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Sung JY, Lee JW. Telomere maintenance mechanism subtype reveals different immune activity in vestibular schwannoma. J Neurooncol 2023; 165:113-126. [PMID: 37864645 PMCID: PMC10638157 DOI: 10.1007/s11060-023-04458-5] [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: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The immortality of cancer cells relies on maintaining the length of telomeres, which prevents cellular senescence and enables unlimited replication. However, little is currently known about telomerase activity and the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) in vestibular schwannomas. In this study we aimed to elucidate the role that telomerase and ALTs play in vestibular schwannomas. METHODS To address this gap, we conducted a study where we used the gene set variation analysis algorithm with bulk RNA-seq and single-cell RNA-seq to identify the characteristics of each group of patients with vestibular schwannomas, based on their telomere maintenance mechanism subtype. RESULTS Our findings suggest that patients with relatively high ALT-like groups have a better prognosis than those with relatively high telomerase groups. Specifically, we found that the high telomerase group had relatively higher antigen-presenting cell (APC) activity than the high ALT like group. At the single-cell level, microglia, neutrophils, and fibroblasts showed high telomerase activity and relatively high APC activity compared to other cell types. In addition, Schwann cells in the group with low ALT levels exhibited elevated immune activity at the single-cell level. CONCLUSION These results suggest that personalized drug therapy could be developed from the perspective of precision medicine for patients with relatively high telomerase activity and a high ALT-like group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Yong Sung
- Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, 55, Expo-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34126, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jung Woo Lee
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Republic of Korea.
- Yonsei Institute of Sports Science and Exercise Medicine, Wonju, Republic of Korea.
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2
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Ali JH, Walter M. Combining old and new concepts in targeting telomerase for cancer therapy: transient, immediate, complete and combinatory attack (TICCA). Cancer Cell Int 2023; 23:197. [PMID: 37679807 PMCID: PMC10483736 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-023-03041-2] [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: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomerase can overcome replicative senescence by elongation of telomeres but is also a specific element in most cancer cells. It is expressed more vastly than any other tumor marker. Telomerase as a tumor target inducing replicative immortality can be overcome by only one other mechanism: alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). This limits the probability to develop resistance to treatments. Moreover, telomerase inhibition offers some degree of specificity with a low risk of toxicity in normal cells. Nevertheless, only one telomerase antagonist reached late preclinical studies. The underlying causes, the pitfalls of telomerase-based therapies, and future chances based on recent technical advancements are summarized in this review. Based on new findings and approaches, we propose a concept how long-term survival in telomerase-based cancer therapies can be significantly improved: the TICCA (Transient Immediate Complete and Combinatory Attack) strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaber Haj Ali
- Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Universitätsmedizin Rostock, Ernst-Heydemann-Straße 6, 18057, Rostock, Germany
| | - Michael Walter
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Universitätsmedizin Rostock, Ernst-Heydemann-Straße 6, 18057, Rostock, Germany.
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3
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Zhao B, Wu B, Feng N, Zhang X, Zhang X, Wei Y, Zhang W. Aging microenvironment and antitumor immunity for geriatric oncology: the landscape and future implications. J Hematol Oncol 2023; 16:28. [PMID: 36945046 PMCID: PMC10032017 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-023-01426-4] [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: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) has been extensively investigated; however, it is complex and remains unclear, especially in elderly patients. Senescence is a cellular response to a variety of stress signals, which is characterized by stable arrest of the cell cycle and major changes in cell morphology and physiology. To the best of our knowledge, senescence leads to consistent arrest of tumor cells and remodeling of the tumor-immune microenvironment (TIME) by activating a set of pleiotropic cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, and proteinases, which constitute the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). On the one hand, the SASP promotes antitumor immunity, which enhances treatment efficacy; on the other hand, the SASP increases immunosuppressive cell infiltration, including myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), regulatory T cells (Tregs), M2 macrophages, and N2 neutrophils, contributing to TIME suppression. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the regulation of the SASP and components contributing to robust antitumor immunity in elderly individuals with different cancer types and the available therapies is necessary to control tumor cell senescence and provide greater clinical benefits to patients. In this review, we summarize the key biological functions mediated by cytokines and intercellular interactions and significant components of the TME landscape, which influence the immunotherapy response in geriatric oncology. Furthermore, we summarize recent advances in clinical practices targeting TME components and discuss potential senescent TME targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binghao Zhao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang University, 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, China
- Departments of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100032, China
| | - Bo Wu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang University, 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, China
- Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China
| | - Nan Feng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang University, 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, China
- Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China
| | - Xiang Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang University, 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, China
- Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang University, 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, China
- Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China
| | - Yiping Wei
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang University, 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, China
| | - Wenxiong Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang University, 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, China.
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4
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Robinson NJ, Schiemann WP. Amplification and Quantitation of Telomeric Extrachromosomal Circles. Bio Protoc 2023; 13:e4627. [PMID: 36908640 PMCID: PMC9993076 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4627] [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: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are structures that cap the ends of linear chromosomes and play critical roles in maintaining genome integrity and establishing the replicative lifespan of cells. In stem and cancer cells, telomeres are actively elongated by either telomerase or the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway. This pathway is characterized by several hallmark features, including extrachromosomal C-rich circular DNAs that can be probed to assess ALT activity. These so-called C-circles are the product of ALT-associated DNA damage repair processes and simultaneously serve as potential templates for iterative telomere extension. This bifunctional nature makes C-circles highly sensitive and specific markers of ALT. Here, we describe a C-circle assay, adapted from previous reports, that enables the quantitation of C-circle abundance in mammalian cells subjected to a wide range of experimental perturbations. This protocol combines the Quick C-circle Preparation (QCP) method for DNA isolation with fluorometry-based DNA quantification, rolling circle amplification (RCA), and detection of C-circles using quantitative PCR. Moreover, the inclusion of internal standards with well-characterized telomere maintenance mechanisms (TMMs) allows for the reliable benchmarking of cells with unknown TMM status. Overall, our work builds upon existing protocols to create a generalizable workflow for in vitro C-circle quantitation and ascertainment of TMM identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel J Robinson
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
| | - William P Schiemann
- Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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5
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Sung JY, Cheong JH. Single Cell Analysis of Gastric Cancer Reveals Non-Defined Telomere Maintenance Mechanism. Cells 2022; 11:3342. [PMID: 36359738 PMCID: PMC9657924 DOI: 10.3390/cells11213342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomere maintenance mechanisms (TMMs) are important for cell survival and homeostasis. However, most related cancer research studies have used heterogenous bulk tumor tissue, which consists of various single cells, and the cell type properties cannot be precisely recognized. In particular, cells exhibiting non-defined TMM (NDTMM) indicate a poorer prognosis than those exhibiting alternative lengthening of telomere (ALT)-like mechanisms. In this study, we used bioinformatics to classify TMMs by cell type in gastric cancer (GC) in single cells and compared the biological processes of each TMM. We elucidated the pharmacological vulnerabilities of NDTMM type cells, which are associated with poor prognosis, based on molecular mechanisms. We analyzed differentially expressed genes in cells exhibiting different TMMs in two single-cell GC cohorts and the pathways enriched in single cells. NDTMM type cells showed high stemness, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cancer hallmark activity, and metabolic reprogramming with mitochondrial abnormalities. Nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A member 1 (NR4A1) activated parkin-dependent mitophagy in association with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFA) to maintain cellular homeostasis without TMM. NR4A1 overexpression affected TNFA-induced GC cell apoptosis by inhibiting Jun N-terminal kinase/parkin-dependent mitophagy. Our findings also revealed that NR4A1 is involved in cell cycle mediation, inflammation, and apoptosis to maintain cell homeostasis, and is a novel potential therapeutic target in recalcitrant GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Yong Sung
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - Jae-Ho Cheong
- Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
- Yonsei Biomedical Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
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6
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Sung JY, Yun W, Kim HY, Kim HJ, Choi JR, Kim SH, Jung CW, Lee ST. Metabolic subtype reveals potential therapeutic vulnerability in acute promyelocytic leukaemia. Clin Transl Med 2022; 12:e964. [PMID: 35808815 PMCID: PMC9270575 DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Yong Sung
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Woobin Yun
- Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hyun-Young Kim
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hee-Jin Kim
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jong Rak Choi
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.,Dxome Co. Ltd., Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
| | - Sun-Hee Kim
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Chul Won Jung
- Department of Internal Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Seung-Tae Lee
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.,Dxome Co. Ltd., Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
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7
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Zhang Y, Luo S, Jia Y, Zhang X. Telomere maintenance mechanism dysregulation serves as an early predictor of adjuvant therapy response and a potential therapeutic target in human cancers. Int J Cancer 2022; 151:313-327. [PMID: 35342938 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.34007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Telomere maintenance mechanisms (TMMs) rescue cells from telomere crisis, endow cells immortal property, stabilize genomic integrity. However, TMM-associated molecular profiles and their clinical outcomes in cancer remain elusive. Here, we performed a pan-cancer and integrated analysis of TMM gene expression profiles from 10,107 unique samples with clinicopathological, molecular and outcome features across 7 malignancies from the same microarray platform (Affymetrix GPL570 platform). This resource was divided into Case-Control datasets for obtaining dysregulated TMM genes and Survival datasets for evaluating clinical outcomes. Multidimensional data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were used to elucidate associations between TMM dysregulation and survival, genomic instability. Our results demonstrated that TMMs had a consistent dysregulation spectrum across cancers, based on which we developed the TMM-dysregulation signature TMScore that was positively associated with various tumor adverse features. Two opposite prognostic patterns of TMScore independent of clinicopathological and molecular characteristics were identified, which might be explained by genomic instability: breast and lung cancer patients with elevated TMScore had inferior outcomes, suggesting TMScore-related genes as potential therapeutic targets, on the contrary, colon and stomach cancer patients had superior outcomes. Most important, the prognostic value of TMScore was still significant regardless of whether patients had received adjuvant therapy, which was valuable for discriminating non-responders from responders, and could predict the effectiveness of adjuvant therapy. In summary, our resources delineate TMMs dysregulated landscape across cancers, shed light on the impact of TMMs dysregulation on patient outcomes and adjuvant therapy, and provide novel therapeutic opportunities for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajing Zhang
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Molecular Probe and Targeted Theranostics, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.,Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Child Development and Genetic Research, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Shangyi Luo
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Molecular Probe and Targeted Theranostics, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.,Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Child Development and Genetic Research, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Ying Jia
- Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Child Development and Genetic Research, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.,Department of Child and Adolescent Health, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Xue Zhang
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Molecular Probe and Targeted Theranostics, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.,Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Child Development and Genetic Research, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
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8
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Sandru F, Petca RC, Carsote M, Petca A, Dumitrascu M, Ghemigian A. Adrenocortical carcinoma: Pediatric aspects (Review). Exp Ther Med 2022; 23:287. [DOI: 10.3892/etm.2022.11216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Florica Sandru
- Department of Dermatology, ‘Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Răzvan-Cosmin Petca
- Department of Urology, ‘Carol Davila’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Mara Carsote
- Department of Endocrinology, ‘Carol Davila’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Aida Petca
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ‘Carol Davila’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Mihai Dumitrascu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ‘Carol Davila’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Adina Ghemigian
- Department of Endocrinology, ‘Carol Davila’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
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9
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Sung JY, Cheong JH. Pan-Cancer Analysis of Clinical Relevance via Telomere Maintenance Mechanism. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222011101. [PMID: 34681758 PMCID: PMC8538844 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222011101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the telomere maintenance mechanism (TMM) in immortal cancer cells is vital for TMM-targeted therapies in clinical settings. In this study, we classified four telomere maintenance mechanisms into telomerase, ALT, telomerase + ALT, and non-defined telomere maintenance mechanism (NDTMM) across 31 cancer types using 10,704 transcriptomic datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Our results demonstrated that approximately 50% of the total cohort displayed ALT activity with high telomerase activity in most cancer types. We confirmed significant patient prognoses according to distinct TMMs in six cancer types: adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), PAAD, HNSC, SARC, GBM, and metastatic cancer. Patients with metastasis had a poor prognosis in the ALT group (p < 0.006) subjected to RAS protein signal transduction. Glioblastoma patients had poor prognosis in NDTMM (p < 0.0043) and showed high levels of myeloid leukocyte activation. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (p < 0.04) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (p < 0.046) patients had a good prognosis in the ALT group with high immune cell activation. Furthermore, we showed that master transcriptional regulators might affect the selection of the TMM pathway and explained why different telomere maintenance mechanisms exist. Furthermore, they can be used to segregate patients and predict responders to different TMM-targeted therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Yong Sung
- Department of Biomedical Systems Informatics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea;
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - Jae-Ho Cheong
- Department of Biomedical Systems Informatics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea;
- Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
- Yonsei Biomedical Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
- Department of Research & Development, VeraVerse Inc., Seoul 03722, Korea
- Correspondence:
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10
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Sung J, Cheong J. Alternative lengthening of telomeres is mechanistically linked to potential therapeutic vulnerability in the stem-like subtype of gastric cancer. Clin Transl Med 2021; 11:e561. [PMID: 34586731 PMCID: PMC8438564 DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ji‐Yong Sung
- Department of Biomedical Systems InformaticsYonsei University College of MedicineSeoulKorea
| | - Jae‐Ho Cheong
- Department of Biomedical Systems InformaticsYonsei University College of MedicineSeoulKorea
- Department of SurgeryYonsei University College of MedicineSeoulKorea
- Yonsei Biomedical Research InstituteYonsei University College of MedicineSeoulKorea
- Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical ScienceYonsei University College of MedicineSeoulKorea
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyYonsei University College of MedicineSeoulKorea
- Department of Research & developmentVeraVerse Inc.SeoulKorea
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11
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MacKenzie D, Watters AK, To JT, Young MW, Muratori J, Wilkoff MH, Abraham RG, Plummer MM, Zhang D. ALT Positivity in Human Cancers: Prevalence and Clinical Insights. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:2384. [PMID: 34069193 PMCID: PMC8156225 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13102384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Many exciting advances in cancer-related telomere biology have been made in the past decade. Of these recent advances, great progress has also been made with respect to the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) pathway. Along with a better understanding of the molecular mechanism of this unique telomere maintenance pathway, many studies have also evaluated ALT activity in various cancer subtypes. We first briefly review and assess a variety of commonly used ALT biomarkers. Then, we provide both an update on ALT-positive (ALT+) tumor prevalence as well as a systematic clinical assessment of the presently studied ALT+ malignancies. Additionally, we discuss the pathogenetic alterations in ALT+ cancers, for example, the mutation status of ATRX and DAXX, and their correlations with the activation of the ALT pathway. Finally, we highlight important ALT+ clinical associations within each cancer subtype and subdivisions within, as well as their prognoses. We hope this alternative perspective will allow scientists, clinicians, and drug developers to have greater insight into the ALT cancers so that together, we may develop more efficacious treatments and improved management strategies to meet the urgent needs of cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Maria M. Plummer
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA; (D.M.J.); (A.K.W.); (J.T.T.); (M.W.Y.); (J.M.); (M.H.W.); (R.G.A.)
| | - Dong Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA; (D.M.J.); (A.K.W.); (J.T.T.); (M.W.Y.); (J.M.); (M.H.W.); (R.G.A.)
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12
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Subasri M, Shooshtari P, Watson AJ, Betts DH. Analysis of TERT Isoforms across TCGA, GTEx and CCLE Datasets. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13081853. [PMID: 33924498 PMCID: PMC8070023 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13081853] [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: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Reactivation of the multi-subunit ribonucleoprotein telomerase is the primary telomere maintenance mechanism in cancer, but it is rate-limited by the enzymatic component, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). While regulatory in nature, TERT alternative splice variant/isoform regulation and functions are not fully elucidated and are further complicated by their highly diverse expression and nature. Our primary objective was to characterize TERT isoform expression across 7887 neoplastic and 2099 normal tissue samples using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Genotype-Tissue Expression Project (GTEx), respectively. We confirmed the global overexpression and splicing shift towards full-length TERT in neoplastic tissue. Stratifying by tissue type we found uncharacteristic TERT expression in normal brain tissue subtypes. Stratifying by tumor-specific subtypes, we detailed TERT expression differences potentially regulated by subtype-specific molecular characteristics. Focusing on β-deletion splicing regulation, we found the NOVA1 trans-acting factor to mediate alternative splicing in a cancer-dependent manner. Of relevance to future tissue-specific studies, we clustered cancer cell lines with tumors from related origin based on TERT isoform expression patterns. Taken together, our work has reinforced the need for tissue and tumour-specific TERT investigations, provided avenues to do so, and brought to light the current technical limitations of bioinformatic analyses of TERT isoform expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathushan Subasri
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada; (M.S.); (A.J.W.)
| | - Parisa Shooshtari
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON M5G 0A3, Canada;
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
- Department of Computer Science, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
- The Children’s Health Research Institute—Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON N6C 2R5, Canada
| | - Andrew J. Watson
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada; (M.S.); (A.J.W.)
- The Children’s Health Research Institute—Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON N6C 2R5, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Dean H. Betts
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada; (M.S.); (A.J.W.)
- The Children’s Health Research Institute—Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON N6C 2R5, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-519-661-2111 (ext. 83786)
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13
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Sung JY, Cheong JH. Pan-Cancer Analysis Reveals Distinct Metabolic Reprogramming in Different Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Activity States. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13081778. [PMID: 33917859 PMCID: PMC8068218 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13081778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Recent genomic classification of tumors has stated that clinically refractory cancers aggregate as a distinct molecular subtype associated with epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). EMT subtype tumors are clinically intractable due to shared malignant characteristics such as poor prognosis and metastasis and are resistant to chemotherapy and immune checkpoint blockades. Therefore, there is an urgent clinical need for the identification of potential therapeutic targets for this tumor subtype. Here, we profiled the metabolic signatures of 9452 samples across 31 cancer types based on EMT activity and identified that ~80 to 90% of cancer types had high carbohydrate and energy metabolism associated with the high EMT state. Furthermore, we identified CHST14 as a potential metabolic target for the EMT subtype for stomach cancer associated with reprogramming of energy metabolism. Our analyses identified metabolic reprogramming associated with EMT, suggesting metabolism-associated targets for clinically refractory cancer subtypes. Abstract Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is critical for cancer development, invasion, and metastasis. Its activity influences metabolic reprogramming, tumor aggressiveness, and patient survival. Abnormal tumor metabolism has been identified as a cancer hallmark and is considered a potential therapeutic target. We profiled distinct metabolic signatures by EMT activity using data from 9452 transcriptomes across 31 different cancer types from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Our results demonstrated that ~80 to 90% of cancer types had high carbohydrate and energy metabolism, which were associated with the high EMT group. Notably, among the distinct EMT activities, metabolic reprogramming in different immune microenvironments was correlated with patient prognosis. Nine cancer types showed a significant difference in survival with the presence of high EMT activity. Stomach cancer showed elevated energy metabolism and was associated with an unfavorable prognosis (p < 0.0068) coupled with high expression of CHST14, indicating that it may serve as a potential drug target. Our analyses highlight the prevalence of cancer type-dependent EMT and metabolic reprogramming activities and identified metabolism-associated genes that may serve as potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Yong Sung
- Department of Biomedical Systems Informatics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea;
| | - Jae-Ho Cheong
- Department of Biomedical Systems Informatics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea;
- Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
- Yonsei Biomedical Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
- Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-2-2228-2094
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Dratwa M, Wysoczanska B, Turlej E, Anisiewicz A, Maciejewska M, Wietrzyk J, Bogunia-Kubik K. Heterogeneity of telomerase reverse transcriptase mutation and expression, telomerase activity and telomere length across human cancer cell lines cultured in vitro. Exp Cell Res 2020; 396:112298. [PMID: 32971118 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2020.112298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Promoter region of the telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (TERTp) constitutes a regulatory element capable to affect TERT expression (TE), telomerase activity (TA) and telomere length (TL). TERTp mutation status, TL, TA and TE were assessed in 27 in vitro cultured human cell lines, including 11 solid tumour, 13 haematological and 3 normal cell lines. C228T and C250T TERTp mutations were detected in 5 solid tumour and none of haematological cell lines (p = 0.0100). As compared to other solid tumour cell lines, those with the presence of somatic mutations were characterized by: shorter TL, lower TA and TE. Furthermore, cell lines carrying TERTp mutations showed a linear correlation between TE and TA (R = 0.9708, p = 0.0021). Moreover, haematological cell lines exhibited higher TE compared to solid tumour cell lines (p = 0.0007). TL and TA were correlated in both solid tumour (R = 0.4875, p = 0.0169) and haematological (R = 0.4719, p = 0.0095) cell lines. Our results based on the in vitro model suggest that oncogenic processes may differ between solid tumours and haematological malignancies with regard to their TERT gene regulation mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Dratwa
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunogenetics and Pharmacogenetics, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Barbara Wysoczanska
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunogenetics and Pharmacogenetics, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Eliza Turlej
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Artur Anisiewicz
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Magdalena Maciejewska
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Wietrzyk
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Bogunia-Kubik
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunogenetics and Pharmacogenetics, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland.
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