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Padhye BD, Nawaz U, Hains PG, Reddel RR, Robinson PJ, Zhong Q, Poulos RC. Proteomic insights into paediatric cancer: Unravelling molecular signatures and therapeutic opportunities. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2024; 71:e30980. [PMID: 38556739 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.30980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Survival rates in some paediatric cancers have improved greatly over recent decades, in part due to the identification of diagnostic, prognostic and predictive molecular signatures, and the development of risk-directed therapies. However, other paediatric cancers have proved difficult to treat, and there is an urgent need to identify novel biomarkers that reveal therapeutic opportunities. The proteome is the total set of expressed proteins present in a cell or tissue at a point in time, and is vastly more dynamic than the genome. Proteomics holds significant promise for cancer research, as proteins are ultimately responsible for cellular phenotype and are the target of most anticancer drugs. Here, we review the discoveries, opportunities and challenges of proteomic analyses in paediatric cancer, with a focus on mass spectrometry (MS)-based approaches. Accelerating incorporation of proteomics into paediatric precision medicine has the potential to improve survival and quality of life for children with cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhavna D Padhye
- Cancer Centre for Children, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Kids Research, Children's Cancer Research Unit, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Urwah Nawaz
- ProCan, Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Peter G Hains
- ProCan, Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Roger R Reddel
- ProCan, Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Phillip J Robinson
- ProCan, Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Qing Zhong
- ProCan, Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Rebecca C Poulos
- ProCan, Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
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Morales ML, García-Vicente R, Rodríguez-García A, Reyes-Palomares A, Vincelle-Nieto Á, Álvarez N, Ortiz-Ruiz A, Garrido-García V, Giménez A, Carreño-Tarragona G, Sánchez R, Ayala R, Martínez-López J, Linares M. Posttranslational splicing modifications as a key mechanism in cytarabine resistance in acute myeloid leukemia. Leukemia 2023; 37:1649-1659. [PMID: 37422594 PMCID: PMC10400425 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-023-01963-4] [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: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
Despite the approval of several drugs for AML, cytarabine is still widely used as a therapeutic approach. However, 85% of patients show resistance and only 10% overcome the disease. Using RNA-seq and phosphoproteomics, we show that RNA splicing and serine-arginine-rich (SR) proteins phosphorylation were altered during cytarabine resistance. Moreover, phosphorylation of SR proteins at diagnosis were significantly lower in responder than non-responder patients, pointing to their utility to predict response. These changes correlated with altered transcriptomic profiles of SR protein target genes. Notably, splicing inhibitors were therapeutically effective in treating sensitive and resistant AML cells as monotherapy or combination with other approved drugs. H3B-8800 and venetoclax combination showed the best efficacy in vitro, demonstrating synergistic effects in patient samples and no toxicity in healthy hematopoietic progenitors. Our results establish that RNA splicing inhibition, alone or combined with venetoclax, could be useful for the treatment of newly diagnosed or relapsed/refractory AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Luz Morales
- Department of Translational Hematology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Hematological Malignancies Clinical Research Unit H12O-CNIO, Hospital 12 de Octubre - Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, CIBERONC, ES 28041, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Roberto García-Vicente
- Department of Translational Hematology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Hematological Malignancies Clinical Research Unit H12O-CNIO, Hospital 12 de Octubre - Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, CIBERONC, ES 28041, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alba Rodríguez-García
- Department of Translational Hematology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Hematological Malignancies Clinical Research Unit H12O-CNIO, Hospital 12 de Octubre - Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, CIBERONC, ES 28041, Madrid, Spain
| | - Armando Reyes-Palomares
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Veterinary School, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, ES 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - África Vincelle-Nieto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Veterinary School, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, ES 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Noemí Álvarez
- Department of Translational Hematology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Hematological Malignancies Clinical Research Unit H12O-CNIO, Hospital 12 de Octubre - Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, CIBERONC, ES 28041, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alejandra Ortiz-Ruiz
- Department of Translational Hematology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Hematological Malignancies Clinical Research Unit H12O-CNIO, Hospital 12 de Octubre - Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, CIBERONC, ES 28041, Madrid, Spain
| | - Vanesa Garrido-García
- Department of Translational Hematology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Hematological Malignancies Clinical Research Unit H12O-CNIO, Hospital 12 de Octubre - Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, CIBERONC, ES 28041, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alicia Giménez
- Department of Translational Hematology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Hematological Malignancies Clinical Research Unit H12O-CNIO, Hospital 12 de Octubre - Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, CIBERONC, ES 28041, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gonzalo Carreño-Tarragona
- Department of Translational Hematology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Hematological Malignancies Clinical Research Unit H12O-CNIO, Hospital 12 de Octubre - Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, CIBERONC, ES 28041, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ricardo Sánchez
- Department of Translational Hematology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Hematological Malignancies Clinical Research Unit H12O-CNIO, Hospital 12 de Octubre - Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, CIBERONC, ES 28041, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rosa Ayala
- Department of Translational Hematology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Hematological Malignancies Clinical Research Unit H12O-CNIO, Hospital 12 de Octubre - Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, CIBERONC, ES 28041, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Medicine School, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, ES 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Joaquín Martínez-López
- Department of Translational Hematology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Hematological Malignancies Clinical Research Unit H12O-CNIO, Hospital 12 de Octubre - Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, CIBERONC, ES 28041, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Medicine School, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, ES 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Linares
- Department of Translational Hematology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Hematological Malignancies Clinical Research Unit H12O-CNIO, Hospital 12 de Octubre - Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, CIBERONC, ES 28041, Madrid, Spain.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pharmacy School, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, ES 28040, Madrid, Spain.
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Kirkiz E, Meers O, Grebien F, Buschbeck M. Histone Variants and Their Chaperones in Hematological Malignancies. Hemasphere 2023; 7:e927. [PMID: 37449197 PMCID: PMC10337764 DOI: 10.1097/hs9.0000000000000927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic regulation occurs on the level of compacting DNA into chromatin. The functional unit of chromatin is the nucleosome, which consists of DNA wrapped around a core of histone proteins. While canonical histone proteins are incorporated into chromatin through a replication-coupled process, structural variants of histones, commonly named histone variants, are deposited into chromatin in a replication-independent manner. Specific chaperones and chromatin remodelers mediate the locus-specific deposition of histone variants. Although histone variants comprise one of the least understood layers of epigenetic regulation, it has been proposed that they play an essential role in directly regulating gene expression in health and disease. Here, we review the emerging evidence suggesting that histone variants have a role at different stages of hematopoiesis, with a particular focus on the histone variants H2A, H3, and H1. Moreover, we discuss the current knowledge on how the dysregulation of histone variants can contribute to hematopoietic malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ecem Kirkiz
- Institute for Medical Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Oliver Meers
- Cancer and Leukaemia Epigenetics and Biology Program, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Campus Can Ruti, Badalona, Spain
- PhD Programme in Biomedicine, University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Florian Grebien
- Institute for Medical Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Marcus Buschbeck
- Cancer and Leukaemia Epigenetics and Biology Program, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Campus Can Ruti, Badalona, Spain
- Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Badalona, Spain
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Casado P, Cutillas PR. Proteomic Characterization of Acute Myeloid Leukemia for Precision Medicine. Mol Cell Proteomics 2023; 22:100517. [PMID: 36805445 PMCID: PMC10152134 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2023.100517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a highly heterogeneous cancer of the hematopoietic system with no cure for most patients. In addition to chemotherapy, treatment options for AML include recently approved therapies that target proteins with roles in AML pathobiology, such as FLT3, BLC2, and IDH1/2. However, due to disease complexity, these therapies produce very diverse responses, and survival rates are still low. Thus, despite considerable advances, there remains a need for therapies that target different aspects of leukemic biology and for associated biomarkers that define patient populations likely to respond to each available therapy. To meet this need, drugs that target different AML vulnerabilities are currently in advanced stages of clinical development. Here, we review proteomics and phosphoproteomics studies that aimed to provide insights into AML biology and clinical disease heterogeneity not attainable with genomic approaches. To place the discussion in context, we first provide an overview of genetic and clinical aspects of the disease, followed by a summary of proteins targeted by compounds that have been approved or are under clinical trials for AML treatment and, if available, the biomarkers that predict responses. We then discuss proteomics and phosphoproteomics studies that provided insights into AML pathogenesis, from which potential biomarkers and drug targets were identified, and studies that aimed to rationalize the use of synergistic drug combinations. When considered as a whole, the evidence summarized here suggests that proteomics and phosphoproteomics approaches can play a crucial role in the development and implementation of precision medicine for AML patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Casado
- Cell Signalling & Proteomics Group, Centre for Genomics and Computational Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pedro R Cutillas
- Cell Signalling & Proteomics Group, Centre for Genomics and Computational Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom; The Alan Turing Institute, The British Library, London, United Kingdom; Digital Environment Research Institute (DERI), Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.
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Proteogenomic analysis of acute myeloid leukemia associates relapsed disease with reprogrammed energy metabolism both in adults and children. Leukemia 2023; 37:550-559. [PMID: 36572751 PMCID: PMC9991901 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-022-01796-7] [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: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Despite improvement of current treatment strategies and novel targeted drugs, relapse and treatment resistance largely determine the outcome for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. To identify the underlying molecular characteristics, numerous studies have been aimed to decipher the genomic- and transcriptomic landscape of AML. Nevertheless, further molecular changes allowing malignant cells to escape treatment remain to be elucidated. Mass spectrometry is a powerful tool enabling detailed insights into proteomic changes that could explain AML relapse and resistance. Here, we investigated AML samples from 47 adult and 22 pediatric patients at serial time-points during disease progression using mass spectrometry-based in-depth proteomics. We show that the proteomic profile at relapse is enriched for mitochondrial ribosomal proteins and subunits of the respiratory chain complex, indicative of reprogrammed energy metabolism from diagnosis to relapse. Further, higher levels of granzymes and lower levels of the anti-inflammatory protein CR1/CD35 suggest an inflammatory signature promoting disease progression. Finally, through a proteogenomic approach, we detected novel peptides, which present a promising repertoire in the search for biomarkers and tumor-specific druggable targets. Altogether, this study highlights the importance of proteomic studies in holistic approaches to improve treatment and survival of AML patients.
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Proteomic Profiling Identifies Specific Leukemic Stem Cell-Associated Protein Expression Patterns in Pediatric AML Patients. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14153567. [PMID: 35892824 PMCID: PMC9332109 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14153567] [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: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Acute myeloid leukemia is an aggressive cancer in children and novel therapeutic tools are warranted to improve outcomes and reduce late effects in these patients. In this study, we isolate and explore the protein profiles of leukemic stem cells and normal hematopoietic stem cells from hematologically healthy children. Differences in protein profiles between leukemic and normal hematopoietic stem cells were identified. These results provide an insight into the disrupted biological pathways in childhood acute myeloid leukemia. Moreover, differences in protein profiles may serve as potential targets for future therapies specifically aiming at the disease-propagating leukemic stem cells while omitting the normal hematopoietic stem cells. Abstract Novel therapeutic tools are warranted to improve outcomes for children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Differences in the proteome of leukemic blasts and stem cells (AML-SCs) in AML compared with normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) may facilitate the identification of potential targets for future treatment strategies. In this explorative study, we used mass spectrometry to compare the proteome of AML-SCs and CLEC12A+ blasts from five pediatric AML patients with HSCs and hematopoietic progenitor cells from hematologically healthy, age-matched controls. A total of 456 shared proteins were identified in both leukemic and control samples. Varying protein expression profiles were observed in AML-SCs and leukemic blasts, none having any overall resemblance to healthy counterpart cell populations. Thirty-four proteins were differentially expressed between AML-SCs and HSCs, including the upregulation of HSPE1, SRSF1, and NUP210, and the enrichment of proteins suggestive of protein synthesis perturbations through the downregulation of EIF2 signaling was found. Among others, NUP210 and calreticulin were upregulated in CLEC12A+ blasts compared with HSCs. In conclusion, the observed differences in protein expression between pediatric patients with AML and pediatric controls, in particular when comparing stem cell subsets, encourages the extended exploration of leukemia and AML-SC-specific biomarkers of potential relevance in the development of future therapeutic options in pediatric AML.
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