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Mancini A, Gentile MT, Pentimalli F, Cortellino S, Grieco M, Giordano A. Multiple aspects of matrix stiffness in cancer progression. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1406644. [PMID: 39015505 PMCID: PMC11249764 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1406644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The biophysical and biomechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are crucial in the processes of cell differentiation and proliferation. However, it is unclear to what extent tumor cells are influenced by biomechanical and biophysical changes of the surrounding microenvironment and how this response varies between different tumor forms, and over the course of tumor progression. The entire ensemble of genes encoding the ECM associated proteins is called matrisome. In cancer, the ECM evolves to become highly dysregulated, rigid, and fibrotic, serving both pro-tumorigenic and anti-tumorigenic roles. Tumor desmoplasia is characterized by a dramatic increase of α-smooth muscle actin expressing fibroblast and the deposition of hard ECM containing collagen, fibronectin, proteoglycans, and hyaluronic acid and is common in many solid tumors. In this review, we described the role of inflammation and inflammatory cytokines, in desmoplastic matrix remodeling, tumor state transition driven by microenvironment forces and the signaling pathways in mechanotransduction as potential targeted therapies, focusing on the impact of qualitative and quantitative variations of the ECM on the regulation of tumor development, hypothesizing the presence of matrisome drivers, acting alongside the cell-intrinsic oncogenic drivers, in some stages of neoplastic progression and in some tumor contexts, such as pancreatic carcinoma, breast cancer, lung cancer and mesothelioma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Mancini
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
- BioUp Sagl, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Maria Teresa Gentile
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
| | - Francesca Pentimalli
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, LUM University “Giuseppe De Gennaro,” Casamassima, Bari, Italy
| | - Salvatore Cortellino
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Responsible Research Hospital, Campobasso, Italy
- Scuola Superiore Meridionale (SSM), Clinical and Translational Oncology, Naples, NA, Italy
- Sbarro Health Research Organization (S.H.R.O.) Italia Foundation ETS, Candiolo, TO, Italy
| | - Michele Grieco
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
| | - Antonio Giordano
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Center for Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
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Kamran M, Bhattacharya U, Omar M, Marchionni L, Ince TA. ZNF92, an unexplored transcription factor with remarkably distinct breast cancer over-expression associated with prognosis and cell-of-origin. NPJ Breast Cancer 2022; 8:99. [PMID: 36038558 PMCID: PMC9424319 DOI: 10.1038/s41523-022-00474-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor phenotype is shaped both by transforming genomic alterations and the normal cell-of-origin. We identified a cell-of-origin associated prognostic gene expression signature, ET-9, that correlates with remarkably shorter overall and relapse free breast cancer survival, 8.7 and 6.2 years respectively. The genes associated with the ET-9 signature are regulated by histone deacetylase 7 (HDAC7) partly through ZNF92, a previously unexplored transcription factor with a single PubMed citation since its cloning in 1990s. Remarkably, ZNF92 is distinctively over-expressed in breast cancer compared to other tumor types, on a par with the breast cancer specificity of the estrogen receptor. Importantly, ET-9 signature appears to be independent of proliferation, and correlates with outcome in lymph-node positive, HER2+, post-chemotherapy and triple-negative breast cancers. These features distinguish ET-9 from existing breast cancer prognostic signatures that are generally related to proliferation and correlate with outcome in lymph-node negative, ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancers. Our results suggest that ET-9 could be also utilized as a predictive signature to select patients for HDAC inhibitor treatment.
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