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Camero S, Milazzo L, Vulcano F, Ceccarelli F, Pontecorvi P, Pedini F, Rossetti A, Scialis ES, Gerini G, Cece F, Pomella S, Cassandri M, Porrazzo A, Romano E, Festuccia C, Gravina GL, Ceccarelli S, Rota R, Lotti LV, Midulla F, Angeloni A, Marchese C, Marampon F, Megiorni F. Antitumour effects of SFX-01 molecule in combination with ionizing radiation in preclinical and in vivo models of rhabdomyosarcoma. BMC Cancer 2024; 24:814. [PMID: 38977944 PMCID: PMC11229215 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-12536-8] [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: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite a multimodal approach including surgery, chemo- and radiotherapy, the 5-year event-free survival rate for rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), the most common soft tissue sarcoma in childhood, remains very poor for metastatic patients, mainly due to the selection and proliferation of tumour cells driving resistance mechanisms. Personalised medicine-based protocols using new drugs or targeted therapies in combination with conventional treatments have the potential to enhance the therapeutic effects, while minimizing damage to healthy tissues in a wide range of human malignancies, with several clinical trials being started. In this study, we analysed, for the first time, the antitumour activity of SFX-01, a complex of synthetic d, l-sulforaphane stabilised in alpha-cyclodextrin (Evgen Pharma plc, UK), used as single agent and in combination with irradiation, in four preclinical models of alveolar and embryonal RMS. Indeed, SFX-01 has shown promise in preclinical studies for its ability to modulate cellular pathways involved in inflammation and oxidative stress that are essential to be controlled in cancer treatment. METHODS RH30, RH4 (alveolar RMS), RD and JR1 (embryonal RMS) cell lines as well as mouse xenograft models of RMS were used to evaluate the biological and molecular effects induced by SFX-01 treatment. Flow cytometry and the modulation of key markers analysed by q-PCR and Western blot were used to assess cell proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy and production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in RMS cells exposed to SFX-01. The ability to migrate and invade was also investigated with specific assays. The possible synergistic effects between SFX-01 and ionising radiation (IR) was studied in both the in vitro and in vivo studies. Student's t-test or two-way ANOVA were used to test the statistical significance of two or more comparisons, respectively. RESULTS SFX-01 treatment exhibited cytostatic and cytotoxic effects, mediated by G2 cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction and suppression of autophagy. Moreover, SFX-01 was able to inhibit the formation and the proliferation of 3D tumorspheres as monotherapy and in combination with IR. Finally, SFX-01, when orally administered as single agent, displayed a pattern of efficacy at reducing the growth of tumour masses in RMS xenograft mouse models; when combined with a radiotherapy regime, it was observed to act synergistically, resulting in a more positive outcome than would be expected by adding each exposure alone. CONCLUSIONS In summary, our results provide evidence for the antitumour properties of SFX-01 in preclinical models of RMS tumours, both as a standalone treatment and in combination with irradiation. These forthcoming findings are crucial for deeper investigations of SFX-01 molecular mechanisms against RMS and for setting up clinical trials in RMS patients in order to use the SFX-01/IR co-treatment as a promising therapeutic approach, particularly in the clinical management of aggressive RMS disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Camero
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Luisa Milazzo
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Vulcano
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Ceccarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Pontecorvi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Pedini
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Rossetti
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Elena Sofia Scialis
- Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, University "G. D'Annunzio" Chieti - Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Giulia Gerini
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Cece
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Pomella
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Department of Oncohematology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Cassandri
- Department of Oncohematology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Porrazzo
- Department of Oncohematology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Enrico Romano
- Department of Sense Organs, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Festuccia
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Giovanni Luca Gravina
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Simona Ceccarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Rossella Rota
- Department of Oncohematology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Fabio Midulla
- Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Angeloni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Cinzia Marchese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Marampon
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | - Francesca Megiorni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
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Heim C, Hartig L, Weinelt N, Moser LM, Salzmann-Manrique E, Merker M, Wels WS, Tonn T, Bader P, Klusmann JH, van Wijk SJ, Rettinger E. Bortezomib promotes the TRAIL-mediated killing of resistant rhabdomyosarcoma by ErbB2/Her2-targeted CAR-NK-92 cells via DR5 upregulation. MOLECULAR THERAPY. ONCOLOGY 2024; 32:200802. [PMID: 38706988 PMCID: PMC11067460 DOI: 10.1016/j.omton.2024.200802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Treatment resistance and immune escape are hallmarks of metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), underscoring the urgent medical need for therapeutic agents against this disease entity as a key challenge in pediatric oncology. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-based immunotherapies, such as the ErbB2 (Her2)-CAR-engineered natural killer (NK) cell line NK-92/5.28.z, provide antitumor cytotoxicity primarily through CAR-mediated cytotoxic granule release and thereafter-even in cases with low surface antigen expression or tumor escape-by triggering intrinsic NK cell-mediated apoptosis induction via additional ligand/receptors. In this study, we showed that bortezomib increased susceptibility toward apoptosis in clinically relevant RMS cell lines RH30 and RH41, and patient-derived RMS tumor organoid RMS335, by upregulation of the tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor DR5 in these metastatic, relapsed/refractory (r/r) RMS tumors. Subsequent administration of NK-92/5.28.z cells significantly enhanced antitumor activity in vitro. Applying recombinant TRAIL instead of NK-92/5.28.z cells confirmed that the synergistic antitumor effects of the combination treatment were mediated via TRAIL. Western blot analyses indicated that the combination treatment with bortezomib and NK-92/5.28.z cells increased apoptosis by interacting with the nuclear factor κB, JNK, and caspase pathways. Overall, bortezomib pretreatment can sensitize r/r RMS tumors to CAR- and, by upregulating DR5, TRAIL-mediated cytotoxicity of NK-92/5.28.z cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catrin Heim
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Leonie Hartig
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Nadine Weinelt
- Institute for Experimental Paediatric Haematology and Oncology (EPOH), 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Laura M. Moser
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Frankfurt am Main, a partnership between DKFZ and University Hospital and Georg-Speyer-Haus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT) Frankfurt Marburg, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Emilia Salzmann-Manrique
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Michael Merker
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT) Frankfurt Marburg, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Winfried S. Wels
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Frankfurt am Main, a partnership between DKFZ and University Hospital and Georg-Speyer-Haus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Torsten Tonn
- DRK-Blutspendedienst Baden-Württemberg/Hessen gemeinnützige GmbH, 60505 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Peter Bader
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT) Frankfurt Marburg, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jan-Henning Klusmann
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Frankfurt am Main, a partnership between DKFZ and University Hospital and Georg-Speyer-Haus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT) Frankfurt Marburg, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sjoerd J.L. van Wijk
- Institute for Experimental Paediatric Haematology and Oncology (EPOH), 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Frankfurt am Main, a partnership between DKFZ and University Hospital and Georg-Speyer-Haus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT) Frankfurt Marburg, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Eva Rettinger
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Frankfurt am Main, a partnership between DKFZ and University Hospital and Georg-Speyer-Haus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT) Frankfurt Marburg, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Martynov I, Dhaka L, Wilke B, Hoyer P, Vahdad MR, Seitz G. Contemporary preclinical mouse models for pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma: from bedside to bench to bedside. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1333129. [PMID: 38371622 PMCID: PMC10869630 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1333129] [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: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common pediatric soft-tissue malignancy, characterized by high clinicalopathological and molecular heterogeneity. Preclinical in vivo models are essential for advancing our understanding of RMS oncobiology and developing novel treatment strategies. However, the diversity of scholarly data on preclinical RMS studies may challenge scientists and clinicians. Hence, we performed a systematic literature survey of contemporary RMS mouse models to characterize their phenotypes and assess their translational relevance. Methods We identified papers published between 01/07/2018 and 01/07/2023 by searching PubMed and Web of Science databases. Results Out of 713 records screened, 118 studies (26.9%) were included in the qualitative synthesis. Cell line-derived xenografts (CDX) were the most commonly utilized (n = 75, 63.6%), followed by patient-derived xenografts (PDX) and syngeneic models, each accounting for 11.9% (n = 14), and genetically engineered mouse models (GEMM) (n = 7, 5.9%). Combinations of different model categories were reported in 5.9% (n = 7) of studies. One study employed a virus-induced RMS model. Overall, 40.0% (n = 30) of the studies utilizing CDX models established alveolar RMS (aRMS), while 38.7% (n = 29) were embryonal phenotypes (eRMS). There were 20.0% (n = 15) of studies that involved a combination of both aRMS and eRMS subtypes. In one study (1.3%), the RMS phenotype was spindle cell/sclerosing. Subcutaneous xenografts (n = 66, 55.9%) were more frequently used compared to orthotopic models (n = 29, 24.6%). Notably, none of the employed cell lines were derived from primary untreated tumors. Only a minority of studies investigated disseminated RMS phenotypes (n = 16, 13.6%). The utilization areas of RMS models included testing drugs (n = 64, 54.2%), studying tumorigenesis (n = 56, 47.5%), tumor modeling (n = 19, 16.1%), imaging (n = 9, 7.6%), radiotherapy (n = 6, 5.1%), long-term effects related to radiotherapy (n = 3, 2.5%), and investigating biomarkers (n = 1, 0.8%). Notably, no preclinical studies focused on surgery. Conclusions This up-to-date review highlights the need for mouse models with dissemination phenotypes and cell lines from primary untreated tumors. Furthermore, efforts should be directed towards underexplored areas such as surgery, radiotherapy, and biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Illya Martynov
- Department of Pediatric Surgery and Urology, University Hospital Giessen-Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Giessen-Marburg, Giessen, Germany
| | - Lajwanti Dhaka
- Department of Pediatric Surgery and Urology, University Hospital Giessen-Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Benedikt Wilke
- Department of Pediatric Surgery and Urology, University Hospital Giessen-Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Paul Hoyer
- Department of Pediatric Surgery and Urology, University Hospital Giessen-Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - M. Reza Vahdad
- Department of Pediatric Surgery and Urology, University Hospital Giessen-Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Giessen-Marburg, Giessen, Germany
| | - Guido Seitz
- Department of Pediatric Surgery and Urology, University Hospital Giessen-Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Giessen-Marburg, Giessen, Germany
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4
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Lee CY, The M, Meng C, Bayer FP, Putzker K, Müller J, Streubel J, Woortman J, Sakhteman A, Resch M, Schneider A, Wilhelm S, Kuster B. Illuminating phenotypic drug responses of sarcoma cells to kinase inhibitors by phosphoproteomics. Mol Syst Biol 2024; 20:28-55. [PMID: 38177929 PMCID: PMC10883282 DOI: 10.1038/s44320-023-00004-7] [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: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Kinase inhibitors (KIs) are important cancer drugs but often feature polypharmacology that is molecularly not understood. This disconnect is particularly apparent in cancer entities such as sarcomas for which the oncogenic drivers are often not clear. To investigate more systematically how the cellular proteotypes of sarcoma cells shape their response to molecularly targeted drugs, we profiled the proteomes and phosphoproteomes of 17 sarcoma cell lines and screened the same against 150 cancer drugs. The resulting 2550 phenotypic profiles revealed distinct drug responses and the cellular activity landscapes derived from deep (phospho)proteomes (9-10,000 proteins and 10-27,000 phosphorylation sites per cell line) enabled several lines of analysis. For instance, connecting the (phospho)proteomic data with drug responses revealed known and novel mechanisms of action (MoAs) of KIs and identified markers of drug sensitivity or resistance. All data is publicly accessible via an interactive web application that enables exploration of this rich molecular resource for a better understanding of active signalling pathways in sarcoma cells, identifying treatment response predictors and revealing novel MoA of clinical KIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chien-Yun Lee
- Chair of Proteomics and Bioanalytics, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Matthew The
- Chair of Proteomics and Bioanalytics, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Chen Meng
- Bavarian Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Center (BayBioMS), Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Florian P Bayer
- Chair of Proteomics and Bioanalytics, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Kerstin Putzker
- Chemical Biology Core Facility, EMBL Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Julian Müller
- Chair of Proteomics and Bioanalytics, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Johanna Streubel
- Chair of Proteomics and Bioanalytics, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Julia Woortman
- Chair of Proteomics and Bioanalytics, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Amirhossein Sakhteman
- Chair of Proteomics and Bioanalytics, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Moritz Resch
- Chair of Proteomics and Bioanalytics, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Annika Schneider
- Chair of Proteomics and Bioanalytics, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Stephanie Wilhelm
- Chair of Proteomics and Bioanalytics, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Bernhard Kuster
- Chair of Proteomics and Bioanalytics, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.
- Bavarian Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Center (BayBioMS), Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Munich and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
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5
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Hawley RG, Hawley TS. CRISPR-Cas9-Mediated Bioluminescent Tagging of Endogenous Proteins by Fluorescent Protein-Assisted Cell Sorting. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2779:273-286. [PMID: 38526790 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3738-8_12] [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: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Oncogenic fusion genes are attractive therapeutic targets because of their tumor-specific expression and central "driver" roles in various human cancers. However, oncogenic fusions involving transcription factors such as PAX3-FOXO1 in alveolar fusion gene-positive rhabdomyosarcoma (FP-RMS) have been difficult to inhibit due to the apparent lack of tractable drug-like binding sites comparable to that recognized by Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) on the BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase fusion protein. Toward the identification of novel small molecules that selectively target PAX3-FOXO1, we used CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knock-in to append the pro-luminescent HiBiT tag onto the carboxy terminus of the endogenous PAX3-FOXO1 fusion protein in two human FP-RMS cell lines (RH4 and SCMC). HiBiT is an 11-amino acid peptide derived from the NanoLuc luciferase that produces a luminescence signal which is ~100-fold brighter than firefly or Renilla luciferases through high-affinity binding to a complementary NanoLuc peptide fragment called LgBiT. To facilitate single-cell clonal isolation of knock-ins, the homology-directed repair template encoding HiBiT was followed by a P2A self-cleaving peptide for coexpression of an mCherry fluorescent protein as a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS)-selectable marker. HiBiT tagging thus allows highly sensitive luminescence detection of endogenous PAX3-FOXO1 levels permitting quantitative high-throughput screening of large compound libraries for the discovery of PAX3-FOXO1 inhibitors and degraders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert G Hawley
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
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Pomella S, Cassandri M, D'Archivio L, Porrazzo A, Cossetti C, Phelps D, Perrone C, Pezzella M, Cardinale A, Wachtel M, Aloisi S, Milewski D, Colletti M, Sreenivas P, Walters ZS, Barillari G, Di Giannatale A, Milano GM, De Stefanis C, Alaggio R, Rodriguez-Rodriguez S, Carlesso N, Vakoc CR, Velardi E, Schafer BW, Guccione E, Gatz SA, Wasti A, Yohe M, Ignatius M, Quintarelli C, Shipley J, Miele L, Khan J, Houghton PJ, Marampon F, Gryder BE, De Angelis B, Locatelli F, Rota R. MYOD-SKP2 axis boosts tumorigenesis in fusion negative rhabdomyosarcoma by preventing differentiation through p57 Kip2 targeting. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8373. [PMID: 38102140 PMCID: PMC10724275 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44130-0] [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: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) are pediatric mesenchymal-derived malignancies encompassing PAX3/7-FOXO1 Fusion Positive (FP)-RMS, and Fusion Negative (FN)-RMS with frequent RAS pathway mutations. RMS express the master myogenic transcription factor MYOD that, whilst essential for survival, cannot support differentiation. Here we discover SKP2, an oncogenic E3-ubiquitin ligase, as a critical pro-tumorigenic driver in FN-RMS. We show that SKP2 is overexpressed in RMS through the binding of MYOD to an intronic enhancer. SKP2 in FN-RMS promotes cell cycle progression and prevents differentiation by directly targeting p27Kip1 and p57Kip2, respectively. SKP2 depletion unlocks a partly MYOD-dependent myogenic transcriptional program and strongly affects stemness and tumorigenic features and prevents in vivo tumor growth. These effects are mirrored by the investigational NEDDylation inhibitor MLN4924. Results demonstrate a crucial crosstalk between transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms through the MYOD-SKP2 axis that contributes to tumorigenesis in FN-RMS. Finally, NEDDylation inhibition is identified as a potential therapeutic vulnerability in FN-RMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Pomella
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Cassandri
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
- Department of Radiological Oncological and Pathological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucrezia D'Archivio
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Antonella Porrazzo
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
- Department of Radiological Oncological and Pathological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Cossetti
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Doris Phelps
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Clara Perrone
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Michele Pezzella
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Antonella Cardinale
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Marco Wachtel
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sara Aloisi
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - David Milewski
- Oncogenomics Section, Genetics Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH,, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Marta Colletti
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Prethish Sreenivas
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Zoë S Walters
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology, Divisions of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
- School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Giovanni Barillari
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Di Giannatale
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Maria Milano
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Rita Alaggio
- Department of Pathology Unit, Department of Laboratories, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Sonia Rodriguez-Rodriguez
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Nadia Carlesso
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | | | - Enrico Velardi
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Beat W Schafer
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ernesto Guccione
- Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Department of Oncological Sciences and Pharmacological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Susanne A Gatz
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, West Midlands, UK
| | - Ajla Wasti
- Children and Young People's Unit, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK
| | - Marielle Yohe
- Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Signaling, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Myron Ignatius
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Concetta Quintarelli
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Janet Shipley
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology, Divisions of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Lucio Miele
- Department of Genetics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Javed Khan
- Oncogenomics Section, Genetics Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH,, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Peter J Houghton
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Francesco Marampon
- Department of Radiological Oncological and Pathological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Berkley E Gryder
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Biagio De Angelis
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Franco Locatelli
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
| | - Rossella Rota
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Roma, Italy.
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7
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Sreenivas P, Wang L, Wang M, Challa A, Modi P, Hensch NR, Gryder B, Chou HC, Zhao XR, Sunkel B, Moreno-Campos R, Khan J, Stanton BZ, Ignatius MS. A SNAI2/CTCF Interaction is Required for NOTCH1 Expression in Rhabdomyosarcoma. Mol Cell Biol 2023; 43:547-565. [PMID: 37882064 PMCID: PMC10761179 DOI: 10.1080/10985549.2023.2256640] [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: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a pediatric malignancy of the muscle with characteristics of cells blocked in differentiation. NOTCH1 is an oncogene that promotes self-renewal and blocks differentiation in the fusion negative-RMS sub-type. However, how NOTCH1 expression is transcriptionally maintained in tumors is unknown. Analyses of SNAI2 and CTCF chromatin binding and HiC analyses revealed a conserved SNAI2/CTCF overlapping peak downstream of the NOTCH1 locus marking a sub-topologically associating domain (TAD) boundary. Deletion of the SNAI2-CTCF peak showed that it is essential for NOTCH1 expression and viability of FN-RMS cells. Reintroducing constitutively activated NOTCH1-ΔE in cells with the SNAI2-CTCF peak deleted restored cell-viability. Ablation of SNAI2 using CRISPR/Cas9 reagents resulted in the loss of majority of RD and SMS-CTR FN-RMS cells. However, the few surviving clones that repopulate cultures have recovered NOTCH1. Cells that re-establish NOTCH1 expression after SNAI2 ablation are unable to differentiate robustly as SNAI2 shRNA knockdown cells; yet, SNAI2-ablated cells continued to be exquisitely sensitive to ionizing radiation. Thus, we have uncovered a novel mechanism by which SNAI2 and CTCF maintenance of a sub-TAD boundary promotes rather than represses NOTCH1 expression. Further, we demonstrate that SNAI2 suppression of apoptosis post-radiation is independent of SNAI2/NOTCH1 effects on self-renewal and differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prethish Sreenivas
- Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Long Wang
- Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Meng Wang
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Anil Challa
- Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA
| | - Paulomi Modi
- Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Nicole Rae Hensch
- Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Berkley Gryder
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Xiang R. Zhao
- Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Benjamin Sunkel
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Rodrigo Moreno-Campos
- Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Javed Khan
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Benjamin Z. Stanton
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Myron S. Ignatius
- Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
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8
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Saito H, Suzuki N. Establishment of a novel experimental system using single cell-derived pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines expressing K-RasG12V and deficient in p53. Exp Anim 2023; 72:446-453. [PMID: 37081671 PMCID: PMC10658087 DOI: 10.1538/expanim.22-0177] [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] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma (PRMS) predominantly arises in adult skeletal musculature and is usually associated with poor prognosis. Thus, effective treatments must be developed. PRMS is a rare tumor; therefore, it is critical to develop an experimental system to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of PRMS. We previously demonstrated that PRMS develops after p53 gene deletion and oncogenic K-Ras expression in the skeletal muscle tissue. In that study, oncogenic K-Ras-expressing cells were diverse and the period until disease onset was difficult to control. In this study, we developed an experimental system to address this problem. Single cell-derived murine cell lines, designated as RMS310 and RMSg2, were established by limiting the dilution of cells from a lung metastatic tumor colony that were positive for various cancer stem cells and activated skeletal muscle-resident stem/progenitor cell marker genes by RT-PCR. All cell lines stably recapitulated the histological characteristics of human PRMS as bizarre giant cells, desmin-positive cells, and lung metastases in C57BL/6 mice. All subclones of the RMSg2 cells by the limiting dilution in vitro could seed PRMS subcutaneously, and as few as 500 RMSg2 cells were sufficient to form tumors. These results suggest that the RMSg2 cells are multipotent cancer cells that partially combine the properties of skeletal muscle-resident stem/progenitor cells and high tumorigenicity. Thus, our model system's capacity to regenerate tumor tissue in vivo and maintain stable cells in vitro makes it useful for developing therapeutics to treat PRMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiromitsu Saito
- Department of Animal Functional Genomics of Advanced Science Research Promotion Center, Organization for Research Initiative and Promotion at Mie University, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan
| | - Noboru Suzuki
- Department of Animal Functional Genomics of Advanced Science Research Promotion Center, Organization for Research Initiative and Promotion at Mie University, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan
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9
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Ibarra J, Hershenhouse T, Almassalha L, Walterhouse D, Backman V, MacQuarrie KL. Differentiation-dependent chromosomal organization changes in normal myogenic cells are absent in rhabdomyosarcoma cells. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1293891. [PMID: 38020905 PMCID: PMC10662331 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1293891] [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: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Myogenesis, the progression of proliferating skeletal myoblasts to terminally differentiated myotubes, regulates thousands of target genes. Uninterrupted linear arrays of such genes are differentially associated with specific chromosomes, suggesting chromosome specific regulatory roles in myogenesis. Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a tumor of skeletal muscle, shares common features with normal muscle cells. We hypothesized that RMS and myogenic cells possess differences in chromosomal organization related to myogenic gene arrangement. We compared the organizational characteristics of chromosomes 2 and 18, chosen for their difference in myogenic gene arrangement, in cultured RMS cell lines and normal myoblasts and myotubes. We found chromosome-specific differences in organization during normal myogenesis, with increased area occupied and a shift in peripheral localization specifically for chromosome 2. Most strikingly, we found a differentiation-dependent difference in positioning of chromosome 2 relative to the nuclear axis, with preferential positioning along the major nuclear axis present only in myotubes. RMS cells demonstrated no preference for such axial positioning, but induced differentiation through transfection of the pro-myogenic miRNA miR-206 resulted in an increase of major axial positioning of chromosome 2. Our findings identify both a differentiation-dependent, chromosome-specific change in organization in normal myogenesis, and highlight the role of chromosomal spatial organization in myogenic differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe Ibarra
- Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Tyler Hershenhouse
- Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Luay Almassalha
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - David Walterhouse
- Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Vadim Backman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Kyle L. MacQuarrie
- Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
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10
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Almasi S, SarmastiEmami S, Baird S, Ning Z, Figeys D, Côté J, Cowan KN, Jasmin BJ. Staufen1 controls mitochondrial metabolism via HIF2α in embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma and promotes tumorigenesis. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:328. [PMID: 37847286 PMCID: PMC11071833 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-04969-4] [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: 05/20/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Elevated mitochondrial metabolism promotes tumorigenesis of Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcomas (ERMS). Accordingly, targeting oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) could represent a therapeutic strategy for ERMS. We previously demonstrated that genetic reduction of Staufen1 (STAU1) levels results in the inhibition of ERMS tumorigenicity. Here, we examined STAU1-mediated mechanisms in ERMS and focused on its potential involvement in regulating OXPHOS. We report the novel and differential role of STAU1 in mitochondrial metabolism in cancerous versus non-malignant skeletal muscle cells (NMSkMCs). Specifically, our data show that STAU1 depletion reduces OXPHOS and inhibits proliferation of ERMS cells. Our findings further reveal the binding of STAU1 to several OXPHOS mRNAs which affects their stability. Indeed, STAU1 depletion reduced the stability of OXPHOS mRNAs, causing inhibition of mitochondrial metabolism. In parallel, STAU1 depletion impacted negatively the HIF2α pathway which further modulates mitochondrial metabolism. Exogenous expression of HIF2α in STAU1-depleted cells reversed the mitochondrial inhibition and induced cell proliferation. However, opposite effects were observed in NMSkMCs. Altogether, these findings revealed the impact of STAU1 in the regulation of mitochondrial OXPHOS in cancer cells as well as its differential role in NMSkMCs. Overall, our results highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting STAU1 as a novel approach for inhibiting mitochondrial metabolism in ERMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shekoufeh Almasi
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Sahar SarmastiEmami
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Stephen Baird
- High Throughput Lab, CHEO, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Zhibin Ning
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Daniel Figeys
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Jocelyn Côté
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
- The Eric J. Poulin Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Kyle N Cowan
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
- Department of Surgery, Division of Paediatric Surgery, University of Ottawa, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, K1Y 4E9, Canada
- Molecular Biomedicine Program, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Bernard J Jasmin
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.
- The Eric J. Poulin Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.
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11
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Xu S, Tan S, Guo L. Patient-Derived Organoids as a Promising Tool for Multimodal Management of Sarcomas. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4339. [PMID: 37686615 PMCID: PMC10486520 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15174339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The management of sarcomas, a diverse group of cancers arising from connective tissues, presents significant challenges due to their heterogeneity and limited treatment options. Patient-derived sarcoma organoids (PDSOs) have emerged as a promising tool in the multimodal management of sarcomas, offering unprecedented opportunities for personalized medicine and improved treatment strategies. This review aims to explore the potential of PDSOs as a promising tool for multimodal management of sarcomas. We discuss the establishment and characterization of PDSOs, which realistically recapitulate the complexity and heterogeneity of the original tumor, providing a platform for genetic and molecular fidelity, histological resemblance, and functional characterization. Additionally, we discuss the applications of PDSOs in pathological and genetic evaluation, treatment screening and development, and personalized multimodal management. One significant advancement of PDSOs lies in their ability to guide personalized treatment decisions, enabling clinicians to assess the response and efficacy of different therapies in a patient-specific manner. Through continued research and development, PDSOs hold the potential to revolutionize sarcoma management and drive advancements in personalized medicine, biomarker discovery, preclinical modeling, and therapy optimization. The integration of PDSOs into clinical practice can ultimately improve patient outcomes and significantly impact the field of sarcoma treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songfeng Xu
- National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital & Shenzhen Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Shenzhen 518116, China;
- Department of Orthopedics, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital & Shenzhen Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
| | - ShihJye Tan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cell Microenvironment and Disease Research, Department of Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Southern University of Science and Technology, 1088 Xueyuan Blvd, Biology Building 402, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Ling Guo
- Department of Orthopedics, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital & Shenzhen Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cell Microenvironment and Disease Research, Department of Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Southern University of Science and Technology, 1088 Xueyuan Blvd, Biology Building 402, Shenzhen 518055, China
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12
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Heim C, Moser LM, Kreyenberg H, Bonig HB, Tonn T, Wels WS, Gradhand E, Ullrich E, Meister MT, Koerkamp MG, Holstege FCP, Drost J, Klusmann JH, Bader P, Merker M, Rettinger E. ErbB2 (HER2)-CAR-NK-92 cells for enhanced immunotherapy of metastatic fusion-driven alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1228894. [PMID: 37662907 PMCID: PMC10471977 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1228894] [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] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a challenging tumor entity that evades conventional treatments and endogenous antitumor immune responses, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic strategies. Applying chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology to natural killer (NK) cells may offer safe, effective, and affordable therapies that enhance cancer immune surveillance. Methods Here, we assess the efficacy of clinically usable CAR-engineered NK cell line NK-92/5.28.z against ErbB2-positive RMS in vitro and in a metastatic xenograft mouse model. Results Our results show that NK-92/5.28.z cells effectively kill RMS cells in vitro and significantly prolong survival and inhibit tumor progression in mice. The persistence of NK-92/5.28.z cells at tumor sites demonstrates efficient antitumor response, which could help overcome current obstacles in the treatment of solid tumors. Discussion These findings encourage further development of NK-92/5.28.z cells as off-the-shelf immunotherapy for the treatment of metastatic RMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catrin Heim
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, Division for Stem Cell Transplantation, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Laura M. Moser
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, Division for Stem Cell Transplantation, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt am Main, a Partnership Between DKFZ, University Hospital and Georg-Speyer-Haus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Herman Kreyenberg
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, Division for Stem Cell Transplantation, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Halvard B. Bonig
- Department of Cellular Therapeutics/Cell Processing, Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Immunotherapy, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Torsten Tonn
- Experimental Transfusion Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Winfried S. Wels
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt am Main, a Partnership Between DKFZ, University Hospital and Georg-Speyer-Haus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Elise Gradhand
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Dr. Senckenberg Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Evelyn Ullrich
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt am Main, a Partnership Between DKFZ, University Hospital and Georg-Speyer-Haus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Experimental Immunology, Department for Children and Adolescents, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Michael T. Meister
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Marian Groot Koerkamp
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Frank C. P. Holstege
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Center for Molecular Medicine, UMC Utrecht and Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Jarno Drost
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Jan-Henning Klusmann
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt am Main, a Partnership Between DKFZ, University Hospital and Georg-Speyer-Haus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Peter Bader
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, Division for Stem Cell Transplantation, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Michael Merker
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, Division for Stem Cell Transplantation, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Eva Rettinger
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Pediatrics, Division for Stem Cell Transplantation, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt am Main, a Partnership Between DKFZ, University Hospital and Georg-Speyer-Haus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen (UCT), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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13
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Wu JT, Cheuk A, Isanogle K, Robinson C, Zhang X, Ceribelli M, Beck E, Shinn P, Klumpp-Thomas C, Wilson KM, McKnight C, Itkin Z, Sotome H, Hirai H, Calleja E, Wacheck V, Gouker B, Peer CJ, Corvalan N, Milewski D, Kim YY, Figg WD, Edmondson EF, Thomas CJ, Difilippantonio S, Wei JS, Khan J. Preclinical Evaluation of the FGFR-Family Inhibitor Futibatinib for Pediatric Rhabdomyosarcoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4034. [PMID: 37627061 PMCID: PMC10452847 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15164034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common pediatric soft tissue sarcoma. Despite decades of clinical trials, the overall survival rate for patients with relapsed and metastatic disease remains below 30%, underscoring the need for novel treatments. FGFR4, a receptor tyrosine kinase that is overexpressed in RMS and mutationally activated in 10% of cases, is a promising target for treatment. Here, we show that futibatinib, an irreversible pan-FGFR inhibitor, inhibits the growth of RMS cell lines in vitro by inhibiting phosphorylation of FGFR4 and its downstream targets. Moreover, we provide evidence that the combination of futibatinib with currently used chemotherapies such as irinotecan and vincristine has a synergistic effect against RMS in vitro. However, in RMS xenograft models, futibatinib monotherapy and combination treatment have limited efficacy in delaying tumor growth and prolonging survival. Moreover, limited efficacy is only observed in a PAX3-FOXO1 fusion-negative (FN) RMS cell line with mutationally activated FGFR4, whereas little or no efficacy is observed in PAX3-FOXO1 fusion-positive (FP) RMS cell lines with FGFR4 overexpression. Alternative treatment modalities such as combining futibatinib with other kinase inhibitors or targeting FGFR4 with CAR T cells or antibody-drug conjugate may be more effective than the approaches tested in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerry T. Wu
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; (J.T.W.); (A.C.); (D.M.); (Y.Y.K.); (J.S.W.)
| | - Adam Cheuk
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; (J.T.W.); (A.C.); (D.M.); (Y.Y.K.); (J.S.W.)
| | - Kristine Isanogle
- Laboratory Animal Sciences Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD 21702, USA; (K.I.); (C.R.); (S.D.)
| | - Christina Robinson
- Laboratory Animal Sciences Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD 21702, USA; (K.I.); (C.R.); (S.D.)
| | - Xiaohu Zhang
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; (X.Z.); (M.C.); (E.B.); (P.S.); (C.K.-T.); (K.M.W.); (C.M.); (Z.I.); (C.J.T.)
| | - Michele Ceribelli
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; (X.Z.); (M.C.); (E.B.); (P.S.); (C.K.-T.); (K.M.W.); (C.M.); (Z.I.); (C.J.T.)
| | - Erin Beck
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; (X.Z.); (M.C.); (E.B.); (P.S.); (C.K.-T.); (K.M.W.); (C.M.); (Z.I.); (C.J.T.)
| | - Paul Shinn
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; (X.Z.); (M.C.); (E.B.); (P.S.); (C.K.-T.); (K.M.W.); (C.M.); (Z.I.); (C.J.T.)
| | - Carleen Klumpp-Thomas
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; (X.Z.); (M.C.); (E.B.); (P.S.); (C.K.-T.); (K.M.W.); (C.M.); (Z.I.); (C.J.T.)
| | - Kelli M. Wilson
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; (X.Z.); (M.C.); (E.B.); (P.S.); (C.K.-T.); (K.M.W.); (C.M.); (Z.I.); (C.J.T.)
| | - Crystal McKnight
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; (X.Z.); (M.C.); (E.B.); (P.S.); (C.K.-T.); (K.M.W.); (C.M.); (Z.I.); (C.J.T.)
| | - Zina Itkin
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; (X.Z.); (M.C.); (E.B.); (P.S.); (C.K.-T.); (K.M.W.); (C.M.); (Z.I.); (C.J.T.)
| | - Hiroshi Sotome
- Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tsukuba 300-0034, Japan; (H.S.); (H.H.)
| | - Hiroshi Hirai
- Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tsukuba 300-0034, Japan; (H.S.); (H.H.)
| | | | - Volker Wacheck
- Taiho Oncology, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA; (E.C.); (V.W.)
| | - Brad Gouker
- Laboratory Animal Sciences Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD 21702, USA; (K.I.); (C.R.); (S.D.)
| | - Cody J. Peer
- Clinical Pharmacology Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA (N.C.)
| | - Natalia Corvalan
- Clinical Pharmacology Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA (N.C.)
| | - David Milewski
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; (J.T.W.); (A.C.); (D.M.); (Y.Y.K.); (J.S.W.)
| | - Yong Y. Kim
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; (J.T.W.); (A.C.); (D.M.); (Y.Y.K.); (J.S.W.)
| | - William D. Figg
- Clinical Pharmacology Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA (N.C.)
| | - Elijah F. Edmondson
- Laboratory Animal Sciences Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD 21702, USA; (K.I.); (C.R.); (S.D.)
| | - Craig J. Thomas
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; (X.Z.); (M.C.); (E.B.); (P.S.); (C.K.-T.); (K.M.W.); (C.M.); (Z.I.); (C.J.T.)
| | - Simone Difilippantonio
- Laboratory Animal Sciences Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD 21702, USA; (K.I.); (C.R.); (S.D.)
| | - Jun S. Wei
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; (J.T.W.); (A.C.); (D.M.); (Y.Y.K.); (J.S.W.)
| | - Javed Khan
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; (J.T.W.); (A.C.); (D.M.); (Y.Y.K.); (J.S.W.)
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14
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Bernardo T, Behrends C, Klein D, Kuntze A, Timmermann B, von Neubeck C. Similar additive effects of doxorubicin in combination with photon or proton irradiation in soft tissue sarcoma models. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1211984. [PMID: 37503316 PMCID: PMC10368985 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1211984] [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: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
High-precision radiotherapy with proton beams is frequently used in the management of aggressive soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and is often combined with doxorubicin (Dox), the first-line chemotherapy for STS. However, current treatment approaches continue to result in high local recurrence rates often occurring within the treatment field. This strongly indicates the need of optimized treatment protocols taking the vast heterogeneity of STS into account, thereby fostering personalized treatment approaches. Here, we used preclinical STS models to investigate the radiation response following photon (X) or proton (H) irradiation alone and in combination with different treatment schedules of Dox. As preclinical models, fibrosarcoma (HT-1080), undifferentiated pleiomorphic sarcoma (GCT), and embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cell lines were used; the latter two are mutated for TP53. The cellular response regarding clonogenic survival, apoptosis, cell-cycle distribution, proliferation, viability, morphology, and motility was investigated. The different STS cell types revealed a dose-dependent radiation response with reduced survival, proliferation, viability, and motility whereas G2/M phase arrest as well as apoptosis were induced. RD cells showed the most radiosensitive phenotype; the linear quadratic model fit could not be applied. In combined treatment schedules, Dox showed the highest efficiency when applied after or before and after radiation; Dox treatment only before radiation was less efficient. GCT cells were the most chemoresistant cell line in this study most probably due to their TP53 mutation status. Interestingly, similar additive effects could be observed for X or H irradiation in combination with Dox treatment. However, the additive effects were determined more frequently for X than for H irradiation. Thus, further investigations are needed to specify alternative drug therapies that display superior efficacy when combined with H therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Bernardo
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Carina Behrends
- West German Proton Therapy Center Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- Faculty of Physics, Technical University (TU) Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Diana Klein
- Institute of Cell Biology (Cancer Research), University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Anna Kuntze
- Gerhard Domagk Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Beate Timmermann
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Proton Therapy Center Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Essen, Germany
| | - Cläre von Neubeck
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
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15
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Centrón-Broco A, Rossi F, Grelloni C, Garraffo R, Dattilo D, Giuliani A, Di Timoteo G, Colantoni A, Bozzoni I, Beltran Nebot M. CircAFF1 Is a Circular RNA with a Role in Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma Cell Migration. Biomedicines 2023; 11:1893. [PMID: 37509532 PMCID: PMC10376778 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11071893] [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: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs), covalently closed RNAs that originate from back-splicing events, participate in the control of several processes, including those that occur in the development of pathological conditions such as cancer. Hereby, we describe circAFF1, a circular RNA overexpressed in alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. Using RH4 and RH30 cell lines, a classical cell line models for alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, we demonstrated that circAFF1 is a cytoplasmatic circRNA and its depletion impacts cell homeostasis favouring cell migration through the downregulation of genes involved in cell adhesion pathways. The presented data underline the importance of this circular RNA as a new partial suppressor of the alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma tumour progression and as a putative future therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Centrón-Broco
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Rossi
- The Babraham Institute, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Chiara Grelloni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Raffaele Garraffo
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Dario Dattilo
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Giuliani
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Gaia Di Timoteo
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessio Colantoni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Irene Bozzoni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Manuel Beltran Nebot
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
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16
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Saggioro M, D'Agostino S, Veltri G, Bacchiega M, Tombolan L, Zanon C, Gamba P, Serafin V, Muraro MG, Martin I, Pozzobon M. A perfusion-based three-dimensional cell culture system to model alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma pathological features. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9444. [PMID: 37296184 PMCID: PMC10256844 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36210-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Although a rare disease, rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is one of the most common cancers in children the more aggressive and metastatic subtype is the alveolar RMS (ARMS). Survival outcomes with metastatic disease remain dismal and the need for new models that recapitulate key pathological features, including cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions, is warranted. Here, we report an organotypic model that captures cellular and molecular determinants of invasive ARMS. We cultured the ARMS cell line RH30 on a collagen sponge in a perfusion-based bioreactor (U-CUP), obtaining after 7 days a 3D construct with homogeneous cell distribution. Compared to static culture, perfusion flow induced higher cell proliferation rates (20% vs. 5%), enhanced secretion of active MMP-2, and upregulation of the Rho pathway, associated with cancer cell dissemination. Consistently, the ECM genes LAMA1 and LAMA2, the antiapoptotic gene HSP90, identified in patient databases as hallmarks of invasive ARMS, were higher under perfusion flow at mRNA and protein level. Our advanced ARMS organotypic model mimics (1) the interactions cells-ECM, (2) the cell growth maintenance, and (3) the expression of proteins that characterize tumor expansion and aggressiveness. In the future, the perfusion-based model could be used with primary patient-derived cell subtypes to create a personalized ARMS chemotherapy screening system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Saggioro
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, 35129, Padova, Italy
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Institute of Pediatric Research Città della Speranza, 35127, Padova, Italy
| | - Stefania D'Agostino
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, 35129, Padova, Italy
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Institute of Pediatric Research Città della Speranza, 35127, Padova, Italy
| | - Giulia Veltri
- Oncohematology Laboratory, Institute of Pediatric Research Città della Speranza, 35127, Padova, Italy
| | - Maira Bacchiega
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, 35129, Padova, Italy
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Institute of Pediatric Research Città della Speranza, 35127, Padova, Italy
| | - Lucia Tombolan
- Pediatric Solid Tumors Laboratory, Fondazione Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica Città della Speranza, 35127, Padova, Italy
| | - Carlo Zanon
- Bioinformatics Core Service, Fondazione Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica Città della Speranza, Padova, Italy
| | - Piergiorgio Gamba
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, 35129, Padova, Italy
| | - Valentina Serafin
- Oncohematology Laboratory, Institute of Pediatric Research Città della Speranza, 35127, Padova, Italy
- Department of Surgery Oncology and Gastroenterology Oncology and Immunology Section, University of Padova, 35129, Padova, Italy
| | - Manuele Giuseppe Muraro
- Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, 4031, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Ivan Martin
- Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, 4031, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michela Pozzobon
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, 35129, Padova, Italy.
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Institute of Pediatric Research Città della Speranza, 35127, Padova, Italy.
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17
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Solan ME, Koperski CP, Senthilkumar S, Lavado R. Short-chain per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS) effects on oxidative stress biomarkers in human liver, kidney, muscle, and microglia cell lines. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 223:115424. [PMID: 36740157 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Long-chain per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous contaminants implicated in the induction of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), compromising antioxidant defense mechanisms in vitro and in vivo. While a handful of studies have assessed oxidative stress effects by PFAS, few specifically address short-chain PFAS. We conducted an evaluation of oxidative stress biomarkers in vitro following exposures to low (1 nM) and high (1 μM) concentrations of five short-chain PFAS compounds: perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), [undecafluoro-2-methyl-3-oxahexanoic acid (HFPO-DA)], 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (6:2 FTOH) and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS). We conducted experiments in human kidney (HEK293-hTLR2), liver (HepaRG), microglia (HMC-3), and muscle (RMS-13) cell lines. Fluorescence microscopy measurements in HepaRG cells indicated ROS generation in cells exposed to PFBS and PFHxA for 24 h. Antioxidant enzyme activities were determined following 24 h short-chain PFAS exposures in HepaRG, HEK293-hTLR2, HMC-3, and RMS-13. Notably, exposure to PFBS for 24 h increased the activity of GPX in all four cell types at 1 μM and 1 nM in HepaRG and RMS-13 cells. Every short-chain PFAS evaluated, except for PFHxS, increased the activity of at least one antioxidant enzyme. To our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to explore antioxidant defense alterations to microglia and muscle cell lines by PFAS. The findings of this study hold great potential to contribute to the limited understanding of short-chain PFAS mechanisms of toxicity and provide data necessary to inform the human health risk assessment process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E Solan
- Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX, 76798, USA
| | - Camryn P Koperski
- Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX, 76798, USA
| | | | - Ramon Lavado
- Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX, 76798, USA.
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18
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Regenold M, Kaneko K, Wang X, Peng HB, Evans JC, Bannigan P, Allen C. Triggered release from thermosensitive liposomes improves tumor targeting of vinorelbine. J Control Release 2023; 354:19-33. [PMID: 36503069 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Triggered drug delivery strategies have been shown to enhance drug accumulation at target diseased sites in comparison to administration of free drug. In particular, many studies have demonstrated improved targetability of chemotherapeutics when delivered via thermosensitive liposomes. However, most studies continue to focus on encapsulating doxorubicin while many other drugs would benefit from this targeted and localized delivery approach. The proposed study explores the therapeutic potential of a thermosensitive liposome formulation of the commonly used chemotherapy drug vinorelbine in combination with mild hyperthermia (39-43 °C) in a murine model of rhabdomyosarcoma. Rhabdomyosarcoma, the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children, is largely treated using conventional chemotherapy which is associated with significant adverse long-term sequelae. In this study, mild hyperthermia was pursued as a non-invasive, non-toxic means to improve the efficacy and safety profiles of vinorelbine. Thorough assessment of the pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, efficacy and toxicity of vinorelbine administered in the thermosensitive liposome formulation was compared to administration in a traditional, non-thermosensitive liposome formulation. This study shows the potential of an advanced formulation technology in combination with mild hyperthermia as a means to target an untargeted therapeutic agent and result in a significant improvement in its therapeutic index.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Regenold
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kan Kaneko
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Xuehan Wang
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - H Benson Peng
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - James C Evans
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pauric Bannigan
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christine Allen
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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19
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Salucci S, Bavelloni A, Stella AB, Fabbri F, Vannini I, Piazzi M, Volkava K, Scotlandi K, Martinelli G, Faenza I, Blalock W. The Cytotoxic Effect of Curcumin in Rhabdomyosarcoma Is Associated with the Modulation of AMPK, AKT/mTOR, STAT, and p53 Signaling. Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15030740. [PMID: 36771452 PMCID: PMC9920154 DOI: 10.3390/nu15030740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Approximately 7% of cancers arising in children and 1% of those arising in adults are soft tissue sarcomas (STS). Of these malignancies, rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common. RMS survival rates using current therapeutic protocols have remained largely unchanged in the past decade. Thus, it is imperative that the main molecular drivers in RMS tumorigenesis are defined so that more precise, effective, and less toxic therapies can be designed. Curcumin, a common herbal supplement derived from plants of the Curcuma longa species, has an exceptionally low dietary biotoxicity profile and has demonstrated anti-tumorigenic benefits in vitro. In this study, the anti-tumorigenic activity of curcumin was assessed in rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines and used to identify the major pathways responsible for curcumin's anti-tumorigenic effects. Curcumin treatment resulted in cell cycle arrest, inhibited cell migration and colony forming potential, and induced apoptotic cell death. Proteome profiler array analysis demonstrated that curcumin treatment primarily influenced flux through the AKT-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT), AMP-dependent kinase (AMPK), and p53 associated pathways in a rhabdomyosarcoma subtype-specific manner. Thus, the strategic, combinational therapeutic targeting of these pathways may present the best option to treat this group of tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Salucci
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Neuromotorie (DIBINEM), Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Alberto Bavelloni
- Laboratorio di Oncologia Sperimentale, IRCCS, Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Anna Bartoletti Stella
- Dipartimento di Medicina Specialistica, Diagnostica e Sperimentale (DIMES), Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Francesco Fabbri
- Laboratorio di Bioscienze, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) “Dino Amadori”, 47014 Meldola, Italy
| | - Ivan Vannini
- Laboratorio di Bioscienze, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) “Dino Amadori”, 47014 Meldola, Italy
| | - Manuela Piazzi
- ‘‘Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza’’ Istituto di Genetica Molecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerca (IGM-CNR), 40136 Bologna, Italy
- IRCCS, Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Karyna Volkava
- Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie (FABIT), Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Katia Scotlandi
- Laboratorio di Oncologia Sperimentale, IRCCS, Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giovanni Martinelli
- Laboratorio di Bioscienze, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) “Dino Amadori”, 47014 Meldola, Italy
| | - Irene Faenza
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Neuromotorie (DIBINEM), Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
- Correspondence: (I.F.); (W.B.)
| | - William Blalock
- ‘‘Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza’’ Istituto di Genetica Molecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerca (IGM-CNR), 40136 Bologna, Italy
- IRCCS, Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
- Correspondence: (I.F.); (W.B.)
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20
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Siebert J, Schneider M, Reuter-Schmitt D, Würtemberger J, Neubüser A, Driever W, Hettmer S, Kapp FG. Rhabdomyosarcoma xenotransplants in zebrafish embryos. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2023; 70:e30053. [PMID: 36317680 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.30053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) are the most common pediatric soft tissue sarcomas. High-risk and metastatic disease continues to be associated with very poor prognosis. RMS model systems that faithfully recapitulate the human disease and provide rapid, cost-efficient estimates of antitumor efficacy of candidate drugs are needed to facilitate drug development and personalized medicine approaches. Here, we present a new zebrafish-based xenotransplant model allowing for rapid and easily accessible drug screening using low numbers of viable tumor cells and relatively small amounts of water-soluble chemicals. Under optimized temperature conditions, embryonal RMS xenografts were established in zebrafish embryos at 3 h postfertilization (hpf). In proof-of-principle experiments, chemotherapy drugs with established clinical anti-RMS efficacy (vincristine, dactinomycin) and the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor trametinib were shown to significantly reduce the cross-sectional area of the tumors by 120 hpf. RMS xenograft models in zebrafish embryos henceforth could serve as a valuable addition to cell culture and mammalian models of RMS and represent a rapid and cost-effective solution for preclinical candidate drug testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Siebert
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michaela Schneider
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Daniela Reuter-Schmitt
- Developmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Biology 1, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Julia Würtemberger
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Annette Neubüser
- Developmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Biology 1, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM), Freiburg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Driever
- Developmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Biology 1, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Simone Hettmer
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM), Freiburg, Germany
| | - Friedrich G Kapp
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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21
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Song YL, Yang MH, Zhang S, Wang H, Kai KL, Yao CX, Dai FF, Zhou MJ, Li JB, Wei ZR, Yin Z, Zhu WG, Xue L, Zang MX. A GRIP-1-EZH2 switch binding to GATA-4 is linked to the genesis of rhabdomyosarcoma through miR-29a. Oncogene 2022; 41:5223-5237. [PMID: 36309571 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-022-02521-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Terminal differentiation failure is an important cause of rhabdomyosarcoma genesis, however, little is known about the epigenetic regulation of aberrant myogenic differentiation. Here, we show that GATA-4 recruits polycomb group proteins such as EZH2 to negatively regulate miR-29a in undifferentiated C2C12 myoblast cells, whereas recruitment of GRIP-1 to GATA-4 proteins displaces EZH2, resulting in the activation of miR-29a during myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells. Moreover, in poorly differentiated rhabdomyosarcoma cells, EZH2 still binds to the miR-29a promoter with GATA-4 to mediate transcriptional repression of miR-29a. Interestingly, once re-differentiation of rhabdomyosarcoma cells toward skeletal muscle, EZH2 was dispelled from miR-29a promoter which is similar to that in myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells. Eventually, this expression of miR-29a results in limited rhabdomyosarcoma cell proliferation and promotes myogenic differentiation. We thus establish that GATA-4 can function as a molecular switch in the up- and downregulation of miR-29a expression. We also demonstrate that GATA-4 acts as a tumor suppressor in rhabdomyosarcoma partly via miR-29a, which thus provides a potential therapeutic target for rhabdomyosarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang-Liu Song
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ming-Hui Yang
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Si Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Hao Wang
- Center of Basic Medical Research, Institute of Medical Innovation and Research, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Kun-Lun Kai
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Chun-Xia Yao
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Fei-Fei Dai
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Meng-Jiao Zhou
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jin-Biao Li
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zhi-Ru Wei
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zhongnan Yin
- Center of Basic Medical Research, Institute of Medical Innovation and Research, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Wei-Guo Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shenzhen University School of Medicine, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Lixiang Xue
- Center of Basic Medical Research, Institute of Medical Innovation and Research, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
- Cancer Center of Peking University Third Hospital, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, China.
| | - Ming-Xi Zang
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
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22
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Wagner BR, Adamus AL, Hempfling L, Vahdad R, Haap-Hoff A, Heinrich B, Vázquez O, Jank P, Denkert C, Seitz G. Increasing the efficiency of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) by combination with a photosensitive drug in pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma in an animal model. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2022; 69:e29864. [PMID: 35731577 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.29864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) in combination with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is an option in advanced peritoneal sarcomatosis. Nevertheless, CRS and HIPEC are not successful in all patients. An enhancement of HIPEC using photodynamic therapy (PDT) might be beneficial. Therefore, a combination of the photosensitizer hypericin (HYP) with HIPEC was evaluated in an animal model. PROCEDURE An established HIPEC animal model for rhabdomyosarcoma (NOD/LtSz-scid IL2Rγnullmice, n = 80) was used. All groups received HYP (100 μg/200 μl) intraperitoneally with and without cisplatin-based (30 or 60 mg/m2 ) HIPEC (37°C or 42°C, for 60 minutes) (five groups, each n = 16). Peritoneal cancer index (PCI) was documented visually and by HYP-based photodynamic diagnosis (PDD). HYP-based PDT of the tumor was performed. Tissue samples were evaluated regarding proliferation (Ki-67) and apoptosis (TUNEL). RESULTS HYP uptake was detected even in smallest tumor nodes (<1 mm) with improved tumor detection during PDD (PCI with PDD vs. PCI without PDD: 8.5 vs. 7, p < .001***). Apoptotic effects after PDT without HIPEC were limited to the tumor surface, whereas PDT after HIPEC (60 mg/m2 , 42°C) showed additional reduction of tumor proliferation in the top nine to 11 cell layers (50 μm). CONCLUSION HYP as fluorescent photosensitizer offers an intraoperative diagnostic advantage detecting intraperitoneal tumor dissemination. The combination of HYP and cisplatin-based HIPEC was feasible in vivo, showing enhanced effects on tumor proliferation and apoptosis induction across the tumor surface. Further studies combining HYP and HIPEC will follow to establish a clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt R Wagner
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Anna L Adamus
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Laura Hempfling
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Reza Vahdad
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Benedikt Heinrich
- Department of Chemical Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Olalla Vázquez
- Department of Chemical Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
| | - Paul Jank
- Department of Pathology, University Hospital Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Carsten Denkert
- Department of Pathology, University Hospital Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Guido Seitz
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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23
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LaCombe R, Cecchini A, Seibert M, Cornelison DDW. EphA1 receptor tyrosine kinase is localized to the nucleus in rhabdomyosarcoma from multiple species. Biol Open 2022; 11:bio059352. [PMID: 36214254 PMCID: PMC9581518 DOI: 10.1242/bio.059352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
While the typical role of receptor tyrosine kinases is to receive and transmit signals at the cell surface, in some cellular contexts (particularly transformed cells) they may also act as nuclear proteins. Aberrant nuclear localization of receptor tyrosine kinases associated with transformation often enhances the transformed phenotype (i.e. nuclear ErbBs promote tumor progression in breast cancer). Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), the most common soft tissue tumor in children, develops to resemble immature skeletal muscle and has been proposed to derive from muscle stem/progenitor cells (satellite cells). It is an aggressive cancer with a 5-year survival rate of 33% if it has metastasized. Eph receptor tyrosine kinases have been implicated in the development and progression of many other tumor types, but there are only two published studies of Ephs localizing to the nucleus of any cell type and to date no nuclear RTKs have been identified in RMS. In a screen for protein expression of Ephs in canine RMS primary tumors as well as mouse and human RMS cell lines, we noted strong expression of EphA1 in the nucleus of interphase cells in tumors from all three species. This localization pattern changes in dividing cells, with EphA1 localizing to the nucleus or the cytoplasm depending on the phase of the cell cycle. These data represent the first case of a nuclear RTK in RMS, and the first time that EphA1 has been detected in the nucleus of any cell type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronnie LaCombe
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Alessandra Cecchini
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Morgan Seibert
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - DDW Cornelison
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
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24
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Codenotti S, Zizioli D, Mignani L, Rezzola S, Tabellini G, Parolini S, Giacomini A, Asperti M, Poli M, Mandracchia D, Vezzoli M, Bernardi S, Russo D, Mitola S, Monti E, Triggiani L, Tomasini D, Gastaldello S, Cassandri M, Rota R, Marampon F, Fanzani A. Hyperactive Akt1 Signaling Increases Tumor Progression and DNA Repair in Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma RD Line and Confers Susceptibility to Glycolysis and Mevalonate Pathway Inhibitors. Cells 2022; 11:cells11182859. [PMID: 36139434 PMCID: PMC9497225 DOI: 10.3390/cells11182859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), elevated Akt signaling is associated with increased malignancy. Here, we report that expression of a constitutively active, myristoylated form of Akt1 (myrAkt1) in human RMS RD cells led to hyperactivation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K) pathway, resulting in the loss of both MyoD and myogenic capacity, and an increase of Ki67 expression due to high cell mitosis. MyrAkt1 signaling increased migratory and invasive cell traits, as detected by wound healing, zymography, and xenograft zebrafish assays, and promoted repair of DNA damage after radiotherapy and doxorubicin treatments, as revealed by nuclear detection of phosphorylated H2A histone family member X (γH2AX) through activation of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK). Treatment with synthetic inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) and Akt was sufficient to completely revert the aggressive cell phenotype, while the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin failed to block cell dissemination. Furthermore, we found that pronounced Akt1 signaling increased the susceptibility to cell apoptosis after treatments with 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) and lovastatin, enzymatic inhibitors of hexokinase, and 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR), especially in combination with radiotherapy and doxorubicin. In conclusion, these data suggest that restriction of glucose metabolism and the mevalonate pathway, in combination with standard therapy, may increase therapy success in RMS tumors characterized by a dysregulated Akt signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Codenotti
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Daniela Zizioli
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Luca Mignani
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Sara Rezzola
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Giovanna Tabellini
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Silvia Parolini
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Arianna Giacomini
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Michela Asperti
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Maura Poli
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Delia Mandracchia
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Marika Vezzoli
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Simona Bernardi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Domenico Russo
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Stefania Mitola
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Eugenio Monti
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Luca Triggiani
- Radiation Oncology Department, ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Davide Tomasini
- Radiation Oncology Department, ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Stefano Gastaldello
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
- Precision Medicine Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Laishan District, Guanhai Road 346, Yantai 264003, China
| | - Matteo Cassandri
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
- Department of Radiotherapy, Policlinico Umberto I, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Rossella Rota
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Marampon
- Department of Radiotherapy, Policlinico Umberto I, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Fanzani
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-030-3717567
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25
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The RNA helicase DDX5 cooperates with EHMT2 to sustain alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma growth. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111267. [PMID: 36044855 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111267] [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: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft-tissue sarcoma of childhood characterized by the inability to exit the proliferative myoblast-like stage. The alveolar fusion positive subtype (FP-RMS) is the most aggressive and is mainly caused by the expression of PAX3/7-FOXO1 oncoproteins, which are challenging pharmacological targets. Here, we show that the DEAD box RNA helicase 5 (DDX5) is overexpressed in alveolar RMS cells and that its depletion and pharmacological inhibition decrease FP-RMS viability and slow tumor growth in xenograft models. Mechanistically, we provide evidence that DDX5 functions upstream of the EHMT2/AKT survival signaling pathway, by directly interacting with EHMT2 mRNA, modulating its stability and consequent protein expression. We show that EHMT2 in turns regulates PAX3-FOXO1 activity in a methylation-dependent manner, thus sustaining FP-RMS myoblastic state. Together, our findings identify another survival-promoting loop in FP-RMS and highlight DDX5 as a potential therapeutic target to arrest RMS growth.
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26
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Meister MT, Groot Koerkamp MJA, de Souza T, Breunis WB, Frazer‐Mendelewska E, Brok M, DeMartino J, Manders F, Calandrini C, Kerstens HHD, Janse A, Dolman MEM, Eising S, Langenberg KPS, van Tuil M, Knops RRG, van Scheltinga ST, Hiemcke‐Jiwa LS, Flucke U, Merks JHM, van Noesel MM, Tops BBJ, Hehir‐Kwa JY, Kemmeren P, Molenaar JJ, van de Wetering M, van Boxtel R, Drost J, Holstege FCP. Mesenchymal tumor organoid models recapitulate rhabdomyosarcoma subtypes. EMBO Mol Med 2022; 14:e16001. [PMID: 35916583 PMCID: PMC9549731 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.202216001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) are mesenchyme-derived tumors and the most common childhood soft tissue sarcomas. Treatment is intense, with a nevertheless poor prognosis for high-risk patients. Discovery of new therapies would benefit from additional preclinical models. Here, we describe the generation of a collection of 19 pediatric RMS tumor organoid (tumoroid) models (success rate of 41%) comprising all major subtypes. For aggressive tumors, tumoroid models can often be established within 4-8 weeks, indicating the feasibility of personalized drug screening. Molecular, genetic, and histological characterization show that the models closely resemble the original tumors, with genetic stability over extended culture periods of up to 6 months. Importantly, drug screening reflects established sensitivities and the models can be modified by CRISPR/Cas9 with TP53 knockout in an embryonal RMS model resulting in replicative stress drug sensitivity. Tumors of mesenchymal origin can therefore be used to generate organoid models, relevant for a variety of preclinical and clinical research questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael T Meister
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands,Oncode InstituteUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Marian J A Groot Koerkamp
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands,Oncode InstituteUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Terezinha de Souza
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands,Oncode InstituteUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Willemijn B Breunis
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands,Department of Oncology and Children's Research CenterUniversity Children's Hospital ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Ewa Frazer‐Mendelewska
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands,Oncode InstituteUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Mariël Brok
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands,Oncode InstituteUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Jeff DeMartino
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands,Oncode InstituteUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Freek Manders
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands,Oncode InstituteUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Camilla Calandrini
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands,Oncode InstituteUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | | | - Alex Janse
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - M Emmy M Dolman
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands,Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer CentreUNSW SydneyKensingtonNSWAustralia,School of Women's and Children's Health, Faculty of MedicineUNSW SydneyKensingtonNSWAustralia
| | - Selma Eising
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | | | - Marc van Tuil
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Rutger R G Knops
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | | | | | - Uta Flucke
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | | | - Max M van Noesel
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | | | | | - Patrick Kemmeren
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands,Center for Molecular MedicineUMC Utrecht and Utrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Jan J Molenaar
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Marc van de Wetering
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands,Oncode InstituteUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Ruben van Boxtel
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands,Oncode InstituteUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Jarno Drost
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands,Oncode InstituteUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Frank C P Holstege
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands,Center for Molecular MedicineUMC Utrecht and Utrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
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27
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Hempfling L, Adamus A, Wagner BR, Engel N, Seitz G. A new valid rhabdomyosarcoma spheroid culture model for in vitro evaluation of hypericin-based photodynamic therapy. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2022; 69:e29482. [PMID: 34889033 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.29482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Advanced stages of pediatric alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (RMA) are associated with an unfavorable outcome at established therapeutic strategies, accentuating the need for novel treatment options. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with hypericin (HYP) has shown strong cytotoxic effects in two-dimensional (2D) cell culture. In order to more accurately mimic in vivo tissue architecture and better predict pharmaceutical response, the aim of this study was to establish a spheroid culture model by which PDT efficacy could be assessed in a three-dimensional (3D) context. MATERIALS AND METHODS 3D multicellular tumor spheroids were generated using various scaffold-based and scaffold-free techniques. On two reproducible methods, HYP-PDT was performed varying spheroid sizes, photosensitizer concentrations, and illumination times. The ability for HYP uptake within the spheroid was analyzed assessing the substrate's autofluorescence. Antitumorigenic treatment effects were evaluated investigating cell viability, spheroid morphology, proliferative activity, and induction of apoptosis. RESULTS Magnetic spheroid printing and orbital shaking methods were established as reproducible culturing systems producing uniform spheroids. Within assessed incubation times, HYP showed good penetration depth in spheroids containing 50,000 cells. PDT was causing metabolic and molecular impairment of RMA cells, resulting in viability decrease, reduction of cell proliferation, and induction of apoptosis. CONCLUSION Assessing HYP-based PDT in a 3D culture model, we were able to gain an insight on how parameters like photosensitizer, oxygen, and light distribution contribute to the phototoxic effect. Compared to 2D cell culture, a higher treatment resistance was detected, which can be related to spheroid structure and mechanisms of intercellular communication, signal transduction, and gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Hempfling
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Marburg, Baldingerstrasse, Marburg, Germany
| | - Anna Adamus
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Marburg, Baldingerstrasse, Marburg, Germany
| | - Benedikt R Wagner
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Marburg, Baldingerstrasse, Marburg, Germany
| | - Nadja Engel
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Marburg, Baldingerstrasse, Marburg, Germany.,Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Facial Plastic Surgery, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany
| | - Guido Seitz
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Marburg, Baldingerstrasse, Marburg, Germany
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28
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Fahs A, Hussein N, Zalzali H, Ramadan F, Ghamloush F, Tamim H, El Homsi M, Badran B, Boulos F, Tawil A, Ghayad SE, Saab R. CD147 Promotes Tumorigenesis via Exosome-Mediated Signaling in Rhabdomyosarcoma. Cells 2022; 11:cells11152267. [PMID: 35892564 PMCID: PMC9331498 DOI: 10.3390/cells11152267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is an aggressive childhood soft-tissue tumor, with propensity for local invasion and distant metastasis. Exosomes are secreted vesicles that mediate paracrine signaling by delivering functional proteins and miRNA to recipient cells. The transmembrane protein CD147, also known as Basigin or EMMPRIN, is enriched in various tumor cells, as well as in tumor-derived exosomes, and has been correlated with poor prognosis in several types of cancer, but has not been previously investigated in RMS. We investigated the effects of CD147 on RMS cell biology and paracrine signaling, specifically its contribution to invasion and metastatic phenotype. CD147 downregulation diminishes RMS cell invasion and inhibits anchorage-independent growth in vitro. While treatment of normal fibroblasts with RMS-derived exosomes results in a significant increase in proliferation, migration, and invasion, these effects are reversed when using exosomes from CD147-downregulated RMS cells. In human RMS tissue, CD147 was expressed exclusively in metastatic tumors. Altogether, our results demonstrate that CD147 contributes to RMS tumor cell aggressiveness, and is involved in modulating the microenvironment through RMS-secreted exosomes. Targeted inhibition of CD147 reduces its expression levels within the isolated exosomes and reduces the capacity of these exosomes to enhance cellular invasive properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assil Fahs
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science II, Lebanese University, Fanar P.O. Box 90656, Lebanon; (A.F.); (F.R.)
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Molecular Immunology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science I, Lebanese University, Hadat 1003, Lebanon; (N.H.); (M.E.H.); (B.B.)
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon
| | - Nader Hussein
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Molecular Immunology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science I, Lebanese University, Hadat 1003, Lebanon; (N.H.); (M.E.H.); (B.B.)
| | - Hasan Zalzali
- Department of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon; (H.Z.); (F.G.)
| | - Farah Ramadan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science II, Lebanese University, Fanar P.O. Box 90656, Lebanon; (A.F.); (F.R.)
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Molecular Immunology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science I, Lebanese University, Hadat 1003, Lebanon; (N.H.); (M.E.H.); (B.B.)
| | - Farah Ghamloush
- Department of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon; (H.Z.); (F.G.)
| | - Hani Tamim
- Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon;
- College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh 11564, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mahmoud El Homsi
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Molecular Immunology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science I, Lebanese University, Hadat 1003, Lebanon; (N.H.); (M.E.H.); (B.B.)
| | - Bassam Badran
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Molecular Immunology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science I, Lebanese University, Hadat 1003, Lebanon; (N.H.); (M.E.H.); (B.B.)
| | - Fouad Boulos
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon; (F.B.); (A.T.)
| | - Ayman Tawil
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon; (F.B.); (A.T.)
| | - Sandra E. Ghayad
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science II, Lebanese University, Fanar P.O. Box 90656, Lebanon; (A.F.); (F.R.)
- C2VN, INSERM 1263, INRAE 1260, Aix-Marseille University, CEDEX 5, 13385 Marseille, France
- Correspondence: (S.E.G.); (R.S.); Tel.: +33-491835601 (S.E.G.); +961-1-350000 (ext. 4780) (R.S.); Fax: +33-491835602 (S.E.G.); +961-1-377384 (R.S.)
| | - Raya Saab
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon
- Department of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon; (H.Z.); (F.G.)
- Correspondence: (S.E.G.); (R.S.); Tel.: +33-491835601 (S.E.G.); +961-1-350000 (ext. 4780) (R.S.); Fax: +33-491835602 (S.E.G.); +961-1-377384 (R.S.)
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29
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Canady Cold Helios Plasma Reduces Soft Tissue Sarcoma Viability by Inhibiting Proliferation, Disrupting Cell Cycle, and Inducing Apoptosis: A Preliminary Report. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27134168. [PMID: 35807413 PMCID: PMC9268132 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27134168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a rare and highly heterogeneous group of solid tumors, originating from various types of connective tissue. Complete removal of STS by surgery is challenging due to the anatomical location of the tumor, which results in tumor recurrence. Additionally, current polychemotherapeutic regimens are highly toxic with no rational survival benefit. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a novel technology that has demonstrated immense cancer therapeutic potential. Canady Cold Helios Plasma (CHCP) is a device that sprays CAP along the surgical margins to eradicate residual cancer cells after tumor resection. This preliminary study was conducted in vitro prior to in vivo testing in a humanitarian compassionate use case study and an FDA-approved phase 1 clinical trial (IDE G190165). In this study, the authors evaluate the efficacy of CHCP across multiple STS cell lines. CHCP treatment reduced the viability of four different STS cell lines (i.e., fibrosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and liposarcoma) in a dose-dependent manner by inhibiting proliferation, disrupting cell cycle, and inducing apoptosis-like cell death.
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30
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Xie Z, Janczyk PL, Shi X, Wang Q, Singh S, Cornelison R, Xu J, Mandell JW, Barr FG, Li H. Rhabdomyosarcomas are oncogene addicted to the activation of AVIL. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2118048119. [PMID: 37146302 PMCID: PMC9214494 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2118048119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is one of the most common pediatric soft-tissue cancer. Previously, we discovered a gene fusion, MARS-AVIL formed by chromosomal inversion in RMS. Suspecting that forming a fusion with a housekeeping gene may be one of the mechanisms to dysregulate an oncogene, we investigated AVIL expression and its role in RMS. We first showed that MARS-AVIL translates into an in-frame fusion protein, which is critical for RMS cell tumorigenesis. Besides forming a gene fusion with the housekeeping gene, MARS, the AVIL locus is often amplified, and its RNA and protein expression are overexpressed in the majority of RMSs. Tumors with AVIL dysregulation exhibit evidence of oncogene addiction: Silencing MARS-AVIL in cells harboring the fusion, or silencing AVIL in cells with AVIL overexpression, nearly eradicated the cells in culture, as well as inhibited in vivo xenograft growth in mice. Conversely, gain-of-function manipulations of AVIL led to increased cell growth and migration, enhanced foci formation in mouse fibroblasts, and most importantly transformed mesenchymal stem cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, AVIL seems to serve as a converging node functioning upstream of two oncogenic pathways, PAX3-FOXO1 and RAS, thus connecting two types of RMS associated with these pathways. Interestingly, AVIL is overexpressed in other sarcoma cells as well, and its expression correlates with clinical outcomes, with higher levels of AVIL expression being associated with worse prognosis. AVIL is a bona fide oncogene in RMS, and RMS cells are addicted to its activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongqiu Xie
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Pawel L. Janczyk
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Xinrui Shi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Qiong Wang
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
- Department of Urology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Sandeep Singh
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Robert Cornelison
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Jingjing Xu
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - James W. Mandell
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Frederic G. Barr
- Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
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31
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Pruller J, Figeac N, Zammit PS. DVL1 and DVL3 require nuclear localisation to regulate proliferation in human myoblasts. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8388. [PMID: 35589804 PMCID: PMC9120025 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10536-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
WNT signalling is essential for regulating a diverse range of cellular processes. In skeletal muscle, the WNT pathway plays crucial roles in maintenance of the stem cell pool and myogenic differentiation. Focus is usually directed at examining the function of central components of the WNT pathway, including β-CATENIN and the GSK3β complex and TCF/LEF transcription factors, in tissue homeostasis and cancer. Other core components of the WNT pathway though, are three dishevelled (DVL) proteins: membrane associated proteins that propagate WNT signalling from membrane to nucleus. Here we examined DVL function in human myogenesis and the muscle-related cancer alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. We demonstrate that DVL1 and DVL3 are necessary for efficient proliferation in human myoblasts and are important for timely myogenic differentiation. DVL1 and DVL3 also contribute to regulation of proliferation in rhabdomyosarcoma. DVL1 or DVL3 must be present in the nucleus to regulate proliferation, but they operate through different protein domains: DVL3 requires the DIX and PDZ domains, while DVL1 does not. Importantly, DVL1 and DVL3 activity is independent of markedly increased translocation of β-CATENIN to the nucleus, normally a hallmark of active canonical WNT signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Pruller
- King's College London, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Nicolas Figeac
- King's College London, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Peter S Zammit
- King's College London, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, London, SE1 1UL, UK.
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32
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Perrone C, Pomella S, Cassandri M, Pezzella M, Milano GM, Colletti M, Cossetti C, Pericoli G, Di Giannatale A, de Billy E, Vinci M, Petrini S, Marampon F, Quintarelli C, Taulli R, Roma J, Gallego S, Camero S, Mariottini P, Cervelli M, Maestro R, Miele L, De Angelis B, Locatelli F, Rota R. MET Inhibition Sensitizes Rhabdomyosarcoma Cells to NOTCH Signaling Suppression. Front Oncol 2022; 12:835642. [PMID: 35574376 PMCID: PMC9092259 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.835642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a pediatric myogenic soft tissue sarcoma. The Fusion-Positive (FP) subtype expresses the chimeric protein PAX3-FOXO1 (P3F) while the Fusion-Negative (FN) is devoid of any gene translocation. FP-RMS and metastatic FN-RMS are often unresponsive to conventional therapy. Therefore, novel therapeutic approaches are needed to halt tumor progression. NOTCH signaling has oncogenic functions in RMS and its pharmacologic inhibition through γ-secretase inhibitors blocks tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Here, we show that NOTCH signaling blockade resulted in the up-regulation and phosphorylation of the MET oncogene in both RH30 (FP-RMS) and RD (FN-RMS) cell lines. Pharmacologic inhibition of either NOTCH or MET signaling slowed proliferation and restrained cell survival compared to control cells partly by increasing Annexin V and CASP3/7 activation. Co-treatment with NOTCH and MET inhibitors significantly amplified these effects and enhanced PARP1 cleavage in both cell lines. Moreover, it severely hampered cell migration, colony formation, and anchorage-independent growth compared to single-agent treatments in both cell lines and significantly prevented the growth of FN-RMS cells grown as spheroids. Collectively, our results unveil the overexpression of the MET oncogene by NOTCH signaling targeting in RMS cells and show that MET pathway blockade sensitizes them to NOTCH inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Perrone
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.,Department of Science, "Department of Excellence 2018-2022", University of Rome "Roma Tre", Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Pomella
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Cassandri
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.,Department of Radiotherapy, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Michele Pezzella
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Maria Milano
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Marta Colletti
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Cossetti
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Pericoli
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Di Giannatale
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Emmanuel de Billy
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Vinci
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefania Petrini
- Confocal Microscopy Core Facility, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Concetta Quintarelli
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.,Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Josep Roma
- Group of Translational Research in Child and Adolescent Cancer, Vall d'Hebron Research Insti-tute-Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Soledad Gallego
- Group of Translational Research in Child and Adolescent Cancer, Vall d'Hebron Research Insti-tute-Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Simona Camero
- Department of Maternal, Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Mariottini
- Department of Science, "Department of Excellence 2018-2022", University of Rome "Roma Tre", Rome, Italy
| | - Manuela Cervelli
- Department of Science, "Department of Excellence 2018-2022", University of Rome "Roma Tre", Rome, Italy
| | - Roberta Maestro
- Unit of Oncogenetics and Functional Oncogenomics, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO Aviano) IRCCS, National Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy
| | - Lucio Miele
- Department of Genetics and Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Biagio De Angelis
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Franco Locatelli
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.,Department of Pediatrics, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Rossella Rota
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
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33
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Shields CE, Schnepp RW, Haynes KA. Differential Epigenetic Effects of BMI Inhibitor PTC-028 on Fusion-Positive Rhabdomyosarcoma Cell Lines from Distinct Metastatic Sites. REGENERATIVE ENGINEERING AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40883-021-00244-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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34
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Milton CI, Selfe J, Aladowicz E, Man SYK, Bernauer C, Missiaglia E, Walters ZS, Gatz SA, Kelsey A, Generali M, Box G, Valenti M, de Haven‐Brandon A, Galiwango D, Hayes A, Clarke M, Izquierdo E, Gonzalez De Castro D, Raynaud FI, Kirkin V, Shipley JM. FGF7-FGFR2 autocrine signaling increases growth and chemoresistance of fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcomas. Mol Oncol 2022; 16:1272-1289. [PMID: 34850536 PMCID: PMC8936514 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcomas are aggressive pediatric soft-tissue sarcomas and include high-risk PAX3-FOXO1 fusion-gene-positive cases. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) is known to contribute to rhabdomyosarcoma progression; here, we sought to investigate the involvement and potential for therapeutic targeting of other FGFRs in this disease. Cell-based screening of FGFR inhibitors with potential for clinical repurposing (NVP-BGJ398, nintedanib, dovitinib, and ponatinib) revealed greater sensitivity of fusion-gene-positive versus fusion-gene-negative rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines and was shown to be correlated with high expression of FGFR2 and its specific ligand, FGF7. Furthermore, patient samples exhibit higher mRNA levels of FGFR2 and FGF7 in fusion-gene-positive versus fusion-gene-negative rhabdomyosarcomas. Sustained intracellular mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity and FGF7 secretion into culture media during serum starvation of PAX3-FOXO1 rhabdomyosarcoma cells together with decreased cell viability after genetic silencing of FGFR2 or FGF7 was in keeping with a novel FGF7-FGFR2 autocrine loop. FGFR inhibition with NVP-BGJ398 reduced viability and was synergistic with SN38, the active metabolite of irinotecan. In vivo, NVP-BGJ398 abrogated xenograft growth and warrants further investigation in combination with irinotecan as a therapeutic strategy for fusion-gene-positive rhabdomyosarcomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher I. Milton
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology TeamDivisions of Molecular Pathology and Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
- Present address:
Signal Transduction and Molecular Pharmacology TeamCancer Research UK Cancer Therapeutics UnitThe Institute of Cancer ResearchSuttonUK
| | - Joanna Selfe
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology TeamDivisions of Molecular Pathology and Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
| | - Ewa Aladowicz
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology TeamDivisions of Molecular Pathology and Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
| | - Stella Y. K. Man
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology TeamDivisions of Molecular Pathology and Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
| | - Carolina Bernauer
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology TeamDivisions of Molecular Pathology and Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
| | - Edoardo Missiaglia
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology TeamDivisions of Molecular Pathology and Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
- Present address:
Department of Molecular PathologyCentre Hospitalier Universitaire VaudoisLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Zoë S. Walters
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology TeamDivisions of Molecular Pathology and Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
- Present address:
Translational Epigenomics TeamHuman Development and HealthFaculty of MedicineSouthampton General HospitalUK
| | - Susanne A. Gatz
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology TeamDivisions of Molecular Pathology and Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
- Present address:
Institute of Cancer and Genomic SciencesUniversity of BirminghamUK
| | - Anna Kelsey
- Department of Paediatric HistopathologyManchester University NHS Foundation TrustRoyal Manchester Children’s HospitalUK
| | - Melanie Generali
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology TeamDivisions of Molecular Pathology and Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
- Present address:
Center for Therapy Development and Good Manufacturing PracticeInstitute for Regenerative Medicine (IREM)University of ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Gary Box
- Cancer Pharmacology and Stress Response TeamDivision of Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
| | - Melanie Valenti
- Cancer Pharmacology and Stress Response TeamDivision of Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
| | - Alexis de Haven‐Brandon
- Cancer Pharmacology and Stress Response TeamDivision of Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
| | - David Galiwango
- Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics TeamDivision of Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
| | - Angela Hayes
- Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics TeamDivision of Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
| | - Matthew Clarke
- Glioma TeamDivision of Molecular PathologyThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
| | - Elisa Izquierdo
- Glioma TeamDivision of Molecular PathologyThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
| | - David Gonzalez De Castro
- Molecular HaematologyDivision of Molecular PathologyThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
- Present address:
School of MedicineDentistry and Biomedical sciencesQueens University BelfastUK
| | - Florence I. Raynaud
- Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics TeamDivision of Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
| | - Vladimir Kirkin
- Cancer Pharmacology and Stress Response TeamDivision of Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
| | - Janet M. Shipley
- Sarcoma Molecular Pathology TeamDivisions of Molecular Pathology and Cancer TherapeuticsThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
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35
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Quercetin induces pannexin 1 expression via an alternative transcript with a translationally active 5' leader in rhabdomyosarcoma. Oncogenesis 2022; 11:9. [PMID: 35194046 PMCID: PMC8864035 DOI: 10.1038/s41389-022-00384-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a deadly cancer of skeletal muscle origin. Pannexin 1 (PANX1) is down-regulated in RMS and increasing its levels drastically inhibits RMS progression. PANX1 upregulation thus represents a prospective new treatment strategy for this malignancy. However, the mechanisms regulating PANX1 expression, in RMS and other contexts, remain largely unknown. Here we show that both RMS and normal skeletal muscle express a comparable amount of PANX1 mRNAs, but surprisingly the canonical 5′ untranslated region (5′ UTR) or 5′ leader of the transcript is completely lost in RMS. We uncover that quercetin, a natural plant flavonoid, increases PANX1 protein levels in RMS by inducing re-expression of a 5′ leader-containing PANX1 transcript variant that is efficiently translated. This particular PANX1 mRNA variant is also present in differentiated human skeletal muscle myoblasts (HSMM) that highly express PANX1. Mechanistically, abolishing ETV4 transcription factor binding sites in the PANX1 promoter significantly reduced the luciferase reporter activities and PANX1 5′ UTR levels, and both quercetin treatment in RMS cells and induction of differentiation in HSMM enriched the binding of ETV4 to its consensus element in the PANX1 promoter. Notably, quercetin treatment promoted RMS differentiation in a PANX1-dependent manner. Further showing its therapeutic potential, quercetin treatment prevented RMS in vitro tumor formation while inducing complete regression of established spheroids. Collectively, our results demonstrate the tumor-suppressive effects of quercetin in RMS and present a hitherto undescribed mechanism of PANX1 regulation via ETV4-mediated transcription of a translationally functional 5′ leader-containing PANX1 mRNA.
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36
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Hsu JY, Danis EP, Nance S, O'Brien JH, Gustafson AL, Wessells VM, Goodspeed AE, Talbot JC, Amacher SL, Jedlicka P, Black JC, Costello JC, Durbin AD, Artinger KB, Ford HL. SIX1 reprograms myogenic transcription factors to maintain the rhabdomyosarcoma undifferentiated state. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110323. [PMID: 35108532 PMCID: PMC8917510 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a pediatric muscle sarcoma characterized by expression of the myogenic lineage transcription factors (TFs) MYOD1 and MYOG. Despite high expression of these TFs, RMS cells fail to terminally differentiate, suggesting the presence of factors that alter their functions. Here, we demonstrate that the developmental TF SIX1 is highly expressed in RMS and critical for maintaining a muscle progenitor-like state. SIX1 loss induces differentiation of RMS cells into myotube-like cells and impedes tumor growth in vivo. We show that SIX1 maintains the RMS undifferentiated state by controlling enhancer activity and MYOD1 occupancy at loci more permissive to tumor growth over muscle differentiation. Finally, we demonstrate that a gene signature derived from SIX1 loss correlates with differentiation status and predicts RMS progression in human disease. Our findings demonstrate a master regulatory role of SIX1 in repression of RMS differentiation via genome-wide alterations in MYOD1 and MYOG-mediated transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Y Hsu
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (UC-AMC), Aurora, CO, USA; Pharmacology Graduate Program, UC-AMC, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Etienne P Danis
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (UC-AMC), Aurora, CO, USA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, UC-AMC, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Stephanie Nance
- Division of Molecular Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jenean H O'Brien
- Department of Biology, College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, MN, USA
| | - Annika L Gustafson
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (UC-AMC), Aurora, CO, USA; Molecular Biology Graduate Program, UC-AMC, Aurora, CO, USA
| | | | - Andrew E Goodspeed
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (UC-AMC), Aurora, CO, USA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, UC-AMC, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Jared C Talbot
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA
| | - Sharon L Amacher
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Joshua C Black
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (UC-AMC), Aurora, CO, USA; Pharmacology Graduate Program, UC-AMC, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - James C Costello
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (UC-AMC), Aurora, CO, USA; Pharmacology Graduate Program, UC-AMC, Aurora, CO, USA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, UC-AMC, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Adam D Durbin
- Division of Molecular Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Kristin B Artinger
- Department of Craniofacial Biology, UC-AMC, Aurora, CO, USA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, UC-AMC, Aurora, CO, USA.
| | - Heide L Ford
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (UC-AMC), Aurora, CO, USA; Pharmacology Graduate Program, UC-AMC, Aurora, CO, USA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, UC-AMC, Aurora, CO, USA.
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37
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Arshad M, Mahjabeen I, Raza A, Javaid S, Fazal Ul Haq M, Alam M, Khurshid A. In-Vitro Co-delivery of Decarbazine and Photosense using Poly lactic-co-glycolic acid nanocarrier for combinational therapy. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther 2022; 37:102737. [PMID: 35077876 DOI: 10.1016/j.pdpdt.2022.102737] [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: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
PLGA (Poly lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles are in new trend for drug delivery due to their good biodegradability properties. In this study, we have synthesized the PLGA nanoparticles by solvent evaporation method and loaded the decarbazine (DTIC, 5-3,3-(dimethyl-ltriazeno)imidazole-4-carboxamide) and photosense (AlPc4) drug alone as well as combined with two different concentrations i-e 25 nM and 250 nM. No cytotoxicity (viability ∼ 100 %) was observed for different treatment arms either alone or in co-delivery of nano-formulation for Rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cell culture which showed the biocompatibility of carrier. On comparison, the Photodynamic therapy (PDT) alone showed more significant cell death then the combinational therapy (PDT + chemotherapy) at 2 joule /cm2 and 5 joule /cm2. Lower doses co-delivery showed light dose dependent toxicity to culture i.e., 0 % death @ 2 joule /cm2, ∼ 40 % death @ 5 joule /cm2. Gene expressions of four apoptosis related genes (CASP3, CASP9, PARP1 and P53) were quantified by RT-PCR which shows down regulation for all the treatment arms indicating the absence of apoptosis for the cell death during PDT and combinational therapy. It was concluded that apoptosis related genes were down-regulated and morphological changes i.e., swelling and disruption suggest that the mode of cell death was necrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Arshad
- Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics Lab, Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Ishrat Mahjabeen
- Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics Lab, Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Abida Raza
- National Institute for Lasers & Optronics, Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Sumbal Javaid
- Department of Animal Sciences, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Maria Fazal Ul Haq
- Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics Lab, Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Masroor Alam
- Department of Virology and Immunology, National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Ahmat Khurshid
- Nanophotomedicine Laboratory, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad, Pakistan.
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38
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The Effect of Direct and Indirect EZH2 Inhibition in Rhabdomyosarcoma Cell Lines. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 14:cancers14010041. [PMID: 35008205 PMCID: PMC8750739 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14010041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 12/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue tumor in children. Its two major subtypes show epigenetic alterations that are associated with poor prognosis. Therefore, targeting these epigenetic alterations by pharmacological intervention could be a therapeutic approach. We investigated two different types of substances that interfere with the epigenetic process of histone methylation. We performed studies in two cell lines that carry characteristics of the major rhabdomyosarcoma subtypes. The aim of this study was to find out if the substances differ in their effect on tumor-related cellular functions and to find out if the tumor subtypes differ in their response to the substances. These findings may contribute to a better assessment of the feasibility of pharmacological intervention directed against histone methylation in subtypes of rhabdomyosarcoma. Abstract Enhancer of Zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is involved in epigenetic regulation of gene transcription by catalyzing trimethylation of histone 3 at lysine 27. In rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), increased EZH2 protein levels are associated with poor prognosis and increased metastatic potential, suggesting EZH2 as a therapeutic target. The inhibition of EZH2 can be achieved by direct inhibition which targets only the enzyme activity or by indirect inhibition which also affects activities of other methyltransferases and reduces EZH2 protein abundance. We assessed the direct inhibition of EZH2 by EPZ005687 and the indirect inhibition by 3-deazaneplanocin (DZNep) and adenosine dialdehyde (AdOx) in the embryonal RD and the alveolar RH30 RMS cell line. EPZ005687 was more effective in reducing the cell viability and colony formation, in promoting apoptosis induction, and in arresting cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle than the indirect inhibitors. DZNep was more effective in decreasing spheroid viability and size in both cell lines than EPZ005687 and AdOx. Both types of inhibitors reduced cell migration of RH30 cells but not of RD cells. The results show that direct and indirect inhibition of EZH2 affect cellular functions differently. The alveolar cell line RH30 is more sensitive to epigenetic intervention than the embryonal cell line RD.
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39
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Mun H, Townley HE. Mechanism of Action of the Sesquiterpene Compound Helenalin in Rhabdomyosarcoma Cells. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:ph14121258. [PMID: 34959659 PMCID: PMC8703838 DOI: 10.3390/ph14121258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most frequent soft tissue sarcoma in paediatric patients. Relapsed or refractory RMS shows very low 5-year survival rates, which urgently necessitates new chemotherapy agents. Herein, the sesquiterpene lactone, helenalin, was investigated as a new potential therapeutic agent against the embryonal RMS (eRMS) and alveolar RMS (aRMS) cells. We have evaluated in vitro antiproliferative efficacy of helenalin on RMS cells by the MTT and wound healing assay, and estimated several cell death pathways by flow cytometry, confocal microscopy and immunoblotting. It was shown that helenalin was able to increase reactive oxygen species levels, decrease mitochondrial membrane potential, trigger endoplasmic reticulum stress and deactivate the NF-κB pathway. Confirmation was obtained through the use of antagonistic compounds which alleviated the effects of helenalin in the corresponding pathways. Our findings demonstrate that oxidative stress is the pivotal mechanism of action of helenalin in promoting RMS cell death in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hakmin Mun
- Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK;
| | - Helen Elizabeth Townley
- Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK;
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ, UK
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +44-01865283792
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40
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Laubscher D, Gryder BE, Sunkel BD, Andresson T, Wachtel M, Das S, Roschitzki B, Wolski W, Wu XS, Chou HC, Song YK, Wang C, Wei JS, Wang M, Wen X, Ngo QA, Marques JG, Vakoc CR, Schäfer BW, Stanton BZ, Khan J. BAF complexes drive proliferation and block myogenic differentiation in fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6924. [PMID: 34836971 PMCID: PMC8626462 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27176-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a pediatric malignancy of skeletal muscle lineage. The aggressive alveolar subtype is characterized by t(2;13) or t(1;13) translocations encoding for PAX3- or PAX7-FOXO1 chimeric transcription factors, respectively, and are referred to as fusion positive RMS (FP-RMS). The fusion gene alters the myogenic program and maintains the proliferative state while blocking terminal differentiation. Here, we investigated the contributions of chromatin regulatory complexes to FP-RMS tumor maintenance. We define the mSWI/SNF functional repertoire in FP-RMS. We find that SMARCA4 (encoding BRG1) is overexpressed in this malignancy compared to skeletal muscle and is essential for cell proliferation. Proteomic studies suggest proximity between PAX3-FOXO1 and BAF complexes, which is further supported by genome-wide binding profiles revealing enhancer colocalization of BAF with core regulatory transcription factors. Further, mSWI/SNF complexes localize to sites of de novo histone acetylation. Phenotypically, interference with mSWI/SNF complex function induces transcriptional activation of the skeletal muscle differentiation program associated with MYCN enhancer invasion at myogenic target genes, which is recapitulated by BRG1 targeting compounds. We conclude that inhibition of BRG1 overcomes the differentiation blockade of FP-RMS cells and may provide a therapeutic strategy for this lethal childhood tumor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Laubscher
- grid.412341.10000 0001 0726 4330Department of Oncology and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Berkley E. Gryder
- grid.48336.3a0000 0004 1936 8075Genetics Branch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD USA ,grid.67105.350000 0001 2164 3847Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH USA
| | - Benjamin D. Sunkel
- grid.240344.50000 0004 0392 3476Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Columbus, OH USA
| | - Thorkell Andresson
- grid.418021.e0000 0004 0535 8394Protein Characterization Laboratory, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD USA
| | - Marco Wachtel
- grid.412341.10000 0001 0726 4330Department of Oncology and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sudipto Das
- grid.418021.e0000 0004 0535 8394Protein Characterization Laboratory, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD USA
| | - Bernd Roschitzki
- grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Functional Genomics Center, University of Zurich/ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Witold Wolski
- grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Functional Genomics Center, University of Zurich/ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Xiaoli S. Wu
- grid.225279.90000 0004 0387 3667Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724 USA
| | - Hsien-Chao Chou
- grid.48336.3a0000 0004 1936 8075Genetics Branch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Young K. Song
- grid.48336.3a0000 0004 1936 8075Genetics Branch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Chaoyu Wang
- grid.48336.3a0000 0004 1936 8075Genetics Branch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Jun S. Wei
- grid.48336.3a0000 0004 1936 8075Genetics Branch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Meng Wang
- grid.240344.50000 0004 0392 3476Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Columbus, OH USA
| | - Xinyu Wen
- grid.48336.3a0000 0004 1936 8075Genetics Branch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Quy Ai Ngo
- grid.412341.10000 0001 0726 4330Department of Oncology and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Joana G. Marques
- grid.412341.10000 0001 0726 4330Department of Oncology and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christopher R. Vakoc
- grid.225279.90000 0004 0387 3667Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724 USA
| | - Beat W. Schäfer
- grid.412341.10000 0001 0726 4330Department of Oncology and Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin Z. Stanton
- grid.240344.50000 0004 0392 3476Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Columbus, OH USA ,grid.261331.40000 0001 2285 7943Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH USA ,grid.261331.40000 0001 2285 7943Department of Biological Chemistry & Pharmacology, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH USA
| | - Javed Khan
- Genetics Branch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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41
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Wang L, Hensch NR, Bondra K, Sreenivas P, Zhao XR, Chen J, Moreno Campos R, Baxi K, Vaseva AV, Sunkel BD, Gryder BE, Pomella S, Stanton BZ, Zheng S, Chen EY, Rota R, Khan J, Houghton PJ, Ignatius MS. SNAI2-Mediated Repression of BIM Protects Rhabdomyosarcoma from Ionizing Radiation. Cancer Res 2021; 81:5451-5463. [PMID: 34462275 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-20-4191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Ionizing radiation (IR) and chemotherapy are mainstays of treatment for patients with rhabdomyosarcoma, yet the molecular mechanisms that underlie the success or failure of radiotherapy remain unclear. The transcriptional repressor SNAI2 was previously identified as a key regulator of IR sensitivity in normal and malignant stem cells through its repression of the proapoptotic BH3-only gene PUMA/BBC3. Here, we demonstrate a clear correlation between SNAI2 expression levels and radiosensitivity across multiple rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines. Modulating SNAI2 levels in rhabdomyosarcoma cells through its overexpression or knockdown altered radiosensitivity in vitro and in vivo. SNAI2 expression reliably promoted overall cell growth and inhibited mitochondrial apoptosis following exposure to IR, with either variable or minimal effects on differentiation and senescence, respectively. Importantly, SNAI2 knockdown increased expression of the proapoptotic BH3-only gene BIM, and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing experiments established that SNAI2 is a direct repressor of BIM/BCL2L11. Because the p53 pathway is nonfunctional in the rhabdomyosarcoma cells used in this study, we have identified a new, p53-independent SNAI2/BIM signaling axis that could potentially predict clinical responses to IR treatment and be exploited to improve rhabdomyosarcoma therapy. SIGNIFICANCE: SNAI2 is identified as a major regulator of radiation-induced apoptosis in rhabdomyosarcoma through previously unknown mechanisms independent of p53.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Wang
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Nicole R Hensch
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas.,Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Kathryn Bondra
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Prethish Sreenivas
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas.,Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Xiang R Zhao
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Jiangfei Chen
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas.,School of Environmental Safety and Public Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Rodrigo Moreno Campos
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas.,Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Kunal Baxi
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas.,Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Angelina V Vaseva
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas.,Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Benjamin D Sunkel
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Berkley E Gryder
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Silvia Pomella
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Benjamin Z Stanton
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Siyuan Zheng
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Eleanor Y Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Rossella Rota
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Javed Khan
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Peter J Houghton
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas.,Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Myron S Ignatius
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas. .,Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
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42
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Camero S, Vitali G, Pontecorvi P, Ceccarelli S, Anastasiadou E, Cicchetti F, Flex E, Pomella S, Cassandri M, Rota R, Marampon F, Marchese C, Schiavetti A, Megiorni F. DNMT3A and DNMT3B Targeting as an Effective Radiosensitizing Strategy in Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma. Cells 2021; 10:2956. [PMID: 34831178 PMCID: PMC8616246 DOI: 10.3390/cells10112956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in childhood. Recently, we demonstrated the overexpression of both DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) and 3B (DNMT3B) in RMS tumour biopsies and cell lines compared to normal skeletal muscle. Radiotherapy may often fail due to the abnormal expression of some molecules able to drive resistance mechanisms. The aim of this study was to analyse the involvement of DNMT3A and DNMT3B in radioresistance in RMS. RNA interference experiments against DNMT3A/3B were performed in embryonal RMS cells, upon ionizing radiation (IR) exposure and the effects of the combined treatment on RMS cells were analysed. DNMT3A and DNMT3B knocking down increased the sensitivity of RMS cells to IR, as indicated by the drastic decrease of colony formation ability. Interestingly, DNMT3A/3B act in two different ways: DNMT3A silencing triggers the cellular senescence program by up-regulating p16 and p21, whilst DNMT3B depletion induces significant DNA damage and impairs the DNA repair machinery (ATM, DNA-PKcs and Rad51 reduction). Our findings demonstrate for the first time that DNMT3A and DNMT3B overexpression may contribute to radiotherapy failure, and their inhibition might be a promising radiosensitizing strategy, mainly in the treatment of patients with metastatic or recurrent RMS tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Camero
- Department of Maternal, Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (S.C.); (A.S.)
| | - Giulia Vitali
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.V.); (P.P.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (C.M.)
| | - Paola Pontecorvi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.V.); (P.P.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (C.M.)
| | - Simona Ceccarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.V.); (P.P.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (C.M.)
| | - Eleni Anastasiadou
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.V.); (P.P.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (C.M.)
| | - Francesca Cicchetti
- Policlinico Umberto I Hospital, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Elisabetta Flex
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Silvia Pomella
- Group of Epigenetics of Pediatric Sarcomas, Department of Oncohematology, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Via San Paolo 15, 00146 Rome, Italy; (S.P.); (M.C.); (R.R.)
| | - Matteo Cassandri
- Group of Epigenetics of Pediatric Sarcomas, Department of Oncohematology, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Via San Paolo 15, 00146 Rome, Italy; (S.P.); (M.C.); (R.R.)
| | - Rossella Rota
- Group of Epigenetics of Pediatric Sarcomas, Department of Oncohematology, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Via San Paolo 15, 00146 Rome, Italy; (S.P.); (M.C.); (R.R.)
| | - Francesco Marampon
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Cinzia Marchese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.V.); (P.P.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (C.M.)
| | - Amalia Schiavetti
- Department of Maternal, Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (S.C.); (A.S.)
| | - Francesca Megiorni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.V.); (P.P.); (S.C.); (E.A.); (C.M.)
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Genetic Characterization, Current Model Systems and Prognostic Stratification in PAX Fusion-Negative vs. PAX Fusion-Positive Rhabdomyosarcoma. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12101500. [PMID: 34680895 PMCID: PMC8535289 DOI: 10.3390/genes12101500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children and adolescents and accounts for approximately 2% of soft tissue sarcomas in adults. It is subcategorized into distinct subtypes based on histological features and fusion status (PAX-FOXO1/VGLL2/NCOA2). Despite advances in our understanding of the pathobiological and molecular landscape of RMS, the prognosis of these tumors has not significantly improved in recent years. Developing a better understanding of genetic abnormalities and risk stratification beyond the fusion status are crucial to developing better therapeutic strategies. Herein, we aim to highlight the genetic pathways/abnormalities involved, specifically in fusion-negative RMS, assess the currently available model systems to study RMS pathogenesis, and discuss available prognostic factors as well as their importance for risk stratification to achieve optimal therapeutic management.
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Miyagaki S, Kikuchi K, Mori J, Lopaschuk GD, Iehara T, Hosoi H. Inhibition of lipid metabolism exerts antitumor effects on rhabdomyosarcoma. Cancer Med 2021; 10:6442-6455. [PMID: 34472721 PMCID: PMC8446407 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.4185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma exhibits tumor-specific energy metabolic changes that include the Warburg effect. Since targeting cancer metabolism is a promising therapeutic approach, we examined the antitumor effects of suppressing lipid metabolism in rhabdomyosarcoma. We suppressed lipid metabolism in rhabdomyosarcoma cells in vitro by administering an inhibitor of malonyl-CoA decarboxylase, which increases malonyl-CoA and decreases fatty acid oxidation. Suppression of lipid metabolism in rhabdomyosarcoma cells decreased cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest. Metabolomic analysis showed an increase in glycolysis and inactivation of the pentose phosphate pathway. Immunoblotting analysis revealed upregulated expression of the autophagy marker LC3A/B-II due to increased phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase, a nutrient sensor. p21 protein expression level also increased. Inhibition of both lipid metabolism and autophagy suppressed tumor proliferation and increased apoptosis. In vivo studies involved injection of human Rh30 cells into the gastrocnemius muscle of 6-week-old female nude mice, which were divided into normal chow and low-fat diet groups. The mice fed a low-fat diet for 21 days showed reduced tumor growth compared to normal chow diet-fed mice. Suppression of lipid metabolism disrupted the equilibrium of the cancer-specific metabolism in rhabdomyosarcoma, resulting in a tumor growth-inhibition effect. Therefore, the development of treatments focusing on the lipid dependence of rhabdomyosarcoma is highly promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Miyagaki
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ken Kikuchi
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.,Department of Pediatrics, Uji Takeda Hospital, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Jun Mori
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Gary D Lopaschuk
- Department of Pediatrics, Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Tomoko Iehara
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hajime Hosoi
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
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45
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Expression of oncogenic HRAS in human Rh28 and RMS-YM rhabdomyosarcoma cells leads to oncogene-induced senescence. Sci Rep 2021; 11:16505. [PMID: 34389744 PMCID: PMC8363632 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95355-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common pediatric soft tissue sarcoma. The two predominant histologic variants of RMS, embryonal and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (eRMS and aRMS, respectively), carry very different prognoses. While eRMS is associated with an intermediate prognosis, the 5-year survival rate of aRMS is less than 30%. The RMS subtypes are also different at the molecular level-eRMS frequently has multiple genetic alterations, including mutations in RAS and TP53, whereas aRMS often has chromosomal translocations resulting in PAX3-FOXO1 or PAX7-FOXO1 fusions, but otherwise has a "quiet" genome. Interestingly, mutations in RAS are rarely found in aRMS. In this study, we explored the role of oncogenic RAS in aRMS. We found that while ectopic oncogenic HRAS expression was tolerated in the human RAS-driven eRMS cell line RD, it was detrimental to cell growth and proliferation in the human aRMS cell line Rh28. Growth inhibition was mediated by oncogene-induced senescence and associated with increased RB pathway activity and expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p16 and p21. Unexpectedly, the human eRMS cell line RMS-YM, a RAS wild-type eRMS cell line, also exhibited growth inhibition in response to oncogenic HRAS in a manner similar to aRMS Rh28 cells. This work suggests that oncogenic RAS is expressed in a context-dependent manner in RMS and may provide insight into the differential origins and therapeutic opportunities for RMS subtypes.
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46
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Fordham AM, Ekert PG, Fleuren EDG. Precision medicine and phosphoproteomics for the identification of novel targeted therapeutic avenues in sarcomas. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2021; 1876:188613. [PMID: 34390800 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2021.188613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Rapid advances in genomic technologies have enabled in-depth interrogation of cancer genomes, revealing novel and unexpected therapeutic targets in many cancer types. Identifying actionable dependencies in the diverse and heterogeneous group of sarcomas, particularly those that occur in children or adolescents and young adults (AYAs), remains especially challenging. These patients rarely harbor actionable genomic aberrations, no targeted agent is approved, and outcomes have remained poor for the past decades. This underlines a clear need to refine our methods for target identification. Phosphoproteomics studies in sarcoma showed the power of such analyses to capture novel actionable drivers that are not accompanied by mutational events or gene amplifications. This Review makes the case that incorporating phosphoproteomic molecular profiling alongside (functional) genomics technologies can significantly expand therapeutic target identification, and pinpoint drug mechanisms of action, in pediatric and AYA sarcoma patients. We explore the utility and prospects of phosphoproteomics in personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashleigh M Fordham
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Paul G Ekert
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia; School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia; Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Emmy D G Fleuren
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia; School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.
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47
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Skrzypek K, Adamek G, Kot M, Badyra B, Majka M. Progression and Differentiation of Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma Is Regulated by PAX7 Transcription Factor-Significance of Tumor Subclones. Cells 2021; 10:1870. [PMID: 34440639 PMCID: PMC8391953 DOI: 10.3390/cells10081870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), is the most frequent soft tissue tumor in children that originates from disturbances in differentiation process. Mechanisms leading to the development of RMS are still poorly understood. Therefore, by analysis of two RMS RH30 cell line subclones, one subclone PAX7 negative, while the second one PAX7 positive, and comparison with other RMS cell lines we aimed at identifying new mechanisms crucial for RMS progression. RH30 subclones were characterized by the same STR profile, but different morphology, rate of proliferation, migration activity and chemotactic abilities in vitro, as well as differences in tumor morphology and growth in vivo. Our analysis indicated a different level of expression of adhesion molecules (e.g., from VLA and ICAM families), myogenic microRNAs, such as miR-206 and transcription factors, such as MYOD, MYOG, SIX1, and ID. Silencing of PAX7 transcription factor with siRNA confirmed the crucial role of PAX7 transcription factor in proliferation, differentiation and migration of RMS cells. To conclude, our results suggest that tumor cell lines with the same STR profile can produce subclones that differ in many features and indicate crucial roles of PAX7 and ID proteins in the development of RMS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Marcin Majka
- Department of Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pediatrics, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 30-663 Krakow, Poland; (G.A.); (M.K.); (B.B.)
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48
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HER Tyrosine Kinase Family and Rhabdomyosarcoma: Role in Onset and Targeted Therapy. Cells 2021; 10:cells10071808. [PMID: 34359977 PMCID: PMC8305095 DOI: 10.3390/cells10071808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) are tumors of the skeletal muscle lineage. Two main features allow for distinction between subtypes: morphology and presence/absence of a translocation between the PAX3 (or PAX7) and FOXO1 genes. The two main subtypes are fusion-positive alveolar RMS (ARMS) and fusion-negative embryonal RMS (ERMS). This review will focus on the role of receptor tyrosine kinases of the human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family that is comprised EGFR itself, HER2, HER3 and HER4 in RMS onset and the potential therapeutic targeting of receptor tyrosine kinases. EGFR is highly expressed by ERMS tumors and cell lines, in some cases contributing to tumor growth. If not mutated, HER2 is not directly involved in control of RMS cell growth but can be expressed at significant levels. A minority of ERMS carries a HER2 mutation with driving activity on tumor growth. HER3 is frequently overexpressed by RMS and can play a role in the residual myogenic differentiation ability and in resistance to signaling-directed therapy. HER family members could be exploited for therapeutic approaches in two ways: blocking the HER member (playing a driving role for tumor growth with antibodies or inhibitors) and targeting expressed HER members to vehiculate toxins or immune effectors.
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49
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Rossi F, Centrón-Broco A, Dattilo D, Di Timoteo G, Guarnacci M, Colantoni A, Beltran Nebot M, Bozzoni I. CircVAMP3: A circRNA with a Role in Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma Cell Cycle Progression. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12070985. [PMID: 34203273 PMCID: PMC8303801 DOI: 10.3390/genes12070985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a class of covalently closed RNAs formed by a back-splicing reaction, have been involved in the regulation of diverse oncogenic processes. In this article we describe circVAMP3, a novel circular RNA overexpressed in RH4, a representative cell line of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. We demonstrated that circVAMP3 has a differential m6A pattern opposed to its linear counterpart, suggesting that the two isoforms can be differently regulated by such RNA modification. Moreover, we show how circVAMP3 depletion in alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma cells can impair cell cycle progression, through the alteration of the AKT-related pathways, pointing to this non-coding RNA as a novel regulator of the alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma progression and as a putative future therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Rossi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; (F.R.); (A.C.-B.); (D.D.); (G.D.T.); (M.G.); (M.B.N.)
| | - Alvaro Centrón-Broco
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; (F.R.); (A.C.-B.); (D.D.); (G.D.T.); (M.G.); (M.B.N.)
| | - Dario Dattilo
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; (F.R.); (A.C.-B.); (D.D.); (G.D.T.); (M.G.); (M.B.N.)
| | - Gaia Di Timoteo
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; (F.R.); (A.C.-B.); (D.D.); (G.D.T.); (M.G.); (M.B.N.)
| | - Marco Guarnacci
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; (F.R.); (A.C.-B.); (D.D.); (G.D.T.); (M.G.); (M.B.N.)
| | - Alessio Colantoni
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Manuel Beltran Nebot
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; (F.R.); (A.C.-B.); (D.D.); (G.D.T.); (M.G.); (M.B.N.)
| | - Irene Bozzoni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; (F.R.); (A.C.-B.); (D.D.); (G.D.T.); (M.G.); (M.B.N.)
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), 00161 Rome, Italy;
- Correspondence:
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Brack E, Bender S, Wachtel M, Pruschy M, Schäfer BW. Fenretinide Acts as Potent Radiosensitizer for Treatment of Rhabdomyosarcoma Cells. Front Oncol 2021; 11:664462. [PMID: 34211841 PMCID: PMC8239363 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.664462] [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: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma (FP-RMS) is a highly aggressive childhood malignancy which is mainly treated by conventional chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. Since radiotherapy is associated with a high burden of late side effects in pediatric patients, addition of radiosensitizers would be beneficial. Here, we thought to assess the role of fenretinide, a potential agent for FP-RMS treatment, as radiosensitizer. Survival of human FP-RMS cells was assessed after combination therapy with fenretinide and ionizing radiation (IR) by cell viability and clonogenicity assays. Indeed, this was found to significantly reduce cell viability compared to single treatments. Mechanistically, this was accompanied by enhanced production of reactive oxygen species, initiation of cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis. Interestingly, the combination treatment also triggered a new form of dynamin-dependent macropinocytosis, which was previously described in fenretinide-only treated cells. Our data suggest that fenretinide acts in combination with IR to induce cell death in FP-RMS cells and therefore might represent a novel radiosensitizer for the treatment of this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Brack
- Department of Oncology, Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Bender
- Department of Radiology Biology, University Hospital Zurich, Radio-Oncology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marco Wachtel
- Department of Oncology, Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Martin Pruschy
- Department of Radiology Biology, University Hospital Zurich, Radio-Oncology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Beat W Schäfer
- Department of Oncology, Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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