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Feichtenschlager V, Chen L, Zheng YJ, Ho W, Sanlorenzo M, Vujic I, Fewings E, Lee A, Chen C, Callanan C, Lin K, Qu T, Hohlova D, Vujic M, Hwang Y, Lai K, Chen S, Nguyen T, Muñoz DP, Kohwi Y, Posch C, Daud A, Rappersberger K, Kohwi-Shigematsu T, Coppé JP, Ortiz-Urda S. The therapeutically actionable long non-coding RNA 'T-RECS' is essential to cancer cells' survival in NRAS/MAPK-driven melanoma. Mol Cancer 2024; 23:40. [PMID: 38383439 PMCID: PMC10882889 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-024-01955-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Finding effective therapeutic targets to treat NRAS-mutated melanoma remains a challenge. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) recently emerged as essential regulators of tumorigenesis. Using a discovery approach combining experimental models and unbiased computational analysis complemented by validation in patient biospecimens, we identified a nuclear-enriched lncRNA (AC004540.4) that is upregulated in NRAS/MAPK-dependent melanoma, and that we named T-RECS. Considering potential innovative treatment strategies, we designed antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to target T-RECS. T-RECS ASOs reduced the growth of melanoma cells and induced apoptotic cell death, while having minimal impact on normal primary melanocytes. Mechanistically, treatment with T-RECS ASOs downregulated the activity of pro-survival kinases and reduced the protein stability of hnRNPA2/B1, a pro-oncogenic regulator of MAPK signaling. Using patient- and cell line- derived tumor xenograft mouse models, we demonstrated that systemic treatment with T-RECS ASOs significantly suppressed the growth of melanoma tumors, with no noticeable toxicity. ASO-mediated T-RECS inhibition represents a promising RNA-targeting approach to improve the outcome of MAPK pathway-activated melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin Feichtenschlager
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA.
- Department of Dermatology, Academic Teaching Hospital, Clinic Landstrasse Vienna, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Linan Chen
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Yixuan James Zheng
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
- School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Wilson Ho
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Martina Sanlorenzo
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Igor Vujic
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Academic Teaching Hospital, Clinic Landstrasse Vienna, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Faculty of Medicine, Sigmund Freud Private University, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eleanor Fewings
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Albert Lee
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Christopher Chen
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Ciara Callanan
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Kevin Lin
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Tiange Qu
- Department of Orofacial Science, Health Science West, University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Dasha Hohlova
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
- Department of Biology, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Marin Vujic
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Academic Teaching Hospital, Clinic Landstrasse Vienna, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Yeonjoo Hwang
- Department of Hematology-Oncology, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kevin Lai
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Stephanie Chen
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Thuan Nguyen
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Denise P Muñoz
- Department of Hematology-Oncology, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yoshinori Kohwi
- Department of Orofacial Science, Health Science West, University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Christian Posch
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Academic Teaching Hospital, Clinic Landstrasse Vienna, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Faculty of Medicine, Sigmund Freud Private University, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Dermatology and Allergy, School of Medicine, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Adil Daud
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Klemens Rappersberger
- Department of Dermatology, Academic Teaching Hospital, Clinic Landstrasse Vienna, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Terumi Kohwi-Shigematsu
- Department of Orofacial Science, Health Science West, University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jean-Philippe Coppé
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Susana Ortiz-Urda
- Department of Dermatology, Mt Zion Cancer Research Center, University of California San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, Room N461, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
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Au NPB, Wu T, Chen X, Gao F, Li YTY, Tam WY, Yu KN, Geschwind DH, Coppola G, Wang X, Ma CHE. Genome-wide study reveals novel roles for formin-2 in axon regeneration as a microtubule dynamics regulator and therapeutic target for nerve repair. Neuron 2023; 111:3970-3987.e8. [PMID: 38086376 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Peripheral nerves regenerate successfully; however, clinical outcome after injury is poor. We demonstrated that low-dose ionizing radiation (LDIR) promoted axon regeneration and function recovery after peripheral nerve injury (PNI). Genome-wide CpG methylation profiling identified LDIR-induced hypermethylation of the Fmn2 promoter, exhibiting injury-induced Fmn2 downregulation in dorsal root ganglia (DRGs). Constitutive knockout or neuronal Fmn2 knockdown accelerated nerve repair and function recovery. Mechanistically, increased microtubule dynamics at growth cones was observed in time-lapse imaging of Fmn2-deficient DRG neurons. Increased HDAC5 phosphorylation and rapid tubulin deacetylation were found in regenerating axons of neuronal Fmn2-knockdown mice after injury. Growth-promoting effect of neuronal Fmn2 knockdown was eliminated by pharmaceutical blockade of HDAC5 or neuronal Hdac5 knockdown, suggesting that Fmn2deletion promotes axon regeneration via microtubule post-translational modification. In silico screening of FDA-approved drugs identified metaxalone, administered either immediately or 24-h post-injury, accelerating function recovery. This work uncovers a novel axon regeneration function of Fmn2 and a small-molecule strategy for PNI.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tan Wu
- Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xinyu Chen
- Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Feng Gao
- Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | | | - Wing Yip Tam
- Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kwan Ngok Yu
- Department of Physics, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Daniel H Geschwind
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Human Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Giovanni Coppola
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Human Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Chi Him Eddie Ma
- Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
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4
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Feichtenschlager V, Chen L, Zheng YJ, Ho W, Sanlorenzo M, Vujic I, Fewings E, Lee A, Chen C, Callanan C, Lin K, Qu T, Hohlova D, Vujic M, Hwang Y, Lai K, Chen S, Nguyen T, Muñoz DP, Kohwi Y, Posch C, Daud A, Rappersberger K, Kohwi-Shigematsu T, Coppé JP, Ortiz-Urda S. The therapeutically actionable long non-coding RNA ' T-RECS' is essential to cancer cells' survival in NRAS/MAPK-driven melanoma. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-1297358. [PMID: 38077055 PMCID: PMC10705697 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1297358/v3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Finding effective therapeutic targets to treat NRAS-mutated melanoma remains a challenge. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) recently emerged as essential regulators of tumorigenesis. Using a discovery approach combining experimental models and unbiased computational analysis complemented by validation in patient biospecimens, we identified a nuclear-enriched lncRNA (AC004540.4) that is upregulated in NRAS/MAPK-dependent melanoma, and that we named T-RECS. Considering potential innovative treatment strategies, we designed antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to target T-RECS. T-RECS ASOs reduced the growth of melanoma cells and induced apoptotic cell death, while having minimal impacton normal primary melanocytes. Mechanistically, treatment with T-RECS ASOs downregulated the activity of pro-survival kinases and reduced the protein stability of hnRNPA2/B1, a pro-oncogenic regulator of MAPK signaling. Using patient- and cell line- derived tumor xenograft mouse models, we demonstrated that systemic treatment with T-RECS ASOs significantly suppressed the growth of melanoma tumors, with no noticeable toxicity. ASO-mediated T-RECS inhibition represents a promising RNA-targeting approach to improve the outcome of MAPK pathway-activated melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Wilson Ho
- University of California San Francisco
| | | | - Igor Vujic
- Department of Dermatology and Venerology, Medical Institution Rudolfstiftung, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | | | | | - Kevin Lin
- University of California San Francisco
| | - Tiange Qu
- University of California San Francisco
| | | | | | | | - Kevin Lai
- University of California San Francisco
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Adil Daud
- University of California at San Francisco
| | - Klemens Rappersberger
- Department of Dermatology, Clinic Landstrasse Vienna, Academic Teaching Hospital, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Berasain C, Arechederra M, Argemí J, Fernández-Barrena MG, Avila MA. Loss of liver function in chronic liver disease: An identity crisis. J Hepatol 2023; 78:401-414. [PMID: 36115636 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2022.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Adult hepatocyte identity is constructed throughout embryonic development and fine-tuned after birth. A multinodular network of transcription factors, along with pre-mRNA splicing regulators, define the transcriptome, which encodes the proteins needed to perform the complex metabolic and secretory functions of the mature liver. Transient hepatocellular dedifferentiation can occur as part of the regenerative mechanisms triggered in response to acute liver injury. However, persistent downregulation of key identity genes is now accepted as a strong determinant of organ dysfunction in chronic liver disease, a major global health burden. Therefore, the identification of core transcription factors and splicing regulators that preserve hepatocellular phenotype, and a thorough understanding of how these networks become disrupted in diseased hepatocytes, is of high clinical relevance. In this context, we review the key players in liver differentiation and discuss in detail critical factors, such as HNF4α, whose impairment mediates the breakdown of liver function. Moreover, we present compelling experimental evidence demonstrating that restoration of core transcription factor expression in a chronically injured liver can reset hepatocellular identity, improve function and ameliorate structural abnormalities. The possibility of correcting the phenotype of severely damaged and malfunctional livers may reveal new therapeutic opportunities for individuals with cirrhosis and advanced liver disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Berasain
- Program of Hepatology, CIMA, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain.
| | - Maria Arechederra
- Program of Hepatology, CIMA, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Josepmaria Argemí
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain; Liver Unit, Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Maite G Fernández-Barrena
- Program of Hepatology, CIMA, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Matías A Avila
- Program of Hepatology, CIMA, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain.
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