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Banerjee K, Kerzel T, Bekkhus T, de Souza Ferreira S, Wallmann T, Wallerius M, Landwehr LS, Agardy DA, Schauer N, Malmerfeldt A, Bergh J, Bartish M, Hartman J, Östman A, Squadrito ML, Rolny C. VEGF-C-expressing TAMs rewire the metastatic fate of breast cancer cells. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113507. [PMID: 38041815 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113507] [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: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The expression of pro-lymphangiogenic VEGF-C in primary tumors is associated with sentinel lymph node metastasis in most solid cancer types. However, the impact of VEGF-C on distant organ metastasis remains unclear. Perivascular tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a crucial role in guiding hematogenous spread of cancer cells by establishing metastatic pathways within the tumor microenvironment. This process supports breast cancer cell intravasation and metastatic dissemination. We show here that VEGF-C-expressing TAMs reduce the dissemination of mammary cancer cells to the lungs while concurrently increasing lymph node metastasis. These TAMs express podoplanin and interact with normalized tumor blood vessels expressing VEGFR3. Moreover, clinical data suggest inverse association between VEGF-C-expressing TAMs and breast cancer malignancy. Thus, our study elucidates the paradoxical role of VEGF-C-expressing TAMs in redirecting cancer cells to preferentially disseminate to lymph nodes rather than to lungs, partially achieved by normalizing tumor blood vessels and promoting lymphangiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaveri Banerjee
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Thomas Kerzel
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy; Vita Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Tove Bekkhus
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Tatjana Wallmann
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Majken Wallerius
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | | | - Nele Schauer
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Malmerfeldt
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jonas Bergh
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden; Breast Center, Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center and Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Margarita Bartish
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden; Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology, Segal Cancer Centre, Lady Davis Institute and Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3T 1E2, Canada
| | - Johan Hartman
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Clinical Pathology and Cancer Diagnostics, Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Arne Östman
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mario Leonardo Squadrito
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy; Vita Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy.
| | - Charlotte Rolny
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden.
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2
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Kim G, Karadal-Ferrena B, Qin J, Sharma VP, Oktay IS, Lin Y, Ye X, Asiry S, Pastoriza JM, Cheng E, Ladak N, Condeelis JS, Adler E, Ginter PS, D'Alfonso T, Entenberg D, Xue X, Sparano JA, Oktay MH. Racial disparity in tumor microenvironment and distant recurrence in residual breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. NPJ Breast Cancer 2023; 9:52. [PMID: 37311792 PMCID: PMC10264351 DOI: 10.1038/s41523-023-00547-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Black, compared to white, women with residual estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) have worse distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS). Such racial disparity may be due to difference in density of portals for systemic cancer cell dissemination, called TMEM doorways, and pro-metastatic tumor microenvironment (TME). Here, we evaluate residual cancer specimens after NAC from 96 Black and 87 white women. TMEM doorways are visualized by triple immunohistochemistry, and cancer stem cells by immunofluorescence for SOX9. The correlation between TMEM doorway score and pro-metastatic TME parameters with DRFS is examined using log-rank and multivariate Cox regression. Black, compared to white, patients are more likely to develop distant recurrence (49% vs 34.5%, p = 0.07), receive mastectomy (69.8% vs 54%, p = 0.04), and have higher grade tumors (p = 0.002). Tumors from Black patients have higher TMEM doorway and macrophages density overall (p = 0.002; p = 0.002, respectively) and in the ER+/HER2- (p = 0.02; p = 0.02, respectively), but not in the triple negative disease. Furthermore, high TMEM doorway score is associated with worse DRFS. TMEM doorway score is an independent prognostic factor in the entire study population (HR, 2.02; 95%CI, 1.18-3.46; p = 0.01), with a strong trend in ER+/HER2- disease (HR, 2.38; 95%CI, 0.96-5.95; p = 0.06). SOX9 expression is not associated with racial disparity in TME or outcome. In conclusion, higher TMEM doorway density in residual breast cancer after NAC is associated with higher distant recurrence risk, and Black patients are associated with higher TMEM doorway density, suggesting that TMEM doorway density may contribute to racial disparities in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Kim
- Department of Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Burcu Karadal-Ferrena
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Basic Oncology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Jiyue Qin
- Department of Epidemiology & Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Ved P Sharma
- Bio-Imaging Resource Center, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Isabelle S Oktay
- College of Art and Sciences, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yu Lin
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Xianjun Ye
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
- Integrated Imaging Program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Saeed Asiry
- Department of Pathology, Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jessica M Pastoriza
- Department of Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | | | - Nurfiza Ladak
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - John S Condeelis
- Department of Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
- Integrated Imaging Program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Esther Adler
- Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Paula S Ginter
- Department of Pathology, NYU Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY, USA
| | - Timothy D'Alfonso
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - David Entenberg
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
- Integrated Imaging Program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Xiaonan Xue
- Department of Epidemiology & Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Joseph A Sparano
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Tisch Cancer Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Maja H Oktay
- Department of Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA.
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA.
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA.
- Integrated Imaging Program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA.
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3
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Ye X, Oktay MH, Xue X, Rohan TE, Ginter PS, D’Alfonso T, Kornaga EN, Morris DG, Entenberg D, Condeelis JS. Combining TMEM Doorway Score and Mena Calc Score Improves the Prediction of Distant Recurrence Risk in HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer Patients. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:2168. [PMID: 35565297 PMCID: PMC9101795 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14092168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE to develop several digital pathology-based machine vision algorithms for combining TMEM and MenaCalc scores and determine if a combination of these biomarkers improves the ability to predict development of distant metastasis over and above that of either biomarker alone. METHODS This retrospective study included a subset of 130 patients (65 patients with no recurrence and 65 patients with a recurrence at 5 years) from the Calgary Tamoxifen cohort of breast cancer patients. Patients had confirmed invasive breast cancer and received adjuvant tamoxifen therapy. Of the 130 patients, 86 cases were suitable for analysis in this study. Sequential sections of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded patient samples were stained for TMEM doorways (immunohistochemistry triple staining) and MenaCalc (immunofluorescence staining). Stained sections were imaged, aligned, and then scored for TMEM doorways and MenaCalc. Different ways of combining TMEM doorway and MenaCalc scores were evaluated and compared to identify the best performing combined marker by using the restricted mean survival time (RMST) difference method. RESULTS the best performing combined marker gave an RMST difference of 5.27 years (95% CI: 1.71-8.37), compared to 3.56 years (95% CI: 0.95-6.1) for the associated standalone TMEM doorway analysis and 2.94 years (95% CI: 0.25-5.87) for the associated standalone MenaCalc analysis. CONCLUSIONS combining TMEM doorway and MenaCalc scores as a new biomarker improves prognostication over that observed with TMEM doorway or MenaCalc Score alone in this cohort of 86 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianjun Ye
- Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (X.Y.); (M.H.O.)
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Integrated Imaging Program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Maja H. Oktay
- Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (X.Y.); (M.H.O.)
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Integrated Imaging Program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Xiaonan Xue
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (X.X.); (T.E.R.)
| | - Thomas E. Rohan
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (X.X.); (T.E.R.)
| | - Paula S. Ginter
- Department of Pathology, NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island, Mineola, NY 11501, USA;
| | - Timothy D’Alfonso
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA;
| | - Elizabeth N. Kornaga
- Translational Laboratories, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary, AB T2N 4N2, Canada; (E.N.K.); (D.G.M.)
- Department of Oncology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N2, Canada
| | - Don G. Morris
- Translational Laboratories, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary, AB T2N 4N2, Canada; (E.N.K.); (D.G.M.)
- Department of Oncology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N2, Canada
| | - David Entenberg
- Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (X.Y.); (M.H.O.)
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Integrated Imaging Program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - John S. Condeelis
- Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; (X.Y.); (M.H.O.)
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Integrated Imaging Program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
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Mungenast F, Fernando A, Nica R, Boghiu B, Lungu B, Batra J, Ecker RC. Next-Generation Digital Histopathology of the Tumor Microenvironment. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:538. [PMID: 33917241 PMCID: PMC8068063 DOI: 10.3390/genes12040538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Progress in cancer research is substantially dependent on innovative technologies that permit a concerted analysis of the tumor microenvironment and the cellular phenotypes resulting from somatic mutations and post-translational modifications. In view of a large number of genes, multiplied by differential splicing as well as post-translational protein modifications, the ability to identify and quantify the actual phenotypes of individual cell populations in situ, i.e., in their tissue environment, has become a prerequisite for understanding tumorigenesis and cancer progression. The need for quantitative analyses has led to a renaissance of optical instruments and imaging techniques. With the emergence of precision medicine, automated analysis of a constantly increasing number of cellular markers and their measurement in spatial context have become increasingly necessary to understand the molecular mechanisms that lead to different pathways of disease progression in individual patients. In this review, we summarize the joint effort that academia and industry have undertaken to establish methods and protocols for molecular profiling and immunophenotyping of cancer tissues for next-generation digital histopathology-which is characterized by the use of whole-slide imaging (brightfield, widefield fluorescence, confocal, multispectral, and/or multiplexing technologies) combined with state-of-the-art image cytometry and advanced methods for machine and deep learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicitas Mungenast
- Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- TissueGnostics GmbH, 1020 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Achala Fernando
- Translational Research Institute, 37 Kent Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia; (A.F.); (J.B.)
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia
| | | | - Bogdan Boghiu
- TissueGnostics SRL, 700028 Iasi, Romania; (B.B.); (B.L.)
| | - Bianca Lungu
- TissueGnostics SRL, 700028 Iasi, Romania; (B.B.); (B.L.)
| | - Jyotsna Batra
- Translational Research Institute, 37 Kent Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia; (A.F.); (J.B.)
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia
| | - Rupert C. Ecker
- TissueGnostics GmbH, 1020 Vienna, Austria;
- Translational Research Institute, 37 Kent Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia; (A.F.); (J.B.)
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia
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Men X, Su M, Ma J, Mou Y, Dai P, Chen C, Cheng XA. Overexpression of TMEM47 Induces Tamoxifen Resistance in Human Breast Cancer Cells. Technol Cancer Res Treat 2021; 20:15330338211004916. [PMID: 33745390 PMCID: PMC7989118 DOI: 10.1177/15330338211004916] [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] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Tamoxifen (TAM) is the eminent first-line drug for endocrine therapy of hormone receptor positive premenopausal breast cancer and reduces the risk of recurrence by ∼50%. However, many patients developed TAM resistance and their diseases recurred. Our previous study on transcriptome profile of TAM resistant breast cancer cells revealed that the TMEM47 is one of the most significantly differentially expressed genes. The mechanism of how TMEM47 is involved in TAM resistance was not known. Methods: We constructed a mammal breast cancer cell line, in which TMEM47 was stably overexpressed (TMEM47-OE/MCF-7), to further verify the role of TMEM47 in TAM resistance. siRNA targeting TMEM47 was transfected into TAMR / MCF-7 cells by Liposome. TMEM47 expression was validated on mRNA and protein level by qRT-PCR and western blotting. We tested the cytotoxicity of TAM in the cells. Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Results: Compared to the MCF7 cells, TMEM47 mRNA was significantly up regulated more than 6 folds in the TAMR/MCF7 cells and so its protein. TMEM47 expression level in TMEM47-OE/MCF-7 was similar as in the TAMR/MCF-7 cells. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) value (mean ± SD) of TAM in MCF-7, TAMR/MCF-7 and TMEM47-OE/MCF-7 cells was 1.58 ± 0.19, 2.74 ± 0.24 and 3.12 ± 0.32 µγ/mL, respectively. The apoptosis rates of TAMR/MCF-7 and TMEM47-OE/MCF-7 cell lines were significantly lower than that of MCF-7 cells. After 24 and 48 hours TAM treatments, cell viability was significantly inhibitied in TMEM47 knockdown TAMR/MCF7 cells (P < 0.01). Consistant with the decreased cell viability, the apoptosis rate in TMEM47 knockdown TAMR/MCF-7 cells was significantly increased. Conclusions: Our results suggest that overexpression of TMEM47 in MCF-7 cells acquired TAM resistance to those cells, and knockdown of TMEM47 in TAMR/MCF-7 cells reversed their resistance to TAM. TMEM47 might confer TAM resistance on MCF-7 cells through the inhibition of apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Men
- School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.,Microbiology Institute of Shaanxi, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Mengyang Su
- School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jun Ma
- Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yueyang Mou
- School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Penggao Dai
- School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.,Lifegen Co. Ltd., Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Chao Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xi An Cheng
- Tongchuan people's Hospital, Tongchuan, Shaanxi, China
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