1
|
Diaz D, Bergdorf K, Loberg MA, Phifer CJ, Xu GJ, Sheng Q, Chen SC, Byrant JM, Tigue ML, Hartmann H, Rohde SL, Netterville JL, Baregamian N, Goettel JA, Ye F, Lee E, Weiss VL. Wnt/β-catenin signaling is a therapeutic target in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. Endocrine 2024:10.1007/s12020-024-03887-0. [PMID: 38806891 DOI: 10.1007/s12020-024-03887-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a highly aggressive malignancy that has consistently shown Wnt/β-catenin (canonical) signaling activation in various study populations. There are currently no targetable treatments for BRAF-wildtype ATC and a lack of effective treatment for BRAFV600EATC. Our aim is to identify whether Wnt inhibitors could be potential therapeutic agents for ATC patients with limited treatment options. METHODS In this Institutional Review Board-approved study, we utilize a cohort of 32 ATCs and 20 non-neoplastic multinodular goiters (MNG). We also use 4 ATC spheroid cell lines (THJ-16T, THJ-21T, THJ-29T, and THJ-11T) and two primary patient-derived ATC organoid cultures (VWL-T5 and VWL-T60). Finally, we use a murine xenograft mouse model of ATC for in vivo treatment studies. RESULTS Using a large patient cohort, we demonstrate that this near-universal Wnt signaling activation is associated with ligand expression- rather than being mutationally-driven. We show that pyrvinium pamoate, a potent Wnt inhibitor, exhibits in vitro efficacy against both ATC cell lines and primary patient-derived ATC organoids VWL-T5 (p < 0.05) and VWL-T60 (p < 0.01) Finally, using a murine xenograft model of ATC, we show that pyrvinium significantly delays the growth of ATC tumors in THJ-16T (p < 0.005) and THJ-21T (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS We tested Wnt inhibitor treatment, both in vitro and in vivo, as a potential novel therapy for this highly lethal disease. Future large-scale studies utilizing multiple Wnt inhibitors will lay the foundation for the development of these novel therapies for patients with ATC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Diana Diaz
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Kensey Bergdorf
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Matthew A Loberg
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Courtney J Phifer
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - George J Xu
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Quanhu Sheng
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Sheau-Chiann Chen
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jamal M Byrant
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Megan L Tigue
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Heather Hartmann
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Sarah L Rohde
- Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - James L Netterville
- Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Naira Baregamian
- Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jeremy A Goettel
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Fei Ye
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Ethan Lee
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Vivian L Weiss
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Németh A, Bányai GL, Dobos NK, Kós T, Gaál A, Varga Z, Buzás EI, Khamari D, Dank M, Takács I, Szász AM, Garay T. Extracellular vesicles promote migration despite BRAF inhibitor treatment in malignant melanoma cells. Cell Commun Signal 2024; 22:282. [PMID: 38778340 PMCID: PMC11110207 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-024-01660-4] [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: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) constitute a vital component of intercellular communication, exerting significant influence on metastasis formation and drug resistance mechanisms. Malignant melanoma (MM) is one of the deadliest forms of skin cancers, because of its high metastatic potential and often acquired resistance to oncotherapies. The prevalence of BRAF mutations in MM underscores the importance of BRAF-targeted therapies, such as vemurafenib and dabrafenib, alone or in combination with the MEK inhibitor, trametinib. This study aimed to elucidate the involvement of EVs in MM progression and ascertain whether EV-mediated metastasis promotion persists during single agent BRAF (vemurafenib, dabrafenib), or MEK (trametinib) and combined BRAF/MEK (dabrafenib/trametinib) inhibition.Using five pairs of syngeneic melanoma cell lines, we assessed the impact of EVs - isolated from their respective supernatants - on melanoma cell proliferation and migration. Cell viability and spheroid growth assays were employed to evaluate proliferation, while migration was analyzed through mean squared displacement (MSD) and total traveled distance (TTD) measurements derived from video microscopy and single-cell tracking.Our results indicate that while EV treatments had remarkable promoting effect on cell migration, they exerted only a modest effect on cell proliferation and spheroid growth. Notably, EVs demonstrated the ability to mitigate the inhibitory effects of BRAF inhibitors, albeit they were ineffective against a MEK inhibitor and the combination of BRAF/MEK inhibitors. In summary, our findings contribute to the understanding of the intricate role played by EVs in tumor progression, metastasis, and drug resistance in MM.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Afrodité Németh
- Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gréta L Bányai
- Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Nikolett K Dobos
- Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tamás Kós
- Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anikó Gaál
- Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry; Biological Nanochemistry Research Group, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Varga
- Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry; Biological Nanochemistry Research Group, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Edit I Buzás
- Department of Genetics, Cell- and Immunobiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- ELKH-SE Translational Extracellular Vesicle Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
- HCEMM-SE Extracellular Vesicle Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Delaram Khamari
- Department of Genetics, Cell- and Immunobiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Magdolna Dank
- Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology, Division of Oncology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - István Takács
- Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology, Division of Oncology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - A Marcell Szász
- Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology, Division of Oncology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tamás Garay
- Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology, Division of Oncology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Oh JM, Gangadaran P, Rajendran RL, Hong CM, Lee J, Ahn BC. Different Expression of Thyroid-Specific Proteins in Thyroid Cancer Cells between 2-Dimensional (2D) and 3-Dimensional (3D) Culture Environment. Cells 2022; 11:cells11223559. [PMID: 36428988 PMCID: PMC9688357 DOI: 10.3390/cells11223559] [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: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The two-dimensional (2D) monolayer culture as a conventional method has been widely applied in molecular biology fields, but it has limited capability to recapitulate real cell environments, being prone to misinterpretation with poor prediction of in vivo behavior. Recently, the three-dimensional (3D) spheroid culture has been studied extensively. Spheroids are self-assembled cell aggregates that have biomimicry capabilities. The behavior of thyroid cancer under the 3D spheroid culture environment has been studied; however, there are no reports regarding differences in the degree of thyroid cancer cell differentiation under 2D and 3D culture conditions. This study investigated the expression of thyroid differentiation proteins related to iodide-metabolizing mechanisms in thyroid cancer cells under different culture conditions. Four thyroid cancer cell lines and one thyroid follicular epithelial cell line were grown in adherent 2D cell culture and 3D spheroid culture with agarose-coated plates. We observed changes in proliferation, hypoxia, extracellular matrix (ECM), cytoskeleton, thyroid-specific proteins, and thyroid transcription factors. All cell lines were successfully established in the spheroid following cell aggregation. Proliferation considerably decreased, while hypoxia-inducible factor 1-α(HIF1-α) was promoted in 3D spheroids; moreover, 3D spheroids with thyroid cancers showed diminished thyroid differentiation markers, but thyroid follicular epithelial cells revealed either a maintenance or weak decline of protein expression. We verified that the 3D spheroid culture environment can be similar to in vivo conditions because of its alterations in numerous cellular and functional activities, including morphology, cellular proliferation, viability, hypoxia, ECM, cytoskeleton, and thyroid differentiation, compared to the conventional 2D monolayer culture environment. An in vitro experimental study using 3D spheroid culture is ideal for the faster discovery of new drugs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ji Min Oh
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Korea
| | - Prakash Gangadaran
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Korea
- BK21 FOUR KNU Convergence Educational Program of Biomedical Sciences for Creative Future Talents, Department of Biomedical Science, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Korea
| | - Ramya Lakshmi Rajendran
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Korea
| | - Chae Moon Hong
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Korea
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu 41944, Korea
| | - Jaetae Lee
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Korea
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu 41944, Korea
| | - Byeong-Cheol Ahn
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Korea
- BK21 FOUR KNU Convergence Educational Program of Biomedical Sciences for Creative Future Talents, Department of Biomedical Science, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Korea
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu 41944, Korea
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-53-420-5583; Fax: +82-53-200-6447
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Utilizing Three-Dimensional Culture Methods to Improve High-Throughput Drug Screening in Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14081855. [PMID: 35454763 PMCID: PMC9031362 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14081855] [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: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is the most aggressive endocrine neoplasm, with a median survival of just four to six months post-diagnosis. Even with surgical and chemotherapeutic interventions, the five-year survival rate is less than 5%. Although combination dabrafenib/trametinib therapy was recently approved for treatment of the ~25% of ATCs harboring BRAFV600E mutations, there are no approved, effective treatments for BRAF-wildtype disease. Herein, we perform a screen of 1525 drugs and evaluate therapeutic candidates using monolayer cell lines and four corresponding spheroid models of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. We utilize three-dimensional culture methods, as they have been shown to more accurately recapitulate tumor responses in vivo. These three-dimensional cultures include four distinct ATC spheroid lines representing unique morphology and mutational drivers to provide drug prioritization that will be more readily translatable to the clinic. Using this screen, we identify three exceptionally potent compounds (bortezomib, cabazitaxel, and YM155) that have established safety profiles and could potentially be moved into clinical trial for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, a disease with few treatment options.
Collapse
|
5
|
Bergdorf KN, Phifer CJ, Bechard ME, Lee MA, McDonald OG, Lee E, Weiss VL. Immunofluorescent staining of cancer spheroids and fine-needle aspiration-derived organoids. STAR Protoc 2021; 2:100578. [PMID: 34136836 PMCID: PMC8182106 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2021.100578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Our organoid generation technique has allowed for the development of downstream organoid applications. Here, we detail an accessible, straightforward protocol for immunofluorescent staining and imaging of thyroid cancer organoids, particularly those with tumor de-differentiation. Immunofluorescence is a powerful tool to help understand the localization of cell types within organoids and determine the interactions between those cells. As organoids have been shown to recapitulate patient tumor morphology, immunofluorescent staining and imaging of organoids allows for enhanced understanding of near in vivo structures. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Lee et al. (2020) and Vilgelm et al. (2020).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kensey N. Bergdorf
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Courtney J. Phifer
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Matthew E. Bechard
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Mason A. Lee
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Oliver G. McDonald
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Pathology, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Ethan Lee
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Vivian L. Weiss
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Phifer CJ, Bergdorf KN, Bechard ME, Vilgelm A, Baregamian N, McDonald OG, Lee E, Weiss VL. Obtaining patient-derived cancer organoid cultures via fine-needle aspiration. STAR Protoc 2021; 2:100220. [PMID: 33377121 PMCID: PMC7758553 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2020.100220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Patient-derived tumor organoid cultures are an essential and innovative methodology for translational research. However, current techniques to establish these cultures are cumbersome, expensive, and often require irreplaceable clinical tissue from surgery or core biopsies. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) provides a minimally invasive biopsy technique commonly performed in clinical settings. Here, we provide a protocol for FNA. We have found that FNA provides a cost-effective, rapid, and streamlined method for tissue acquisition for cancer organoid culture. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Lee et al. (2020) and Vilgelm et al. (2020).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Courtney J. Phifer
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Kensey N. Bergdorf
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Matthew E. Bechard
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Anna Vilgelm
- Department of Pathology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Naira Baregamian
- Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Oliver G. McDonald
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Ethan Lee
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Vivian L. Weiss
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Bergdorf K, Phifer C, Bharti V, Westover D, Bauer J, Vilgelm A, Lee E, Weiss V. High-throughput drug screening of fine-needle aspiration-derived cancer organoids. STAR Protoc 2020; 1:100212. [PMID: 33377106 PMCID: PMC7757655 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2020.100212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Generation of fine-needle aspiration (FNA)-derived cancer organoids has allowed us to develop a number of downstream applications. In this protocol, we start with organoids cultured in a semi-solid format. We dissociate organoids into single cells and then plate in a 384-well format for high-throughput drug screening. While this method must be fine-tuned for each individual organoid culture, it offers a format well suited for rapidly screening medium-sized drug/compound libraries (500-5,000 molecules) and generating dose-response curves to measure relative efficacy. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Lee et al. (2020) and Vilgelm et al. (2020).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kensey Bergdorf
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Courtney Phifer
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Vijaya Bharti
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - David Westover
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology- High-Throughput Screening Facility, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Joshua Bauer
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology- High-Throughput Screening Facility, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Anna Vilgelm
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Ethan Lee
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Vivian Weiss
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Gene Expression Signature of BRAF Inhibitor Resistant Melanoma Spheroids. Pathol Oncol Res 2020; 26:2557-2566. [PMID: 32613561 PMCID: PMC7471197 DOI: 10.1007/s12253-020-00837-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In vitro cell cultures are frequently used to define the molecular background of drug resistance. The majority of currently available data have been obtained from 2D in vitro cultures, however, 3D cell culture systems (spheroids) are more likely to behave similarly to in vivo conditions. Our major aim was to compare the gene expression signature of 2D and 3D cultured BRAFV600E mutant melanoma cell lines. We successfully developed BRAF-drug resistant cell lines from paired primary/metastatic melanoma cell lines in both 2D and 3D in vitro cultures. Using Affymetrix Human Gene 1.0 ST arrays, we determined the gene expression pattern of all cell lines. Our analysis revealed 1049 genes (562 upregulated and 487 downregulated) that were differentially expressed between drug-sensitive cells grown under different cell cultures. Pathway analysis showed that the differently expressed genes were mainly associated with the cell cycle, p53, and other cancer-related pathways. The number of upregulated genes (72 genes) was remarkably fewer when comparing the resistant adherent cells to cells that grow in 3D, and were associated with cell adhesion molecules and IGF1R signalling. Only 1% of the upregulated and 5.6% of the downregulated genes were commonly altered between the sensitive and the resistant spheroids. Interestingly, we found several genes (BNIP3, RING1 and ABHD4) with inverse expression signature between sensitive and resistant spheroids, which are involved in anoikis resistance and cell cycle regulation. In summary, our study highlights gene expression alterations that might help to understand the development of acquired resistance in melanoma cells in tumour tissue.
Collapse
|