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Candido MF, Medeiros M, Veronez LC, Bastos D, Oliveira KL, Pezuk JA, Valera ET, Brassesco MS. Drugging Hijacked Kinase Pathways in Pediatric Oncology: Opportunities and Current Scenario. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15020664. [PMID: 36839989 PMCID: PMC9966033 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15020664] [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: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Childhood cancer is considered rare, corresponding to ~3% of all malignant neoplasms in the human population. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a universal occurrence of more than 15 cases per 100,000 inhabitants around the globe, and despite improvements in diagnosis, treatment and supportive care, one child dies of cancer every 3 min. Consequently, more efficient, selective and affordable therapeutics are still needed in order to improve outcomes and avoid long-term sequelae. Alterations in kinases' functionality is a trademark of cancer and the concept of exploiting them as drug targets has burgeoned in academia and in the pharmaceutical industry of the 21st century. Consequently, an increasing plethora of inhibitors has emerged. In the present study, the expression patterns of a selected group of kinases (including tyrosine receptors, members of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and MAPK pathways, coordinators of cell cycle progression, and chromosome segregation) and their correlation with clinical outcomes in pediatric solid tumors were accessed through the R2: Genomics Analysis and Visualization Platform and by a thorough search of published literature. To further illustrate the importance of kinase dysregulation in the pathophysiology of pediatric cancer, we analyzed the vulnerability of different cancer cell lines against their inhibition through the Cancer Dependency Map portal, and performed a search for kinase-targeted compounds with approval and clinical applicability through the CanSAR knowledgebase. Finally, we provide a detailed literature review of a considerable set of small molecules that mitigate kinase activity under experimental testing and clinical trials for the treatment of pediatric tumors, while discuss critical challenges that must be overcome before translation into clinical options, including the absence of compounds designed specifically for childhood tumors which often show differential mutational burdens, intrinsic and acquired resistance, lack of selectivity and adverse effects on a growing organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Ferreira Candido
- Department of Cell Biology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Mariana Medeiros
- Regional Blood Center, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Luciana Chain Veronez
- Department of Pediatrics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, SP, Brazil
| | - David Bastos
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters at Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14040-901, SP, Brazil
| | - Karla Laissa Oliveira
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters at Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14040-901, SP, Brazil
| | - Julia Alejandra Pezuk
- Departament of Biotechnology and Innovation, Anhanguera University of São Paulo, UNIAN/SP, São Paulo 04119-001, SP, Brazil
| | - Elvis Terci Valera
- Department of Pediatrics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, SP, Brazil
| | - María Sol Brassesco
- Departament of Biotechnology and Innovation, Anhanguera University of São Paulo, UNIAN/SP, São Paulo 04119-001, SP, Brazil
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +55-16-3315-9144; Fax: +55-16-3315-4886
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Nguyen TH, Barr FG. Therapeutic Approaches Targeting PAX3-FOXO1 and Its Regulatory and Transcriptional Pathways in Rhabdomyosarcoma. Molecules 2018; 23:E2798. [PMID: 30373318 PMCID: PMC6278278 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23112798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Revised: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a family of soft tissue cancers that are related to the skeletal muscle lineage and predominantly occur in children and young adults. A specific chromosomal translocation t(2;13)(q35;q14) that gives rise to the chimeric oncogenic transcription factor PAX3-FOXO1 has been identified as a hallmark of the aggressive alveolar subtype of RMS. PAX3-FOXO1 cooperates with additional molecular changes to promote oncogenic transformation and tumorigenesis in various human and murine models. Its expression is generally restricted to RMS tumor cells, thus providing a very specific target for therapeutic approaches for these RMS tumors. In this article, we review the recent understanding of PAX3-FOXO1 as a transcription factor in the pathogenesis of this cancer and discuss recent developments to target this oncoprotein for treatment of RMS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Frederic G. Barr
- Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA;
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van Erp AEM, Hillebrandt-Roeffen MHS, van Houdt L, Fleuren EDG, van der Graaf WTA, Versleijen-Jonkers YMH. Targeting Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) in Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) with the Second-Generation ALK Inhibitor Ceritinib. Target Oncol 2018; 12:815-826. [PMID: 29067644 PMCID: PMC5700232 DOI: 10.1007/s11523-017-0528-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Background The receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) has been implicated in the tumorigenesis of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). However, the exact role of ALK in RMS is debatable and remains to be elucidated. Objective To determine the in vitro and in vivo effects and mechanism of action of the second-generation ALK inhibitor ceritinib on RMS cell growth. Methods Effects of ceritinib on cell proliferation, wound healing, cell cycle, and RTK signaling were determined in alveolar and embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS, ERMS). In addition, possible synergistic effects of combined treatment with ceritinib and the Abl/Src family kinase inhibitor dasatinib were determined. Results Ceritinib treatment led to decreased cell proliferation, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and decreased in vivo tumor growth for the ARMS subtype. ERMS cell lines were less affected and showed no cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. Both subtypes lacked intrinsic ALK phosphorylation, and ceritinib was shown to affect the IGF1R signaling pathway. High levels of phosphorylated Src (Tyr416) were present following ceritinib treatment, making combined treatment with a Src inhibitor a potential treatment option. Combined treatment of ceritinib and dasatinib showed synergistic effects in both ERMS and ARMS cell lines. Conclusion This study shows that monotherapy with an ALK inhibitor, such as ceritinib, in RMS, has no effect on ALK signaling. However, the synergistic effects of ceritinib and dasatinib are promising, most probably due to targeting of IGF1R and Src.![]() Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s11523-017-0528-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke E M van Erp
- Department of Medical Oncology, Radboud University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9101, 6500HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | | | - Laurens van Houdt
- Department of Medical Oncology, Radboud University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9101, 6500HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Emmy D G Fleuren
- Clinical Studies, Clinical and Translational Sarcoma/Gene Function, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, SW3 6JB, UK
| | - Winette T A van der Graaf
- Department of Medical Oncology, Radboud University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9101, 6500HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, SW7 3RP, UK
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Wachtel M, Schäfer BW. PAX3-FOXO1: Zooming in on an “undruggable” target. Semin Cancer Biol 2018; 50:115-123. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2017.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Revised: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Anaplastic lymphoma kinase aberrations correlate with metastatic features in pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma. Oncotarget 2018; 7:58903-58914. [PMID: 27385213 PMCID: PMC5312284 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.10368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Accepted: 06/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most frequent soft tissue tumor in childhood and arises from immature mesenchymal cells committed to skeletal muscle differentiation. Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) is a receptor tyrosine kinase aberrantly expressed in several cancers. Moreover, ALK full-length receptor protein has been observed in RMS, although its clinical and functional significance is yet controversial. The role of ALK and its clinical relevance were investigated in a selected cohort of 74 FFPE pediatric RMS and a panel of RMS cell lines, evaluating its gene and protein status, utilizing Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot approaches. Moreover, to get insight into its possible therapeutic relevance, effects of ALK silencing on cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis were studied in RMS cells. ALK IHC positivity was significantly correlated with gene copy number gain, the alveolar subtype, PAX3/7-FOXO1 rearrangements, the presence of metastasis at diagnosis and a worse overall outcome. Furthermore, EML4-ALK fusion gene associated with higher protein expression was identified in an embryonal RMS. ALK silencing in RH30 ALK positive cells strongly inhibited invasion capability. Overall, our data suggest a potential role of ALK in pediatric RMS.
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Rhabdomyosarcoma cells are susceptible to cell death by LDK378 alone or in combination with sorafenib independently of anaplastic lymphoma kinase status. Anticancer Drugs 2018; 28:1118-1125. [PMID: 29045271 DOI: 10.1097/cad.0000000000000552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a receptor tyrosine kinase that is often overexpressed in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). However, its oncogenic and functional role in RMS remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the antitumor activity of LDK378 (ceritinib), a new second-generation ALK inhibitor approved for patients with ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancers. Here, we report that LDK378 reduces cell viability and induces cell death in RMS cell lines at low micromolar IC50 concentrations irrespective of ALK expression levels or phosphorylation status. Compared with Karpas 299 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cells carrying the NPM-ALK fusion gene, RMS cell lines proved to be far less sensitive to LDK378. The broad-range caspase inhibitor zVAD.fmk significantly protects RMS cells from LDK378-mediated cell death, indicating that LDK378 induces caspase-dependent apoptotic cell death. Before the onset of apoptosis, LDK378 reduces phosphorylation of AKT, S6 ribosomal protein, STAT3 and - to a lesser extent - phosphorylation of ERK, showing that it suppresses key survival pathways. Importantly, we identify a synergistic induction of cell death by combining subtoxic concentrations of LDK378 with the multitargeting kinase inhibitor sorafenib. Calculation of the combination index confirmed that this interaction is synergistic. Also, LDK378 cooperates with sorafenib to significantly reduce colony formation of RMS cells, showing that this combination affects long-term clonogenic growth. In conclusion, LDK378 induces caspase-dependent apoptotic cell death in RMS cells independent of their ALK status and synergizes at subtoxic concentrations with sorafenib to induce cell death. These findings have important implications for the use of LDK378 in RMS.
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Felkai L, Bánusz R, Kovalszky I, Sápi Z, Garami M, Papp G, Karászi K, Varga E, Csóka M. The Presence of ALK Alterations and Clinical Relevance of Crizotinib Treatment in Pediatric Solid Tumors. Pathol Oncol Res 2017; 25:217-224. [PMID: 29081033 DOI: 10.1007/s12253-017-0332-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/11/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) and neuroblastomas (NBL), are childhood malignancies still associated with poor prognoses despite the overall improvement in childhood tumor survival of the past decades. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibition is promising new strategy to improve the outcome of these pediatric tumors. Eighteen histologic samples of pediatric STS and 19 NBL patients were analyzed for ALK abnormalities using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) with break-apart probes and immunohistochemistry (IHC). ALK alterations were presented in 20 of the 37 sections. The presence of ALK alteration in NBL samples were detected using IHC in 84,2% of all cases compared to 21,1% FISH positivity. In STS cases the results were less different (IHC 16,7% vs FISH 22,2%). The difference can be explained by the different type of molecular alterations. FISH method detected translocation and amplification, but not the point mutation of ALK gene. IHC confirmed the diagnosis by detecting the expression of ALK protein.After ALK positivity was proven, the effectiveness and safety of the crizotinib therapy was examined in 4 patients (1 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (RMA), 1 embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (RME), 1 inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT), 1 NBL). We observed continuous remission of the IMT patient, all other cases the inhibitor treatment was not curative.Our findings underline the importance of screening the ALK status parallel with both IHC and FISH. Crizotinib treatment had a long-term effect in ALK positive IMT patients, however itwas only temporary efficient in relapsed, progressive STS and NBL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Felkai
- 2nd Department of Pediatrics, Semmelweis University, Tűzoltó u. 7-9, Budapest, H-1094, Hungary
| | - Rita Bánusz
- 2nd Department of Pediatrics, Semmelweis University, Tűzoltó u. 7-9, Budapest, H-1094, Hungary
| | - Ilona Kovalszky
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Sápi
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Miklós Garami
- 2nd Department of Pediatrics, Semmelweis University, Tűzoltó u. 7-9, Budapest, H-1094, Hungary
| | - Gergő Papp
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Katalin Karászi
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Edit Varga
- 2nd Department of Pediatrics, Semmelweis University, Tűzoltó u. 7-9, Budapest, H-1094, Hungary
| | - Monika Csóka
- 2nd Department of Pediatrics, Semmelweis University, Tűzoltó u. 7-9, Budapest, H-1094, Hungary.
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Zhang L, Wu B, Baruchel S. Oral Metronomic Topotecan Sensitizes Crizotinib Antitumor Activity in ALK F1174L Drug-Resistant Neuroblastoma Preclinical Models. Transl Oncol 2017; 10:604-611. [PMID: 28666189 PMCID: PMC5491461 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2017.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor crizotinib has proven to be effective in the treatment of ALK-mutated neuroblastoma, but crizotinib resistance was commonly observed in patients. We aimed to overcome crizotinib resistance by combining with the MEK inhibitor trametinib or low-dose metronomic (LDM) topotecan in preclinical neuroblastoma models. METHODS: We selected a panel of neuroblastoma cell lines carrying various ALK genetic aberrations to assess the therapeutic efficacy on cell proliferation in vitro. Downstream signals of ALK activation, including phosphorylation of ERK1/2, Akt as well as HIF-1α expression were evaluated under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Tumor growth inhibition was further assessed in NOD/SCID xenograft mouse models. RESULTS: All NBL cell lines responded to crizotinib treatment but at variable ED50 levels, ranging from 0.25 to 5.58 μM. ALK-mutated cell lines SH-SY5Y, KELLY, LAN-5, and CHLA-20 are more sensitive than ALK wild-type cell lines. In addition, we demonstrated that under hypoxic conditions, all NBL cell lines showed marked decrease of ED50s when compared to normoxia except for KELLY cells. Taking into consideration the hypoxia sensitivity to crizotinib, combined treatment with crizotinib and LDM topotecan demonstrated a synergistic effect in ALKF1174L-mutated SH-SY5Y cells. In vivo, single-agent crizotinib showed limited antitumor activity in ALKF1174L-mutated SH-SY5Y and KELLY xenograft models; however, when combined with topotecan, significantly delayed tumor development was achieved in both SH-SY5Y and KELLY tumor models. CONCLUSIONS: Oral metronomic topotecan reversed crizotinib drug resistance in the ALKF1174L-mutated neuroblastoma preclinical model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Libo Zhang
- New Agent and Innovative Therapy Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Bing Wu
- New Agent and Innovative Therapy Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Sylvain Baruchel
- New Agent and Innovative Therapy Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Paediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
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El Demellawy D, McGowan-Jordan J, de Nanassy J, Chernetsova E, Nasr A. Update on molecular findings in rhabdomyosarcoma. Pathology 2017; 49:238-246. [PMID: 28256213 DOI: 10.1016/j.pathol.2016.12.345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Revised: 12/12/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common malignant soft tissue tumour in children and adolescents. Histologically RMS resembles developing fetal striated skeletal muscle. RMS is stratified into different histological subtypes which appear to influence management plans and patient outcome. Importantly, molecular classification of RMS seems to more accurately capture the true biology and clinical course and prognosis of RMS to guide therapeutic decisions. The identification of PAX-FOXO1 fusion status in RMS is one of the most important updates in the risk stratification of RMS. There are several genes close to PAX that are frequently altered including the RAS family, FGFR4, PIK3CA, CTNNB1, FBXW7, and BCOR. As with most paediatric blue round cell tumours and sarcomas, chemotherapy is the key regimen for RMS therapy. Currently there are no direct inhibitors against PAX-FOXO1 fusion oncoproteins and targeting epigenetic cofactors is limited to clinical trials. Failure of therapy in RMS is usually related to drug resistance and metastatic disease. Through this review we have highlighted most of the molecular aspects in RMS and have attempted to correlate with RMS classification, treatment and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dina El Demellawy
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Pediatric Pathology, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Jean McGowan-Jordan
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Genetics, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joseph de Nanassy
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Pediatric Pathology, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Ahmed Nasr
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Alshareef A, Zhang HF, Huang YH, Wu C, Zhang JD, Wang P, El-Sehemy A, Fares M, Lai R. The use of cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) to study Crizotinib resistance in ALK-expressing human cancers. Sci Rep 2016; 6:33710. [PMID: 27641368 PMCID: PMC5027386 DOI: 10.1038/srep33710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Various forms of oncogenic ALK proteins have been identified in various types of human cancers. While Crizotinib, an ALK inhibitor, has been found to be therapeutically useful against a subset of ALK(+) tumours, clinical resistance to this drug has been well recognized and the mechanism of this phenomenon is incompletely understood. Using the cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), we measured the Crizotinib-ALK binding in a panel of ALK(+) cell lines, and correlated the findings with the ALK structure and its interactions with specific binding proteins. The Crizotinib IC50 significantly correlated with Crizotinib-ALK binding. The suboptimal Crizotinib-ALK binding in Crizotinib-resistant cells is not due to the cell-specific environment, since transfection of NPM-ALK into these cells revealed substantial Crizotinib-NPM-ALK binding. Interestingly, we found that the resistant cells expressed higher protein level of β-catenin and siRNA knockdown restored Crizotinib-ALK binding (correlated with a significant lowering of IC50). Computational analysis of the crystal structures suggests that β-catenin exerts steric hindrance to the Crizotinib-ALK binding. In conclusion, the Crizotinib-ALK binding measurable by CETSA is useful in predicting Crizotinib sensitivity, and Crizotinib-ALK binding is in turn dictated by the structure of ALK and some of its binding partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulraheem Alshareef
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Almedinah, P.O. Box 41477, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hai-Feng Zhang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1L3, Canada
| | - Yung-Hsing Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Chengsheng Wu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jing Dong Zhang
- Department of Medical Oncology, The First hospital of China Medical University, Shen Yang 110001, P. R. China
| | - Peng Wang
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ahmed El-Sehemy
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Raymond Lai
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,DynaLIFEDx Medical Laboratories, Edmonton, Canada
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Megiorni F, McDowell HP, Camero S, Mannarino O, Ceccarelli S, Paiano M, Losty PD, Pizer B, Shukla R, Pizzuti A, Clerico A, Dominici C. Crizotinib-induced antitumour activity in human alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma cells is not solely dependent on ALK and MET inhibition. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2015; 34:112. [PMID: 26445453 PMCID: PMC4596370 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-015-0228-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Background Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most commonly diagnosed malignant soft tissue tumour in children and adolescents. Aberrant expression of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) and MET gene has been implicated in the malignant progression of RMS, especially in the alveolar subtype. This observation suggests that crizotinib (PF-02341066), a kinase inhibitor against ALK and MET, may have a therapeutic role in RMS, although its antitumour activity in this malignancy has not yet been studied. Methods RH4 and RH30 alveolar RMS (ARMS) cell lines were treated with crizotinib and then assessed by using proliferation, viability, migration and colony formation assays. Multiple approaches, including flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, western blotting and siRNA-based knock-down, were used in order to investigate possible molecular mechanisms linked to crizotinib activity. Results In vitro treatment with crizotinib inhibited ALK and MET proteins, as well as Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 Receptor (IGF1R), with a concomitant robust dephosphorylation of AKT and ERK, two downstream kinases involved in RMS cell proliferation and survival. Exposure to crizotinib impaired cell growth, and accumulation at G2/M phase was attributed to an altered expression and activation of checkpoint regulators, such as Cyclin B1 and Cdc2. Crizotinib was able to induce apoptosis and autophagy in a dose-dependent manner, as shown by caspase-3 activation/PARP proteolytic cleavage down-regulation and by LC3 activation/p62 down-regulation, respectively. The accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) seemed to contribute to crizotinib effects in RH4 and RH30 cells. Moreover, crizotinib-treated RH4 and RH30 cells exhibited a decreased migratory/invasive capacity and clonogenic potential. Conclusions These results provide a further insight into the molecular mechanisms affected by crizotinib in ARMS cells inferring that it could be a useful therapeutic tool in ARMS cancer treatment. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13046-015-0228-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Megiorni
- Department of Paediatrics and Infantile Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - Heather P McDowell
- Department of Paediatrics and Infantile Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy. .,Department of Oncology, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Eaton Road, L12 2AP, Liverpool, UK.
| | - Simona Camero
- Department of Paediatrics and Infantile Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - Olga Mannarino
- Department of Paediatrics and Infantile Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - Simona Ceccarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - Milena Paiano
- Department of Paediatrics and Infantile Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - Paul D Losty
- Department of Paediatric Surgery, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust; Academic Paediatric Surgery Unit, University of Liverpool, Eaton Road, L12 2AP, Liverpool, UK.
| | - Barry Pizer
- Department of Oncology, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Eaton Road, L12 2AP, Liverpool, UK.
| | - Rajeev Shukla
- Department of Perinatal and Paediatric Pathology, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Eaton Road, L12 2AP, Liverpool, UK.
| | - Antonio Pizzuti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - Anna Clerico
- Department of Paediatrics and Infantile Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - Carlo Dominici
- Department of Paediatrics and Infantile Neuropsychiatry, Sapienza University, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy.
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