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Uysal D, Thaqi B, Fierek A, Jurgowski D, Popovic ZV, Siegel F, Michel MS, Nuhn P, Worst TS, Erben P, Nitschke K. Prognostic significance of EGFR, AREG and EREG amplification and gene expression in muscle invasive bladder cancer. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1370303. [PMID: 38868531 PMCID: PMC11168109 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1370303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) remains a prevalent cancer with limited therapeutic options, obviating the need for innovative therapies. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a linchpin in tumor progression and presents a potential therapeutic target in MIBC. Additionally, the EGFR ligands AREG and EREG have shown associations with response to anti-EGFR therapy and improved progression-free survival in colorectal carcinoma. Materials and methods We investigated the prognostic significance of EGFR, AREG, and EREG in MIBC. Gene expression and copy number analyses were performed via qRT-PCR on tissue samples from 100 patients with MIBC who underwent radical cystectomy at the University Hospital Mannheim (MA; median age 72, interquartile range [IQR] 64-78 years, 25% female). Results were validated in 361 patients from the 2017 TCGA MIBC cohort (median age 69, IQR 60-77 years, 27% female), in the Chungbuk and MDACC cohort. Gene expressions were correlated with clinicopathologic parameters using the Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis- test and Spearman correlation. For overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and disease-free survival (DFS) gene expression was analyzed with Kaplan-Meier and Cox-proportional hazard models. Results Significant gene expression differences in EGFR, AREG, and EREG could be detected in all cohorts. In the TCGA cohort, EGFR expression was significantly elevated in patients with EGFR amplification and KRAS wildtype. High AREG expression independently predicted longer OS (HR = 0.35, CI 0.19 - 0.63, p = 0.0004) and CSS (HR = 0.42, CI 0.18 - 0.95, p = 0.0378) in the MA cohort. In the TCGA cohort, high EGFR, AREG, and EREG expression correlated with shorter OS (AREG: HR = 1.57, CI 1.12 - 2.20, p = 0.0090) and DFS (EGFR: HR = 1.91, CI 1.31 - 2.8, p = 0.0008). EGFR amplification was also associated with reduced DFS. Discussion High EGFR and EREG indicate worse survival in patients with MIBC. The prognostic role of AREG should further be investigated in large, prospective series. Divergent survival outcomes between the four cohorts should be interpreted cautiously, considering differences in analysis methods and demographics. Further in vitro investigations are necessary to elucidate the functional mechanisms underlying the associations observed in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Uysal
- Urologic Research Center, Department of Urology and Urosurgery, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Blerta Thaqi
- Urologic Research Center, Department of Urology and Urosurgery, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Alexander Fierek
- Urologic Research Center, Department of Urology and Urosurgery, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - David Jurgowski
- Urologic Research Center, Department of Urology and Urosurgery, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Zoran V. Popovic
- Institute of Pathology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Fabian Siegel
- Department of Biomedical Informatics at the Center for Preventive Medicine and Digital Health, Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Maurice Stephan Michel
- Urologic Research Center, Department of Urology and Urosurgery, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Philipp Nuhn
- Department of Urology, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Kiel, Germany
| | - Thomas Stefan Worst
- Urologic Research Center, Department of Urology and Urosurgery, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Philipp Erben
- Urologic Research Center, Department of Urology and Urosurgery, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Katja Nitschke
- Urologic Research Center, Department of Urology and Urosurgery, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
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Wang W, Zhang X, Jiang S, Xu P, Chen K, Li K, Wang F, Le X, Zhang K. A novel signature constructed by differential genes of muscle-invasive and non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer for the prediction of prognosis in bladder cancer. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1187286. [PMID: 37691944 PMCID: PMC10483405 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1187286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Bladder cancer (BCa) is a malignant tumor that usually forms cancer cells in the inner lining of the bladder. Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide have BCa diagnosed each year. The purpose of this study was to construct a prognostic model by differential expression of genes between muscular and non-muscular invasive BCa, and to investigate the prognosis of BCa patients. Methods The data of BCa patients was sourced from the GEO and TCGA database. Single-cell sequencing data was obtained from three patients in the GSE135337 database, and microarray data for verification was obtained from GSE32894. Univariate, Lasso and multivariate cox regression analyses were performed to construct the prognostic model. The prognostic features, immune features and drug sensitivity of the model were further evaluated. Single-cell data and microarray data were used to validate the differential expression of model genes between muscle-invasive and non-muscle-invasive BCa. The invasion and migration of BCa cells were evaluated using the transwell assay and wound-healing assay. The cell proliferation capacity was simultaneously evaluated using Colony formation experiments. The protein expression of the specific gene was detected by western blot analysis. Results We identified 183 differentially expressed muscle-invasive-related differential genes (MIRDGs), among which four were selected to establish a prognostic model. Based on our signature, patients in different groups displayed varying levels of immune infiltration and immunotherapy profiles. Single-cell sequencing data and microarray data confirmed that four invasion-related genes were expressed at higher levels in muscle-invasive BCa. Given the critical role of S100A9 in the progression of BCa, we performed further analysis. The results showed that protein expression of S100A9 was high in muscle-invasive BCa, and S100A9 knockdown could inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of BCa. Conclusion These findings demonstrated that the prognostic model for BCa patients was reasonably accurate and valid, and it may prove to be of considerable value for the treatment and prognosis of BCa patients in the future. S100A9 may become a better prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target to further guide clinical treatment decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weizhuo Wang
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xi Zhang
- Department of Urology, Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Silin Jiang
- Department of Urology, Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Peng Xu
- Department of Urology, Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Kang Chen
- Department of Urology, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, China
| | - Kai Li
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Fei Wang
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xiang Le
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Ke Zhang
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
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Packeiser EM, Taher L, Kong W, Ernst M, Beck J, Hewicker-Trautwein M, Brenig B, Schütz E, Murua Escobar H, Nolte I. RNA-seq of nine canine prostate cancer cell lines reveals diverse therapeutic target signatures. Cancer Cell Int 2022; 22:54. [PMID: 35109825 PMCID: PMC8812184 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-021-02422-9] [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: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Canine prostate adenocarcinoma (PAC) and transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) are typically characterized by metastasis and chemoresistance. Cell lines are important model systems for developing new therapeutic strategies. However, as they adapt to culturing conditions and undergo clonal selection, they can diverge from the tissue from which they were originally derived. Therefore, a comprehensive characterization of cell lines and their original tissues is paramount. METHODS This study compared the transcriptomes of nine canine cell lines derived from PAC, PAC metastasis and TCC to their respective original primary tumor or metastasis tissues. Special interests were laid on cell culture-related differences, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), the prostate and bladder cancer pathways, therapeutic targets in the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway and genes correlated with chemoresistance towards doxorubicin and carboplatin. RESULTS Independent analyses for PAC, PAC metastasis and TCC revealed 1743, 3941 and 463 genes, respectively, differentially expressed in the cell lines relative to their original tissues (DEGs). While genes associated with tumor microenvironment were mostly downregulated in the cell lines, patient-specific EMT features were conserved. Furthermore, examination of the prostate and bladder cancer pathways revealed extensive concordance between cell lines and tissues. Interestingly, all cell lines preserved downstream PI3K-AKT signaling, but each featured a unique therapeutic target signature. Additionally, resistance towards doxorubicin was associated with G2/M cell cycle transition and cell membrane biosynthesis, while carboplatin resistance correlated with histone, m- and tRNA processing. CONCLUSION Comparative whole-transcriptome profiling of cell lines and their original tissues identifies models with conserved therapeutic target expression. Moreover, it is useful for selecting suitable negative controls, i.e., cell lines lacking therapeutic target expression, increasing the transfer efficiency from in vitro to primary neoplasias for new therapeutic protocols. In summary, the dataset presented here constitutes a rich resource for canine prostate and bladder cancer research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva-Maria Packeiser
- Small Animal Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
- Department of Medicine, Clinic III, Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine, University Medical Center Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Leila Taher
- Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
- Division of Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
- Institute for Biostatistics and Informatics in Medicine and Ageing Research, Rostock University Medical Center, 18057, Rostock, Germany
| | - Weibo Kong
- Small Animal Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
- Department of Medicine, Clinic III, Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine, University Medical Center Rostock, Rostock, Germany
- Institute of Muscle Biology and Growth, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Mathias Ernst
- Division of Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | | | | | - Bertram Brenig
- University of Göttingen, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Hugo Murua Escobar
- Small Animal Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
- Department of Medicine, Clinic III, Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine, University Medical Center Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (CCC-MV), Campus Rostock, University of Rostock, 18057, Rostock, Germany.
| | - Ingo Nolte
- Small Animal Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
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Lubet RA, Kumar A, Fox JT, You M, Mohammed A, Juliana MM, Grubbs CJ. Efficacy of EGFR Inhibitors and NSAIDs Against Basal Bladder Cancers in a Rat Model: Daily vs. Weekly Dosing, Combining EGFR Inhibitors with Naproxen, and Effects on RNA Expression. Bladder Cancer 2021; 7:335-345. [PMID: 38993610 PMCID: PMC11181848 DOI: 10.3233/blc-200423] [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: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There are few effective treatments specifically aimed at basal bladder cancer. OBJECTIVE Female F344 rats administered N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)-nitrosamine (OH-BBN) develop large invasive bladder cancers. We determined the efficacy of daily vs weekly dosing of EGFR inhibitors, determined the efficacy of naproxen combined with an EGFR inhibitor, and performed RNA analysis of bladder tumors treated for 5 days with EGFR inhibitors or NO-naproxen to identify pharmacodynamic biomarkers. METHODS Erlotinib (6 mg/Kg BW daily or 21 or 42 mg/Kg BW weekly), lapatinib (25 or 75 mg/Kg BW daily or 263 or 525 mg/Kg BW weekly) and/or naproxen (30 mg/Kg BW daily) were administered to OH-BBN-treated rats beginning 2-12 weeks post OH-BBN. Rats were sacrificed 28 weeks after the final OH-BBN treatment to determine the effects of the EGFR inhibitors + naproxen on bladder weights and tumor development. In a separate study, rats were treated with OH-BBN. When palpable tumors developed, rats were treated with erlotinib, lapatinib, gefitinib, or the NSAID NO-naproxen for 5 days. RNA analysis was performed on the tumors. RESULTS Daily or weekly dosing of erlotinib or lapatinib and daily dosing of naproxen reduced large tumor formation up to 70%, while combining daily lapatinib and naproxen reduced tumors 100%. RNA Analysis: All EGFR inhibitors strongly reduced cell proliferation and chromosome replication pathways, while NO-naproxen altered the G protein receptor, oxygen homeostasis and immune function pathways. CONCLUSIONS While daily and weekly dosing with EGFR inhibitors and naproxen were effective, combining lapatinib and naproxen yielded no tumors. This might encourage its clinical use in an adjuvant setting with superficial basal tumors, and perhaps even in a more advanced setting. Furthermore, RNA analysis identified specific pathways that might be potential pharmacodynamic biomarkers in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald A. Lubet
- Chemopreventive Agent Development Research Group, Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Amit Kumar
- Nutritional Science Research Group, Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Jennifer T. Fox
- Chemopreventive Agent Development Research Group, Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Ming You
- Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Altaf Mohammed
- Chemopreventive Agent Development Research Group, Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - M. Margaret Juliana
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Clinton J. Grubbs
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
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Hernández IB, Kromhout JZ, Teske E, Hennink WE, van Nimwegen SA, Oliveira S. Molecular targets for anticancer therapies in companion animals and humans: what can we learn from each other? Theranostics 2021; 11:3882-3897. [PMID: 33664868 PMCID: PMC7914358 DOI: 10.7150/thno.55760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite clinical successes in the treatment of some early stage cancers, it is undeniable that novel and innovative approaches are needed to aid in the fight against cancer. Targeted therapies offer the desirable feature of tumor specificity while sparing healthy tissues, thereby minimizing side effects. However, the success rate of translation of these therapies from the preclinical setting to the clinic is dramatically low, highlighting an important point of necessary improvement in the drug development process in the oncology field. The practice of a comparative oncology approach can address some of the current issues, by introducing companion animals with spontaneous tumors in the linear drug development programs. In this way, animals from the veterinary clinic get access to novel/innovative therapies, otherwise inaccessible, while generating robust data to aid therapy refinement and increase translational success. In this review, we present an overview of targetable membrane proteins expressed in the most well-characterized canine and feline solid cancers, greatly resembling the counterpart human malignancies. We identified particular areas in which a closer collaboration between the human and veterinary clinic would benefit both human and veterinary patients. Considerations and challenges to implement comparative oncology in the development of anticancer targeted therapies are also discussed.
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Zhang C, Chang X, Chen D, Yang F, Li Z, Li D, Yu N, Yan L, Liu H, Xu Z. Downregulation of HDGF inhibits the tumorigenesis of bladder cancer cells by inactivating the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. Cancer Manag Res 2019; 11:7909-7923. [PMID: 31692549 PMCID: PMC6710542 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s215341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) is a heparin-binding protein that has been observed to be abnormally expressed in numerous malignancies, but the definite role of HDGF in bladder cancer (BCa) has not been clarified. Here, we conduct the present study to evaluate correlations between HDGF and BCa. Methods Bioinformatics analysis was used to evaluate HDGF expression levels in BCa tissues. The effect of HDGF on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, cell cycle and apoptosis was analyzed utilizing CCK-8, clone formation, Transwell assays and flow cytometry, respectively. In addition, the xenograft tumor model was established. Results Based on bioinformatics analysis, we noticed that HDGF was highly expressed in BCa tissues and was positively correlated with poor prognosis in patients. Knockdown of HDGF markedly reduced tumorigenesis in BCa cells. Furthermore, the results of flow cytometry showed that HDGF deletion enhanced apoptosis in T24 and 253J cells and led to cell cycle arrest in G1 phase. In further studies, we found that tumor growth was inhibited in xenograft nude mouse models with HDGF deletion. The results of RNA-seq analysis revealed that the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway-related genes were obviously changed in HDGF-deficient 253J cells, and this result was further confirmed by Western blot analysis. Conclusion In summary, we suggest that HDGF plays a substantial role in BCa and promotes tumor development and progression by regulating the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, which provides a promising target for BCa treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Zhang
- Department of Urology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiangping Chang
- Department of Urology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Dongshan Chen
- Department of Urology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Feilong Yang
- Department of Urology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Zeyan Li
- Department of Urology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Dawei Li
- Department of Urology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Nengwang Yu
- Department of Urology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Yan
- Department of Urology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Hainan Liu
- Department of Urology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhonghua Xu
- Department of Urology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, People's Republic of China
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