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de Franchis V, Petrungaro S, Pizzichini E, Camerini S, Casella M, Somma F, Mandolini E, Carpino G, Overi D, Cardinale V, Facchiano A, Filippini A, Gaudio E, Fabrizi C, Giampietri C. Cholangiocarcinoma Malignant Traits Are Promoted by Schwann Cells through TGFβ Signaling in a Model of Perineural Invasion. Cells 2024; 13:366. [PMID: 38474330 DOI: 10.3390/cells13050366] [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: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The term cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) defines a class of epithelial malignancies originating from bile ducts. Although it has been demonstrated that CCA patients with perineural invasion (PNI) have a worse prognosis, the biological features of this phenomenon are yet unclear. Our data show that in human intrahepatic CCA specimens with documented PNI, nerve-infiltrating CCA cells display positivity of the epithelial marker cytokeratin 7, lower with respect to the rest of the tumor mass. In an in vitro 3D model, CCA cells move towards a peripheral nerve explant allowing contact with Schwann cells (SCs) emerging from the nerve. Here, we show that SCs produce soluble factors that favor the migration, invasion, survival and proliferation of CCA cells in vitro. This effect is accompanied by a cadherin switch, suggestive of an epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The influence of SCs in promoting the ability of CCA cells to migrate and invade the extracellular matrix is hampered by a specific TGFβ receptor 1 (TGFBR1) antagonist. Differential proteomic data indicate that the exposure of CCA cells to SC secreted factors induces the upregulation of key oncogenes and the concomitant downregulation of some tumor suppressors. Taken together, these data concur in identifying SCs as possible promoters of a more aggressive CCA phenotype, ascribing a central role to TGFβ signaling in regulating this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio de Franchis
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Simonetta Petrungaro
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa Pizzichini
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Serena Camerini
- Core Facilities, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | | | - Francesca Somma
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Enrico Mandolini
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Guido Carpino
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Diletta Overi
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Cardinale
- Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnology, Sapienza University of Rome, 04100 Latina, Italy
| | - Antonio Facchiano
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata, IDI-IRCCS, 00167 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Filippini
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Eugenio Gaudio
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Cinzia Fabrizi
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Giampietri
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
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Domènech Omella J, Cortesi EE, Verbinnen I, Remmerie M, Wu H, Cubero FJ, Roskams T, Janssens V. A Novel Mouse Model of Combined Hepatocellular-Cholangiocarcinoma Induced by Diethylnitrosamine and Loss of Ppp2r5d. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4193. [PMID: 37627221 PMCID: PMC10453342 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15164193] [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: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary liver cancer (PLC) can be classified in hepatocellular (HCC), cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), and combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CCA). The molecular mechanisms involved in PLC development and phenotype decision are still not well understood. Complete deletion of Ppp2r5d, encoding the B56δ subunit of Protein Phosphatase 2A (PP2A), results in spontaneous HCC development in mice via a c-MYC-dependent mechanism. In the present study, we aimed to examine the role of Ppp2r5d in an independent mouse model of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. Ppp2r5d deletion (heterozygous and homozygous) accelerated HCC development, corroborating its tumor-suppressive function in liver and suggesting Ppp2r5d may be haploinsufficient. Ppp2r5d-deficient HCCs stained positively for c-MYC, consistent with increased AKT activation in pre-malignant and tumor tissues of Ppp2r5d-deficient mice. We also found increased YAP activation in Ppp2r5d-deficient tumors. Remarkably, in older mice, Ppp2r5d deletion resulted in cHCC-CCA development in this model, with the CCA component showing increased expression of progenitor markers (SOX9 and EpCAM). Finally, we observed an upregulation of Ppp2r5d in tumors from wildtype and heterozygous mice, revealing a tumor-specific control mechanism of Ppp2r5d expression, and suggestive of the involvement of Ppp2r5d in a negative feedback regulation restricting tumor growth. Our study highlights the tumor-suppressive role of mouse PP2A-B56δ in both HCC and cHCC-CCA, which may have important implications for human PLC development and targeted treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit Domènech Omella
- Laboratory of Protein Phosphorylation & Proteomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (J.D.O.); (I.V.); (M.R.)
| | - Emanuela E. Cortesi
- Translational Cell & Tissue Research, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (E.E.C.); (T.R.)
| | - Iris Verbinnen
- Laboratory of Protein Phosphorylation & Proteomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (J.D.O.); (I.V.); (M.R.)
| | - Michiel Remmerie
- Laboratory of Protein Phosphorylation & Proteomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (J.D.O.); (I.V.); (M.R.)
| | - Hanghang Wu
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology & ENT, Complutense University School of Medicine, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (H.W.); (F.J.C.)
| | - Francisco J. Cubero
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology & ENT, Complutense University School of Medicine, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (H.W.); (F.J.C.)
- Health Research Institute Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), 28007 Madrid, Spain
- Centre for Biomedical Research, Network on Liver and Digestive Diseases (CIBEREHD), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Tania Roskams
- Translational Cell & Tissue Research, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (E.E.C.); (T.R.)
- Department of Pathology, University Hospitals Leuven (UZ Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Veerle Janssens
- Laboratory of Protein Phosphorylation & Proteomics, Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (J.D.O.); (I.V.); (M.R.)
- KU Leuven Cancer Institute (LKI), 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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