
- Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 19839-63113, Iran;
| | | | - Heewa Shakib
- Cellular and Molecular Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 19857-17443, Iran;
| | - Mohammad Reza Ashrafi
- Department of Biochemistry, Afzalipoor Faculty of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman 76169-13555, Iran;
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Saito S, Cao DY, Victor AR, Peng Z, Wu HY, Okwan-Duodu D. RASAL3 Is a Putative RasGAP Modulating Inflammatory Response by Neutrophils. Front Immunol 2021; 12:744300. [PMID: 34777356 PMCID: PMC8579101 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.744300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
As first responder cells in host defense, neutrophils must be carefully regulated to prevent collateral tissue injury. However, the intracellular events that titrate the neutrophil’s response to inflammatory stimuli remain poorly understood. As a molecular switch, Ras activity is tightly regulated by Ras GTPase activating proteins (RasGAP) to maintain cellular active-inactive states. Here, we show that RASAL3, a RasGAP, is highly expressed in neutrophils and that its expression is upregulated by exogenous stimuli in neutrophils. RASAL3 deficiency triggers augmented neutrophil responses and enhanced immune activation in acute inflammatory conditions. Consequently, mice lacking RASAL3 (RASAL3-KO) demonstrate accelerated mortality in a septic shock model via induction of severe organ damage and hyperinflammatory response. The excessive neutrophilic hyperinflammation and increased mortality were recapitulated in a mouse model of sickle cell disease, which we found to have low neutrophil RASAL3 expression upon LPS activation. Thus, RASAL3 functions as a RasGAP that negatively regulates the cellular activity of neutrophils to modulate the inflammatory response. These results demonstrate that RASAL3 could serve as a therapeutic target to regulate excessive inflammation in sepsis and many inflammatory disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suguru Saito
- Bio-fluid Biomarker Center, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Division of Virology, Department of Immunology and Infection, School of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke, Japan
| | - Duo-Yao Cao
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Aaron R Victor
- Department of Pathology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Zhenzi Peng
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi, China
| | - Hui-Ya Wu
- College of Health Science, Trans World University, Douliu, Taiwan
| | - Derick Okwan-Duodu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Pathology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Knief J, Reddemann K, Lazar-Karsten P, Herhahn T, Petrova E, Wellner U, Thorns C. Prognostic implications of RASAL1 expression in oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma. J Clin Pathol 2016; 70:274-276. [PMID: 28011578 DOI: 10.1136/jclinpath-2016-204132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Revised: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/27/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Knief
- Department of Pathology, Section of Hematopathology and endocrine Pathology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Katharina Reddemann
- Department of Pathology, Section of Hematopathology and endocrine Pathology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Pamela Lazar-Karsten
- Department of Pathology, Section of Hematopathology and endocrine Pathology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Tobias Herhahn
- Department of Pathology, Section of Hematopathology and endocrine Pathology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Ekaterina Petrova
- Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Ulrich Wellner
- Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Christoph Thorns
- Department of Pathology, Section of Hematopathology and endocrine Pathology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany
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