1
|
Bhat-Nakshatri P, Gao H, Khatpe AS, Adebayo AK, McGuire PC, Erdogan C, Chen D, Jiang G, New F, German R, Emmert L, Sandusky G, Storniolo AM, Liu Y, Nakshatri H. Single-nucleus chromatin accessibility and transcriptomic map of breast tissues of women of diverse genetic ancestry. Nat Med 2024:10.1038/s41591-024-03011-9. [PMID: 39122969 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-03011-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Single-nucleus analysis allows robust cell-type classification and helps to establish relationships between chromatin accessibility and cell-type-specific gene expression. Here, using samples from 92 women of several genetic ancestries, we developed a comprehensive chromatin accessibility and gene expression atlas of the breast tissue. Integrated analysis revealed ten distinct cell types, including three major epithelial subtypes (luminal hormone sensing, luminal adaptive secretory precursor (LASP) and basal-myoepithelial), two endothelial and adipocyte subtypes, fibroblasts, T cells, and macrophages. In addition to the known cell identity genes FOXA1 (luminal hormone sensing), EHF and ELF5 (LASP), TP63 and KRT14 (basal-myoepithelial), epithelial subtypes displayed several uncharacterized markers and inferred gene regulatory networks. By integrating breast epithelial cell gene expression signatures with spatial transcriptomics, we identified gene expression and signaling differences between lobular and ductal epithelial cells and age-associated changes in signaling networks. LASP cells and fibroblasts showed genetic ancestry-dependent variability. An estrogen receptor-positive subpopulation of LASP cells with alveolar progenitor cell state was enriched in women of Indigenous American ancestry. Fibroblasts from breast tissues of women of African and European ancestry clustered differently, with accompanying gene expression differences. Collectively, these data provide a vital resource for further exploring genetic ancestry-dependent variability in healthy breast biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Hongyu Gao
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Aditi S Khatpe
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Adedeji K Adebayo
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Patrick C McGuire
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Cihat Erdogan
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Duojiao Chen
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Guanglong Jiang
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Felicia New
- NanoString Technology Inc., Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rana German
- Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Lydia Emmert
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - George Sandusky
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Anna Maria Storniolo
- Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Yunlong Liu
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Harikrishna Nakshatri
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- VA Roudebush Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Herault A, Mak J, de la Cruz-Chuh J, Dillon MA, Ellerman D, Go M, Cosino E, Clark R, Carson E, Yeung S, Pichery M, Gador M, Chiang EY, Wu J, Liang Y, Modrusan Z, Gampa G, Sudhamsu J, Kemball CC, Cheung V, Nguyen TTT, Seshasayee D, Piskol R, Totpal K, Yu SF, Lee G, Kozak KR, Spiess C, Walsh KB. NKG2D-bispecific enhances NK and CD8+ T cell antitumor immunity. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2024; 73:209. [PMID: 39112670 PMCID: PMC11306676 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-024-03795-2] [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: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer immunotherapy approaches that elicit immune cell responses, including T and NK cells, have revolutionized the field of oncology. However, immunosuppressive mechanisms restrain immune cell activation within solid tumors so additional strategies to augment activity are required. METHODS We identified the co-stimulatory receptor NKG2D as a target based on its expression on a large proportion of CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) from breast cancer patient samples. Human and murine surrogate NKG2D co-stimulatory receptor-bispecifics (CRB) that bind NKG2D on NK and CD8+ T cells as well as HER2 on breast cancer cells (HER2-CRB) were developed as a proof of concept for targeting this signaling axis in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS HER2-CRB enhanced NK cell activation and cytokine production when co-cultured with HER2 expressing breast cancer cell lines. HER2-CRB when combined with a T cell-dependent-bispecific (TDB) antibody that synthetically activates T cells by crosslinking CD3 to HER2 (HER2-TDB), enhanced T cell cytotoxicity, cytokine production and in vivo antitumor activity. A mouse surrogate HER2-CRB (mHER2-CRB) improved in vivo efficacy of HER2-TDB and augmented NK as well as T cell activation, cytokine production and effector CD8+ T cell differentiation. CONCLUSION We demonstrate that targeting NKG2D with bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) is an effective approach to augment NK and CD8+ T cell antitumor immune responses. Given the large number of ongoing clinical trials leveraging NK and T cells for cancer immunotherapy, NKG2D-bispecifics have broad combinatorial potential.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aurelie Herault
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Judy Mak
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Josefa de la Cruz-Chuh
- Department of Biochemical and Cellular Pharmacology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Michael A Dillon
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Diego Ellerman
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - MaryAnn Go
- Department of In Vivo Pharmacology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ely Cosino
- Department of In Vivo Pharmacology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Robyn Clark
- Department of In Vivo Pharmacology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Emily Carson
- Department of In Vivo Pharmacology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Stacey Yeung
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Melanie Pichery
- Immuno-Oncology-In Vitro Biology Department, Evotec, Toulouse, France
| | - Mylène Gador
- Immuno-Oncology-In Vitro Biology Department, Evotec, Toulouse, France
| | - Eugene Y Chiang
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jia Wu
- Department of Antibody Discovery, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yuxin Liang
- Department of Next-GenSequencing, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Zora Modrusan
- Department of Next-GenSequencing, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gautham Gampa
- Department of Development Sciences PTPK, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jawahar Sudhamsu
- Department of Structural Biology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Christopher C Kemball
- Department of Biochemical and Cellular Pharmacology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Victoria Cheung
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Dhaya Seshasayee
- Department of Antibody Discovery, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Robert Piskol
- Department of Bioinformatics, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Klara Totpal
- Department of In Vivo Pharmacology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Shang-Fan Yu
- Department of In Vivo Pharmacology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Genee Lee
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Katherine R Kozak
- Department of Biochemical and Cellular Pharmacology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Christoph Spiess
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kevin B Walsh
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Harris MA, Savas P, Virassamy B, O'Malley MMR, Kay J, Mueller SN, Mackay LK, Salgado R, Loi S. Towards targeting the breast cancer immune microenvironment. Nat Rev Cancer 2024; 24:554-577. [PMID: 38969810 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-024-00714-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
The tumour immune microenvironment is shaped by the crosstalk between cancer cells, immune cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells and other stromal components. Although the immune tumour microenvironment (TME) serves as a source of therapeutic targets, it is also considered a friend or foe to tumour-directed therapies. This is readily illustrated by the importance of T cells in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), culminating in the advent of immune checkpoint therapy in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy as standard of care for both early and advanced-stage TNBC, as well as recent promising signs of efficacy in a subset of hormone receptor-positive disease. In this Review, we discuss the various components of the immune TME in breast cancer and therapies that target or impact the immune TME, as well as the complexity of host physiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Harris
- The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peter Savas
- The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Balaji Virassamy
- The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Megan M R O'Malley
- The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jasmine Kay
- The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Scott N Mueller
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Laura K Mackay
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Roberto Salgado
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Pathology, ZAS Ziekenhuizen, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sherene Loi
- The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Cheung A, Chenoweth AM, Johansson A, Laddach R, Guppy N, Trendell J, Esapa B, Mavousian A, Navarro-Llinas B, Haider S, Romero-Clavijo P, Hoffmann RM, Andriollo P, Rahman KM, Jackson P, Tsoka S, Irshad S, Roxanis I, Grigoriadis A, Thurston DE, Lord CJ, Tutt ANJ, Karagiannis SN. Anti-EGFR Antibody-Drug Conjugate Carrying an Inhibitor Targeting CDK Restricts Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Growth. Clin Cancer Res 2024; 30:3298-3315. [PMID: 38772416 PMCID: PMC11292198 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-3110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Anti-EGFR antibodies show limited response in breast cancer, partly due to activation of compensatory pathways. Furthermore, despite the clinical success of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitors in hormone receptor-positive tumors, aggressive triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) are largely resistant due to CDK2/cyclin E expression, whereas free CDK2 inhibitors display normal tissue toxicity, limiting their therapeutic application. A cetuximab-based antibody drug conjugate (ADC) carrying a CDK inhibitor selected based on oncogene dysregulation, alongside patient subgroup stratification, may provide EGFR-targeted delivery. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Expressions of G1/S-phase cell cycle regulators were evaluated alongside EGFR in breast cancer. We conjugated cetuximab with CDK inhibitor SNS-032, for specific delivery to EGFR-expressing cells. We assessed ADC internalization and its antitumor functions in vitro and in orthotopically grown basal-like/TNBC xenografts. RESULTS Transcriptomic (6,173 primary, 27 baseline, and matched post-chemotherapy residual tumors), single-cell RNA sequencing (150,290 cells, 27 treatment-naïve tumors), and spatial transcriptomic (43 tumor sections, 22 TNBCs) analyses confirmed expression of CDK2 and its cyclin partners in basal-like/TNBCs, associated with EGFR. Spatiotemporal live-cell imaging and super-resolution confocal microscopy demonstrated ADC colocalization with late lysosomal clusters. The ADC inhibited cell cycle progression, induced cytotoxicity against high EGFR-expressing tumor cells, and bystander killing of neighboring EGFR-low tumor cells, but minimal effects on immune cells. Despite carrying a small molar fraction (1.65%) of the SNS-032 inhibitor, the ADC restricted EGFR-expressing spheroid and cell line/patient-derived xenograft tumor growth. CONCLUSIONS Exploiting EGFR overexpression, and dysregulated cell cycle in aggressive and treatment-refractory tumors, a cetuximab-CDK inhibitor ADC may provide selective and efficacious delivery of cell cycle-targeted agents to basal-like/TNBCs, including chemotherapy-resistant residual disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Cheung
- Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, Guy’s Cancer Centre, London, United Kingdom
- St. John’s Institute of Dermatology, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences & KHP Centre for Translational Medicine, King’s College London, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alicia M. Chenoweth
- Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, Guy’s Cancer Centre, London, United Kingdom
- St. John’s Institute of Dermatology, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences & KHP Centre for Translational Medicine, King’s College London, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Annelie Johansson
- Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, Guy’s Cancer Centre, London, United Kingdom
- Cancer Bioinformatics, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, Guy’s Cancer Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Roman Laddach
- St. John’s Institute of Dermatology, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences & KHP Centre for Translational Medicine, King’s College London, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Informatics, Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Naomi Guppy
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer Trendell
- Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, Guy’s Cancer Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamina Esapa
- St. John’s Institute of Dermatology, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences & KHP Centre for Translational Medicine, King’s College London, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Antranik Mavousian
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Blanca Navarro-Llinas
- Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, Guy’s Cancer Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Syed Haider
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pablo Romero-Clavijo
- St. John’s Institute of Dermatology, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences & KHP Centre for Translational Medicine, King’s College London, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ricarda M. Hoffmann
- St. John’s Institute of Dermatology, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences & KHP Centre for Translational Medicine, King’s College London, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paolo Andriollo
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Khondaker M. Rahman
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Jackson
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sophia Tsoka
- Department of Informatics, Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sheeba Irshad
- Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, Guy’s Cancer Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ioannis Roxanis
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Anita Grigoriadis
- Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, Guy’s Cancer Centre, London, United Kingdom
- Cancer Bioinformatics, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, Guy’s Cancer Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - David E. Thurston
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher J. Lord
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew N. J. Tutt
- Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, Guy’s Cancer Centre, London, United Kingdom
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sophia N. Karagiannis
- Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, Guy’s Cancer Centre, London, United Kingdom
- St. John’s Institute of Dermatology, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences & KHP Centre for Translational Medicine, King’s College London, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Biswas M. Understanding tissue-resident macrophages unlocks the potential for novel combinatorial strategies in breast cancer. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1375528. [PMID: 39104525 PMCID: PMC11298421 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1375528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Tissue-resident macrophages (TRMs) are an integral part of the innate immune system, but their biology is not well understood in the context of cancer. Distinctive resident macrophage populations are identified in different organs in mice using fate mapping studies. They develop from the yolk sac and self-maintain themselves lifelong in specific tissular niches. Similarly, breast-resident macrophages are part of the mammary gland microenvironment. They reside in the breast adipose tissue stroma and close to the ductal epithelium and help in morphogenesis. In breast cancer, TRMs may promote disease progression and metastasis; however, precise mechanisms have not been elucidated. TRMs interact intimately with recruited macrophages, cytotoxic T cells, and other immune cells along with cancer cells, deciding further immunosuppressive or cytotoxic pathways. Moreover, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which is generally associated with poor outcomes, can harbor specific TRM phenotypes. The influence of TRMs on adipose tissue stroma of the mammary gland also contributes to tumor progression. The complex crosstalk between TRMs with T cells, stroma, and breast cancer cells can establish a cascade of downstream events, understanding which can offer new insight for drug discovery and upcoming treatment choices. This review aims to acknowledge the previous research done in this regard while exploring existing research gaps and the future therapeutic potential of TRMs as a combination or single agent in breast cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manjusha Biswas
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, Developmental Biology of the Immune System, Life & Medical Sciences (LIMES) Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Hospital, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wang J, Fonseca GJ, Ding J. scSemiProfiler: Advancing large-scale single-cell studies through semi-profiling with deep generative models and active learning. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5989. [PMID: 39013867 PMCID: PMC11252419 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50150-1] [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: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Single-cell sequencing is a crucial tool for dissecting the cellular intricacies of complex diseases. Its prohibitive cost, however, hampers its application in expansive biomedical studies. Traditional cellular deconvolution approaches can infer cell type proportions from more affordable bulk sequencing data, yet they fall short in providing the detailed resolution required for single-cell-level analyses. To overcome this challenge, we introduce "scSemiProfiler", an innovative computational framework that marries deep generative models with active learning strategies. This method adeptly infers single-cell profiles across large cohorts by fusing bulk sequencing data with targeted single-cell sequencing from a few rigorously chosen representatives. Extensive validation across heterogeneous datasets verifies the precision of our semi-profiling approach, aligning closely with true single-cell profiling data and empowering refined cellular analyses. Originally developed for extensive disease cohorts, "scSemiProfiler" is adaptable for broad applications. It provides a scalable, cost-effective solution for single-cell profiling, facilitating in-depth cellular investigation in various biological domains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jingtao Wang
- Meakins-Christe Laboratories, Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre, 1001 Decarie Blvd, Montreal, H4A 3J1, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, 1001 Decarie Blvd, Montreal, H4A 3J1, Quebec, Canada
| | - Gregory J Fonseca
- Meakins-Christe Laboratories, Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre, 1001 Decarie Blvd, Montreal, H4A 3J1, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, 1001 Decarie Blvd, Montreal, H4A 3J1, Quebec, Canada
- Quantitative Life Sciences, McGill University, 845 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, H3A 0G4, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jun Ding
- Meakins-Christe Laboratories, Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre, 1001 Decarie Blvd, Montreal, H4A 3J1, Quebec, Canada.
- Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, 1001 Decarie Blvd, Montreal, H4A 3J1, Quebec, Canada.
- Quantitative Life Sciences, McGill University, 845 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, H3A 0G4, Quebec, Canada.
- School of Computer Science, McGill University, 3480 Rue University, Montreal, H3A 2A7, Quebec, Canada.
- Mila-Quebec AI Institute, 6666 Rue Saint-Urbain, Montreal, H2S 3H1, Quebec, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Sanjaya A, Ratnawati H, Adhika OA, Rahmatilah FR. The heterogeneity of breast cancer metastasis: a bioinformatics analysis utilizing single-cell RNA sequencing data. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2024:10.1007/s10549-024-07428-1. [PMID: 38992286 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-024-07428-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Breast cancer is a common malignancy in women, and its metastasis is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) can distinguish the molecular characteristics of metastasis and identify predictor genes for patient prognosis. This article explores gene expression in primary breast cancer tumor tissue against metastatic cells in the lymph node and liver using scRNA-seq. METHODS Breast cancer scRNA-seq data from the Gene Expression Omnibus were used. The data were processed using R and the Seurat package. The cells were clustered and identified using Metascape. InferCNV is used to analyze the variation in copy number. Differential expression analysis was conducted for the cancer cells using Seurat and was enriched using Metascape. RESULTS We identified 18 distinct cell clusters, 6 of which were epithelial. CNV analysis identified significant alterations with duplication of chromosomes 1, 8, and 19. Differential gene analysis resulted in 17 upregulated and 171 downregulated genes for the primary tumor in the primary tumor vs. liver metastasis comparison and 43 upregulated and 4 downregulated genes in the primary tumor in the primary tumor vs lymph node metastasis comparison. Several enriched terms include Ribosome biogenesis, NTP synthesis, Epithelial dedifferentiation, Autophagy, and genes associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions. CONCLUSION No single gene or pathway can clearly explain the mechanisms behind tumor metastasis. Several mechanisms contribute to lymph node and liver metastasis, such as the loss of differentiation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and autophagy. These findings necessitate further study of metastatic tissue for effective drug development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ardo Sanjaya
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Maranatha Christian University, Jl. Surya Sumantri No. 65, Bandung, 40164, West Java, Indonesia.
- Biomedical Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Maranatha Christian University, Bandung, 40164, West Java, Indonesia.
| | - Hana Ratnawati
- Biomedical Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Maranatha Christian University, Bandung, 40164, West Java, Indonesia
- Department of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Maranatha Christian University, Bandung, 40164, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Oeij Anindita Adhika
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Maranatha Christian University, Jl. Surya Sumantri No. 65, Bandung, 40164, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Faiz Rizqy Rahmatilah
- Undergraduate Program in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Maranatha Christian University, Bandung, 40164, West Java, Indonesia
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Guimarães GR, Maklouf GR, Teixeira CE, de Oliveira Santos L, Tessarollo NG, de Toledo NE, Serain AF, de Lanna CA, Pretti MA, da Cruz JGV, Falchetti M, Dimas MM, Filgueiras IS, Cabral-Marques O, Ramos RN, de Macedo FC, Rodrigues FR, Bastos NC, da Silva JL, Lummertz da Rocha E, Chaves CBP, de Melo AC, Moraes-Vieira PMM, Mori MA, Boroni M. Single-cell resolution characterization of myeloid-derived cell states with implication in cancer outcome. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5694. [PMID: 38972873 PMCID: PMC11228020 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49916-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Tumor-associated myeloid-derived cells (MDCs) significantly impact cancer prognosis and treatment responses due to their remarkable plasticity and tumorigenic behaviors. Here, we integrate single-cell RNA-sequencing data from different cancer types, identifying 29 MDC subpopulations within the tumor microenvironment. Our analysis reveals abnormally expanded MDC subpopulations across various tumors and distinguishes cell states that have often been grouped together, such as TREM2+ and FOLR2+ subpopulations. Using deconvolution approaches, we identify five subpopulations as independent prognostic markers, including states co-expressing TREM2 and PD-1, and FOLR2 and PDL-2. Additionally, TREM2 alone does not reliably predict cancer prognosis, as other TREM2+ macrophages show varied associations with prognosis depending on local cues. Validation in independent cohorts confirms that FOLR2-expressing macrophages correlate with poor clinical outcomes in ovarian and triple-negative breast cancers. This comprehensive MDC atlas offers valuable insights and a foundation for futher analyses, advancing strategies for treating solid cancers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Rapozo Guimarães
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Division of Experimental and Translational Research, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Giovanna Resk Maklouf
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Division of Experimental and Translational Research, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Cristiane Esteves Teixeira
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Division of Experimental and Translational Research, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Leandro de Oliveira Santos
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Division of Experimental and Translational Research, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Nayara Gusmão Tessarollo
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Division of Experimental and Translational Research, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Nayara Evelin de Toledo
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Division of Experimental and Translational Research, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Alessandra Freitas Serain
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Division of Experimental and Translational Research, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Cristóvão Antunes de Lanna
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Division of Experimental and Translational Research, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Marco Antônio Pretti
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Division of Experimental and Translational Research, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Jéssica Gonçalves Vieira da Cruz
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Division of Experimental and Translational Research, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Falchetti
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Mylla M Dimas
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Igor Salerno Filgueiras
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo,(USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Otavio Cabral-Marques
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo,(USP), São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto D'Or de Ensino e Pesquisa, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Medicine, Division of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory of Medical Investigation 29, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Nalio Ramos
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo,(USP), São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto D'Or de Ensino e Pesquisa, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratory of Medical Investigation in Pathogenesis and Directed Therapy in Onco-Immuno-Hematology (LIM-31), Departament of Hematology and Cell Therapy, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Nina Carrossini Bastos
- Division of Pathology, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Jesse Lopes da Silva
- Division of Clinical Research and Technological Development, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Edroaldo Lummertz da Rocha
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Cláudia Bessa Pereira Chaves
- Division of Clinical Research and Technological Development, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Gynecologic Oncology Section, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Andreia Cristina de Melo
- Division of Clinical Research and Technological Development, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Pedro M M Moraes-Vieira
- Laboratory of Immunometabolism, Department of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology, and Immunology, Institute of Biology, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
- Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center (OCRC), Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
- Experimental Medicine Research Cluster (EMRC), Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcelo A Mori
- Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center (OCRC), Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
- Experimental Medicine Research Cluster (EMRC), Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
- Laboratory of Aging Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Mariana Boroni
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Division of Experimental and Translational Research, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Muthuswamy SK, Brugge JS. Organoid Cultures for the Study of Mammary Biology and Breast Cancer: The Promise and Challenges. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2024; 14:a041661. [PMID: 38110241 PMCID: PMC11216180 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
During the last decade, biomedical research has experienced a resurgence in the use of three-dimensional culture models for studies of normal and cancer biology. This resurgence has been driven by the development of models in which primary cells are grown in tissue-mimicking media and extracellular matrices to create organoid or organotypic cultures that more faithfully replicate the complex architecture and physiology of normal tissues and tumors. In addition, patient-derived tumor organoids preserve the three-dimensional organization and characteristics of the patient tumors ex vivo, becoming excellent preclinical models to supplement studies of tumor xenografts transplanted into immunocompromised mice. In this perspective, we provide an overview of how organoids are being used to investigate normal mammary biology and as preclinical models of breast cancer and discuss improvements that would enhance their utility and relevance to the field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Senthil K Muthuswamy
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 20894, USA
| | - Joan S Brugge
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Ludwig Center at Harvard, Harvard Medical School Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Razzouk S. Single-cell sequencing, spatial transcriptome ad periodontitis: Rethink pathogenesis and classification. Oral Dis 2024; 30:2771-2783. [PMID: 37794757 DOI: 10.1111/odi.14761] [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: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This narrative review illuminates on the application of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomics (ST) in periodontitis and highlights the probability of relating cell population and gene signatures to the pathogenesis of the disease for a better diagnosis. METHODS An electronic search of the literature in the PubMed database for the keywords, "single cell sequencing" OR "spatial transcriptomics" and "periodontitis" OR "gingiva" OR "oral mucosa" yielded 486 research articles and reviews. After filtering duplicates and careful curation, 22 papers conducted in humans were retained. RESULTS The molecular mechanisms underlying periodontitis are complex and involve the interaction of multiple cells and various gene expressions. Most residing cells in periodontal tissues participate in maintaining homeostasis and health, while in addition to infiltrating immune cells contribute to the fight against the bacterial insult. CONCLUSION scRNA-seq and ST have provided new insights into the cellular and molecular changes associated with periodontitis for a better diagnosis and clinical outcome. New functions of cells and genes are revealed with these techniques; however, no cells or gene signatures are attributed to periodontitis so far.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sleiman Razzouk
- Department of Periodontology and Implant Dentistry, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, New York, USA
- Private Practice, Beirut, Lebanon
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Ma R, Feng D, Chen J, Zhou J, Xia K, Kong X, Hu G, Lu P. Targeting Tumor Heterogeneity by Breaking a Stem Cell and Epithelial Niche Interaction Loop. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2307452. [PMID: 38708713 PMCID: PMC11234407 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202307452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Tumor heterogeneity, the presence of multiple distinct subpopulations of cancer cells between patients or among the same tumors, poses a major challenge to current targeted therapies. The way these different subpopulations interact among themselves and the stromal niche environment, and how such interactions affect cancer stem cell behavior has remained largely unknown. Here, it is shown that an FGF-BMP7-INHBA signaling positive feedback loop integrates interactions among different cell populations, including mammary gland stem cells, luminal epithelial and stromal fibroblast niche components not only in organ regeneration but also, with certain modifications, in cancer progression. The reciprocal dependence of basal stem cells and luminal epithelium is based on basal-derived BMP7 and luminal-derived INHBA, which promote their respective expansion, and is regulated by stromal-epithelial FGF signaling. Targeting this interaction loop, for example, by reducing the function of one or more of its components, inhibits organ regeneration and breast cancer progression. The results have profound implications for overcoming drug resistance because of tumor heterogeneity in future targeted therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rongze Ma
- MOE Key Lab of Rare Pediatric Diseases & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics of the School of Life Sciences, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
- Institute for Future Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Deyi Feng
- MOE Key Lab of Rare Pediatric Diseases & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics of the School of Life Sciences, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Jing Chen
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 393 Middle Huaxia Road, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Jiecan Zhou
- MOE Key Lab of Rare Pediatric Diseases & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics of the School of Life Sciences, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Pharmacy Department, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Kun Xia
- MOE Key Lab of Rare Pediatric Diseases & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics of the School of Life Sciences, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Xiangyin Kong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Guohong Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Pengfei Lu
- MOE Key Lab of Rare Pediatric Diseases & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics of the School of Life Sciences, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
- Institute for Future Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Xie J, Yang A, Liu Q, Deng X, Lv G, Ou X, Zheng S, Situ MY, Yu Y, Liang JY, Zou Y, Tang H, Zhao Z, Lin F, Liu W, Xiao W. Single-cell RNA sequencing elucidated the landscape of breast cancer brain metastases and identified ILF2 as a potential therapeutic target. Cell Prolif 2024:e13697. [PMID: 38943472 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 04/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Distant metastasis remains the primary cause of morbidity in patients with breast cancer. Hence, the development of more efficacious strategies and the exploration of potential targets for patients with metastatic breast cancer are urgently needed. The data of six patients with breast cancer brain metastases (BCBrM) from two centres were collected, and a comprehensive landscape of the entire tumour ecosystem was generated through the utilisation of single-cell RNA sequencing. We utilised the Monocle2 and CellChat algorithms to investigate the interrelationships among each subcluster. In addition, multiple signatures were collected to evaluate key components of the subclusters through multi-omics methodologies. Finally, we elucidated common expression programs of malignant cells, and experiments were conducted in vitro and in vivo to determine the functions of interleukin enhancer-binding factor 2 (ILF2), which is a key gene in the metastasis module, in BCBrM progression. We found that subclusters in each major cell type exhibited diverse characteristics. Besides, our study indicated that ILF2 was specifically associated with BCBrM, and experimental validations further demonstrated that ILF2 deficiency hindered BCBrM progression. Our study offers novel perspectives on the heterogeneity of BCBrM and suggests that ILF2 could serve as a promising biomarker or therapeutic target for BCBrM.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jindong Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Anli Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qianwen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinpei Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guangzhao Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xueqi Ou
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shaoquan Zheng
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Min-Yi Situ
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yang Yu
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jie-Ying Liang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yutian Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hailin Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zijin Zhao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Fuhua Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Breast, Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Medical College, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Weikai Xiao
- Department of Breast Cancer, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital and Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Yu J, Yan Y, Li S, Xu Y, Parolia A, Rizvi S, Wang W, Zhai Y, Xiao R, Li X, Liao P, Zhou J, Okla K, Lin H, Lin X, Grove S, Wei S, Vatan L, Hu J, Szumilo J, Kotarski J, Freeman ZT, Skala S, Wicha M, Cho KR, Chinnaiyan AM, Schon S, Wen F, Kryczek I, Wang S, Chen L, Zou W. Progestogen-driven B7-H4 contributes to onco-fetal immune tolerance. Cell 2024:S0092-8674(24)00652-4. [PMID: 38968937 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
Immune tolerance mechanisms are shared in cancer and pregnancy. Through cross-analyzing single-cell RNA-sequencing data from multiple human cancer types and the maternal-fetal interface, we found B7-H4 (VTCN1) is an onco-fetal immune tolerance checkpoint. We showed that genetic deficiency of B7-H4 resulted in immune activation and fetal resorption in allogeneic pregnancy models. Analogously, B7-H4 contributed to MPA/DMBA-induced breast cancer progression, accompanied by CD8+ T cell exhaustion. Female hormone screening revealed that progesterone stimulated B7-H4 expression in placental and breast cancer cells. Mechanistically, progesterone receptor (PR) bound to a newly identified -58 kb enhancer, thereby mediating B7-H4 transcription via the PR-P300-BRD4 axis. PR antagonist or BRD4 degrader potentiated immunotherapy in a murine B7-H4+ breast cancer model. Thus, our work unravels a mechanistic and biological connection of a female sex hormone (progesterone) to onco-fetal immune tolerance via B7-H4 and suggests that the PR-P300-BRD4 axis is targetable for treating B7-H4+ cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiali Yu
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yijian Yan
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Shasha Li
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ying Xu
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Abhijit Parolia
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Syed Rizvi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan School of Engineering, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Weichao Wang
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yiwen Zhai
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Rongxin Xiao
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Xiong Li
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Peng Liao
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jiajia Zhou
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Karolina Okla
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Oncological Gynecology and Gynecology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Heng Lin
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Xun Lin
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sara Grove
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Shuang Wei
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Linda Vatan
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jiantao Hu
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Justyna Szumilo
- Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Jan Kotarski
- Department of Oncological Gynecology and Gynecology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Zachary T Freeman
- Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Stephanie Skala
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Max Wicha
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Kathleen R Cho
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Arul M Chinnaiyan
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Samantha Schon
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Fei Wen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan School of Engineering, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ilona Kryczek
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Shaomeng Wang
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lieping Chen
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Weiping Zou
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Graduate Program in Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Graduate Program in Cancer Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Balog JÁ, Horti-Oravecz K, Kövesdi D, Bozsik A, Papp J, Butz H, Patócs A, Szebeni GJ, Grolmusz VK. Peripheral immunophenotyping reveals lymphocyte stimulation in healthy women living with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome. iScience 2024; 27:109882. [PMID: 38799565 PMCID: PMC11126817 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109882] [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: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Germline pathogenic variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2 (gpath(BRCA1/2)) represent genetic susceptibility for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome. Tumor-immune interactions are key contributors to breast cancer pathogenesis. Although earlier studies confirmed pro-tumorigenic immunological alterations in breast cancer patients, data are lacking in healthy carriers of gpath(BRCA1/2). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 66 women with or without germline predisposition or breast cancer were studied with a mass cytometry panel that identified 4 immune subpopulations of altered frequencies between healthy controls and healthy gpath(BRCA1) carriers, while no difference was observed in healthy gpath(BRCA2) carriers compared to controls. Moreover, 3 (one IgD-CD27+CD95+ B cell subpopulation and two CD45RA-CCR7+CD38+ CD4+ T cell subpopulations) out of these 4 subpopulations were also elevated in triple-negative breast cancer patients compared to controls. Our results reveal an activated peripheral immune phenotype in healthy carriers of gpath(BRCA1) that needs to be further elucidated to be leveraged in risk-reducing strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- József Ágoston Balog
- Institute of Genetics, Laboratory of Functional Genomics, HUN-REN Biological Research Center, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Core Facility, HUN-REN Biological Research Center, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Klaudia Horti-Oravecz
- Department of Molecular Genetics and the National Tumorbiology Laboratory, National Institute of Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
- Semmelweis University, Doctoral School, 1085 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dorottya Kövesdi
- Department of Immunology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anikó Bozsik
- Department of Molecular Genetics and the National Tumorbiology Laboratory, National Institute of Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
- HUN-REN-SE Hereditary Cancers Research Group, Hungarian Research Network – Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Janos Papp
- Department of Molecular Genetics and the National Tumorbiology Laboratory, National Institute of Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
- HUN-REN-SE Hereditary Cancers Research Group, Hungarian Research Network – Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Henriett Butz
- Department of Molecular Genetics and the National Tumorbiology Laboratory, National Institute of Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
- HUN-REN-SE Hereditary Cancers Research Group, Hungarian Research Network – Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Oncology Biobank, National Institute of Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1089 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila Patócs
- Department of Molecular Genetics and the National Tumorbiology Laboratory, National Institute of Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
- HUN-REN-SE Hereditary Cancers Research Group, Hungarian Research Network – Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1089 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gábor János Szebeni
- Institute of Genetics, Laboratory of Functional Genomics, HUN-REN Biological Research Center, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Core Facility, HUN-REN Biological Research Center, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hematology Centre, Faculty of Medicine University of Szeged, 6725 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Vince Kornél Grolmusz
- Department of Molecular Genetics and the National Tumorbiology Laboratory, National Institute of Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
- HUN-REN-SE Hereditary Cancers Research Group, Hungarian Research Network – Semmelweis University, 1122 Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1089 Budapest, Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Regner MJ, Garcia-Recio S, Thennavan A, Wisniewska K, Mendez-Giraldez R, Felsheim B, Spanheimer PM, Parker JS, Perou CM, Franco HL. Defining the Regulatory Logic of Breast Cancer Using Single-Cell Epigenetic and Transcriptome Profiling. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.13.598858. [PMID: 38948758 PMCID: PMC11212881 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.13.598858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Annotation of the cis-regulatory elements that drive transcriptional dysregulation in cancer cells is critical to improving our understanding of tumor biology. Herein, we present a compendium of matched chromatin accessibility (scATAC-seq) and transcriptome (scRNA-seq) profiles at single-cell resolution from human breast tumors and healthy mammary tissues processed immediately following surgical resection. We identify the most likely cell-of-origin for luminal breast tumors and basal breast tumors and then introduce a novel methodology that implements linear mixed-effects models to systematically quantify associations between regions of chromatin accessibility (i.e. regulatory elements) and gene expression in malignant cells versus normal mammary epithelial cells. These data unveil regulatory elements with that switch from silencers of gene expression in normal cells to enhancers of gene expression in cancer cells, leading to the upregulation of clinically relevant oncogenes. To translate the utility of this dataset into tractable models, we generated matched scATAC-seq and scRNA-seq profiles for breast cancer cell lines, revealing, for each subtype, a conserved oncogenic gene expression program between in vitro and in vivo cells. Together, this work highlights the importance of non-coding regulatory mechanisms that underlie oncogenic processes and the ability of single-cell multi-omics to define the regulatory logic of BC cells at single-cell resolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Regner
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Susana Garcia-Recio
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Aatish Thennavan
- Department of Systems Biology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA, 77030
| | - Kamila Wisniewska
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Raul Mendez-Giraldez
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Brooke Felsheim
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Philip M. Spanheimer
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Joel S. Parker
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Charles M. Perou
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Hector L. Franco
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Division of Clinical and Translational Cancer Research, University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Juan, PR 00935
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Tiong KL, Luzhbin D, Yeang CH. Assessing transcriptomic heterogeneity of single-cell RNASeq data by bulk-level gene expression data. BMC Bioinformatics 2024; 25:209. [PMID: 38867193 PMCID: PMC11167951 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-024-05825-3] [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: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Single-cell RNA sequencing (sc-RNASeq) data illuminate transcriptomic heterogeneity but also possess a high level of noise, abundant missing entries and sometimes inadequate or no cell type annotations at all. Bulk-level gene expression data lack direct information of cell population composition but are more robust and complete and often better annotated. We propose a modeling framework to integrate bulk-level and single-cell RNASeq data to address the deficiencies and leverage the mutual strengths of each type of data and enable a more comprehensive inference of their transcriptomic heterogeneity. Contrary to the standard approaches of factorizing the bulk-level data with one algorithm and (for some methods) treating single-cell RNASeq data as references to decompose bulk-level data, we employed multiple deconvolution algorithms to factorize the bulk-level data, constructed the probabilistic graphical models of cell-level gene expressions from the decomposition outcomes, and compared the log-likelihood scores of these models in single-cell data. We term this framework backward deconvolution as inference operates from coarse-grained bulk-level data to fine-grained single-cell data. As the abundant missing entries in sc-RNASeq data have a significant effect on log-likelihood scores, we also developed a criterion for inclusion or exclusion of zero entries in log-likelihood score computation. RESULTS We selected nine deconvolution algorithms and validated backward deconvolution in five datasets. In the in-silico mixtures of mouse sc-RNASeq data, the log-likelihood scores of the deconvolution algorithms were strongly anticorrelated with their errors of mixture coefficients and cell type specific gene expression signatures. In the true bulk-level mouse data, the sample mixture coefficients were unknown but the log-likelihood scores were strongly correlated with accuracy rates of inferred cell types. In the data of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and normal controls, we found that ASD brains possessed higher fractions of astrocytes and lower fractions of NRGN-expressing neurons than normal controls. In datasets of breast cancer and low-grade gliomas (LGG), we compared the log-likelihood scores of three simple hypotheses about the gene expression patterns of the cell types underlying the tumor subtypes. The model that tumors of each subtype were dominated by one cell type persistently outperformed an alternative model that each cell type had elevated expression in one gene group and tumors were mixtures of those cell types. Superiority of the former model is also supported by comparing the real breast cancer sc-RNASeq clusters with those generated by simulated sc-RNASeq data. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that backward deconvolution serves as a sensible model selection tool for deconvolution algorithms and facilitates discerning hypotheses about cell type compositions underlying heterogeneous specimens such as tumors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Khong-Loon Tiong
- Institute of Statistical Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Dmytro Luzhbin
- Institute of Statistical Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Patel AS, Yanai I. A developmental constraint model of cancer cell states and tumor heterogeneity. Cell 2024; 187:2907-2918. [PMID: 38848676 PMCID: PMC11256907 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.04.032] [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: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Cancer is a disease that stems from a fundamental liability inherent to multicellular life forms in which an individual cell is capable of reneging on the interests of the collective organism. Although cancer is commonly described as an evolutionary process, a less appreciated aspect of tumorigenesis may be the constraints imposed by the organism's developmental programs. Recent work from single-cell transcriptomic analyses across a range of cancer types has revealed the recurrence, plasticity, and co-option of distinct cellular states among cancer cell populations. Here, we note that across diverse cancer types, the observed cell states are proximate within the developmental hierarchy of the cell of origin. We thus posit a model by which cancer cell states are directly constrained by the organism's "developmental map." According to this model, a population of cancer cells traverses the developmental map, thereby generating a heterogeneous set of states whose interactions underpin emergent tumor behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ayushi S Patel
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Itai Yanai
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Zhang M, Zhou K, Wang Z, Liu T, Stevens LE, Lynce F, Chen WY, Peng S, Xie Y, Zhai D, Chen Q, Shi Y, Shi H, Yuan Z, Li X, Xu J, Cai Z, Guo J, Shao N, Lin Y. A Subpopulation of Luminal Progenitors Secretes Pleiotrophin to Promote Angiogenesis and Metastasis in Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Cancer Res 2024; 84:1781-1798. [PMID: 38507720 PMCID: PMC11148543 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-2640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a highly aggressive subtype of breast cancer characterized by rapidly arising diffuse erythema and edema. Genomic studies have not identified consistent alterations and mechanisms that differentiate IBC from non-IBC tumors, suggesting that the microenvironment could be a potential driver of IBC phenotypes. Here, using single-cell RNA sequencing, multiplex staining, and serum analysis in patients with IBC, we identified enrichment of a subgroup of luminal progenitor (LP) cells containing high expression of the neurotropic cytokine pleiotrophin (PTN) in IBC tumors. PTN secreted by the LP cells promoted angiogenesis by directly interacting with the NRP1 receptor on endothelial tip cells located in both IBC tumors and the affected skin. NRP1 activation in tip cells led to recruitment of immature perivascular cells in the affected skin of IBC, which are correlated with increased angiogenesis and IBC metastasis. Together, these findings reveal a role for cross-talk between LPs, endothelial tip cells, and immature perivascular cells via PTN-NRP1 axis in the pathogenesis of IBC, which could lead to improved strategies for treating IBC. SIGNIFICANCE Nonmalignant luminal progenitor cells expressing pleiotrophin promote angiogenesis by activating NRP1 and induce a prometastatic tumor microenvironment in inflammatory breast cancer, providing potential therapeutic targets for this aggressive breast cancer subtype.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mengmeng Zhang
- Breast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kaiwen Zhou
- Breast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zilin Wang
- Breast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ting Liu
- Breast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Laura E Stevens
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Filipa Lynce
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Wendy Y Chen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Sui Peng
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yubin Xie
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Duanyang Zhai
- Breast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qianjun Chen
- Department of Breast Oncology, Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yawei Shi
- Breast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huijuan Shi
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhongyu Yuan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoping Li
- Department of Breast Oncology, Jiangmen Central Hospital, Jiangmen, China
| | - Juan Xu
- Department of Breast Oncology, Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhenhai Cai
- Department of Breast Oncology, Jieyang People's Hospital, Jieyang, China
| | - Jianping Guo
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Nan Shao
- Breast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ying Lin
- Breast Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Yi Y, Qin G, Yang H, Jia H, Zeng Q, Zheng D, Ye S, Zhang Z, Liu TM, Luo KQ, Deng CX, Xu RH. Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Increase the Natural Killer Resistance of Circulating Tumor Cells via Intercellular Signaling of cGAS-STING-IFNβ-HLA. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2400888. [PMID: 38638003 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202400888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) shed from primary tumors must overcome the cytotoxicity of immune cells, particularly natural killer (NK) cells, to cause metastasis. The tumor microenvironment (TME) protects tumor cells from the cytotoxicity of immune cells, which is partially executed by cancer-associated mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). However, the mechanisms by which MSCs influence the NK resistance of CTCs remain poorly understood. This study demonstrates that MSCs enhance the NK resistance of cancer cells in a gap junction-dependent manner, thereby promoting the survival and metastatic seeding of CTCs in immunocompromised mice. Tumor cells crosstalk with MSCs through an intercellular cGAS-cGAMP-STING signaling loop, leading to increased production of interferon-β (IFNβ) by MSCs. IFNβ reversely enhances the type I IFN (IFN-I) signaling in tumor cells and hence the expression of human leukocyte antigen class I (HLA-I) on the cell surface, protecting the tumor cells from NK cytotoxicity. Disruption of this loop reverses NK sensitivity in tumor cells and decreases tumor metastasis. Moreover, there are positive correlations between IFN-I signaling, HLA-I expression, and NK tolerance in human tumor samples. Thus, the NK-resistant signaling loop between tumor cells and MSCs may serve as a novel therapeutic target.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ye Yi
- Center of Reproduction, Development and Aging, Cancer Center, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Guihui Qin
- Center of Reproduction, Development and Aging, Cancer Center, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Hongmei Yang
- Center of Reproduction, Development and Aging, Cancer Center, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Hao Jia
- Center of Reproduction, Development and Aging, Cancer Center, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Qibing Zeng
- Center of Reproduction, Development and Aging, Cancer Center, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Dejin Zheng
- Center of Reproduction, Development and Aging, Cancer Center, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Sen Ye
- Center of Reproduction, Development and Aging, Cancer Center, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Zhiming Zhang
- Center of Reproduction, Development and Aging, Cancer Center, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Tzu-Ming Liu
- Center of Reproduction, Development and Aging, Cancer Center, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
- Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Kathy Qian Luo
- Center of Reproduction, Development and Aging, Cancer Center, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
- Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Chu-Xia Deng
- Center of Reproduction, Development and Aging, Cancer Center, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
- Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Ren-He Xu
- Center of Reproduction, Development and Aging, Cancer Center, and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
- Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Li Y, Yue L, Zhang S, Wang X, Zhu YN, Liu J, Ren H, Jiang W, Wang J, Zhang Z, Liu T. Proteomic, single-cell and bulk transcriptomic analysis of plasma and tumor tissues unveil core proteins in response to anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in triple negative breast cancer. Comput Biol Med 2024; 176:108537. [PMID: 38744008 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108537] [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: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment has achieved durable responses in TNBC patients, whereas a fraction of them showed non-sensitivity to the treatment and the mechanism is still unclear. METHODS Pre- and post-treatment plasma samples from triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients treated with immunotherapy were measured by tandem mass tag (TMT) mass spectrometry. Public proteome data of lung cancer and melanoma treated with immunotherapy were employed to validate the findings. Blood and tissue single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of TNBC patients treated with or without immunotherapy were analyzed to identify the derivations of plasma proteins. RNA-seq data from IMvigor210 and other cancer types were used to validate plasma proteins in predicting response to immunotherapy. RESULTS A random forest model constructed by FAP, LRG1, LBP and COMP could well predict the response to immunotherapy. The activation of complement cascade was observed in responders, whereas FAP and COMP showed a higher abundance in non-responders and negative correlated with the activation of complements. scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq analysis suggested that FAP, COMP and complements were derived from fibroblasts of tumor tissues. CONCLUSIONS We constructe an effective plasma proteomic model in predicting response to immunotherapy, and find that FAP+ and COMP+ fibroblasts are potential targets for reversing immunotherapy resistance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yingpu Li
- Department of Oncological Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150000, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Cell Transplantation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150001, China
| | - Liang Yue
- Center for Intelligent Proteomics, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310030, China; Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310030, China; Research Center for Industries of the Future, Westlake University, 600 Dunyu Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310030, China
| | - Sifan Zhang
- Department of Neurobiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Xinxuan Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150000, China
| | - Yu-Nan Zhu
- Department of Oncological Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150000, China
| | - Jianyu Liu
- Department of Oncological Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150000, China
| | - He Ren
- Department of Oncological Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150000, China
| | - Wenhao Jiang
- Center for Intelligent Proteomics, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310030, China; Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310030, China; Research Center for Industries of the Future, Westlake University, 600 Dunyu Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310030, China
| | - Jingxuan Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150000, China.
| | - Zhiren Zhang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Cell Transplantation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150001, China; Institute of Metabolic Disease, Heilongjiang Academy of Medical Science, Heilongjiang Key Laboratory for Metabolic Disorder and Cancer Related Cardiovascular Diseases, Harbin, 150001, China.
| | - Tong Liu
- Department of Oncological Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150000, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Cell Transplantation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150001, China.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Rayson VC, Harris MA, Savas P, Hun ML, Virassamy B, Salgado R, Loi S. The anti-cancer immune response in breast cancer: current and emerging biomarkers and treatments. Trends Cancer 2024; 10:490-506. [PMID: 38521654 DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2024.02.008] [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: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) exhibit heightened T cell infiltration, contributing to an enhanced response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) compared with other subtypes. An immune-rich immune microenvironment correlates with improved prognosis in early and advanced TNBC. Combination chemotherapy and ICB is now the standard of care in early- and late-stage TNBC. Although programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) positivity predicts ICB response in advanced stages, its role in early-stage disease remains uncertain. Despite neoadjuvant ICB becoming common in early-stage TNBC, the necessity of adjuvant ICB after surgery remains unclear. Understanding the molecular basis of the immune response in breast cancer is vital for precise biomarkers for ICB and effective combination therapy strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Victoria C Rayson
- Department of Medical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michael A Harris
- The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peter Savas
- Department of Medical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michael L Hun
- The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Balaji Virassamy
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Roberto Salgado
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Pathology, GZA-ZNA Hospitals, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sherene Loi
- Department of Medical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Zhou Q, Gao X, Xu H, Lu X. Non-apoptotic regulatory cell death scoring system to predict the clinical outcome and drug choices in breast cancer. Heliyon 2024; 10:e31342. [PMID: 38813233 PMCID: PMC11133894 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31342] [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: 01/13/2024] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Breast cancer (BC), the most common cancer among women globally, has been shown by numerous studies to significantly involve non-apoptotic regulatory cell death (RCD) in its pathogenesis and progression. Methods We obtained the RNA sequences and clinical data of BC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database for the training set, while datasets GSE96058, GSE86166, and GSE20685 from The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were utilized as validation cohorts. Initially, we performed non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) clustering analysis on the BC samples from the TCGA database to discern non-apoptotic RCD-related molecular subtypes. To identify prognostically-relevant non-apoptotic RCD genes (NRGs) and construct a prognostic model, we implemented three machine learning algorithms: lasso regression, random forest, and XGBoost analysis. The expression of selected genes was verified using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis, and The Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database. The risk signature was evaluated concerning clinical characteristics and drug sensitivity. Furthermore, we developed a nomogram to predict BC patient survival. Results The NMF method successfully compartmentalized patients from the TCGA database into three distinct non-apoptotic RCD-related subtypes, with significant variations observed in immune characteristics and prognostic stratification across these subtypes. We identified 5 differentially expressed NRGs used in establishing the risk signature. Patients with different risk groups exhibited distinct clinicopathological features, drug sensitivity, and prognostic outcomes. A nomogram was subsequently developed, incorporating the NRGs-related risk signature, age, T stage, and N stage, to aid clinical decision-making. Conclusion We identified a novel NRGs-related risk signature, which was expected to become a potential prognostic marker in BC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hui Xu
- Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225001, China
| | - Xuan Lu
- Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225001, China
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Zou Z, Luo T, Wang X, Wang B, Li Q. Exploring the interplay between triple-negative breast cancer stem cells and tumor microenvironment for effective therapeutic strategies. J Cell Physiol 2024. [PMID: 38807378 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.31278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive and metastatic malignancy with poor treatment outcomes. The interaction between the tumor microenvironment (TME) and breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) plays an important role in the development of TNBC. Owing to their ability of self-renewal and multidirectional differentiation, BCSCs maintain tumor growth, drive metastatic colonization, and facilitate the development of drug resistance. TME is the main factor regulating the phenotype and metastasis of BCSCs. Immune cells, cancer-related fibroblasts (CAFs), cytokines, mesenchymal cells, endothelial cells, and extracellular matrix within the TME form a complex communication network, exert highly selective pressure on the tumor, and provide a conducive environment for the formation of BCSC niches. Tumor growth and metastasis can be controlled by targeting the TME to eliminate BCSC niches or targeting BCSCs to modify the TME. These approaches may improve the treatment outcomes and possess great application potential in clinical settings. In this review, we summarized the relationship between BCSCs and the progression and drug resistance of TNBC, especially focusing on the interaction between BCSCs and TME. In addition, we discussed therapeutic strategies that target the TME to inhibit or eliminate BCSCs, providing valuable insights into the clinical treatment of TNBC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhuoling Zou
- Queen Mary College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Tinglan Luo
- Department of Oncology, The Seventh People's Hospital of Chongqing (Affiliated Central Hospital of Chongqing University of Technology), Chongqing, China
| | - Xinyuan Wang
- Department of Clinical Medicine, The Second Clinical College of Chongqing Medicine University, Chongqing, China
| | - Bin Wang
- Department of Oncology, The Seventh People's Hospital of Chongqing (Affiliated Central Hospital of Chongqing University of Technology), Chongqing, China
| | - Qing Li
- Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Lior C, Barki D, Halperin C, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA, Kelsen D, Shouval RS. Mapping the tumor stress network reveals dynamic shifts in the stromal oxidative stress response. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114236. [PMID: 38758650 PMCID: PMC11156623 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114236] [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: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) presents cells with challenges such as variable pH, hypoxia, and free radicals, triggering stress responses that affect cancer progression. In this study, we examine the stress response landscape in four carcinomas-breast, pancreas, ovary, and prostate-across five pathways: heat shock, oxidative stress, hypoxia, DNA damage, and unfolded protein stress. Using a combination of experimental and computational methods, we create an atlas of stress responses across various types of carcinomas. We find that stress responses vary within the TME and are especially active near cancer cells. Focusing on the non-immune stroma we find, across tumor types, that NRF2 and the oxidative stress response are distinctly activated in immune-regulatory cancer-associated fibroblasts and in a unique subset of cancer-associated pericytes. Our study thus provides an interactome of stress responses in cancer, offering ways to intersect survival pathways within the tumor, and advance cancer therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chen Lior
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Debra Barki
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Coral Halperin
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Christine A Iacobuzio-Donahue
- Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research and Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - David Kelsen
- Gastrointestinal Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ruth Scherz- Shouval
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
ZHUO ZHILI, ZHANG DONGNI, LU WENPING, WU XIAOQING, CUI YONGJIA, ZHANG WEIXUAN, ZHANG MENGFAN. Reversal of tamoxifen resistance by artemisinin in ER+ breast cancer: bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation. Oncol Res 2024; 32:1093-1107. [PMID: 38827320 PMCID: PMC11136689 DOI: 10.32604/or.2024.047257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide, with Hormone Receptor (HR)+ being the predominant subtype. Tamoxifen (TAM) serves as the primary treatment for HR+ breast cancer. However, drug resistance often leads to recurrence, underscoring the need to develop new therapies to enhance patient quality of life and reduce recurrence rates. Artemisinin (ART) has demonstrated efficacy in inhibiting the growth of drug-resistant cells, positioning art as a viable option for counteracting endocrine resistance. This study explored the interaction between artemisinin and tamoxifen through a combined approach of bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation. Five characterized genes (ar, cdkn1a, erbb2, esr1, hsp90aa1) and seven drug-disease crossover genes (cyp2e1, rorc, mapk10, glp1r, egfr, pgr, mgll) were identified using WGCNA crossover analysis. Subsequent functional enrichment analyses were conducted. Our findings confirm a significant correlation between key cluster gene expression and immune cell infiltration in tamoxifen-resistant and -sensitized patients. scRNA-seq analysis revealed high expression of key cluster genes in epithelial cells, suggesting artemisinin's specific impact on tumor cells in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive BC tissues. Molecular target docking and in vitro experiments with artemisinin on LCC9 cells demonstrated a reversal effect in reducing migratory and drug resistance of drug-resistant cells by modulating relevant drug resistance genes. These results indicate that artemisinin could potentially reverse tamoxifen resistance in ER-positive breast cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - WENPING LU
- Department of Oncology, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Guang’anmen Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - XIAOQING WU
- Department of Oncology, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Guang’anmen Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - YONGJIA CUI
- Department of Oncology, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Guang’anmen Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - WEIXUAN ZHANG
- Department of Oncology, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Guang’anmen Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - MENGFAN ZHANG
- Department of Oncology, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Guang’anmen Hospital, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Xu L, Saunders K, Huang SP, Knutsdottir H, Martinez-Algarin K, Terrazas I, Chen K, McArthur HM, Maués J, Hodgdon C, Reddy SM, Roussos Torres ET, Xu L, Chan IS. A comprehensive single-cell breast tumor atlas defines epithelial and immune heterogeneity and interactions predicting anti-PD-1 therapy response. Cell Rep Med 2024; 5:101511. [PMID: 38614094 PMCID: PMC11148512 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
We present an integrated single-cell RNA sequencing atlas of the primary breast tumor microenvironment (TME) containing 236,363 cells from 119 biopsy samples across eight datasets. In this study, we leverage this resource for multiple analyses of immune and cancer epithelial cell heterogeneity. We define natural killer (NK) cell heterogeneity through six subsets in the breast TME. Because NK cell heterogeneity correlates with epithelial cell heterogeneity, we characterize epithelial cells at the level of single-gene expression, molecular subtype, and 10 categories reflecting intratumoral transcriptional heterogeneity. We develop InteractPrint, which considers how cancer epithelial cell heterogeneity influences cancer-immune interactions. We use T cell InteractPrint to predict response to immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) in two breast cancer clinical trials testing neoadjuvant anti-PD-1 therapy. T cell InteractPrint was predictive of response in both trials versus PD-L1 (AUC = 0.82, 0.83 vs. 0.50, 0.72). This resource enables additional high-resolution investigations of the breast TME.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lily Xu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Kaitlyn Saunders
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Shao-Po Huang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Hildur Knutsdottir
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kenneth Martinez-Algarin
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Isabella Terrazas
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Kenian Chen
- Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, Department of Population and Data Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Heather M McArthur
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | | | | | - Sangeetha M Reddy
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Evanthia T Roussos Torres
- Division of Medical Oncology, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lin Xu
- Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, Department of Population and Data Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Isaac S Chan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Gao ZJ, Fang H, Sun S, Liu SQ, Fang Z, Liu Z, Li B, Wang P, Sun SR, Meng XY, Wu Q, Chen CS. Single-cell analyses reveal evolution mimicry during the specification of breast cancer subtype. Theranostics 2024; 14:3104-3126. [PMID: 38855191 PMCID: PMC11155410 DOI: 10.7150/thno.96163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: The stem or progenitor antecedents confer developmental plasticity and unique cell identities to cancer cells via genetic and epigenetic programs. A comprehensive characterization and mapping of the cell-of-origin of breast cancer using novel technologies to unveil novel subtype-specific therapeutic targets is still absent. Methods: We integrated 195,144 high-quality cells from normal breast tissues and 406,501 high-quality cells from primary breast cancer samples to create a large-scale single-cell atlas of human normal and cancerous breasts. Potential heterogeneous origin of malignant cells was explored by contrasting cancer cells against reference normal epithelial cells. Multi-omics analyses and both in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to screen and validate potential subtype-specific treatment targets. Novel biomarkers of identified immune and stromal cell subpopulations were validated by immunohistochemistry in our cohort. Results: Tumor stratification based on cancer cell-of-origin patterns correlated with clinical outcomes, genomic aberrations and diverse microenvironment constitutions. We found that the luminal progenitor (LP) subtype was robustly associated with poor prognosis, genomic instability and dysfunctional immune microenvironment. However, the LP subtype patients were sensitive to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), PARP inhibitors (PARPi) and immunotherapy. The LP subtype-specific target PLK1 was investigated by both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Besides, large-scale single-cell profiling of breast cancer inspired us to identify a range of clinically relevant immune and stromal cell subpopulations, including subsets of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), macrophages and endothelial cells. Conclusion: The present single-cell study revealed the cellular repertoire and cell-of-origin patterns of breast cancer. Combining single-cell and bulk transcriptome data, we elucidated the evolution mimicry from normal to malignant subtypes and expounded the LP subtype with vital clinical implications. Novel immune and stromal cell subpopulations of breast cancer identified in our study could be potential therapeutic targets. Taken together, Our findings lay the foundation for the precise prognostic and therapeutic stratification of breast cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Jie Gao
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Huan Fang
- Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Kunming, Yunnan, China
- Kunming College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Si Sun
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Si-Qing Liu
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zhou Fang
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zhou Liu
- Breast Tumor Center, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bei Li
- Department of Pathology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei. China
| | - Ping Wang
- Medical College, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, AnHui. China
- Tongji University Cancer Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Sheng-Rong Sun
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xiang-Yu Meng
- Health Science Center, Hubei Minzu University, Enshi, Hubei, China
| | - Qi Wu
- Tongji University Cancer Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ce-Shi Chen
- Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Kunming, Yunnan, China
- Academy of Biomedical Engineering, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- The Third Affiliated Hospital, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Zhao Y, Li X, Loscalzo J, Smelik M, Sysoev O, Wang Y, Mahmud AKMF, Mansour Aly D, Benson M. Transcript and protein signatures derived from shared molecular interactions across cancers are associated with mortality. J Transl Med 2024; 22:444. [PMID: 38734658 PMCID: PMC11088765 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05268-7] [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: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Characterization of shared cancer mechanisms have been proposed to improve therapy strategies and prognosis. Here, we aimed to identify shared cell-cell interactions (CCIs) within the tumor microenvironment across multiple solid cancers and assess their association with cancer mortality. METHODS CCIs of each cancer were identified by NicheNet analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data from breast, colon, liver, lung, and ovarian cancers. These CCIs were used to construct a shared multi-cellular tumor model (shared-MCTM) representing common CCIs across cancers. A gene signature was identified from the shared-MCTM and tested on the mRNA and protein level in two large independent cohorts: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA, 9185 tumor samples and 727 controls across 22 cancers) and UK biobank (UKBB, 10,384 cancer patients and 5063 controls with proteomics data across 17 cancers). Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association of the signature with 10-year all-cause mortality, including sex-specific analysis. RESULTS A shared-MCTM was derived from five individual cancers. A shared gene signature was extracted from this shared-MCTM and the most prominent regulatory cell type, matrix cancer-associated fibroblast (mCAF). The signature exhibited significant expression changes in multiple cancers compared to controls at both mRNA and protein levels in two independent cohorts. Importantly, it was significantly associated with mortality in cancer patients in both cohorts. The highest hazard ratios were observed for brain cancer in TCGA (HR [95%CI] = 6.90[4.64-10.25]) and ovarian cancer in UKBB (5.53[2.08-8.80]). Sex-specific analysis revealed distinct risks, with a higher mortality risk associated with the protein signature score in males (2.41[1.97-2.96]) compared to females (1.84[1.44-2.37]). CONCLUSION We identified a gene signature from a comprehensive shared-MCTM representing common CCIs across different cancers and revealed the regulatory role of mCAF in the tumor microenvironment. The pathogenic relevance of the gene signature was supported by differential expression and association with mortality on both mRNA and protein levels in two independent cohorts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yelin Zhao
- Medical Digital Twin Research Group, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Xinxiu Li
- Medical Digital Twin Research Group, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Joseph Loscalzo
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Martin Smelik
- Medical Digital Twin Research Group, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Oleg Sysoev
- Division of Statistics and Machine Learning, Department of Computer and Information Science, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Yunzhang Wang
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A K M Firoj Mahmud
- Medical Digital Twin Research Group, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dina Mansour Aly
- Medical Digital Twin Research Group, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mikael Benson
- Medical Digital Twin Research Group, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Li X, Li X, Yang B, Sun S, Wang S, Yu F, Wang T. Enhancing breast cancer outcomes with machine learning-driven glutamine metabolic reprogramming signature. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1369289. [PMID: 38756785 PMCID: PMC11097668 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1369289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Background This study aims to identify precise biomarkers for breast cancer to improve patient outcomes, addressing the limitations of traditional staging in predicting treatment responses. Methods Our analysis encompassed data from over 7,000 breast cancer patients across 14 datasets, which included in-house clinical data and single-cell data from 8 patients (totaling 43,766 cells). We utilized an integrative approach, applying 10 machine learning algorithms in 54 unique combinations to analyze 100 existing breast cancer signatures. Immunohistochemistry assays were performed for empirical validation. The study also investigated potential immunotherapies and chemotherapies. Results Our research identified five consistent glutamine metabolic reprogramming (GMR)-related genes from multi-center cohorts, forming the foundation of a novel GMR-model. This model demonstrated superior accuracy in predicting recurrence and mortality risks compared to existing clinical and molecular features. Patients classified as high-risk by the model exhibited poorer outcomes. IHC validation in 30 patients reinforced these findings, suggesting the model's broad applicability. Intriguingly, the model indicates a differential therapeutic response: low-risk patients may benefit more from immunotherapy, whereas high-risk patients showed sensitivity to specific chemotherapies like BI-2536 and ispinesib. Conclusions The GMR-model marks a significant leap forward in breast cancer prognosis and the personalization of treatment strategies, offering vital insights for the effective management of diverse breast cancer patient populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xukui Li
- Research Laboratory Center, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Xue Li
- Research Laboratory Center, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Bin Yang
- Research Laboratory Center, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Songyang Sun
- Research Laboratory Center, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Shu Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Fuxun Yu
- Research Laboratory Center, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Research Laboratory Center, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Shome R, Sen P, Sarkar S, Ghosh SS. Single-cell transcriptomics reveals the intra-tumoral heterogeneity and SQSTM1/P62 and Wnt/β-catenin mediated epithelial to mesenchymal transition and stemness of triple-negative breast cancer. Exp Cell Res 2024; 438:114032. [PMID: 38583856 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2024.114032] [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: 02/24/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by the complex tumor microenvironment (TME) consisting of an abundance of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which is known to facilitate epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The development of single-cell genomics is a powerful method for defining the intricate genetic landscapes of malignancies. In this study, we have employed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to dissect the intra-tumoral heterogeneity and analyze the single-cell transcriptomic landscape to detect rare consequential cell subpopulations of significance. The scRNA-seq analysis of TNBC and Normal patient derived samples revealed that EMT markers and transcription factors were most upregulated in MSC population. Further, exploration of gene expression analysis among TNBC and Normal patient-derived MSCs ascertained the role of SQSTM1/P62 and Wnt/β-catenin in TNBC progression. Wnt/β-catenin and Wnt/PCP signaling pathways are prominent contributors of EMT, stemness, and cancer stem cell (CSC) properties of TNBC. SQSTM1/P62 cooperates with the components of the Wnt/PCP signaling pathway and is critically involved at the interface of autophagy and EMT. Moreover, siRNA targeting SQSTM1/P62 and inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin (FH535) in conjunction was used to explore molecular modification of EMT and stemness markers. Although SQSTM1/P62 is not crucial for cell survival, cytotoxicity assay revealed synergistic interaction between the siRNA/inhibitor. Modulation of these important pathways helped in reduction of expression of genes and proteins contributing to CSC properties. Gene and protein expression analysis revealed the induction of EMT to MET. Moreover, co-treatment resulted in inactivation of non-canonical Wnt VANGL2-JNK signaling axis. The synergistic impact of inhibition of SQSTM1/P62 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling facilitates the development of a potential therapeutic regimen for TNBC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rajib Shome
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 39, Assam, India
| | - Plaboni Sen
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 39, Assam, India
| | - Shilpi Sarkar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 39, Assam, India
| | - Siddhartha Sankar Ghosh
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 39, Assam, India; Centre for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 39, Assam, India.
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Pellecchia S, Franchini M, Viscido G, Arnese R, Gambardella G. Single cell lineage tracing reveals clonal dynamics of anti-EGFR therapy resistance in triple negative breast cancer. Genome Med 2024; 16:55. [PMID: 38605363 PMCID: PMC11008053 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-024-01327-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most primary Triple Negative Breast Cancers (TNBCs) show amplification of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) gene, leading to increased protein expression. However, unlike other EGFR-driven cancers, targeting this receptor in TNBC yields inconsistent therapeutic responses. METHODS To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of this variability, we employ cellular barcoding and single-cell transcriptomics to reconstruct the subclonal dynamics of EGFR-amplified TNBC cells in response to afatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that irreversibly inhibits EGFR. RESULTS Integrated lineage tracing analysis revealed a rare pre-existing subpopulation of cells with distinct biological signature, including elevated expression levels of Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 2 (IGFBP2). We show that IGFBP2 overexpression is sufficient to render TNBC cells tolerant to afatinib treatment by activating the compensatory insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF1-R) signalling pathway. Finally, based on reconstructed mechanisms of resistance, we employ deep learning techniques to predict the afatinib sensitivity of TNBC cells. CONCLUSIONS Our strategy proved effective in reconstructing the complex signalling network driving EGFR-targeted therapy resistance, offering new insights for the development of individualized treatment strategies in TNBC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simona Pellecchia
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine, Naples, Italy
- Scuola Superiore Meridionale, Genomics and Experimental Medicine Program, Naples, Italy
| | - Melania Franchini
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine, Naples, Italy
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Gaetano Viscido
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine, Naples, Italy
- Department of Chemical, Materials and Industrial Engineering , University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Riccardo Arnese
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine, Naples, Italy
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Li J, Ma R, Wang X, Lu Y, Chen J, Feng D, Zhou J, Xia K, Klein O, Xie H, Lu P. Sprouty genes regulate activated fibroblasts in mammary epithelial development and breast cancer. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:256. [PMID: 38600092 PMCID: PMC11006910 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06637-2] [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: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Stromal fibroblasts are a major stem cell niche component essential for organ formation and cancer development. Fibroblast heterogeneity, as revealed by recent advances in single-cell techniques, has raised important questions about the origin, differentiation, and function of fibroblast subtypes. In this study, we show in mammary stromal fibroblasts that loss of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) negative feedback regulators encoded by Spry1, Spry2, and Spry4 causes upregulation of signaling in multiple RTK pathways and increased extracellular matrix remodeling, resulting in accelerated epithelial branching. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that increased production of FGF10 due to Sprouty (Spry) loss results from expansion of a functionally distinct subgroup of fibroblasts with the most potent branching-promoting ability. Compared to their three independent lineage precursors, fibroblasts in this subgroup are "activated," as they are located immediately adjacent to the epithelium that is actively undergoing branching and invasion. Spry genes are downregulated, and activated fibroblasts are expanded, in all three of the major human breast cancer subtypes. Together, our data highlight the regulation of a functional subtype of mammary fibroblasts by Spry genes and their essential role in epithelial morphogenesis and cancer development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiyong Li
- MOE Key Lab of Rare Pediatric Diseases & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics of the School of Life Sciences, Hu Nan Sheng, China
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of South China, Hu Nan Sheng, China
- Institute for Future Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hu Nan Sheng, China
| | - Rongze Ma
- MOE Key Lab of Rare Pediatric Diseases & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics of the School of Life Sciences, Hu Nan Sheng, China
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of South China, Hu Nan Sheng, China
- Institute for Future Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hu Nan Sheng, China
| | - Xuebing Wang
- Institute of Aix-Marseille, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Life Sciences, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Yunzhe Lu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Jing Chen
- MOE Key Lab of Rare Pediatric Diseases & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics of the School of Life Sciences, Hu Nan Sheng, China
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of South China, Hu Nan Sheng, China
- Institute for Future Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hu Nan Sheng, China
| | - Deyi Feng
- MOE Key Lab of Rare Pediatric Diseases & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics of the School of Life Sciences, Hu Nan Sheng, China
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of South China, Hu Nan Sheng, China
- Institute for Future Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hu Nan Sheng, China
| | - Jiecan Zhou
- MOE Key Lab of Rare Pediatric Diseases & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics of the School of Life Sciences, Hu Nan Sheng, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Pharmacy Department, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hu Nan Sheng, China
| | - Kun Xia
- MOE Key Lab of Rare Pediatric Diseases & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics of the School of Life Sciences, Hu Nan Sheng, China
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of South China, Hu Nan Sheng, China
| | - Ophir Klein
- Department of Orofacial Sciences and Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California, San Francisco, UCSF Box 0422, 513 Parnassus Avenue, HSE1508, San Francisco, CA, 94143, California, USA
- Department of Pediatrics and Guerin Children's, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Gracie Allen Dr., Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hao Xie
- Institute of Aix-Marseille, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Life Sciences, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Pengfei Lu
- MOE Key Lab of Rare Pediatric Diseases & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics of the School of Life Sciences, Hu Nan Sheng, China.
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of South China, Hu Nan Sheng, China.
- Institute for Future Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hu Nan Sheng, China.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Mohammadi E, Dashti S, Shafizade N, Jin H, Zhang C, Lam S, Tahmoorespur M, Mardinoglu A, Sekhavati MH. Drug repositioning for immunotherapy in breast cancer using single-cell analysis. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2024; 10:37. [PMID: 38589404 PMCID: PMC11001976 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-024-00359-z] [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: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Immunomodulatory peptides, while exhibiting potential antimicrobial, antifungal, and/or antiviral properties, can play a role in stimulating or suppressing the immune system, especially in pathological conditions like breast cancer (BC). Thus, deregulation of these peptides may serve as an immunotherapeutic strategy to enhance the immune response. In this meta-analysis, we utilized single-cell RNA sequencing data and known therapeutic peptides to investigate the deregulation of these peptides in malignant versus normal human breast epithelial cells. We corroborated our findings at the chromatin level using ATAC-seq. Additionally, we assessed the protein levels in various BC cell lines. Moreover, our in-house drug repositioning approach was employed to identify potential drugs that could positively impact the relapse-free survival of BC patients. Considering significantly deregulated therapeutic peptides and their role in BC pathology, our approach aims to downregulate B2M and SLPI, while upregulating PIGR, DEFB1, LTF, CLU, S100A7, and SCGB2A1 in BC epithelial cells through our drug repositioning pipeline. Leveraging the LINCS L1000 database, we propose BRD-A06641369 for B2M downregulation and ST-4070043 and BRD-K97926541 for SLPI downregulation without negatively affecting the MHC complex as a significantly correlated pathway with these two genes. Furthermore, we have compiled a comprehensive list of drugs for the upregulation of other selected immunomodulatory peptides. Employing an immunotherapeutic approach by integrating our drug repositioning pipeline with single-cell analysis, we proposed potential drugs and drug targets to fortify the immune system against BC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elyas Mohammadi
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Department of Animal Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
| | - Samira Dashti
- Department of Internal Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Science, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Neda Shafizade
- Department of Internal Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Science, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Han Jin
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Simon Lam
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Adil Mardinoglu
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Tang S, Wang Q, Sun K, Song Y, Liu R, Tan X, Li H, Lv Y, Yang F, Zhao J, Li S, Bi P, Yang J, Zhu Z, Chen D, Chuan Z, Luo X, Hu Z, Liu Y, Li Z, Ke T, Jiang D, Zheng K, Yang R, Chen K, Guo R. Metabolic Heterogeneity and Potential Immunotherapeutic Responses Revealed by Single-Cell Transcriptomics of Breast Cancer. Apoptosis 2024:10.1007/s10495-024-01952-7. [PMID: 38578322 DOI: 10.1007/s10495-024-01952-7] [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] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Breast cancer (BC) exhibits remarkable heterogeneity. However, the transcriptomic heterogeneity of BC at the single-cell level has not been fully elucidated. METHODS We acquired BC samples from 14 patients. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), bioinformatic analyses, along with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) assays were carried out. RESULTS According to the scRNA-seq results, 10 different cell types were identified. We found that Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) exhibited distinct biological functions and may promote resistance to therapy. Metabolic analysis of tumor cells revealed heterogeneity in glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and fatty acid synthetase reprogramming, which led to chemotherapy resistance. Furthermore, patients with multiple metastases and progression were predicted to benefit from immunotherapy based on a heterogeneity analysis of T cells and tumor cells. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the heterogeneity of BC, provide comprehensive insight into the correlation between cancer metabolism and chemotherapy resistance, and enable the prediction of immunotherapy responses based on T-cell heterogeneity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shicong Tang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China.
| | - Qing Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Ke Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, 650500, People's Republic of China
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Kunming, Yunnan, 650500, People's Republic of China
| | - Ying Song
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Liu
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Tan
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Huimeng Li
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yafeng Lv
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Fuying Yang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiawen Zhao
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Sijia Li
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Pingping Bi
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiali Yang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhengna Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, 650500, People's Republic of China
| | - Dong Chen
- Department of Ultrasound, Caner Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhirui Chuan
- Department of Ultrasound, Caner Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaomao Luo
- Department of Ultrasound, Caner Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Zaoxiu Hu
- Department of Pathology, Caner Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Ying Liu
- Department of Pathology, Caner Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenhui Li
- Department of Radiology, Caner Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Tengfei Ke
- Department of Radiology, Caner Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Dewei Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human, Disease Mechanisms of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- Kunming College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Kai Zheng
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Rirong Yang
- Center for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi key Laboratory for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530021, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi, 530021, People's Republic of China.
| | - Kai Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, 650500, People's Republic of China.
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Kunming, Yunnan, 650500, People's Republic of China.
| | - Rong Guo
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, Yunnan, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Sala-Hamrick KE, Tapaswi A, Polemi KM, Nguyen VK, Colacino JA. High-Throughput Transcriptomics of Nontumorigenic Breast Cells Exposed to Environmentally Relevant Chemicals. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2024; 132:47002. [PMID: 38568856 PMCID: PMC10990114 DOI: 10.1289/ehp12886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a suite of chemicals, including metals, pesticides, and personal care product compounds, which are commonly detected at high levels in US Center for Disease Control's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) chemical biomarker screens. Whether these chemicals influence development of breast cancer is not well understood. OBJECTIVES The objectives were to perform an unbiased concentration-dependent assessment of these chemicals, to quantify differences in cancer-specific genes and pathways, to describe if these differences occur at human population-relevant concentrations, and to specifically test for differences in markers of stemness and cellular plasticity. METHODS We treated nontumorigenic mammary epithelial cells, MCF10A, with 21 chemicals at four concentrations (25 nM , 250 nM , 2.5 μ M , and 25 μ M ) for 48 h. We conducted RNA-sequencing for these 408 samples, adapting the plexWell plate-based RNA-sequencing method to analyze differences in gene expression. We calculated gene and biological pathway-specific benchmark concentrations (BMCs) using BMDExpress3, identifying differentially expressed genes and generating the best fit benchmark concentration models for each chemical across all genes. We identified enriched biological processes and pathways for each chemical and tested whether chemical exposures change predicted cell type distributions. We contextualized benchmark concentrations relative to human population biomarker concentrations in NHANES. RESULTS We detected chemical concentration-dependent differences in gene expression for thousands of genes. Enrichment and cell type distribution analyses showed benchmark concentration responses correlated with differences in breast cancer-related pathways, including induction of basal-like characteristics for some chemicals, including arsenic, lead, copper, and methyl paraben. Comparison of benchmark data to NHANES chemical biomarker (urine or blood) concentrations indicated an overlap between exposure levels and levels sufficient to cause a gene expression response. DISCUSSION These analyses revealed that many of these 21 chemicals resulted in differences in genes and pathways involved in breast cancer in vitro at human exposure-relevant concentrations. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12886.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Anagha Tapaswi
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Katelyn M. Polemi
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Vy K. Nguyen
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Justin A. Colacino
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Program in the Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Croizer H, Mhaidly R, Kieffer Y, Gentric G, Djerroudi L, Leclere R, Pelon F, Robley C, Bohec M, Meng A, Meseure D, Romano E, Baulande S, Peltier A, Vincent-Salomon A, Mechta-Grigoriou F. Deciphering the spatial landscape and plasticity of immunosuppressive fibroblasts in breast cancer. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2806. [PMID: 38561380 PMCID: PMC10984943 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47068-z] [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: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Although heterogeneity of FAP+ Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts (CAF) has been described in breast cancer, their plasticity and spatial distribution remain poorly understood. Here, we analyze trajectory inference, deconvolute spatial transcriptomics at single-cell level and perform functional assays to generate a high-resolution integrated map of breast cancer (BC), with a focus on inflammatory and myofibroblastic (iCAF/myCAF) FAP+ CAF clusters. We identify 10 spatially-organized FAP+ CAF-related cellular niches, called EcoCellTypes, which are differentially localized within tumors. Consistent with their spatial organization, cancer cells drive the transition of detoxification-associated iCAF (Detox-iCAF) towards immunosuppressive extracellular matrix (ECM)-producing myCAF (ECM-myCAF) via a DPP4- and YAP-dependent mechanism. In turn, ECM-myCAF polarize TREM2+ macrophages, regulatory NK and T cells to induce immunosuppressive EcoCellTypes, while Detox-iCAF are associated with FOLR2+ macrophages in an immuno-protective EcoCellType. FAP+ CAF subpopulations accumulate differently according to the invasive BC status and predict invasive recurrence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which could help in identifying low-risk DCIS patients eligible for therapeutic de-escalation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Croizer
- Institut Curie, Stress and Cancer Laboratory, Equipe Labélisée par la Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, PSL Research University, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75248, Paris, France
- Inserm, U830, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Rana Mhaidly
- Institut Curie, Stress and Cancer Laboratory, Equipe Labélisée par la Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, PSL Research University, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75248, Paris, France
- Inserm, U830, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Yann Kieffer
- Institut Curie, Stress and Cancer Laboratory, Equipe Labélisée par la Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, PSL Research University, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75248, Paris, France
- Inserm, U830, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Geraldine Gentric
- Institut Curie, Stress and Cancer Laboratory, Equipe Labélisée par la Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, PSL Research University, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75248, Paris, France
- Inserm, U830, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Lounes Djerroudi
- Institut Curie, Stress and Cancer Laboratory, Equipe Labélisée par la Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, PSL Research University, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75248, Paris, France
- Inserm, U830, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75005, Paris, France
- Department of Diagnostic and Theragnostic Medicine, Institut Curie Hospital Group, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75248, Paris, France
| | - Renaud Leclere
- Department of Diagnostic and Theragnostic Medicine, Institut Curie Hospital Group, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75248, Paris, France
| | - Floriane Pelon
- Institut Curie, Stress and Cancer Laboratory, Equipe Labélisée par la Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, PSL Research University, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75248, Paris, France
- Inserm, U830, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Catherine Robley
- Institut Curie, Stress and Cancer Laboratory, Equipe Labélisée par la Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, PSL Research University, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75248, Paris, France
- Inserm, U830, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Mylene Bohec
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, ICGex Next-Generation Sequencing Platform, 75005, Paris, France
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Single Cell Initiative, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Arnaud Meng
- Institut Curie, Stress and Cancer Laboratory, Equipe Labélisée par la Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, PSL Research University, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75248, Paris, France
- Inserm, U830, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Didier Meseure
- Department of Diagnostic and Theragnostic Medicine, Institut Curie Hospital Group, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75248, Paris, France
| | - Emanuela Romano
- Department of Medical Oncology, Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Institut Curie, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75248, Paris, France
| | - Sylvain Baulande
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, ICGex Next-Generation Sequencing Platform, 75005, Paris, France
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Single Cell Initiative, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Agathe Peltier
- Institut Curie, Stress and Cancer Laboratory, Equipe Labélisée par la Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, PSL Research University, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75248, Paris, France
- Inserm, U830, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Anne Vincent-Salomon
- Department of Diagnostic and Theragnostic Medicine, Institut Curie Hospital Group, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75248, Paris, France
| | - Fatima Mechta-Grigoriou
- Institut Curie, Stress and Cancer Laboratory, Equipe Labélisée par la Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, PSL Research University, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75248, Paris, France.
- Inserm, U830, 26, Rue d'Ulm, F-75005, Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Reed AD, Pensa S, Steif A, Stenning J, Kunz DJ, Porter LJ, Hua K, He P, Twigger AJ, Siu AJQ, Kania K, Barrow-McGee R, Goulding I, Gomm JJ, Speirs V, Jones JL, Marioni JC, Khaled WT. A single-cell atlas enables mapping of homeostatic cellular shifts in the adult human breast. Nat Genet 2024; 56:652-662. [PMID: 38548988 PMCID: PMC11018528 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01688-9] [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: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Here we use single-cell RNA sequencing to compile a human breast cell atlas assembled from 55 donors that had undergone reduction mammoplasties or risk reduction mastectomies. From more than 800,000 cells we identified 41 cell subclusters across the epithelial, immune and stromal compartments. The contribution of these different clusters varied according to the natural history of the tissue. Age, parity and germline mutations, known to modulate the risk of developing breast cancer, affected the homeostatic cellular state of the breast in different ways. We found that immune cells from BRCA1 or BRCA2 carriers had a distinct gene expression signature indicative of potential immune exhaustion, which was validated by immunohistochemistry. This suggests that immune-escape mechanisms could manifest in non-cancerous tissues very early during tumor initiation. This atlas is a rich resource that can be used to inform novel approaches for early detection and prevention of breast cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Austin D Reed
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sara Pensa
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Adi Steif
- CRUK, Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jack Stenning
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Linsey J Porter
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kui Hua
- CRUK, Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Peng He
- EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
- Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Alecia-Jane Twigger
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Abigail J Q Siu
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Katarzyna Kania
- CRUK, Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Rachel Barrow-McGee
- Breast Cancer Now Tissue Bank, Centre for Tumour Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, John Vane Science Centre, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Iain Goulding
- Breast Cancer Now Tissue Bank, Centre for Tumour Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, John Vane Science Centre, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Jennifer J Gomm
- Breast Cancer Now Tissue Bank, Centre for Tumour Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, John Vane Science Centre, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Valerie Speirs
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
- Aberdeen Cancer Centre, Aberdeen, UK
| | - J Louise Jones
- Breast Cancer Now Tissue Bank, Centre for Tumour Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, John Vane Science Centre, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - John C Marioni
- CRUK, Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK.
- Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK.
- Genentech, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Walid T Khaled
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Malagoli G, Valle F, Barillot E, Caselle M, Martignetti L. Identification of Interpretable Clusters and Associated Signatures in Breast Cancer Single-Cell Data: A Topic Modeling Approach. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:1350. [PMID: 38611028 PMCID: PMC11011054 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16071350] [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: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Topic modeling is a popular technique in machine learning and natural language processing, where a corpus of text documents is classified into themes or topics using word frequency analysis. This approach has proven successful in various biological data analysis applications, such as predicting cancer subtypes with high accuracy and identifying genes, enhancers, and stable cell types simultaneously from sparse single-cell epigenomics data. The advantage of using a topic model is that it not only serves as a clustering algorithm, but it can also explain clustering results by providing word probability distributions over topics. Our study proposes a novel topic modeling approach for clustering single cells and detecting topics (gene signatures) in single-cell datasets that measure multiple omics simultaneously. We applied this approach to examine the transcriptional heterogeneity of luminal and triple-negative breast cancer cells using patient-derived xenograft models with acquired resistance to chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Through this approach, we identified protein-coding genes and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that group thousands of cells into biologically similar clusters, accurately distinguishing drug-sensitive and -resistant breast cancer types. In comparison to standard state-of-the-art clustering analyses, our approach offers an optimal partitioning of genes into topics and cells into clusters simultaneously, producing easily interpretable clustering outcomes. Additionally, we demonstrate that an integrative clustering approach, which combines the information from mRNAs and lncRNAs treated as disjoint omics layers, enhances the accuracy of cell classification.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Malagoli
- Institut Curie, Inserm U900, Mines ParisTech, PSL Research University, 75248 Paris, France; (G.M.); (E.B.)
- Physics Department, University of Turin and INFN, 10125 Turin, Italy;
| | - Filippo Valle
- Physics Department, University of Turin and INFN, 10125 Turin, Italy;
| | - Emmanuel Barillot
- Institut Curie, Inserm U900, Mines ParisTech, PSL Research University, 75248 Paris, France; (G.M.); (E.B.)
| | - Michele Caselle
- Physics Department, University of Turin and INFN, 10125 Turin, Italy;
| | - Loredana Martignetti
- Institut Curie, Inserm U900, Mines ParisTech, PSL Research University, 75248 Paris, France; (G.M.); (E.B.)
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Swanton C, Bernard E, Abbosh C, André F, Auwerx J, Balmain A, Bar-Sagi D, Bernards R, Bullman S, DeGregori J, Elliott C, Erez A, Evan G, Febbraio MA, Hidalgo A, Jamal-Hanjani M, Joyce JA, Kaiser M, Lamia K, Locasale JW, Loi S, Malanchi I, Merad M, Musgrave K, Patel KJ, Quezada S, Wargo JA, Weeraratna A, White E, Winkler F, Wood JN, Vousden KH, Hanahan D. Embracing cancer complexity: Hallmarks of systemic disease. Cell 2024; 187:1589-1616. [PMID: 38552609 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
The last 50 years have witnessed extraordinary developments in understanding mechanisms of carcinogenesis, synthesized as the hallmarks of cancer. Despite this logical framework, our understanding of the molecular basis of systemic manifestations and the underlying causes of cancer-related death remains incomplete. Looking forward, elucidating how tumors interact with distant organs and how multifaceted environmental and physiological parameters impinge on tumors and their hosts will be crucial for advances in preventing and more effectively treating human cancers. In this perspective, we discuss complexities of cancer as a systemic disease, including tumor initiation and promotion, tumor micro- and immune macro-environments, aging, metabolism and obesity, cancer cachexia, circadian rhythms, nervous system interactions, tumor-related thrombosis, and the microbiome. Model systems incorporating human genetic variation will be essential to decipher the mechanistic basis of these phenomena and unravel gene-environment interactions, providing a modern synthesis of molecular oncology that is primed to prevent cancers and improve patient quality of life and cancer outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charles Swanton
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK; Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK.
| | - Elsa Bernard
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK; INSERM U981, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | | | - Fabrice André
- INSERM U981, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France; Department of Medical Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France; Paris Saclay University, Kremlin-Bicetre, France
| | - Johan Auwerx
- Laboratory of Integrative Systems Physiology, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Allan Balmain
- UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - René Bernards
- Division of Molecular Carcinogenesis, Oncode Institute, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Susan Bullman
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - James DeGregori
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | | | - Ayelet Erez
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Gerard Evan
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK; Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Mark A Febbraio
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Andrés Hidalgo
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06519, USA; Area of Cardiovascular Regeneration, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Mariam Jamal-Hanjani
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | - Johanna A Joyce
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Katja Lamia
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jason W Locasale
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Sherene Loi
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; The Sir Department of Medical Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Miriam Merad
- Department of immunology and immunotherapy, Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kathryn Musgrave
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK; Department of Haematology, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Ketan J Patel
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Sergio Quezada
- Cancer Immunology Unit, Research Department of Haematology, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | - Jennifer A Wargo
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ashani Weeraratna
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Eileen White
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA; Ludwig Princeton Branch, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Frank Winkler
- Neurology Clinic and National Center for Tumor Diseases, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuro-oncology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - John N Wood
- Molecular Nociception Group, WIBR, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Douglas Hanahan
- Lausanne Branch, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne, Switzerland; Swiss institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland; Agora Translational Cancer Research Center, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Rodriguez E, Lindijer DV, van Vliet SJ, Garcia Vallejo JJ, van Kooyk Y. The transcriptional landscape of glycosylation-related genes in cancer. iScience 2024; 27:109037. [PMID: 38384845 PMCID: PMC10879703 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109037] [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: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Changes in glycosylation patterns have been associated with malignant transformation and clinical outcomes in several cancer types, prompting ongoing research into the mechanisms involved and potential clinical applications. In this study, we performed an extensive transcriptomic analysis of glycosylation-related genes and pathways, using publicly available bulk and single cell transcriptomic datasets from tumor samples and cancer cell lines. We identified genes and pathways strongly associated with different tumor types, which may represent novel diagnostic biomarkers. By using single cell RNA-seq data, we characterized the contribution of different cell types to the overall tumor glycosylation. Transcriptomic analysis of cancer cell lines revealed that they present a simplified landscape of genes compared to tissue. Lastly, we describe the association of different genes and pathways with the clinical outcome of patients. These results can serve as a resource for future research aimed to unravel the role of the glyco-code in cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto Rodriguez
- Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cancer Immunology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Dimitri V. Lindijer
- Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cancer Immunology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Sandra J. van Vliet
- Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cancer Immunology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Juan J. Garcia Vallejo
- Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cancer Immunology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Yvette van Kooyk
- Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Cancer Center Amsterdam, Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cancer Immunology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Pang L, Xiang F, Yang H, Shen X, Fang M, Li R, Long Y, Li J, Yu Y, Pang B. Single-cell integrative analysis reveals consensus cancer cell states and clinical relevance in breast cancer. Sci Data 2024; 11:289. [PMID: 38472225 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03127-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
High heterogeneity and complex interactions of malignant cells in breast cancer has been recognized as a driver of cancer progression and therapeutic failure. However, complete understanding of common cancer cell states and their underlying driver factors remain scarce and challenging. Here, we revealed seven consensus cancer cell states recurring cross patients by integrative analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data of breast cancer. The distinct biological functions, the subtype-specific distribution, the potential cells of origin and the interrelation of consensus cancer cell states were systematically elucidated and validated in multiple independent datasets. We further uncovered the internal regulons and external cell components in tumor microenvironments, which contribute to the consensus cancer cell states. Using the state-specific signature, we also inferred the abundance of cells with each consensus cancer cell state by deconvolution of large breast cancer RNA-seq cohorts, revealing the association of immune-related state with better survival. Our study provides new insights for the cancer cell state composition and potential therapeutic strategies of breast cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lin Pang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.
| | - Fengyu Xiang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Huan Yang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Xinyue Shen
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Ming Fang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Ran Li
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Yongjin Long
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Jiali Li
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Yonghuan Yu
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Bo Pang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Lin Z, Roche ME, Díaz-Barros V, Domingo-Vidal M, Whitaker-Menezes D, Tuluc M, Uppal G, Caro J, Curry JM, Martinez-Outschoorn U. MiR-200c reprograms fibroblasts to recapitulate the phenotype of CAFs in breast cancer progression. Cell Stress 2024; 8:1-20. [PMID: 38476765 PMCID: PMC10927306 DOI: 10.15698/cst2024.03.293] [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: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Mesenchymal-epithelial plasticity driving cancer progression in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) is undetermined. This work identifies a subgroup of CAFs in human breast cancer exhibiting mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) or epithelial-like profile with high miR-200c expression. MiR-200c overexpression in fibroblasts is sufficient to drive breast cancer aggressiveness. Oxidative stress in the tumor microenvironment induces miR-200c by DNA demethylation. Proteomics, RNA-seq and functional analyses reveal that miR-200c is a novel positive regulator of NFκB-HIF signaling via COMMD1 downregulation and stimulates pro-tumorigenic inflammation and glycolysis. Reprogramming fibroblasts toward MET via miR-200c reduces stemness and induces a senescent phenotype. This pro-tumorigenic profile in CAFs fosters carcinoma cell resistance to apoptosis, proliferation and immunosuppression, leading to primary tumor growth, metastases, and resistance to immuno-chemotherapy. Conversely, miR-200c inhibition in fibroblasts restrains tumor growth with abated oxidative stress and an anti-tumorigenic immune environment. This work determines the mechanisms by which MET in CAFs via miR-200c transcriptional enrichment with DNA demethylation triggered by oxidative stress promotes cancer progression. CAFs undergoing MET trans-differentiation and senescence coordinate heterotypic signaling that may be targeted as an anti-cancer strategy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhao Lin
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Megan E. Roche
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Víctor Díaz-Barros
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Marina Domingo-Vidal
- Immunology, Microenvironment & Metastasis Program, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Diana Whitaker-Menezes
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Madalina Tuluc
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Guldeep Uppal
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Jaime Caro
- Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research, Department of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Joseph M. Curry
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ubaldo Martinez-Outschoorn
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Lujano Olazaba O, Farrow J, Monkkonen T. Fibroblast heterogeneity and functions: insights from single-cell sequencing in wound healing, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and melanoma. Front Genet 2024; 15:1304853. [PMID: 38525245 PMCID: PMC10957653 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1304853] [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: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer has been described as the wound that does not heal, in large part due to fibroblast involvement. Activation of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) contributes to critical features of the tumor microenvironment, including upregulation of key marker proteins, recruitment of immune cells, and deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM)-similar to fibroblast activation in injury-induced wound healing. Prior to the widespread availability of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA seq), studies of CAFs or fibroblasts in wound healing largely relied on models guided by individual fibroblast markers, or methods with less resolution to unravel the heterogeneous nature of CAFs and wound healing fibroblasts (especially regarding scarring outcome). Here, insights from the enhanced resolution provided by scRNA sequencing of fibroblasts in normal wound healing, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and melanoma are discussed. These data have revealed differences in expression of established canonical activation marker genes, epigenetic modifications, fibroblast lineages, new gene and proteins of clinical interest for further experimentation, and novel signaling interactions with other cell types that include spatial information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Teresa Monkkonen
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Pei J, Peng Y, Ma K, Lan C, Zhang T, Li Y, Chen X, Gao H. Integrated analysis reveals FLI1 regulates the tumor immune microenvironment via its cell-type-specific expression and transcriptional regulation of distinct target genes of immune cells in breast cancer. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:250. [PMID: 38448802 PMCID: PMC10916124 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10174-9] [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: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immunotherapy is a practical therapeutic approach in breast cancer (BRCA), and the role of FLI1 in immune regulation has gradually been unveiled. However, the specific role of FLI1 in BRCA was conflicted; thus, additional convincing evidence is needed. METHODS We explored the upstream regulation of FLI1 expression via summary data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) analysis and ncRNA network construction centering on FLI1 using BRCA genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) and DNA methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTLs) from the blood and a series of in silico analyses, respectively. We illuminated the downstream function of FLI1 in immune regulation by integrating a series of analyses of single-cell RNA sequence data (scRNA-seq). RESULTS We verified a causal pathway from FLI1 methylation to FLI1 gene expression to BRCA onset and demonstrated that FLI1 was downregulated in BRCA. FLI1, a transcription factor, served as myeloid and T cells' communication regulator by targeting immune-related ligands and receptor transcription in BRCA tissues. We constructed a ceRNA network centering on FLI1 that consisted of three LncRNAs (CKMT2-AS1, PSMA3-AS1, and DIO3OS) and a miRNA (hsa-miR-324-5p), and the expression of FLI1 was positively related to a series of immune-related markers, including immune cell infiltration, biomarkers of immune cells, and immune checkpoints. CONCLUSION Low-methylation-induced or ncRNA-mediated downregulation of FLI1 is associated with poor prognosis, and FLI1 might regulate the tumor immune microenvironment via a cell-type-specific target genes manner in BRCA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianying Pei
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, 100081, China
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child-care Hospital (Gansu Provincial Central Hospital), Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Ying Peng
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Kexin Ma
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, 100081, China
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Chunyan Lan
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, 100081, China
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Tingting Zhang
- Medical College of Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, 730030, China
| | - Yan Li
- Medical College of Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, 730030, China
| | - Xiaofang Chen
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Huafang Gao
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, 100081, China.
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Wang S, Li Z, Hou J, Li X, Ni Q, Wang T. Integrating PANoptosis insights to enhance breast cancer prognosis and therapeutic decision-making. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1359204. [PMID: 38504988 PMCID: PMC10948567 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1359204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Despite advancements, breast cancer outcomes remain stagnant, highlighting the need for precise biomarkers in precision medicine. Traditional TNM staging is insufficient for identifying patients who will respond well to treatment. Methods Our study involved over 6,900 breast cancer patients from 14 datasets, including in-house clinical data and single-cell data from 8 patients (37,451 cells). We integrated 10 machine learning algorithms in 55 combinations and analyzed 100 existing breast cancer signatures. IHC assays were conducted for validation, and potential immunotherapies and chemotherapies were explored. Results We pinpointed six stable Panoptosis-related genes from multi-center cohorts, leading to a robust Panoptosis-model. This model outperformed existing clinical and molecular features in predicting recurrence and mortality risks, with high-risk patients showing worse outcomes. IHC validation from 30 patients confirmed our findings, indicating the model's broader applicability. Additionally, the model suggested that low-risk patients benefit more from immunotherapy, while high-risk patients are sensitive to specific chemotherapies like BI-2536 and ispinesib. Conclusion The Panoptosis-model represents a major advancement in breast cancer prognosis and treatment personalization, offering significant insights for effectively managing a wide range of breast cancer patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shu Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Zhuolin Li
- Department of Breast Surgery, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- Medical College, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Jing Hou
- Department of Breast Surgery, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Xukui Li
- Research Laboratory Center, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Qing Ni
- Department of Breast Surgery, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Research Laboratory Center, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Tan J, Egelston CA, Guo W, Stark JM, Lee PP. STING signalling compensates for low tumour mutation burden to drive anti-tumour immunity. EBioMedicine 2024; 101:105035. [PMID: 38401418 PMCID: PMC10904200 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105035] [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: 05/20/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND While mutation-derived neoantigens are well recognized in generating anti-tumour T cell response, increasing evidences highlight the complex association between tumour mutation burden (TMB) and tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). The exploration of non-TMB determinants of active immune response could improve the prognosis prediction and provide guidance for current immunotherapy. METHODS The transcriptomic and whole exome sequence data in The Cancer Genome Atlas were used to examine the relationship between TMB and exhausted CD8+ T cells (Tex), as an indicator of tumour antigen-specific T cells across nine major cancer types. Computational clustering analysis was performed on 4510 tumours to identify different immune profiles. NanoString gene expression analysis and single cell RNA-seq analysis using fresh human breast cancer were performed for finding validation. FINDINGS TMB was found to be poorly correlated with active immune response in various cancer types. Patient clustering analysis revealed a group of tumours with abundant Tex but low TMB. In those tumours, we observed significantly higher expression of the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signalling. Dendritic cells, particularly those of BATF3+ lineage, were also found to be essential for accumulation of Tex within tumours. Mechanistically, loss of genomic and cellular integrity, marked by decreased DNA damage repair, defective replication stress response, and increased apoptosis were shown to drive STING activation. INTERPRETATION These results highlight that TMB alone does not fully predict tumour immune profiles, with STING signalling compensating for low TMB in non-hypermutated tumours to enhance anti-tumour immunity. Translating these results, STING agonists may benefit patients with non-hypermutated tumours. STING activation may serve as an additional biomarker to predict response to immune checkpoint blockades alongside TMB. Our research also unravelled the interplay between genomic instability and STING activation, informing potential combined chemotherapy targeting the axis of genomic integrity and immunotherapy. FUNDING City of Hope Christopher Family Endowed Innovation Fund for Alzheimer's Disease and Breast Cancer Research in honor of Vineta Christopher; Breast Cancer Alliance Early Career Investigator Award; National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01CA256989 and R01CA240392.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Tan
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA; Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Colt A Egelston
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Weihua Guo
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Jeremy M Stark
- Department of Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Peter P Lee
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Wang L, Guo W, Guo Z, Yu J, Tan J, Simons DL, Hu K, Liu X, Zhou Q, Zheng Y, Colt EA, Yim J, Waisman J, Lee PP. PD-L1-expressing tumor-associated macrophages are immunostimulatory and associate with good clinical outcome in human breast cancer. Cell Rep Med 2024; 5:101420. [PMID: 38382468 PMCID: PMC10897617 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 12/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the predominant cells that express programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) within human tumors in addition to cancer cells, and PD-L1+ TAMs are generally thought to be immunosuppressive within the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Using single-cell transcriptomic and spatial multiplex immunofluorescence analyses, we show that PD-L1+ TAMs are mature and immunostimulatory with spatial preference to T cells. In contrast, PD-L1- TAMs are immunosuppressive and spatially co-localize with cancer cells. Either higher density of PD-L1+ TAMs alone or ratio of PD-L1+/PD-L1- TAMs correlate with favorable clinical outcome in two independent cohorts of patients with breast cancer. Mechanistically, we show that PD-L1 is upregulated during the monocyte-to-macrophage maturation and differentiation process and does not require external IFN-γ stimulus. Functionally, PD-L1+ TAMs are more mature/activated and promote CD8+ T cells proliferation and cytotoxic capacity. Together, our findings reveal insights into the immunological significance of PD-L1 within the TIME.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wang
- International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China.
| | - Weihua Guo
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Zhikun Guo
- International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Jiangnan Yu
- International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Jiayi Tan
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Diana L Simons
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Ke Hu
- Department of Hematology-Oncology, International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Xinyu Liu
- International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Qian Zhou
- International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Yizi Zheng
- Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital/First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518035, China
| | - Egelston A Colt
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - John Yim
- Department of Surgery, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - James Waisman
- Department of Medical Oncology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Peter P Lee
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Yang B, Wang S, Yang Y, Li X, Yu F, Wang T. Endoplasmic reticulum stress in breast cancer: a predictive model for prognosis and therapy selection. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1332942. [PMID: 38440732 PMCID: PMC10910050 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1332942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Breast cancer (BC) is a leading cause of mortality among women, underscoring the urgent need for improved therapeutic predictio. Developing a precise prognostic model is crucial. The role of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress (ERS) in cancer suggests its potential as a critical factor in BC development and progression, highlighting the importance of precise prognostic models for tailored treatment strategies. Methods Through comprehensive analysis of ERS-related gene expression in BC, utilizing both single-cell and bulk sequencing data from varied BC subtypes, we identified eight key ERS-related genes. LASSO regression and machine learning techniques were employed to construct a prognostic model, validated across multiple datasets and compared with existing models for its predictive accuracy. Results The developed ERS-model categorizes BC patients into distinct risk groups with significant differences in clinical prognosis, confirmed by robust ROC, DCA, and KM analyses. The model forecasts survival rates with high precision, revealing distinct immune infiltration patterns and treatment responsiveness between risk groups. Notably, we discovered six druggable targets and validated Methotrexate and Gemcitabine as effective agents for high-risk BC treatment, based on their sensitivity profiles and potential for addressing the lack of active targets in BC. Conclusion Our study advances BC research by establishing a significant link between ERS and BC prognosis at both the molecular and cellular levels. By stratifying patients into risk-defined groups, we unveil disparities in immune cell infiltration and drug response, guiding personalized treatment. The identification of potential drug targets and therapeutic agents opens new avenues for targeted interventions, promising to enhance outcomes for high-risk BC patients and paving the way for personalized cancer therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bin Yang
- Research Laboratory Center, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-Related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Shu Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Yanfang Yang
- Research Laboratory Center, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-Related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Xukui Li
- Research Laboratory Center, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-Related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Fuxun Yu
- Research Laboratory Center, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-Related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Research Laboratory Center, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-Related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Jacobo Jacobo M, Donnella HJ, Sobti S, Kaushik S, Goga A, Bandyopadhyay S. An inflamed tumor cell subpopulation promotes chemotherapy resistance in triple negative breast cancer. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3694. [PMID: 38355954 PMCID: PMC10866903 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53999-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: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Individual cancers are composed of heterogeneous tumor cells with distinct phenotypes and genotypes, with triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) demonstrating the most heterogeneity among breast cancer types. Variability in transcriptional phenotypes could meaningfully limit the efficacy of monotherapies and fuel drug resistance, although to an unknown extent. To determine if transcriptional differences between tumor cells lead to differential drug responses we performed single cell RNA-seq on cell line and PDX models of breast cancer revealing cell subpopulations in states associated with resistance to standard-of-care therapies. We found that TNBC models contained a subpopulation in an inflamed cellular state, often also present in human breast cancer samples. Inflamed cells display evidence of heightened cGAS/STING signaling which we demonstrate is sufficient to cause tumor cell resistance to chemotherapy. Accordingly, inflamed cells were enriched in human tumors taken after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and associated with early recurrence, highlighting the potential for diverse tumor cell states to promote drug resistance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio Jacobo Jacobo
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Hayley J Donnella
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Sushil Sobti
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Swati Kaushik
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Andrei Goga
- Department of Cell & Tissue Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Sourav Bandyopadhyay
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Bhuva DD, Tan CW, Liu N, Whitfield HJ, Papachristos N, Lee SC, Kharbanda M, Mohamed A, Davis MJ. vissE: a versatile tool to identify and visualise higher-order molecular phenotypes from functional enrichment analysis. BMC Bioinformatics 2024; 25:64. [PMID: 38331751 PMCID: PMC10854147 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-024-05676-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: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Functional analysis of high throughput experiments using pathway analysis is now ubiquitous. Though powerful, these methods often produce thousands of redundant results owing to knowledgebase redundancies upstream. This scale of results hinders extensive exploration by biologists and can lead to investigator biases due to previous knowledge and expectations. To address this issue, we present vissE, a flexible network-based analysis and visualisation tool that organises information into semantic categories and provides various visualisation modules to characterise them with respect to the underlying data, thus providing a comprehensive view of the biological system. We demonstrate vissE's versatility by applying it to three different technologies: bulk, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics. Applying vissE to a factor analysis of a breast cancer spatial transcriptomic data, we identified stromal phenotypes that support tumour dissemination. Its adaptability allows vissE to enhance all existing gene-set enrichment and pathway analysis workflows, empowering biologists during molecular discovery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dharmesh D Bhuva
- Division of Bioinformatics, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
- South Australian immunoGENomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI), Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia.
| | - Chin Wee Tan
- Division of Bioinformatics, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
- Fraser Institute, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4102, Australia
| | - Ning Liu
- Division of Bioinformatics, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
- South Australian immunoGENomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI), Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Holly J Whitfield
- Division of Bioinformatics, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Nicholas Papachristos
- Division of Bioinformatics, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Samuel C Lee
- Division of Bioinformatics, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Malvika Kharbanda
- Division of Bioinformatics, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
- South Australian immunoGENomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI), Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Ahmed Mohamed
- Division of Bioinformatics, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
- Colonial Foundation Healthy Ageing Centre, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Melissa J Davis
- Division of Bioinformatics, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
- South Australian immunoGENomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI), Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
- Fraser Institute, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4102, Australia
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| |
Collapse
|