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Brignole C, Pastorino F, Perri P, Amoroso L, Bensa V, Calarco E, Ponzoni M, Corrias MV. Bone Marrow Environment in Metastatic Neuroblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13102467. [PMID: 34069335 PMCID: PMC8158729 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13102467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of the interactions occurring in the BM environment has been facilitated by the peculiar nature of metastatic NB. In fact: (i) metastases are present at diagnosis; (ii) metastases are confined in a very specific tissue, the BM, suggestive of a strong attraction and possibility of survival; (iii) differently from adult cancers, NB metastases are available because the diagnostic procedures require morphological examination of BM; (iv) NB metastatic cells express surface antigens that allow enrichment of NB metastatic cells by immune-magnetic separation; and (v) patients with localized disease represent an internal control to discriminate specific alterations occurring in the metastatic niche from generic alterations determined by the neoplastic growth at the primary site. Here, we first review the information regarding the features of BM-infiltrating NB cells. Then, we focus on the alterations found in the BM of children with metastatic NB as compared to healthy children and children with localized NB. Specifically, information regarding all the BM cell populations and their sub-sets will be first examined in the context of BM microenvironment in metastatic NB. In the last part, the information regarding the soluble factors will be presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Brignole
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (C.B.); (F.P.); (P.P.); (V.B.); (E.C.); (M.P.)
| | - Fabio Pastorino
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (C.B.); (F.P.); (P.P.); (V.B.); (E.C.); (M.P.)
| | - Patrizia Perri
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (C.B.); (F.P.); (P.P.); (V.B.); (E.C.); (M.P.)
| | - Loredana Amoroso
- Pediatric Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy;
| | - Veronica Bensa
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (C.B.); (F.P.); (P.P.); (V.B.); (E.C.); (M.P.)
| | - Enzo Calarco
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (C.B.); (F.P.); (P.P.); (V.B.); (E.C.); (M.P.)
| | - Mirco Ponzoni
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (C.B.); (F.P.); (P.P.); (V.B.); (E.C.); (M.P.)
| | - Maria Valeria Corrias
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (C.B.); (F.P.); (P.P.); (V.B.); (E.C.); (M.P.)
- Correspondence:
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2
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Assessment of Pre-Analytical Sample Handling Conditions for Comprehensive Liquid Biopsy Analysis. J Mol Diagn 2020; 22:1070-1086. [PMID: 32497717 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2020.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Liquid biopsies as a minimally invasive approach have the potential to revolutionize molecular diagnostics. Yet, although protocols for sample handling and the isolation of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) are numerous, comprehensive guidelines for diagnostics and research considering all aspects of real-life multicenter clinical studies are currently not available. These include limitations in sample volume, transport, and blood collection tubes. We tested the impact of commonly used (EDTA and heparin) and specialized blood collection tubes and storage conditions on the yield and purity of cell-free DNA for the application in down-stream analysis. Moreover, we evaluated the feasibility of a combined workflow for ctDNA and tumor cell genomic testing and parallel flow cytometric analysis of leukocytes. For genomic analyses, EDTA tubes showed good results if stored for a maximum of 4 hours at room temperature or for up to 24 hours when stored at 4°C. Spike-in experiments revealed that EDTA tubes in combination with density gradient centrifugation allowed the parallel isolation of ctDNA, leukocytes, and low amounts of tumor cells (0.1%) and their immunophenotyping by flow cytometry and down-stream genomic analysis by whole genome sequencing. In conclusion, adhering to time and temperature limits allows the use of routine EDTA blood samples for liquid biopsy analyses. We further provide a workflow enabling the parallel analysis of cell-free and cellular features for disease monitoring and for clonal evolution studies.
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Rifatbegovic F, Frech C, Abbasi MR, Taschner-Mandl S, Weiss T, Schmidt WM, Schmidt I, Ladenstein R, Ambros IM, Ambros PF. Neuroblastoma cells undergo transcriptomic alterations upon dissemination into the bone marrow and subsequent tumor progression. Int J Cancer 2017; 142:297-307. [PMID: 28921546 PMCID: PMC5725737 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.31053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Revised: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood. The vast majority of metastatic (M) stage patients present with disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in the bone marrow (BM) at diagnosis and relapse. Although these cells represent a major obstacle in the treatment of neuroblastoma patients, insights into their expression profile remained elusive. The present RNA‐Seq study of stage 4/M primary tumors, enriched BM‐derived diagnostic and relapse DTCs, as well as the corresponding BM‐derived mononuclear cells (MNCs) from 53 patients revealed 322 differentially expressed genes in DTCs as compared to the tumors (q < 0.001, |log2FC|>2). Particularly, the levels of transcripts encoded by mitochondrial DNA were elevated in DTCs, whereas, for example, genes involved in angiogenesis were downregulated. Furthermore, 224 genes were highly expressed in DTCs and only slightly, if at all, in MNCs (q < 8 × 10−75 log2FC > 6). Interestingly, we found the transcriptome of relapse DTCs largely resembling those of diagnostic DTCs with only 113 differentially expressed genes under relaxed cut‐offs (q < 0.01, |log2FC|>0.5). Notably, relapse DTCs showed a positional enrichment of 31 downregulated genes on chromosome 19, including five tumor suppressor genes: SIRT6, BBC3/PUMA, STK11, CADM4 and GLTSCR2. This first RNA‐Seq analysis of neuroblastoma DTCs revealed their unique expression profile in comparison to the tumors and MNCs, and less pronounced differences between diagnostic and relapse DTCs. The latter preferentially affected downregulation of genes encoded by chromosome 19. As these alterations might be associated with treatment failure and disease relapse, further functional studies on DTCs should be considered. What's new? More than 90% of patients diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic (4/M) neuroblastoma present with disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in the bone marrow (BM). Despite treatment, a substantial fraction of these patients experience disease relapse. Here, sequencing analysis of tumor tissue, BM‐derived mononuclear cells (MNCs), and DTCs from stage 4/M neuroblastoma patients indicates that numerous genes are differentially expressed in DTCs but are not or are only slightly altered in tumors and MNCs. Moreover, DTCs exhibited significant downregulation of tumor suppressor genes specifically on chromosome 19. Further studies are needed to determine whether DTC transcriptomic alterations are associated with neuroblastoma relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fikret Rifatbegovic
- Department of Tumor Biology, Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Frech
- Department of Tumor Biology, Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - M Reza Abbasi
- Department of Tumor Biology, Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Sabine Taschner-Mandl
- Department of Tumor Biology, Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Tamara Weiss
- Department of Tumor Biology, Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang M Schmidt
- Neuromuscular Research Department, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Iris Schmidt
- Neuromuscular Research Department, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ruth Ladenstein
- Department of Tumor Biology, Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria.,Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Inge M Ambros
- Department of Tumor Biology, Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter F Ambros
- Department of Tumor Biology, Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria.,Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Abbasi MR, Rifatbegovic F, Brunner C, Mann G, Ziegler A, Pötschger U, Crazzolara R, Ussowicz M, Benesch M, Ebetsberger-Dachs G, Chan GCF, Jones N, Ladenstein R, Ambros IM, Ambros PF. Impact of Disseminated Neuroblastoma Cells on the Identification of the Relapse-Seeding Clone. Clin Cancer Res 2017; 23:4224-4232. [PMID: 28228384 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-16-2082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Revised: 09/20/2016] [Accepted: 02/12/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Purpose: Tumor relapse is the most frequent cause of death in stage 4 neuroblastomas. Since genomic information on the relapse precursor cells could guide targeted therapy, our aim was to find the most appropriate tissue for identifying relapse-seeding clones.Experimental design: We analyzed 10 geographically and temporally separated samples of a single patient by SNP array and validated the data in 154 stage 4 patients.Results: In the case study, aberrations unique to certain tissues and time points were evident besides concordant aberrations shared by all samples. Diagnostic bone marrow-derived disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) as well as the metastatic tumor and DTCs at relapse displayed a 1q deletion, not detected in any of the seven primary tumor samples. In the validation cohort, the frequency of 1q deletion was 17.8%, 10%, and 27.5% in the diagnostic DTCs, diagnostic tumors, and DTCs at relapse, respectively. This aberration was significantly associated with 19q and ATRX deletions. We observed a significant increased likelihood of an adverse event in the presence of 19q deletion in the diagnostic DTCs.Conclusions: Different frequencies of 1q and 19q deletions in the primary tumors as compared with DTCs, their relatively high frequency at relapse, and their effect on event-free survival (19q deletion) indicate the relevance of analyzing diagnostic DTCs. Our data support the hypothesis of a branched clonal evolution and a parallel progression of primary and metastatic tumor cells. Therefore, searching for biomarkers to identify the relapse-seeding clone should involve diagnostic DTCs alongside the tumor tissue. Clin Cancer Res; 23(15); 4224-32. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Reza Abbasi
- CCRI, Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria.
| | | | | | - Georg Mann
- St. Anna Children's Hospital, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrea Ziegler
- CCRI, Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Roman Crazzolara
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Marek Ussowicz
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Martin Benesch
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | | | - Godfrey C F Chan
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Neil Jones
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Ruth Ladenstein
- CCRI, Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Inge M Ambros
- CCRI, Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter F Ambros
- CCRI, Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria. .,Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Esposito MR, Aveic S, Seydel A, Tonini GP. Neuroblastoma treatment in the post-genomic era. J Biomed Sci 2017; 24:14. [PMID: 28178969 PMCID: PMC5299732 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-017-0319-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is an embryonic malignancy of early childhood originating from neural crest cells and showing heterogeneous biological, morphological, genetic and clinical characteristics. The correct stratification of neuroblastoma patients within risk groups (low, intermediate, high and ultra-high) is critical for the adequate treatment of the patients. High-throughput technologies in the Omics disciplines are leading to significant insights into the molecular pathogenesis of neuroblastoma. Nonetheless, further study of Omics data is necessary to better characterise neuroblastoma tumour biology. In the present review, we report an update of compounds that are used in preclinical tests and/or in Phase I-II trials for neuroblastoma. Furthermore, we recapitulate a number of compounds targeting proteins associated to neuroblastoma: MYCN (direct and indirect inhibitors) and downstream targets, Trk, ALK and its downstream signalling pathways. In particular, for the latter, given the frequency of ALK gene deregulation in neuroblastoma patients, we discuss on second-generation ALK inhibitors in preclinical or clinical phases developed for the treatment of neuroblastoma patients resistant to crizotinib. We summarise how Omics drive clinical trials for neuroblastoma treatment and how much the research of biological targets is useful for personalised medicine. Finally, we give an overview of the most recent druggable targets selected by Omics investigation and discuss how the Omics results can provide us additional advantages for overcoming tumour drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Rosaria Esposito
- Paediatric Research Institute, Fondazione Città della Speranza, Neuroblastoma Laboratory, Corso Stati Uniti, 4, Padua, 35127, Italy.
| | - Sanja Aveic
- Paediatric Research Institute, Fondazione Città della Speranza, Neuroblastoma Laboratory, Corso Stati Uniti, 4, Padua, 35127, Italy
| | - Anke Seydel
- Department of Biology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Gian Paolo Tonini
- Paediatric Research Institute, Fondazione Città della Speranza, Neuroblastoma Laboratory, Corso Stati Uniti, 4, Padua, 35127, Italy
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