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El Azzouzi M, El Ahanidi H, Hassan I, Tetou M, Ameur A, Bensaid M, Al Bouzidi A, Oukabli M, Alaoui CH, Addoum B, Chaoui I, Benbacer L, Mzibri ME, Attaleb M. Comprehensive behavioural assessment of TERT in bladder cancer. Urol Oncol 2024:S1078-1439(24)00536-2. [PMID: 39147693 DOI: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2024.06.024] [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: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Telomerase activity plays a crucial role in cancer development and progression. Thus, telomerase activation through the interplay of mutations and epigenetic alterations in the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter may provide further insight into bladder cancer induction and progression. METHODS In this study 100 bladder tumour tissues were selected, and four molecular signatures were analysed: THOR methylation status, TERT promotor mutation, telomere length, and TERT expression. RESULTS In our study, 88% of bladder cancer patients had an hypermethylation of the THOR region and 60% had mutations in the TERT promoter region. TERT promoter methylation was observed in all stages and grades of bladder cancer. While, TERT promoter mutations were detected in advanced stages and grades. In our cohort, high levels of TERT expression and long telomeres have been found in noninvasive cases of bladder cancer, with a significant association between TERT expression and Telomere length. Interestingly, patients with low TERT expression and cases with long telomeres had significantly longer Disease-free survival and overall survival. CONCLUSION The methylation and mutations occurring in the TERT promoter are implicated in bladder carcinogenesis, offering added prognostic and supplying novel insight into telomere biology in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meryem El Azzouzi
- Biology and Medical Research Unit, CNESTEN, Rabat, Morocco; Rabat Medical and Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Hajar El Ahanidi
- Biology and Medical Research Unit, CNESTEN, Rabat, Morocco; Department of Pathology and Immunology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ilias Hassan
- Rabat Medical and Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco; Department of Urology, Military Hospital Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Mohammed Tetou
- Rabat Medical and Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco; Department of Urology, Military Hospital Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Ahmed Ameur
- Rabat Medical and Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco; Department of Urology, Military Hospital Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Mounia Bensaid
- Laboratory of Pathological Anatomy, Military Hospital Mohamed V, Rabat, Morocco; Royal School of Military Health Service, Rabat, Morocco
| | | | - Mohamed Oukabli
- Rabat Medical and Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco; Laboratory of Pathological Anatomy, Military Hospital Mohamed V, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Chaimae Hafidi Alaoui
- Biology and Medical Research Unit, CNESTEN, Rabat, Morocco; Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
| | | | - Imane Chaoui
- Biology and Medical Research Unit, CNESTEN, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Laila Benbacer
- Biology and Medical Research Unit, CNESTEN, Rabat, Morocco
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Long W, Zeng YX, Zheng BX, Li YB, Wang YK, Chan KH, She MT, Lu YJ, Cao C, Wong WL. Targeting hTERT Promoter G-Quadruplex DNA Structures with Small-Molecule Ligand to Downregulate hTERT Expression for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Therapy. J Med Chem 2024; 67:13363-13382. [PMID: 38987863 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c01255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) may have noncanonical functions in transcriptional regulation and metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells, but it is a challenging target. We thus developed small-molecule ligands targeting hTERT promoter G-quadruplex DNA structures (hTERT G4) to downregulate hTERT expression. Ligand 5 showed high affinity toward hTERT G4 (Kd = 1.1 μM) and potent activity against triple-negative breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231, IC50 = 1 μM). In cell-based assays, 5 not only exerts markedly inhibitory activity on classical telomere functions including decreased telomerase activity, shortened telomere length, and cellular senescence but also induces DNA damage, acute cellular senescence, and apoptosis. This study reveals that hTERT G4-targeting ligand may cause mitochondrial dysfunction, disrupt iron metabolism and activate ferroptosis in cancer cells. The in vivo antitumor efficacy of 5 was also evaluated in an MDA-MB-231 xenograft mouse model and approximately 78.7% tumor weight reduction was achieved. No observable toxicity against the major organs was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Long
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Yao-Xun Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Bo-Xin Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Yu-Bo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ya-Kun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Ka-Hin Chan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Meng-Ting She
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Yu-Jing Lu
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Chunyang Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Wing-Leung Wong
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
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3
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Li S, Hu G, Chen Y, Sang Y, Tang Q, Liu R. TERT upstream promoter methylation regulates TERT expression and acts as a therapeutic target in TERT promoter mutation-negative thyroid cancer. Cancer Cell Int 2024; 24:271. [PMID: 39097722 PMCID: PMC11297792 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-024-03459-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND DNA hypermethylation and hotspot mutations were frequently observed in the upstream and core promoter of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), respectively, and they were associated with increased TERT expression and adverse clinical outcomes in thyroid cancer. In TERT promoter mutant cancer cells, the hypomethylated TERT mutant allele was active and the hypermethylated TERT wild-type allele was silenced. However, whether and how the upstream promoter methylation regulates TERT expression in TERT mutation-negative cells were largely unknown. METHODS DNA demethylating agents 5-azacytidine and decitabine and a genomic locus-specific demethylation system based on dCas9-TET1 were used to assess the effects of TERT upstream promoter methylation on TERT expression, cell growth and apoptosis of thyroid cancer cells. Regulatory proteins binding to TERT promoter were identified by CRISPR affinity purification in situ of regulatory elements (CAPTURE) combined with mass spectrometry. The enrichments of selected regulatory proteins and histone modifications were evaluated by chromatin immunoprecipitation. RESULTS The level of DNA methylation at TERT upstream promoter and expression of TERT were significantly decreased after treatment with 5-azacytidine or decitabine in TERT promoter wild-type thyroid cancer cells. Genomic locus-specific demethylation of TERT upstream promoter induced TERT downregulation, along with cell apoptosis and growth inhibition. Consistently, demethylating agents sharply inhibited the growth of thyroid cancer cells harboring hypermethylated TERT but had little effect on cells with TERT hypomethylation. Moreover, we identified that the chromatin remodeling protein CHD4 binds to methylated TERT upstream promoter and promotes its transcription by suppressing the enrichment of H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 at TERT promoter. CONCLUSIONS This study uncovered the mechanism of promoter methylation mediated TERT activation in TERT promoter mutation-negative thyroid cancer cells and indicated TERT upstream promoter methylation as a therapeutic target for thyroid cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyong Li
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China
| | - Guanghui Hu
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China
| | - Yulu Chen
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China
| | - Ye Sang
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China
| | - Qin Tang
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China
| | - Rengyun Liu
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China.
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4
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Santourlidis S, Araúzo-Bravo MJ, Brodell RT, Hassan M, Bendhack ML. hTERT Epigenetics Provides New Perspectives for Diagnosis and Evidence-Based Guidance of Chemotherapy in Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:7331. [PMID: 39000438 PMCID: PMC11242863 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25137331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Strong epigenetic pan-cancer biomarkers are required to meet several current, urgent clinical needs and to further improve the present chemotherapeutic standard. We have concentrated on the investigation of epigenetic alteration of the hTERT gene, which is frequently epigenetically dysregulated in a number of cancers in specific developmental stages. Distinct DNA methylation profiles were identified in our data on early urothelial cancer. An efficient EpihTERT assay could be developed utilizing suitable combinations with sequence-dependent thermodynamic parameters to distinguish between differentially methylated states. We infer from this data set, the epigenetic context, and the related literature that a CpG-rich, 2800 bp region, a prominent CpG island, surrounding the transcription start of the hTERT gene is the crucial epigenetic zone for the development of a potent biomarker. In order to accurately describe this region, we have named it "Acheron" (Ἀχέρων). In Greek mythology, this is the river of woe and misery and the path to the underworld. Exploitation of the DNA methylation profiles focused on this region, e.g., idiolocal normalized Methylation Specific PCR (IDLN-MSP), opens up a wide range of new possibilities for diagnosis, determination of prognosis, follow-up, and detection of residual disease. It may also have broad implications for the choice of chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simeon Santourlidis
- Institute of Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Marcos J. Araúzo-Bravo
- Group of Computational Biology and Systems Biomedicine, Biodonostia Health Research Institute, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain;
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - Robert T. Brodell
- Department of Pathology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216, USA;
| | - Mohamed Hassan
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, 67000 Strasbourg, France;
- Department of Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Marcelo L. Bendhack
- Department of Urology, Red Cross University Hospital, Positivo University, Rua Mauá 1111, Curitiba 80030-200, Brazil;
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5
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Sako A, Matsuse M, Saenko V, Tanaka A, Otsubo R, Morita M, Kuba S, Nishihara E, Suzuki K, Ogi T, Kawakami A, Mitsutake N. TERT promoter mutations increase tumor aggressiveness by altering TERT mRNA splicing in papillary thyroid carcinoma. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2024:dgae220. [PMID: 38576411 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgae220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
CONTEXT Telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter (TERT-p) mutations, which upregulate TERT expression, are strongly associated with tumor aggressiveness and worse prognosis in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). TERT expression is also observed in a proportion of PTCs without TERT-p mutations, but such tumors show less aggressiveness and better prognosis compared with TERT-p mutation-positive tumors. OBJECTIVE TERT has multiple splicing variants whose relationships with the TERT-p status and clinicopathological characteristics remain poorly understood. We examined the relationship between the TERT-p mutational status, the TERT splicing pattern, and clinicopathological features. METHODS We investigated the expression of two major variants, α deletion (dA) and β deletion (dB), in a series of 207 PTCs operated between November 2001 and March 2020 in Nagasaki University Hospital and Kuma Hospital. RESULTS The TERT-p mutations were found in 33 cases, and among 174 mutation-negative cases, 24 showed TERT expression. All cases were classified into three groups: the TERT-p mutation-negative/expression-negative group (mut-/exp-), the TERT-p mutation-negative/expression-positive group (mut-/exp+), and the TERT-p mutation-positive group (mut+/exp+). The +A + B/dB ratio in mut+/exp + was significantly higher than that in mut-/exp + PTCs. Analysis with clinicopathological data revealed that +A + B expression was associated with higher PTC aggressiveness, whereas dB expression counteracted this effect. Functional in vitro study demonstrated that dB strongly inhibited cell growth, migration, and clonogenicity, suggesting its tumor suppressive role. CONCLUSION These results provide evidence that the TERT-p mutations alter the expression of different TERT splice variants, which, in turn, associates with different tumor aggressiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayaka Sako
- Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University
| | - Michiko Matsuse
- Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University
| | - Vladimir Saenko
- Department of Radiation Molecular Epidemiology, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University
| | - Aya Tanaka
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University
| | - Ryota Otsubo
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University
| | - Michi Morita
- Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University
| | - Sayaka Kuba
- Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University
| | | | - Keiji Suzuki
- Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University
| | - Tomoo Ogi
- Department of Genetics, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University
| | - Atsushi Kawakami
- Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University
| | - Norisato Mitsutake
- Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University
- Department of Radiation Molecular Epidemiology, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University
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6
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Blanco-García L, Ruano Y, Blanco Martínez-Illescas R, Cubo R, Jiménez Sánchez P, Sánchez-Arévalo Lobo VJ, Riveiro Falkenbach E, Ortiz Romero P, Garrido MC, Rodríguez Peralto JL. pTERT C250T mutation: A potential biomarker of poor prognosis in metastatic melanoma. Heliyon 2023; 9:e18953. [PMID: 37609429 PMCID: PMC10440525 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer and the leading cause of death from cutaneous tumors. Several studies have associated alterations in the TERT promoter region (pTERT) with gene overexpression, aggressiveness and poor prognosis of the disease. The aim of this study was to clarify the role of pTERT molecular status in paired samples of primary melanoma and metastasis using tissue and plasma to establish a correlation with disease progression and survival. A total of 88 FFPE tissue samples from 53 patients with advanced melanoma were analyzed. Of these, 35 had paired samples. We also examined cfDNA samples from plasma of 25 patients. We detected a good correlation between primary tumors and metastases in pTERT mutation and methylation status. We were also able to identify pTERT mutations in plasma samples that correlated with mutational status in tissue samples. Interestingly, the C250T mutation was associated with worse survival and higher TERT mRNA expression, compared to the other most common mutation: C228T. In addition, hyper-methylation of the promoter region seems to be related to the progression of pTERT wild type (WT) patients. These results suggest that TERT gene alterations plays an important role during tumor progression, with the detection of the C250T mutation in tissue and plasma as a potential biomarker of poor prognosis in patients with advanced melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yolanda Ruano
- Research Institute 12 de Octubre Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel Blanco Martínez-Illescas
- Research Institute 12 de Octubre Hospital, Madrid, Spain
- Biosanitary Research Institute, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, Francisco de Vitoria University, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rocío Cubo
- Research Institute 12 de Octubre Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Paula Jiménez Sánchez
- Research Institute 12 de Octubre Hospital, Madrid, Spain
- Biosanitary Research Institute, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, Francisco de Vitoria University, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Víctor J. Sánchez-Arévalo Lobo
- Research Institute 12 de Octubre Hospital, Madrid, Spain
- Biosanitary Research Institute, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, Francisco de Vitoria University, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Pablo Ortiz Romero
- Department of Dermatology, 12 de Octubre University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - María C. Garrido
- Department of Pathology, 12 de Octubre University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
- Complutense University of Madrid; Madrid, Spain
| | - José L. Rodríguez Peralto
- Department of Pathology, 12 de Octubre University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
- Complutense University of Madrid; Madrid, Spain
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7
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Lin F, Huang J, Zhu W, Jiang T, Guo J, Xia W, Chen M, Guo L, Deng W, Lin H. Prognostic value and immune landscapes of TERT promoter methylation in triple negative breast cancer. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1218987. [PMID: 37575241 PMCID: PMC10416624 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1218987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Treatment options for patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remain limited to mainstay therapies owing to a lack of efficacious therapeutic targets. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to discover and identify novel molecular targets for the treatment and diagnosis of this disease. In this study, we analyzed the correlation of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) methylation status with TERT expression, prognosis, and immune infiltration in TNBC and identified the role of TERT methylation in the regulation TNBC prognosis and immunotherapy. Methods Data relating to the transcriptome, clinicopathological characteristics and methylation of TNBC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. TERT expression levels and differential methylation sites (DMSs) were detected. The correlations between TERT expression and DMSs were calculated. Kaplan-Meier curves was plotted to analyze the relationship between the survival of TNBC patients and the DMSs. The correlations of DMSs and TERT expression with several immunological characteristics of immune microenvironment (immune cell infiltration, immunomodulators, immune-related biological pathways, and immune checkpoints) were assessed. The results were validated using 40 TNBC patients from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC). Results Six DMSs were identified. Among them, four sites (cg11625005, cg07380026, cg17166338, and cg26006951) were within the TERT promoter, in which two sites (cg07380026 and cg26006951) were significantly related to the prognosis of patients with TNBC. Further validation using 40 TNBC samples from SYSUCC showed that the high methylation of the cg26006951 CpG site was associated with poor survival prognosis (P=0.0022). TERT expression was significantly correlated with pathological N stage and clinical stage, and cg07380026 were significantly associated with pathological T and N stages in the TCGA cohort. Moreover, the methylation site cg26006951, cg07380026 and TERT expression were significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration, common immunomodulators, and the level of the immune checkpoint receptor lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3) in TNBC patients. Conclusion TERT promotertypermethylation plays an important role in TERT expression regulation and tumor microenvironment in TNBC. It is associated with overall survival and LAG-3 expression. TERT promoter hypermethylation may be a potential molecular biomarker for predicting response to the TERT inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors in TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Ling Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wuguo Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huanxin Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
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8
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Gregório C, Thakur S, Camara Rivero R, Márcia Dos Santos Machado S, Cuenin C, Carreira C, White V, Cree IA, Vukojevic K, Glavina Durdov M, Bersch Osvaldt A, Ashton-Prolla P, Herceg Z, Talukdar FR. Telomere length assessment and molecular characterization of TERT gene promoter in periampullary carcinomas. Gene 2023; 873:147460. [PMID: 37150235 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2023.147460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Genetic and epigenetic alterations of the telomere maintenance machinery like telomere length and telomerase reverse transcriptase (encoded by TERT gene) are reported in several human malignancies. However, there is limited knowledge on the status of the telomere machinery in periampullary carcinomas (PAC) which are rare and heterogeneous groups of cancers arising from different anatomic sites around the ampulla of Vater. In the current study, we investigated the relative telomere length (RTL) and the most frequent genetic and epigenetic alterations in the TERT promoter in PAC and compared it with tumor-adjacent nonpathological duodenum (NDu). We found shorter RTLs (1.27 vs 1.33, P = 0.01) and lower TERT protein expression (p = 0.04) in PAC tissues as compared to the NDu. Although we did not find any mutation at two reactivating hotspot mutation sites of the TERT promoter, we detected polymorphism in 45% (9/20) of the cases at rs2853669 (T > C). Also, we found a hypermethylated region in the TERT promoter of PACs consisting of four CpGs (cg10896616 with Δβ 7%; cg02545192 with Δβ 9%; cg03323598 with Δβ 19%; and cg07285213 with Δβ 15%). In conclusion, we identified shorter telomeres with DNA hypermethylation in the TERT promoter region and lower TERT protein expression in PAC tissues. These results could be used further to investigate molecular pathology and develop theranostics for PAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cleandra Gregório
- Departamento de Genética, Programa de Pós-graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Laboratório de Medicina Genômica, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental - Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Shefali Thakur
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France; Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Raquel Camara Rivero
- Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Serviço de Patologia- Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Simone Márcia Dos Santos Machado
- Grupo de Vias Biliares e Pâncreas - Cirurgia do Aparelho Digestivo, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Cyrille Cuenin
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | | | - Valerie White
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Ian A Cree
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Katarina Vukojevic
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, University of Split, Split, Croatia
| | | | - Alessandro Bersch Osvaldt
- Serviço de Patologia- Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina: Ciências Cirúrgicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Patricia Ashton-Prolla
- Departamento de Genética, Programa de Pós-graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Laboratório de Medicina Genômica, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental - Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Serviço de Patologia- Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Zdenko Herceg
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
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9
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Tsatsakis A, Oikonomopoulou T, Nikolouzakis TK, Vakonaki E, Tzatzarakis M, Flamourakis M, Renieri E, Fragkiadaki P, Iliaki E, Bachlitzanaki M, Karzi V, Katsikantami I, Kakridonis F, Hatzidaki E, Tolia M, Svistunov AA, Spandidos DA, Nikitovic D, Tsiaoussis J, Berdiaki A. Role of telomere length in human carcinogenesis (Review). Int J Oncol 2023; 63:78. [PMID: 37232367 PMCID: PMC10552730 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2023.5526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is considered the most important clinical, social and economic issue regarding cause‑specific disability‑adjusted life years among all human pathologies. Exogenous, endogenous and individual factors, including genetic predisposition, participate in cancer triggering. Telomeres are specific DNA structures positioned at the end of chromosomes and consist of repetitive nucleotide sequences, which, together with shelterin proteins, facilitate the maintenance of chromosome stability, while protecting them from genomic erosion. Even though the connection between telomere status and carcinogenesis has been identified, the absence of a universal or even a cancer‑specific trend renders consent even more complex. It is indicative that both short and long telomere lengths have been associated with a high risk of cancer incidence. When evaluating risk associations between cancer and telomere length, a disparity appears to emerge. Even though shorter telomeres have been adopted as a marker of poorer health status and an older biological age, longer telomeres due to increased cell growth potential are associated with the acquirement of cancer‑initiating somatic mutations. Therefore, the present review aimed to comprehensively present the multifaceted pattern of telomere length and cancer incidence association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aristidis Tsatsakis
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | - Tatiana Oikonomopoulou
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | - Taxiarchis Konstantinos Nikolouzakis
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | - Elena Vakonaki
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | - Manolis Tzatzarakis
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | | | - Elisavet Renieri
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | | | - Evaggelia Iliaki
- Laboratory of Microbiology, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71500 Heraklion
| | - Maria Bachlitzanaki
- Department of Medical Oncology, Venizeleion General Hospital of Heraklion, 71409 Heraklion
| | - Vasiliki Karzi
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | - Ioanna Katsikantami
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | - Fotios Kakridonis
- Department of Spine Surgery and Scoliosis, KAT General Hospital, 14561 Athens
| | - Eleftheria Hatzidaki
- Department of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), University Hospital of Heraklion, 71500 Heraklion
| | - Maria Tolia
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital of Crete, 71110 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Andrey A. Svistunov
- Department of Pharmacology, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119146 Moscow, Russia
| | - Demetrios A. Spandidos
- Laboratory of Clinical Virology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Dragana Nikitovic
- Laboratory of Histology-Embryology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - John Tsiaoussis
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | - Aikaterini Berdiaki
- Laboratory of Histology-Embryology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
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10
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Taghavi Rad F, Ghorbian S, Naghavi Gargari B, Shirvani Farsani Z, Sharifi R. hTERT Gene Modification Using CRISPR-dCas9-dnmt3a System as a Therapeutic Approach Against Glioma. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH : IJPR 2023; 22:e137226. [PMID: 38116572 PMCID: PMC10728856 DOI: 10.5812/ijpr-137226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Background Abnormal DNA methylation patterns have been reported in various diseases, including different cancers. CRISPR/Cas9 is a low-cost and highly effective gene editing tool that has lately revolutionized biotechnology. Studies have shown that the CRISPR/Cas9 system can effectively target and correct methylation. Objectives Telomerase plays a survival role for cancer cells. It is encoded by the hTERT gene. The effectiveness of CRISPR/Cas9 in targeting hTERT to treat glioma cancer cells was assessed in this study. Methods EF1a-hsaCas9-U6-gRNA vector carrying sgRNA and Cas9 hybrids were used to transfect U87 glioma cells. Four and eight μg/mL polybrene concentrations were investigated to improve transfection efficiency. The expression level of hTERT that has undergone metabisulfite modification was assessed using real-time PCR. Flow cytometry and Western blotting were also used to determine whether telomerase was present in the cells. High-resolution melting analysis (HRM) was used to examine the hTERT promoter's methylation. Finally, flow cytometry was used to measure the apoptotic rate of transfected U87 cells. Results The findings demonstrated that gRNA significantly boosted transfection effectiveness. Significant variations were seen in the expression of hTERT in U87 cells at 4 μg/mL polybrene and 80 μg/mL transfection compared to transfection without gRNA and basal cells. Flow cytometry showed a decrease in hTERT levels in transfected cells. Furthermore, transfection with gRNA increased U87 cell apoptosis compared to transfection without gRNA. Conclusions It appears that the designed CRISPR/Cas9 system can reduce hTERT expression and telomerase activity and thus inhibit glioma cell growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farbod Taghavi Rad
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Ahar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahar, Iran
| | - Saied Ghorbian
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Ahar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahar, Iran
| | - Bahar Naghavi Gargari
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zeinab Shirvani Farsani
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Rasoul Sharifi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Ahar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahar, Iran
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11
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Apolónio JD, Dias JS, Fernandes MT, Komosa M, Lipman T, Zhang CH, Leão R, Lee D, Nunes NM, Maia AT, Morera JL, Vicioso L, Tabori U, Castelo-Branco P. THOR is a targetable epigenetic biomarker with clinical implications in breast cancer. Clin Epigenetics 2022; 14:178. [PMID: 36529814 PMCID: PMC9759897 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-022-01396-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and a leading cause of death among women worldwide. Early BC is potentially curable, but the mortality rates still observed among BC patients demonstrate the urgent need of novel and more effective diagnostic and therapeutic options. Limitless self-renewal is a hallmark of cancer, governed by telomere maintenance. In around 95% of BC cases, this process is achieved by telomerase reactivation through upregulation of the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). The hypermethylation of a specific region within the hTERT promoter, termed TERT hypermethylated oncological region (THOR) has been associated with increased hTERT expression in cancer. However, its biological role and clinical potential in BC have never been studied to the best of our knowledge. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of THOR as a biomarker and explore the functional impact of THOR methylation status in hTERT upregulation in BC. RESULTS THOR methylation status in BC was assessed by pyrosequencing on discovery and validation cohorts. We found that THOR is significantly hypermethylated in malignant breast tissue when compared to benign tissue (40.23% vs. 12.81%, P < 0.0001), differentiating malignant tumor from normal tissue from the earliest stage of disease. Using a reporter assay, the addition of unmethylated THOR significantly reduced luciferase activity by an average 1.8-fold when compared to the hTERT core promoter alone (P < 0.01). To further investigate its biological impact on hTERT transcription, targeted THOR demethylation was performed using novel technology based on CRISPR-dCas9 system and significant THOR demethylation was achieved. Cells previously demethylated on THOR region did not develop a histologic cancer phenotype in in vivo assays. Additional studies are required to validate these observations and to unravel the causality between THOR hypermethylation and hTERT upregulation in BC. CONCLUSIONS THOR hypermethylation is an important epigenetic mark in breast tumorigenesis, representing a promising biomarker and therapeutic target in BC. We revealed that THOR acts as a repressive regulatory element of hTERT and that its hypermethylation is a relevant mechanism for hTERT upregulation in BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Dias Apolónio
- grid.7157.40000 0000 9693 350XFaculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (FMCB), University of Algarve, Gambelas Campus, Bld. 2, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal ,grid.7157.40000 0000 9693 350XAlgarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), University of Algarve, Gambelas Campus, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal ,grid.7157.40000 0000 9693 350XAlgarve Biomedical Center (ABC), University of Algarve, Gambelas Campus, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal ,grid.42327.300000 0004 0473 9646Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON Canada
| | - João S. Dias
- University Hospital Center of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Mónica Teotónio Fernandes
- grid.7157.40000 0000 9693 350XAlgarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), University of Algarve, Gambelas Campus, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal ,grid.7157.40000 0000 9693 350XAlgarve Biomedical Center (ABC), University of Algarve, Gambelas Campus, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal ,grid.7157.40000 0000 9693 350XEscola Superior de Saúde (ESSUAlg), Universidade Do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Martin Komosa
- grid.42327.300000 0004 0473 9646Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON Canada ,grid.17063.330000 0001 2157 2938Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada
| | - Tatiana Lipman
- grid.42327.300000 0004 0473 9646Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON Canada ,grid.17063.330000 0001 2157 2938Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada
| | - Cindy H. Zhang
- grid.42327.300000 0004 0473 9646Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON Canada ,grid.17063.330000 0001 2157 2938Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada
| | - Ricardo Leão
- grid.8051.c0000 0000 9511 4342Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Donghyun Lee
- grid.42327.300000 0004 0473 9646Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON Canada ,grid.17063.330000 0001 2157 2938Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada
| | - Nuno Miguel Nunes
- grid.42327.300000 0004 0473 9646Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON Canada ,grid.17063.330000 0001 2157 2938Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada
| | - Ana-Teresa Maia
- grid.7157.40000 0000 9693 350XFaculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (FMCB), University of Algarve, Gambelas Campus, Bld. 2, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal ,grid.7157.40000 0000 9693 350XAlgarve Biomedical Center (ABC), University of Algarve, Gambelas Campus, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal ,grid.7157.40000 0000 9693 350XCenter for Research in Health Technologies and Information Systems (CINTESIS@RISE), University of Algarve, Gambelas Campus, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | | | - Luis Vicioso
- grid.10215.370000 0001 2298 7828Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Pathological Anatomy, University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain
| | - Uri Tabori
- grid.42327.300000 0004 0473 9646Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON Canada ,grid.17063.330000 0001 2157 2938Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada ,grid.42327.300000 0004 0473 9646Division of Hematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON Canada
| | - Pedro Castelo-Branco
- grid.7157.40000 0000 9693 350XFaculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (FMCB), University of Algarve, Gambelas Campus, Bld. 2, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal ,grid.7157.40000 0000 9693 350XAlgarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), University of Algarve, Gambelas Campus, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal ,grid.7157.40000 0000 9693 350XAlgarve Biomedical Center (ABC), University of Algarve, Gambelas Campus, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal ,grid.421010.60000 0004 0453 9636Champalimaud Research Program, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
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Ott P, Araúzo-Bravo MJ, Hoffmann MJ, Poyet C, Bendhack ML, Santourlidis S, Erichsen L. Differential DNA Methylation of THOR and hTAPAS in the Regulation of hTERT and the Diagnosis of Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14184384. [PMID: 36139544 PMCID: PMC9497117 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14184384] [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: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Because of its high prevalence of >45% in 9 out of 11 (82%) cancer types screened, THOR hypermethylation has been suggested to be a frequent telomerase-activating mechanism in hTERT-expressing tumor types, e.g., in cancers of the prostate, breast, blood, colon, lung, bladder, and brain. In this prime example, we present detailed DNA methylation profiles in urothelial cancer that reveal the exact positions of the most differentially methylated CpG dinucleotides within the THOR region in order to design an efficient Methylation-Specific PCR (MSPCR) approach for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Furthermore, our data suggest an epigenetic mechanism regulating hTERT expression through the methylation status of THOR and lncRNA hTAPAS. Abstract Background: Although DNA methylation in the gene promoters usually represses gene expression, the TERT hypermethylated oncological region (THOR) located 5′ of the hTERT gene is hypermethylated when hTERT is expressed in diverse cancer types, including urothelial cancer (UC). Methods: Comprehensive MeDIP and DNA methylation array analyses complemented by the technically independent method of bisulfite genomic sequencing were applied on pathologically reviewed and classified urothelial carcinoma specimens and healthy urothelial tissue samples to reveal the methylation status of THOR in detail. Results: The detailed DNA methylation profiles reveal the exact positions of differentially methylated CpG dinucleotides within THOR in urothelial cancer and provide evidence ofa diverging role of methylation of these CpGs in the regulation of hTERT. In particular, our data suggest a regulating mechanism in which THOR methylation acts on hTERT expression through epigenetic silencing of the lncRNA hTERT antisense promoter-associated (hTAPAS), which represses hTERT. Conclusions: These findings precisely define the most differentially methylated CpGs of THOR in early urothelial cancer, enabling optimal design of Methylation-Specific PCR (MSPCR) primers to reliably probe these methylation differences for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. In addition, this strategy presents a prime example that is also applicable to many other malignancies. Finally, the first evidence for the underlying epigenetic mechanism regulating hTERT expression through the methylation status of THOR is provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Ott
- Epigenetics Core Laboratory, Institute of Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Marcos J. Araúzo-Bravo
- Group of Computational Biology and Systems Biomedicine, Biodonostia Health Research Institute, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Michèle J. Hoffmann
- Department of Urology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Cedric Poyet
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marcelo L. Bendhack
- Department of Urology, University Hospital, Positivo University, Curitiba 80420-011, Brazil
| | - Simeon Santourlidis
- Epigenetics Core Laboratory, Institute of Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
- Correspondence: (S.S.); (L.E.)
| | - Lars Erichsen
- Epigenetics Core Laboratory, Institute of Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
- Institute for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
- Correspondence: (S.S.); (L.E.)
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Rashid S, Gupta S, McCormick SR, Tsao H. New Insights into Melanoma Tumor Syndromes. JID INNOVATIONS 2022; 2:100152. [DOI: 10.1016/j.xjidi.2022.100152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022] Open
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Targeted Long-Read Bisulfite Sequencing Identifies Differences in the TERT Promoter Methylation Profiles between TERT Wild-Type and TERT Mutant Cancer Cells. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14164018. [PMID: 36011010 PMCID: PMC9406525 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14164018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: TERT promoter methylation, located several hundred base pairs upstream of the transcriptional start site, is cancer specific and correlates with increased TERT mRNA expression and poorer patient outcome. Promoter methylation, however, is not mutually exclusive to TERT activating genetic alterations, as predicted for functionally redundant mechanisms. To annotate the altered patterns of TERT promoter methylation and their relationship with gene expression, we applied a Pacific Biosciences-based, long-read, bisulfite-sequencing technology and compared the differences in the methylation marks between wild-type and mutant cancers in an allele-specific manner. Results: We cataloged TERT genetic alterations (i.e., promoter point mutations or structural variations), allele-specific promoter methylation patterns, and allele-specific expression levels in a cohort of 54 cancer cell lines. In heterozygous mutant cell lines, the mutant alleles were significantly less methylated than their silent, mutation-free alleles (p < 0.05). In wild-type cell lines, by contrast, both epialleles were equally methylated to high levels at the TERT distal promoter, but differentially methylated in the proximal regions. ChIP analysis showed that epialleles with the hypomethylated proximal and core promoter were enriched in the active histone mark H3K4me2/3, whereas epialleles that were methylated in those regions were enriched in the repressive histone mark H3K27me3. Decitabine therapy induced biallelic expression in the wild-type cancer cells, whereas the mutant cell lines were unaffected. Conclusions: Long-read bisulfite sequencing analysis revealed differences in the methylation profiles and responses to demethylating agents between TERT wild-type and genetically altered cancer cell lines. The causal relation between TERT promoter methylation and gene expression remains to be established.
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15
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Nguyen E, Richerolle A, Sánchez-Bellver J, Varennes J, Ségal-Bendirdjian E. hTERT DNA Methylation Analysis Identifies a Biomarker for Retinoic Acid-Induced hTERT Repression in Breast Cancer Cell Lines. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10030695. [PMID: 35327497 PMCID: PMC8945736 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10030695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase reactivation is responsible for telomere preservation in about 90% of cancers, providing cancer cells an indefinite proliferating potential. Telomerase consists of at least two main subunits: a catalytic reverse transcriptase protein (hTERT) and an RNA template subunit. Strategies to inhibit hTERT expression seem promising for cancer treatment. Previous works showed that all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) induces hTERT repression in acute promyelocytic leukemia cells, resulting in their death. Here, we investigated the effects of ATRA in a subset of breast cancer cell lines. The mutational status of hTERT promoter and the methylation patterns at a single CpG resolution were assessed. We observed an inverse relationship between hTERT expression after ATRA treatment and the methylation level of a specific CpG at chr5: 1,300,438 in a region of hTERT gene at −5 kb of the transcription initiation site. This observation highlighted the significance of this region, whose methylation profile could represent a promising biomarker to predict the sensitivity to ATRA-induced hTERT repression in specific breast cancer subtypes. As hTERT repression promotes drug-induced cell death, checking the methylation status of this unique region and the specific CpG included can help in decision-making to include ATRA in combination therapy and contributes to a better clinical outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Nguyen
- Université Paris Cité, INSERM, CNRS, T3S “Environmental Toxicity, Therapeutic Targets, Cellular Signaling and Biomarkers”, F-75006 Paris, France; (E.N.); (A.R.); (J.V.)
| | - Andréa Richerolle
- Université Paris Cité, INSERM, CNRS, T3S “Environmental Toxicity, Therapeutic Targets, Cellular Signaling and Biomarkers”, F-75006 Paris, France; (E.N.); (A.R.); (J.V.)
- Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, F-75014 Paris, France
| | | | - Jacqueline Varennes
- Université Paris Cité, INSERM, CNRS, T3S “Environmental Toxicity, Therapeutic Targets, Cellular Signaling and Biomarkers”, F-75006 Paris, France; (E.N.); (A.R.); (J.V.)
| | - Evelyne Ségal-Bendirdjian
- Université Paris Cité, INSERM, CNRS, T3S “Environmental Toxicity, Therapeutic Targets, Cellular Signaling and Biomarkers”, F-75006 Paris, France; (E.N.); (A.R.); (J.V.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +33-1-42-86-22-46
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16
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El Ahanidi H, El Azzouzi M, Hafidi Alaoui C, Tetou M, Bensaid M, Chaoui I, Benbacer L, Hassan I, Oukabli M, Michaud K, Ameur A, Al Bouzidi A, El Mzibri M, Jandus C, Attaleb M. Immune Checkpoint and Telomerase Crosstalk Is Mediated by miRNA-138 in Bladder Cancer. Front Oncol 2022; 11:795242. [PMID: 35223454 PMCID: PMC8874320 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.795242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tumor recurrence and progression in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), therapy failure, and severe side effects in muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) are the major challenges in the clinical management of bladder cancer (BC). Here, we identify new molecular targetable signatures to improve BC patients’ stratification and the outcome of current immunotherapies. Material and Methods In a prospective cohort of 70 BC patients, we assessed the genetic and molecular regulation of TERT in maintaining telomere length in parallel to immune checkpoint and microRNA expression. Results TERT was undetectable in healthy bladder tissues but upregulated in invasive BC stages and high tumor grade. Its expression was linked with the combined effect of the C250T mutation and THOR hypermethylation, associated with progressing tumors and maintaining of telomere length. In the same cohort, PD-L1 scored highest in NMIBC, while PD-L2 was upregulated in MIBC. We also show that miR-100-5p and 138-5p were highly expressed in healthy bladder specimens and cell line, while expression decreased in the BC tissues and BC cell lines. In line with the binding prediction for these miRNAs on target genes, miRs 100-5p and 138-5p expression strongly inverse correlated with TERT, PD-L1, and PD-L2 expression, but not PD1. Conclusion We identify a loop involving TERT, PD1-ligands, and miR-138-5p in BC, that might represent not only a useful biomarker for improved diagnosis and patients’ stratification but also as a promising axis that might be therapeutically targeted in situ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hajar El Ahanidi
- Biology and Medical Research Unit, Centre National de l'Energie, des Sciences et Techniques Nucleaires (CNESTEN), Rabat, Morocco
- Rabat Medical and Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Meryem El Azzouzi
- Biology and Medical Research Unit, Centre National de l'Energie, des Sciences et Techniques Nucleaires (CNESTEN), Rabat, Morocco
- Rabat Medical and Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Chaimae Hafidi Alaoui
- Biology and Medical Research Unit, Centre National de l'Energie, des Sciences et Techniques Nucleaires (CNESTEN), Rabat, Morocco
- Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Mohammed Tetou
- Rabat Medical and Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
- Military Hospital Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
| | | | - Imane Chaoui
- Biology and Medical Research Unit, Centre National de l'Energie, des Sciences et Techniques Nucleaires (CNESTEN), Rabat, Morocco
| | - Laila Benbacer
- Biology and Medical Research Unit, Centre National de l'Energie, des Sciences et Techniques Nucleaires (CNESTEN), Rabat, Morocco
| | - Ilias Hassan
- Rabat Medical and Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
- Military Hospital Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Mohamed Oukabli
- Rabat Medical and Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
- Military Hospital Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Katarzyna Michaud
- University Center of Legal Medicine Lausanne-Geneva, Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ahmed Ameur
- Biology and Medical Research Unit, Centre National de l'Energie, des Sciences et Techniques Nucleaires (CNESTEN), Rabat, Morocco
- Military Hospital Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
| | | | - Mohammed El Mzibri
- Biology and Medical Research Unit, Centre National de l'Energie, des Sciences et Techniques Nucleaires (CNESTEN), Rabat, Morocco
| | - Camilla Jandus
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mohammed Attaleb
- Biology and Medical Research Unit, Centre National de l'Energie, des Sciences et Techniques Nucleaires (CNESTEN), Rabat, Morocco
- *Correspondence: Mohammed Attaleb, ;
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Gandhirajan A, Roychowdhury S, Vachharajani V. Sirtuins and Sepsis: Cross Talk between Redox and Epigenetic Pathways. Antioxidants (Basel) 2021; 11:antiox11010003. [PMID: 35052507 PMCID: PMC8772830 DOI: 10.3390/antiox11010003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Sepsis and septic shock are the leading causes of death among hospitalized patients in the US. The immune response in sepsis transitions from a pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant hyper-inflammation to an anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective hypo-inflammatory phase. While 1/3rd sepsis-related deaths occur during hyper-, a vast majority of sepsis-mortality occurs during the hypo-inflammation. Hyper-inflammation is cytotoxic for the immune cells and cannot be sustained. As a compensatory mechanism, the immune cells transition from cytotoxic hyper-inflammation to a cytoprotective hypo-inflammation with anti-inflammatory/immunosuppressive phase. However, the hypo-inflammation is associated with an inability to clear invading pathogens, leaving the host susceptible to secondary infections. Thus, the maladaptive immune response leads to a marked departure from homeostasis during sepsis-phases. The transition from hyper- to hypo-inflammation occurs via epigenetic programming. Sirtuins, a highly conserved family of histone deacetylators and guardians of homeostasis, are integral to the epigenetic programming in sepsis. Through their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, the sirtuins modulate the immune response in sepsis. We review the role of sirtuins in orchestrating the interplay between the oxidative stress and epigenetic programming during sepsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anugraha Gandhirajan
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (A.G.); (S.R.)
| | - Sanjoy Roychowdhury
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (A.G.); (S.R.)
| | - Vidula Vachharajani
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (A.G.); (S.R.)
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
- Correspondence:
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18
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Lee DD, Komosa M, Sudhaman S, Leão R, Zhang CH, Apolonio JD, Hermanns T, Wild PJ, Klocker H, Nassiri F, Zadeh G, Diplas BH, Yan H, Gallinger S, Pugh TJ, Ramaswamy V, Taylor MD, Castelo-Branco P, Nunes NM, Tabori U. Dual role of allele-specific DNA hypermethylation within the TERT promoter in cancer. J Clin Invest 2021; 131:146915. [PMID: 34720085 DOI: 10.1172/jci146915] [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: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant activation of telomerase in human cancer is achieved by various alterations within the TERT promoter, including cancer-specific DNA hypermethylation of the TERT hypermethylated oncological region (THOR). However, the impact of allele-specific DNA methylation within the TERT promoter on gene transcription remains incompletely understood. Using allele-specific next-generation sequencing, we screened a large cohort of normal and tumor tissues (n = 652) from 10 cancer types and identified that differential allelic methylation (DAM) of THOR is restricted to cancerous tissue and commonly observed in major cancer types. THOR-DAM was more common in adult cancers, which develop through multiple stages over time, than in childhood brain tumors. Furthermore, THOR-DAM was especially enriched in tumors harboring the activating TERT promoter mutations (TPMs). Functional studies revealed that allele-specific gene expression of TERT requires hypomethylation of the core promoter, both in TPM and TERT WT cancers. However, the expressing allele with hypomethylated core TERT promoter universally exhibits hypermethylation of THOR, while the nonexpressing alleles are either hypermethylated or hypomethylated throughout the promoter. Together, our findings suggest a dual role for allele-specific DNA methylation within the TERT promoter in the regulation of TERT expression in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghyun D Lee
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology and.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Martin Komosa
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology and.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sumedha Sudhaman
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology and.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ricardo Leão
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Cindy H Zhang
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology and.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joana D Apolonio
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology and.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Thomas Hermanns
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Zürich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Peter J Wild
- Dr. Senckenberg Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Germany.,Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS), Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Helmut Klocker
- Department of Urology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Farshad Nassiri
- Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gelareh Zadeh
- Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bill H Diplas
- Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hai Yan
- Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Steven Gallinger
- Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Trevor J Pugh
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vijay Ramaswamy
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael D Taylor
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pedro Castelo-Branco
- Faculdade de Medicina e Ciências Biomédicas (FMCB), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal.,Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute, Faro, Portugal.,Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.,Champalimaud Research Program, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Nuno Miguel Nunes
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology and.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Uri Tabori
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology and.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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19
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Ricci C, Morandi L, Ambrosi F, Righi A, Gibertoni D, Maletta F, Agostinelli C, Corradini AG, Uccella S, Asioli S, Sessa F, La Rosa S, Papotti MG, Asioli S. Intron 4-5 hTERT DNA Hypermethylation in Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Frequency, Association with Other Clinico-pathological Features and Prognostic Relevance. Endocr Pathol 2021; 32:385-395. [PMID: 33909215 PMCID: PMC8370894 DOI: 10.1007/s12022-021-09669-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive skin tumor with neuroendocrine differentiation, mainly affecting elderly population or immunocompromised individuals. As methylation of the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (mhTERT) has been shown to be a prognostic factor in different tumors, we investigated its role in MCC, in particular in intron 4-5 where rs10069690 has been mapped and recognized as a cancer susceptibility locus. DNA methylation analysis of hTERT gene was assessed retrospectively in a cohort of 69 MCC patients from the University of Bologna, University of Turin and University of Insubria. Overall mortality was evaluated with Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariable Royston-Parmar models. High levels of mhTERT (mhTERThigh) (HR = 2.500, p = 0.015) and p63 (HR = 2.659, p = 0.016) were the only two clinico-pathological features significantly associated with a higher overall mortality at the multivariate analysis. We did not find different levels of mhTERT between MCPyV (+) and (-) cases (21 vs 14, p = 0.554); furthermore, mhTERThigh was strongly associated with older age (80.5 vs 72 years, p = 0.026), no angioinvasion (40.7% vs 71.0%, p = 0.015), lower Ki67 (50 vs 70%, p = 0.005), and PD-L1 expressions in both tumor (0 vs 3%, p = 0.021) and immune cells (0 vs 10%, p = 0.002). mhTERT is a frequently involved epigenetic mechanism and a relevant prognostic factor in MCC. In addition, it belongs to the shared oncogenic pathways of MCC (MCPyV and UV-radiations) and it could be crucial, together with other epigenetic and genetic mechanisms as gene amplification, in determining the final levels of hTERT mRNA and telomerase activity in these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Costantino Ricci
- Pathology Unit, Maggiore Hospital, AUSL Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Luca Morandi
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Functional MR Unit, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche, Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Alberto Righi
- Department of Pathology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy
| | - Dino Gibertoni
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Unit of Hygiene and Biostatistics, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Francesca Maletta
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Città Della Salute Hospital, Turin, Italy
| | - Claudio Agostinelli
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Haematopathology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Angelo Gianluca Corradini
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Functional MR Unit, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche, Bologna, Italy
| | - Silvia Uccella
- Unit of Pathology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Silvia Asioli
- Unit of Pathology, Morgagni-Pierantoni Hospital, Forlì, 47121, Italy
| | - Fausto Sessa
- Unit of Pathology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Stefano La Rosa
- Institute of Pathology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mauro Giulio Papotti
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Città Della Salute Hospital, Turin, Italy
| | - Sofia Asioli
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM) Surgical Pathology Section- Alma Mater Studiorum , University of Bologna , Bologna, Italy.
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20
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Ellingsen EB, Mangsbo SM, Hovig E, Gaudernack G. Telomerase as a Target for Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines and Considerations for Optimizing Their Clinical Potential. Front Immunol 2021; 12:682492. [PMID: 34290704 PMCID: PMC8288190 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.682492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase-based therapeutic cancer vaccines (TCVs) have been under clinical investigation for the past two decades. Despite past failures, TCVs have gained renewed enthusiasm for their potential to improve the efficacy of checkpoint inhibition. Telomerase stands as an attractive target for TCVs due to its almost universal presence in cancer and its essential function promoting tumor growth. Herein, we review tumor telomerase biology that may affect the efficacy of therapeutic vaccination and provide insights on optimal vaccine design and treatment combinations. Tumor types possessing mechanisms of increased telomerase expression combined with an immune permissive tumor microenvironment are expected to increase the therapeutic potential of telomerase-targeting cancer vaccines. Regardless, rational treatment combinations, such as checkpoint inhibitors, are likely necessary to bring out the true clinical potential of TCVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Espen Basmo Ellingsen
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Research and Development, Ultimovacs ASA, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sara M Mangsbo
- Research and Development, Ultimovacs AB, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Eivind Hovig
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Centre for Bioinformatics, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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21
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Pillozzi S, Bernini A, Palchetti I, Crociani O, Antonuzzo L, Campanacci D, Scoccianti G. Soft Tissue Sarcoma: An Insight on Biomarkers at Molecular, Metabolic and Cellular Level. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13123044. [PMID: 34207243 PMCID: PMC8233868 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13123044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Soft tissue sarcoma is a rare mesenchymal malignancy. Despite the advancements in the fields of radiology, pathology and surgery, these tumors often recur locally and/or with metastatic disease. STS is considered to be a diagnostic challenge due to the large variety of histological subtypes with clinical and histopathological characteristics which are not always distinct. One of the important clinical problems is a lack of useful biomarkers. Therefore, the discovery of biomarkers that can be used to detect tumors or predict tumor response to chemotherapy or radiotherapy could help clinicians provide more effective clinical management. Abstract Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are a heterogeneous group of rare tumors. Although constituting only 1% of all human malignancies, STSs represent the second most common type of solid tumors in children and adolescents and comprise an important group of secondary malignancies. Over 100 histologic subtypes have been characterized to date (occurring predominantly in the trunk, extremity, and retroperitoneum), and many more are being discovered due to molecular profiling. STS mortality remains high, despite adjuvant chemotherapy. New prognostic stratification markers are needed to help identify patients at risk of recurrence and possibly apply more intensive or novel treatments. Recent scientific advancements have enabled a more precise molecular characterization of sarcoma subtypes and revealed novel therapeutic targets and prognostic/predictive biomarkers. This review aims at providing a comprehensive overview of the most relevant cellular, molecular and metabolic biomarkers for STS, and highlight advances in STS-related biomarker research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Pillozzi
- Medical Oncology Unit, Careggi University Hospital, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy;
- Correspondence:
| | - Andrea Bernini
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy;
| | - Ilaria Palchetti
- Department of Chemistry Ugo Schiff, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy;
| | - Olivia Crociani
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy;
| | - Lorenzo Antonuzzo
- Medical Oncology Unit, Careggi University Hospital, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy;
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy;
| | - Domenico Campanacci
- Department of Health Science, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy;
| | - Guido Scoccianti
- Department of Orthopaedic Oncology and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Florence, Careggi University Hospital, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy;
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22
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES Recent evidence from the fields of microbiology and immunology, as well as a small number of human sepsis studies, suggest that epigenetic regulation may play a central role in the pathogenesis of sepsis. The term "epigenetics" refers to regulatory mechanisms that control gene expression but are not related to changes in DNA sequence. These include DNA methylation, histone modifications, and regulation of transcription via non-coding RNAs. Epigenetic modifications, occurring in response to external stressors, lead to changes in gene expression, and thus lie at the intersection between genetics and the environment. In this review, we examine data from in vitro studies, animal studies, and the existing human sepsis studies in epigenetics to demonstrate that epigenetic mechanisms are likely central to the pathogenesis of sepsis and that epigenetic therapies may have potential in the treatment of sepsis and its associated organ failures. DATA SOURCES Online search of published scientific literature via Pubmed using the term "epigenetics" in combination with the terms "sepsis", "infection", "bacterial infection", "viral infection", "critical illness", "acute respiratory distress syndrome", and "acute lung injury". STUDY SELECTION Articles were chosen for inclusion based on their relevance to sepsis, acute inflammation, sepsis-related immune suppression, and sepsis-related organ failure. Reference lists were reviewed to identify additional relevant articles. DATA EXTRACTION Relevant data was extracted and synthesized for narrative review. DATA SYNTHESIS Epigenetic regulation is a key determinant of gene expression in sepsis. At the onset of infection, host-pathogen interactions often result in epigenetic alterations to host cells that favor pathogen survival. In parallel, the host inflammatory response is characterized by epigenetic modifications in key regulatory genes, including tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1β. In human sepsis patients, multiple epigenetic modifying enzymes show differential expression in early sepsis, suggesting a role for epigenetics in coordinating the response to infection. In the later stages of sepsis, epigenetic modifications accompany endotoxin tolerance and the immune-suppressed state. In animal models, treatment with epigenetic modifiers can mitigate the effects of sepsis and improve survival as well as reverse sepsis-associated organ injury. CONCLUSIONS Epigenetic modifications are associated with key phases of sepsis, from the host-pathogen interaction, to acute inflammation, to immune suppression. Epigenetic markers show promise in the diagnosis and prognosis of sepsis and epigenetic modifying agents show promise as therapeutic tools in animal models of sepsis. Human studies in the area of epigenetics are sorely lacking and should be a priority for sepsis researchers.
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23
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Chebly A, Ropio J, Peloponese JM, Poglio S, Prochazkova-Carlotti M, Cherrier F, Ferrer J, Idrissi Y, Segal-Bendirdjian E, Chouery E, Farra C, Pham-Ledard A, Beylot-Barry M, Philippe Merlio J, Tomb R, Chevret E. Exploring hTERT promoter methylation in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. Mol Oncol 2021; 16:1931-1946. [PMID: 33715271 PMCID: PMC9067155 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cutaneous T‐cell lymphomas (CTCLs) are telomerase‐positive tumors expressing hTERT, although neither gene rearrangement/amplification nor promoter hotspot mutations could explain the hTERT re‐expression. As the hTERT promoter is rich in CpG, we investigated the contribution of epigenetic mechanisms in its re‐expression. We analyzed hTERT promoter methylation status in CTCL cells compared with healthy cells. Gene‐specific methylation analyses revealed a common methylation pattern exclusively in tumor cells. This methylation pattern encompassed a hypermethylated distal region from −650 to −150 bp and a hypomethylated proximal region from −150 to +150 bp. Interestingly, the hypermethylated region matches with the recently named TERT hypermethylated oncogenic region (THOR). THOR has been associated with telomerase reactivation in many cancers, but it has so far not been reported in cutaneous lymphomas. Additionally, we assessed the effect of THOR on two histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), romidepsin and vorinostat, both approved for CTCL treatment and a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor (DNMTi) 5‐azacytidine, unapproved for CTCL. Contrary to our expectations, the findings reported herein revealed that THOR methylation is relatively stable under these epigenetic drugs' pressure, whereas these drugs reduced the hTERT gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alain Chebly
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.,Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Genetics Unit (UGM), Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Joana Ropio
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.,Porto University, Institute of Biomedical Sciences of Abel Salazar, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology (Ipatimup), Cancer Biology group, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
| | - Jean-Marie Peloponese
- University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRIM-UMR 9004, Research Institute in Infectiology of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Sandrine Poglio
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | | | | | - Jacky Ferrer
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Yamina Idrissi
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Evelyne Segal-Bendirdjian
- INSERM, UMR-S 1124, Team: Cellular Homeostasis Cancer and Therapies, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Eliane Chouery
- Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Genetics Unit (UGM), Beirut, Lebanon.,Department of Human Genetics, Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon
| | - Chantal Farra
- Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Genetics Unit (UGM), Beirut, Lebanon.,Hotel Dieu de France Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Genetics Department, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Anne Pham-Ledard
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.,Bordeaux University Hospital Center, Dermatology Department, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Marie Beylot-Barry
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.,Bordeaux University Hospital Center, Dermatology Department, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Jean Philippe Merlio
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.,Bordeaux University Hospital Center, Tumor Bank and Tumor Biology Laboratory, F-33600, Pessac, France
| | - Roland Tomb
- Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Genetics Unit (UGM), Beirut, Lebanon.,Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Dermatology Department, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Edith Chevret
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM, BaRITOn, U1053, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
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24
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Dogan F, Forsyth NR. Telomerase Regulation: A Role for Epigenetics. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13061213. [PMID: 33802026 PMCID: PMC8000866 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13061213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Maintenance of telomeres is a fundamental step in human carcinogenesis and is primarily regulated by telomerase and the human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (TERT). Improved understanding of the transcriptional control of this gene may provide potential therapeutic targets. Epigenetic modifications are a prominent mechanism to control telomerase activity and regulation of the TERT gene. TERT-targeting miRNAs have been widely studied and their function explained through pre-clinical in vivo model-based validation studies. Further, histone deacetylase inhibitors are now in pre and early clinical trials with significant clinical success. Importantly, TERT downregulation through epigenetic modifications including TERT promoter methylation, histone deacetylase inhibitors, and miRNA activity might contribute to clinical study design. This review provides an overview of the epigenetic mechanisms involved in the regulation of TERT expression and telomerase activity. Abstract Telomerase was first described by Greider and Blackburn in 1984, a discovery ultimately recognized by the Nobel Prize committee in 2009. The three decades following on from its discovery have been accompanied by an increased understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of telomerase activity, and its role in telomere biology. Telomerase has a clearly defined role in telomere length maintenance and an established influence on DNA replication, differentiation, survival, development, apoptosis, tumorigenesis, and a further role in therapeutic resistance in human stem and cancer cells including those of breast and cervical origin. TERT encodes the catalytic subunit and rate-limiting factor for telomerase enzyme activity. The mechanisms of activation or silencing of TERT remain open to debate across somatic, cancer, and stem cells. Promoter mutations upstream of TERT may promote dysregulated telomerase activation in tumour cells but additional factors including epigenetic, transcriptional and posttranscriptional modifications also have a role to play. Previous systematic analysis indicated methylation and mutation of the TERT promoter in 53% and 31%, respectively, of TERT expressing cancer cell lines supporting the concept of a key role for epigenetic alteration associated with TERT dysregulation and cellular transformation. Epigenetic regulators including DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNAs are now emerging as drivers in the regulation of telomeres and telomerase activity. Epigenetic regulation may be responsible for reversible silencing of TERT in several biological processes including development and differentiation, and increased TERT expression in cancers. Understanding the epigenetic mechanisms behind telomerase regulation holds important prospects for cancer treatment, diagnosis and prognosis. This review will focus on the role of epigenetics in telomerase regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatma Dogan
- The Guy Hilton Research Laboratories, School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Keele University, Stoke on Trent ST4 7QB, UK;
| | - Nicholas R. Forsyth
- The Guy Hilton Research Laboratories, School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Keele University, Stoke on Trent ST4 7QB, UK;
- School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- Correspondence:
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25
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Polat F, Diler SB, Bingöl G. Association of MYNN, TERT and TERC Gene Polymorphisms with Prostate Cancer in Turkish Population. CYTOL GENET+ 2021. [DOI: 10.3103/s0095452720060080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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26
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Dratwa M, Wysoczańska B, Łacina P, Kubik T, Bogunia-Kubik K. TERT-Regulation and Roles in Cancer Formation. Front Immunol 2020; 11:589929. [PMID: 33329574 PMCID: PMC7717964 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.589929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is a catalytic subunit of telomerase. Telomerase complex plays a key role in cancer formation by telomere dependent or independent mechanisms. Telomere maintenance mechanisms include complex TERT changes such as gene amplifications, TERT structural variants, TERT promoter germline and somatic mutations, TERT epigenetic changes, and alternative lengthening of telomere. All of them are cancer specific at tissue histotype and at single cell level. TERT expression is regulated in tumors via multiple genetic and epigenetic alterations which affect telomerase activity. Telomerase activity via TERT expression has an impact on telomere length and can be a useful marker in diagnosis and prognosis of various cancers and a new therapy approach. In this review we want to highlight the main roles of TERT in different mechanisms of cancer development and regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Dratwa
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunogenetics and Pharmacogenetics, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Barbara Wysoczańska
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunogenetics and Pharmacogenetics, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Piotr Łacina
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunogenetics and Pharmacogenetics, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Tomasz Kubik
- Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Electronics, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Bogunia-Kubik
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunogenetics and Pharmacogenetics, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
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27
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Rangel-Pozzo A, Sisdelli L, Cordioli MIV, Vaisman F, Caria P, Mai S, Cerutti JM. Genetic Landscape of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma and Nuclear Architecture: An Overview Comparing Pediatric and Adult Populations. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E3146. [PMID: 33120984 PMCID: PMC7693829 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12113146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Thyroid cancer is a rare malignancy in the pediatric population that is highly associated with disease aggressiveness and advanced disease stages when compared to adult population. The biological and molecular features underlying pediatric and adult thyroid cancer pathogenesis could be responsible for differences in the clinical presentation and prognosis. Despite this, the clinical assessment and treatments used in pediatric thyroid cancer are the same as those implemented for adults and specific personalized target treatments are not used in clinical practice. In this review, we focus on papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), which represents 80-90% of all differentiated thyroid carcinomas. PTC has a high rate of gene fusions and mutations, which can influence the histologic subtypes in both children and adults. This review also highlights telomere-related genomic instability and changes in nuclear organization as novel biomarkers for thyroid cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Rangel-Pozzo
- Cell Biology, Research Institute of Oncology and Hematology, University of Manitoba, CancerCare Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada;
| | - Luiza Sisdelli
- Genetic Bases of Thyroid Tumors Laboratory, Division of Genetics, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/EPM, São Paulo, SP 04039-032, Brazil; (L.S.); (M.I.V.C.); (J.M.C.)
| | - Maria Isabel V. Cordioli
- Genetic Bases of Thyroid Tumors Laboratory, Division of Genetics, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/EPM, São Paulo, SP 04039-032, Brazil; (L.S.); (M.I.V.C.); (J.M.C.)
| | - Fernanda Vaisman
- Instituto Nacional do Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22451-000, Brazil;
| | - Paola Caria
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Sabine Mai
- Cell Biology, Research Institute of Oncology and Hematology, University of Manitoba, CancerCare Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada;
| | - Janete M. Cerutti
- Genetic Bases of Thyroid Tumors Laboratory, Division of Genetics, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/EPM, São Paulo, SP 04039-032, Brazil; (L.S.); (M.I.V.C.); (J.M.C.)
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Losi L, Botticelli L, Garagnani L, Fabbiani L, Panini R, Gallo G, Sabbatini R, Maiorana A, Benhattar J. TERT promoter methylation and protein expression as predictive biomarkers for recurrence risk in patients with serous borderline ovarian tumours. Pathology 2020; 53:187-192. [PMID: 33032810 DOI: 10.1016/j.pathol.2020.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Epithelial ovarian neoplasms can be divided into three distinct clinicopathological groups: benign, malignant and borderline tumours. Borderline tumours are less aggressive than epithelial carcinomas, with an indolent clinical course and delayed recurrence. However, a subset of these cases can progress to malignancy and relapse, and death from recurrent disease can occasionally occur. Telomerase activation is a critical element in cellular immortalisation and cancer. The enzyme telomerase comprises a catalytic subunit (TERT) expressed in various types of cancers and regulated by promoter methylation mainly in epithelial tumours. The aim of this study was to investigate the promoter methylation status and the expression of TERT in 50 serous borderline tumours (SBTs) and their correlation with clinicopathological features and outcome. TERT methylation was analysed by bisulfite pyrosequencing and TERT expression by immunohistochemistry. Methylation of TERT promoter was only observed in four SBTs. A good correlation with immunostochemistry was found: nuclear positivity for TERT expression was observed in the methylated cases, whereas no expression was detected in unmethylated tumours. One of these patients had a recurrence after 7 years and another patient died from the disease. SBTs with hypomethylated tumours and absence of TERT expression showed a good clinical behaviour. Our study highlights the low presence of TERT methylation in SBTs, confirming that these tumours have a different biology than serous carcinomas. Furthermore, the concordance between TERT promoter methylation and TERT expression and their association with clinical outcomes leads to consider TERT alteration as a potential predictive biomarker for recurrence risk identifying patients who should undergo a careful and prolonged follow-up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Losi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; Unit of Pathology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, Modena, Italy.
| | - Laura Botticelli
- Unit of Pathology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, Modena, Italy
| | - Lorella Garagnani
- Unit of Pathology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, Modena, Italy; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Luca Fabbiani
- Unit of Pathology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, Modena, Italy; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Rossana Panini
- Unit of Pathology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, Modena, Italy; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Graziana Gallo
- Unit of Pathology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, Modena, Italy; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Roberto Sabbatini
- Division of Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, Modena, Italy
| | - Antonino Maiorana
- Unit of Pathology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, Modena, Italy; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Jean Benhattar
- Aurigen, Centre de Génétique et Pathologie, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Esopi D, Graham MK, Brosnan-Cashman JA, Meyers J, Vaghasia A, Gupta A, Kumar B, Haffner MC, Heaphy CM, De Marzo AM, Meeker AK, Nelson WG, Wheelan SJ, Yegnasubramanian S. Pervasive promoter hypermethylation of silenced TERT alleles in human cancers. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2020; 43:847-861. [PMID: 32468444 PMCID: PMC7581602 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-020-00531-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In cancers, maintenance of telomeres often occurs through activation of the catalytic subunit of telomerase, encoded by TERT. Yet, most cancers show only modest levels of TERT gene expression, even in the context of activating hotspot promoter mutations (C228T and C250T). The role of epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, in regulating TERT gene expression in cancer cells is as yet not fully understood. METHODS Here, we have carried out the most comprehensive characterization to date of TERT promoter methylation using ultra-deep bisulfite sequencing spanning the CpG island surrounding the core TERT promoter in 96 different human cell lines, including primary, immortalized and cancer cell types, as well as in control and reference samples. RESULTS In general, we observed that immortalized and cancer cell lines were hypermethylated in a region upstream of the recurrent C228T and C250T TERT promoter mutations, while non-malignant primary cells were comparatively hypomethylated in this region. However, at the allele-level, we generally found that hypermethylation of promoter sequences in cancer cells is associated with repressed expression, and the remaining unmethylated alleles marked with open chromatin are largely responsible for the observed TERT expression in cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that hypermethylation of the TERT promoter alleles signals transcriptional repression of those alleles, leading to attenuation of TERT activation in cancer cells. This type of fine tuning of TERT expression may account for the modest activation of TERT expression in most cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Esopi
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Vertex Genetic Therapies, Watertown, MA USA
| | - Mindy Kim Graham
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Jacqueline A. Brosnan-Cashman
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- American Association for Cancer Research, Publications Division, Boston, MA USA
| | - Jennifer Meyers
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Ajay Vaghasia
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Anuj Gupta
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
| | | | - Michael C. Haffner
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Division of Human Biology, Seattle, Washington State USA
| | - Christopher M. Heaphy
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA USA
| | - Angelo M. De Marzo
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Alan K. Meeker
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - William G. Nelson
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Sarah J. Wheelan
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Srinivasan Yegnasubramanian
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
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Song YS, Park YJ. Mechanisms of TERT Reactivation and Its Interaction with BRAFV600E. Endocrinol Metab (Seoul) 2020; 35:515-525. [PMID: 32981294 PMCID: PMC7520576 DOI: 10.3803/enm.2020.304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene, which is repressed in most differentiated human cells, can be reactivated by somatic TERT alterations and epigenetic modulations. Moreover, the recruitment, accessibility, and binding of transcription factors also affect the regulation of TERT expression. Reactivated TERT contributes to the development and progression of cancer through telomere lengthening-dependent and independent ways. In particular, because of recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies, studies on genomic alterations in various cancers that cause increased TERT transcriptional activity have been actively conducted. TERT reactivation has been reported to be associated with poor prognosis in several cancers, and TERT promoter mutations are among the most potent prognostic markers in thyroid cancer. In particular, when a TERT promoter mutation coexists with the BRAFV600E mutation, these mutations exert synergistic effects on a poor prognosis. Efforts have been made to uncover the mechanisms of these synergistic interactions. In this review, we discuss the role of TERT reactivation in tumorigenesis, the mechanisms of TERT reactivation across all human cancers and in thyroid cancer, and the mechanisms of interactions between BRAFV600E and TERT promoter mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Shin Song
- Department of Internal Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Korea
| | - Young Joo Park
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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31
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Romero-Garcia S, Prado-Garcia H, Carlos-Reyes A. Role of DNA Methylation in the Resistance to Therapy in Solid Tumors. Front Oncol 2020; 10:1152. [PMID: 32850327 PMCID: PMC7426728 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.01152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the recent advances in chemotherapeutic treatments against cancer, some types of highly aggressive and invasive cancer develop drug resistance against conventional therapies, which continues to be a major problem in the fight against cancer. In recent years, studies of alterations of DNA methylome have given us a better understanding of the role of DNA methylation in the development of tumors. DNA methylation (DNAm) is an epigenetic change that promotes the covalent transfer of methyl groups to DNA. This process suppresses gene expression through the modulation of the transcription machinery access to the chromatin or through the recruitment of methyl binding proteins. DNAm is regulated mainly by DNA methyltransferases. Aberrant DNAm contributes to tumor progression, metastasis, and resistance to current anti-tumoral therapies. Aberrant DNAm may occur through hypermethylation in the promoter regions of tumor suppressor genes, which leads to their silencing, while hypomethylation in the promoter regions of oncogenes can activate them. In this review, we discuss the impact of dysregulated methylation in certain genes, which impact signaling pathways associated with apoptosis avoidance, metastasis, and resistance to therapy. The analysis of methylome has revealed patterns of global methylation, which regulate important signaling pathways involved in therapy resistance in different cancer types, such as breast, colon, and lung cancer, among other solid tumors. This analysis has provided gene-expression signatures of methylated region-specific DNA that can be used to predict the treatment outcome in response to anti-cancer therapy. Additionally, changes in cancer methylome have been associated with the acquisition of drug resistance. We also review treatments with demethylating agents that, in combination with standard therapies, seem to be encouraging, as tumors that are in early stages can be successfully treated. On the other hand, tumors that are in advanced stages can be treated with these combination schemes, which could sensitize tumor cells that are resistant to the therapy. We propose that rational strategies, which combine specific demethylating agents with conventional treatment, may improve overall survival in cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Romero-Garcia
- Department of Chronic-Degenerative Diseases, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases "Ismael Cosío Villegas", Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Heriberto Prado-Garcia
- Department of Chronic-Degenerative Diseases, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases "Ismael Cosío Villegas", Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Angeles Carlos-Reyes
- Department of Chronic-Degenerative Diseases, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases "Ismael Cosío Villegas", Mexico City, Mexico
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32
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Garsuault D, Bouyer C, Nguyen E, Kandhari R, Prochazkova-Carlotti M, Chevret E, Forgez P, Ségal-Bendirdjian E. Complex context relationships between DNA methylation and accessibility, histone marks, and hTERT gene expression in acute promyelocytic leukemia cells: perspectives for all-trans retinoic acid in cancer therapy. Mol Oncol 2020; 14:1310-1326. [PMID: 32239597 PMCID: PMC7266276 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12681] [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: 12/24/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomerase (hTERT) reactivation and sustained expression is a key event in the process of cellular transformation. Therefore, the identification of the mechanisms regulating hTERT expression is of great interest for the development of new anticancer therapies. Although the epigenetic state of hTERT gene promoter is important, we still lack a clear understanding of the mechanisms by which epigenetic changes affect hTERT expression. Retinoids are well-known inducers of granulocytic maturation in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). We have previously shown that retinoids repressed hTERT expression in the absence of maturation leading to growth arrest and cell death. Exploring the mechanisms of this repression, we showed that transcription factor binding was dependent on the epigenetic status of hTERT promoter. In the present study, we used APL cells lines and publicly available datasets from APL patients to further investigate the integrated epigenetic events that promote hTERT promoter transition from its silent to its active state, and inversely. We showed, in APL patients, that the methylation of the distal domain of hTERT core promoter was altered and correlated with the outcome of the disease. Further studies combining complementary approaches carried out on APL cell lines highlighted the significance of a domain outside the minimal promoter, localized around 5 kb upstream from the transcription start site, in activating hTERT. This domain is characterized by DNA hypomethylation and H3K4Me3 deposition. Our findings suggest a cooperative interplay between hTERT promoter methylation, chromatin accessibility, and histone modifications that force the revisiting of previously proposed concepts regarding hTERT epigenetic regulation. They represent, therefore, a major advance in predicting sensitivity to retinoid-induced hTERT repression and, more generally, in the potential development of therapies targeting hTERT expression in cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delphine Garsuault
- Team: Cellular Homeostasis, Cancer, and Therapies, INSERM UMR-S 1124, Université de Paris, France.,Université de Paris, Paris Sorbonne Cité, France.,Paris-Sud University, Paris-Saclay University, Orsay, France
| | - Claire Bouyer
- Team: Cellular Homeostasis, Cancer, and Therapies, INSERM UMR-S 1124, Université de Paris, France.,Université de Paris, Paris Sorbonne Cité, France
| | - Eric Nguyen
- Team: Cellular Homeostasis, Cancer, and Therapies, INSERM UMR-S 1124, Université de Paris, France.,Université de Paris, Paris Sorbonne Cité, France
| | - Rohan Kandhari
- Team: Cellular Homeostasis, Cancer, and Therapies, INSERM UMR-S 1124, Université de Paris, France.,Indian Institute of Technology, BHU, Varanasi, India
| | | | - Edith Chevret
- Team Cutaneous Lymphoma Oncogenesis, INSERM U1053, Bordeaux, France
| | - Patricia Forgez
- Team: Cellular Homeostasis, Cancer, and Therapies, INSERM UMR-S 1124, Université de Paris, France.,Université de Paris, Paris Sorbonne Cité, France
| | - Evelyne Ségal-Bendirdjian
- Team: Cellular Homeostasis, Cancer, and Therapies, INSERM UMR-S 1124, Université de Paris, France.,Université de Paris, Paris Sorbonne Cité, France.,BioMedTech Facilities, CNRS UMS2009/INSERM US36, Université de Paris, France
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33
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Salgado C, Roelse C, Nell R, Gruis N, van Doorn R, van der Velden P. Interplay between TERT promoter mutations and methylation culminates in chromatin accessibility and TERT expression. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231418. [PMID: 32267900 PMCID: PMC7141627 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene is responsible for telomere maintenance in germline and stem cells, and is re-expressed in 90% of human cancers. CpG methylation in the TERT promoter (TERTp) was correlated with TERT mRNA expression. Furthermore, two hotspot mutations in TERTp, dubbed C228T and C250T, have been revealed to facilitate binding of transcription factor ETS/TCF and subsequent TERT expression. This study aimed to elucidate the combined contribution of epigenetic (promoter methylation and chromatin accessibility) and genetic (promoter mutations) mechanisms in regulating TERT gene expression in healthy skin samples and in melanoma cell lines (n = 61). We unexpectedly observed that the methylation of TERTp was as high in a subset of healthy skin cells, mainly keratinocytes, as in cutaneous melanoma cell lines. In spite of the high promoter methylation fraction in wild-type (WT) samples, TERT mRNA was only expressed in the melanoma cell lines with either high methylation or intermediate methylation in combination with TERT mutations. TERTp methylation was positively correlated with chromatin accessibility and TERT mRNA expression in 8 melanoma cell lines. Cooperation between epigenetic and genetic mechanisms were best observed in heterozygous mutant cell lines as chromosome accessibility preferentially concerned the mutant allele. Combined, these results suggest a complex model in which TERT expression requires either a widely open chromatin state in TERTp-WT samples due to high methylation throughout the promoter or a combination of moderate methylation fraction/chromatin accessibility in the presence of the C228T or C250T mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Salgado
- Department of Dermatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Celine Roelse
- Department of Dermatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Rogier Nell
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Nelleke Gruis
- Department of Dermatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Remco van Doorn
- Department of Dermatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Pieter van der Velden
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Srinivas N, Rachakonda S, Kumar R. Telomeres and Telomere Length: A General Overview. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E558. [PMID: 32121056 PMCID: PMC7139734 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12030558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are highly conserved tandem nucleotide repeats that include proximal double-stranded and distal single-stranded regions that in complex with shelterin proteins afford protection at chromosomal ends to maintain genomic integrity. Due to the inherent limitations of DNA replication and telomerase suppression in most somatic cells, telomeres undergo age-dependent incremental attrition. Short or dysfunctional telomeres are recognized as DNA double-stranded breaks, triggering cells to undergo replicative senescence. Telomere shortening, therefore, acts as a counting mechanism that drives replicative senescence by limiting the mitotic potential of cells. Telomere length, a complex hereditary trait, is associated with aging and age-related diseases. Epidemiological data, in general, support an association with varying magnitudes between constitutive telomere length and several disorders, including cancers. Telomere attrition is also influenced by oxidative damage and replicative stress caused by genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms at different loci, identified through genome-wide association studies, influence inter-individual variation in telomere length. In addition to genetic factors, environmental factors also influence telomere length during growth and development. Telomeres hold potential as biomarkers that reflect the genetic predisposition together with the impact of environmental conditions and as targets for anti-cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rajiv Kumar
- Division of Functional Genome Analysis, German Cancer Research Center, Im Neunheimer Feld 580, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (N.S.); (S.R.)
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35
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DNA methylation of the TERT promoter and its impact on human cancer. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2020; 60:17-24. [PMID: 32114294 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2020.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Telomere maintenance is a hallmark of human cancer that enables replicative immortality. Most cancer cells acquire telomere maintenance by telomerase activation through expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), a rate-limiting component of the telomerase holoenzyme. Although multiple cancer-specific genetic alterations such as gain of TERT copy number and recurrent TERT promoter mutations (TPM) have been identified, the majority of cancers still express TERT via unknown mechanisms. In the last decade, DNA methylation of the TERT promoter emerged as a putative epigenetic regulatory mechanism of telomerase activation in cancer. Here, we comparatively discuss studies that investigated the DNA methylation landscape of the TERT promoter. We further review the biological and clinical impacts of TERT promoter hypermethylation in cancer and provide insight into future applications of this phenomenon.
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36
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Binnie A, Walsh CJ, Hu P, Dwivedi DJ, Fox-Robichaud A, Liaw PC, Tsang JLY, Batt J, Carrasqueiro G, Gupta S, Marshall JC, Castelo-Branco P, Dos Santos CC. Epigenetic Profiling in Severe Sepsis: A Pilot Study of DNA Methylation Profiles in Critical Illness. Crit Care Med 2020; 48:142-150. [PMID: 31939781 DOI: 10.1097/ccm.0000000000004097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Epigenetic alterations are an important regulator of gene expression in health and disease; however, epigenetic data in sepsis are lacking. To demonstrate proof of concept and estimate effect size, we performed the first epigenome-wide methylation analysis of whole blood DNA samples from a cohort of septic and nonseptic critically ill patients. DESIGN A nested case-control study using genomic DNA isolated from whole blood from septic (n = 66) and nonseptic (n = 68) critically ill patients on "Day 1" of ICU admission. Methylation patterns were identified using Illumina 450K arrays with percent methylation expressed as β values. After quality control, 134 participants and 414,818 autosomal cytosine-phosphate-guanine sites were used for epigenome-wide methylation analyses. SETTING Tertiary care hospitals. SUBJECTS Critically ill septic and nonseptic patients. INTERVENTIONS Observational study. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS A total of 668 differentially methylated regions corresponding to 443 genes were identified. Known sepsis-associated genes included complement component 3; angiopoietin 2; myeloperoxidase; lactoperoxidase; major histocompatibility complex, class I, A; major histocompatibility complex, class II, isotype DR β I; major histocompatibility complex, class I, C; and major histocompatibility complex, class II, isotype DQ β I. When compared with whole blood gene expression data from seven external datasets containing septic and nonseptic patients, 81% of the differentially methylated region-associated genes were differentially expressed in one or more datasets and 31% in three or more datasets. Functional analysis showed enrichment for antigen processing and presentation, methyltransferase activity, cell adhesion, and cell junctions. Analysis by weighted gene coexpression network analysis revealed DNA comethylation modules that were associated with clinical traits including severity of illness, need for vasopressors, and length of stay. CONCLUSIONS DNA methylation marks may provide important causal and potentially biomarker information in critically ill patients with sepsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Binnie
- Department of Critical Care, William Osler Health System, Brampton, ON, Canada
| | - Christopher J Walsh
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences and Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Pingzhao Hu
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Dhruva J Dwivedi
- Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Alison Fox-Robichaud
- Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Patricia C Liaw
- Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Jennifer L Y Tsang
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Niagara Health, St. Catharines, ON, Canada
| | - Jane Batt
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences and Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Gabriela Carrasqueiro
- Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center, Faro, Portugal
| | - Sahil Gupta
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences and Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - John C Marshall
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences and Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Pedro Castelo-Branco
- Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center, Faro, Portugal
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Claudia C Dos Santos
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences and Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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37
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Steele CD, Pillay N. The genomics of undifferentiated sarcoma of soft tissue: Progress, challenges and opportunities. Semin Cancer Biol 2019; 61:42-55. [PMID: 31866474 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2019.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2019] [Revised: 11/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Undifferentiated sarcoma of soft tissue (USTS) are aggressive sarcomas that remain a diagnosis of exclusion and show extreme genomic complexity. Many advances in diagnostic criteria have resulted in several revisions in the definition of this rare cancer type. Recent sequencing efforts have illuminated the nature of the genome complexity and have revealed extensive copy number heterogeneity and multiple evolutionary patterns of development. This review places these recent advances into their historical and translational context and covers the changes in nomenclature, molecular classification, and the promise of personalised medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D Steele
- Research Department of Pathology, Cancer Institute, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Nischalan Pillay
- Research Department of Pathology, Cancer Institute, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK; Department of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust, Stanmore, Middlesex, HA7 4LP, UK
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Eggener SE, Rumble RB, Armstrong AJ, Morgan TM, Crispino T, Cornford P, van der Kwast T, Grignon DJ, Rai AJ, Agarwal N, Klein EA, Den RB, Beltran H. Molecular Biomarkers in Localized Prostate Cancer: ASCO Guideline. J Clin Oncol 2019; 38:1474-1494. [PMID: 31829902 DOI: 10.1200/jco.19.02768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This guideline provides recommendations for available tissue-based prostate cancer biomarkers geared toward patient selection for active surveillance, identification of clinically significant disease, choice of postprostatectomy adjuvant versus salvage radiotherapy, and to address emerging questions such as the relative value of tissue biomarkers compared with magnetic resonance imaging. METHODS An ASCO multidisciplinary Expert Panel, with representatives from the European Association of Urology, American Urological Association, and the College of American Pathologists, conducted a systematic literature review of localized prostate cancer biomarker studies between January 2013 and January 2019. Numerous tissue-based molecular biomarkers were evaluated for their prognostic capabilities and potential for improving management decisions. Here, the Panel makes recommendations regarding the clinical use and indications of these biomarkers. RESULTS Of 555 studies identified, 77 were selected for inclusion plus 32 additional references selected by the Expert Panel. Few biomarkers had rigorous testing involving multiple cohorts and only 5 of these tests are commercially available currently: Oncotype Dx Prostate, Prolaris, Decipher, Decipher PORTOS, and ProMark. With various degrees of value and validation, multiple biomarkers have been shown to refine risk stratification and can be considered for select men to improve management decisions. There is a paucity of prospective studies assessing short- and long-term outcomes of patients when these markers are integrated into clinical decision making. RECOMMENDATIONS Tissue-based molecular biomarkers (evaluating the sample with the highest volume of the highest Gleason pattern) may improve risk stratification when added to standard clinical parameters, but the Expert Panel endorses their use only in situations in which the assay results, when considered as a whole with routine clinical factors, are likely to affect a clinical decision. These assays are not recommended for routine use as they have not been prospectively tested or shown to improve long-term outcomes-for example, quality of life, need for treatment, or survival. Additional information is available at www.asco.org/genitourinary-cancer-guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Todd M Morgan
- University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI
| | | | - Philip Cornford
- Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Alex J Rai
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
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Ackermann S, Fischer M. Telomere Maintenance in Pediatric Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E5836. [PMID: 31757062 PMCID: PMC6928840 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20235836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomere length has been proposed as a biomarker of biological age and a risk factor for age-related diseases and cancer. Substantial progress has been made in recent decades in understanding the complex molecular relationships in this research field. However, the majority of telomere studies have been conducted in adults. The data on telomere dynamics in pediatric cancers is limited, and interpretation can be challenging, especially in cases where results are contrasting to those in adult entities. This review describes recent advances in the molecular characterization of structure and function of telomeres, regulation of telomerase activity in cancer pathogenesis in general, and highlights the key advances that have expanded our views on telomere biology in pediatric cancer, with special emphasis on the central role of telomere maintenance in neuroblastoma. Furthermore, open questions in the field of telomere maintenance research are discussed in the context of recently published literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Ackermann
- Department of Experimental Pediatric Oncology, University Children’s Hospital of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Kerpener Straße 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Straße 21, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Matthias Fischer
- Department of Experimental Pediatric Oncology, University Children’s Hospital of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Kerpener Straße 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Straße 21, 50931 Cologne, Germany
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Hellquist H, Paiva-Correia A, Vander Poorten V, Quer M, Hernandez-Prera JC, Andreasen S, Zbären P, Skalova A, Rinaldo A, Ferlito A. Analysis of the Clinical Relevance of Histological Classification of Benign Epithelial Salivary Gland Tumours. Adv Ther 2019; 36:1950-1974. [PMID: 31209701 PMCID: PMC6822986 DOI: 10.1007/s12325-019-01007-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION A vast increase in knowledge of numerous aspects of malignant salivary gland tumours has emerged during the last decade and, for several reasons, this has not been the case in benign epithelial salivary gland tumours. We have performed a literature review to investigate whether an accurate histological diagnosis of the 11 different types of benign epithelial salivary gland tumours is correlated to any differences in their clinical behaviour. METHODS A search was performed for histological classifications, recurrence rates and risks for malignant transformation, treatment modalities, and prognosis of these tumours. The search was performed primarily through PubMed, Google Scholar, and all versions of WHO classifications since 1972, as well as numerous textbooks on salivary gland tumours/head and neck/pathology/oncology. A large number of archival salivary tumours were also reviewed histologically. RESULTS Pleomorphic adenomas carry a considerable risk (5-15%) for malignant transformation but, albeit to a much lesser degree, so do basal cell adenomas and Warthin tumours, while the other eight types virtually never develop into malignancy. Pleomorphic adenoma has a rather high risk for recurrence while recurrence occurs only occasionally in sialadenoma papilliferum, oncocytoma, canalicular adenoma, myoepithelioma and the membranous type of basal cell adenoma. Papillomas, lymphadenoma, sebaceous adenoma, cystadenoma, basal cell adenoma (solid, trabecular and tubular subtypes) very rarely, if ever, recur. CONCLUSIONS A correct histopathological diagnosis of these tumours is necessary due to (1) preventing confusion with malignant salivary gland tumours; (2) only one (pleomorphic adenoma) has a considerable risk for malignant transformation, but all four histological types of basal cell adenoma can occasionally develop into malignancy, as does Warthin tumour; (3) sialadenoma papilliferum, oncocytoma, canalicular adenoma, myoepithelioma and Warthin tumour only occasionally recur; while (4) intraductal and inverted papilloma, lymphadenoma, sebaceous adenoma, cystadenoma, basal cell adenoma (apart from the membranous type) virtually never recur. No biomarker was found to be relevant for predicting recurrence or potential malignant development. Guidelines for appropriate treatment strategies are given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Hellquist
- Epigenetics and Human Disease Laboratory, Faro, Portugal.
- Centre of Biomedical Research (CBMR) and Algarve Biomedical Centre (ABC), Faro, Portugal.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.
| | - António Paiva-Correia
- Epigenetics and Human Disease Laboratory, Faro, Portugal
- Centre of Biomedical Research (CBMR) and Algarve Biomedical Centre (ABC), Faro, Portugal
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
- Histopathology Department, Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Vincent Vander Poorten
- Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Department of Oncology, Section Head and Neck Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Multidisciplinary Salivary Gland Society, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Miquel Quer
- Multidisciplinary Salivary Gland Society, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Simon Andreasen
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Zealand University Hospital, Køge, Denmark
| | - Peter Zbären
- Multidisciplinary Salivary Gland Society, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Alena Skalova
- Multidisciplinary Salivary Gland Society, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Pathology, Charles University, Faculty of Medicine in Plzen, Plzeň, Czech Republic
| | | | - Alfio Ferlito
- Coordinator of the International Head and Neck Scientific Group, Padua, Italy
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Jie MM, Chang X, Zeng S, Liu C, Liao GB, Wu YR, Liu CH, Hu CJ, Yang SM, Li XZ. Diverse regulatory manners of human telomerase reverse transcriptase. Cell Commun Signal 2019; 17:63. [PMID: 31186051 PMCID: PMC6560729 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-019-0372-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is the core subunit of human telomerase and plays important roles in human cancers. Aberrant expression of hTERT is closely associated with tumorigenesis, cancer cell stemness maintaining, cell proliferation, apoptosis inhibition, senescence evasion and metastasis. The molecular basis of hTERT regulation is highly complicated and consists of various layers. A deep and full-scale comprehension of the regulatory mechanisms of hTERT is pivotal in understanding the pathogenesis and searching for therapeutic approaches. In this review, we summarize the recent advances regarding the diverse regulatory mechanisms of hTERT, including the transcriptional (promoter mutation, promoter region methylation and histone acetylation), post-transcriptional (mRNA alternative splicing and non-coding RNAs) and post-translational levels (phosphorylation and ubiquitination), which may provide novel perspectives for further translational diagnosis or therapeutic strategies targeting hTERT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Meng Jie
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Xing Chang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Shuo Zeng
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Cheng Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Guo-Bin Liao
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Ya-Ran Wu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Chun-Hua Liu
- Teaching evaluation center of Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Chang-Jiang Hu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Shi-Ming Yang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, 400037, China.
| | - Xin-Zhe Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, 400037, China.
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de Almeida BP, Apolónio JD, Binnie A, Castelo-Branco P. Roadmap of DNA methylation in breast cancer identifies novel prognostic biomarkers. BMC Cancer 2019; 19:219. [PMID: 30866861 PMCID: PMC6416975 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-019-5403-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease resulting in diverse clinical behaviours and therapeutic responses. DNA methylation is a major epigenetic alteration that is commonly perturbed in cancers. The aim of this study is to characterize the relationship between DNA methylation and aberrant gene expression in breast cancer. METHODS We analysed DNA methylation and gene expression profiles from breast cancer tissue and matched normal tissue in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Genome-wide differential methylation analysis and methylation-gene expression correlation was performed. Gene expression changes were subsequently validated in the METABRIC dataset. The Oncoscore tool was used to identify genes that had previously been associated with cancer in the literature. A subset of genes that had not previously been studied in cancer was chosen for further analysis. RESULTS We identified 368 CpGs that were differentially methylated between tumor and normal breast tissue (∆β > 0.4). Hypermethylated CpGs were overrepresented in tumor tissue and were found predominantly (56%) in upstream promoter regions. Conversely, hypomethylated CpG sites were found primarily in the gene body (66%). Expression analysis revealed that 209 of the differentially-methylated CpGs were located in 169 genes that were differently expressed between normal and breast tumor tissue. Methylation-expression correlations were predominantly negative (70%) for promoter CpG sites and positive (74%) for gene body CpG sites. Among these differentially-methylated and differentially-expressed genes, we identified 7 that had not previously been studied in any form of cancer. Three of these, TDRD10, PRAC2 and TMEM132C, contained CpG sites that showed diagnostic and prognostic value in breast cancer, particularly in estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive samples. A pan-cancer analysis confirmed differential expression of these genes together with diagnostic and prognostic value of their respective CpG sites in multiple cancer types. CONCLUSION We have identified 368 DNA methylation changes that characterize breast cancer tumor tissue, of which 209 are associated with genes that are differentially-expressed in the same samples. Novel DNA methylation markers were identified, of which cg12374721 (PRAC2), cg18081940 (TDRD10) and cg04475027 (TMEM132C) show promise as diagnostic and prognostic markers in breast cancer as well as other cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernardo P. de Almeida
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, University of Algarve, Campus Gambelas, Bld. 2 - Ala Norte, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Present address: Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
| | - Joana Dias Apolónio
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, University of Algarve, Campus Gambelas, Bld. 2 - Ala Norte, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Centre for Biomedical Research (CBMR), University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center, Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Alexandra Binnie
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, University of Algarve, Campus Gambelas, Bld. 2 - Ala Norte, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Centre for Biomedical Research (CBMR), University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center, Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- William Osler Health System, Brampton, ON Canada
| | - Pedro Castelo-Branco
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, University of Algarve, Campus Gambelas, Bld. 2 - Ala Norte, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Centre for Biomedical Research (CBMR), University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center, Campus Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
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43
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De Mello RA, Faleiro I, Apolónio JD, Tabori U, Price AJ, Roberto VP, Castelo-Branco P. Hot topics in epigenetic regulation of cancer self-renewal for pancreatic tumors: future trends. Future Oncol 2019; 15:683-685. [PMID: 30693809 DOI: 10.2217/fon-2018-0153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ramon Andrade De Mello
- Department of Biomedical Sciences & Medicine, Algarve Biomedical Center, Division of Oncology, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319, Oporto, Portugal.,Division of Medical Oncology, Bauru State Hospital, & School of Medicine, Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE), 17011-102, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil.,Centre for Biomedical Research (CBMR), University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Inês Faleiro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences & Medicine, Algarve Biomedical Center, Division of Oncology, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.,Centre for Biomedical Research (CBMR), University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Joana D Apolónio
- Department of Biomedical Sciences & Medicine, Algarve Biomedical Center, Division of Oncology, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.,Centre for Biomedical Research (CBMR), University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Uri Tabori
- Arthur & Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5G 1X8, ON, Canada
| | - Aryeh J Price
- Arthur & Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5G 1X8, ON, Canada.,Division of Biology & Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Vânia P Roberto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences & Medicine, Algarve Biomedical Center, Division of Oncology, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.,Centre for Biomedical Research (CBMR), University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Pedro Castelo-Branco
- Department of Biomedical Sciences & Medicine, Algarve Biomedical Center, Division of Oncology, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.,Centre for Biomedical Research (CBMR), University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
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Farashi S, Kryza T, Clements J, Batra J. Post-GWAS in prostate cancer: from genetic association to biological contribution. Nat Rev Cancer 2019; 19:46-59. [PMID: 30538273 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-018-0087-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been successful in deciphering the genetic component of predisposition to many human complex diseases including prostate cancer. Germline variants identified by GWAS progressively unravelled the substantial knowledge gap concerning prostate cancer heritability. With the beginning of the post-GWAS era, more and more studies reveal that, in addition to their value as risk markers, germline variants can exert active roles in prostate oncogenesis. Consequently, current research efforts focus on exploring the biological mechanisms underlying specific susceptibility loci known as causal variants by applying novel and precise analytical methods to available GWAS data. Results obtained from these post-GWAS analyses have highlighted the potential of exploiting prostate cancer risk-associated germline variants to identify new gene networks and signalling pathways involved in prostate tumorigenesis. In this Review, we describe the molecular basis of several important prostate cancer-causal variants with an emphasis on using post-GWAS analysis to gain insight into cancer aetiology. In addition to discussing the current status of post-GWAS studies, we also summarize the main molecular mechanisms of potential causal variants at prostate cancer risk loci and explore the major challenges in moving from association to functional studies and their implication in clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samaneh Farashi
- Cancer Program, School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre - Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Thomas Kryza
- Cancer Program, School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre - Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Judith Clements
- Cancer Program, School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre - Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jyotsna Batra
- Cancer Program, School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre - Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia.
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Leão R, Lee D, Figueiredo A, Hermanns T, Wild P, Komosa M, Lau I, Mistry M, Nunes NM, Price AJ, Zhang C, Lipman T, Poyet C, Valtcheva N, Oehl K, Coelho H, Sayyid R, Gomes AM, Prado E Castro L, Sweet J, Vinagre J, Apolónio J, Stephens D, Faleiro I, Fadaak K, Richard PO, Kulkarni G, Zlotta AR, Hamilton RJ, Castelo-Branco P, Tabori U. Combined genetic and epigenetic alterations of the TERT promoter affect clinical and biological behavior of bladder cancer. Int J Cancer 2018; 144:1676-1684. [PMID: 30350309 PMCID: PMC6519346 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.31935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Revised: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
In urothelial bladder cancer (UBC), risk stratification remains an important unmet need. Limitless self‐renewal, governed by TERT expression and telomerase activation, is crucial for cancer progression. Thus, telomerase activation through the interplay of mutations (TERTpMut) and epigenetic alterations in the TERT promoter may provide further insight into UBC behavior. Here, we investigated the combined effect of TERTpMut and the TERT Hypermethylated Oncological Region (THOR) status on telomerase activation and patient outcome in a UBC international cohort (n = 237). We verified that TERTpMut were frequent (76.8%) and present in all stages and grades of UBC. Hypermethylation of THOR was associated with higher TERT expression and higher‐risk disease in nonmuscle invasive bladder cancers (NMIBC). TERTpMut alone predicted disease recurrence (HR: 3.18, 95%CI 1.84 to 5.51, p < 0.0001) but not progression in NMIBC. Combined THORhigh/TERTpMut increased the risk of disease recurrence (HR 5.12, p < 0.0001) and progression (HR 3.92, p = 0.025). Increased THOR hypermethylation doubled the risk of stage progression of both TERTpwt and TERTpMut NMIBC. These results highlight that both mechanisms are common and coexist in bladder cancer and while TERTpMut is an early event in bladder carcinogenesis THOR hypermethylation is a dynamic process that contributes to disease progression. While the absence of alterations comprises an extremely indolent phenotype, the combined genetic and epigenetic alterations of TERT bring additional prognostic value in NMIBC and provide a novel insight into telomere biology in cancer. What's new? Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) activation is central to cancer cell immortalization. It acts, however, through relatively unknown mechanisms. In urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) in particular, TERT activation can occur in the presence or absence of mutation, raising questions about alternative activation mechanisms. Our study shows that hypermethylation of the TERT promoter (THOR) plays a key part in UBC, being a dynamic and progressive process, with hypermethylation levels increasing with bladder cancer severity. Moreover, both hypermethylation and TERT promoter mutation contributed to increased telomerase expression. The findings provide insight into telomere biology in UBC and may be applicable to other tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Leão
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Department of Urology, Coimbra University Hospital, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Donghyun Lee
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Arnaldo Figueiredo
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Department of Urology, Coimbra University Hospital, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Thomas Hermanns
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Zürich, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Peter Wild
- Institute of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zürich, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Martin Komosa
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Irene Lau
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mathew Mistry
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nuno Miguel Nunes
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Aryeh J Price
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
| | - Cindy Zhang
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Tatiana Lipman
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Cédric Poyet
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Zürich, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Nadejda Valtcheva
- Institute of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zürich, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Kathrin Oehl
- Institute of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zürich, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Hugo Coelho
- Department of Urology, Coimbra University Hospital, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Rashid Sayyid
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ana Melo Gomes
- Department of Pathology, Coimbra University Hospital, Coimbra, Portugal
| | | | - Joan Sweet
- Department of Pathology, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - João Vinagre
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, (I3S), Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Apolónio
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.,Centre for Biomedical Research (CBMR), University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.,Algarve Biomedical Center, Faro, Portugal
| | - Derek Stephens
- Biostatistics, Design and Analysis, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Inês Faleiro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.,Centre for Biomedical Research (CBMR), University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.,Algarve Biomedical Center, Faro, Portugal
| | - Kamel Fadaak
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Patrick O Richard
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Division of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, CHUS, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Girish Kulkarni
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alexandre R Zlotta
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Robert J Hamilton
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Pedro Castelo-Branco
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.,Centre for Biomedical Research (CBMR), University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.,Algarve Biomedical Center, Faro, Portugal
| | - Uri Tabori
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Non-duplex G-Quadruplex Structures Emerge as Mediators of Epigenetic Modifications. Trends Genet 2018; 35:129-144. [PMID: 30527765 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2018.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Revised: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The role of non-duplex DNA, the guanine-quadruplex structure in particular, is becoming widely appreciated. Increasing evidence in the last decade implicates quadruplexes in important processes such as transcription and replication. Interestingly, more recent work suggests roles for quadruplexes, in association with quadruplex-interacting proteins, in epigenetics through both DNA and histone modifications. Here, we review the effect of the quadruplex structure on post-replication epigenetic memory and quadruplex-induced promoter DNA/histone modifications. Furthermore, we highlight the epigenetic state of the telomerase promoter where quadruplexes could play a key regulatory role. Finally, we discuss the possibility that DNA structures such as quadruplexes, within a largely duplex DNA background, could act as molecular anchors for locally induced epigenetic modifications.
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47
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Lee DD, Leão R, Komosa M, Gallo M, Zhang CH, Lipman T, Remke M, Heidari A, Nunes NM, Apolónio JD, Price AJ, De Mello RA, Dias JS, Huntsman D, Hermanns T, Wild PJ, Vanner R, Zadeh G, Karamchandani J, Das S, Taylor MD, Hawkins CE, Wasserman JD, Figueiredo A, Hamilton RJ, Minden MD, Wani K, Diplas B, Yan H, Aldape K, Akbari MR, Danesh A, Pugh TJ, Dirks PB, Castelo-Branco P, Tabori U. DNA hypermethylation within TERT promoter upregulates TERT expression in cancer. J Clin Invest 2018; 129:223-229. [PMID: 30358567 DOI: 10.1172/jci121303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Replicative immortality is a hallmark of cancer cells governed by telomere maintenance. Approximately 90% of human cancers maintain their telomeres by activating telomerase, driven by the transcriptional upregulation of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). Although TERT promoter mutations (TPMs) are a major cancer-associated genetic mechanism of TERT upregulation, many cancers exhibit TERT upregulation without TPMs. In this study, we describe the TERT hypermethylated oncological region (THOR), a 433-bp genomic region encompassing 52 CpG sites located immediately upstream of the TERT core promoter, as a cancer-associated epigenetic mechanism of TERT upregulation. Unmethylated THOR repressed TERT promoter activity regardless of TPM status, and hypermethylation of THOR counteracted this repressive function. THOR methylation analysis in 1,352 human tumors revealed frequent (>45%) cancer-associated DNA hypermethylation in 9 of 11 (82%) tumor types screened. Additionally, THOR hypermethylation, either independently or along with TPMs, accounted for how approximately 90% of human cancers can aberrantly activate telomerase. Thus, we propose that THOR hypermethylation is a prevalent telomerase-activating mechanism in cancer that can act independently of or in conjunction with TPMs, further supporting the utility of THOR hypermethylation as a prognostic biomarker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghyun D Lee
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, and.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ricardo Leão
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Martin Komosa
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, and.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marco Gallo
- Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Cindy H Zhang
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, and.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tatiana Lipman
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, and.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marc Remke
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology, and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Abolfazl Heidari
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, and.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nuno Miguel Nunes
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, and.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joana D Apolónio
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, and.,Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Aryeh J Price
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - João S Dias
- Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - David Huntsman
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Peter J Wild
- Institute of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zürich, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Robert Vanner
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gelareh Zadeh
- Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jason Karamchandani
- Department of Pathology, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sunit Das
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael D Taylor
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cynthia E Hawkins
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jonathan D Wasserman
- Division of Endocrinology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Robert J Hamilton
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mark D Minden
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Khalida Wani
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Bill Diplas
- Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hai Yan
- Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kenneth Aldape
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mohammad R Akbari
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Women's College Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Arnavaz Danesh
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Trevor J Pugh
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Peter B Dirks
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Uri Tabori
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, and.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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48
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Job S, Draskovic I, Burnichon N, Buffet A, Cros J, Lépine C, Venisse A, Robidel E, Verkarre V, Meatchi T, Sibony M, Amar L, Bertherat J, de Reyniès A, Londoño-Vallejo A, Favier J, Castro-Vega LJ, Gimenez-Roqueplo AP. Telomerase Activation and ATRX Mutations Are Independent Risk Factors for Metastatic Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma. Clin Cancer Res 2018; 25:760-770. [PMID: 30301828 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-18-0139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Revised: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are rare neuroendocrine tumors. Whereas most PPGLs are benign, up to 20% may become metastatic with SDHB- and FH-mutated tumors showing the higher risk. We aimed at determining the contribution of immortalization mechanisms to metastatic progression.Experimental Design: Immortalization mechanisms were investigated in 200 tumors. To identify telomerase (+) tumors, we analyzed genomic alterations leading to transcriptional activation of TERT comprising promoter mutations, hypermethylation and gain copy number. To identify tumors that activated the alternative lengthening of telomere (ALT) mechanism, we combined analyses of telomere length by slot blot, telomere heterogeneity by telomere FISH, and ATRX mutations by next-generation sequencing. Univariate/multivariate and metastasis-free survival (MFS) and overall survival (OS) analyses were carried out for assessment of risk factors and clinical outcomes. RESULTS Only 37 of 200 (18.5%) tumors achieved immortalization. Telomerase activation occurred in 12 metastatic tumors and was prevalent in SDHB-mutated paragangliomas (P = 2.42e-09). ALT features were present in 25 tumors, mostly pheochromocytomas, regardless of metastatic status or molecular group (P = 0.169), yet ATRX mutations were found preferentially in SDHB/FH-mutated metastatic tumors (P = 0.0014). Telomerase activation and ATRX mutations were independent factors of poor prognosis: MFS (hazard ratio, 48.2 and 33.1; P = 6.50E-07 and 1.90E-07, respectively); OS (hazard ratio, 97.4 and 44.1; P = 4.30E-03 and 2.00E-03, respectively) and were associated with worse MFS and OS (log-rank tests P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Assessment of telomerase activation and ATRX mutations could be used to identify metastatic PPGLs, particularly in tumors at high risk of progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvie Job
- Programme Cartes d'Identité des Tumeurs, Ligue Nationale Contre Le Cancer, Paris, France
| | - Irena Draskovic
- CNRS, UMR3244, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Universités, UPMC, Univ Paris 06, Paris, France
| | - Nelly Burnichon
- INSERM, UMR970, Paris-Cardiovascular Research Center, Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue contre le Cancer, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France.,Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Department of Genetics, Paris, France
| | - Alexandre Buffet
- INSERM, UMR970, Paris-Cardiovascular Research Center, Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue contre le Cancer, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France
| | - Jérôme Cros
- INSERM, UMR1149, Hôpital Beaujon, Department of Pathology, Clichy, France
| | - Charles Lépine
- Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France.,Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Department of Genetics, Paris, France
| | - Annabelle Venisse
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Department of Genetics, Paris, France
| | - Estelle Robidel
- INSERM, UMR970, Paris-Cardiovascular Research Center, Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue contre le Cancer, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France
| | - Virginie Verkarre
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Department of Pathology, Paris, France
| | - Tchao Meatchi
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Department of Pathology, Paris, France
| | - Mathilde Sibony
- INSERM, U1016, Institut Cochin, Paris, France. 10 CNRS UMR8104, Paris, France.,Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Cochin, Department of Pathology, Paris, France
| | - Laurence Amar
- INSERM, UMR970, Paris-Cardiovascular Research Center, Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue contre le Cancer, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France.,Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Hypertension Unit, Paris, France
| | - Jérôme Bertherat
- INSERM, U1016, Institut Cochin, Paris, France. 10 CNRS UMR8104, Paris, France.,Rare Adrenal Cancer Network COMETE, Paris, France
| | - Aurélien de Reyniès
- Programme Cartes d'Identité des Tumeurs, Ligue Nationale Contre Le Cancer, Paris, France
| | - Arturo Londoño-Vallejo
- CNRS, UMR3244, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Universités, UPMC, Univ Paris 06, Paris, France
| | - Judith Favier
- INSERM, UMR970, Paris-Cardiovascular Research Center, Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue contre le Cancer, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France
| | - Luis Jaime Castro-Vega
- INSERM, UMR970, Paris-Cardiovascular Research Center, Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue contre le Cancer, Paris, France. .,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France
| | - Anne-Paule Gimenez-Roqueplo
- INSERM, UMR970, Paris-Cardiovascular Research Center, Equipe Labellisée par la Ligue contre le Cancer, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France.,Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Department of Genetics, Paris, France.,Programme Cartes d'Identité des Tumeurs, Ligue Nationale Contre Le Cancer, Paris, France.,CNRS, UMR3244, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Paris, France
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49
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Gaspar TB, Sá A, Lopes JM, Sobrinho-Simões M, Soares P, Vinagre J. Telomere Maintenance Mechanisms in Cancer. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:E241. [PMID: 29751586 PMCID: PMC5977181 DOI: 10.3390/genes9050241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumour cells can adopt telomere maintenance mechanisms (TMMs) to avoid telomere shortening, an inevitable process due to successive cell divisions. In most tumour cells, telomere length (TL) is maintained by reactivation of telomerase, while a small part acquires immortality through the telomerase-independent alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) mechanism. In the last years, a great amount of data was generated, and different TMMs were reported and explained in detail, benefiting from genome-scale studies of major importance. In this review, we address seven different TMMs in tumour cells: mutations of the TERT promoter (TERTp), amplification of the genes TERT and TERC, polymorphic variants of the TERT gene and of its promoter, rearrangements of the TERT gene, epigenetic changes, ALT, and non-defined TMM (NDTMM). We gathered information from over fifty thousand patients reported in 288 papers in the last years. This wide data collection enabled us to portray, by organ/system and histotypes, the prevalence of TERTp mutations, TERT and TERC amplifications, and ALT in human tumours. Based on this information, we discuss the putative future clinical impact of the aforementioned mechanisms on the malignant transformation process in different setups, and provide insights for screening, prognosis, and patient management stratification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Bordeira Gaspar
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (i3S), University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Medical Faculty of University of Porto (FMUP), 4200-139 Porto, Portugal.
- Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICBAS), University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Ana Sá
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (i3S), University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICBAS), University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - José Manuel Lopes
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (i3S), University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Medical Faculty of University of Porto (FMUP), 4200-139 Porto, Portugal.
- Department of Pathology and Oncology, Centro Hospitalar São João, 4200-139 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Manuel Sobrinho-Simões
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (i3S), University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Medical Faculty of University of Porto (FMUP), 4200-139 Porto, Portugal.
- Department of Pathology and Oncology, Centro Hospitalar São João, 4200-139 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Paula Soares
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (i3S), University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICBAS), University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - João Vinagre
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (i3S), University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Cancer Signaling and Metabolism Group, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Medical Faculty of University of Porto (FMUP), 4200-139 Porto, Portugal.
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50
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Okunieff P, Casey-Sawicki K, Lockney NA, Hoppe BS, Enderling H, Pinnix C, Welsh J, Krishnan S, Yothers G, Brown M, Knox S, Bristow R, Spellman P, Mitin T, Nabavizadeh N, Jaboin J, Manning HC, Feng F, Galbraith S, Solanki AA, Harkenrider MM, Tuli R, Decker RH, Finkelstein SE, Hsu CC, Ha CS, Jagsi R, Shumway D, Daly M, Wang TJC, Fitzgerald TJ, Laurie F, Marshall DT, Raben D, Constine L, Thomas CR, Kachnic LA. Report from the SWOG Radiation Oncology Committee: Research Objectives Workshop 2017. Clin Cancer Res 2018; 24:3500-3509. [PMID: 29661779 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-17-3202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Revised: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The Radiation Therapy Committee of SWOG periodically evaluates its strategic plan in an effort to maintain a current and relevant scientific focus, and to provide a standard platform for future development of protocol concepts. Participants in the 2017 Strategic Planning Workshop included leaders in cancer basic sciences, molecular theragnostics, pharmaceutical and technology industries, clinical trial design, oncology practice, and statistical analysis. The committee discussed high-priority research areas, such as optimization of combined modality therapy, radiation oncology-specific drug design, identification of molecular profiles predictive of radiation-induced local or distant tumor responses, and methods for normal tissue-specific mitigation of radiation toxicity. The following concepts emerged as dominant questions ready for national testing: (i) what is the role of radiotherapy in the treatment of oligometastatic, oligorecurrent, and oligoprogressive disease? (ii) How can combined modality therapy be used to enhance systemic and local response? (iii) Can we validate and optimize liquid biopsy and other biomarkers (such as novel imaging) to supplement current response criteria to guide therapy and clinical trial design endpoints? (iv) How can we overcome deficiencies of randomized survival endpoint trials in an era of increasing molecular stratification factors? And (v) how can we mitigate treatment-related side effects and maximize quality of life in cancer survivors? The committee concluded that many aspects of these questions are ready for clinical evaluation and example protocol concepts are provided that could improve rates of cancer cure and quality of survival. Clin Cancer Res; 24(15); 3500-9. ©2018 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Okunieff
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida Health Cancer Center, Gainesville, Florida.
| | - Katherine Casey-Sawicki
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida Health Cancer Center, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Natalie A Lockney
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida Health Cancer Center, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Bradford S Hoppe
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida Health Cancer Center, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Heiko Enderling
- Department of Integrated Mathematical Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida
| | - Chelsea Pinnix
- Department of Radiation Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - James Welsh
- Department of Radiation Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Sunil Krishnan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Greg Yothers
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Martin Brown
- Departments of Radiation Oncology and Neurology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
| | - Susan Knox
- Departments of Radiation Oncology and Neurology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
| | - Robert Bristow
- Manchester Cancer Research Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Spellman
- Department of Molecular & Medical Genetics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Timur Mitin
- Department of Molecular & Medical Genetics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Nima Nabavizadeh
- Department of Radiation Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute, Portland, Oregon
| | - Jerry Jaboin
- Department of Radiation Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute, Portland, Oregon
| | - H Charles Manning
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Felix Feng
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, California
| | | | - Abhishek A Solanki
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Matthew M Harkenrider
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Richard Tuli
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - Roy H Decker
- Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | - Charles C Hsu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Chul S Ha
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas
| | - Reshma Jagsi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Dean Shumway
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Megan Daly
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Diego, California
| | - Tony J C Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Thomas J Fitzgerald
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, North Worcester, Massachusetts
| | - Fran Laurie
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, North Worcester, Massachusetts
| | - David T Marshall
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - David Raben
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Louis Constine
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
| | - Charles R Thomas
- Department of Radiation Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute, Portland, Oregon
| | - Lisa A Kachnic
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
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