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Peggion S, Najem S, Kolman JP, Reinshagen K, Pagerols Raluy L. Revisiting Neuroblastoma: Nrf2, NF-κB and Phox2B as a Promising Network in Neuroblastoma. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2024; 46:3193-3208. [PMID: 38666930 PMCID: PMC11048850 DOI: 10.3390/cimb46040200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most common solid extracranial tumor during childhood; it displays extraordinary heterogeneous clinical courses, from spontaneous regression to poor outcome in high-risk patients due to aggressive growth, metastasizing, and treatment resistance. Therefore, the identification and detailed analysis of promising tumorigenic molecular mechanisms are inevitable. This review highlights the abnormal regulation of NF-κB, Nrf2, and Phox2B as well as their interactions among each other in neuroblastoma. NF-κB and Nrf2 play a key role in antioxidant responses, anti-inflammatory regulation and tumor chemoresistance. Recent studies revealed a regulation of NF-κB by means of the Nrf2/antioxidant response element (ARE) system. On the other hand, Phox2B contributes to the differentiation of immature sympathetic nervous system stem cells: this transcription factor regulates the expression of RET, thereby facilitating cell survival and proliferation. As observed in other tumors, we presume striking interactions between NF-κB, Nrf2, and Phox2B, which might constitute an important crosstalk triangle, whose decompensation may trigger a more aggressive phenotype. Consequently, these transcription factors could be a promising target for novel therapeutic approaches and hence, further investigation on their regulation in neuroblastoma shall be reinforced.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Laia Pagerols Raluy
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
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Shendy NAM, Zimmerman MW, Abraham BJ, Durbin AD. Intrinsic transcriptional heterogeneity in neuroblastoma guides mechanistic and therapeutic insights. Cell Rep Med 2022; 3:100632. [PMID: 35584622 PMCID: PMC9133465 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cell state is controlled by master transcription factors (mTFs) that determine the cellular gene expression program. Cancer cells acquire dysregulated gene expression programs by mutational and non-mutational processes. Intratumoral heterogeneity can result from cells displaying distinct mTF-regulated cell states, which co-exist within the tumor. One archetypal tumor associated with transcriptionally regulated heterogeneity is high-risk neuroblastoma (NB). Patients with NB have poor overall survival despite intensive therapies, and relapsed patients are commonly refractory to treatment. The cellular populations that comprise NB are marked by different cohorts of mTFs and differential sensitivity to conventional therapies. Recent studies have highlighted mechanisms by which NB cells dynamically shift the cell state with treatment, revealing new opportunities to control the cellular response to treatment by manipulating cell-state-defining transcriptional programs. Here, we review recent advances in understanding transcriptionally defined cancer heterogeneity. We offer challenges to the field to encourage translation of basic science into clinical benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noha A M Shendy
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Mark W Zimmerman
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brian J Abraham
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Adam D Durbin
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
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Alexandrescu S, Paulson V, Dubuc A, Ligon A, Lidov HG. PHOX2B is a reliable immunomarker in distinguishing peripheral neuroblastic tumours from CNS embryonal tumours. Histopathology 2018; 73:483-491. [DOI: 10.1111/his.13648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2018] [Revised: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sanda Alexandrescu
- Department of Pathology; Boston Children's Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston MA USA
| | - Vera Paulson
- Department of Pathology; Boston Children's Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston MA USA
| | - Adrian Dubuc
- Center for Advanced Molecular Diagnostics; Brigham and Women's Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston MA USA
| | - Azra Ligon
- Center for Advanced Molecular Diagnostics; Brigham and Women's Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston MA USA
| | - Hart G Lidov
- Department of Pathology; Boston Children's Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston MA USA
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Moshe A, Izraely S, Sagi-Assif O, Prakash R, Telerman A, Meshel T, Carmichael T, Witz IP. Cystatin C takes part in melanoma-microglia cross-talk: possible implications for brain metastasis. Clin Exp Metastasis 2018; 35:369-378. [PMID: 29722001 PMCID: PMC6208992 DOI: 10.1007/s10585-018-9891-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The development of melanoma brain metastasis is largely dependent on mutual interactions between the melanoma cells and cells in the brain microenvironment. Here, we report that the extracellular cysteine protease inhibitor cystatin C (CysC) is involved in these interactions. Microglia-derived factors upregulated CysC secretion by melanoma. Similarly, melanoma-derived factors upregulated CysC secretion by microglia. Whereas CysC enhanced melanoma cell migration through a layer of brain endothelial cells, it inhibited the migration of microglia cells toward melanoma cells. CysC was also found to promote the formation of melanoma three-dimensional structures in matrigel. IHC analysis revealed increased expression levels of CysC in the brain of immune-deficient mice bearing xenografted human melanoma brain metastasis compared to the brain of control mice. Based on these in vitro and in vivo experiments we hypothesize that CysC promotes melanoma brain metastasis. Increased expression levels of CysC were detected in the regenerating brain of mice after stroke. Post-stroke brain with melanoma brain metastasis showed an even stronger expression of CysC. The in vitro induction of stroke-like conditions in brain microenvironmental cells increased the levels of CysC in the secretome of microglia cells, but not in the secretome of brain endothelial cells. The similarities between melanoma brain metastasis and stroke with respect to CysC expression by and secretion from microglia cells suggest that CysC may be involved in shared pathways between brain metastasis and post-stroke regeneration. This manifests the tendency of tumor cells to highjack physiological molecular pathways in their progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adi Moshe
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Sivan Izraely
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Orit Sagi-Assif
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Roshini Prakash
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Alona Telerman
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Tsipi Meshel
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Thomas Carmichael
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Isaac P Witz
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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5
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Tomolonis JA, Agarwal S, Shohet JM. Neuroblastoma pathogenesis: deregulation of embryonic neural crest development. Cell Tissue Res 2017; 372:245-262. [PMID: 29222693 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-017-2747-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is an aggressive pediatric cancer that originates from neural crest tissues of the sympathetic nervous system. NB is highly heterogeneous both from a clinical and a molecular perspective. Clinically, this cancer represents a wide range of phenotypes ranging from spontaneous regression of 4S disease to unremitting treatment-refractory progression and death of high-risk metastatic disease. At a cellular level, the heterogeneous behavior of NB likely arises from an arrest and deregulation of normal neural crest development. In the present review, we summarize our current knowledge of neural crest development as it relates to pathways promoting 'stemness' and how deregulation may contribute to the development of tumor-initiating CSCs. There is an emerging consensus that such tumor subpopulations contribute to the evolution of drug resistance, metastasis and relapse in other equally aggressive malignancies. As relapsed, refractory disease remains the primary cause of death for neuroblastoma, the identification and targeting of CSCs or other primary drivers of tumor progression remains a critical, clinically significant goal for neuroblastoma. We will critically review recent and past evidence in the literature supporting the concept of CSCs as drivers of neuroblastoma pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Tomolonis
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Texas Children's Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Translational Biology & Molecular Medicine (TBMM) Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Saurabh Agarwal
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Texas Children's Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jason M Shohet
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Texas Children's Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Neuroblastoma Research Program, Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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Di Zanni E, Bianchi G, Ravazzolo R, Raffaghello L, Ceccherini I, Bachetti T. Targeting of PHOX2B expression allows the identification of drugs effective in counteracting neuroblastoma cell growth. Oncotarget 2017; 8:72133-72146. [PMID: 29069774 PMCID: PMC5641117 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.19922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The pathogenic role of the PHOX2B gene in neuroblastoma is indicated by heterozygous mutations in neuroblastoma patients and by gene overexpression in both neuroblastoma cell lines and tumor samples. PHOX2B encodes a transcription factor which is crucial for the correct development and differentiation of sympathetic neurons. PHOX2B overexpression is considered a prognostic marker for neuroblastoma and it is also used by clinicians to monitor minimal residual disease. Furthermore, it has been observed that neuronal differentiation in neuroblastoma is dependent on down-regulation of PHOX2B expression, which confirms that PHOX2B expression may be considered a target in neuroblastoma. Here, PHOX2B promoter or 3′ untranslated region were used as molecular targets in an in vitro high-throughput approach that led to the identification of molecules able to decrease PHOX2B expression at transcriptional and likely even at post-transcriptional levels. Further functional investigations carried out on PHOX2B mRNA levels and biological consequences, such as neuroblastoma cell apoptosis and growth, showed that chloroquine and mycophenolate mofetil are most promising agents for neuroblastoma therapy based on down-regulation of PHOX2B expression. Finally, a strong correlation between the effect of drugs in terms of down-regulation of PHOX2B expression and of biological consequences in neuroblastoma cells confirms the role of PHOX2B as a potential molecular target in neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Di Zanni
- U.O.C. Genetica Medica, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.,Present Address: Istituto di Biofisica, CNR, Genova, Italy
| | | | - Roberto Ravazzolo
- U.O.C. Genetica Medica, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.,Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health and CEBR, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy
| | | | | | - Tiziana Bachetti
- U.O.C. Genetica Medica, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy
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