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Fetahu IS, Esser-Skala W, Dnyansagar R, Sindelar S, Rifatbegovic F, Bileck A, Skos L, Bozsaky E, Lazic D, Shaw L, Tötzl M, Tarlungeanu D, Bernkopf M, Rados M, Weninger W, Tomazou EM, Bock C, Gerner C, Ladenstein R, Farlik M, Fortelny N, Taschner-Mandl S. Single-cell transcriptomics and epigenomics unravel the role of monocytes in neuroblastoma bone marrow metastasis. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3620. [PMID: 37365178 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39210-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Metastasis is the major cause of cancer-related deaths. Neuroblastoma (NB), a childhood tumor has been molecularly defined at the primary cancer site, however, the bone marrow (BM) as the metastatic niche of NB is poorly characterized. Here we perform single-cell transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling of BM aspirates from 11 subjects spanning three major NB subtypes and compare these to five age-matched and metastasis-free BM, followed by in-depth single cell analyses of tissue diversity and cell-cell interactions, as well as functional validation. We show that cellular plasticity of NB tumor cells is conserved upon metastasis and tumor cell type composition is NB subtype-dependent. NB cells signal to the BM microenvironment, rewiring via macrophage mgration inhibitory factor and midkine signaling specifically monocytes, which exhibit M1 and M2 features, are marked by activation of pro- and anti-inflammatory programs, and express tumor-promoting factors, reminiscent of tumor-associated macrophages. The interactions and pathways characterized in our study provide the basis for therapeutic approaches that target tumor-to-microenvironment interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irfete S Fetahu
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Wolfgang Esser-Skala
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Rohit Dnyansagar
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Samuel Sindelar
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - Andrea Bileck
- University of Vienna, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Vienna, Austria
- Joint Metabolomics Facility, University of Vienna and Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Skos
- University of Vienna, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Bozsaky
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daria Lazic
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lisa Shaw
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Dermatology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marcus Tötzl
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Marie Bernkopf
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | - Magdalena Rados
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Weninger
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Dermatology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eleni M Tomazou
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christoph Bock
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Medical University of Vienna, Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Center for Medical Data Science, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christopher Gerner
- University of Vienna, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Vienna, Austria
- Joint Metabolomics Facility, University of Vienna and Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ruth Ladenstein
- St. Anna Children's Hospital and St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Department of Studies and Statistics for Integrated Research and Projects, Vienna, Austria
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Pediatrics, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthias Farlik
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Dermatology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nikolaus Fortelny
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
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Qiao J, Liu J, Jacobson JC, Clark RA, Lee S, Liu L, An Z, Zhang N, Chung DH. Anti-GRP-R monoclonal antibody antitumor therapy against neuroblastoma. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0277956. [PMID: 36525420 PMCID: PMC9757561 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Standard treatment for patients with high-risk neuroblastoma remains multimodal therapy including chemoradiation, surgical resection, and autologous stem cell rescue. Immunotherapy has demonstrated success in treating many types of cancers; however, its use in pediatric solid tumors has been limited by low tumor mutation burdens. Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRP-R) is overexpressed in numerous malignancies, including poorly-differentiated neuroblastoma. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to GRP-R have yet to be developed but could serve as a potential novel immunotherapy. This preclinical study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a novel GRP-R mAb immunotherapy against neuroblastoma. We established four candidate anti-GRP-R mAbs by screening a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) library. GRP-R mAb-1 demonstrated the highest efficacy with the lowest EC50 at 4.607 ng/ml against GRP-R expressing neuroblastoma cells, blocked the GRP-ligand activation of GRP-R and its downstream PI3K/AKT signaling. This resulted in functional inhibition of cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth, indicating that mAb-1 has an antagonist inhibitory role on GRP-R. To examine the antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) of GRP-R mAb-1 on neuroblastoma, we co-cultured neuroblastoma cells with natural killer (NK) cells versus GRP-R mAb-1 treatment alone. GRP-R mAb-1 mediated ADCC effects on neuroblastoma cells and induced release of IFNγ by NK cells under co-culture conditions in vitro. The cytotoxic effects of mAb-1 were confirmed with the secretion of cytotoxic granzyme B from NK cells and the reduction of mitotic tumor cells in vivo using a murine tumor xenograft model. In summary, GRP-R mAb-1 demonstrated efficacious anti-tumor effects on neuroblastoma cells in preclinical models. Importantly, GRP-R mAb-1 may be an efficacious, novel immunotherapy in the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingbo Qiao
- Department of Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Junquan Liu
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jillian C. Jacobson
- Department of Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Rachael A. Clark
- Department of Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Sora Lee
- Department of Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Li Liu
- Department of Radiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Zhiqiang An
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Ningyan Zhang
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Dai H. Chung
- Department of Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Surgery, Children’s Health, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
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Horwacik I. The Extracellular Matrix and Neuroblastoma Cell Communication-A Complex Interplay and Its Therapeutic Implications. Cells 2022; 11:cells11193172. [PMID: 36231134 PMCID: PMC9564247 DOI: 10.3390/cells11193172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is a pediatric neuroendocrine neoplasm. It arises from the sympatho-adrenal lineage of neural-crest-derived multipotent progenitor cells that fail to differentiate. NB is the most common extracranial tumor in children, and it manifests undisputed heterogeneity. Unsatisfactory outcomes of high-risk (HR) NB patients call for more research to further inter-relate treatment and molecular features of the disease. In this regard, it is well established that in the tumor microenvironment (TME), malignant cells are engaged in complex and dynamic interactions with the extracellular matrix (ECM) and stromal cells. The ECM can be a source of both pro- and anti-tumorigenic factors to regulate tumor cell fate, such as survival, proliferation, and resistance to therapy. Moreover, the ECM composition, organization, and resulting signaling networks are vastly remodeled during tumor progression and metastasis. This review mainly focuses on the molecular mechanisms and effects of interactions of selected ECM components with their receptors on neuroblastoma cells. Additionally, it describes roles of enzymes modifying and degrading ECM in NB. Finally, the article gives examples on how the knowledge is exploited for prognosis and to yield new treatment options for NB patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Horwacik
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Virology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
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Effects of Surgery Combined with Different Chemotherapy on Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 and Tissue Inhibitors of Metalloproteinase-1 in Children with Neuroblastoma. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2022; 2022:8319221. [PMID: 35847358 PMCID: PMC9277205 DOI: 10.1155/2022/8319221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Background Neuroblastoma (NB) is a common extracranial malignancy in children and accounts for 15% of all cancer-related deaths in children, with the 5-year survival of patients in an advanced stage being lower than 40%. Preoperative adjuvant chemotherapy has been reported to facilitate surgical resection and improve the 2-year survival of patients. Objective To analyze the efficacy of surgery plus different chemotherapy on children with NB and to investigate the correlation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) with chemotherapy efficacy. Methods From April 2005 to May 2017, a total of 92 cases of NB treated in our hospital were assessed for eligibility and recruited. They were assigned at a ratio of 1: 1 to receive either CAV (cyclophosphamide + vincristine + adriamycin) (group A) and EP (etoposide + cisplatin) alternately or TOPO (topotecan) + CTX (cytoxan) + CiE (etoposide + cisplatin) + CPV (cyclophosphamide + pirarubicin + vincristine) (group B). The outcome measures include chemotherapy efficacy, surgical resection rates, complications, 2-year recurrence, and 2-year survival. The levels of NK cells, CD4+/CD8+ cells, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and urine catecholamine (VMA) in peripheral blood of patients before and after initial chemotherapy were determined to analyze the correlation of MMP-9, TIMP-1, and VMA with the efficacy of chemotherapy. Results The two groups had similar efficacy (84.00% vs. 95.24%) and surgical resection rates (60.00% vs. 61.90%) after the initial chemotherapy (P > 0.05). Surgery for all eligible patients was successful after second chemotherapy. All eligible patients showed myelosuppression after chemotherapy, including 48 cases with stages I-II (52.17%) and 44 cases with stages III-IV (47.83%). The ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cells, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and VMA expression levels in peripheral blood of patients decreased (P < 0.05) after chemotherapy, and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cells was further reduced after surgery (P < 0.05), while natural killer (NK) cells levels increased (P < 0.05). However, intergroup differences were absent in the incidence of myelosuppression, CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio, NK cells, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and VMA expression levels (P > 0.05). MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were positively correlated with VMA (P < 0.05), and the expression levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 and VMA after chemotherapy were negatively correlated with chemotherapy efficiency (P < 0.05). Patients with high expressions of MMP-9, TIMP-1, and VMA were associated with lower 2-year survival versus those with low expressions (P < 0.05). Conclusion Surgery plus chemotherapy for children with NB yields a promising clinical efficacy and a favorable surgical resection outcome. MMP-9 and TIMP-1 may be the potential biological indicators for chemotherapy efficiency and have a reference value for following surgical treatment of patients.
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Clark RA, Qiao J, Jacobson JC, Chung DH. Induction of serine hydroxymethyltransferase 2 promotes tumorigenesis and metastasis in neuroblastoma. Oncotarget 2022; 13:32-45. [PMID: 35018218 PMCID: PMC8735882 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.28168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
High-risk neuroblastoma (NB) remains an extremely difficult subgroup to cure and is associated with MYCN amplification. Serine hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2) regulates serine metabolism in a myc-dependent manner; it is upregulated in several cancers and is associated with tumor aggressiveness. Akt-2, an important regulator of MYCN via the PI3K/Akt pathway, induces metastatic potential in NB. The association between SHMT2 and PI3K/Akt in hepatocyte regeneration has been well established but its mechanistic interaction in cancer has yet to be clearly elucidated. Herein, we evaluated the exact role of SHMT2 on the PI3K/Akt pathway, in addition to NB tumorigenesis and metastatic potential in vitro. SHMT2 gene expression and overall survival (OS) were assessed. Two human NB cell lines were examined. SHMT2 silencing and overexpression were performed. The downstream effects were analyzed with immunoblotting, RT-qPCR and functional assays were performed. We found SHMT2 gene expression is associated with decreased OS and MYCN amplification. SHMT2 protein and mRNA expression are increased in MYCN-amplified cells. SHMT2 expression has a direct interaction with Akt-2 and MYCN. Induction of SHMT2 increased cellular proliferation, colony formation and cellular migration and SHMT2 expression was increased in metastatic NB cells. We conclude that SHMT2 regulates N-Myc via phosphorylation of Akt-2 and plays an important role in NB tumorigenesis by contributing to cell growth, migration, colony formation and metastasis in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael A Clark
- Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75234, USA
| | - Jingbo Qiao
- Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75234, USA
| | - Jillian C Jacobson
- Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75234, USA
| | - Dai H Chung
- Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75234, USA.,Department of Surgery, Children's Health, Dallas, TX 75234, USA
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DEAD-Box Helicase 4 (Ddx4) + Stem Cells Sustain Tumor Progression in Non-Serous Ovarian Cancers. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21176096. [PMID: 32847044 PMCID: PMC7503840 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21176096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
DEAD-Box Helicase 4 (Ddx4)+ ovarian stem cells are able to differentiate into several cell types under appropriate stimuli. Ddx4 expression has been correlated with poor prognosis of serous ovarian cancer (OC), while the potential role of Ddx4+ cells in non-serous epithelial OC (NS-EOC) is almost unexplored. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the presence of Ddx4+ cells in NS-EOC and investigate the effect of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) on this population. Increased Ddx4 expression was demonstrated in samples from patients with advanced NS-EOC, compared to those with early-stage disease. Under FSH stimulation, OC-derived Ddx4+ cells differentiated into mesenchymal-like (ML) cells, able to deregulate genes involved in cell migration, invasiveness, stemness and chemoresistance in A2780 OC cells. This effect was primarily induced by ML-cells deriving from advanced NS-EOC, suggesting that a tumor-conditioned germ cell niche inhabits its microenvironment and is able to modulate, in a paracrine manner, tumor cell behavior through transcriptome modulation.
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Poelaert BJ, Romanova S, Knoche SM, Olson MT, Sliker BH, Smits K, Dickey BL, Moffitt-Holida AEJ, Goetz BT, Khan N, Smith L, Band H, Mohs AM, Coulter DW, Bronich TK, Solheim JC. Nanoformulation of CCL21 greatly increases its effectiveness as an immunotherapy for neuroblastoma. J Control Release 2020; 327:266-283. [PMID: 32711026 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most commonly diagnosed extracranial solid tumor in children. The patients with aggressive metastatic disease or refractory/relapsed neuroblastoma currently face a dismally low chance of survival. Thus, there is a great need for more effective therapies for this illness. In previous studies, we, as well as others, showed that the immune cell chemoattractant C-C motif chemokine ligand 21 (CCL21) is effective as an intratumoral therapy able to slow the growth of cancers. In this current study, we developed and tested an injectable, slow-release, uniform, and optimally loaded alginate nanoformulation of CCL21 as a means to provide prolonged intratumoral treatment. The alginate-nanoformulated CCL21, when injected intratumorally into mice bearing neuroblastoma lesions, significantly prolonged survival and decreased the tumor growth rate compared to CCL21 alone, empty nanoparticles, or buffer. Notably, we also observed complete tumor clearance and subsequent full protection against tumor rechallenge in 33% of nanoformulated CCL21-treated mice. Greater intratumoral presence of nanoformulated CCL21, compared to free CCL21, at days 1 and 2 after treatment ended was confirmed through fluorescent labeling and tracking. Nanoformulated CCL21-treated tumors exhibited a general pattern of prolonged increases in anti-tumor cytokines and relatively lower levels of pro-tumor cytokines in comparison to tumors treated with CCL21 alone or buffer only. Thus, this novel nanoformulation of CCL21 is an effective treatment for neuroblastoma, and may have potential for the delivery of CCL21 to other types of solid tumors in the future and as a slow-release delivery modality for other immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany J Poelaert
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America
| | - Svetlana Romanova
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Center for Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America
| | - Shelby M Knoche
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America
| | - Madeline T Olson
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America
| | - Bailee H Sliker
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America
| | - Kaitlin Smits
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America
| | - Brittney L Dickey
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America
| | - Alexandra E J Moffitt-Holida
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America
| | - Benjamin T Goetz
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America
| | - Nuzhat Khan
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America
| | - Lynette Smith
- Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America; Department of Biostatistics, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America
| | - Hamid Band
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America; Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America
| | - Aaron M Mohs
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Center for Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America; Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America
| | - Donald W Coulter
- Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America; Department of Pediatrics, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America
| | - Tatiana K Bronich
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Center for Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America; Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America
| | - Joyce C Solheim
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America; Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America; Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States of America.
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