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Ciccone V, Simonis V, Del Gaudio C, Cucini C, Ziche M, Morbidelli L, Donnini S. ALDH1A1 confers resistance to RAF/MEK inhibitors in melanoma cells by maintaining stemness phenotype and activating PI3K/AKT signaling. Biochem Pharmacol 2024; 224:116252. [PMID: 38701866 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116252] [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: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK/ERK) pathway is pivotal in controlling the proliferation and survival of melanoma cells. Several mutations, including those in BRAF, exhibit an oncogenic effect leading to increased cellular proliferation. As a result, the combination therapy of a MEK inhibitor with a BRAF inhibitor demonstrated higher efficacy and lower toxicity than BRAF inhibitor alone. This combination has become the preferred standard of care for tumors driven by BRAF mutations. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 (ALDH1A1) is a known marker of stemness involved in drug resistance in several type of tumors, including melanoma. This study demonstrates that melanoma cells overexpressing ALDH1A1 displayed resistance to vemurafenib and trametinib through the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling instead of MAPK axis. Inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling partially rescued sensitivity to the drugs. Consistently, pharmacological inhibition of ALDH1A1 activity downregulated the activation of AKT and partially recovered responsiveness to vemurafenib and trametinib. We propose ALDH1A1 as a new potential target for treating melanoma resistant to MAPK/ERK inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Ciccone
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena I-53100, Italy
| | - Vittoria Simonis
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena I-53100, Italy
| | - Cinzia Del Gaudio
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena I-53100, Italy
| | - Claudio Cucini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena I-53100, Italy
| | - Marina Ziche
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neurosciences, University of Siena, Siena I‑53100, Italy
| | - Lucia Morbidelli
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena I-53100, Italy
| | - Sandra Donnini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena I-53100, Italy.
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2
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Vanoli F, Song E, Dermawan JK, Fishinevich E, Sung P, Min SS, Xie Z, de Traux de Wardin H, Hwang S, Maki RG, Antonescu CR. Modeling Extraordinary Response Through Targeting Secondary Alterations in Fusion-Associated Sarcoma. JCO Precis Oncol 2024; 8:e2300688. [PMID: 38885476 DOI: 10.1200/po.23.00688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Targeted therapy in translocation-associated sarcomas has been limited to oncogenic activation of tyrosine kinases or ligands while gene fusions resulting in aberrant expression of transcription factors have been notoriously difficult to target. Moreover, secondary genetic alterations in sarcomas driven by translocations are uncommon, comprising mostly alterations in tumor suppressor genes (TP53, CDKN2A/B). Our study was triggered by an index patient showing a dramatic clinical response by targeting the secondary BRAF V600E mutation in a metastatic angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma (AFH) harboring the typical EWSR1::CREB1 fusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS The patient, a 28-year-old female, was diagnosed with an AFH of the thigh and followed a highly aggressive clinical course, with rapid multifocal local recurrence within a year and widespread distant metastases (adrenal, bone, liver, lung). The tumor showed characteristic morphologic features, with histiocytoid cells intermixed with hemorrhagic cystic spaces and lymphoid aggregates. In addition to the pathognomonic EWSR1::CREB1 fusion, targeted DNA sequencing revealed in both primary and adrenal metastatic sites a hot spot BRAF V600E mutation and a CDKN2A/B deletion. Accordingly, the patient was treated with a BRAF-MEK inhibitor combination (encorafenib/binimetinib) showing an excellent but short-lived response. RESULTS Using a CRISPR-Cas9 approach, we introduced the BRAF c.1799 T>A point mutation in human embryonic stem (hES) cells harboring a conditional EWSR1 (exon7)::CREB1 (exon7) translocation and further differentiated to mesenchymal progenitors (hES-MP) before fusion expression. The cells maintained the fusion transcript expression and the AFH core gene signature while responding to treatment with encorafenib and binimetinib. CONCLUSION These results highlight that additional targeted DNA NGS in chemotherapy-resistant translocation-associated sarcomas may reveal actionable oncogenic drivers occurring as secondary genetic events during disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Vanoli
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Evan Song
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Josephine K Dermawan
- Robert J. Tomsich Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
| | - Eve Fishinevich
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Patricia Sung
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Soe S Min
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Ziyu Xie
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Henry de Traux de Wardin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Sinchun Hwang
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Robert G Maki
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Cristina R Antonescu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
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3
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O'Neill AF, Nguyen EM, Maldonado ED, Chang MR, Sun J, Zhu Q, Marasco WA. Anti-CD99 Antibody Therapy Triggers Macrophage-Dependent Ewing Cell Death In Vitro and Myeloid Cell Recruitment In Vivo. Antibodies (Basel) 2024; 13:24. [PMID: 38534214 DOI: 10.3390/antib13010024] [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: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ewing sarcoma is a rare tumor of the bone or soft tissues characterized by diffuse membranous staining for CD99. As this tumor remains incurable in the metastatic, relapsed, and refractory settings, we explored the downstream immune implications of targeting CD99. METHODS We discovered a human anti-CD99 antibody (NOA2) by phagemid panning and investigated NOA2 immune cell-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo focusing on the myeloid cell compartment, given that M2 macrophages are present in human tumors and associated with a poor prognosis. RESULTS NOA2 is capable of inducing immune effector cell-mediated Ewing death in vitro via engagement of macrophages. Mice with metastatic Ewing tumors, treated with NOA2, experience tumor growth arrest and an associated increase in intratumoral macrophages. Further, incubation of macrophages and Ewing cells with NOA2, in conjunction with anti-PILRα antibody blockade in vitro, results in the reactivation of previously dormant macrophages possibly due to interrupted binding of Ewing CD99 to macrophage PILRα. CONCLUSIONS These studies are the first to demonstrate the role of human immune effector cells in anti-CD99-mediated Ewing tumor death. We propose that the engagement of CD99 by NOA2 results in the recruitment of intratumoral macrophages. In addition, interruption of the CD99:PILRα checkpoint axis may be a relevant therapeutic approach to activate tumor-associated macrophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison F O'Neill
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber and Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Evelyn M Nguyen
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Evelyn D Maldonado
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Matthew R Chang
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Jiusong Sun
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Quan Zhu
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Wayne A Marasco
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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Wehrmann S, Rudolph H, Ernst D, Siepmann T, Kaltofen D, Hänel M, Mirow L. Case Report: Eighteen Month Relapse- Free Survival Following Radical Multidisciplinary Oncological Treatment in a 68-Year-Old Male Patient With Histiocytic Sarcoma. Front Oncol 2021; 11:633215. [PMID: 34164336 PMCID: PMC8215356 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.633215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Histiocytic Sarcoma (HS) is a rare and aggressive malignancy, and patients can present with rapid tumor growth and invasion. The optimal diagnostic and therapeutic management is unknown since only a few cases have been published. Here we report a patient with histiocytic sarcoma of the right groin. Case A 68 year-old male patient presented to our hospital with suspicion of a superinfected atheroma of the right groin. Computed tomography showed an abdominal tumor of unknown entity. Detailed assessment including immunohistochemically evaluation of biopsy material confirmed HS. The patient underwent radical tumor resection including compartment-resection of the right thigh. During five additional cycles of chemotherapy over a period of 1.5 years he remained relapse-free. Summary Diagnostic work up and treatment of HS is challenging, as there is a paucity of clinical reports and lack of standard guidelines for care. In the present case report, aggressive multidisciplinary treatment resulted in good clinical outcome, however, further studies evaluating this approach in similar patients are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Wehrmann
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Klinikum Chemnitz gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (gGmbH), Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Hagen Rudolph
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Klinikum Chemnitz gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (gGmbH), Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Dominikus Ernst
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Klinikum Chemnitz gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (gGmbH), Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Timo Siepmann
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Dorothea Kaltofen
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Klinikum Chemnitz gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (gGmbH), Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Mathias Hänel
- Department of Medical Oncology, Klinikum Chemnitz gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (gGmbH), Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Lutz Mirow
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Klinikum Chemnitz gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (gGmbH), Chemnitz, Germany
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5
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Al-Taie Z, Liu D, Mitchem JB, Papageorgiou C, Kaifi JT, Warren WC, Shyu CR. Explainable artificial intelligence in high-throughput drug repositioning for subgroup stratifications with interventionable potential. J Biomed Inform 2021; 118:103792. [PMID: 33915273 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbi.2021.103792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Enabling precision medicine requires developing robust patient stratification methods as well as drugs tailored to homogeneous subgroups of patients from a heterogeneous population. Developing de novo drugs is expensive and time consuming with an ultimately low FDA approval rate. These limitations make developing new drugs for a small portion of a disease population unfeasible. Therefore, drug repositioning is an essential alternative for developing new drugs for a disease subpopulation. This shows the importance of developing data-driven approaches that find druggable homogeneous subgroups within the disease population and reposition the drugs for these subgroups. In this study, we developed an explainable AI approach for patient stratification and drug repositioning. Contrast pattern mining and network analysis were used to discover homogeneous subgroups within a disease population. For each subgroup, a biomedical network analysis was done to find the drugs that are most relevant to a given subgroup of patients. The set of candidate drugs for each subgroup was ranked using an aggregated drug score assigned to each drug. The proposed method represents a human-in-the-loop framework, where medical experts use the data-driven results to generate hypotheses and obtain insights into potential therapeutic candidates for patients who belong to a subgroup. Colorectal cancer (CRC) was used as a case study. Patients' phenotypic and genotypic data was utilized with a heterogeneous knowledge base because it gives a multi-view perspective for finding new indications for drugs outside of their original use. Our analysis of the top candidate drugs for the subgroups identified by medical experts showed that most of these drugs are cancer-related, and most of them have the potential to be a CRC regimen based on studies in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zainab Al-Taie
- Institute for Data Science & Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA; Department of Computer Science, College of Science for Women, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Danlu Liu
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Jonathan B Mitchem
- Institute for Data Science & Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA; Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA; Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Columbia, MO 65201, USA.
| | - Christos Papageorgiou
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - Jussuf T Kaifi
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA; Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Wesley C Warren
- Institute for Data Science & Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA; Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA; Department of Animal Sciences, Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, 1201 Rollins Street, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Chi-Ren Shyu
- Institute for Data Science & Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA; Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA.
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6
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Huguenard AL, Li YD, Sharifai N, Perkins SM, Dahiya S, Chicoine MR. Multifocal primary central nervous system Ewing sarcoma presenting with intracranial hemorrhage and leptomeningeal dissemination: illustrative case. JOURNAL OF NEUROSURGERY. CASE LESSONS 2021; 1:CASE2042. [PMID: 35855436 PMCID: PMC9241201 DOI: 10.3171/case2042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ewing sarcoma is a neoplasm within the family of small round blue cell tumors and most frequently arises from skeletal bone. Primary involvement of the central nervous system in these lesions is extremely rare, with an incidence of 1%. OBSERVATIONS A case is presented of a 34-year-old man who presented with left facial numbness, multiple intracranial lesions, a lumbar intradural lesion, and diffuse spinal leptomeningeal involvement. A lumbar laminectomy and biopsy were performed, which revealed the diagnosis of extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor. The patient had a rapidly progressive clinical decline despite total neuroaxis radiation and multiple lines of chemotherapeutic treatments, eventually dying from his disease and its sequelae 6 months after diagnosis. LESSONS The authors' review of 40 cases in the literature revealed only 2 patients with isolated intraaxial cranial lesions, 4 patients with cranial and spine involvement, and an additional 34 patients with spine lesions. The unique characteristics of this patient's case, including his presentation with diffuse disease and pathology that included a rare V600E BRAF mutation, are discussed in the context of the available literature.
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7
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Liu H, Nazmun N, Hassan S, Liu X, Yang J. BRAF mutation and its inhibitors in sarcoma treatment. Cancer Med 2020; 9:4881-4896. [PMID: 32476297 PMCID: PMC7367634 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.3103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway plays a significant role in mediating cellular physiological activities, such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and senescence. This signaling pathway is composed of several major proto‐oncogenes of RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK, among which the BRAF proto‐oncogene, as one of the three members of the RAF family, has a higher mutation rate than ARAF and CRAF and has attracted extensive attention. Regarding the BRAF mutation, approximately 95% of BRAF mutations belong to the BRAF V600E mutation, which can enhance the expression of the MAPK signaling pathway and is thus related to the occurrence and development of various malignant tumors and has been successfully identified as a therapeutic target. Moreover, drug resistance to BRAF inhibitor treatment also appears to be an important issue. Considering the successful use of BRAF inhibitors in melanoma, we provide a brief overview of the BRAF mutations, including their basic structures and activation mechanisms, and the new classification method for BRAF mutations. Most importantly, we summarize the results of BRAF inhibitor treatment in different sarcomas. To overcome drug resistance to BRAF inhibitor treatment, we also outline the different mechanisms of drug resistance to BRAF inhibitor treatment and introduce the combination strategy of BRAF inhibitors with other targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haotian Liu
- Department of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Nahar Nazmun
- Department of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China.,International Medical School, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Shafat Hassan
- Department of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China.,International Medical School, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Xinyue Liu
- Department of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Jilong Yang
- Department of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China
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8
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Precision medicine in Ewing sarcoma: a translational point of view. Clin Transl Oncol 2020; 22:1440-1454. [PMID: 32026343 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-020-02298-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma is a rare tumor that arises in bones of children and teenagers but, in 15% of the patients it is presented as a primary soft tissue tumor. Balanced reciprocal chimeric translocation t(11;22)(q24;q12), which encodes an oncogenic protein fusion (EWSR1/FLI1), is the most generalized and characteristic molecular event. Using conventional treatments, (chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy) long-term overall survival rate is 30% for patients with disseminated disease and 65-75% for patients with localized tumors. Urgent new effective drug development is a challenge. This review summarizes the preclinical and clinical investigational knowledge about prognostic and targetable biomarkers in Ewing sarcoma, finally suggesting a workflow for precision medicine committees.
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9
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Knott MML, Hölting TLB, Ohmura S, Kirchner T, Cidre-Aranaz F, Grünewald TGP. Targeting the undruggable: exploiting neomorphic features of fusion oncoproteins in childhood sarcomas for innovative therapies. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2019; 38:625-642. [PMID: 31970591 PMCID: PMC6994515 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-019-09839-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
While sarcomas account for approximately 1% of malignant tumors of adults, they are particularly more common in children and adolescents affected by cancer. In contrast to malignancies that occur in later stages of life, childhood tumors, including sarcoma, are characterized by a striking paucity of somatic mutations. However, entity-defining fusion oncogenes acting as the main oncogenic driver mutations are frequently found in pediatric bone and soft-tissue sarcomas such as Ewing sarcoma (EWSR1-FLI1), alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (PAX3/7-FOXO1), and synovial sarcoma (SS18-SSX1/2/4). Since strong oncogene-dependency has been demonstrated in these entities, direct pharmacological targeting of these fusion oncogenes has been excessively attempted, thus far, with limited success. Despite apparent challenges, our increasing understanding of the neomorphic features of these fusion oncogenes in conjunction with rapid technological advances will likely enable the development of new strategies to therapeutically exploit these neomorphic features and to ultimately turn the "undruggable" into first-line target structures. In this review, we provide a broad overview of the current literature on targeting neomorphic features of fusion oncogenes found in Ewing sarcoma, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, and synovial sarcoma, and give a perspective for future developments. Graphical abstract Scheme depicting the different targeting strategies of fusion oncogenes in pediatric fusion-driven sarcomas. Fusion oncogenes can be targeted on their DNA level (1), RNA level (2), protein level (3), and by targeting downstream functions and interaction partners (4).
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian M L Knott
- Max-Eder Research Group for Pediatric Sarcoma Biology, Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Thalkirchner Str. 36, 80337, Munich, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Tilman L B Hölting
- Max-Eder Research Group for Pediatric Sarcoma Biology, Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Thalkirchner Str. 36, 80337, Munich, Germany
| | - Shunya Ohmura
- Max-Eder Research Group for Pediatric Sarcoma Biology, Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Thalkirchner Str. 36, 80337, Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas Kirchner
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Florencia Cidre-Aranaz
- Max-Eder Research Group for Pediatric Sarcoma Biology, Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Thalkirchner Str. 36, 80337, Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas G P Grünewald
- Max-Eder Research Group for Pediatric Sarcoma Biology, Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Thalkirchner Str. 36, 80337, Munich, Germany.
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Munich, Munich, Germany.
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
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10
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Hattinger CM, Patrizio MP, Magagnoli F, Luppi S, Serra M. An update on emerging drugs in osteosarcoma: towards tailored therapies? Expert Opin Emerg Drugs 2019; 24:153-171. [PMID: 31401903 DOI: 10.1080/14728214.2019.1654455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Current treatment of conventional and non-conventional high-grade osteosarcoma (HGOS) is based on the surgical removal of primary tumor and, when possible, of metastases and local reccurrence, together with systemic pre- and post-operative chemotherapy with drugs that have been used since decades. Areas covered: This review is intended to summarize the new agents and therapeutic strategies that are under clinical evaluation in HGOS, with the aim to increase the cure probability of this highly malignant bone tumor, which has not significantly improved during the last 30-40 years. The list of drugs, compounds and treatment modalities presented and discussed here has been generated by considering only those that are included in presently ongoing and recruiting clinical trials, or which have been completed in the last 2 years with reported results, on the basis of the information obtained from different and continuously updated databases. Expert opinion: Despite HGOS is a rare tumor, several clinical trials are presently evaluating different treatment strategies, which may hopefully positively impact on the outcome of patients who experience unfavorable prognosis when treated with conventional therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Maria Hattinger
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, Pharmacogenomics and Pharmacogenetics Research Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli , Bologna , Italy
| | - Maria Pia Patrizio
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, Pharmacogenomics and Pharmacogenetics Research Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli , Bologna , Italy
| | - Federica Magagnoli
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, Pharmacogenomics and Pharmacogenetics Research Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli , Bologna , Italy
| | - Silvia Luppi
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, Pharmacogenomics and Pharmacogenetics Research Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli , Bologna , Italy
| | - Massimo Serra
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, Pharmacogenomics and Pharmacogenetics Research Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli , Bologna , Italy
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11
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Theisen ER, Miller KR, Showpnil IA, Taslim C, Pishas KI, Lessnick SL. Transcriptomic analysis functionally maps the intrinsically disordered domain of EWS/FLI and reveals novel transcriptional dependencies for oncogenesis. Genes Cancer 2019; 10:21-38. [PMID: 30899417 PMCID: PMC6420793 DOI: 10.18632/genesandcancer.188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
EWS/FLI is the pathognomic fusion oncoprotein that drives Ewing sarcoma. The amino-terminal EWS portion coordinates transcriptional regulation and the carboxy-terminal FLI portion contains an ETS DNA-binding domain. EWS/FLI acts as an aberrant transcription factor, orchestrating a complex mix of gene activation and repression, from both high affinity ETS motifs and repetitive GGAA-microsatellites. Our overarching hypothesis is that executing multi-faceted transcriptional regulation requires EWS/FLI to use distinct molecular mechanisms at different loci. Many attempts have been made to map distinct functions to specific features of the EWS domain, but described deletion mutants are either fully active or completely "dead" and other approaches have been limited by the repetitive and disordered nature of the EWS domain. Here, we use transcriptomic approaches to show an EWS/FLI mutant, called DAF, previously thought to be nonfunctional, displays context-dependent and partial transcriptional activity but lacks transforming capacity. Using transcriptomic and phenotypic anchorage-independent growth profiles of other EWS/FLI mutants coupled with reported EWS/FLI localization data, we have mapped the critical structure-function requirements of the EWS domain for EWS/FLI-mediated oncogenesis. This approach defined unique classes of EWS/FLI response elements and revealed novel structure-function relationships required for EWS/FLI activation at these response elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R Theisen
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Kyle R Miller
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Iftekhar A Showpnil
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.,Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Cenny Taslim
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Kathleen I Pishas
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Stephen L Lessnick
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.,Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Blood & Marrow Transplant, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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