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Jokela TA, Dane MA, Smith RL, Devlin KL, Shalabi S, Lopez JC, Miyano M, Stampfer MR, Korkola JE, Gray JW, Heiser LM, LaBarge MA. Functional delineation of the luminal epithelial microenvironment in breast using cell-based screening in combinatorial microenvironments. Cell Signal 2024; 113:110958. [PMID: 37935340 PMCID: PMC10696611 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2023.110958] [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: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Microenvironment signals are potent determinants of cell fate and arbiters of tissue homeostasis, however understanding how different microenvironment factors coordinately regulate cellular phenotype has been experimentally challenging. Here we used a high-throughput microenvironment microarray comprised of 2640 unique pairwise signals to identify factors that support proliferation and maintenance of primary human mammary luminal epithelial cells. Multiple microenvironment factors that modulated luminal cell number were identified, including: HGF, NRG1, BMP2, CXCL1, TGFB1, FGF2, PDGFB, RANKL, WNT3A, SPP1, HA, VTN, and OMD. All of these factors were previously shown to modulate luminal cell numbers in painstaking mouse genetics experiments, or were shown to have a role in breast cancer, demonstrating the relevance and power of our high-dimensional approach to dissect key microenvironmental signals. RNA-sequencing of primary epithelial and stromal cell lineages identified the cell types that express these signals and the cognate receptors in vivo. Cell-based functional studies confirmed which effects from microenvironment factors were reproducible and robust to individual variation. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) was the factor most robust to individual variation and drove expansion of luminal cells via cKit+ progenitor cells, which expressed abundant MET receptor. Luminal cells from women who are genetically high risk for breast cancer had significantly more MET receptor and may explain the characteristic expansion of the luminal lineage in those women. In ensemble, our approach provides proof of principle that microenvironment signals that control specific cellular states can be dissected with high-dimensional cell-based approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiina A Jokela
- Department of Population Sciences, Center for Cancer and Aging, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Mark A Dane
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Rebecca L Smith
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Kaylyn L Devlin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Sundus Shalabi
- Department of Population Sciences, Center for Cancer and Aging, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; Faculty of Medicine, Arab American University of Palestine, Jenin, Palestine
| | - Jennifer C Lopez
- Department of Population Sciences, Center for Cancer and Aging, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Masaru Miyano
- Department of Population Sciences, Center for Cancer and Aging, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Martha R Stampfer
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - James E Korkola
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Joe W Gray
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Laura M Heiser
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA.
| | - Mark A LaBarge
- Department of Population Sciences, Center for Cancer and Aging, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; Center for Cancer Biomarkers Research (CCBIO), University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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2
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Liang XW, Liu B, Chen JC, Cao Z, Chu FR, Lin X, Wang SZ, Wu JC. Characteristics and molecular mechanism of drug-tolerant cells in cancer: a review. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1177466. [PMID: 37483492 PMCID: PMC10360399 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1177466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug resistance in tumours has seriously hindered the therapeutic effect. Tumour drug resistance is divided into primary resistance and acquired resistance, and the recent study has found that a significant proportion of cancer cells can acquire stable drug resistance from scratch. This group of cells first enters the drug tolerance state (DT state) under drug pressure, and gradually acquires stable drug resistance through adaptive mutations in this state. Although the specific mechanisms underlying the formation of drug tolerant cells (DTCs) remain unclear, various proteins and signalling pathways have been identified as being involved in the formation of DTCs. In the current review, we summarize the characteristics, molecular mechanisms and therapeutic strategies of DTCs in detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian-Wen Liang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Hainan General Hospital (Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University), Haikou, China
| | - Bing- Liu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine Affiliated Haikou Hospital, Haikou, China
| | - Jia-Cheng Chen
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Hainan General Hospital (Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University), Haikou, China
| | - Zhi Cao
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Hainan General Hospital (Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University), Haikou, China
| | - Feng-ran Chu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Hainan General Hospital (Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University), Haikou, China
| | - Xiong Lin
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Hainan General Hospital (Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University), Haikou, China
| | - Sheng-Zhong Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine Affiliated Haikou Hospital, Haikou, China
| | - Jin-Cai Wu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Hainan General Hospital (Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University), Haikou, China
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3
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Li C, Qiu S, Liu X, Guo F, Zhai J, Li Z, Deng L, Ge L, Qian H, Yang L, Xu B. Extracellular matrix-derived mechanical force governs breast cancer cell stemness and quiescence transition through integrin-DDR signaling. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:247. [PMID: 37369642 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01453-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The extracellular matrix (ECM) serves as signals that regulate specific cell states in tumor tissues. Increasing evidence suggests that extracellular biomechanical force signals are critical in tumor progression. In this study, we aimed to explore the influence of ECM-derived biomechanical force on breast cancer cell status. Experiments were conducted using 3D collagen, fibrinogen, and Matrigel matrices to investigate the role of mechanical force in tumor development. Integrin-cytoskeleton-AIRE and DDR-STAT signals were examined using RNA sequencing and western blotting. Data from 1358 patients and 86 clinical specimens were used for ECM signature-prognosis analysis. Our findings revealed that ECM-derived mechanical force regulated tumor stemness and cell quiescence in breast cancer cells. A mechanical force of ~45 Pa derived from the extracellular substrate activated integrin β1/3 receptors, stimulating stem cell signaling pathways through the cytoskeleton/AIRE axis and promoting tumorigenic potential and stem-like phenotypes. However, excessive mechanical force (450 Pa) could drive stem-like cancer cells into a quiescent state, with the removal of mechanical forces leading to vigorous proliferation in quiescent cancer stem cells. Mechanical force facilitated cell cycle arrest to induce quiescence, dependent on DDR2/STAT1/P27 signaling. Therefore, ECM-derived mechanical force governs breast cancer cell status and proliferative characteristics through stiffness alterations. We further established an ECM signature based on the fibrinogen/fibronectin/vitronectin/elastin axis, which efficiently predicts patient prognosis in breast cancer. Our findings highlight the vital role of ECM-derived mechanical force in governing breast cancer cell stemness/quiescence transition and suggest the novel use of ECM signature in predicting the clinical prognosis of breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Li
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Shi Qiu
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
- National Clinical Research Center of Geriatrics, The Center of Gerontology and Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
- Institute of Oncology Research (IOR), Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland (IOSI), Bellinzona, 6500, Switzerland
| | - Xiaohan Liu
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Basic Medical College, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Fengzhu Guo
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Jingtong Zhai
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Zhijun Li
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Linghui Deng
- Institute of Oncology Research (IOR), Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland (IOSI), Bellinzona, 6500, Switzerland
| | - Liming Ge
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Haili Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
| | - Lu Yang
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
| | - Binghe Xu
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
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Araki M, Noguchi S, Kubo Y, Yasuda A, Koh M, Otsuka H, Yokosuka M, Soeta S. Expression of type VI collagen α3 chain in canine mammary carcinomas. Res Vet Sci 2023; 159:171-182. [PMID: 37148736 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2023.04.010] [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: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the expression of type VI collagen α3 chain (COL6a3) in neoplastic cells of canine mammary gland carcinomas (CMGCs) using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and to evaluate the association between COL6a3 expression and tumor histological features, histological grades, and the differentiation status of neoplastic epithelial cells. COL6a3 expression in carcinoma cells was significantly associated with histologically low malignancy and low mitotic indices. In addition, COL6a3+ carcinoma cells were more frequently detected in simple carcinomas (tubular and tubulopapillary types) than in solid carcinomas. These findings indicate that reduced expression of COL6a3 in carcinoma cells contributes to the malignant phenotype in CMGCs. We also showed that COL6a3 expression in the carcinoma cells was more frequently detected in CK19+/CD49f + and/or CK19+/CK5+ tumors. In addition, COL6a3+/CK19+/CD49f + and COL6a3+/CK19+/CK5+ tumors consisted of CK19+/CD49f + and CK19+/CD49f- cells, and CK19+/CK5+ and CK19+/CK5- cells, respectively. Most of these tumors more frequently expressed GATA3, but not Notch1. These results indicate that COL6a3 is expressed in CMGCs containing both luminal progenitor-like and mature luminal-like cells and showing differentiation ability into mature luminal cells. It is possible that COL6 may be involved in the differentiation of luminal progenitor-like carcinoma cells into mature luminal-like carcinoma cells in CMGCs, which may suppresses the development of malignant phenotypes in CMGCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mami Araki
- Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, 1-7-1, Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Syunya Noguchi
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Anatomy, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5, Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Kubo
- Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, Attached Facility, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, 1-7-1, Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akiko Yasuda
- Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, Attached Facility, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, 1-7-1, Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Miki Koh
- Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, 1-7-1, Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hirotada Otsuka
- Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, 1-7-1, Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Makoto Yokosuka
- Laboratory of Comparative and Behavioral Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, 1-7-1, Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoshi Soeta
- Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, 1-7-1, Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo, Japan.
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5
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Engelsen AST, Lotsberg ML, Abou Khouzam R, Thiery JP, Lorens JB, Chouaib S, Terry S. Dissecting the Role of AXL in Cancer Immune Escape and Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Inhibition. Front Immunol 2022; 13:869676. [PMID: 35572601 PMCID: PMC9092944 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.869676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The development and implementation of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICI) in clinical oncology have significantly improved the survival of a subset of cancer patients with metastatic disease previously considered uniformly lethal. However, the low response rates and the low number of patients with durable clinical responses remain major concerns and underscore the limited understanding of mechanisms regulating anti-tumor immunity and tumor immune resistance. There is an urgent unmet need for novel approaches to enhance the efficacy of ICI in the clinic, and for predictive tools that can accurately predict ICI responders based on the composition of their tumor microenvironment. The receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) AXL has been associated with poor prognosis in numerous malignancies and the emergence of therapy resistance. AXL is a member of the TYRO3-AXL-MERTK (TAM) kinase family. Upon binding to its ligand GAS6, AXL regulates cell signaling cascades and cellular communication between various components of the tumor microenvironment, including cancer cells, endothelial cells, and immune cells. Converging evidence points to AXL as an attractive molecular target to overcome therapy resistance and immunosuppression, supported by the potential of AXL inhibitors to improve ICI efficacy. Here, we review the current literature on the prominent role of AXL in regulating cancer progression, with particular attention to its effects on anti-tumor immune response and resistance to ICI. We discuss future directions with the aim to understand better the complex role of AXL and TAM receptors in cancer and the potential value of this knowledge and targeted inhibition for the benefit of cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnete S. T. Engelsen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Maria L. Lotsberg
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Raefa Abou Khouzam
- Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
| | - Jean-Paul Thiery
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
- Inserm, UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Villejuif, France
| | - James B. Lorens
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Salem Chouaib
- Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
- Inserm, UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Villejuif, France
- Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
- Faculty of Medicine, University Paris Sud, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Stéphane Terry
- Inserm, UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Villejuif, France
- Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
- Faculty of Medicine, University Paris Sud, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
- Research Department, Inovarion, Paris, France
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6
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Lotsberg ML, Røsland GV, Rayford AJ, Dyrstad SE, Ekanger CT, Lu N, Frantz K, Stuhr LEB, Ditzel HJ, Thiery JP, Akslen LA, Lorens JB, Engelsen AST. Intrinsic Differences in Spatiotemporal Organization and Stromal Cell Interactions Between Isogenic Lung Cancer Cells of Epithelial and Mesenchymal Phenotypes Revealed by High-Dimensional Single-Cell Analysis of Heterotypic 3D Spheroid Models. Front Oncol 2022; 12:818437. [PMID: 35530312 PMCID: PMC9076321 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.818437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The lack of inadequate preclinical models remains a limitation for cancer drug development and is a primary contributor to anti-cancer drug failures in clinical trials. Heterotypic multicellular spheroids are three-dimensional (3D) spherical structures generated by self-assembly from aggregates of two or more cell types. Compared to traditional monolayer cell culture models, the organization of cells into a 3D tissue-like structure favors relevant physiological conditions with chemical and physical gradients as well as cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions that recapitulate many of the hallmarks of cancer in situ. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are prevalent in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), yet various mechanisms of acquired resistance, including epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), limit the clinical benefit of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFRi). Improved preclinical models that incorporate the complexity induced by epithelial-to-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) are urgently needed to advance new therapeutics for clinical NSCLC management. This study was designed to provide a thorough characterization of multicellular spheroids of isogenic cancer cells of various phenotypes and demonstrate proof-of-principle for the applicability of the presented spheroid model to evaluate the impact of cancer cell phenotype in drug screening experiments through high-dimensional and spatially resolved imaging mass cytometry (IMC) analyses. First, we developed and characterized 3D homotypic and heterotypic spheroid models comprising EGFRi-sensitive or EGFRi-resistant NSCLC cells. We observed that the degree of EMT correlated with the spheroid generation efficiency in monocultures. In-depth characterization of the multicellular heterotypic spheroids using immunohistochemistry and high-dimensional single-cell analyses by IMC revealed intrinsic differences between epithelial and mesenchymal-like cancer cells with respect to self-sorting, spatiotemporal organization, and stromal cell interactions when co-cultured with fibroblasts. While the carcinoma cells harboring an epithelial phenotype self-organized into a barrier sheet surrounding the fibroblasts, mesenchymal-like carcinoma cells localized to the central hypoxic and collagen-rich areas of the compact heterotypic spheroids. Further, deep-learning-based single-cell segmentation of IMC images and application of dimensionality reduction algorithms allowed a detailed visualization and multiparametric analysis of marker expression across the different cell subsets. We observed a high level of heterogeneity in the expression of EMT markers in both the carcinoma cell populations and the fibroblasts. Our study supports further application of these models in pre-clinical drug testing combined with complementary high-dimensional single-cell analyses, which in turn can advance our understanding of the impact of cancer-stroma interactions and epithelial phenotypic plasticity on innate and acquired therapy resistance in NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria L. Lotsberg
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Gro V. Røsland
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Austin J. Rayford
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- BerGenBio, Bergen, Norway
| | - Sissel E. Dyrstad
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Camilla T. Ekanger
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ning Lu
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kirstine Frantz
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Linda E. B. Stuhr
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Henrik J. Ditzel
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Oncology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Jean Paul Thiery
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
- Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, UMR 1186, Inserm, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Lars A. Akslen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Section for Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - James B. Lorens
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Agnete S. T. Engelsen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- *Correspondence: Agnete S. T. Engelsen,
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Jokela TA, Todhunter ME, LaBarge MA. High-Throughput Microenvironment Microarray (MEMA) High-Resolution Imaging. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2394:47-64. [PMID: 35094321 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1811-0_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The interaction between cells and their surrounding microenvironment has a crucial role in determining cell fate. In many pathological conditions, the microenvironment drives disease progression as well as therapeutic resistance. A number of challenges arise for researchers examining these cell-microenvironment interactions: (1) Tissue microenvironments are combinatorial and dynamic systems, and in pathological situations like cancer, microenvironments become infamously chaotic and highly heterogeneous. (2) Cells exhibit heterogeneous phenotypes, and even rare cell subpopulations can have a substantial role in tissue homeostasis and disease progression. This chapter discusses technical aspects relevant to dissecting cell-microenvironment interaction using the Microenvironment Microarray (MEMA) platform, which is a cell-based functional high-throughput screening of interactions between cells and combinatorial microenvironments at the single-cell level. MEMA provides insights into how cell phenotype and function is elicited by microenvironmental components. In this chapter, we describe automating a high-throughput and high-resolution imaging pipeline for single-cell-resolution analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiina A Jokela
- Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA.
| | - Michael E Todhunter
- Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Mark A LaBarge
- Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA.
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8
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Bahcecioglu G, Yue X, Howe E, Guldner I, Stack MS, Nakshatri H, Zhang S, Zorlutuna P. Aged Breast Extracellular Matrix Drives Mammary Epithelial Cells to an Invasive and Cancer-Like Phenotype. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2021; 8:e2100128. [PMID: 34617419 PMCID: PMC8596116 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202100128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Age is a major risk factor for cancer. While the importance of age related genetic alterations in cells on cancer progression is well documented, the effect of aging extracellular matrix (ECM) has been overlooked. This study shows that the aging breast ECM alone is sufficient to drive normal human mammary epithelial cells (KTB21) to a more invasive and cancer-like phenotype, while promoting motility and invasiveness in MDA-MB-231 cells. Decellularized breast matrix from aged mice leads to loss of E-cadherin membrane localization in KTB21 cells, increased cell motility and invasion, and increased production of inflammatory cytokines and cancer-related proteins. The aged matrix upregulates cancer-related genes in KTB21 cells and enriches a cell subpopulation highly expressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related genes. Lysyl oxidase knockdown reverts the aged matrix-induced changes to the young levels; it relocalizes E-cadherin to cell membrane, and reduces cell motility, invasion, and cytokine production. These results show for the first time that the aging ECM harbors key biochemical, physical, and mechanical cues contributing to invasive and cancer-like behavior in healthy and cancer mammary cells. Differential response of cells to young and aged ECMs can lead to identification of new targets for cancer treatment and prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gokhan Bahcecioglu
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIN46556USA
| | - Xiaoshan Yue
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIN46556USA
| | - Erin Howe
- Harper Cancer Research InstituteUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIN46556USA
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIN46556USA
| | - Ian Guldner
- Harper Cancer Research InstituteUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIN46556USA
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIN46556USA
| | - M. Sharon Stack
- Harper Cancer Research InstituteUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIN46556USA
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIN46556USA
| | - Harikrishna Nakshatri
- Department of SurgerySchool of MedicineIndiana UniversityIndianapolisIN46202USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologySchool of MedicineIndiana UniversityIndianapolisIN46202USA
| | - Siyuan Zhang
- Harper Cancer Research InstituteUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIN46556USA
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIN46556USA
| | - Pinar Zorlutuna
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIN46556USA
- Harper Cancer Research InstituteUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIN46556USA
- Bioengineering Graduate ProgramUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIN46556USA
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9
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Jokela TA, LaBarge MA. Integration of mechanical and ECM microenvironment signals in the determination of cancer stem cell states. CURRENT STEM CELL REPORTS 2020; 7:39-47. [PMID: 33777660 DOI: 10.1007/s40778-020-00182-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Purpose of review Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are increasingly understood to play a central role in tumor progression. Growing evidence implicates tumor microenvironments as a source of signals that regulate or even impose CSC states on tumor cells. This review explores points of integration for microenvironment-derived signals that are thought to regulate CSCs in carcinomas. Recent findings CSC states are directly regulated by the mechanical properties and extra cellular matrix (ECM) composition of tumor microenvironments that promote CSC growth and survival, which may explain some modes of therapeutic resistance. CSCs sense mechanical forces and ECM composition through integrins and other cell surface receptors, which then activate a number of intracellular signaling pathways. The relevant signaling events are dynamic and context-dependent. Summary CSCs are thought to drive cancer metastases and therapeutic resistance. Cells that are in CSC states and more differentiated states appear to be reversible and conditional upon the components of the tumor microenvironment. Signals imposed by tumor microenvironment are of a combinatorial nature, ultimately representing the integration of multiple physical and chemical signals. Comprehensive understanding of the tumor microenvironment-imposed signaling that maintains cells in CSC states may guide future therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiina A Jokela
- Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, 1500 E. Duarte Rd, Duarte CA 91010
| | - Mark A LaBarge
- Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, 1500 E. Duarte Rd, Duarte CA 91010
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10
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Lotsberg ML, Rayford A, Thiery JP, Belleggia G, D'Mello Peters S, Lorens JB, Chouaib S, Terry S, Engelsen AST. Decoding cancer's camouflage: epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity in resistance to immune checkpoint blockade. CANCER DRUG RESISTANCE (ALHAMBRA, CALIF.) 2020; 3:832-853. [PMID: 35582229 PMCID: PMC8992561 DOI: 10.20517/cdr.2020.41] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) of cancer cells contributes to cancer cell heterogeneity, and it is well established that EMP is a critical determinant of acquired resistance to cancer treatment modalities including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies. Here, we aimed to explore how EMP contributes to cancer cell camouflage, allowing an ever-changing population of cancer cells to pass under the radar of our immune system and consequently compromise the effect of immune checkpoint blockade therapies. The ultimate clinical benefit of any combination regimen is evidenced by the sum of the drug-induced alterations observed in the variety of cellular populations composing the tumor immune microenvironment. The finely-tuned molecular crosstalk between cancer and immune cells remains to be fully elucidated, particularly for the spectrum of malignant cells along the epithelial to mesenchymal axis. High-dimensional single cell analyses of specimens collected in ongoing clinical studies is becoming a key contributor to our understanding of these interactions. This review will explore to what extent targeting EMP in combination with immune checkpoint inhibition represents a promising therapeutic avenue within the overarching strategy to reactivate a halting cancer-immunity cycle and establish a robust host immune response against cancer cells. Therapeutic strategies currently in clinical development will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria L Lotsberg
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen 5009, Norway.,Equal contribution
| | - Austin Rayford
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen 5009, Norway.,BerGenBio ASA, Jonas Lies vei 91, Bergen 5009, Norway.,Equal contribution
| | - Jean Paul Thiery
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen 5009, Norway.,INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, Gustave Roussy, Fac. de Médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif 94805, France.,Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore.,Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore.,Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, A-STAR, Singapore, Singapore 138673, Singapore.,Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health, Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou 510005, China
| | - Giuliana Belleggia
- School of Medicine, Clinical Skills Assessment Program, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
| | - Stacey D'Mello Peters
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen 5009, Norway
| | - James B Lorens
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen 5009, Norway.,BerGenBio ASA, Jonas Lies vei 91, Bergen 5009, Norway
| | - Salem Chouaib
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, Gustave Roussy, Fac. de Médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif 94805, France.,Thumbay Research Institute of Precision Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman 4184, United Arab Emirates
| | - Stephane Terry
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, Gustave Roussy, Fac. de Médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif 94805, France.,Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI, Jouy-en-Josas 78350, France
| | - Agnete S T Engelsen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen 5009, Norway.,INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, Gustave Roussy, Fac. de Médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif 94805, France
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11
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Engelsen AST, Wnuk-Lipinska K, Bougnaud S, Pelissier Vatter FA, Tiron C, Villadsen R, Miyano M, Lotsberg ML, Madeleine N, Panahandeh P, Dhakal S, Tan TZ, Peters SD, Grøndal S, Aziz SM, Nord S, Herfindal L, Stampfer MR, Sørlie T, Brekken RA, Straume O, Halberg N, Gausdal G, Thiery JP, Akslen LA, Petersen OW, LaBarge MA, Lorens JB. AXL Is a Driver of Stemness in Normal Mammary Gland and Breast Cancer. iScience 2020; 23:101649. [PMID: 33103086 PMCID: PMC7578759 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The receptor tyrosine kinase AXL is associated with epithelial plasticity in several solid tumors including breast cancer and AXL-targeting agents are currently in clinical trials. We hypothesized that AXL is a driver of stemness traits in cancer by co-option of a regulatory function normally reserved for stem cells. AXL-expressing cells in human mammary epithelial ducts co-expressed markers associated with multipotency, and AXL inhibition abolished colony formation and self-maintenance activities while promoting terminal differentiation in vitro. Axl-null mice did not exhibit a strong developmental phenotype, but enrichment of Axl + cells was required for mouse mammary gland reconstitution upon transplantation, and Axl-null mice had reduced incidence of Wnt1-driven mammary tumors. An AXL-dependent gene signature is a feature of transcriptomes in basal breast cancers and reduced patient survival irrespective of subtype. Our interpretation is that AXL regulates access to epithelial plasticity programs in MaSCs and, when co-opted, maintains acquired stemness in breast cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnete S T Engelsen
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus Grand Paris, 94800 Villejuif, France
| | | | - Sebastien Bougnaud
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Fanny A Pelissier Vatter
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Crina Tiron
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - René Villadsen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
| | - Masaru Miyano
- Biolgical Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91910, USA
| | - Maria L Lotsberg
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Noëlly Madeleine
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Pouda Panahandeh
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Sushil Dhakal
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Tuan Zea Tan
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore
| | | | - Sturla Grøndal
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Sura M Aziz
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Silje Nord
- Department of Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0310 Oslo, Norway
| | - Lars Herfindal
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Martha R Stampfer
- Biolgical Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Therese Sørlie
- Department of Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0310 Oslo, Norway
| | - Rolf A Brekken
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Oddbjørn Straume
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Department of Oncology and Medical Physics, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Nils Halberg
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Gro Gausdal
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Jean Paul Thiery
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumor Immunology and Genetic Oncology, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus Grand Paris, 94800 Villejuif, France.,Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore.,Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore.,Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, A-STAR, Singapore 138673, Singapore.,Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health, Bio-island, Guangzhou, 510320, China
| | - Lars A Akslen
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Ole W Petersen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark.,Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
| | - Mark A LaBarge
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Biolgical Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91910, USA
| | - James B Lorens
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway
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12
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Melchionna R, Spada S, Di Modugno F, D'Andrea D, Di Carlo A, Panetta M, Mileo AM, Sperduti I, Antoniani B, Gallo E, Lawlor RT, Piemonti L, Visca P, Milella M, Grazi GL, Facciolo F, Chen E, Scarpa A, Nisticò P. The actin modulator hMENA regulates GAS6-AXL axis and pro-tumor cancer/stromal cell cooperation. EMBO Rep 2020; 21:e50078. [PMID: 32909687 PMCID: PMC7645265 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202050078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The dynamic interplay between cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) is regulated by multiple signaling pathways, which can lead to cancer progression and therapy resistance. We have previously demonstrated that hMENA, a member of the actin regulatory protein of Ena/VASP family, and its tissue-specific isoforms influence a number of intracellular signaling pathways related to cancer progression. Here, we report a novel function of hMENA/hMENAΔv6 isoforms in tumor-promoting CAFs and in the modulation of pro-tumoral cancer cell/CAF crosstalk via GAS6/AXL axis regulation. LC-MS/MS proteomic analysis reveals that CAFs that overexpress hMENAΔv6 secrete the AXL ligand GAS6, favoring the invasiveness of AXL-expressing pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Reciprocally, hMENA/hMENAΔv6 regulates AXL expression in tumor cells, thus sustaining GAS6-AXL axis, reported as crucial in EMT, immune evasion, and drug resistance. Clinically, we found that a high hMENA/GAS6/AXL gene expression signature is associated with a poor prognosis in PDAC and NSCLC. We propose that hMENA contributes to cancer progression through paracrine tumor-stroma crosstalk, with far-reaching prognostic and therapeutic implications for NSCLC and PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Melchionna
- Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Sheila Spada
- Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Modugno
- Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniel D'Andrea
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Cell Signaling and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Anna Di Carlo
- Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Mariangela Panetta
- Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Mileo
- Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Isabella Sperduti
- Biostatistics and Scientific Direction, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Barbara Antoniani
- Pathology Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Enzo Gallo
- Pathology Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Rita T Lawlor
- ARC-NET Research Centre, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Section of Pathology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Piemonti
- Diabetes Research Institute, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Visca
- Pathology Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Michele Milella
- Department of Medical Oncology 1, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Gian Luca Grazi
- Hepato-pancreato-biliary Surgery Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Facciolo
- Thoracic-Surgery Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Emily Chen
- Thermo Fisher Precision Medicine Science Center, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Aldo Scarpa
- ARC-NET Research Centre, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Section of Pathology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Paola Nisticò
- Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
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13
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Terry S, Engelsen AST, Buart S, Elsayed WS, Venkatesh GH, Chouaib S. Hypoxia-driven intratumor heterogeneity and immune evasion. Cancer Lett 2020; 492:1-10. [PMID: 32712233 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2020.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
While it is widely accepted that high intratumoral heterogeneity confers serious challenges in the emerging resistance and the subsequent effective therapeutic targeting of cancer, the underlying biology of intratumoral heterogeneity remains elusive. In particular, it remains to be fully elucidated how microenvironmental factors shape genetic and non-genetic heterogeneity, which in turn determine the course of tumor evolution and clinical progression. In this context, hypoxia, a hallmark of most growing cancers, characterized by decreased O2 partial pressure is a key player of the tumor microenvironment. Despite extensive data indicating that hypoxia promotes cellular metabolic adaptation, immune suppression and various steps of tumor progression via hypoxia regulated gene transcription, much less is known about the role of hypoxia in mediating therapy resistance as a driver of tumor evolution through genetic and non-genetic mechanisms. In this review, we will discuss recent evidence supporting a prominent role of hypoxia as a driver of tumor heterogeneity and highlight the multifaceted manner by which this in turn could impact cancer evolution, reprogramming and immune escape. Finally, we will discuss how detailed knowledge of the hypoxic footprint may open up new therapeutic avenues for the management of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Terry
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, Gustave Roussy, Fac. de Médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 94805, Villejuif, France; Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France.
| | - Agnete S T Engelsen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Stéphanie Buart
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, Gustave Roussy, Fac. de Médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 94805, Villejuif, France.
| | - Walid Shaaban Elsayed
- Department of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, 4184, United Arab Emirates.
| | - Goutham Hassan Venkatesh
- Thumbay Research Institute of Precision Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, 4184, United Arab Emirates.
| | - Salem Chouaib
- INSERM UMR 1186, Integrative Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, Gustave Roussy, Fac. de Médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 94805, Villejuif, France; Thumbay Research Institute of Precision Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, 4184, United Arab Emirates.
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14
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AXL as a Target in Breast Cancer Therapy. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2020; 2020:5291952. [PMID: 32148495 PMCID: PMC7042526 DOI: 10.1155/2020/5291952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
AXL is a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) that has been implicated in diverse tumor-promoting processes such as proliferation, migration, invasion, survival, and apoptosis. AXL therefore plays a role in cancer progression, and AXL has been implicated in a wide variety of malignancies from solid tumors to hematopoietic cancers where it is often associated with poor prognosis. In cancer, AXL has been shown to promote epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), metastasis formation, drug resistance, and a role for AXL in modulation of the tumor microenvironment and immune response has been identified. In light of these activities multiple AXL inhibitors have been developed, and several of these have entered clinical trials in the U.S. In breast cancer, high levels of AXL expression have been observed. The role of AXL in cancer with a focus on therapeutic implications for breast cancer is discussed.
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15
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Garcia-Mayea Y, Mir C, Masson F, Paciucci R, LLeonart ME. Insights into new mechanisms and models of cancer stem cell multidrug resistance. Semin Cancer Biol 2020; 60:166-180. [PMID: 31369817 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2019.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The acquisition of genetic alterations, clonal evolution, and the tumor microenvironment promote cancer progression, metastasis and therapy resistance. These events correspond to the establishment of the great phenotypic heterogeneity and plasticity of cancer cells that contribute to tumor progression and resistant disease. Targeting resistant cancers is a major challenge in oncology; however, the underlying processes are not yet fully understood. Even though current treatments can reduce tumor size and increase life expectancy, relapse and multidrug resistance (MDR) ultimately remain the second cause of death in developed countries. Recent evidence points toward stem-like phenotypes in cancer cells, promoted by cancer stem cells (CSCs), as the main culprit of cancer relapse, resistance (radiotherapy, hormone therapy, and/or chemotherapy) and metastasis. Many mechanisms have been proposed for CSC resistance, such as drug efflux through ABC transporters, overactivation of the DNA damage response (DDR), apoptosis evasion, prosurvival pathways activation, cell cycle promotion and/or cell metabolic alterations. Nonetheless, targeted therapy toward these specific CSC mechanisms is only partially effective to prevent or abolish resistance, suggesting underlying additional causes for CSC resilience. This article aims to provide an integrated picture of the MDR mechanisms that operate in CSCs' behavior and to propose a novel model of tumor evolution during chemotherapy. Targeting the pathways mentioned here might hold promise and reveal new strategies for future clinical therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Garcia-Mayea
- Biomedical Research in Cancer Stem Cells, Vall d´Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Passeig Vall d´Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - C Mir
- Biomedical Research in Cancer Stem Cells, Vall d´Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Passeig Vall d´Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - F Masson
- Biomedical Research in Cancer Stem Cells, Vall d´Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Passeig Vall d´Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - R Paciucci
- Clinical Biochemistry Group, Vall d'Hebron Hospital and Vall d´Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Passeig Vall d´Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - M E LLeonart
- Biomedical Research in Cancer Stem Cells, Vall d´Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Passeig Vall d´Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Biomedical Research Network Centre in Oncology, CIBERONC, Spain.
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16
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Zajac O, Leclere R, Nicolas A, Meseure D, Marchiò C, Vincent-Salomon A, Roman-Roman S, Schoumacher M, Dubois T. AXL Controls Directed Migration of Mesenchymal Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells. Cells 2020; 9:cells9010247. [PMID: 31963783 PMCID: PMC7016818 DOI: 10.3390/cells9010247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of breast cancer with high risk of relapse and metastasis. TNBC is a heterogeneous disease comprising different molecular subtypes including those with mesenchymal features. The tyrosine kinase AXL is expressed in mesenchymal cells and plays a role in drug resistance, migration and metastasis. We confirm that AXL is more expressed in mesenchymal TNBC cells compared to luminal breast cancer cells, and that its invalidation impairs cell migration while having no or little effect on cell viability. Here, we found that AXL controls directed migration. We observed that AXL displays a polarized localization at the Golgi apparatus and the leading edge of migratory mesenchymal TNBC cells. AXL co-localizes with F-actin at the front of the cells. In migratory polarized cells, the specific AXL inhibitor R428 displaces AXL and F-actin from the leading edge to a lateral area localized between the front and the rear of the cells where both are enriched in protrusions. In addition, R428 treatment disrupts the polarized localization of the Golgi apparatus towards the leading edge in migratory cells. Immunohistochemical analysis of aggressive chemo-resistant TNBC samples obtained before treatment reveals inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity of the percentage of AXL expressing tumor cells, and a preference of these cells to be in contact with the stroma. Taken together, our study demonstrates that AXL controls directed cell migration most likely by regulating cell polarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Zajac
- Breast Cancer Biology Group, Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France;
| | - Renaud Leclere
- Department of Pathology, Platform of Investigative Pathology, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France; (R.L.); (A.N.); (D.M.)
| | - André Nicolas
- Department of Pathology, Platform of Investigative Pathology, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France; (R.L.); (A.N.); (D.M.)
| | - Didier Meseure
- Department of Pathology, Platform of Investigative Pathology, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France; (R.L.); (A.N.); (D.M.)
| | - Caterina Marchiò
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Via Verdi 8, 10124 Torino TO, Italy;
- Department of Pathology, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France;
| | - Anne Vincent-Salomon
- Department of Pathology, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France;
| | - Sergio Roman-Roman
- Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France;
| | - Marie Schoumacher
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation Oncology, Institut de Recherches Internationales SERVIER, 92284 Suresnes, France;
| | - Thierry Dubois
- Breast Cancer Biology Group, Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +33-156246250
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17
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Fresques T, Zirbes A, Shalabi S, Samson S, Preto S, Stampfer MR, LaBarge MA. Breast Tissue Biology Expands the Possibilities for Prevention of Age-Related Breast Cancers. Front Cell Dev Biol 2019; 7:174. [PMID: 31555644 PMCID: PMC6722426 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2019.00174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Preventing breast cancer before it is able to form is an ideal way to stop breast cancer. However, there are limited existing options for prevention of breast cancer. Changes in the breast tissue resulting from the aging process contribute to breast cancer susceptibility and progression and may therefore provide promising targets for prevention. Here, we describe new potential targets, immortalization and inflammaging, that may be useful for prevention of age-related breast cancers. We also summarize existing studies of warfarin and metformin, current drugs used for non-cancerous diseases, that also may be repurposed for breast cancer prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara Fresques
- Department of Biological Systems and Engineering, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Arrianna Zirbes
- Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States.,Center for Cancer and Aging Research, Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States
| | - Sundus Shalabi
- Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States.,Center for Cancer and Aging Research, Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States.,Medical Research Center, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine
| | - Susan Samson
- Breast Science Advocacy Core, Breast Oncology Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | | | - Martha R Stampfer
- Department of Biological Systems and Engineering, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Mark A LaBarge
- Department of Biological Systems and Engineering, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States.,Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States.,Center for Cancer and Aging Research, Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States
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18
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Mills KL, Gomes AM, Standlee CR, Rojo MD, Carmeliet P, Lin Z, Machado HL. Gas6 is dispensable for pubertal mammary gland development. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0208550. [PMID: 30533018 PMCID: PMC6289431 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammary gland development is a complex and dynamic process that occurs mainly postnatally. Ductal elongation and branching morphogenesis are regulated by a plethora of factors, including cytokines, hormones, growth factors and the extracellular matrix. Gas6 is a secreted gamma-carboxylated protein that binds to a family of receptors tyrosine kinase receptors known as the TAMR family (Tyro3, Axl, Mer). Gas6 function in developmental processes has been shown in nervous, reproductive and immune systems. In this study, we found that Gas6 is highly expressed in virgin adult mammary glands but declines during pregnancy and lactation. Specifically, Gas6 is highly expressed in luminal and basal mammary epithelial cells during puberty and adulthood, while TAMR expression is low. Mammary whole mount analysis revealed that Gas6 germline deletion does not impact ductal elongation, branching morphogenesis or terminal end bud formation. Masson's trichrome staining showed that collagen deposition is similar in Gas6-/- mice as compared to wildtype mice. Gas6-/- mammary glands presented an organized luminal and myoepithelial bilayer of cells, and the proportion of mammary stem cells was unchanged in Gas6-/- mammary glands as compared to wildtype. Finally, proliferation of epithelial cells and macrophage number were similar in both groups. These studies suggest that Gas6 is not essential for pubertal mammary gland development in nulliparous mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kylie L. Mills
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane Cancer Center, Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
| | - Angelica M. Gomes
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane Cancer Center, Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
| | - Courtney R. Standlee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane Cancer Center, Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
| | - Michelle D. Rojo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane Cancer Center, Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
| | - Peter Carmeliet
- Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism,VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology, Leuven, Belgium
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongsan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Department of Oncology and Leuven Cancer Institute (LKI), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Zhen Lin
- Department of Pathology, Tulane Cancer Center, Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
| | - Heather L. Machado
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tulane Cancer Center, Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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19
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Wang Y, Zhang T, Guo L, Ren T, Yang Y. Stromal extracellular matrix is a microenvironmental cue promoting resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors in lung cancer cells. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2018; 106:96-106. [PMID: 30471423 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2018.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Revised: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The acquisition of resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) remains a critical problem in lung cancer clinic, but the underlying mechanisms have remained incompletely understood. Although the TKI-induced or -selected genetic changes are known to drive resistance, resistance also occurs in tumor cells without genetic changes through poorly-characterized processes. Here, we show that the extracellular matrix (ECM) from various components of the tumor microenvironment, including neighboring tumor cells and fibroblasts, may be the driver of resistance in the absence of genetic changes. Unlike genetic changes, which may evolve during relatively long time of chronic EGFR TKI treatment to drive resistance, briefly culturing on de-cellularized ECM, or co-culturing with the ECM donor cells, immediately confers resistance to tumor cells that are otherwise sensitive to EGFR TKIs. We show evidence that collagen in the ECM may be its primary constituent driving resistance, at least partly through the collagen receptor Integrin-β1. Intriguingly, such effect of ECM and collagen is dose-dependent and reversible, suggesting a potential clinic-relevant application for targeting this effect. Collectively, our results reveal that the stromal ECM acts as a microenvironmental cue promoting EGFR TKI resistance in lung cancer cells, and targeting collagen and Integrin-β1 may be useful for treating resistance, especially the resistance without clearly-defined genetic changes, for which effective therapeutics are lacking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyuan Wang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China; Thoracic Disease Research Unit, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Ting Zhang
- Thoracic Disease Research Unit, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Lixia Guo
- Thoracic Disease Research Unit, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Tao Ren
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China.
| | - Yanan Yang
- Thoracic Disease Research Unit, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Developmental Therapeutics and Cell Biology Programs, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
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20
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Du W, Brekken RA. Does Axl have potential as a therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer? Expert Opin Ther Targets 2018; 22:955-966. [PMID: 30244621 PMCID: PMC6292430 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2018.1527315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pancreatic cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death. Metastasis, therapy resistance, and immunosuppression are dominant characteristics of pancreatic tumors. Strategies that enhance the efficacy of standard of care and/or immune therapy are likely the most efficient route to improve overall survival in this disease. Areas covered: Axl, a member of the TAM (Tyro3, Axl, MerTK) family of receptor tyrosine kinases, is involved in cell plasticity, chemoresistance, immune suppression, and metastasis in various cancers, including pancreatic cancer. This review provides an overview of Axl and its function in normal conditions, summarizes the regulation and function of Axl in cancer, and highlights the contribution of Axl to pancreatic cancer as well as its potential as a therapeutic target. Expert opinion: Axl is an attractive therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer because it contributes to many of the roadblocks that hamper therapeutic efficacy. Clinical evidence supporting Axl inhibition in pancreatic cancer is currently limited; however, multiple clinical trials have been initiated or are in the planning phase to test the effect of inhibiting Axl in conjunction with standard therapy in pancreatic cancer patients. We anticipate that these studies will provide robust validation of Axl as a therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer.
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