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Rodríguez-Candela Mateos M, Carpintero-Fernández P, Freijanes PS, Mosquera J, Nebril BA, Mayán MD. Insights into the role of connexins and specialized intercellular communication pathways in breast cancer: Mechanisms and applications. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2024; 1879:189173. [PMID: 39154967 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2024.189173] [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: 05/27/2024] [Revised: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024]
Abstract
Gap junctions, membrane-based channels comprised of connexin proteins (Cxs), facilitate direct communication among neighbouring cells and between cells and the extracellular space through their hemichannels. The normal human breast expresses various Cxs family proteins, such as Cx43, Cx30, Cx32, Cx46, and Cx26, crucial for proper tissue development and function. These proteins play a significant role in breast cancer development, progression, and therapy response. In primary tumours, there is often a reduction and cytoplasmic mislocalization of Cx43 and Cx26, while metastatic lesions show an upregulation of these and other Cxs. Although existing research predominantly supports the tumour-suppressing role of Cxs in primary carcinomas through channel-dependent and independent functions, controversies persist regarding their involvement in the metastatic process. This review aims to provide an updated perspective on Cxs in human breast cancer, with a specific focus on intrinsic subtypes due to the heterogeneous nature of this disease. Additionally, the manuscript will explore the role of Cxs in immune interactions and novel forms of intercellular communication, such as tunneling nanotubes and extracellular vesicles, within the breast tumour context and tumour microenvironment. Recent findings suggest that Cxs hold potential as therapeutic targets for mitigating metastasis and drug resistance. Furthermore, they may serve as novel biomarkers for cancer prognosis, offering promising avenues for future research and clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Rodríguez-Candela Mateos
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain
| | - Paula Carpintero-Fernández
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain; CellCOM Research Group, Center for Research in Nanomaterials and Biomedicine (CINBIO), Universidade de Vigo, Edificio Olimpia Valencia, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain; Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS, Spain
| | - Paz Santiago Freijanes
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain; Anatomic Pathology Department, Breast Unit, A Coruña University Hospital, SERGAS, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Joaquin Mosquera
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain; Surgery Department, Breast Unit, A Coruña University Hospital, SERGAS, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Benigno Acea Nebril
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain; Surgery Department, Breast Unit, A Coruña University Hospital, SERGAS, A Coruña, Spain
| | - María D Mayán
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain; CellCOM Research Group, Center for Research in Nanomaterials and Biomedicine (CINBIO), Universidade de Vigo, Edificio Olimpia Valencia, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain; Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS, Spain.
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Zoteva V, De Meulenaere V, Vanhove C, Leybaert L, Raedt R, Pieters L, Vral A, Boterberg T, Deblaere K. Integrating and optimizing tonabersat in standard glioblastoma therapy: A preclinical study. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300552. [PMID: 38489314 PMCID: PMC10942024 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300552] [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: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GB), a highly aggressive primary brain tumor, presents a poor prognosis despite the current standard therapy, including radiotherapy and temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy. Tumor microtubes involving connexin 43 (Cx43) contribute to glioma progression and therapy resistance, suggesting Cx43 inhibition as a potential treatment strategy. This research aims to explore the adjuvant potential of tonabersat, a Cx43 gap junction modulator and blood-brain barrier-penetrating compound, in combination with the standard of care for GB. In addition, different administration schedules and timings to optimize tonabersat's therapeutic window are investigated. The F98 Fischer rat model will be utilized to investigate tonabersat's impact in a clinically relevant setting, by incorporating fractionated radiotherapy (three fractions of 9 Gy) and TMZ chemotherapy (29 mg/kg). This study will evaluate tonabersat's impact on tumor growth, survival, and treatment response through advanced imaging (CE T1-w MRI) and histological analysis. Results show extended survival in rats receiving tonabersat with standard care, highlighting its adjuvant potential. Daily tonabersat administration, both preceding and following radiotherapy, emerges as a promising approach for maximizing survival outcomes. The study suggests tonabersat's potential to reduce tumor invasiveness, providing a new avenue for GB treatment. In conclusion, this preclinical investigation highlights tonabersat's potential as an effective adjuvant treatment for GB, and its established safety profile from clinical trials in migraine treatment presents a promising foundation for further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Luc Leybaert
- Physiology Group, Department of Basic and Applied Medical Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Robrecht Raedt
- Department of Head and Skin, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Leen Pieters
- Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Anne Vral
- Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tom Boterberg
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Karel Deblaere
- Department of Radiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Monteran L, Zait Y, Erez N. It's all about the base: stromal cells are central orchestrators of metastasis. Trends Cancer 2024; 10:208-229. [PMID: 38072691 DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2023.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2024]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is an integral part of tumors and plays a central role in all stages of carcinogenesis and progression. Each organ has a unique and heterogeneous microenvironment, which affects the ability of disseminated cells to grow in the new and sometimes hostile metastatic niche. Resident stromal cells, such as fibroblasts, osteoblasts, and astrocytes, are essential culprits in the modulation of metastatic progression: they transition from being sentinels of tissue integrity to being dysfunctional perpetrators that support metastatic outgrowth. Therefore, better understanding of the complexity of their reciprocal interactions with cancer cells and with other components of the TME is essential to enable the design of novel therapeutic approaches to prevent metastatic relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Monteran
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yael Zait
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Neta Erez
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Liu X, Liu L, Wu A, Huang S, Xu Z, Zhang X, Li Z, Li H, Dong J. Transformed astrocytes confer temozolomide resistance on glioblastoma via delivering ALKBH7 to enhance APNG expression after educating by glioblastoma stem cells-derived exosomes. CNS Neurosci Ther 2024; 30:e14599. [PMID: 38332576 PMCID: PMC10853646 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14599] [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: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glioblastoma is the most malignant primary brain tumor in adults. Temozolomide (TMZ) stands for the first-line chemotherapeutic agent against glioblastoma. Nevertheless, the therapeutic efficacy of TMZ appears to be remarkably limited, because of low cytotoxic efficiency against glioblastoma. Besides, various mechanical studies and the corresponding strategies fail to enhancing TMZ curative effect in clinical practice. Our previous studies have disclosed remodeling of glial cells by GSCs, but the roles of these transformed cells on promoting TMZ resistance have never been explored. METHODS Exosomes were extracted from GSCs culture through standard centrifugation procedures, which can activate transformation of normal human astrocytes (NHAs) totumor-associated astrocytes (TAAs) for 3 days through detect the level of TGF-β, CD44 and tenascin-C. The secretive protein level of ALKBH7 of TAAs was determined by ELISA kit. The protein level of APNG and ALKBH7 of GBM cells were determined by Western blot. Cell-based assays of ALKBH7 and APNG triggered drug resistance were performed through flow cytometric assay, Western blotting and colony formation assay respectively. A xenograft tumor model was applied to investigate the function of ALKBH7 in vivo. Finally, the effect of the ALKBH7/APNG signaling on TMZ resistance were evaluated by functional experiments. RESULTS Exosomes derived from GSCs can activate transformation of normal human astrocytes (NHAs)to tumor-associated astrocytes (TAAs), as well as up-regulation of ALKBH7expression in TAAs. Besides, TAAs derived ALKBH7 can regulate APNG gene expression of GBM cells. After co-culturing with TAAs for 5 days, ALKBH7 and APNG expression in GBM cells were elevated. Furthermore, Knocking-down of APNG increased the inhibitory effect of TMZ on GBM cells survival. CONCLUSION The present study illustrated a new mechanism of glioblastoma resistance to TMZ, which based on GSCs-exo educated TAAs delivering ALKBH7 to enhance APNG expression of GBM cells, which implied that targeting on ALKBH7/APNG regulation network may provide a new strategy of enhancing TMZ therapeutic effects against glioblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinglei Liu
- Department of NeurosurgeryThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversitySuzhouChina
| | - Liang Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Affiliated Nanjing Brain HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
| | - Anyi Wu
- Department of NeurosurgeryThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversitySuzhouChina
| | - Shilu Huang
- Department of NeurosurgeryThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversitySuzhouChina
| | - Zhipeng Xu
- Department of NeurosurgeryThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversitySuzhouChina
| | - Xiaopei Zhang
- Department of NeurosurgeryThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversitySuzhouChina
| | - Zengyang Li
- Department of NeurosurgeryThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversitySuzhouChina
| | - Haoran Li
- Department of NeurosurgeryThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversitySuzhouChina
| | - Jun Dong
- Department of NeurosurgeryThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversitySuzhouChina
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Zhao Z, Chen Y, Sun T, Jiang C. Nanomaterials for brain metastasis. J Control Release 2024; 365:833-847. [PMID: 38065414 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.12.001] [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: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Tumor metastasis is a significant contributor to the mortality of cancer patients. Specifically, current conventional treatments are unable to achieve complete remission of brain metastasis. This is due to the unique pathological environment of brain metastasis, which differs significantly from peripheral metastasis. Brain metastasis is characterized by high tumor mutation rates and a complex microenvironment with immunosuppression. Additionally, the presence of blood-brain barrier (BBB)/blood tumor barrier (BTB) restricts drug leakage into the brain. Therefore, it is crucial to take account of the specific characteristics of brain metastasis when developing new therapeutic strategies. Nanomaterials offer promising opportunities for targeted therapies in treating brain metastasis. They can be tailored and customized based on specific pathological features and incorporate various treatment approaches, which makes them advantageous in advancing therapeutic strategies for brain metastasis. This review provides an overview of current clinical treatment options for patients with brain metastasis. It also explores the roles and changes that different cells within the complex microenvironment play during tumor spread. Furthermore, it highlights the use of nanomaterials in current brain treatment approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenhao Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yun Chen
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Tao Sun
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Chen Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China.
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Zhu S, Zhang X, Guo Y, Tang L, Zhou Z, Chen X, Peng C. NETO2 promotes melanoma progression via activation of the Ca 2+/CaMKII signaling pathway. Front Med 2023; 17:263-274. [PMID: 36738427 DOI: 10.1007/s11684-022-0935-0] [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: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Melanoma is the most aggressive cutaneous tumor. Neuropilin and tolloid-like 2 (NETO2) is closely related to tumorigenesis. However, the functional significance of NETO2 in melanoma progression remains unclear. Herein, we found that NETO2 expression was augmented in melanoma clinical tissues and associated with poor prognosis in melanoma patients. Disrupting NETO2 expression markedly inhibited melanoma proliferation, malignant growth, migration, and invasion by downregulating the levels of calcium ions (Ca2+) and the expression of key genes involved in the calcium signaling pathway. By contrast, NETO2 overexpression had the opposite effects. Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of CaMKII/CREB activity with the CaMKII inhibitor KN93 suppressed NETO2-induced proliferation and melanoma metastasis. Overall, this study uncovered the crucial role of NETO2-mediated regulation in melanoma progression, indicating that targeting NETO2 may effectively improve melanoma treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susi Zhu
- Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Changsha, 41000, China
- Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Changsha, 41000, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China
| | - Xu Zhang
- Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Changsha, 41000, China
- Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Changsha, 41000, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China
| | - Yeye Guo
- Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Changsha, 41000, China
- Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Changsha, 41000, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China
| | - Ling Tang
- Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Changsha, 41000, China
- Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Changsha, 41000, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China
| | - Zhe Zhou
- Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Changsha, 41000, China
- Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Changsha, 41000, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China
| | - Xiang Chen
- Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China.
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Changsha, 41000, China.
- Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Changsha, 41000, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China.
| | - Cong Peng
- Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China.
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Changsha, 41000, China.
- Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Changsha, 41000, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 41000, China.
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Krigers A, Moser P, Fritsch H, Demetz M, Kerschbaumer J, Brawanski KR, Thomé C, Freyschlag CF. The relationship between connexin-43 expression and Ki67 in non-glial central nervous system tumors. Int J Biol Markers 2023; 38:46-52. [PMID: 36726335 DOI: 10.1177/03936155221143138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Advanced intercellular communication is a known oncogenic factor. In the central nervous system, Connexin-43 (Cx43) forms this junctional networking. Moreover, it correlates with the proliferation rate, and thus behavior, of gliomas. We assessed the expression of Cx43 and its relationship to Ki67 in other common central nervous system tumors. METHODS The expression of Cx43 and Ki67 were assessed in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded samples of human brain metastases, meningiomas, and neurinomas using immunohistochemistry. Neurinomas and meningiomas were jointly evaluated due to similar non-malignant behavior. RESULTS A total of 14 metastases of different extracerebral carcinomas, 6 meningiomas, and 10 neurinomas were evaluated. Five (36%) metastases and 5 (31%) meningiomas/neurinomas showed minor expression, whereas 6 (43%) metastases and 2 (13%) meningiomas/neurinomas showed no Cx43 expression at all. In 3 (21%) metastases and 9 (56%) meningiomas/neurinomas, moderate or strong expression of Cx43 was identified. The higher expression of Cx43 in meningiomas and neurinomas directly correlated with Ki67, r = 0.53 (P = 0.034). For metastases no significant correlation was found. Mitotic index in meningiomas/neurinomas correlated with Ki67 expression, r = 0.74 (P < 0.001), but did not show statistically significant correlation with Cx43 expression in these tumors. CONCLUSIONS The expression of Cx43 as a marker of cell-to-cell networking exposed a significant correlation with the Ki67-defined proliferation index in case of primary central nervous system neuroectodermal neoplasms. However, it does not seem to play a comparable role in metastases with extracerebral origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandrs Krigers
- Department of Neurosurgery, 27280Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Patrizia Moser
- Department of Neuropathology, 31445University Hospital of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Helga Fritsch
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, 31445Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Matthias Demetz
- Department of Neurosurgery, 27280Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Johannes Kerschbaumer
- Department of Neurosurgery, 27280Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Claudius Thomé
- Department of Neurosurgery, 27280Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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Xie M, Su C. Microenvironment and the progress of immunotherapy in clinical practice of NSCLC brain metastasis. Front Oncol 2023; 12:1006284. [PMID: 36761422 PMCID: PMC9902941 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1006284] [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: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the most frequent distant metastases of lung cancer occurs in the brain. The average natural survival duration for patients with lung cancer who have brain metastases is about 1 to 2 months. Knowledge about brain metastases is currently restricted since they are more difficult to acquire than other metastases. This review begins with an analysis of the immune microenvironment of brain metastases; focuses primarily on the functions of microglia, astrocytes, neurons, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in the microenvironment of brain metastases; and offers an atlas of the immune microenvironment of brain metastases involving significant cells. In an effort to give researchers new research ideas, the study also briefly covers how immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer with brain metastases is currently faring.
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Long H, Zhang P, Bi Y, Yang C, Wu M, He D, Huang S, Yang K, Qi S, Wang J. MRI radiomic features of peritumoral edema may predict the recurrence sites of glioblastoma multiforme. Front Oncol 2023; 12:1042498. [PMID: 36686829 PMCID: PMC9845721 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1042498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and purpose As one of the most aggressive malignant tumor in the central nervous system, the main cause of poor outcome of glioblastoma (GBM) is recurrence, a non-invasive method which can predict the area of recurrence pre-operation is necessary.To investigate whether there is radiological heterogeneity within peritumoral edema and identify the reproducible radiomic features predictive of the sites of recurrence of glioblastoma(GBM), which may be of value to optimize patients' management. Materials and methods The clinical information and MR images (contrast-enhanced T1 weighted and FLAIR sequences) of 22 patients who have been histologically proven glioblastoma, were retrospectively evaluated. Kaplan-Meier methods was used for survival analysis. Oedematous regions were manually segmented by an expert into recurrence region, non-recurrence region. A set of 94 radiomic features were obtained from each region using the function of analyzing MR image of 3D slicer. Paired t test was performed to identify the features existing significant difference. Subsequently, the data of two patients from TCGA database was used to evaluate whether these features have clinical value. Results Ten features with significant differences between the recurrence and non-recurrence subregions were identified and verified on two individual patients from the TCGA database with pathologically confirmed diagnosis of GBM. Conclusions Our results suggested that heterogeneity does exist in peritumoral edema, indicating that the radiomic features of peritumoral edema from routine MR images can be utilized to predict the sites of GBM recurrence. Our findings may further guide the surgical treatment strategy for GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Long
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,The First Clinical Medicine College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ping Zhang
- Department of oncology, Guangdong 999 Brain Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuewei Bi
- The First Clinical Medicine College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,Neural Networks Surgery Team, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chen Yang
- The First Clinical Medicine College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,Neural Networks Surgery Team, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Manfeng Wu
- The First Clinical Medicine College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,Neural Networks Surgery Team, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dian He
- The First Clinical Medicine College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,Neural Networks Surgery Team, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shaozhuo Huang
- The First Clinical Medicine College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,Neural Networks Surgery Team, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kaijun Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,The First Clinical Medicine College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Songtao Qi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,The First Clinical Medicine College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,The First Clinical Medicine College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,Neural Networks Surgery Team, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,*Correspondence: Jun Wang,
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Maurya SK, Khan P, Rehman AU, Kanchan RK, Perumal N, Mahapatra S, Chand HS, Santamaria-Barria JA, Batra SK, Nasser MW. Rethinking the chemokine cascade in brain metastasis: Preventive and therapeutic implications. Semin Cancer Biol 2022; 86:914-930. [PMID: 34968667 PMCID: PMC9234104 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Brain metastasis (BrM) is one of the major causes of death in cancer patients and is associated with an estimated 10-40 % of total cancer cases. The survival rate of brain metastatic patients has not improved due to intratumor heterogeneity, the survival adaptations of brain homing metastatic cells, and the lack of understanding of underlying molecular mechanisms that limit the availability of effective therapies. The heterogeneous population of immune cells and tumor-initiating cells or cancer stem cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) release various factors, such as chemokines that upon binding to their cognate receptors enhance tumor growth at primary sites and help tumor cells metastasize to the brain. Furthermore, brain metastatic sites have unique heterogeneous microenvironment that fuels cancer cells in establishing BrM. This review explores the crosstalk of chemokines with the heterogeneous TME during the progression of BrM and recognizes potential therapeutic approaches. We also discuss and summarize different targeted, immunotherapeutic, chemotherapeutic, and combinatorial strategies (with chemo-/immune- or targeted-therapies) to attenuate chemokines mediated BrM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shailendra Kumar Maurya
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68108, USA
| | - Parvez Khan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68108, USA
| | - Asad Ur Rehman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68108, USA
| | - Ranjana K Kanchan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68108, USA
| | - Naveenkumar Perumal
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68108, USA
| | - Sidharth Mahapatra
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68108, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68108, USA; Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68108, USA
| | - Hitendra S Chand
- Department of Immunology and Nanomedicine, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | | | - Surinder K Batra
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68108, USA; Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68108, USA; Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68108, USA
| | - Mohd Wasim Nasser
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68108, USA; Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68108, USA.
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11
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Oliveira MC, Verswyvel H, Smits E, Cordeiro RM, Bogaerts A, Lin A. The pro- and anti-tumoral properties of gap junctions in cancer and their role in therapeutic strategies. Redox Biol 2022; 57:102503. [PMID: 36228438 PMCID: PMC9557036 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Gap junctions (GJs), essential structures for cell-cell communication, are made of two hemichannels (commonly called connexons), one on each adjacent cell. Found in almost all cells, GJs play a pivotal role in many physiological and cellular processes, and have even been linked to the progression of diseases, such as cancer. Modulation of GJs is under investigation as a therapeutic strategy to kill tumor cells. Furthermore, GJs have also been studied for their key role in activating anti-cancer immunity and propagating radiation- and oxidative stress-induced cell death to neighboring cells, a process known as the bystander effect. While, gap junction (GJ)-based therapeutic strategies are being developed, one major challenge has been the paradoxical role of GJs in both tumor progression and suppression, based on GJ composition, cancer factors, and tumoral context. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of action, regulation, and the dual characteristics of GJs in cancer is critical for developing effective therapeutics. In this review, we provide an overview of the current understanding of GJs structure, function, and paradoxical pro- and anti-tumoral role in cancer. We also discuss the treatment strategies to target these GJs properties for anti-cancer responses, via modulation of GJ function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria C Oliveira
- Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine-Antwerp (PLASMANT), Department of Chemistry, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium; Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, Avenida dos Estados 5001, CEP 09210-580, Santo André, SP, Brazil.
| | - Hanne Verswyvel
- Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine-Antwerp (PLASMANT), Department of Chemistry, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium; Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Evelien Smits
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Rodrigo M Cordeiro
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, Avenida dos Estados 5001, CEP 09210-580, Santo André, SP, Brazil
| | - Annemie Bogaerts
- Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine-Antwerp (PLASMANT), Department of Chemistry, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Abraham Lin
- Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine-Antwerp (PLASMANT), Department of Chemistry, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium; Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Antwerp, Belgium
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12
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Aili Y, Maimaitiming N, Qin H, Ji W, Fan G, Wang Z, Wang Y. Tumor microenvironment and exosomes in brain metastasis: Molecular mechanisms and clinical application. Front Oncol 2022; 12:983878. [PMID: 36338717 PMCID: PMC9631487 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.983878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Metastasis is one of the important biological features of malignant tumors and one of the main factors responsible for poor prognosis. Although the widespread application of newer clinical technologies and their continuous development have significantly improved survival in patients with brain metastases, there is no uniform standard of care. More effective therapeutic measures are therefore needed to improve prognosis. Understanding the mechanisms of tumor cell colonization, growth, and invasion in the central nervous system is of particular importance for the prevention and treatment of brain metastases. This process can be plausibly explained by the “seed and soil” hypothesis, which essentially states that tumor cells can interact with various components of the central nervous system microenvironment to produce adaptive changes; it is this interaction that determines the development of brain metastases. As a novel form of intercellular communication, exosomes play a key role in the brain metastasis microenvironment and carry various bioactive molecules that regulate receptor cell activity. In this paper, we review the roles and prospects of brain metastatic tumor cells, the brain metastatic tumor microenvironment, and exosomes in the development and clinical management of brain metastases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yirizhati Aili
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Nuersimanguli Maimaitiming
- Department of Four Comprehensive Internal Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Xinjiang, China
| | - Hu Qin
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Wenyu Ji
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Guofeng Fan
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Zengliang Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
- School of Health Management, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinjiang Bazhou People’s Hospital, Xinjiang, China
- *Correspondence: Zengliang Wang, ; Yongxin Wang,
| | - Yongxin Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
- *Correspondence: Zengliang Wang, ; Yongxin Wang,
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13
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Pan Y, Monje M. Neuron-Glial Interactions in Health and Brain Cancer. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2022; 6:e2200122. [PMID: 35957525 PMCID: PMC9845196 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202200122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Brain tumors are devastating diseases of the central nervous system. Brain tumor pathogenesis depends on both tumor-intrinsic oncogenic programs and extrinsic microenvironmental factors, including neurons and glial cells. Glial cells (oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and microglia) make up half of the cells in the brain, and interact with neurons to modulate neurodevelopment and plasticity. Many brain tumor cells exhibit transcriptomic profiles similar to macroglial cells (oligodendrocytes and astrocytes) and their progenitors, making them likely to subvert existing neuron-glial interactions to support tumor pathogenesis. For example, oligodendrocyte precursor cells, a putative glioma cell of origin, can form bona fide synapses with neurons. Such synapses are recently identified in gliomas and drive glioma pathophysiology, underscoring how brain tumor cells can take advantage of neuron-glial interactions to support cancer progression. In this review, it is briefly summarized how neurons and their activity normally interact with glial cells and glial progenitors, and it is discussed how brain tumor cells utilize neuron-glial interactions to support tumor initiation and progression. Unresolved questions on these topics and potential avenues to therapeutically target neuron-glia-cancer interactions in the brain are also pointed out.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Pan
- Department of Symptom Research, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center,co-corresponding: ;
| | - Michelle Monje
- Department of Neurology, Stanford University,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University,co-corresponding: ;
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14
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Pozzi S, Scomparin A, Ben-Shushan D, Yeini E, Ofek P, Nahmad AD, Soffer S, Ionescu A, Ruggiero A, Barzel A, Brem H, Hyde TM, Barshack I, Sinha S, Ruppin E, Weiss T, Madi A, Perlson E, Slutsky I, Florindo HF, Satchi-Fainaro R. MCP-1/CCR2 axis inhibition sensitizes the brain microenvironment against melanoma brain metastasis progression. JCI Insight 2022; 7:154804. [PMID: 35980743 PMCID: PMC9536270 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.154804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of resistance to chemo- and immunotherapies often occurs following treatment of melanoma brain metastasis (MBM). The brain microenvironment (BME), particularly astrocytes, cooperate toward MBM progression by upregulating secreted factors, among which we found that monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and its receptors, CCR2 and CCR4, were overexpressed in MBM compared with primary lesions. Among other sources of MCP-1 in the brain, we show that melanoma cells altered astrocyte secretome and evoked MCP-1 expression and secretion, which in turn induced CCR2 expression in melanoma cells, enhancing in vitro tumorigenic properties, such as proliferation, migration, and invasion of melanoma cells. In vivo pharmacological blockade of MCP-1 or molecular knockout of CCR2/CCR4 increased the infiltration of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and attenuated the immunosuppressive phenotype of the BME as shown by decreased infiltration of Tregs and tumor-associated macrophages/microglia in several models of intracranially injected MBM. These in vivo strategies led to decreased MBM outgrowth and prolonged the overall survival of the mice. Our findings highlight the therapeutic potential of inhibiting interactions between BME and melanoma cells for the treatment of this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabina Pozzi
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Anna Scomparin
- Department of Drug Science and Technology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Dikla Ben-Shushan
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Eilam Yeini
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Paula Ofek
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Alessio D Nahmad
- The School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shelly Soffer
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ariel Ionescu
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Antonella Ruggiero
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Adi Barzel
- The School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Henry Brem
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Thomas M Hyde
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Iris Barshack
- Department of Pathology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Sanju Sinha
- Cancer Data Science Lab, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States of America
| | - Eytan Ruppin
- Cancer Data Science Lab, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States of America
| | - Tomer Weiss
- Department of Pathology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Asaf Madi
- Department of Pathology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Eran Perlson
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Inna Slutsky
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | | | - Ronit Satchi-Fainaro
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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15
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Kim H, Sa JK, Kim J, Cho HJ, Oh HJ, Choi D, Kang S, Jeong DE, Nam D, Lee H, Lee HW, Chung S. Recapitulated Crosstalk between Cerebral Metastatic Lung Cancer Cells and Brain Perivascular Tumor Microenvironment in a Microfluidic Co-Culture Chip. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 9:e2201785. [PMID: 35657027 PMCID: PMC9353479 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202201785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), which affects the brain, is fatal and resistant to anti-cancer therapies. Despite innate, distinct characteristics of the brain from other organs, the underlying delicate crosstalk between brain metastatic NSCLC (BM-NSCLC) cells and brain tumor microenvironment (bTME) associated with tumor evolution remains elusive. Here, a novel 3D microfluidic tri-culture platform is proposed for recapitulating positive feedback from BM-NSCLC and astrocytes and brain-specific endothelial cells, two major players in bTME. Advanced imaging and quantitative functional assessment of the 3D tri-culture model enable real-time live imaging of cell viability and separate analyses of genomic/molecular/secretome from each subset. Susceptibility of multiple patient-derived BM-NSCLCs to representative targeted agents is altered and secretion of serpin E1, interleukin-8, and secreted phosphoprotein 1, which are associated with tumor aggressiveness and poor clinical outcome, is increased in tri-culture. Notably, multiple signaling pathways involved in inflammatory responses, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells, and cancer metastasis are activated in BM-NSCLC through interaction with two bTME cell types. This novel platform offers a tool to elucidate potential molecular targets and for effective anti-cancer therapy targeting the crosstalk between metastatic cancer cells and adjacent components of bTME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunho Kim
- School of Mechanical Engineering, College of EngineeringKorea UniversitySeoul02841Republic of Korea
- Center for Systems BiologyMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMA02114USA
| | - Jason K. Sa
- Department of Biomedical SciencesKorea University College of MedicineSeoul02841Republic of Korea
| | - Jaehoon Kim
- School of Mechanical Engineering, College of EngineeringKorea UniversitySeoul02841Republic of Korea
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical EngineeringGeorgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaGA30332USA
| | - Hee Jin Cho
- Department of Biomedical Convergence Science and TechnologyKyungpook National UniversityDaegu41566Republic of Korea
- Cell and Matrix Research InstituteKyungpook National UniversityDaegu41944Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jeong Oh
- School of Mechanical Engineering, College of EngineeringKorea UniversitySeoul02841Republic of Korea
| | - Dong‐Hee Choi
- School of Mechanical Engineering, College of EngineeringKorea UniversitySeoul02841Republic of Korea
| | - Seok‐Hyeon Kang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, College of EngineeringKorea UniversitySeoul02841Republic of Korea
| | - Da Eun Jeong
- Bioscience division, Life Sciences and Laboratory Products GroupThermo Fisher Scientific SolutionsSeoul06349Republic of Korea
| | - Do‐Hyun Nam
- Institute for Refractory Cancer ResearchSamsung Medical CenterSeoul06351Republic of Korea
- Department of Health Science & Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology (SAIHST)Sungkyunkwan UniversitySeoul06351Republic of Korea
- Department of Neurosurgery, Samsung Medical CenterSungkyunkwan University School of MedicineSeoul06351Republic of Korea
| | - Hakho Lee
- Center for Systems BiologyMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMA02114USA
| | - Hye Won Lee
- Department of Urology, Center for Urologic CancerNational Cancer CenterGoyang10408Republic of Korea
| | - Seok Chung
- School of Mechanical Engineering, College of EngineeringKorea UniversitySeoul02841Republic of Korea
- KU‐KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and TechnologyKorea UniversitySeoul02841Republic of Korea
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16
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Wang X, Liang J, Sun H. The Network of Tumor Microtubes: An Improperly Reactivated Neural Cell Network With Stemness Feature for Resistance and Recurrence in Gliomas. Front Oncol 2022; 12:921975. [PMID: 35847909 PMCID: PMC9277150 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.921975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Gliomas are known as an incurable brain tumor for the poor prognosis and robust recurrence. In recent years, a cellular subpopulation with tumor microtubes (TMs) was identified in brain tumors, which may provide a new angle to explain the invasion, resistance, recurrence, and heterogeneity of gliomas. Recently, it was demonstrated that the cell subpopulation also expresses neural stem cell markers and shares a lot of features with both immature neurons and cancer stem cells and may be seen as an improperly reactivated neural cell network with a stemness feature at later time points of life. TMs may also provide a new angle to understand the resistance and recurrence mechanisms of glioma stem cells. In this review, we innovatively focus on the common features between TMs and sprouting axons in morphology, formation, and function. Additionally, we summarized the recent progress in the resistance and recurrence mechanisms of gliomas with TMs and explained the incurability and heterogeneity in gliomas with TMs. Moreover, we discussed the recently discovered overlap between cancer stem cells and TM-positive glioma cells, which may contribute to the understanding of resistant glioma cell subpopulation and the exploration of the new potential therapeutic target for gliomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Wang
- Clinical Biobank Center, Microbiome Medicine Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,Neurosurgery Center, The National Key Clinical Specialty, The Engineering Technology Research Center of Education Ministry of China on Diagnosis and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, The Neurosurgery Institute of Guangdong Province, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jianhao Liang
- Neurosurgery Center, The National Key Clinical Specialty, The Engineering Technology Research Center of Education Ministry of China on Diagnosis and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, The Neurosurgery Institute of Guangdong Province, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haitao Sun
- Clinical Biobank Center, Microbiome Medicine Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,Neurosurgery Center, The National Key Clinical Specialty, The Engineering Technology Research Center of Education Ministry of China on Diagnosis and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, The Neurosurgery Institute of Guangdong Province, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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17
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左 明, 刘 艳. [Latest Research Findings on the Role of Non-Tumor Cells in Glioma Microenvironment]. SICHUAN DA XUE XUE BAO. YI XUE BAN = JOURNAL OF SICHUAN UNIVERSITY. MEDICAL SCIENCE EDITION 2022; 53:573-578. [PMID: 35871725 PMCID: PMC10409475 DOI: 10.12182/20220760204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
As the tumor cell-centered treatment strategies cannot curb the malignant progression of glioblastoma effectively, the therapeutic effect of glioblastoma is still not satisfactory. In addition to glioma cells, glioma microenvironment (GME) comprises massive numbers of non-tumor cells and soluble cytokines. The non-tumor cells include endothelial cells, pericytes, microglia/macrophages, mesenchymal cells, astrocytes, neurons, etc. These non-tumor cell components, together with glioma cells, form one organism which regulates the progression of glioma. Considerable progress has been been in research on GME, which will be conducive to the development of non-tumor cell targeted therapies and and improvements in the prognosis of glioma patients. Herein, we summarized the interaction of glioma cells with endothelial cells, pericytes, microglia/macrophages, astrocytes, neurons and mesenchymal cells, a topic that has been extensively researched, as well as the corresponding translational studies. We also discussed the potential challenges and opportunities of developing glioma treatments based on tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- 明荣 左
- 四川大学华西医院 神经外科 (成都 610041)Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - 艳辉 刘
- 四川大学华西医院 神经外科 (成都 610041)Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
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18
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Baumann Z, Auf der Maur P, Bentires‐Alj M. Feed-forward loops between metastatic cancer cells and their microenvironment-the stage of escalation. EMBO Mol Med 2022; 14:e14283. [PMID: 35506376 PMCID: PMC9174884 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.202114283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer among women, and metastases in distant organs are the leading cause of the cancer-related deaths. While survival of early-stage breast cancer patients has increased dramatically, the 5-year survival rate of metastatic patients has barely improved in the last 20 years. Metastases can arise up to decades after primary tumor resection, hinting at microenvironmental factors influencing the sudden outgrowth of disseminated tumor cells (DTCs). This review summarizes how the environment of the most common metastatic sites (lung, liver, bone, brain) is influenced by the primary tumor and by the varying dormancy of DTCs, with a special focus on how established metastases persist and grow in distant organs due to feed-forward loops (FFLs). We discuss in detail the importance of FFL of cancer cells with their microenvironment including the secretome, interaction with specialized tissue-specific cells, nutrients/metabolites, and that novel therapies should target not only the cancer cells but also the tumor microenvironment, which are thick as thieves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zora Baumann
- Tumor Heterogeneity Metastasis and ResistanceDepartment of BiomedicineUniversity Hospital BaselUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Priska Auf der Maur
- Tumor Heterogeneity Metastasis and ResistanceDepartment of BiomedicineUniversity Hospital BaselUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Mohamed Bentires‐Alj
- Tumor Heterogeneity Metastasis and ResistanceDepartment of BiomedicineUniversity Hospital BaselUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
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19
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Strickland MR, Alvarez-Breckenridge C, Gainor JF, Brastianos PK. Tumor Immune Microenvironment of Brain Metastases: Toward Unlocking Antitumor Immunity. Cancer Discov 2022; 12:1199-1216. [PMID: 35394521 PMCID: PMC11440428 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-21-0976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Brain metastasis (BrM) is a devastating complication of solid tumors associated with poor outcomes. Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have revolutionized the treatment of cancer, but determinants of response are incompletely understood. Given the rising incidence of BrM, improved understanding of immunobiologic principles unique to the central nervous system (CNS) and dissection of those that govern the activity of ICIs are paramount toward unlocking BrM-specific antitumor immunity. In this review, we seek to discuss the current clinical landscape of ICI activity in the CNS and CNS immunobiology, and we focus, in particular, on the role of glial cells in the CNS immune response to BrM. SIGNIFICANCE There is an urgent need to improve patient selection for and clinical activity of ICIs in patients with cancer with concomitant BrM. Increased understanding of the unique immunobiologic principles that govern response to ICIs in the CNS is critical toward identifying targets in the tumor microenvironment that may potentiate antitumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Justin F Gainor
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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20
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Stratification of radiosensitive brain metastases based on an actionable S100A9/RAGE resistance mechanism. Nat Med 2022; 28:752-765. [PMID: 35411077 PMCID: PMC9018424 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-022-01749-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
AbstractWhole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) is the treatment backbone for many patients with brain metastasis; however, its efficacy in preventing disease progression and the associated toxicity have questioned the clinical impact of this approach and emphasized the need for alternative treatments. Given the limited therapeutic options available for these patients and the poor understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the resistance of metastatic lesions to WBRT, we sought to uncover actionable targets and biomarkers that could help to refine patient selection. Through an unbiased analysis of experimental in vivo models of brain metastasis resistant to WBRT, we identified activation of the S100A9–RAGE–NF-κB–JunB pathway in brain metastases as a potential mediator of resistance in this organ. Targeting this pathway genetically or pharmacologically was sufficient to revert the WBRT resistance and increase therapeutic benefits in vivo at lower doses of radiation. In patients with primary melanoma, lung or breast adenocarcinoma developing brain metastasis, endogenous S100A9 levels in brain lesions correlated with clinical response to WBRT and underscored the potential of S100A9 levels in the blood as a noninvasive biomarker. Collectively, we provide a molecular framework to personalize WBRT and improve its efficacy through combination with a radiosensitizer that balances therapeutic benefit and toxicity.
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21
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Kleffman K, Levinson G, Rose IVL, Blumenberg LM, Shadaloey SAA, Dhabaria A, Wong E, Galan-Echevarria F, Karz A, Argibay D, Von Itter R, Floristan A, Baptiste G, Eskow NM, Tranos JA, Chen J, Vega Y Saenz de Miera EC, Call M, Rogers R, Jour G, Wadghiri YZ, Osman I, Li YM, Mathews P, DeMattos R, Ueberheide B, Ruggles KV, Liddelow SA, Schneider RJ, Hernando E. Melanoma-secreted Amyloid Beta Suppresses Neuroinflammation and Promotes Brain Metastasis. Cancer Discov 2022; 12:1314-1335. [PMID: 35262173 PMCID: PMC9069488 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-21-1006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Brain metastasis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in multiple cancer types and represents an unmet clinical need. The mechanisms that mediate metastatic cancer growth in the brain parenchyma are largely unknown. Melanoma, which has the highest rate of brain metastasis among common cancer types, is an ideal model to study how cancer cells adapt to the brain parenchyma. Our unbiased proteomics analysis of melanoma short-term cultures revealed that proteins implicated in neurodegenerative pathologies are differentially expressed in melanoma cells explanted from brain metastases compared to those derived from extracranial metastases. We showed that melanoma cells require amyloid beta (AB) for growth and survival in the brain parenchyma. Melanoma-secreted AB activates surrounding astrocytes to a pro-metastatic, anti-inflammatory phenotype and prevents phagocytosis of melanoma by microglia. Finally, we demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of AB decreases brain metastatic burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Kleffman
- NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, United States
| | - Grace Levinson
- NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, United States
| | - Indigo V L Rose
- NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, United States
| | | | | | - Avantika Dhabaria
- Proteomics Laboratory, Division of Advanced Research and Technology, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York., New York, NY, United States
| | - Eitan Wong
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, United States
| | | | - Alcida Karz
- NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, United States
| | - Diana Argibay
- NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | | | | | - Gillian Baptiste
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | | | - James A Tranos
- NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, United States
| | - Jenny Chen
- NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, United States
| | | | - Melissa Call
- NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, United States
| | - Robert Rogers
- NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, United States
| | - George Jour
- New York University, New York, New York, United States
| | | | - Iman Osman
- New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States
| | - Yue-Ming Li
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Paul Mathews
- NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, United States
| | - Ronald DeMattos
- Eli Lilly (United States), Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
| | - Beatrix Ueberheide
- Proteomics Laboratory, Division of Advanced Research and Technology, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York., United States
| | - Kelly V Ruggles
- New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, United States
| | | | | | - Eva Hernando
- NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
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22
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Lim AR, Ghajar CM. Thorny ground, rocky soil: Tissue-specific mechanisms of tumor dormancy and relapse. Semin Cancer Biol 2022; 78:104-123. [PMID: 33979673 PMCID: PMC9595433 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) spread systemically yet distinct patterns of metastasis indicate a range of tissue susceptibility to metastatic colonization. Distinctions between permissive and suppressive tissues are still being elucidated at cellular and molecular levels. Although there is a growing appreciation for the role of the microenvironment in regulating metastatic success, we have a limited understanding of how diverse tissues regulate DTC dormancy, the state of reversible quiescence and subsequent awakening thought to contribute to delayed relapse. Several themes of microenvironmental regulation of dormancy are beginning to emerge, including vascular association, co-option of pre-existing niches, metabolic adaptation, and immune evasion, with tissue-specific nuances. Conversely, DTC awakening is often associated with injury or inflammation-induced activation of the stroma, promoting a proliferative environment with DTCs following suit. We review what is known about tissue-specific regulation of tumor dormancy on a tissue-by-tissue basis, profiling major metastatic organs including the bone, lung, brain, liver, and lymph node. An aerial view of the barriers to metastatic growth may reveal common targets and dependencies to inform the therapeutic prevention of relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea R Lim
- Public Health Sciences Division/Translational Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Cyrus M Ghajar
- Public Health Sciences Division/Translational Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
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23
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Srinivasan ES, Deshpande K, Neman J, Winkler F, Khasraw M. The microenvironment of brain metastases from solid tumors. Neurooncol Adv 2021; 3:v121-v132. [PMID: 34859239 PMCID: PMC8633769 DOI: 10.1093/noajnl/vdab121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain metastasis (BrM) is an area of unmet medical need that poses unique therapeutic challenges and heralds a dismal prognosis. The intracranial tumor microenvironment (TME) presents several challenges, including the therapy-resistant blood-brain barrier, a unique immune milieu, distinct intercellular interactions, and specific metabolic conditions, that are responsible for treatment failures and poor clinical outcomes. There is a complex interplay between malignant cells that metastasize to the central nervous system (CNS) and the native TME. Cancer cells take advantage of vascular, neuronal, immune, and anatomical vulnerabilities to proliferate with mechanisms specific to the CNS. In this review, we discuss unique aspects of the TME in the context of brain metastases and pathways through which the TME may hold the key to the discovery of new and effective therapies for patients with BrM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan S Srinivasan
- Duke Brain and Spine Metastases Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Krutika Deshpande
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Josh Neman
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Physiology and Neuroscience, USC Brain Tumor Center, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Frank Winkler
- Neurology Clinic and National Center for Tumor Diseases, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.,Clinical Cooperation Unit Neurooncology, German Cancer Consortium, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mustafa Khasraw
- Duke Brain and Spine Metastases Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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24
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Carney CP, Pandey N, Kapur A, Woodworth GF, Winkles JA, Kim AJ. Harnessing nanomedicine for enhanced immunotherapy for breast cancer brain metastases. Drug Deliv Transl Res 2021; 11:2344-2370. [PMID: 34716900 PMCID: PMC8568876 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-021-01039-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Brain metastases (BMs) are the most common type of brain tumor, and the incidence among breast cancer (BC) patients has been steadily increasing over the past two decades. Indeed, ~ 30% of all patients with metastatic BC will develop BMs, and due to few effective treatments, many will succumb to the disease within a year. Historically, patients with BMs have been largely excluded from clinical trials investigating systemic therapies including immunotherapies (ITs) due to limited brain penetration of systemically administered drugs combined with previous assumptions that BMs are poorly immunogenic. It is now understood that the central nervous system (CNS) is an immunologically distinct site and there is increasing evidence that enhancing immune responses to BCBMs will improve patient outcomes and the efficacy of current treatment regimens. Progress in IT for BCBMs, however, has been slow due to several intrinsic limitations to drug delivery within the brain, substantial safety concerns, and few known targets for BCBM IT. Emerging studies demonstrate that nanomedicine may be a powerful approach to overcome such limitations, and has the potential to greatly improve IT strategies for BMs specifically. This review summarizes the evidence for IT as an effective strategy for BCBM treatment and focuses on the nanotherapeutic strategies currently being explored for BCBMs including targeting the blood-brain/tumor barrier (BBB/BTB), tumor cells, and tumor-supporting immune cells for concentrated drug release within BCBMs, as well as use of nanoparticles (NPs) for delivering immunomodulatory agents, for inducing immunogenic cell death, or for potentiating anti-tumor T cell responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine P Carney
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Nikhil Pandey
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Anshika Kapur
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Graeme F Woodworth
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Jeffrey A Winkles
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
- Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
- Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
- Department of Surgery and Neurosurgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 800 West Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
| | - Anthony J Kim
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
- Departments of Neurosurgery, Pharmacology, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 W Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
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25
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Tittarelli A. Connexin channels modulation in pathophysiology and treatment of immune and inflammatory disorders. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2021; 1867:166258. [PMID: 34450245 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2021.166258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Connexin-mediated intercellular communication mechanisms include bidirectional cell-to-cell coupling by gap junctions and release/influx of molecules by hemichannels. These intercellular communications have relevant roles in numerous immune system activities. Here, we review the current knowledge about the function of connexin channels, mainly those formed by connexin-43, on immunity and inflammation. Focusing on those evidence that support the design and development of therapeutic tools to modulate connexin expression and/or channel activities with treatment potential for infections, wounds, cancer, and other inflammatory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Tittarelli
- Programa Institucional de Fomento a la Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana, Santiago 8940577, Chile.
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26
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Parris JL, Barnoud T, Leu JIJ, Leung JC, Ma W, Kirven NA, Poli ANR, Kossenkov AV, Liu Q, Salvino JM, George DL, Weeraratna AT, Chen Q, Murphy ME. HSP70 inhibition blocks adaptive resistance and synergizes with MEK inhibition for the treatment of NRAS-mutant melanoma. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2021; 1:17-29. [PMID: 35187538 PMCID: PMC8849551 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-21-0033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
NRAS-mutant melanoma is currently a challenge to treat. This is due to an absence of inhibitors directed against mutant NRAS, along with adaptive and acquired resistance of this tumor type to inhibitors in the MAPK pathway. Inhibitors to MEK (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase) have shown some promise for NRAS-mutant melanoma. In this work we explored the use of MEK inhibitors for NRAS-mutant melanoma. At the same time we investigated the impact of the brain microenvironment, specifically astrocytes, on the response of a melanoma brain metastatic cell line to MEK inhibition. These parallel avenues led to the surprising finding that astrocytes enhance the sensitivity of melanoma tumors to MEK inhibitors (MEKi). We show that MEKi cause an upregulation of the transcription factor ID3, which confers resistance. This upregulation of ID3 is blocked by conditioned media from astrocytes. We show that silencing ID3 enhances the sensitivity of melanoma to MEK inhibitors, thus mimicking the effect of the brain microenvironment. Moreover, we report that ID3 is a client protein of the chaperone HSP70, and that HSP70 inhibition causes ID3 to misfold and accumulate in a detergent-insoluble fraction in cells. We show that HSP70 inhibitors synergize with MEK inhibitors against NRAS-mutant melanoma, and that this combination significantly enhances the survival of mice in two different models of NRAS-mutant melanoma. These studies highlight ID3 as a mediator of adaptive resistance, and support the combined use of MEK and HSP70 inhibitors for the therapy of NRAS-mutant melanoma. SIGNIFICANCE MEK inhibitors are currently used for NRAS-mutant melanoma, but have shown modest efficacy as single agents. This research shows a synergistic effect of combining HSP70 inhibitors with MEK inhibitors for the treatment of NRAS mutant melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua L.D. Parris
- Program(s) in Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,Graduate Group in Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Thibaut Barnoud
- Program(s) in Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Julia I.-Ju Leu
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Jessica C. Leung
- Program(s) in Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Weili Ma
- Immunology, Microenvironment and Metastasis, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Nicole A. Kirven
- Program(s) in Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Adi Naryana Reddy Poli
- Program(s) in Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Andrew V. Kossenkov
- Gene Expression and Regulation, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Qin Liu
- Program(s) in Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Joseph M. Salvino
- Program(s) in Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Donna L. George
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Ashani T. Weeraratna
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| | - Qing Chen
- Immunology, Microenvironment and Metastasis, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Maureen E. Murphy
- Program(s) in Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,Corresponding Author: Maureen Murphy, The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Room 356, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Phone: 215-495-6870; E-mail:
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27
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McMillen P, Oudin MJ, Levin M, Payne SL. Beyond Neurons: Long Distance Communication in Development and Cancer. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:739024. [PMID: 34621752 PMCID: PMC8491768 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.739024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular communication is important in all aspects of tissue and organism functioning, from the level of single cells, two discreet populations, and distant tissues of the body. Long distance communication networks integrate individual cells into tissues to maintain a complex organism during development, but when communication between cells goes awry, disease states such as cancer emerge. Herein we discuss the growing body of evidence suggesting that communication methods known to be employed by neurons, also exist in other cell types. We identify three major areas of long-distance communication: bioelectric signaling, tunneling nanotubes (TNTs), and macrophage modulation of networks, and draw comparisons about how these systems operate in the context of development and cancer. Bioelectric signaling occurs between cells through exchange of ions and tissue-level electric fields, leading to changes in biochemical gradients and molecular signaling pathways to control normal development and tumor growth and invasion in cancer. TNTs transport key morphogens and other cargo long distances, mediating electrical coupling, tissue patterning, and malignancy of cancer cells. Lastly macrophages maintain long distance signaling networks through trafficking of vesicles during development, providing communication relays and priming favorable microenvironments for cancer metastasis. By drawing comparisons between non-neural long distance signaling in the context of development and cancer we aim to encourage crosstalk between the two fields to cultivate new hypotheses and potential therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick McMillen
- Department of Biology, Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Madeleine J Oudin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Michael Levin
- Department of Biology, Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Samantha L Payne
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
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28
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Parmigiani E, Scalera M, Mori E, Tantillo E, Vannini E. Old Stars and New Players in the Brain Tumor Microenvironment. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:709917. [PMID: 34690699 PMCID: PMC8527006 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.709917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the direct interaction between cancer cells and tumor microenvironment (TME) has emerged as a crucial regulator of tumor growth and a promising therapeutic target. The TME, including the surrounding peritumoral regions, is dynamically modified during tumor progression and in response to therapies. However, the mechanisms regulating the crosstalk between malignant and non-malignant cells are still poorly understood, especially in the case of glioma, an aggressive form of brain tumor. The presence of unique brain-resident cell types, namely neurons and glial cells, and an exceptionally immunosuppressive microenvironment pose additional important challenges to the development of effective treatments targeting the TME. In this review, we provide an overview on the direct and indirect interplay between glioma and neuronal and glial cells, introducing new players and mechanisms that still deserve further investigation. We will focus on the effects of neural activity and glial response in controlling glioma cell behavior and discuss the potential of exploiting these cellular interactions to develop new therapeutic approaches with the aim to preserve proper brain functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Parmigiani
- Embryology and Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marta Scalera
- Neuroscience Institute, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Elena Tantillo
- Neuroscience Institute, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Pisa, Italy
| | - Eleonora Vannini
- Neuroscience Institute, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Pisa, Italy
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29
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Orellana VP, Tittarelli A, Retamal MA. Connexins in melanoma: Potential role of Cx46 in its aggressiveness. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2021; 34:853-868. [PMID: 33140904 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.12945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Melanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer, and in metastatic advanced states, it is completely refractory to chemotherapy. Therefore, it is relevant to understand the molecular bases that rule their aggressiveness. Connexins (Cxs) are proteins that under normal physiological conditions participate in intercellular communication, via the exchange of signaling molecules between the cytoplasm and extracellular milieu and the exchange of ions/second messengers between the cytoplasm of contacting cells. These proteins have shown important roles in cancer progression, chemo- and radiotherapy resistance, and metastasis. Accordingly, Cx26 and Cx43 seem to play important roles in melanoma progression and metastasis. On the other hand, Cx46 is typically expressed in the eye lens, where it seems to be associated with oxidative stress protection in fiber lens cells. However, in the last decade, Cx46 expression has been associated with breast and brain cancers, due to its role in potentiation of both extracellular vesicle release and cancer stem cell-like properties. In this review, we analyzed a potential role of Cx46 as a new biomarker and therapeutic target in melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana P Orellana
- Universidad del Desarrollo. Centro de Fisiología Celular e Integrativa, Clinica Alemana Facultad de Medicina, Santiago, Chile
- Universidad del Desarrollo. Programa de Comunicación Celular en Cáncer, Clínica Alemana Facultad de Medicina, Santiago, Chile
| | - Andrés Tittarelli
- Programa Institucional de Fomento a la Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación (PIDi), Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana (UTEM), Santiago, Chile
| | - Mauricio A Retamal
- Universidad del Desarrollo. Centro de Fisiología Celular e Integrativa, Clinica Alemana Facultad de Medicina, Santiago, Chile
- Universidad del Desarrollo. Programa de Comunicación Celular en Cáncer, Clínica Alemana Facultad de Medicina, Santiago, Chile
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30
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Okawa T, Hara K, Goto M, Kikuchi M, Kogane M, Hatakeyama H, Tanaka H, Shirane D, Akita H, Hisaka A, Sato H. Effects on Metabolism in Astrocytes Caused by cGAMP, Which Imitates the Initial Stage of Brain Metastasis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:9028. [PMID: 34445736 PMCID: PMC8396466 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22169028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The second messenger 2'3'-cyclic-GMP-AMP (cGAMP) is thought to be transmitted from brain carcinomas to astrocytes via gap junctions, which functions to promote metastasis in the brain parenchyma. In the current study, we established a method to introduce cGAMP into astrocytes, which simulates the state of astrocytes that have been invaded by cGAMP around tumors. Astrocytes incorporating cGAMP were analyzed by metabolomics, which demonstrated that cGAMP increased glutamate production and astrocyte secretion. The same trend was observed for γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Conversely, glutamine production and secretion were decreased by cGAMP treatment. Due to the fundamental role of astrocytes in regulation of the glutamine-glutamate cycle, such metabolic changes may represent a potential mechanism and therapeutic target for alteration of the central nervous system (CNS) environment and the malignant transformation of brain carcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toya Okawa
- Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 260-8675, Japan; (T.O.); (K.H.); (M.G.); (M.K.); (M.K.); (H.H.); (A.H.)
| | - Kurumi Hara
- Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 260-8675, Japan; (T.O.); (K.H.); (M.G.); (M.K.); (M.K.); (H.H.); (A.H.)
| | - Momoko Goto
- Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 260-8675, Japan; (T.O.); (K.H.); (M.G.); (M.K.); (M.K.); (H.H.); (A.H.)
| | - Moe Kikuchi
- Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 260-8675, Japan; (T.O.); (K.H.); (M.G.); (M.K.); (M.K.); (H.H.); (A.H.)
| | - Masataka Kogane
- Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 260-8675, Japan; (T.O.); (K.H.); (M.G.); (M.K.); (M.K.); (H.H.); (A.H.)
| | - Hiroto Hatakeyama
- Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 260-8675, Japan; (T.O.); (K.H.); (M.G.); (M.K.); (M.K.); (H.H.); (A.H.)
| | - Hiroki Tanaka
- Design and Drug Disposition, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 260-8675, Japan; (H.T.); (D.S.); (H.A.)
| | - Daiki Shirane
- Design and Drug Disposition, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 260-8675, Japan; (H.T.); (D.S.); (H.A.)
| | - Hidetaka Akita
- Design and Drug Disposition, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 260-8675, Japan; (H.T.); (D.S.); (H.A.)
| | - Akihiro Hisaka
- Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 260-8675, Japan; (T.O.); (K.H.); (M.G.); (M.K.); (M.K.); (H.H.); (A.H.)
| | - Hiromi Sato
- Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 260-8675, Japan; (T.O.); (K.H.); (M.G.); (M.K.); (M.K.); (H.H.); (A.H.)
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31
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Giridharan N, Glitza Oliva IC, O'Brien BJ, Parker Kerrigan BC, Heimberger AB, Ferguson SD. Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment in Brain Metastasis. Neurosurg Clin N Am 2021; 31:641-649. [PMID: 32921358 DOI: 10.1016/j.nec.2020.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Dynamic interplay between cancer cells and the surrounding microenvironment is a feature of the metastatic process. Successful metastatic brain colonization requires complex mechanisms that ultimately allow tumor cells to adapt to the unique microenvironment of the central nervous system, evade immune destruction, survive, and grow. Accumulating evidence suggests that components of the brain tumor microenvironment (TME) play a vital role in the metastatic cascade. In this review, the authors summarize the contribution of the TME to the development and progression of brain metastasis. They also highlight opportunities for TME-directed targeted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nisha Giridharan
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 422, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Isabella C Glitza Oliva
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 430, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Barbara J O'Brien
- Department of Neuro-Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 431, Houston, TX 77030-4009, USA
| | - Brittany C Parker Kerrigan
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 422, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Amy B Heimberger
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 422, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Sherise D Ferguson
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 422, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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32
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Oliveira-Barros EGD, Branco LC, Da Costa NM, Nicolau-Neto P, Palmero C, Pontes B, Ferreira do Amaral R, Alves-Leon SV, Marcondes de Souza J, Romão L, Fernandes PV, Martins I, Takiya CM, Ribeiro Pinto LF, Palumbo A, Nasciutti LE. GLIPR1 and SPARC expression profile reveals a signature associated with prostate Cancer Brain metastasis. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2021; 528:111230. [PMID: 33675864 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2021.111230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Despite advances in treatment of lethal prostate cancer, the incidence of prostate cancer brain metastases is increasing. In this sense, we analyzed the molecular profile, as well as the functional consequences involved in the reciprocal interactions between prostate tumor cells and human astrocytes. We observed that the DU145 cells, but not the LNCaP cells or the RWPE-1 cells, exhibited more pronounced, malignant and invasive phenotypes along their interactions with astrocytes. Moreover, global gene expression analysis revealed several genes that were differently expressed in our co-culture models with the overexpression of GLIPR1 and SPARC potentially representing a molecular signature associated with the invasion of central nervous system by prostate malignant cells. Further, these results were corroborated by immunohistochemistry and in silico analysis. Thus, we conjecture that the data here presented may increase the knowledge about the molecular mechanisms associated with the invasion of CNS by prostate malignant cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliane Gouvêa de Oliveira-Barros
- Programa de Pesquisa Em Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Cidade Universitária-Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil; Laboratório de Biologia Celular, Departamento de Biologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Rua José Lourenço Kelmer-Campus, São Pedro, Juiz de Fora, CEP: 36036-900, Brazil.
| | - Luíza Castello Branco
- Programa de Pesquisa Em Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Cidade Universitária-Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil.
| | - Nathalia Meireles Da Costa
- Programa de Carcinogênese Molecular, Centro de Pesquisas, Instituto Nacional de Câncer (INCA), Rua André Cavalcanti, 37-Centro, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 20231-050, Brazil.
| | - Pedro Nicolau-Neto
- Programa de Carcinogênese Molecular, Centro de Pesquisas, Instituto Nacional de Câncer (INCA), Rua André Cavalcanti, 37-Centro, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 20231-050, Brazil.
| | - Celia Palmero
- Programa de Pesquisa Em Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Cidade Universitária-Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil; UFRJ/Polo Macaé, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Bruno Pontes
- Programa de Pesquisa Em Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Cidade Universitária-Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil; Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Cidade Universitária-Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil.
| | - Rackele Ferreira do Amaral
- Programa de Pesquisa Em Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Cidade Universitária-Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil.
| | - Soniza Vieira Alves-Leon
- Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho (HUCFF), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Cidade Universitária-Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil.
| | - Jorge Marcondes de Souza
- Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho (HUCFF), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Cidade Universitária-Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil.
| | - Luciana Romão
- Programa de Pesquisa Em Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Cidade Universitária-Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil.
| | - Priscila Valverde Fernandes
- Divisão de Patologia, Instituto Nacional de Câncer (INCA), Rua Cordeiro da Graça, 156 - Santo Cristo, Rio de Janeiro, CEP: 20220 -040, Brazil.
| | - Ivanir Martins
- Divisão de Patologia, Instituto Nacional de Câncer (INCA), Rua Cordeiro da Graça, 156 - Santo Cristo, Rio de Janeiro, CEP: 20220 -040, Brazil.
| | - Christina Maeda Takiya
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Cidade Universitária-Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil.
| | - Luis Felipe Ribeiro Pinto
- Programa de Carcinogênese Molecular, Centro de Pesquisas, Instituto Nacional de Câncer (INCA), Rua André Cavalcanti, 37-Centro, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 20231-050, Brazil.
| | - Antonio Palumbo
- Programa de Pesquisa Em Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Cidade Universitária-Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil.
| | - Luiz Eurico Nasciutti
- Programa de Pesquisa Em Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Cidade Universitária-Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil.
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Wang C, Luo D. The metabolic adaptation mechanism of metastatic organotropism. Exp Hematol Oncol 2021; 10:30. [PMID: 33926551 PMCID: PMC8082854 DOI: 10.1186/s40164-021-00223-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Metastasis is a complex multistep cascade of cancer cell extravasation and invasion, in which metabolism plays an important role. Recently, a metabolic adaptation mechanism of cancer metastasis has been proposed as an emerging model of the interaction between cancer cells and the host microenvironment, revealing a deep and extensive relationship between cancer metabolism and cancer metastasis. However, research on how the host microenvironment affects cancer metabolism is mostly limited to the impact of the local tumour microenvironment at the primary site. There are few studies on how differences between the primary and secondary microenvironments promote metabolic changes during cancer progression or how secondary microenvironments affect cancer cell metastasis preference. Hence, we discuss how cancer cells adapt to and colonize in the metabolic microenvironments of different metastatic sites to establish a metastatic organotropism phenotype. The mechanism is expected to accelerate the research of cancer metabolism in the secondary microenvironment, and provides theoretical support for the generation of innovative therapeutic targets for clinical metastatic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China
| | - Daya Luo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
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34
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Ma SC, Tang XR, Long LL, Bai X, Zhou JG, Duan ZJ, Wang J, Fu QJ, Zhu HB, Guo XJ, Zhang YP, Guo ZQ, Wu DH, Dong ZY. Integrative evaluation of primary and metastatic lesion spectrum to guide anti-PD-L1 therapy of non-small cell lung cancer: results from two randomized studies. Oncoimmunology 2021; 10:1909296. [PMID: 33996262 PMCID: PMC8078693 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2021.1909296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: Clinical benefits of immune-checkpoint blockade (ICB) versus standard chemotherapy have been established in unselected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the response to ICB therapy among patients is heterogeneous in clinical practice. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively assessed the predicitive effect of the primary and metastatic lesion spectrum (baseline sum of the longest diameters [SLD], number of metastatic sites and specific organ metastases) on the efficacy of atezolizumab over docetaxel in OAK and POPLAR trial cohorts. A decision model, termed DSO (Diameter-Site-Organ), based on the spectrum was developed and validated for guiding ICB. Results: Higher SLD (>38 mm) and more metastatic sites (≥2) were characterized with pronounced overall survival (OS) benefits from atezolizumab versus docetaxel. Specifically, adrenal gland and brain metastases were identified as favorable predictors of atezolizumab treatment. The DSO model was developed in the discovery cohort to integrate the directive effect of the primary and metastatic lesion spectrum. Remarkably, a general pattern of enhanced efficacy of atezolizumab versus docetaxel was observed along with the increase of the DSO score. For patients with DSO score > 0, atezolizumab yielded a significantly prolonged OS than docetaxel, whereas OS was generally similar between two treatments in patients with DSO score ≤ 0. Equivalent findings were also seen in the internal and external validation cohorts. Conclusions: The response to anti-PD-L1 therapy among patients varied with the primary and metastatic lesion spectrum. The DSO-based system might provide promising medication guidance for ICB treatment in NSCLC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si-Cong Ma
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,Information Management and Big Data Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin-Ran Tang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Li-Li Long
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xue Bai
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jian-Guo Zhou
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Zhi-Jiao Duan
- Information Management and Big Data Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiang John Fu
- Department of Community Health, Tufts University, Medford, USA
| | - Hong-Bo Zhu
- Information Management and Big Data Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xue-Jun Guo
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yan-Pei Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,Information Management and Big Data Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ze-Qin Guo
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - De-Hua Wu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhong-Yi Dong
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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35
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Hypoxia-Induced Reactivity of Tumor-Associated Astrocytes Affects Glioma Cell Properties. Cells 2021; 10:cells10030613. [PMID: 33802060 PMCID: PMC7999295 DOI: 10.3390/cells10030613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma is characterized by extensive necrotic areas with surrounding hypoxia. The cancer cell response to hypoxia in these areas is well-described; it involves a metabolic shift and an increase in stem cell-like characteristics. Less is known about the hypoxic response of tumor-associated astrocytes, a major component of the glioma tumor microenvironment. Here, we used primary human astrocytes and a genetically engineered glioma mouse model to investigate the response of this stromal cell type to hypoxia. We found that astrocytes became reactive in response to intermediate and severe hypoxia, similarly to irradiated and temozolomide-treated astrocytes. Hypoxic astrocytes displayed a potent hypoxia response that appeared to be driven primarily by hypoxia-inducible factor 2-alpha (HIF-2α). This response involved the activation of classical HIF target genes and the increased production of hypoxia-associated cytokines such as TGF-β1, IL-3, angiogenin, VEGF-A, and IL-1 alpha. In vivo, astrocytes were present in proximity to perinecrotic areas surrounding HIF-2α expressing cells, suggesting that hypoxic astrocytes contribute to the glioma microenvironment. Extracellular matrix derived from hypoxic astrocytes increased the proliferation and drug efflux capability of glioma cells. Together, our findings suggest that hypoxic astrocytes are implicated in tumor growth and potentially stemness maintenance by remodeling the tumor microenvironment.
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36
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Srinivasan ES, Tan AC, Anders CK, Pendergast AM, Sipkins DA, Ashley DM, Fecci PE, Khasraw M. Salting the Soil: Targeting the Microenvironment of Brain Metastases. Mol Cancer Ther 2021; 20:455-466. [PMID: 33402399 PMCID: PMC8041238 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-20-0579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Paget's "seed and soil" hypothesis of metastatic spread has acted as a foundation of the field for over a century, with continued evolution as mechanisms of the process have been elucidated. The central nervous system (CNS) presents a unique soil through this lens, relatively isolated from peripheral circulation and immune surveillance with distinct cellular and structural composition. Research in primary and metastatic brain tumors has demonstrated that this tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an essential role in the growth of CNS tumors. In each case, the cancerous cells develop complex and bidirectional relationships that reorganize the local TME and reprogram the CNS cells, including endothelial cells, pericytes, astrocytes, microglia, infiltrating monocytes, and lymphocytes. These interactions create a structurally and immunologically permissive TME with malignant processes promoting positive feedback loops and systemic consequences. Strategies to interrupt interactions with the native CNS components, on "salting the soil," to create an inhospitable environment are promising in the preclinical setting. This review aims to examine the general and specific pathways thus far investigated in brain metastases and related work in glioma to identify targetable mechanisms that may have general application across the spectrum of intracranial tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan S Srinivasan
- Duke Brain and Spine Metastases Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Aaron C Tan
- Division of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore
| | - Carey K Anders
- Duke Brain and Spine Metastases Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | | | - Dorothy A Sipkins
- Duke Brain and Spine Metastases Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - David M Ashley
- Duke Brain and Spine Metastases Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Peter E Fecci
- Duke Brain and Spine Metastases Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Mustafa Khasraw
- Duke Brain and Spine Metastases Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
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37
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Picturing Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis Development to Unravel Molecular Players and Cellular Crosstalk. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13040910. [PMID: 33671551 PMCID: PMC7926545 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13040910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Breast cancer is a devastating disorder affecting millions of women worldwide. With improved therapeutics for the primary tumor, the appearance of metastasis has been increasing. Breast cancer frequently metastasizes to the brain, constituting a major hurdle without cure and with a poor survival. It is imperative to better understand the mechanisms involved in malignant cell transposition of the brain microvasculature and parenchymal colonization by deciphering the alterations occurring in the tumor and microvascular cells, as well as the occurrence of intercellular communication during the process. We aimed to profile the process of the formation of breast cancer brain metastasis and the timeline of events governing it. We used a specific mouse model of the disease to perform extensive microscopic analyses. We identified phenotypic changes and the activation of relevant molecular players in tumorigenesis, together with vascular alterations, and the occurrence of crosstalk. Our findings unravel putative therapeutic targets to tackle breast cancer brain metastasis. Abstract With breast cancer (BC) therapy improvements, the appearance of brain metastases has been increasing, representing a life-threatening condition. Brain metastasis formation involves BC cell (BCC) extravasation across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and brain colonization by unclear mechanisms. We aimed to disclose the actors involved in BC brain metastasis formation, focusing on BCCs’ phenotype, growth factor expression, and signaling pathway activation, correlating with BBB alterations and intercellular communication. Hippocampi of female mice inoculated with 4T1 BCCs were examined over time by hematoxylin-eosin, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Well-established metastases were observed at seven days, increasing thereafter. BCCs entering brain parenchyma presented mesenchymal, migratory, and proliferative features; however, with time, they increasingly expressed epithelial markers, reflecting a mesenchymal–epithelial transition. BCCs also expressed platelet-derived growth factor-B, β4 integrin, and focal adhesion kinase, suggesting autocrine and/or paracrine regulation with adhesion signaling activation, while balance between Rac1 and RhoA was associated with the motility status. Intercellular communication via gap junctions was clear among BCCs, and between BCCs and endothelial cells. Thrombin accumulation, junctional protein impairment, and vesicular proteins increase reflect BBB alterations related with extravasation. Expression of plasmalemma vesicle-associated protein was increased in BCCs, along with augmented vascularization, whereas pericyte contraction indicated mural cells’ activation. Our results provide further understanding of BC brain metastasis formation, disclosing potential therapeutic targets.
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Zhang S, Gong Y, Wang H, Li Z, Huang Y, Fu X, Xiang P, Fan T. AS602801 sensitizes glioma cells to temozolomide and vincristine by blocking gap junction communication between glioma cells and astrocytes. J Cell Mol Med 2021; 25:4062-4072. [PMID: 33609076 PMCID: PMC8051707 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.16375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies showed that the chemotherapeutic effect of temozolomide (TMZ) and vincristine (VCR) against glioma might be blunted by the co‐culture with astrocytes, and connexin‐43 (CX43) was thought to play a vital role in the communication between glioma cells and astrocytes. In this study, we aimed to investigate the combined chemotherapeutic effect of AS602801 and TMZ/ VCR in glioma cells both. Dye transfer assay was used to evaluate the gap junction activity between U251 cells and astrocytes. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were carried out to analyse the expression of p‐JNK, CX43 and CASP‐3 proteins treated under different conditions. AS602801 significantly suppressed the gap junction activity between U251 cells and astrocytes. The expression of p‐JNK and CX43 was remarkably inhibited by AS602801. TMZ/VCR‐induced apoptosis of glioma cells was effectively enhanced by AS602801 treatment. Accordingly, the inhibitory role of TMZ/VCR in the expression of p‐JNK, CX43 and CASP‐3 in glioma cells was notably restored by AS602801. Furthermore, in a glioma cell xenograft, AS602801 showed an apparent capability to enhance TMZ/VCR‐induced tumour cell apoptosis through altering the expression of p‐JNK, CX43 and CASP‐3. The findings of this study demonstrated that the co‐culture of glioma cells with astrocytes blunted the tumour killing effect of TMZ and VCR. AS602801 down‐regulated CX43 expression by inhibiting JNK. And AS602801 also sensitized glioma cells to TMZ/VCR by blocking the gap junction communication between glioma cells and astrocytes via down‐regulating CX43, indicating its potential role as a novel adjuvant chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of glioma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, ChangSha Central Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - Yong Gong
- Department of Neurosurgery, ChangSha Central Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - Hongxin Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, ChangSha Central Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - Zhongfan Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, ChangSha Central Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - Yunfeng Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, ChangSha Central Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - Xing Fu
- Department of Neurosurgery, ChangSha Central Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - Peng Xiang
- Department of Neurosurgery, ChangSha Central Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - TianYu Fan
- Department of Neurosurgery, ChangSha Central Hospital, Changsha, China
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39
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Dankner M, Lam S, Degenhard T, Garzia L, Guiot MC, Petrecca K, Siegel PM. The Underlying Biology and Therapeutic Vulnerabilities of Leptomeningeal Metastases in Adult Solid Cancers. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13040732. [PMID: 33578853 PMCID: PMC7916586 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13040732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Metastasis to the central nervous system occurs in approximately 20% of patients with advanced solid cancers such as lung cancer, breast cancer, and melanoma. While central nervous system metastases most commonly form in the brain parenchyma, metastatic cancer cells may also reside in the subarachnoid space surrounding the brain and spinal cord to form tumors called leptomeningeal metastases. Leptomeningeal metastasis involves cancer cells that reach the subarachnoid space and proliferate in the cerebrospinal fluid compartment within the leptomeninges, a sequela associated with a myriad of symptoms and poor prognosis. Cancer cells exposed to cerebrospinal fluid in the leptomeninges must contend with a unique microenvironment from those that establish within the brain or other organs. Leptomeningeal lesions provide a formidable clinical challenge due to their often-diffuse infiltration within the subarachnoid space. The molecular mechanisms that promote the establishment of leptomeningeal metastases have begun to be elucidated, demonstrating that it is a biological entity distinct from parenchymal brain metastases and is associated with specific molecular drivers. In this review, we outline the current state of knowledge pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment, and molecular underpinnings of leptomeningeal metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Dankner
- Goodman Cancer Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada; (M.D.); (M.-C.G.)
| | - Stephanie Lam
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H3T 1E2, Canada;
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada;
| | - Theresa Degenhard
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; (T.D.); (K.P.)
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Livia Garzia
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada;
| | - Marie-Christine Guiot
- Goodman Cancer Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada; (M.D.); (M.-C.G.)
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; (T.D.); (K.P.)
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada
| | - Kevin Petrecca
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; (T.D.); (K.P.)
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Peter M. Siegel
- Goodman Cancer Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada; (M.D.); (M.-C.G.)
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H3T 1E2, Canada;
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; (T.D.); (K.P.)
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada
- Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-514-398-4259; Fax: +1-514-398-6769
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Phadke M, Ozgun A, Eroglu Z, Smalley KSM. Melanoma brain metastases: Biological basis and novel therapeutic strategies. Exp Dermatol 2021; 31:31-42. [PMID: 33455008 DOI: 10.1111/exd.14286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The development of brain metastases is the deadliest complication of advanced melanoma and has long been associated with a dismal prognosis. The recent years have seen incredible progress in the development of therapies for melanoma brain metastases (MBM), with both targeted therapies (the BRAF-MEK inhibitor combination) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (the anti-CTLA-4, anti-PD-1 combination) showing impressive levels of activity. Despite this, durations of response for these therapies remain lower at intracranial sites of metastasis compared to extracranial metastases and it has been suggested that there are unique features of the brain microenvironment that contribute to therapeutic escape. In this review, we outline the latest research into the biology and pathophysiology of melanoma brain metastasis development and progression. We then discuss the current status of clinical trial that are open to patients with MBM and end by describing the ongoing challenges for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manali Phadke
- The Department of Tumor Biology, The Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Alpaslan Ozgun
- The Department of Cutaneous Oncology, The Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Zeynep Eroglu
- The Department of Cutaneous Oncology, The Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Keiran S M Smalley
- The Department of Tumor Biology, The Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA.,The Department of Cutaneous Oncology, The Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
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41
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Connexins-Therapeutic Targets in Cancers. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21239119. [PMID: 33266154 PMCID: PMC7730856 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21239119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Connexins (Cx) are members of a protein family that forms intercellular channels localised in gap junction (GJ) plaques and single transmembrane channels called hemichannels. They participate in intercellular communication or communication between the intracellular and extracellular environments. Connexins affect cell homeostasis, growth and differentiation by enabling the exchange of metabolites or by interfering with various signalling pathways. Alterations in the functionality and the expression of connexins have been linked to the occurrence of many diseases. Connexins have been already linked to cancers, cardiac and brain disorders, chronic lung and kidney conditions and wound healing processes. Connexins have been shown either to suppress cancer tumour growth or to increase tumorigenicity by promoting cancer cell growth, migration and invasiveness. A better understanding of the complexity of cancer biology related to connexins and intercellular communication could result in the design of novel therapeutic strategies. The modulation of connexin expression may be an effective therapeutic approach in some types of cancers. Therefore, one important challenge is the search for mechanisms and new drugs, selectively modulating the expression of various connexin isoforms. We performed a systematic literature search up to February 2020 in the electronic databases PubMed and EMBASE. Our search terms were as follows: connexins, hemichannels, cancer and cancer treatment. This review aims to provide information about the role of connexins and gap junctions in cancer, as well as to discuss possible therapeutic options that are currently being studied.
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Inflammatory Activation of Astrocytes Facilitates Melanoma Brain Tropism via the CXCL10-CXCR3 Signaling Axis. Cell Rep 2020; 28:1785-1798.e6. [PMID: 31412247 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.07.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is the deadliest skin cancer due to its high rate of metastasis, frequently to the brain. Brain metastases are incurable; therefore, understanding melanoma brain metastasis is of great clinical importance. We used a mouse model of spontaneous melanoma brain metastasis to study the interactions of melanomas with the brain microenvironment. We find that CXCL10 is upregulated in metastasis-associated astrocytes in mice and humans and is functionally important for the chemoattraction of melanoma cells. Moreover, CXCR3, the receptor for CXCL10, is upregulated in brain-tropic melanoma cells. Targeting melanoma expression of CXCR3 by nanoparticle-mediated siRNA delivery or by shRNA transduction inhibits melanoma cell migration and attenuates brain metastasis in vivo. These findings suggest that the instigation of pro-inflammatory signaling in astrocytes is hijacked by brain-metastasizing tumor cells to promote their metastatic capacity and that the CXCL10-CXCR3 axis may be a potential therapeutic target for the prevention of melanoma brain metastasis.
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Abstract
Metastasis of cancer cells to the brain occurs frequently in patients with certain subtypes of breast cancer. In particular, patients with HER2-positive or triple-negative breast cancer are at high risk for the development of brain metastases. Despite recent advances in the treatment of primary breast tumors, the prognosis of breast cancer patients with brain metastases remains poor. A better understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying brain metastasis might be expected to lead to improvements in the overall survival rate for these patients. Recent studies have revealed complex interactions between metastatic cancer cells and their microenvironment in the brain. Such interactions result in the activation of various signaling pathways related to metastasis in both cancer cells and cells of the microenvironment including astrocytes and microglia. In this review, we focus on such interactions and on their role both in the metastatic process and as potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari Hosonaga
- Division of Gene Regulation, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
- Breast Medical Oncology Department, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-8550, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Saya
- Division of Gene Regulation, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Yoshimi Arima
- Division of Gene Regulation, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.
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44
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Wingrove E, Liu ZZ, Patel KD, Arnal-Estapé A, Cai WL, Melnick MA, Politi K, Monteiro C, Zhu L, Valiente M, Kluger HM, Chiang VL, Nguyen DX. Transcriptomic Hallmarks of Tumor Plasticity and Stromal Interactions in Brain Metastasis. Cell Rep 2020; 27:1277-1292.e7. [PMID: 31018140 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.03.085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The brain is a major site of relapse for several cancers, yet deciphering the mechanisms of brain metastasis remains a challenge because of the complexity of the brain tumor microenvironment (TME). To define the molecular landscape of brain metastasis from intact tissue in vivo, we employ an RNA-sequencing-based approach, which leverages the transcriptome of xenografts and distinguishes tumor cell and stromal gene expression with improved sensitivity and accuracy. Our data reveal shifts in epithelial and neuronal-like lineage programs in malignant cells as they adapt to the brain TME and the reciprocal neuroinflammatory response of the stroma. We identify several transcriptional hallmarks of metastasis that are specific to particular regions of the brain, induced across multiple tumor types, and confirmed in syngeneic models and patient biopsies. These data may serve as a resource for exploring mechanisms of TME co-adaptation within, as well as across, different subtypes of brain metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Wingrove
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Zongzhi Z Liu
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Kiran D Patel
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Anna Arnal-Estapé
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Yale Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Wesley L Cai
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mary-Ann Melnick
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Katerina Politi
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Medicine (Medical Oncology), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Yale Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Cátia Monteiro
- Brain Metastasis Group, Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Lucía Zhu
- Brain Metastasis Group, Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Valiente
- Brain Metastasis Group, Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Harriet M Kluger
- Department of Medicine (Medical Oncology), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Yale Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Veronica L Chiang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Don X Nguyen
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Medicine (Medical Oncology), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Yale Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
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45
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Varela-Vázquez A, Guitián-Caamaño A, Carpintero-Fernandez P, Fonseca E, Sayedyahossein S, Aasen T, Penuela S, Mayán MD. Emerging functions and clinical prospects of connexins and pannexins in melanoma. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2020; 1874:188380. [PMID: 32461135 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2020.188380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cellular communication through gap junctions and hemichannels formed by connexins and through channels made by pannexins allows for metabolic cooperation and control of cellular activity and signalling. These channel proteins have been described to be tumour suppressors that regulate features such as cell death, proliferation and differentiation. However, they display cancer type-dependent and stage-dependent functions and may facilitate tumour progression through junctional and non-junctional pathways. The accumulated knowledge and emerging strategies to target connexins and pannexins are providing novel clinical opportunities for the treatment of cancer. Here, we provide an updated overview of the role of connexins and pannexins in malignant melanoma. We discuss how targeting of these channel proteins may be used to potentiate antitumour effects in therapeutic settings, including through improved immune-mediated tumour elimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrián Varela-Vázquez
- CellCOM Group, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Universidade da Coruña, Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain
| | - Amanda Guitián-Caamaño
- CellCOM Group, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Universidade da Coruña, Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain
| | - Paula Carpintero-Fernandez
- CellCOM Group, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Universidade da Coruña, Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain
| | - Eduardo Fonseca
- CellCOM Group, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Universidade da Coruña, Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain; Dermatology Deparment, University Hospital of A Coruña, Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain
| | - Samar Sayedyahossein
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, and Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6A5C1, Canada
| | - Trond Aasen
- Translational Molecular Pathology, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR), Autonomous University of Barcelona, CIBERONC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Silvia Penuela
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, and Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6A5C1, Canada
| | - María D Mayán
- CellCOM Group, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Universidade da Coruña, Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain.
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46
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Establishment of a glioblastoma in vitro (in)complete resection dual co-culture model suitable for drug testing. Ann Anat 2020; 228:151440. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2019.151440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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47
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Jiang J, Wu L, Yuan F, Ji J, Lin X, Yang W, Wu J, Shi M, Yang H, Ma Y, Song X, Zhu Z, Zhang H, Zhang J. Characterization of the immune microenvironment in brain metastases from different solid tumors. Cancer Med 2020; 9:2299-2308. [PMID: 32017467 PMCID: PMC7131856 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.2905] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 01/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Brain metastases are one of the most common intracranial neoplasms. Increasing evidence have indicated that systemic immunotherapy may provide long‐term benefits for brain metastases. Herein, we presented the results of an immune oncology panel RNA sequencing platform for patients with brain metastases from different primary sites. Methods We investigated 25 samples of human brain metastases from lung cancer (n = 12), breast cancer (n = 6), and colorectal cancer (n = 7). Besides, 13 paired samples of adjacent noncancerous brain tissue (10 from patients with lung cancer and 3 from patients with breast cancer) were collected as controls. By comparing the brain metastases and paired samples of adjacent noncancerous brain tissue from 13 patients, we detected three upregulated and six downregulated genes, representing the malignant properties of cancer cells and increased immune infiltration in the microenvironment. Next, we profiled the immune‐related genes in brain metastases from three primary cancer types. Results A group of genes were significantly overexpressed in the microenvironment of brain metastases from lung cancer, covering the checkpoint pathways, lymphocyte infiltration, and TCR‐coexpression. Especially, immune checkpoint molecules, PD‐L1, PD‐L2, and IDO1 were expressed at higher levels in brain metastases from lung cancer than those from the other two cancer types. Conclusions This study presents an immune landscape of brain metastases from different cancer types. With high RNA expression levels of PD‐1/PD‐L1 axis and immune infiltration in brain metastases, it would be worthwhile to explore the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade for lung cancer patients with intracranial metastases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinling Jiang
- Department of Oncology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lihong Wu
- Genecast Precision Medicine Technology Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Yuan
- Department of Pathology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun Ji
- Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaojing Lin
- Genecast Precision Medicine Technology Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Wanning Yang
- Genecast Precision Medicine Technology Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Junwei Wu
- Department of Oncology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Shi
- Department of Oncology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Hui Yang
- Department of Oncology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanna Ma
- Genecast Precision Medicine Technology Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Xue Song
- Genecast Precision Medicine Technology Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenggang Zhu
- Department of Oncology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Henghui Zhang
- Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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48
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Pathway analysis of glutamate-mediated, calcium-related signaling in glioma progression. Biochem Pharmacol 2020; 176:113814. [PMID: 31954716 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2020.113814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Brain tumors, particularly high-grade glioblastomas, are a crucial public health issue due to poor prognosis and an extremely low survival rate. The glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) grows rapidly within its unique microenvironment that is characterized by active neural communications. Therefore, diverse neurotransmitters not only maintain normal brain functions but also influence glioma progression. To fully appreciate the relationship between neurotransmitters and glioma progression, we reviewed potential neurotransmitter contributors in human GBM and the much less aggressive Low-grade glioma (LGG) by combining previously published data from gene-mutation/mRNA sequencing databases together with protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis results. The summarized results indicate that glutamatergic and calcium signaling may provide positive feedback to promote glioma formation through 1) metabolic reprogramming and genetic switching to accelerate glioma duplication and progression; 2) upregulation of cytoskeleton proteins and elevation of intracellular Ca2+ levels to increase glutamate release and facilitate formation of synaptic-like connections with surrounding cells in their microenvironment. The upregulated glutamatergic neuronal activities in turn stimulate glioma growth and signaling. Importantly, the enhanced electrical and molecular signals from both neurons and glia propagate out to enable glioma symptoms such as epilepsy and migraine. The elevated intracellular Ca2+ also activates nitric oxide synthase to produce nitric oxide (NO) that can either promote or inhibit tumorigenesis. By analyzing the network effects for complex interaction among neurotransmitters such as glutamate, Ca2+ and NO in brain tumor progression, especially GBM, we identified the glutamatergic signaling as the potential therapeutic targets and suggest manipulation of glutamatergic signaling may be an effective treatment strategy for this aggressive brain cancer.
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49
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The role of contextual signal TGF-β1 inducer of epithelial mesenchymal transition in metastatic lung adenocarcinoma patients with brain metastases: an update on its pathological significance and therapeutic potential. Contemp Oncol (Pozn) 2019; 23:187-194. [PMID: 31992949 PMCID: PMC6978756 DOI: 10.5114/wo.2019.91543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Lung adenocarcinoma (LA) is the most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Despite the advances over last decade in new targeted therapies, cancer genetics, diagnostics, staging, and surgical techniques as well as new chemotherapy and radiotherapy protocols, the death rate from LA remains high. The tumour microenvironment is composed of several cytokines, one of which is transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), which modulates and mediates the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), correlated with invasive growth in LAs, and exhibits its pleiotropic effects through binding to transmembrane receptors TβR-1 (also termed activin receptor-like kinases – ALKs) and TβR-2. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to elucidate the molecular mechanisms associated with the tumoural spreading process and therapeutic resistance of this serious pathology. In this review, we briefly discuss the current role of contextual signal TGF-β1 inducer of epithelial mesenchymal transition in metastatic lung adenocarcinoma patients with brain metastases, and give an overview of our current mechanistic understanding of the TGF-β1-related pathways in brain metastases progression, TGF-β1 pathway inhibitors that could be used for clinical treatment, and examination of models used to study these processes. Finally, we summarise the current progress in the therapeutic approaches targeting TGF-β1.
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50
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Civita P, M. Leite D, Pilkington GJ. Pre-Clinical Drug Testing in 2D and 3D Human In Vitro Models of Glioblastoma Incorporating Non-Neoplastic Astrocytes: Tunneling Nano Tubules and Mitochondrial Transfer Modulates Cell Behavior and Therapeutic Respons. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E6017. [PMID: 31795330 PMCID: PMC6929151 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20236017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of astrocytes in the glioblastoma (GBM) microenvironment is poorly understood; particularly with regard to cell invasion and drug resistance. To assess this role of astrocytes in GBMs we established an all human 2D co-culture model and a 3D hyaluronic acid-gelatin based hydrogel model (HyStem™-HP) with different ratios of GBM cells to astrocytes. A contact co-culture of fluorescently labelled GBM cells and astrocytes showed that the latter promotes tumour growth and migration of GBM cells. Notably, the presence of non-neoplastic astrocytes in direct contact, even in low amounts in co-culture, elicited drug resistance in GBM. Recent studies showed that non-neoplastic cells can transfer mitochondria along tunneling nanotubes (TNT) and rescue damaged target cancer cells. In these studies, we explored TNT formation and mitochondrial transfer using 2D and 3D in vitro co-culture models of GBM and astrocytes. TNT formation occurs in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) positive "reactive" astrocytes after 48 h co-culture and the increase of TNT formations was greater in 3D hyaluronic acid-gelatin based hydrogel models. This study shows that human astrocytes in the tumour microenvironment, both in 2D and 3D in vitro co-culture models, could form TNT connections with GBM cells. We postulate that the association on TNT delivery non-neoplastic mitochondria via a TNT connection may be related to GBM drug response as well as proliferation and migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prospero Civita
- Brain Tumour Research Centre, Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (IBBS), School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, White Swan Road, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, UK;
| | - Diana M. Leite
- Brain Tumour Research Centre, Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (IBBS), School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, White Swan Road, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, UK;
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, Christopher Ingold Building, London WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Geoffrey J. Pilkington
- Brain Tumour Research Centre, Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (IBBS), School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, White Swan Road, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, UK;
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