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Carvalho R, Santos L, Conde I, Leitão R, Ferreira HR, Gomes C, Silva AP, Schmitt F, Carvalho-Maia C, Lobo J, Jerónimo C, Paredes J, Ribeiro AS. Nerve growth factor inducible (VGF) is a secreted mediator for metastatic breast cancer tropism to the brain. J Pathol 2024; 264:132-147. [PMID: 39072726 DOI: 10.1002/path.6319] [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: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Brain metastases are one of the most serious clinical problems in breast cancer (BC) progression, associated with lower survival rates and a lack of effective therapies. Thus, to dissect the early stages of the brain metastatic process, we studied the impact of brain organotropic BC cells' secretomes on the establishment of the brain pre-metastatic niche (PMN). We found that BC cells with specific tropism to the brain caused significant blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, as well as microglial activation, in both in vitro and in vivo models. Further, we searched for a brain-organotropic metastatic signature, as a promising source for the discovery of new biomarkers involved in brain metastatic progression. Of relevance, we identified VGF (nerve growth factor inducible) as a key mediator in this process, also impacting the BBB and microglial functions both in vitro and in vivo. In a series of human breast tumors, VGF was found to be expressed in both cancer cells and the adjacent stroma. Importantly, VGF-positive tumors showed a significantly worse prognosis and were associated with HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) overexpression and triple-negative molecular signatures. Further clinical validation in primary tumors from metastatic BC cases showed a significant association between VGF and the brain metastatic location, clearly and significantly impacting on the prognosis of BC patients with brain metastasis. In conclusion, our study reveals a unique secretome signature for BC with a tropism for the brain, highlighting VGF as a crucial mediator in this process. Furthermore, its specific impact as a poor prognostic predictor for BC patients with brain metastasis opens new avenues to target VGF to control the progression of brain metastatic disease. © 2024 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Carvalho
- Cancer Metastasis group, i3S - Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- IPATIMUP - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Immunology, ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Liliana Santos
- Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- iCBR - Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- CIBB - Center for Innovation in Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Inês Conde
- Cancer Metastasis group, i3S - Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- IPATIMUP - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Immunology, ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Leitão
- Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- iCBR - Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- CIBB - Center for Innovation in Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Hugo Rs Ferreira
- Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- iCBR - Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- CIBB - Center for Innovation in Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Célia Gomes
- Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- iCBR - Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- CIBB - Center for Innovation in Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ana Paula Silva
- Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- iCBR - Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- CIBB - Center for Innovation in Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Fernando Schmitt
- IPATIMUP - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, Porto, Portugal
- FMUP - Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Carina Carvalho-Maia
- Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Group, IPO Porto Research Center (GEBC CI-IPOP), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto)/Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center Raquel Seruca (P.CCC) & CI-IPOP@RISE (Health Research Network), Porto, Portugal
| | - João Lobo
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Immunology, ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Group, IPO Porto Research Center (GEBC CI-IPOP), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto)/Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center Raquel Seruca (P.CCC) & CI-IPOP@RISE (Health Research Network), Porto, Portugal
- Department of Pathology, Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto)/Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center Raquel Seruca (P.CCC), Porto, Portugal
| | - Carmen Jerónimo
- Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Group, IPO Porto Research Center (GEBC CI-IPOP), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto)/Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center Raquel Seruca (P.CCC) & CI-IPOP@RISE (Health Research Network), Porto, Portugal
- Department of Pathology, Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto)/Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center Raquel Seruca (P.CCC), Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Paredes
- Cancer Metastasis group, i3S - Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- IPATIMUP - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- FMUP - Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Sofia Ribeiro
- Cancer Metastasis group, i3S - Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- IPATIMUP - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
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2
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Das P, San Martin R, Hong T, McCord RP. Rearrangement of 3D genome organization in breast cancer epithelial - mesenchymal transition and metastasis organotropism. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.23.609227. [PMID: 39229150 PMCID: PMC11370564 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.23.609227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
Breast cancer cells exhibit organotropism during metastasis, showing preferential homing to certain organs such as bone, lung, liver, and brain. One potential explanation for this organotropic behavior is that cancer cells gain properties that enable thriving in certain microenvironments. Such specific metastatic traits may arise from gene regulation at the primary tumor site. Spatial genome organization plays a crucial role in oncogenic transformation and progression, but the extent to which chromosome architecture contributes to organ-specific metastatic traits is unclear. This work characterizes chromosome architecture changes associated with organotropic metastatic traits. By comparing a collection of genomic data from different subtypes of localized and lung metastatic breast cancer cells with both normal and cancerous lung cells, we find important trends of genomic reorganization. The most striking differences in 3D genome compartments segregate cell types according to their epithelial vs. mesenchymal status. This EMT compartment signature occurs at genomic regions distinct from transcription-defined EMT signatures, suggesting a separate layer of regulation. Specifically querying organotropism, we find 3D genome changes consistent with adaptations needed to survive in a new microenvironment, with lung metastatic breast cells exhibiting compartment switch signatures that shift the genome architecture to a lung cell-like conformation and brain metastatic prostate cancer cells showing compartment shifts toward a brain-like state. TCGA patient data reveals gene expression changes concordant with these organ-permissive compartment changes. These results suggest that genome architecture provides an additional level of cell fate specification informing organotropism and enabling survival at the metastatic site. SIGNIFICANCE Computational analysis of a cohort of cancer cell lines reveals 3D genome spatial compartment changes are associated with transitions in cancer cell state that favor metastasis (EMT) and enable survival in a new organ context.
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3
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Buchholz MB, Scheerman DI, Levato R, Wehrens EJ, Rios AC. Human breast tissue engineering in health and disease. EMBO Mol Med 2024:10.1038/s44321-024-00112-3. [PMID: 39179741 DOI: 10.1038/s44321-024-00112-3] [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: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The human mammary gland represents a highly organized and dynamic tissue, uniquely characterized by postnatal developmental cycles. During pregnancy and lactation, it undergoes extensive hormone-stimulated architectural remodeling, culminating in the formation of specialized structures for milk production to nourish offspring. Moreover, it carries significant health implications, due to the high prevalence of breast cancer. Therefore, gaining insight into the unique biology of the mammary gland can have implications for managing breast cancer and promoting the well-being of both women and infants. Tissue engineering techniques hold promise to narrow the translational gap between existing breast models and clinical outcomes. Here, we provide an overview of the current landscape of breast tissue engineering, outline key requirements, and the challenges to overcome for achieving more predictive human breast models. We propose methods to validate breast function and highlight preclinical applications for improved understanding and targeting of breast cancer. Beyond mammary gland physiology, representative human breast models can offer new insight into stem cell biology and developmental processes that could extend to other organs and clinical contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maj-Britt Buchholz
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Demi I Scheerman
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Riccardo Levato
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Orthopedics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ellen J Wehrens
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Anne C Rios
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Serhan HA, Bao L, Cheng X, Qin Z, Liu CJ, Heth JA, Udager AM, Soellner MB, Merajver SD, Morikawa A, Merrill NM. Targeting fatty acid synthase in preclinical models of TNBC brain metastases synergizes with SN-38 and impairs invasion. NPJ Breast Cancer 2024; 10:43. [PMID: 38858374 PMCID: PMC11164988 DOI: 10.1038/s41523-024-00656-0] [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: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Fatty acid synthesis (FAS) has been shown to play a key role in the survival of brain-metastatic (BM) breast cancer. We demonstrate that the fatty acid synthase inhibitor TVB-2640 synergizes with the topoisomerase inhibitor SN-38 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) BM cell lines, upregulates FAS and downregulates cell cycle progression gene expression, and slows the motility of TNBC BM cell lines. The combination of SN-38 and TVB-2640 warrants further consideration as a potential therapeutic option in TNBC BMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Habib A Serhan
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Liwei Bao
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Xu Cheng
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Zhaoping Qin
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Chia-Jen Liu
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jason A Heth
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Aaron M Udager
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Matthew B Soellner
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Sofia D Merajver
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Aki Morikawa
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Nathan M Merrill
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
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5
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Tong Y, An P, Tang P, Mu R, Zeng Y, Sun H, Zhao M, Lv Z, Wang P, Han W, Gui C, Zhen X, Han L. Suppressing Wnt signaling of the blood‒tumor barrier to intensify drug delivery and inhibit lipogenesis of brain metastases. Acta Pharm Sin B 2024; 14:2716-2731. [PMID: 38828148 PMCID: PMC11143535 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2024.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Lipogenesis is often highly upregulated in breast cancer brain metastases to adapt to intracranial low lipid microenvironments. Lipase inhibitors hold therapeutic potential but their intra-tumoral distribution is often blocked by the blood‒tumor barrier (BTB). BTB activates its Wnt signaling to maintain barrier properties, e.g., Mfsd2a-mediated BTB low transcytosis. Here, we reported VCAM-1-targeting nano-wogonin (W@V-NPs) as an adjuvant of nano-orlistat (O@V-NPs) to intensify drug delivery and inhibit lipogenesis of brain metastases. W@V-NPs were proven to be able to inactivate BTB Wnt signaling, downregulate BTB Mfsd2a, accelerate BTB vesicular transport, and enhance tumor accumulation of O@V-NPs. With the ability to specifically kill cancer cells in a lipid-deprived environment with IC50 at 48 ng/mL, W@V-NPs plus O@V-NPs inhibited the progression of brain metastases with prolonged survival of model mice. The combination did not induce brain edema, cognitive impairment, and systemic toxicity in healthy mice. Targeting Wnt signaling could safely modulate the BTB to improve drug delivery and metabolic therapy against brain metastases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Tong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Pei An
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Puxian Tang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Rui Mu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yuteng Zeng
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Hang Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Mei Zhao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Ziyan Lv
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Pan Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Wanjun Han
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Chunshan Gui
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Xuechu Zhen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Precision Diagnostics and Therapeutics Development, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Liang Han
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Precision Diagnostics and Therapeutics Development, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
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6
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Ruan X, Yan W, Cao M, Daza RAM, Fong MY, Yang K, Wu J, Liu X, Palomares M, Wu X, Li A, Chen Y, Jandial R, Spitzer NC, Hevner RF, Wang SE. Breast cancer cell-secreted miR-199b-5p hijacks neurometabolic coupling to promote brain metastasis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4549. [PMID: 38811525 PMCID: PMC11137082 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48740-0] [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: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer metastasis to the brain is a clinical challenge rising in prevalence. However, the underlying mechanisms, especially how cancer cells adapt a distant brain niche to facilitate colonization, remain poorly understood. A unique metabolic feature of the brain is the coupling between neurons and astrocytes through glutamate, glutamine, and lactate. Here we show that extracellular vesicles from breast cancer cells with a high potential to develop brain metastases carry high levels of miR-199b-5p, which shows higher levels in the blood of breast cancer patients with brain metastases comparing to those with metastatic cancer in other organs. miR-199b-5p targets solute carrier transporters (SLC1A2/EAAT2 in astrocytes and SLC38A2/SNAT2 and SLC16A7/MCT2 in neurons) to hijack the neuron-astrocyte metabolic coupling, leading to extracellular retention of these metabolites and promoting cancer cell growth. Our findings reveal a mechanism through which cancer cells of a non-brain origin reprogram neural metabolism to fuel brain metastases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianhui Ruan
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Wei Yan
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Minghui Cao
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ray Anthony M Daza
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Miranda Y Fong
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Kaifu Yang
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jun Wu
- Center for Comparative Medicine, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Xuxiang Liu
- Department of Cancer Biology, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA, USA
| | | | - Xiwei Wu
- Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Arthur Li
- Division of Biostatistics, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Yuan Chen
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Rahul Jandial
- Department of Surgery; City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Nicholas C Spitzer
- Neurobiology Department, School of Biological Sciences and Center for Neural Circuits and Behavior, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Robert F Hevner
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Shizhen Emily Wang
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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7
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Kumar V, Naqvi SM, Verbruggen A, McEvoy E, McNamara LM. A mechanobiological model of bone metastasis reveals that mechanical stimulation inhibits the pro-osteolytic effects of breast cancer cells. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114043. [PMID: 38642336 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Bone is highly susceptible to cancer metastasis, and both tumor and bone cells enable tumor invasion through a "vicious cycle" of biochemical signaling. Tumor metastasis into bone also alters biophysical cues to both tumor and bone cells, which are highly sensitive to their mechanical environment. However, the mechanobiological feedback between these cells that perpetuate this cycle has not been studied. Here, we develop highly advanced in vitro and computational models to provide an advanced understanding of how tumor growth is regulated by the synergistic influence of tumor-bone cell signaling and mechanobiological cues. In particular, we develop a multicellular healthy and metastatic bone model that can account for physiological mechanical signals within a custom bioreactor. These models successfully recapitulated mineralization, mechanobiological responses, osteolysis, and metastatic activity. Ultimately, we demonstrate that mechanical stimulus provided protective effects against tumor-induced osteolysis, confirming the importance of mechanobiological factors in bone metastasis development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vatsal Kumar
- Mechanobiology and Medical Device Research Group (MMDRG), Biomedical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, University of Galway, H91 HX31 Galway, Ireland
| | - Syeda M Naqvi
- Mechanobiology and Medical Device Research Group (MMDRG), Biomedical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, University of Galway, H91 HX31 Galway, Ireland
| | - Anneke Verbruggen
- Mechanobiology and Medical Device Research Group (MMDRG), Biomedical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, University of Galway, H91 HX31 Galway, Ireland
| | - Eoin McEvoy
- Biomedical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, University of Galway, H91 HX31 Galway, Ireland
| | - Laoise M McNamara
- Mechanobiology and Medical Device Research Group (MMDRG), Biomedical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, University of Galway, H91 HX31 Galway, Ireland.
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8
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Galloni C, Egnuni T, Zahed Mohajerani S, Ye J, Mittnacht S, Speirs V, Lorger M, Mavria G. Brain endothelial cells promote breast cancer cell extravasation to the brain via EGFR-DOCK4-RAC1 signalling. Commun Biol 2024; 7:602. [PMID: 38762624 PMCID: PMC11102446 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06200-x] [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: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The role of endothelial cells in promoting cancer cell extravasation to the brain during the interaction of cancer cells with the vasculature is not well characterised. We show that brain endothelial cells activate EGFR signalling in triple-negative breast cancer cells with propensity to metastasise to the brain. This activation is dependent on soluble factors secreted by brain endothelial cells, and occurs via the RAC1 GEF DOCK4, which is required for breast cancer cell extravasation to the brain in vivo. Knockdown of DOCK4 inhibits breast cancer cell entrance to the brain without affecting cancer cell survival or growth. Defective extravasation is associated with loss of elongated morphology preceding intercalation into brain endothelium. We also show that brain endothelial cells promote paracrine stimulation of mesenchymal-like morphology of breast cancer cells via DOCK4, DOCK9, RAC1 and CDC42. This stimulation is accompanied by EGFR activation necessary for brain metastatic breast cancer cell elongation which can be reversed by the EGFR inhibitor Afatinib. Our findings suggest that brain endothelial cells promote metastasis through activation of cell signalling that renders breast cancer cells competent for extravasation. This represents a paradigm of brain endothelial cells influencing the signalling and metastatic competency of breast cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Galloni
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Sheffield Institute for Nucleic Acids (SInFoNiA) and School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Teklu Egnuni
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Safoura Zahed Mohajerani
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Leeds Centre for Disease Models, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Jiaqi Ye
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | | | - Valerie Speirs
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Mihaela Lorger
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Georgia Mavria
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
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9
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Onigbinde S, Peng W, Solomon J, Adeniyi M, Nwaiwu J, Fowowe M, Daramola O, Purba W, Mechref Y. O-Glycome Profiling of Breast Cancer Cell Lines to Understand Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis. J Proteome Res 2024; 23:1458-1470. [PMID: 38483275 PMCID: PMC11299836 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.3c00914] [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] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women and a major source of brain metastases. Despite the increasing incidence of brain metastasis from breast cancer, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Altered glycosylation is known to play a role in various diseases including cancer metastasis. However, profiling studies of O-glycans and their isomers in breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) are scarce. This study analyzed the expression of O-glycans and their isomers in human breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-361, HTB131, and HTB22), a brain cancer cell line (CRL-1620), and a brain metastatic breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231BR) using nanoLC-MS/MS, identifying 27 O-glycan compositions. We observed significant upregulation in the expression of HexNAc1Hex1NeuAc2 and HexNAc2Hex3, whereas the expression of HexNAc1Hex1NeuAc1 was downregulated in MDA-MB-231BR compared to other cell lines. In our isomeric analysis, we observed notable alterations in the isomeric forms of the O-glycan structure HexNAc1Hex1NeuAc1 in a comparison of different cell lines. Our analysis of O-glycans and their isomers in cancer cells demonstrated that changes in their distribution can be related to the metastatic process. We believe that our investigation will contribute to an enhanced comprehension of the significance of O-glycans and their isomers in BCBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherifdeen Onigbinde
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1061
| | - Wenjing Peng
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1061
| | - Joy Solomon
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1061
| | - Moyinoluwa Adeniyi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1061
| | - Judith Nwaiwu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1061
| | - Mojibola Fowowe
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1061
| | - Oluwatosin Daramola
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1061
| | - Waziha Purba
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1061
| | - Yehia Mechref
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1061
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10
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Robert P, Vives V, Rasschaert M, Hao J, Soares M, Lemaître M, Dencausse A, Catoen S. Detection of Brain Metastases by Contrast-Enhanced MRI: Comparison of Gadopiclenol and Gadobenate in a Mouse Model. Invest Radiol 2024; 59:131-139. [PMID: 37921777 DOI: 10.1097/rli.0000000000001032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of gadopiclenol, a high-relaxivity gadolinium-based contrast agent to detect brain metastases in mice as a function of dose (0.08 mmol/kg or 0.1 mmol/kg) compared with gadobenate at 0.1 mmol/kg. MATERIALS AND METHODS Brain metastases were induced by ultrasound-guided intracardiac implantation of 1.10 5 MDA-MB-231Br cells in the left ventricle of 18 anesthetized Balb/c Nude nu/nu female mice. At day 28 ± 3 after cell injection, each mouse received 2 crossover intravenous injections at 24-hour intervals, randomly selected from 2 doses of gadopiclenol (0.08 mmol/kg or 0.1 mmol/kg) and gadobenate (0.1 mmol/kg) with n = 6 mice/group (3 groups). Brain magnetic resonance imaging sessions were performed at 4 weeks on a 2.35 T magnet with a 3-dimensional T1-weighted high-resolution gradient echo sequence, before and after each injection. Images were blindly and randomly analyzed to detect enhancing lesions. Contrast-to-noise ratio between the metastases and the surrounding healthy parenchyma was calculated, based on region-of-interest signal measurements. In 2 animals per group, an early time point was added to the protocol (day 22 ± 3) to evaluate the sensitivity of detection as a function of time. After the last imaging session, the presence and location of whole-brain metastases were confirmed by histology in 4 mice. RESULTS After gadopiclenol, approximately twice as many metastases were detected compared with gadobenate, regardless of the dose. Contrast-to-noise ratios of the detected metastases were 2.3 and 3.3 times higher with gadopiclenol at 0.08 mmol/kg and 0.1 mmol/kg, respectively, compared with gadobenate at 0.1 mmol/kg ( P < 0.0001). Gadopiclenol at the dose of 0.1 mmol/kg resulted in a 1.4-fold higher contrast compared with gadopiclenol at 0.08 mmol/kg ( P < 0.02). In a subset of mice that were imaged 1 week earlier, 2 metastases were detected with gadopiclenol and not with gadobenate. CONCLUSIONS The high-relaxivity macrocyclic gadolinium-based contrast agent gadopiclenol allowed higher diagnostic performance for detecting brain enhancing metastases in terms of contrast-to-noise ratio and number of detected metastases compared with gadobenate, at both equal (0.1 mmol/kg) dose and 20% lower Gd dose (0.08 mmol/kg). Tumor detection was higher after gadopiclenol at the dose of 0.1 mmol/kg compared with 0.08 mmol/kg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Robert
- From the Research and Innovation Department, Guerbet, Roissy CDG Cedex, France
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11
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Blethen KE, Wolford CP, Pecar GL, Arsiwala TA, Adjeroh E, Dykstra LP, Kielkowski BN, Lockman PR. Coordination of anti-CTLA-4 with whole-brain radiation therapy decreases tumor burden during treatment in a novel syngeneic model of lung cancer brain metastasis. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2024; 73:20. [PMID: 38240876 PMCID: PMC10799151 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-023-03599-w] [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: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Lung cancer is the most common primary tumor to metastasize to the brain. Although advances in lung cancer therapy have increased rates of survival over the past few decades, control and treatment of lung cancer brain metastasis remains an urgent clinical need. Herein, we examine the temporal coordination of α-CTLA-4 administration in combination with whole-brain radiation therapy in a syngeneic preclinical model of lung cancer brain metastasis in both C57Bl/6 and athymic nude mice. Brain tumor burden, survival, and weight loss were monitored. Immunotherapy administration 24 h prior to irradiation resulted in increased brain tumor burden, while administration of immunotherapy 12 h after radiation decreased tumor burden. Neither of the treatments affected survival outcomes or weight loss due to brain tumor recurrence. These findings suggest that the coordination of α-CTLA-4 administration in addition to whole-brain radiation therapy may be a viable strategy for reduction of tumor burden for the management of lung cancer brain metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- K E Blethen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, West Virginia University, 108 Biomedical Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
| | - C P Wolford
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, West Virginia University, 108 Biomedical Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
| | - G L Pecar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, West Virginia University, 108 Biomedical Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
| | - T A Arsiwala
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, West Virginia University, 108 Biomedical Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
- Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, West Virginia University, 1 Medical Center Dr, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - E Adjeroh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, West Virginia University, 108 Biomedical Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
| | - L P Dykstra
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, West Virginia University, 108 Biomedical Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
| | - B N Kielkowski
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, West Virginia University, 108 Biomedical Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
| | - P R Lockman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, West Virginia University, 108 Biomedical Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA.
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12
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Hachey SJ, Hatch CJ, Gaebler D, Mocherla A, Nee K, Kessenbrock K, Hughes CCW. Targeting tumor-stromal interactions in triple-negative breast cancer using a human vascularized micro-tumor model. Breast Cancer Res 2024; 26:5. [PMID: 38183074 PMCID: PMC10768273 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-023-01760-y] [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: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is highly aggressive with limited available treatments. Stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are crucial in TNBC progression; however, understanding the molecular basis of stromal cell activation and tumor-stromal crosstalk in TNBC is limited. To investigate therapeutic targets in the TNBC stromal niche, we used an advanced human in vitro microphysiological system called the vascularized micro-tumor (VMT). Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we revealed that normal breast tissue stromal cells activate neoplastic signaling pathways in the TNBC TME. By comparing interactions in VMTs with clinical data, we identified therapeutic targets at the tumor-stromal interface with potential clinical significance. Combining treatments targeting Tie2 signaling with paclitaxel resulted in vessel normalization and increased efficacy of paclitaxel in the TNBC VMT. Dual inhibition of HER3 and Akt also showed efficacy against TNBC. These data demonstrate the potential of inducing a favorable TME as a targeted therapeutic approach in TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie J Hachey
- Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
| | | | - Daniela Gaebler
- Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Aneela Mocherla
- Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Kevin Nee
- Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Kai Kessenbrock
- Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Christopher C W Hughes
- Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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13
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Zhan Q, Liu B, Situ X, Luo Y, Fu T, Wang Y, Xie Z, Ren L, Zhu Y, He W, Ke Z. New insights into the correlations between circulating tumor cells and target organ metastasis. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:465. [PMID: 38129401 PMCID: PMC10739776 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01725-9] [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: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Organ-specific metastasis is the primary cause of cancer patient death. The distant metastasis of tumor cells to specific organs depends on both the intrinsic characteristics of the tumor cells and extrinsic factors in their microenvironment. During an intermediate stage of metastasis, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are released into the bloodstream from primary and metastatic tumors. CTCs harboring aggressive or metastatic features can extravasate to remote sites for continuous colonizing growth, leading to further lesions. In the past decade, numerous studies demonstrated that CTCs exhibited huge clinical value including predicting distant metastasis, assessing prognosis and monitoring treatment response et al. Furthermore, increasingly numerous experiments are dedicated to identifying the key molecules on or inside CTCs and exploring how they mediate CTC-related organ-specific metastasis. Based on the above molecules, more and more inhibitors are being developed to target CTCs and being utilized to completely clean CTCs, which should provide promising prospects to administer advanced tumor. Recently, the application of various nanomaterials and microfluidic technologies in CTCs enrichment technology has assisted to improve our deep insights into the phenotypic characteristics and biological functions of CTCs as a potential therapy target, which may pave the way for us to make practical clinical strategies. In the present review, we mainly focus on the role of CTCs being involved in targeted organ metastasis, especially the latest molecular mechanism research and clinical intervention strategies related to CTCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinru Zhan
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Bixia Liu
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Xiaohua Situ
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Yuting Luo
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Tongze Fu
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Yanxia Wang
- Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Zhongpeng Xie
- Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Lijuan Ren
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Ying Zhu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China.
| | - Weiling He
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
- School of Medicine, Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen University, 361000, Xiamen, Fujian, P.R. China.
| | - Zunfu Ke
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China.
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 510000, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China.
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14
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Langsten KL, Shi L, Wilson AS, Lumia S, Westwood B, Skeen AM, Xie MT, Surratt VE, Turner J, Langefeld CD, Singh R, Cook KL, Kerr BA. A Novel Metastatic Estrogen Receptor-Expressing Breast Cancer Model with Antiestrogen Responsiveness. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5773. [PMID: 38136319 PMCID: PMC10742098 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15245773] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Most women diagnosed with breast cancer (BC) have estrogen receptor alpha-positive (ER+) disease. The current mouse models of ER+ BC often rely on exogenous estrogen to encourage metastasis, which modifies the immune system and the function of some tissues like bone. Other studies use genetically modified or immunocompromised mouse strains, which do not accurately replicate the clinical disease. To create a model of antiestrogen responsive BC with spontaneous metastasis, we developed a mouse model of 4T1.2 triple-negative (TN) breast cancer with virally transduced ER expression that metastasizes spontaneously without exogenous estrogen stimulation and is responsive to antiestrogen drugs. Our mouse model exhibited upregulated ER-responsive genes and multi-organ metastasis without exogenous estrogen administration. Additionally, we developed a second TN BC cell line, E0771/bone, to express ER, and while it expressed ER-responsive genes, it lacked spontaneous metastasis to clinically important tissues. Following antiestrogen treatment (tamoxifen, ICI 182,780, or vehicle control), 4T1.2- and E0771/bone-derived tumor volumes and weights were significantly decreased, exemplifying antiestrogen responsivity in both cell lines. This 4T1.2 tumor model, which expresses the estrogen receptor, metastasizes spontaneously, and responds to antiestrogen treatment, will allow for further investigation into the biology and potential treatment of metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendall L. Langsten
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; (K.L.L.); (L.S.); (S.L.); (A.M.S.); (M.T.X.); (V.E.S.); (J.T.); (R.S.); (K.L.C.)
| | - Lihong Shi
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; (K.L.L.); (L.S.); (S.L.); (A.M.S.); (M.T.X.); (V.E.S.); (J.T.); (R.S.); (K.L.C.)
| | - Adam S. Wilson
- Department of Surgery, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; (A.S.W.); (B.W.)
| | - Salvatore Lumia
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; (K.L.L.); (L.S.); (S.L.); (A.M.S.); (M.T.X.); (V.E.S.); (J.T.); (R.S.); (K.L.C.)
| | - Brian Westwood
- Department of Surgery, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; (A.S.W.); (B.W.)
| | - Alexandra M. Skeen
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; (K.L.L.); (L.S.); (S.L.); (A.M.S.); (M.T.X.); (V.E.S.); (J.T.); (R.S.); (K.L.C.)
| | - Maria T. Xie
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; (K.L.L.); (L.S.); (S.L.); (A.M.S.); (M.T.X.); (V.E.S.); (J.T.); (R.S.); (K.L.C.)
| | - Victoria E. Surratt
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; (K.L.L.); (L.S.); (S.L.); (A.M.S.); (M.T.X.); (V.E.S.); (J.T.); (R.S.); (K.L.C.)
| | - JoLyn Turner
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; (K.L.L.); (L.S.); (S.L.); (A.M.S.); (M.T.X.); (V.E.S.); (J.T.); (R.S.); (K.L.C.)
| | - Carl D. Langefeld
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA;
- Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Ravi Singh
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; (K.L.L.); (L.S.); (S.L.); (A.M.S.); (M.T.X.); (V.E.S.); (J.T.); (R.S.); (K.L.C.)
- Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Katherine L. Cook
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; (K.L.L.); (L.S.); (S.L.); (A.M.S.); (M.T.X.); (V.E.S.); (J.T.); (R.S.); (K.L.C.)
- Department of Surgery, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; (A.S.W.); (B.W.)
- Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Bethany A. Kerr
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; (K.L.L.); (L.S.); (S.L.); (A.M.S.); (M.T.X.); (V.E.S.); (J.T.); (R.S.); (K.L.C.)
- Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
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15
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Reinhardt F, Coen L, Rivandi M, Franken A, Setyono ESA, Lindenberg T, Eberhardt J, Fehm T, Niederacher D, Knopf F, Neubauer H. DanioCTC: Analysis of Circulating Tumor Cells from Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients in Zebrafish Xenografts. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5411. [PMID: 38001672 PMCID: PMC10670801 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15225411] [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: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) serve as crucial metastatic precursor cells, but their study in animal models has been hindered by their low numbers. To address this challenge, we present DanioCTC, an innovative xenograft workflow that overcomes the scarcity of patient-derived CTCs in animal models. By combining diagnostic leukapheresis (DLA), the Parsortix microfluidic system, flow cytometry, and the CellCelector setup, DanioCTC effectively enriches and isolates CTCs from metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients for injection into zebrafish embryos. Validation experiments confirmed that MDA-MB-231 cells, transplanted following the standard protocol, localized frequently in the head and blood-forming regions of the zebrafish host. Notably, when MDA-MB-231 cells spiked (i.e., supplemented) into DLA aliquots were processed using DanioCTC, the cell dissemination patterns remained consistent. Successful xenografting of CTCs from a MBC patient revealed their primary localization in the head and trunk regions of zebrafish embryos. DanioCTC represents a major step forward in the endeavors to study the dissemination of individual and rare patient-derived CTCs, thereby enhancing our understanding of metastatic breast cancer biology and facilitating the development of targeted interventions in MBC. Summary statement: DanioCTC is a novel workflow to inject patient-derived CTCs into zebrafish, enabling studies of the capacity of these rare tumor cells to induce metastases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Reinhardt
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Heinrich Heine University of Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO Aachen, Bonn, Cologne, Duesseldorf), 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Luisa Coen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Heinrich Heine University of Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO Aachen, Bonn, Cologne, Duesseldorf), 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Mahdi Rivandi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Heinrich Heine University of Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO Aachen, Bonn, Cologne, Duesseldorf), 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - André Franken
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Heinrich Heine University of Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO Aachen, Bonn, Cologne, Duesseldorf), 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Eunike Sawitning Ayu Setyono
- Center for Regenerative Therapies TU Dresden (CRTD), Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB), TU Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
- Center for Healthy Aging, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Tobias Lindenberg
- Anatomical Institute, Neuroanatomy, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Tanja Fehm
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Heinrich Heine University of Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO Aachen, Bonn, Cologne, Duesseldorf), 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Dieter Niederacher
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Heinrich Heine University of Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO Aachen, Bonn, Cologne, Duesseldorf), 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Franziska Knopf
- Center for Regenerative Therapies TU Dresden (CRTD), Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB), TU Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
- Center for Healthy Aging, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Hans Neubauer
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Heinrich Heine University of Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO Aachen, Bonn, Cologne, Duesseldorf), 53127 Bonn, Germany
- Life Science Center, Merowingerplatz 1 A, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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Nazari SS, Doyle AD, Bleck CKE, Yamada KM. Long Prehensile Protrusions Can Facilitate Cancer Cell Invasion through the Basement Membrane. Cells 2023; 12:2474. [PMID: 37887318 PMCID: PMC10605924 DOI: 10.3390/cells12202474] [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: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
A basic process in cancer is the breaching of basement-membrane barriers to permit tissue invasion. Cancer cells can use proteases and physical mechanisms to produce initial holes in basement membranes, but how cells squeeze through this barrier into matrix environments is not well understood. We used a 3D invasion model consisting of cancer-cell spheroids encapsulated by a basement membrane and embedded in collagen to characterize the dynamic early steps in cancer-cell invasion across this barrier. We demonstrate that certain cancer cells extend exceptionally long (~30-100 μm) protrusions through basement membranes via actin and microtubule cytoskeletal function. These long protrusions use integrin adhesion and myosin II-based contractility to pull cells through the basement membrane for initial invasion. Concurrently, these long, organelle-rich protrusions pull surrounding collagen inward while propelling cancer cells outward through perforations in the basement-membrane barrier. These exceptionally long, contractile cellular protrusions can facilitate the breaching of the basement-membrane barrier as a first step in cancer metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shayan S. Nazari
- Cell Biology Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Andrew D. Doyle
- Cell Biology Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Christopher K. E. Bleck
- Electron Microscopy Core, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kenneth M. Yamada
- Cell Biology Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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Samuels M, Jones W, Towler B, Turner C, Robinson S, Giamas G. The role of non-coding RNAs in extracellular vesicles in breast cancer and their diagnostic implications. Oncogene 2023; 42:3017-3034. [PMID: 37670020 PMCID: PMC10555829 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-023-02827-y] [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: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
Breast Cancer (BC) is the most common form of cancer worldwide, responsible for 25% of cancers in women. Whilst treatment is effective and often curative in early BC, metastatic disease is incurable, highlighting the need for early detection. Currently, early detection relies on invasive procedures, however recent studies have shown extracellular vesicles (EVs) obtained from liquid biopsies may have clinical utility. EVs transport diverse bioactive cargos throughout the body, play major roles in intercellular communication and, importantly, mirror their cell of origin. In cancer cells, EVs alter the behaviour of the tumour microenvironment (TME), forming a bridge of communication between cancerous and non-cancerous cells to alter all aspects of cancer progression, including the formation of a pre-metastatic niche. Through gene regulatory frameworks, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) modulate vital molecular and cellular processes and can act as both tumour suppressors and oncogenic drivers in various cancer types. EVs transport and protect ncRNAs, facilitating their use clinically as liquid biopsies for early BC detection. This review summarises current research surrounding ncRNAs and EVs within BC, focusing on their roles in cancer progression through bi-directional communication with the microenvironment and their diagnostic implications. The role of EV ncRNAs in breast cancer. A representation of the different EV ncRNAs involved in tumourigenic processes in breast cancer. Pro-tumourigenic ncRNAs displayed in green and ncRNAs which inhibit oncogenic processes are shown in red.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Samuels
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, JMS Building, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK.
| | - William Jones
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, JMS Building, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Benjamin Towler
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, JMS Building, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Charlotte Turner
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, JMS Building, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Stephen Robinson
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, JMS Building, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Georgios Giamas
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, JMS Building, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK.
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18
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Farahani MK, Gharibshahian M, Rezvani A, Vaez A. Breast cancer brain metastasis: from etiology to state-of-the-art modeling. J Biol Eng 2023; 17:41. [PMID: 37386445 DOI: 10.1186/s13036-023-00352-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently, breast carcinoma is the most common form of malignancy and the main cause of cancer mortality in women worldwide. The metastasis of cancer cells from the primary tumor site to other organs in the body, notably the lungs, bones, brain, and liver, is what causes breast cancer to ultimately be fatal. Brain metastases occur in as many as 30% of patients with advanced breast cancer, and the 1-year survival rate of these patients is around 20%. Many researchers have focused on brain metastasis, but due to its complexities, many aspects of this process are still relatively unclear. To develop and test novel therapies for this fatal condition, pre-clinical models are required that can mimic the biological processes involved in breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM). The application of many breakthroughs in the area of tissue engineering has resulted in the development of scaffold or matrix-based culture methods that more accurately imitate the original extracellular matrix (ECM) of metastatic tumors. Furthermore, specific cell lines are now being used to create three-dimensional (3D) cultures that can be used to model metastasis. These 3D cultures satisfy the requirement for in vitro methodologies that allow for a more accurate investigation of the molecular pathways as well as a more in-depth examination of the effects of the medication being tested. In this review, we talk about the latest advances in modeling BCBM using cell lines, animals, and tissue engineering methods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maliheh Gharibshahian
- Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran
| | - Alireza Rezvani
- Hematology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
| | - Ahmad Vaez
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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Liu Y, Yang C, Chen S, Liu W, Liang J, He S, Hui J. Cancer-derived exosomal miR-375 targets DIP2C and promotes osteoblastic metastasis and prostate cancer progression by regulating the Wnt signaling pathway. Cancer Gene Ther 2023; 30:437-449. [PMID: 36434177 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-022-00563-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Bone metastasis is the most common complication responsible for most deaths in the advanced stages of prostate cancer (PCa). However, the exact mechanism of bone metastasis in PCa remains unelucidated. Herein, we explored the function and potential underlying mechanism of exosomal miR-375 in bone metastasis and tumor progression in PCa. This study revealed that miR-375 expression was markedly upregulated in advanced PCa with bone metastasis and metastatic PCa cell lines. Moreover, miR-375 showed high expression in PCa-derived exosomes and could be delivered to human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) via exosomes. Mechanistically, miR-375 directly targeted DIP2C and upregulated the Wnt signaling pathway, thereby promoting osteoblastic differentiation in hMSCs. Furthermore, miR-375 promoted the proliferation, invasion, and migration of PCa cells in vitro and enhanced tumor progression and osteoblastic metastasis in vivo. Notably, the expression of miR-375, TCF-1, LEF-1, and β-catenin in was higher in PCa tissues with bone metastasis than in PCa tissues without bone metastasis and showed a continuous increase, whereas DIP2C, cyclin D1, and Axin2 showed an opposite expression pattern. In conclusion, our study suggests that cancer-derived exosomal miR-375 targets DIP2C, activates the Wnt signaling pathway, and promotes osteoblastic metastasis and PCa progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liu
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Huadu Hospital, Southern Medical University (People's Hospital of Huadu District), Guangzhou, 510810, Guangdong, China
| | - Changmou Yang
- Department of Urology, Shenshan Central Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shanwei, 516600, Guangdong, China.,Department of Urology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Shisheng Chen
- Department of Urology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.,Department of Urology, Dongguan Tungwah Hospital, Dongguan, 523110, Guangdong, China
| | - Weihao Liu
- Department of Urology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Jingyi Liang
- Department of Urology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Shuhua He
- Department of Urology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.
| | - Jialiang Hui
- Department of Transplantation, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.
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20
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Mander S, Gorman GS, Coward LU, Christov K, Green A, Das Gupta TK, Yamada T. The brain-penetrant cell-cycle inhibitor p28 sensitizes brain metastases to DNA-damaging agents. Neurooncol Adv 2023; 5:vdad042. [PMID: 37197737 PMCID: PMC10184511 DOI: 10.1093/noajnl/vdad042] [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] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Brain metastases (BMs), the most common tumors of the central nervous system, are life-threatening with a dismal prognosis. The major challenges to developing effective treatments for BMs are the limited abilities of drugs to target tumors and to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). We aimed to investigate the efficacy of our therapeutic approach against BMs in mouse models that recapitulate the clinical manifestations of BMs. Methods BMs mouse models were constructed by injecting human breast, lung cancer, and melanoma intracardially, which allowed the BBB to remain intact. We investigated the ability of the cell-penetrating peptide p28 to cross the BBB in an in vitro 3D model and in the BMs animal models. The therapeutic effects of p28 in combination with DNA-damaging agents (radiation and temozolomide) on BMs were also evaluated. Results p28 crossed the intact BBB more efficiently than the standard chemotherapeutic agent, temozolomide. Upon crossing the BBB, p28 localized preferentially to tumor lesions and enhanced the efficacy of DNA-damaging agents by activating the p53-p21 axis. In the BMs animal models, radiation in combination with p28 significantly reduced the tumor burden of BMs. Conclusions The cell-cycle inhibitor p28 can cross the BBB localize to tumor lesions in the brain and enhance the inhibitory effects of DNA-damaging agents on BMs, suggesting the potential therapeutic benefits of this molecule in BMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunam Mander
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Gregory S Gorman
- McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical, Social and Administrative Sciences, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama 35229, USA
| | - Lori U Coward
- McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical, Social and Administrative Sciences, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama 35229, USA
| | - Konstantin Christov
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Albert Green
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Tapas K Das Gupta
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Tohru Yamada
- Corresponding Author: Tohru Yamada, PhD, Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA()
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Mannion AJ, Odell AF, Baker SM, Matthews LC, Jones PF, Cook GP. Pro- and anti-tumour activities of CD146/MCAM in breast cancer result from its heterogeneous expression and association with epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1129015. [PMID: 37138793 PMCID: PMC10150653 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1129015] [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: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
CD146, also known as melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM), is expressed in numerous cancers and has been implicated in the regulation of metastasis. We show that CD146 negatively regulates transendothelial migration (TEM) in breast cancer. This inhibitory activity is reflected by a reduction in MCAM gene expression and increased promoter methylation in tumour tissue compared to normal breast tissue. However, increased CD146/MCAM expression is associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer, a characteristic that is difficult to reconcile with inhibition of TEM by CD146 and its epigenetic silencing. Single cell transcriptome data revealed MCAM expression in multiple cell types, including the malignant cells, tumour vasculature and normal epithelium. MCAM expressing malignant cells were in the minority and expression was associated with epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Furthermore, gene expression signatures defining invasiveness and a stem cell-like phenotype were most strongly associated with mesenchymal-like tumour cells with low levels of MCAM mRNA, likely to represent a hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal (E/M) state. Our results show that high levels of MCAM gene expression are associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer because they reflect tumour vascularisation and high levels of EMT. We suggest that high levels of mesenchymal-like malignant cells reflect large populations of hybrid E/M cells and that low CD146 expression on these hybrid cells is permissive for TEM, aiding metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aarren J. Mannion
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds School of Medicine, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Adam F. Odell
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds School of Medicine, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Syed Murtuza Baker
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Laura C. Matthews
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds School of Medicine, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Pamela F. Jones
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds School of Medicine, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Graham P. Cook
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds School of Medicine, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Graham P. Cook,
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22
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Gehre S, Meyer F, Sengedorj A, Grottker F, Reichardt CM, Alomo J, Borgmann K, Frey B, Fietkau R, Rückert M, Gaipl US. Clonogenicity-based radioresistance determines the expression of immune suppressive immune checkpoint molecules after hypofractionated irradiation of MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cells. Front Oncol 2023; 13:981239. [PMID: 37152024 PMCID: PMC10157086 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.981239] [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: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Only a subset of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) benefits from a combination of radio- (RT) and immunotherapy. Therefore, we aimed to examine the impact of radioresistance and brain metastasizing potential on the immunological phenotype of TNBC cells following hypofractionated RT by analyzing cell death, immune checkpoint molecule (ICM) expression and activation of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs). MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer tumor cells were used as model system. Apoptosis was the dominant cell death form of brain metastasizing tumor cells, while Hsp70 release was generally significantly increased following RT and went along with necrosis induction. The ICMs PD-L1, PD-L2, HVEM, ICOS-L, CD137-L and OX40-L were found on the tumor cell surfaces and were significantly upregulated by RT with 5 x 5.2 Gy. Strikingly, the expression of immune suppressive ICMs was significantly higher on radioresistant clones compared to their respective non-radioresistant ones. Although hypofractionated RT led to significant cell death induction and release of Hsp70 in all tumor cell lines, human monocyte-derived DCs were not activated after co-incubation with RT-treated tumor cells. We conclude that radioresistance is a potent driver of immune suppressive ICM expression on the surface of TNBC MDA-MB-231 cells. This mechanism is generally known to predominantly influence the effector phase, rather than the priming phase, of anti-tumor immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Gehre
- Translational Radiobiology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Felix Meyer
- Laboratory of Radiobiology and Experimental Radiooncology, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Center of Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Azzaya Sengedorj
- Translational Radiobiology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Fridolin Grottker
- Translational Radiobiology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Clara M. Reichardt
- Translational Radiobiology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jannik Alomo
- Translational Radiobiology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Kerstin Borgmann
- Laboratory of Radiobiology and Experimental Radiooncology, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Center of Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Frey
- Translational Radiobiology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Rainer Fietkau
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Michael Rückert
- Translational Radiobiology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Udo S. Gaipl
- Translational Radiobiology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Erlangen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Udo S. Gaipl,
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Bone Metastasis of Breast Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14235727. [PMID: 36497209 PMCID: PMC9738274 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14235727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Bone metastasis is a common complication of many types of advanced cancer, including breast cancer. Bone metastasis may cause severe pain, fractures, and hypercalcemia, rendering clinical management challenging and substantially reducing the quality of life and overall survival (OS) time of breast cancer patients. Studies have revealed that bone metastasis is related to interactions between tumor cells and the bone microenvironment, and involves complex molecular biological mechanisms, including colonization, osteolytic destruction, and an immunosuppressive bone microenvironment. Agents inhibiting bone metastasis (such as bisphosphate and denosumab) alleviate bone destruction and improve the quality of life of breast cancer patients with bone metastasis. However, the prognosis of these patients remains poor, and the specific biological mechanism of bone metastasis is incompletely understood. Additional basic and clinical studies are urgently needed, to further explore the mechanism of bone metastasis and develop new therapeutic drugs. This review presents a summary of the molecular mechanisms and therapeutic strategies of bone metastasis of breast cancer, aiming to improve the quality of life and prognosis of breast cancer patients and provide a reference for future research directions.
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24
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Cetin MM, Peng W, Unruh D, Mayer MF, Mechref Y, Yelekci K. Design, synthesis, molecular modeling, and bioactivity evaluation of 1,10-phenanthroline and prodigiosin (Ps) derivatives and their Copper(I) complexes against mTOR and HDAC enzymes as highly potent and effective new anticancer therapeutic drugs. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:980479. [PMID: 36267272 PMCID: PMC9578020 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.980479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the second type of cancer with a high probability of brain metastasis and has always been one of the main problems of breast cancer research due to the lack of effective treatment methods. Demand for developing an effective drug against breast cancer brain metastasis and finding molecular mechanisms that play a role in effective treatment are gradually increasing. However, there is no effective anticancer therapeutic drug or treatment method specific to breast cancer, in particular, for patients with a high risk of brain metastases. It is known that mTOR and HDAC enzymes play essential roles in the development of breast cancer brain metastasis. Therefore, it is vital to develop some new drugs and conduct studies toward the inhibition of these enzymes that might be a possible solution to treat breast cancer brain metastasis. In this study, a series of 1,10-phenanthroline and Prodigiosin derivatives consisting of their copper(I) complexes have been synthesized and characterized. Their biological activities were tested in vitro on six different cell lines (including the normal cell line). To obtain additional parallel validations of the experimental data, some in silico modeling studies were carried out with mTOR and HDAC1 enzymes, which are very crucial drug targets, to discover novel and potent drugs for breast cancer and related brain metastases disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Mustafa Cetin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Kadir Has University, Istanbul, Turkey
- *Correspondence: M. Mustafa Cetin, ; Kemal Yelekci, ; Yehia Mechref,
| | - Wenjing Peng
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Daniel Unruh
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Michael F. Mayer
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Yehia Mechref
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
- *Correspondence: M. Mustafa Cetin, ; Kemal Yelekci, ; Yehia Mechref,
| | - Kemal Yelekci
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Kadir Has University, Istanbul, Turkey
- *Correspondence: M. Mustafa Cetin, ; Kemal Yelekci, ; Yehia Mechref,
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Mitochondrial Protein Cox7b Is a Metabolic Sensor Driving Brain-Specific Metastasis of Human Breast Cancer Cells. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14184371. [PMID: 36139533 PMCID: PMC9497206 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14184371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Distant metastases are detrimental for cancer patients, but the increasingly early detection of tumors offers a chance for metastasis prevention. Importantly, cancers do not metastasize randomly: depending on the type of cancer, metastatic progenitor cells have a predilection for well-defined organs. This has been theorized by Stephen Paget, who proposed the “seed-and-soil hypothesis”, according to which metastatic colonization occurs only when the needs of a given metastatic progenitor cell (the seed) match with the resources provided by a given organ (the soil). Here, we propose to explore the seed-and-soil hypothesis in the context of cancer metabolism, thus hypothesizing that metastatic progenitor cells must be capable of detecting the availability of metabolic resources in order to home in a secondary organ. If true, it would imply the existence of metabolic sensors. Using human triple-negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and two independent brain-seeking variants as models, we report that cyclooxygenase 7b (Cox7b), a structural component of Complex IV of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, belongs to a probably larger family of proteins responsible for breast cancer brain tropism in mice. For metastasis prevention therapy, this proof-of-principle study opens a quest for the identification of therapeutically targetable metabolic sensors that drive cancer organotropism.
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Nazari SS, Doyle AD, Yamada KM. Mechanisms of Basement Membrane Micro-Perforation during Cancer Cell Invasion into a 3D Collagen Gel. Gels 2022; 8:gels8090567. [PMID: 36135279 PMCID: PMC9498339 DOI: 10.3390/gels8090567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer invasion through basement membranes represents the initial step of tumor dissemination and metastasis. However, little is known about how human cancer cells breach basement membranes. Here, we used a three-dimensional in vitro invasion model consisting of cancer spheroids encapsulated by a basement membrane and embedded in 3D collagen gels to visualize the early events of cancer invasion by confocal microscopy and live-cell imaging. Human breast cancer cells generated large numbers of basement membrane perforations, or holes, of varying sizes that expanded over time during cell invasion. We used a wide variety of small molecule inhibitors to probe the mechanisms of basement membrane perforation and hole expansion. Protease inhibitor treatment (BB94), led to a 63% decrease in perforation size. After myosin II inhibition (blebbistatin), the basement membrane perforation area decreased by only 15%. These treatments produced correspondingly decreased cellular breaching events. Interestingly, inhibition of actin polymerization dramatically decreased basement membrane perforation by 80% and blocked invasion. Our findings suggest that human cancer cells can primarily use proteolysis and actin polymerization to perforate the BM and to expand perforations for basement membrane breaching with a relatively small contribution from myosin II contractility.
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27
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Amornsupak K, Thongchot S, Thinyakul C, Box C, Hedayat S, Thuwajit P, Eccles SA, Thuwajit C. HMGB1 mediates invasion and PD-L1 expression through RAGE-PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. BMC Cancer 2022; 22:578. [PMID: 35610613 PMCID: PMC9128129 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-022-09675-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is increased in breast cancer cells as the result of exposure to the secreted substances from cancer-associated fibroblasts and plays a crucial role in cancer progression and drug resistance. Its effect, however, on the expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in breast cancer cells has not been investigated. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of HMGB1 through receptors for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) on cell migration/invasion and PD-L1 expression in breast cancer cells. METHODS A 3-dimensional (3-D) migration and invasion assay and Western blotting analysis to evaluate the function and the mechanism under recombinant HMGB1 (rHMGB1) treatment with knockdown of RAGE using shRAGE and PI3K/AKT inhibitors was performed. RESULTS The results revealed that rHMGB1 induced MDA-MB-231 cell migration and invasion. The knockdown of RAGE using shRAGE and PI3K/AKT inhibitors attenuated 3-D migration and invasion in response to rHMGB1 compared to mock cells. PD-L1 up-regulation was observed in both parental MDA-MB-231 (P) and MDA-MB-231 metastasis to bone marrow (BM) cells treated with rHMGB1, and these effects were alleviated in RAGE-knock down (KD) breast cancer cells as well as in PI3K/AKT inhibitor-treated cells. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these findings indicate that HMGB1-RAGE through PI3K/AKT signaling promotes not only breast cancer cell invasion but also PD-L1 expression which leads to the destruction of the effector T cells. The attenuating HMGB1-RAGE-PI3K/AKT pathway may help to attenuate breast cancer cell aggressive phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamolporn Amornsupak
- Department of Transfusion Medicine and Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
- Immunomodulation of Natural Products Research Group, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Suyanee Thongchot
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand
- Siriraj Center of Research Excellence for Cancer Immunotherapy, Research Department, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand
| | - Chanida Thinyakul
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand
| | - Carol Box
- Centre For Cancer Imaging, Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, SW7 3RP, UK
- Present Address: Cancer Research UK, Cancer Therapeutics Unit, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, SW7 3RP, UK
| | - Somaieh Hedayat
- Present Address: Cancer Research UK, Cancer Therapeutics Unit, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, SW7 3RP, UK
| | - Peti Thuwajit
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand
| | - Suzanne A Eccles
- Present Address: Cancer Research UK, Cancer Therapeutics Unit, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, SW7 3RP, UK
| | - Chanitra Thuwajit
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand.
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28
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The lactate sensor GPR81 regulates glycolysis and tumor growth of breast cancer. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6261. [PMID: 35428832 PMCID: PMC9012857 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10143-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic reprogramming is a malignant phenotype of cancer. Cancer cells utilize glycolysis to fuel rapid proliferation even in the presence of oxygen, and elevated glycolysis is coupled to lactate fermentation in the cancer microenvironment. Although lactate has been recognized as a metabolic waste product, it has become evident that lactate functions as not only an energy source but a signaling molecule through the lactate receptor G-protein-coupled receptor 81 (GPR81) under physiological conditions. However, the pathological role of GPR81 in cancer remains unclear. Here, we show that GPR81 regulates the malignant phenotype of breast cancer cell by reprogramming energy metabolism. We found that GPR81 is highly expressed in breast cancer cell lines but not in normal breast epithelial cells. Knockdown of GPR81 decreased breast cancer cell proliferation, and tumor growth. Mechanistically, glycolysis and lactate-dependent ATP production were impaired in GPR81-silenced breast cancer cells. RNA sequencing accompanied by Gene Ontology enrichment analysis further demonstrated a significant decrease in genes associated with cell motility and silencing of GPR81 suppressed cell migration and invasion. Notably, histological examination showed strong expression of GPR81 in clinical samples of human breast cancer. Collectively, our findings suggest that GPR81 is critical for malignancy of breast cancer and may be a potential novel therapeutic target for breast carcinoma.
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Knier NN, Pellizzari S, Zhou J, Foster PJ, Parsyan A. Preclinical Models of Brain Metastases in Breast Cancer. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10030667. [PMID: 35327469 PMCID: PMC8945440 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10030667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer remains a leading cause of mortality among women worldwide. Brain metastases confer extremely poor prognosis due to a lack of understanding of their specific biology, unique physiologic and anatomic features of the brain, and limited treatment strategies. A major roadblock in advancing the treatment of breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM) is the scarcity of representative experimental preclinical models. Current models are predominantly based on the use of animal xenograft models with immortalized breast cancer cell lines that poorly capture the disease’s heterogeneity. Recent years have witnessed the development of patient-derived in vitro and in vivo breast cancer culturing systems that more closely recapitulate the biology from individual patients. These advances led to the development of modern patient-tissue-based experimental models for BCBM. The success of preclinical models is also based on the imaging technologies used to detect metastases. Advances in animal brain imaging, including cellular MRI and multimodality imaging, allow sensitive and specific detection of brain metastases and monitoring treatment responses. These imaging technologies, together with novel translational breast cancer models based on patient-derived cancer tissues, represent a unique opportunity to advance our understanding of brain metastases biology and develop novel treatment approaches. This review discusses the state-of-the-art knowledge in preclinical models of this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha N. Knier
- Department of Medical Biophysics, Western University, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada; (N.N.K.); (P.J.F.)
- Imaging Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Sierra Pellizzari
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada;
| | - Jiangbing Zhou
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA;
| | - Paula J. Foster
- Department of Medical Biophysics, Western University, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada; (N.N.K.); (P.J.F.)
- Imaging Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Armen Parsyan
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada;
- London Regional Cancer Program, London Health Science Centre, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada
- Department of Oncology, Western University, London, ON N6A 4L6, Canada
- Department of Surgery, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-519-646-4831; Fax: +1-519-646-6327
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30
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Meyer F, Engel AM, Krause AK, Wagner T, Poole L, Dubrovska A, Peitzsch C, Rothkamm K, Petersen C, Borgmann K. Efficient DNA Repair Mitigates Replication Stress Resulting in Less Immunogenic Cytosolic DNA in Radioresistant Breast Cancer Stem Cells. Front Immunol 2022; 13:765284. [PMID: 35280989 PMCID: PMC8913591 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.765284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a major cause of tumor therapy failure. This is mainly attributed to increased DNA repair capacity and immune escape. Recent studies have shown that functional DNA repair via homologous recombination (HR) prevents radiation-induced accumulation of DNA in the cytoplasm, thereby inhibiting the intracellular immune response. However, it is unclear whether CSCs can suppress radiation-induced cytoplasmic dsDNA formation. Here, we show that the increased radioresistance of ALDH1-positive breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) in S phase is mediated by both enhanced DNA double-strand break repair and improved replication fork protection due to HR. Both HR-mediated processes lead to suppression of radiation-induced replication stress and consequently reduction of cytoplasmic dsDNA. The amount of cytoplasmic dsDNA correlated significantly with BCSC content (p=0.0002). This clearly indicates that HR-dependent avoidance of radiation-induced replication stress mediates radioresistance and contributes to its immune evasion. Consistent with this, enhancement of replication stress by inhibition of ataxia telangiectasia and RAD3 related (ATR) resulted in significant radiosensitization (SER37 increase 1.7-2.8 Gy, p<0.0001). Therefore, disruption of HR-mediated processes, particularly in replication, opens a CSC-specific radiosensitization option by enhancing their intracellular immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Meyer
- Laboratory of Radiobiology & Experimental Radiooncology, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Center of Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anna Maria Engel
- Laboratory of Radiobiology & Experimental Radiooncology, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Center of Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ann Kristin Krause
- Laboratory of Radiobiology & Experimental Radiooncology, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Center of Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tim Wagner
- Laboratory of Radiobiology & Experimental Radiooncology, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Center of Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lena Poole
- Laboratory of Radiobiology & Experimental Radiooncology, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Center of Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anna Dubrovska
- OncoRay-National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
- National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Partner Site Dresden: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg; Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden, Germany
| | - Claudia Peitzsch
- OncoRay-National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Dresden and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Partner Site Dresden: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg; Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden, Germany
| | - Kai Rothkamm
- Laboratory of Radiobiology & Experimental Radiooncology, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Center of Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cordula Petersen
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Center of Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kerstin Borgmann
- Laboratory of Radiobiology & Experimental Radiooncology, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Center of Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Kerstin Borgmann,
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31
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DeCastro AJL, Pranda MA, Gray KM, Merlo-Coyne J, Girma N, Hurwitz M, Zhang Y, Stroka KM. Morphological Phenotyping of Organotropic Brain- and Bone-Seeking Triple Negative Metastatic Breast Tumor Cells. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:790410. [PMID: 35252171 PMCID: PMC8891987 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.790410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) follows a non-random pattern of metastasis to the bone and brain tissue. Prior work has found that brain-seeking breast tumor cells display altered proteomic profiles, leading to alterations in pathways related to cell signaling, cell cycle, metabolism, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Given the unique microenvironmental characteristics of brain and bone tissue, we hypothesized that brain- or bone-seeking TNBC cells may have altered morphologic or migratory phenotypes from each other, or from the parental TNBC cells, as a function of the biochemical or mechanical microenvironment. In this study, we utilized TNBC cells (MDA-MB-231) that were conditioned to metastasize solely to brain (MDA-BR) or bone (MDA-BO) tissue. We quantified characteristics such as cell morphology, migration, and stiffness in response to cues that partially mimic their final metastatic niche. We have shown that MDA-BO cells have a distinct protrusive morphology not found in MDA-P or MDA-BR. Further, MDA-BO cells migrate over a larger area when on a collagen I (abundant in bone tissue) substrate when compared to fibronectin (abundant in brain tissue). However, migration in highly confined environments was similar across the cell types. Modest differences were found in the stiffness of MDA-BR and MDA-BO cells plated on collagen I vs. fibronectin-coated surfaces. Lastly, MDA-BO cells were found to have larger focal adhesion area and density in comparison with the other two cell types. These results initiate a quantitative profile of mechanobiological phenotypes in TNBC, with future impacts aiming to help predict metastatic propensities to organ-specific sites in a clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariana Joy L. DeCastro
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Marina A. Pranda
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Kelsey M. Gray
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - John Merlo-Coyne
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Nathaniel Girma
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Madelyn Hurwitz
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Yuji Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Kimberly M. Stroka
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Biophysics Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Kimberly M. Stroka,
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Insights into the Steps of Breast Cancer-Brain Metastases Development: Tumor Cell Interactions with the Blood-Brain Barrier. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031900. [PMID: 35163822 PMCID: PMC8836543 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain metastases (BM) represent a growing problem for breast cancer (BC) patients. Recent studies have demonstrated a strong impact of the BC molecular subtype on the incidence of BM development. This study explores the interaction between BC cells of different molecular subtypes and the blood–brain barrier (BBB). We compared the ability of BC cells of different molecular subtypes to overcome several steps (adhesion to the brain endothelium, disruption of the BBB, and invasion through the endothelial layer) during cerebral metastases formation, in vitro as well as in vivo. Further, the impact of these cells on the BBB was deciphered at the molecular level by transcriptome analysis of the triple-negative (TNBC) cells themselves as well as of hBMECs after cocultivation with BC cell secretomes. Compared to luminal BC cells, TNBC cells have a greater ability to influence the BBB in vitro and consequently develop BM in vivo. The brain-seeking subline and parental TNBC cells behaved similarly in terms of adhesion, whereas the first showed a stronger impact on the brain endothelium integrity and increased invasive ability. The comparative transcriptome revealed potential brain-metastatic-specific key regulators involved in the aforementioned processes, e.g., the angiogenesis-related factors TNXIP and CXCL1. In addition, the transcriptomes of the two TNBC cell lines strongly differed in certain angiogenesis-associated factors and in several genes related to cell migration and invasion. Based on the present study, we hypothesize that the tumor cell’s ability to disrupt the BBB via angiogenesis activation, together with increased cellular motility, is required for BC cells to overcome the BBB and develop brain metastases.
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33
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Wang L, Zeng D, Wang Q, Liu L, Lu T, Gao Y. Screening and Identification of Novel Potential Biomarkers for Breast Cancer Brain Metastases. Front Oncol 2022; 11:784096. [PMID: 35096583 PMCID: PMC8792448 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.784096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain metastases represent a major cause of mortality among patients with breast cancer, and few effective targeted treatment options are currently available. Development of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM) is therefore urgently needed. In this study, we compared the gene expression profiles of the brain metastatic cell line MDA-MB-231-BR (231-BR) and its parental MDA-MB-231, and identified a total of 84 genes in the primary screening through a series of bioinformatic analyses, including construction of protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks by STRING database, identification of hub genes by applying of MCODE and Cytohubba algorithms, identification of leading-edge subsets of Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), and identification of most up-regulated genes. Eight genes were identified as candidate genes due to their elevated expression in brain metastatic 231-BR cells and prognostic values in patients with BCBM. Then we knocked down the eight individual candidate genes in 231-BR cells and evaluated their impact on cell migration through a wound-healing assay, and four of them (KRT19, FKBP10, GSK3B and SPANXB1) were finally identified as key genes. Furthermore, the expression of individual key genes showed a correlation with the infiltration of major immune cells in the brain tumor microenvironment (TME) as analyzed by Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), suggesting possible roles of them in regulation of the tumor immune response in TME. Therefore, the present work may provide new potential biomarkers for BCBM. Additionally, using GSEA, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Enrichment Analysis, we determined the top enriched cellular functions or pathways in 231-BR cells, which may help better understand the biology governing the development and progression of BCBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lulu Wang
- Department of Human Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis Research, Beijing, China.,Cancer Institute of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Dan Zeng
- Department of Human Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Human Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Li Liu
- Department of Experimental Center for Basic Medical Teaching, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Lu
- Department of Human Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Gao
- Department of Human Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis Research, Beijing, China.,Cancer Institute of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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34
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Lovero D, D’Oronzo S, Palmirotta R, Cafforio P, Brown J, Wood S, Porta C, Lauricella E, Coleman R, Silvestris F. Correlation between targeted RNAseq signature of breast cancer CTCs and onset of bone-only metastases. Br J Cancer 2022; 126:419-429. [PMID: 34272498 PMCID: PMC8810805 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-021-01481-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bone is the most frequent site of metastases from breast cancer (BC), but no biomarkers are yet available to predict skeletal dissemination. METHODS We attempted to identify a gene signature correlated with bone metastasis (BM) onset in circulating tumour cells (CTCs), isolated by a DEPArray-based protocol from 40 metastatic BC patients and grouped according to metastasis sites, namely "BM" (bone-only), "ES" (extra-skeletal) or BM + ES (bone + extra-skeletal). RESULTS A 134-gene panel was first validated through targeted RNA sequencing (RNAseq) on sub-clones of the MDA-MB-231 BC cell line with variable organotropism, which successfully shaped their clustering. The panel was then applied to CTC groups and, in particular, the "BM" vs "ES" CTC comparison revealed 31 differentially expressed genes, including MAF, CAPG, GIPC1 and IL1B, playing key prognostic roles in BC. CONCLUSION Such evidence confirms that CTCs are suitable biological sources for organotropism investigation through targeted RNAseq and might deserve future applications in wide-scale prospective studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domenica Lovero
- grid.7644.10000 0001 0120 3326Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology—Section of Internal Medicine and Clinical Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Stella D’Oronzo
- grid.7644.10000 0001 0120 3326Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology—Section of Internal Medicine and Clinical Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Raffaele Palmirotta
- grid.7644.10000 0001 0120 3326Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology—Section of Internal Medicine and Clinical Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Paola Cafforio
- grid.7644.10000 0001 0120 3326Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology—Section of Internal Medicine and Clinical Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Janet Brown
- grid.417079.c0000 0004 0391 9207Department of Oncology and Metabolism, University of Sheffield, Weston Park Hospital, Sheffield, UK
| | - Steven Wood
- grid.417079.c0000 0004 0391 9207Department of Oncology and Metabolism, University of Sheffield, Weston Park Hospital, Sheffield, UK
| | - Camillo Porta
- grid.7644.10000 0001 0120 3326Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology—Section of Internal Medicine and Clinical Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Eleonora Lauricella
- grid.7644.10000 0001 0120 3326Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology—Section of Internal Medicine and Clinical Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Robert Coleman
- grid.417079.c0000 0004 0391 9207Department of Oncology and Metabolism, University of Sheffield, Weston Park Hospital, Sheffield, UK
| | - Franco Silvestris
- grid.7644.10000 0001 0120 3326Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology—Section of Internal Medicine and Clinical Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
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35
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Decoding Single Cell Morphology in Osteotropic Breast Cancer Cells for Dissecting Their Migratory, Molecular and Biophysical Heterogeneity. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14030603. [PMID: 35158871 PMCID: PMC8833404 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14030603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and the mechanistic framework for differential osteotropism among intrinsic breast cancer subtypes is unknown. Hypothesizing that cell morphology could be an integrated readout for the functional state of a cancer cell, we established a catalogue of the migratory, molecular and biophysical traits of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, compared it with two enhanced bone-seeking derivative cell lines and integrated these findings with single cell morphology profiles. Such knowledge could be essential for predicting metastatic capacities in breast cancer. High-resolution microscopy revealed a heterogeneous and specific spectrum of single cell morphologies in bone-seeking cells, which correlated with differential migration and stiffness. While parental MDA-MB-231 cells showed long and dynamic membrane protrusions and were enriched in motile cells with continuous and mesenchymal cell migration, bone-seeking cells appeared with discontinuous mesenchymal or amoeboid-like migration. Although non-responsive to CXCL12, bone-seeking cells responded to epidermal growth factor with a morphotype shift and differential expression of genes controlling cell shape and directional migration. Hence, single cell morphology encodes the molecular, migratory and biophysical architecture of breast cancer cells and is specifically altered among osteotropic phenotypes. Quantitative morpho-profiling could aid in dissecting breast cancer heterogeneity and in refining clinically relevant intrinsic breast cancer subtypes.
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36
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Frankman ZD, Jiang L, Schroeder JA, Zohar Y. Application of Microfluidic Systems for Breast Cancer Research. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:152. [PMID: 35208277 PMCID: PMC8877872 DOI: 10.3390/mi13020152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control; breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States. Due to early screening and advancements in therapeutic interventions, deaths from breast cancer have declined over time, although breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death among women. Most deaths are due to metastasis, as cancer cells from the primary tumor in the breast form secondary tumors in remote sites in distant organs. Over many years, the basic biological mechanisms of breast cancer initiation and progression, as well as the subsequent metastatic cascade, have been studied using cell cultures and animal models. These models, although extremely useful for delineating cellular mechanisms, are poor predictors of physiological responses, primarily due to lack of proper microenvironments. In the last decade, microfluidics has emerged as a technology that could lead to a paradigm shift in breast cancer research. With the introduction of the organ-on-a-chip concept, microfluidic-based systems have been developed to reconstitute the dominant functions of several organs. These systems enable the construction of 3D cellular co-cultures mimicking in vivo tissue-level microenvironments, including that of breast cancer. Several reviews have been presented focusing on breast cancer formation, growth and metastasis, including invasion, intravasation, and extravasation. In this review, realizing that breast cancer can recur decades following post-treatment disease-free survival, we expand the discussion to account for microfluidic applications in the important areas of breast cancer detection, dormancy, and therapeutic development. It appears that, in the future, the role of microfluidics will only increase in the effort to eradicate breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary D. Frankman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA;
| | - Linan Jiang
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA;
| | - Joyce A. Schroeder
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA;
| | - Yitshak Zohar
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA;
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37
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Dahn ML, Walsh HR, Dean CA, Giacomantonio MA, Fernando W, Murphy JP, Walker OL, Wasson MCD, Gujar S, Pinto DM, Marcato P. Metabolite profiling reveals a connection between aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A3 and GABA metabolism in breast cancer metastasis. Metabolomics 2022; 18:9. [PMID: 34989902 PMCID: PMC8739322 DOI: 10.1007/s11306-021-01864-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A3 (ALDH1A3) is a cancer stem cell (CSC) marker and in breast cancer it is associated with triple-negative/basal-like subtypes and aggressive disease. Studies on the mechanisms of ALDH1A3 in cancer have primarily focused on gene expression changes induced by the enzyme; however, its effects on metabolism have thus far been unstudied and may reveal novel mechanisms of pathogenesis. OBJECTIVE Determine how ALDH1A3 alters the metabolite profile in breast cancer cells and assess potential impacts. METHOD Triple-negative MDA-MB-231 tumors and cells with manipulated ALDH1A3 levels were assessed by HPLC-MS metabolomics and metabolite data was integrated with transcriptome data. Mice harboring MDA-MB-231 tumors with or without altered ALDH1A3 expression were treated with γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) or placebo. Effects on tumor growth, and lungs and brain metastasis were quantified by staining of fixed thin sections and quantitative PCR. Breast cancer patient datasets from TCGA, METABRIC and GEO were used to assess the co-expression of GABA pathway genes with ALDH1A3. RESULTS Integrated metabolomic and transcriptome data identified GABA metabolism as a primary dysregulated pathway in ALDH1A3 expressing breast tumors. Both ALDH1A3 and GABA treatment enhanced metastasis. Patient dataset analyses revealed expression association between ALDH1A3 and GABA pathway genes and corresponding increased risk of metastasis. CONCLUSION This study revealed a novel pathway affected by ALDH1A3, GABA metabolism. Like ALDH1A3 expression, GABA treatment promotes metastasis. Given the clinical use of GABA mimics to relieve chemotherapy-induced peripheral nerve pain, further study of the effects of GABA in breast cancer progression is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret L Dahn
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Hayley R Walsh
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Cheryl A Dean
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | | | | | - J Patrick Murphy
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada
| | - Olivia L Walker
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | | | - Shashi Gujar
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Devanand M Pinto
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Paola Marcato
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Rm 11C1, 5850 College Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
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38
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Dai J, Cimino PJ, Gouin KH, Grzelak CA, Barrett A, Lim AR, Long A, Weaver S, Saldin LT, Uzamere A, Schulte V, Clegg N, Pisarsky L, Lyden D, Bissell MJ, Knott S, Welm AL, Bielas JH, Hansen KC, Winkler F, Holland EC, Ghajar CM. Astrocytic laminin-211 drives disseminated breast tumor cell dormancy in brain. NATURE CANCER 2022; 3:25-42. [PMID: 35121993 PMCID: PMC9469899 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-021-00297-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Although dormancy is thought to play a key role in the metastasis of breast tumor cells to the brain, our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms regulating disseminated tumor cell (DTC) dormancy in this organ is limited. Here using serial intravital imaging of dormant and metastatic triple-negative breast cancer lines, we identify escape from the single-cell or micrometastatic state as the rate-limiting step towards brain metastasis. We show that every DTC occupies a vascular niche, with quiescent DTCs residing on astrocyte endfeet. At these sites, astrocyte-deposited laminin-211 drives DTC quiescence by inducing the dystroglycan receptor to associate with yes-associated protein, thereby sequestering it from the nucleus and preventing its prometastatic functions. These findings identify a brain-specific mechanism of DTC dormancy and highlight the need for a more thorough understanding of tumor dormancy to develop therapeutic approaches that prevent brain metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinxiang Dai
- Public Health Sciences Division/Translational Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Patrick J. Cimino
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (USA)
| | - Kenneth H. Gouin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; Applied Genomics, Computation and Translational Core, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA (USA)
| | - Candice A. Grzelak
- Public Health Sciences Division/Translational Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (USA)
| | - Alexander Barrett
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO (USA)
| | - Andrea R. Lim
- Public Health Sciences Division/Translational Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (USA),Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (USA)
| | - Annalyssa Long
- Public Health Sciences Division/Translational Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (USA)
| | - Stephanie Weaver
- Experimental Histopathology Core, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (USA)
| | - Lindsey T. Saldin
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (USA)
| | - Aiyedun Uzamere
- Public Health Sciences Division/Translational Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (USA)
| | - Vera Schulte
- Public Health Sciences Division/Translational Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (USA)
| | - Nigel Clegg
- Public Health Sciences Division/Translational Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (USA)
| | - Laura Pisarsky
- Public Health Sciences Division/Translational Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (USA)
| | - David Lyden
- Children’s Cancer and Blood Foundation Laboratories, Departments of Pediatrics, and Cell and Developmental Biology, Drukier Institute for Children’s Health, Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, (USA)
| | - Mina J. Bissell
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (USA)
| | - Simon Knott
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; Applied Genomics, Computation and Translational Core, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA (USA)
| | - Alana L. Welm
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (USA)
| | - Jason H. Bielas
- Public Health Sciences Division/Translational Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (USA),Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (USA),Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (USA)
| | - Kirk C. Hansen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO (USA)
| | - Frank Winkler
- Neurology Clinic and National Center for Tumour Diseases, University Hospital Heidelberg, DKTK & Clinical Cooperation Unit Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg (Germany)
| | - Eric C. Holland
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (USA)
| | - Cyrus M. Ghajar
- Public Health Sciences Division/Translational Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (USA),Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (USA),To whom correspondence should be addressed: Cyrus M. Ghajar, PhD, Public Health Sciences Division/Translational Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue N., M5-A864, Seattle, WA 98109 (USA), , P. 206.667.7080, F. 206.667.2537, Jinxiang Dai, PhD, Public Health Sciences Division/Translational Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue N., M5-A864, Seattle, WA 98109 (USA), , P. 206.667.7082, F. 206.667.2537
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Choi Y, Lee J, Lee H, Song JE, Kim D, Song H. Offset of apparent hyperpolarized 13 C lactate flux by the use of adjuvant metformin in ionizing radiation therapy in vivo. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2021; 34:e4561. [PMID: 34080736 PMCID: PMC8365667 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
An increase in hyperpolarized (HP) [1-13 C]lactate production has been suggested as a biomarker for cancer occurrence as well as for response monitoring of cancer treatment. Recently, the use of metformin has been suggested as an anticancer or adjuvant treatment. By regulating the cytosolic NAD+ /NADH redox state, metformin stimulates lactate production and increases the HP [1-13 C]lactate conversion rate in the kidney, liver, and heart. In general, increased HP [1-13 C]lactate is regarded as a sign of cancer occurrence or tumor growth. Thus, the relationship between the tumor suppression effect of metformin and the change in metabolism monitored by HP [1-13 C]pyruvate MRS in cancer treatment needs to be investigated. The present study was performed using a brain metastasis animal model with MDA-MB-231(BR)-Luc breast cancer cells. HP [1-13 C]pyruvate MRS, T2 -weighted MRI, and bioluminescence imaging were performed in groups treated with metformin or adjuvant metformin and radiation therapy. Metformin treatment alone did not display a tumor suppression effect, and the HP [1-13 C]lactate conversion rate increased. In radiation therapy, the HP [1-13 C]lactate conversion rate decreased with tumor suppression, with a p-value of 0.028. In the adjuvant metformin and radiation treatment, the tumor suppression effect increased, with a p-value of 0.001. However, the apparent HP [1-13 C]lactate conversion rate (Kpl ) was observed to be offset by two opposite effects: a decrease on radiation therapy and an increase caused by metformin treatment. Although HP [1-13 C]pyruvate MRS could not evaluate the tumor suppression effect of adjuvant metformin and radiation therapy due to the offset phenomenon, metabolic changes following only metformin pre-treatment could be monitored. Therefore, our results indicate that the interpretation of HP [1-13 C]pyruvate MRS for response monitoring of cancer treatment should be carried out with caution when metformin is used as an adjuvant cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young‐Suk Choi
- Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological ScienceYonsei University College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Joonsung Lee
- Biomedical Science InstituteYonsei University College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
- GE HealthcareSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Han‐Sol Lee
- Department of Electrical and Electronic EngineeringYonsei UniversitySeoulSouth Korea
| | - Jae Eun Song
- Department of Electrical and Electronic EngineeringYonsei UniversitySeoulSouth Korea
| | - Dong‐Hyun Kim
- Department of Electrical and Electronic EngineeringYonsei UniversitySeoulSouth Korea
| | - Ho‐Taek Song
- Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological ScienceYonsei University College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
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40
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Rattray Z, Deng G, Zhang S, Shirali A, May CK, Chen X, Cuffari BJ, Liu J, Zou P, Rattray NJ, Johnson CH, Dubljevic V, Campbell JA, Huttner A, Baehring JM, Zhou J, Hansen JE. ENT2 facilitates brain endothelial cell penetration and blood-brain barrier transport by a tumor-targeting anti-DNA autoantibody. JCI Insight 2021; 6:e145875. [PMID: 34128837 PMCID: PMC8410084 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.145875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) prevents antibodies from penetrating the CNS and limits conventional antibody-based approaches to brain tumors. We now show that ENT2, a transporter that regulates nucleoside flux at the BBB, may offer an unexpected path to circumventing this barrier to allow targeting of brain tumors with an anti-DNA autoantibody. Deoxymab-1 (DX1) is a DNA-damaging autoantibody that localizes to tumors and is synthetically lethal to cancer cells with defects in the DNA damage response. We found that DX1 penetrated brain endothelial cells and crossed the BBB, and mechanistic studies identify ENT2 as the key transporter. In efficacy studies, DX1 crosses the BBB to suppress orthotopic glioblastoma and breast cancer brain metastases. ENT2-linked transport of autoantibodies across the BBB has potential to be exploited in brain tumor immunotherapy, and its discovery raises hypotheses on actionable mechanisms of CNS penetration by neurotoxic autoantibodies in CNS lupus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gang Deng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Shenqi Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Jun Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Pan Zou
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | | | - Caroline H Johnson
- Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | | | | | - Anita Huttner
- Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Pathology and
| | - Joachim M Baehring
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jiangbing Zhou
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - James E Hansen
- Department of Therapeutic Radiology and.,Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Di Donato M, Galasso G, Giovannelli P, Sinisi AA, Migliaccio A, Castoria G. Targeting the Nerve Growth Factor Signaling Impairs the Proliferative and Migratory Phenotype of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:676568. [PMID: 34268306 PMCID: PMC8275826 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.676568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease that still lacks specific therapeutic approaches. The identification of new biomarkers, predictive of the disease's aggressiveness and pharmacological response, is a challenge for a more tailored approach in the clinical management of patients. Nerve growth factor, initially identified as a key factor for neuronal survival and differentiation, turned out to be a multifaceted molecule with pleiotropic effects in quite divergent cell types, including cancer cells. Many solid tumors exhibit derangements of the nerve growth factor and its receptors, including the tropomyosin receptor kinase A. This receptor is expressed in triple-negative breast cancer, although its role in the pathogenesis and aggressiveness of this disease is still under investigation. We now report that triple-negative breast cancer-derived MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-453 cells express appreciable levels of tropomyosin receptor kinase A and release a biologically active nerve growth factor. Activation of tropomyosin receptor kinase by nerve growth factor treatment positively affects the migration, invasion, and proliferation of triple-negative breast cancer cells. An increase in the size of triple-negative breast cancer cell spheroids is also detected. This latter effect might occur through the nerve growth factor-induced release of matrix metalloproteinase 9, which contributes to the reorganization of the extracellular matrix and cell invasiveness. The tropomyosin receptor kinase A inhibitor GW441756 reverses all these responses. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments in both cell lines show that nerve growth factor triggers the assembly of the TrkA/β1-integrin/FAK/Src complex, thereby activating several downstream effectors. GW441756 prevents the complex assembly induced by nerve growth factor as well as the activation of its dependent signaling. Pharmacological inhibition of the tyrosine kinases Src and FAK (focal adhesion kinase), together with the silencing of β1-integrin, shows that the tyrosine kinases impinge on both proliferation and motility, while β1-integrin is needed for motility induced by nerve growth factor in triple-negative breast cancer cells. The present data support the key role of the nerve growth factor/tropomyosin receptor kinase A pathway in triple-negative breast cancer and offer new hints in the diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marzia Di Donato
- Dipartimento di Medicina di Precisione, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Giovanni Galasso
- Dipartimento di Medicina di Precisione, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Pia Giovannelli
- Dipartimento di Medicina di Precisione, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio A Sinisi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche Avanzate, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Antimo Migliaccio
- Dipartimento di Medicina di Precisione, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Gabriella Castoria
- Dipartimento di Medicina di Precisione, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
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Moritz MN, Merkel AR, Feldman EG, Selistre-de-Araujo HS, Rhoades (Sterling) JA. Biphasic α2β1 Integrin Expression in Breast Cancer Metastasis to Bone. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:6906. [PMID: 34199096 PMCID: PMC8269289 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22136906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Integrins participate in the pathogenesis and progression of tumors at many stages during the metastatic cascade. However, current evidence for the role of integrins in breast cancer progression is contradictory and seems to be dependent on tumor stage, differentiation status, and microenvironmental influences. While some studies suggest that loss of α2β1 enhances cancer metastasis, other studies suggest that this integrin is pro-tumorigenic. However, few studies have looked at α2β1 in the context of bone metastasis. In this study, we aimed to understand the role of α2β1 integrin in breast cancer metastasis to bone. To address this, we utilized in vivo models of breast cancer metastasis to bone using MDA-MB-231 cells transfected with an α2 expression plasmid (MDA-OEα2). MDA cells overexpressing the α2 integrin subunit had increased primary tumor growth and dissemination to bone but had no change in tumor establishment and bone destruction. Further in vitro analysis revealed that tumors in the bone have decreased α2β1 expression and increased osteolytic signaling compared to primary tumors. Taken together, these data suggest an inverse correlation between α2β1 expression and bone-metastatic potential. Inhibiting α2β1 expression may be beneficial to limit the expansion of primary tumors but could be harmful once tumors have established in bone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milene N.O. Moritz
- Program in Evolutionary Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, SP 13565-905, Brazil; (M.N.O.M.); (H.S.S.-d.-A.)
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA;
| | - Alyssa R. Merkel
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA;
- Center for Bone Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Ean G. Feldman
- Vanderbilt Graduate School Program in Biomedical Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA;
| | - Heloisa S. Selistre-de-Araujo
- Program in Evolutionary Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, SP 13565-905, Brazil; (M.N.O.M.); (H.S.S.-d.-A.)
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, SP 13565-905, Brazil
| | - Julie A. Rhoades (Sterling)
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA;
- Center for Bone Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Veterans’ Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
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Nazari SS. Generation of 3D Tumor Spheroids with Encapsulating Basement Membranes for Invasion Studies. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 87:e105. [PMID: 32436628 PMCID: PMC8172047 DOI: 10.1002/cpcb.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In the past, in vitro studies of invasion and tumor progression were performed primarily using cancer cells cultured on a flat, two‐dimensional (2D) surface in a monolayer. In recent years, however, many studies have demonstrated differences in cell signaling and cell migration between 2D and 3D cell cultures. Traditional 2D monolayer cancer cell invasion models do not fully recapitulate 3D cell‐to‐cell and cell−to−extracellular matrix interactions that in vivo models can provide. Moreover, although in vivo animal models are irreplaceable for studying tumor biology and metastasis, they are costly, time‐consuming, and impractical for answering preliminary questions. Thus, emergent and evolving 3D spheroid cell culture models have changed the way we study tumors and their interactions with their surrounding extracellular matrix. In the case of breast cancer, metastasis of breast cancer tumors results in high mortality rates, and thus development of robust cell culture models that are reproducible and practical for studying breast cancer progression is important for ultimately developing preventatives for cancer metastasis. This article provides a set of protocols for generating uniform spheroids with a thin sheet of basement membrane for studying the initial invasion of mammary epithelial cells into a surrounding collagen‐rich extracellular matrix. Details are provided for generating 3D spheroids with a basement membrane, polymerizing collagen I, embedding the spheroids in the 3D collagen gel, and immunostaining the spheroids for invasion studies. Published 2020. U.S. Government. Basic Protocol 1: Growth of uniformly sized tumor spheroids with an encapsulating basement membrane Basic Protocol 2: Polymerization and embedding of tumor spheroids in a 3D type I collagen gel Alternate Protocol: Embedding of tumor spheroids in collagen gels using a sandwich method Basic Protocol 3: Fixing and immunostaining of tumor spheroids embedded in 3D collagen gels
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Affiliation(s)
- Shayan S Nazari
- Cell Biology Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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44
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Heterogeneity of bone metastases as an important prognostic factor in patients affected by oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. The role of combined [18F]Fluoroestradiol PET/CT and [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT. Eur J Radiol 2021; 141:109821. [PMID: 34139575 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2021.109821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To assess the prognostic role of different inter and intralesional expression (heterogeneity) of oestrogen receptor (ER) in bone metastases, as identified by the combined use of [18F]FES PET/CT and [18F]FDG PET/CT in patients with oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+) metastatic breast cancer (BC). METHODS We analysed patients with a new diagnosis of bone metastases who were candidates for first-line systemic endocrine therapy. Before starting therapy, patients underwent baseline [18F]FES PET/CT and [18]FDG PET/CT. Semi-quantitative evaluation of whole-body bone metabolic burden (WB-B-MB) was performed on [18F]FES and [18F]FDG PET/CT in order to evaluate disease extent, tumour metabolism and ER heterogeneity. We used time-to-event analyses (Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional-hazards methods) to estimate progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS), in order to assess the independent prognostic value of [18F]FES PET/CT and [18F]FDG PET/CT, alone and in combination. RESULTS According to our criteria, we enrolled 49 patients. Over a median follow-up of 44.7 months, 35 patients suffered disease progression (71.4 %) and 15 died of disease (30.6 %). When the risk of disease progression was calculated by means of the Cox model, only [18F]FDG WB-B-MB was independently and directly associated to PFS (p = 0.02). On analysing the association between all prognostic parameters and survival, the Cox model showed that the only parameter associated with OS was the WB-B-MB FES/FDG ratio (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION The combined use of [18F]FES-PET/CT and [18F]FDG-PET/CT can identify ER heterogeneity in BC bone metastases. This heterogeneity is significantly associated with survival. Moreover, the extension of the FDG-avid component correlates with the risk of disease progression.
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45
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Park SH, Eber MR, Fonseca MM, Patel CM, Cunnane KA, Ding H, Hsu FC, Peters CM, Ko MC, Strowd RE, Wilson JA, Hsu W, Romero-Sandoval EA, Shiozawa Y. Usefulness of the measurement of neurite outgrowth of primary sensory neurons to study cancer-related painful complications. Biochem Pharmacol 2021; 188:114520. [PMID: 33741328 PMCID: PMC8154668 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2021.114520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Abnormal outgrowth of sensory nerves is one of the important contributors to pain associated with cancer and its treatments. Primary neuronal cultures derived from dorsal root ganglia (DRG) have been widely used to study pain-associated signal transduction and electrical activity of sensory nerves. However, there are only a few studies using primary DRG neuronal culture to investigate neurite outgrowth alterations due to underlying cancer-related factors and chemotherapeutic agents. In this study, primary DRG sensory neurons derived from mouse, non-human primate, and human were established in serum and growth factor-free conditions. A bovine serum albumin gradient centrifugation method improved the separation of sensory neurons from satellite cells. The purified DRG neurons were able to maintain their heterogeneous subpopulations, and displayed an increase in neurite growth when exposed to cancer-derived conditioned medium, while they showed a reduction in neurite length when treated with a neurotoxic chemotherapeutic agent. Additionally, a semi-automated quantification method was developed to measure neurite length in an accurate and time-efficient manner. Finally, these exogenous factors altered the gene expression patterns of murine primary sensory neurons, which are related to nerve growth, and neuro-inflammatory pain and nociceptor development. Together, the primary DRG neuronal culture in combination with a semi-automated quantification method can be a useful tool for further understanding the impact of exogenous factors on the growth of sensory nerve fibers and gene expression changes in sensory neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sun H Park
- Department of Cancer Biology and Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Matthew R Eber
- Department of Cancer Biology and Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Miriam M Fonseca
- Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Chirayu M Patel
- Department of Cancer Biology and Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Katharine A Cunnane
- Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Huiping Ding
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Fang-Chi Hsu
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science and Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Christopher M Peters
- Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Mei-Chuan Ko
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Roy E Strowd
- Department of Neurology and Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - John A Wilson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Wesley Hsu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | | | - Yusuke Shiozawa
- Department of Cancer Biology and Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
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Ju X, Miao T, Chen H, Ni J, Han L. Overcoming Mfsd2a-Mediated Low Transcytosis to Boost Nanoparticle Delivery to Brain for Chemotherapy of Brain Metastases. Adv Healthc Mater 2021; 10:e2001997. [PMID: 33738958 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202001997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Microvessels of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) exclusively express the major facilitator superfamily domain-containing protein 2a (Mfsd2a), which is the key transporter for docosahexaenoic acid uptake into the brain. Mfsd2a suppresses caveolae-mediated transcytosis to regulate BBB transcellular permeability via controlling lipid composition of BBB endothelial cells. It is speculated that Mfsd2a can restrain BBB crossing efficiency and brain accumulation efficiency of brain-targeting drug delivery systems, which penetrate the BBB often through the receptor-mediated transcytosis pathway. Transcytosis across the BBB is a crucial bottleneck for targeted chemotherapy of brain metastases. To overcome this issue, a pair of priming nanoparticles (NPs) and following drug-loaded NPs are designed. Tunicamycin-(TM)-loaded transcytosis-targeting-peptide-(TTP)-decorated NPs (TM@TTP) are used to boost BBB transcytosis via inhibiting Mfsd2a. Doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded TTP and CD44-specific hyaluronic acid (HA)-comodified NPs (DOX@TTP-HA) are designed as following drug-loaded NPs. The brain accumulation efficacy of following DOX@TTP-HA with priming is 4.30-fold higher than that without priming through the enhanced transcytosis pathway rather than the tight junction opening. Effective BBB crossing and brain accumulation, selective tumor uptake, excellent antitumor efficacy, and low hepatotoxicity are achieved by TM@TTP and DOX@TTP-HA, suggesting this tactic as a significant therapeutic strategy against breast cancer brain metastases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiufeng Ju
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences Soochow University 199 Ren'ai Road Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Tongtong Miao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences Soochow University 199 Ren'ai Road Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Haiyan Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences Soochow University 199 Ren'ai Road Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Jiang Ni
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences Soochow University 199 Ren'ai Road Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Liang Han
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences Soochow University 199 Ren'ai Road Suzhou 215123 China
- Stake Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs Peking University Beijing 100191 China
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Khan NU, Ni J, Ju X, Miao T, Chen H, Han L. Escape from abluminal LRP1-mediated clearance for boosted nanoparticle brain delivery and brain metastasis treatment. Acta Pharm Sin B 2021; 11:1341-1354. [PMID: 34094838 PMCID: PMC8148067 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2020.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer brain metastases (BCBMs) are one of the most difficult malignancies to treat due to the intracranial location and multifocal growth. Chemotherapy and molecular targeted therapy are extremely ineffective for BCBMs due to the inept brain accumulation because of the formidable blood‒brain barrier (BBB). Accumulation studies prove that low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) is promising target for BBB transcytosis. However, as the primary clearance receptor for amyloid beta and tissue plasminogen activator, LRP1 at abluminal side of BBB can clear LRP1-targeting therapeutics. Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP1) is highly enriched in metastatic niche to promote growth of BCBMs. Herein, it is reported that nanoparticles (NPs-K-s-A) tethered with MMP1-sensitive fusion peptide containing HER2-targeting K and LRP1-targeting angiopep-2 (A), can surmount the BBB and escape LRP1-mediated clearance in metastatic niche. NPs-K-s-A revealed infinitely superior brain accumulation to angiopep-2-decorated NPs-A in BCBMs bearing mice, while comparable brain accumulation in normal mice. The delivered doxorubicin and lapatinib synergistically inhibit BCBMs growth and prolongs survival of mice bearing BCBMs. Due to the efficient BBB penetration, special and remarkable clearance escape, and facilitated therapeutic outcome, the fusion peptide-based drug delivery strategy may serve as a potential approach for clinical management of BCBMs.
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Key Words
- 231Br, MDA-MB-231Br-HER2
- A, angiopep-2
- AUC0‒t, area under the curve from zero to time t
- Abluminal LRP1
- Amyloid beta
- Aβ, amyloid beta
- BBB, blood‒brain barrier
- BCBMs, breast cancer brain metastases
- BMECs, brain microvascular endothelial cells
- Blood‒brain barrier
- Brain clearance
- Breast cancer brain metastases
- CI, combination index
- CL, clearance
- DMEM, Dulbecco's modified eagle medium
- DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide
- DOX, doxorubicin
- FBS, fetal bovine serum
- Fa, the fraction of tumor cells affected
- Fusion peptide
- K, KAAYSL
- LAP, lapatinib
- LRP1, low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1
- MAL-PEG-SCM, maleimide polyethylene glycol succinimidyl carboxymethyl ester
- MCM, MDA-MB-231Br-HER2 conditioned medium
- MMP
- MMP1, matrix metalloproteinase-1
- MRT0‒t, mean residence time from zero to time t
- NPs, nanoparticles
- Nanoparticles
- PLGA, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)
- PLGA-PLL, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-poly(ε-carbobenzoxy-l-lysine)
- PLL, poly(ε-carbobenzoxy-l-lysine)
- PVA, polyvinyl alcohol
- SDS, sodium dodecyl sulfate
- i, insensitive GDQGIAGF
- s, sensitive VPMS-MRGG
- t1/2, half time
- tPA, tissue plasminogen activator
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Chen M, Zhao Y, Yang X, Zhao Y, Liu Q, Liu Y, Hou Y, Sun H, Jin W. NSDHL promotes triple-negative breast cancer metastasis through the TGFβ signaling pathway and cholesterol biosynthesis. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2021; 187:349-362. [PMID: 33864166 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-021-06213-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Metastasis is the main cause of breast cancer mortality. Recent studies have proved that lipid metabolic reprogramming plays critical roles in breast cancer carcinogenesis and metastasis. We aim to identify critical lipid metabolism genes in breast cancer metastasis. METHODS We designed and cloned a CRISPR pooled library containing lipid metabolic gene guide RNAs and performed a genetic screen in vivo. Transwell assay and animal experiments were used to evaluate cell metastatic ability in vitro or in vivo, respectively. We performed immunohistochemistry with breast cancer tissue microarray to study the clinical significance of NSDHL. FINDINGS We identified a cholesterol metabolic enzyme, NSDHL, as a potential metastatic driver in triple-negative breast cancer. NSDHL was highly expressed in breast cancer tissues and predicted a poor prognosis. NSDHL knockdown significantly suppressed cell proliferation and migration. Mechanistically, NSDHL activated the TGFβ signaling pathway by inhibiting the endosomal degradation of TGFβR2. In addition, blocking the upstream metabolism of NSDHL with ketoconazole rescued cancer metastasis and TGFβR2 degradation. However, the inactivation of NSDHL (Y151X) did not rescue the migration ability and the TGFβR2 protein expression. CONCLUSION Taken together, our findings established that NSDHL serves as a metastatic driver, and its function depends on its enzyme activity in cholesterol biosynthesis and is mediated by the NSDHL-TGFβR2 signal pathway. Our study indicated that NSDHL and steroid biosynthesis may serve as new drug targets for patients with advanced breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengting Chen
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong-An Road, Build 7, Room 303, Shanghai, 200032, China.,Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yang Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong-An Road, Build 7, Room 303, Shanghai, 200032, China.,Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xueli Yang
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong-An Road, Build 7, Room 303, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yuanyuan Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong-An Road, Build 7, Room 303, Shanghai, 200032, China.,Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Qiqi Liu
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong-An Road, Build 7, Room 303, Shanghai, 200032, China.,Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong-An Road, Build 7, Room 303, Shanghai, 200032, China.,Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yifeng Hou
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong-An Road, Build 7, Room 303, Shanghai, 200032, China.,Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Hefen Sun
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong-An Road, Build 7, Room 303, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Wei Jin
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong-An Road, Build 7, Room 303, Shanghai, 200032, China. .,Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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49
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Cheng JN, Frye JB, Whitman SA, Kunihiro AG, Brickey JA, Funk JL. Osteolytic effects of tumoral estrogen signaling in an estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer bone metastasis model. JOURNAL OF CANCER METASTASIS AND TREATMENT 2021; 7:17. [PMID: 34790880 PMCID: PMC8594878 DOI: 10.20517/2394-4722.2021.27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
AIM Estrogen receptor α-positive (ER+) subtypes of breast cancer have the greatest predilection for forming osteolytic bone metastases (BMETs). Because tumor-derived factors mediate osteolysis, a possible role for tumoral ERα signaling in driving ER+ BMET osteolysis was queried using an estrogen (E2)-dependent ER+ breast cancer BMET model. METHODS Female athymic Foxn1nu mice were inoculated with human ER+ MCF-7 breast cancer cells via the left cardiac ventricle post-E2 pellet placement, and age- and dose-dependent E2 effects on osteolytic ER+ BMET progression, as well as direct bone effects of E2, were determined. RESULTS Osteolytic BMETs, which did not form in the absence of E2 supplementation, occurred with the same frequency in young (5-week-old) vs. skeletally mature (16-week-old) E2 (0.72 mg)-treated mice, but were larger in young mice where anabolic bone effects of E2 were greater. However, in mice of a single age and across a range of E2 doses, anabolic E2 bone effects were constant, while osteolytic ER+ BMET lesion incidence and size increased in an E2-dose-dependent fashion. Osteoclasts in ER+ tumor-bearing (but not tumor-naive) mice increased in an E2-dose dependent fashion at the bone-tumor interface, while histologic tumor size and proliferation did not vary with E2 dose. E2-inducible tumoral secretion of the osteolytic factor parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) was dose-dependent and mediated by ERα, with significantly greater levels of secretion from ER+ BMET-derived tumor cells. CONCLUSION These results suggest that tumoral ERα signaling may contribute to ER+ BMET-associated osteolysis, potentially explaining the greater predilection for ER+ tumors to form clinically-evident osteolytic BMETs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia N. Cheng
- Cancer Biology Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Jennifer B. Frye
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Susan A. Whitman
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Andrew G. Kunihiro
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Julia A. Brickey
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Janet L. Funk
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
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50
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Doyle AD, Sykora DJ, Pacheco GG, Kutys ML, Yamada KM. 3D mesenchymal cell migration is driven by anterior cellular contraction that generates an extracellular matrix prestrain. Dev Cell 2021; 56:826-841.e4. [PMID: 33705692 PMCID: PMC8082573 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
We describe a cellular contractile mechanism employed by fibroblasts and mesenchymal cancer cells to migrate in 3D collagen gels. During 3D spreading, fibroblasts strongly deform the matrix. They protrude, polarize, and initiate migration in the direction of highest extracellular matrix (ECM) deformation (prestrain). This prestrain is maintained through anterior cellular contractions behind the leading edge prior to protrusion, coordinating a distinct 3D migration cycle that varies between cell types. Myosin IIA is required for strain polarization, generating anterior contractions, and maintaining prestrain for efficient directional cell migration. Local matrix severing disrupts the matrix prestrain, suppressing directional protrusion. We show that epithelial cancer and endothelial cells rarely demonstrate the sustained prestrain or anterior contractions. We propose that mesenchymal cells sense ECM stiffness in 3D and generate their own matrix prestrain. This requires myosin IIA to generate polarized periodic anterior contractions for maintaining a 3D migration cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Doyle
- Cell Biology Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Daniel J Sykora
- Cell Biology Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Gustavo G Pacheco
- Cell Biology Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Matthew L Kutys
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Ave, HSW-613, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Kenneth M Yamada
- Cell Biology Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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