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Cheng J, Xie W, Chen Y, Sun Y, Gong L, Wang H, Li C, Zhang Y. Drug resistance mechanisms in dopamine agonist-resistant prolactin pituitary neuroendocrine tumors and exploration for new drugs. Drug Resist Updat 2024; 73:101056. [PMID: 38277755 DOI: 10.1016/j.drup.2024.101056] [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: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The treatment of dopamine agonists (DA) resistant prolactinomas remains a formidable challenge, as the mechanism of resistance is still unclear, and there are currently no viable alternative drug therapies available. This study seeks to investigate the mechanism of DA resistance in prolactinomas and identify new potentially effective drugs. METHODS To explore the mechanism of DA resistance in prolactinomas, this study conducted transcriptome sequencing analysis on 27 cases of DA-resistant prolactinomas and 10 cases of sensitive prolactinomas. In addition, single-cell sequencing analysis was performed on 3 cases of DA-resistant prolactinomas and 3 cases of sensitive prolactinomas. Furthermore, to screen for potential therapeutic drugs, the study successfully established an organoids model for DA-resistant prolactinomas and screened 180 small molecule compounds using 8 organoids. The efficacy of the identified drugs was verified through various assays, including CCK-8, colony formation, CTG, and flow cytometry, and their mechanisms of action were confirmed through WB and IHC. The effectiveness of the identified drugs was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS The results of transcriptome sequencing and single-cell sequencing analyses showed that DA resistance in prolactinomas is associated with the upregulation of the Focal Adhesion (FA) signaling pathway. Additionally, immunohistochemical validation revealed that FAK and Paxillin were significantly upregulated in DA-resistant prolactinomas. Screening of 180 small molecule compounds using 8 organoids identified Genistein as a potentially effective drug for DA-resistant prolactinomas. Experimental validation demonstrated that Genistein inhibited the proliferation of pituitary tumor cell lines and organoids and promoted apoptosis in pituitary tumor cells. Moreover, both the cell sequencing results and WB validation results of the drug-treated cells indicated that Genistein exerts its anti-tumor effect by inhibiting the FA pathway. In vivo, experiments also showed that Genistein can inhibit subcutaneous tumor formation. CONCLUSION DA resistance in prolactinomas is associated with upregulation of the Focal Adhesion (FA) signaling pathway, and Genistein can exert its anti-tumor effect by inhibiting the expression of the FA pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhua Cheng
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China
| | - Weiyan Xie
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China
| | - Yiyuan Chen
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China
| | - Yingxuan Sun
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China
| | - Lei Gong
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China
| | - Hongyun Wang
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China
| | - Chuzhong Li
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China; Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China; Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders Brain Tumor Center, Beijing 100070, China; China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing 100070, China.
| | - Yazhuo Zhang
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China; Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China; Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders Brain Tumor Center, Beijing 100070, China; China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing 100070, China.
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Miller CP, Fung M, Jaeger-Ruckstuhl CA, Xu Y, Warren EH, Akilesh S, Tykodi SS. Therapeutic targeting of tumor spheroids in a 3D microphysiological renal cell carcinoma-on-a-chip system. Neoplasia 2023; 46:100948. [PMID: 37944353 PMCID: PMC10663960 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2023.100948] [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: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains an incurable disease for most patients highlighting an urgent need for new treatments. However, the preclinical investigation of new therapies is limited by traditional two-dimensional (2D) cultures which do not recapitulate the properties of tumor cells within a collagen extracellular matrix (ECM), while human tumor xenografts are time-consuming, expensive and lack adaptive immune cells. We report a rapid and economical human microphysiological system ("RCC-on-a-chip") to investigate therapies targeting RCC spheroids in a 3D collagen ECM. We first demonstrate that culture of RCC cell lines A498 and RCC4 in a 3D collagen ECM more faithfully reproduces the gene expression program of primary RCC tumors compared to 2D culture. We next used bortezomib as a cytotoxin to develop automated quantification of dose-dependent tumor spheroid killing. We observed that viable RCC spheroids exhibited collective migration within the ECM and demonstrated that our 3D system can be used to identify compounds that inhibit spheroid collective migration without inducing cell death. Finally, we demonstrate the RCC-on-a-chip as a platform to model the trafficking of tumor-reactive T cells into the ECM and observed antigen-specific A498 spheroid killing by engineered human CD8+ T cells expressing an ROR1-specific chimeric antigen receptor. In summary, the phenotypic differences between the 3D versus 2D environments, rapid imaging-based readout, and the ability to carefully study the impact of individual variables with quantitative rigor will encourage adoption of the RCC-on-a-chip system for testing a wide range of emerging therapies for RCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris P Miller
- Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.
| | - Megan Fung
- Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Carla A Jaeger-Ruckstuhl
- Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Yuexin Xu
- Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Edus H Warren
- Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Shreeram Akilesh
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; Kidney Research Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Scott S Tykodi
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States; Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States
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Severin F, Mouawad N, Ruggeri E, Visentin A, Martinello L, Pagnin E, Trimarco V, Pravato S, Angotzi F, Facco M, Trentin L, Frezzato F. Focal adhesion kinase activation by calcium-dependent calpain is involved in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cell aggressiveness. Br J Haematol 2023; 203:224-236. [PMID: 37495265 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.18996] [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: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Signalling events downstream the B-cell receptor (BCR) are central for the survival and progression of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) cells. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK), regulated through calpain, interacts with molecules of BCR signalling, cytoskeletal modelling and disease progression, such as Src/Lyn, cortactin and HS1. Hypothesizing that FAK might play a key role in CLL pathogenesis, we observed a down-modulation of FAK whole form, associated with FAK cleavage due to calpain activity upon BCR stimulation. Patients, whose cells were able to release Ca++ after BCR stimulation, had less amount of full-length FAK, which translated into a higher presence of cleaved/activated form of the protein phosphorylated at Y397, these features being mostly shown by immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGHV)-unmutated poor-prognosis patients. Moreover, we found that cortactin and HS1 proteins were overexpressed in those cells, suggesting a possible interplay with FAK. Treatment with the FAK inhibitor Defactinib was able to induce apoptosis in CLL cells. In conclusion, the malignant phenotype in unfavourable-prognosis patients seems to be encouraged by the overexpression of cortactin and HS1, that, together with FAK, may be involved in a druggable pathogenetic pathway in CLL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Severin
- Hematology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Nayla Mouawad
- Hematology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Edoardo Ruggeri
- Hematology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Andrea Visentin
- Hematology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Leonardo Martinello
- Hematology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Elisa Pagnin
- Hematology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Valentina Trimarco
- Hematology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Stefano Pravato
- Hematology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Francesco Angotzi
- Hematology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Monica Facco
- Hematology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Livio Trentin
- Hematology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Federica Frezzato
- Hematology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
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Mori N, Jin J, Krishnamachary B, Mironchik Y, Wildes F, Vesuna F, Barnett JD, Bhujwalla ZM. Functional roles of FAP-α in metabolism, migration and invasion of human cancer cells. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1068405. [PMID: 36937451 PMCID: PMC10015381 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1068405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Fibroblast activation protein-α (FAP-α) is a transmembrane serine protease that is attracting significant interest as it is expressed by a subgroup of cancer-associated fibroblasts that play a role in immune suppression and cancer metastasis. FAP-α is also expressed by some cancer cells, such as melanoma, colorectal and breast cancer cells. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive cancer that urgently requires identification of novel targets for therapy. To expand our understanding of the functional roles of FAP-α in TNBC we engineered a human TNBC cell line, MDA-MB-231, to stably overexpress FAP-α and characterized changes in metabolism by 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy, cell proliferation, migration characterized by wound healing, and invasion. FAP-α overexpression resulted in significant alterations in myoinositol, choline metabolites, creatine, and taurine, as well as a significant increase of migration and invasion, although proliferation remained unaltered. The increase of migration and invasion are consistent with the known activities of FAP-α as an exopeptidase and endopeptidase/gelatinase/collagenase in tissue remodeling and repair, and in cell migration. We additionally determined the effects of FAP-α overexpression on the human fibrosarcoma HT1080 cell line that showed increased migration, accompanied by limited changes in metabolism that identified the dependency of the metabolic changes on cell type. These metabolic data identify a previously unknown role of FAP-α in modifying cancer cell metabolism in the TNBC cell line studied here that may provide new insights into its functional roles in cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriko Mori
- Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Noriko Mori, ; Zaver M. Bhujwalla,
| | - Jiefu Jin
- Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Balaji Krishnamachary
- Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Yelena Mironchik
- Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Flonné Wildes
- Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Farhad Vesuna
- Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - James D. Barnett
- Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Zaver M. Bhujwalla
- Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Noriko Mori, ; Zaver M. Bhujwalla,
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Bouchalova P, Bouchal P. Current methods for studying metastatic potential of tumor cells. Cancer Cell Int 2022; 22:394. [PMID: 36494720 PMCID: PMC9733110 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-022-02801-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell migration and invasiveness significantly contribute to desirable physiological processes, such as wound healing or embryogenesis, as well as to serious pathological processes such as the spread of cancer cells to form tumor metastasis. The availability of appropriate methods for studying these processes is essential for understanding the molecular basis of cancer metastasis and for identifying suitable therapeutic targets for anti-metastatic treatment. This review summarizes the current status of these methods: In vitro methods for studying cell migration involve two-dimensional (2D) assays (wound-healing/scratch assay), and methods based on chemotaxis (the Dunn chamber). The analysis of both cell migration and invasiveness in vitro require more complex systems based on the Boyden chamber principle (Transwell migration/invasive test, xCELLigence system), or microfluidic devices with three-dimensional (3D) microscopy visualization. 3D culture techniques are rapidly becoming routine and involve multicellular spheroid invasion assays or array chip-based, spherical approaches, multi-layer/multi-zone culture, or organoid non-spherical models, including multi-organ microfluidic chips. The in vivo methods are mostly based on mice, allowing genetically engineered mice models and transplant models (syngeneic mice, cell line-derived xenografts and patient-derived xenografts including humanized mice models). These methods currently represent a solid basis for the state-of-the art research that is focused on understanding metastatic fundamentals as well as the development of targeted anti-metastatic therapies, and stratified treatment in oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavla Bouchalova
- grid.10267.320000 0001 2194 0956Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Bouchal
- grid.10267.320000 0001 2194 0956Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
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Protein tyrosine kinase 2b inhibition reverts niche-associated resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors in AML. Leukemia 2022; 36:2418-2429. [PMID: 36056084 PMCID: PMC9522596 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-022-01687-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy evolved into a standard therapy in FLT3-mutated AML. TKI resistance, however, develops frequently with poor outcomes. We analyzed acquired TKI resistance in AML cell lines by multilayered proteome analyses. Leupaxin (LPXN), a regulator of cell migration and adhesion, was induced during early resistance development, alongside the tyrosine kinase PTK2B which phosphorylated LPXN. Resistant cells differed in cell adhesion and migration, indicating altered niche interactions. PTK2B and LPXN were highly expressed in leukemic stem cells in FLT3-ITD patients. PTK2B/FAK inhibition abrogated resistance-associated phenotypes, such as enhanced cell migration. Altered pathways in resistant cells, assessed by nascent proteomics, were largely reverted upon PTK2B/FAK inhibition. PTK2B/FAK inhibitors PF-431396 and defactinib synergized with different TKIs or daunorubicin in FLT3-mutated AML. Midostaurin-resistant and AML cells co-cultured with mesenchymal stroma cells responded particularly well to PTK2B/FAK inhibitor addition. Xenograft mouse models showed significant longer time to leukemia symptom-related endpoint upon gilteritinib/defactinib combination treatment in comparison to treatment with either drug alone. Our data suggest that the leupaxin-PTK2B axis plays an important role in acquired TKI resistance in AML. PTK2B/FAK inhibitors act synergistically with currently used therapeutics and may overcome emerging TKI resistance in FLT3-mutated AML at an early timepoint.
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