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Shirley CA, Chhabra G, Amiri D, Chang H, Ahmad N. Immune escape and metastasis mechanisms in melanoma: breaking down the dichotomy. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1336023. [PMID: 38426087 PMCID: PMC10902921 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1336023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is one of the most lethal neoplasms of the skin. Despite the revolutionary introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors, metastatic spread, and recurrence remain critical problems in resistant cases. Melanoma employs a multitude of mechanisms to subvert the immune system and successfully metastasize to distant organs. Concerningly, recent research also shows that tumor cells can disseminate early during melanoma progression and enter dormant states, eventually leading to metastases at a future time. Immune escape and metastasis have previously been viewed as separate phenomena; however, accumulating evidence is breaking down this dichotomy. Recent research into the progressive mechanisms of melanoma provides evidence that dedifferentiation similar to classical epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), genes involved in neural crest stem cell maintenance, and hypoxia/acidosis, are important factors simultaneously involved in immune escape and metastasis. The likeness between EMT and early dissemination, and differences, also become apparent in these contexts. Detailed knowledge of the mechanisms behind "dual drivers" simultaneously promoting metastatically inclined and immunosuppressive environments can yield novel strategies effective in disabling multiple facets of melanoma progression. Furthermore, understanding progression through these drivers may provide insight towards novel treatments capable of preventing recurrence arising from dormant dissemination or improving immunotherapy outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl A Shirley
- Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Gagan Chhabra
- Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Deeba Amiri
- Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Hao Chang
- Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
- William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Nihal Ahmad
- Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
- William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI, United States
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Banik I, Ghosh A, Beebe E, Burja B, Frank Bertoncelj M, Dooley CM, Markkanen E, Dummer R, Busch-Nentwich EM, Levesque MP. P38 Mediates Tumor Suppression through Reduced Autophagy and Actin Cytoskeleton Changes in NRAS-Mutant Melanoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:877. [PMID: 36765834 PMCID: PMC9913513 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15030877] [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: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Hotspot mutations in the NRAS gene are causative genetic events associated with the development of melanoma. Currently, there are no FDA-approved drugs directly targeting NRAS mutations. Previously, we showed that p38 acts as a tumor suppressor in vitro and in vivo with respect to NRAS-mutant melanoma. We observed that because of p38 activation through treatment with the protein synthesis inhibitor, anisomycin leads to a transient upregulation of several targets of the cAMP pathway, representing a stressed cancer cell state that is often observed by therapeutic doses of MAPK inhibitors in melanoma patients. Meanwhile, genetically induced p38 or its stable transduction leads to a distinct cellular transcriptional state. Contrary to previous work showing an association of invasiveness with high p38 levels in BRAF-mutated melanoma, there was no correlation of p38 expression with NRAS-mutant melanoma invasion, highlighting the difference in BRAF and NRAS-driven melanomas. Although the role of p38 has been reported to be that of both tumor suppressor and oncogene, we show here that p38 specifically plays the role of a tumor suppressor in NRAS-mutant melanoma. Both the transient and stable activation of p38 elicits phosphorylation of mTOR, reported to be a master switch in regulating autophagy. Indeed, we observed a correlation between elevated levels of phosphorylated mTOR and a reduction in LC3 conversion (LCII/LCI), indicative of suppressed autophagy. Furthermore, a reduction in actin intensity in p38-high cells strongly suggests a role of mTOR in regulating actin and a remodeling in the NRAS-mutant melanoma cells. Therefore, p38 plays a tumor suppressive role in NRAS-mutant melanomas at least partially through the mechanism of mTOR upregulation, suppressed autophagy, and reduced actin polymerization. One or more combinations of MEK inhibitors with either anisomycin, rapamycin, chloroquine/bafilomycin, and cytochalasin modulate p38 activation, mTOR phosphorylation, autophagy, and actin polymerization, respectively, and they may provide an alternate route to targeting NRAS-mutant melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishani Banik
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Dermatology, University of San Francisco California, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA
| | - Adhideb Ghosh
- Functional Genomics Center Zurich, ETH/University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erin Beebe
- Institute of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Blaž Burja
- Center of Experimental Rheumatology, Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mojca Frank Bertoncelj
- Center of Experimental Rheumatology, Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
- Team Integrative Biology of Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases, BioMed X Institute, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Enni Markkanen
- Institute of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Reinhard Dummer
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Dermatology, University of San Francisco California, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA
| | | | - Mitchell P. Levesque
- Department of Dermatology, University of Zurich Hospital, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Dermatology, University of San Francisco California, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA
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de Assis LVM, Lacerda JT, Moraes MN, Domínguez-Amorocho OA, Kinker GS, Mendes D, Silva MM, Menck CFM, Câmara NOS, Castrucci AMDL. Melanopsin (Opn4) is an oncogene in cutaneous melanoma. Commun Biol 2022; 5:461. [PMID: 35562405 PMCID: PMC9106662 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03425-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The search for new therapeutical targets for cutaneous melanoma and other cancers is an ongoing task. We expanded this knowledge by evaluating whether opsins, light- and thermo-sensing proteins, could display tumor-modulatory effects on melanoma cancer. Using different experimental approaches, we show that melanoma cell proliferation is slower in the absence of Opn4, compared to Opn4WT due to an impaired cell cycle progression and reduced melanocyte inducing transcription factor (Mitf) expression. In vivo tumor progression of Opn4KO cells is remarkably reduced due to slower proliferation, and higher immune system response in Opn4KO tumors. Using pharmacological assays, we demonstrate that guanylyl cyclase activity is impaired in Opn4KO cells. Evaluation of Tumor Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database confirms our experimental data as reduced MITF and OPN4 expression in human melanoma correlates with slower cell cycle progression and presence of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Proteomic analyses of tumor bulk show that the reduced growth of Opn4KO tumors is associated with reduced Mitf signaling, higher translation of G2/M proteins, and impaired guanylyl cyclase activity. Conversely, in Opn4WT tumors increased small GTPase and an immune-suppressive TME are found. Such evidence points to OPN4 as an oncogene in melanoma, which could be pharmacologically targeted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Vinícius Monteiro de Assis
- Laboratory of Comparative Physiology of Pigmentation, Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Institute of Neurobiology, Center for Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
| | - José Thalles Lacerda
- Laboratory of Comparative Physiology of Pigmentation, Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria Nathália Moraes
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Gabriela Sarti Kinker
- Laboratory of Translational Immuno-Oncology A. C. Camargo Cancer Center - International Research Center, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Davi Mendes
- DNA Repair Lab, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Matheus Molina Silva
- DNA Repair Lab, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carlos Frederico Martins Menck
- DNA Repair Lab, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Niels Olsen Saraiva Câmara
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunobiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana Maria de Lauro Castrucci
- Laboratory of Comparative Physiology of Pigmentation, Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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Cai R, Bade D, Liu X, Huang M, Qi TF, Wang Y. Targeted Quantitative Profiling of GTP-Binding Proteins Associated with Metastasis of Melanoma Cells. J Proteome Res 2021; 20:5189-5195. [PMID: 34694799 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.1c00708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Metastasis is a major obstacle in the therapeutic intervention of melanoma, and several GTP-binding proteins were found to play important roles in regulating cancer metastasis. To assess systematically the regulatory roles of these proteins in melanoma metastasis, we employed a targeted chemoproteomic method, which relies on the application of stable isotope-labeled desthiobiotin-GTP acyl phosphate probes in conjunction with scheduled multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM), for profiling quantitatively the GTP-binding proteins. Following probe labeling, tryptic digestion, and affinity pull-down of desthiobiotin-conjugated peptides, differences in expression levels of GTP-binding proteins in two matched pairs of primary/metastatic melanoma cell lines were measured using liquid chromatography-MRM analysis. We also showed that among the top upregulated proteins in metastatic melanoma cells, AK4 promotes the migration and invasion of melanoma cells; overexpression of AK4 in primary melanoma cells leads to augmented migration and invasion, and reciprocally, knockdown of AK4 in metastatic melanoma cells results in repressed invasiveness. In summary, we examined the relative expression levels of GTP-binding proteins in two pairs of primary/metastatic melanoma cell lines. Our results confirmed some previously reported regulators of melanoma metastasis and revealed a potential role of AK4 in promoting melanoma metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Cai
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States.,Suzhou Research Institute, Shandong University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - David Bade
- Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Xiaochuan Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Ming Huang
- Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Tianyu F Qi
- Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Yinsheng Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States.,Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
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Brito C, Costa-Silva B, Barral DC, Pojo M. Unraveling the Relevance of ARL GTPases in Cutaneous Melanoma Prognosis through Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:9260. [PMID: 34502169 PMCID: PMC8431576 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is the deadliest skin cancer, whose molecular pathways underlying its malignancy remain unclear. Therefore, new information to guide evidence-based clinical decisions is required. Adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-ribosylation factor-like (ARL) proteins are membrane trafficking regulators whose biological relevance in CM is undetermined. Here, we investigated ARL expression and its impact on CM prognosis and immune microenvironment through integrated bioinformatics analysis. Our study found that all 22 ARLs are differentially expressed in CM. Specifically, ARL1 and ARL11 are upregulated and ARL15 is downregulated regardless of mutational frequency or copy number variations. According to TCGA data, ARL1 and ARL15 represent independent prognostic factors in CM as well as ARL11 based on GEPIA and OncoLnc. To investigate the mechanisms by which ARL1 and ARL11 increase patient survival while ARL15 reduces it, we evaluated their correlation with the immune microenvironment. CD4+ T cells and neutrophil infiltrates are significantly increased by ARL1 expression. Furthermore, ARL11 expression was correlated with 17 out of 21 immune infiltrates, including CD8+ T cells and M2 macrophages, described as having anti-tumoral activity. Likewise, ARL11 is interconnected with ZAP70, ADAM17, and P2RX7, which are implicated in immune cell activation. Collectively, this study provides the first evidence that ARL1, ARL11, and ARL15 may influence CM progression, prognosis, and immune microenvironment remodeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheila Brito
- Unidade de Investigação em Patobiologia Molecular (UIPM) do Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil E.P.E., Rua Prof. Lima Basto, 1099-023 Lisbon, Portugal;
| | - Bruno Costa-Silva
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Avenida de Brasília, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal;
| | - Duarte C. Barral
- iNOVA4Health, CEDOC, NOVA Medical School, NMS, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisbon, Portugal;
| | - Marta Pojo
- Unidade de Investigação em Patobiologia Molecular (UIPM) do Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil E.P.E., Rua Prof. Lima Basto, 1099-023 Lisbon, Portugal;
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