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Rizzo A, Ricci AD, Lanotte L, Lombardi L, Di Federico A, Brandi G, Gadaleta-Caldarola G. Immune-based combinations for metastatic triple negative breast cancer in clinical trials: current knowledge and therapeutic prospects. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2021; 31:557-565. [PMID: 34802383 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2022.2009456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy appears to be effective in a small cohort of patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC). This supports the exploration of strategies for increasing the efficacy of immunotherapy. To enhance overall response and clinical outcomes, several immune-based combinations are being investigated. AREAS COVERED The authors present a synopsis of current, state-of-art immune-based combinations in this setting and reflect on future possibilities. They shed light on recently presented and published clinical trials and ongoing studies. A literature search was conducted in October 2021; in addition, abstracts of international cancer meetings were reviewed. EXPERT OPINION Clinical trials suggest that ICI monotherapy could be beneficial in a minority of mTNBC patients; conversely, several immune-based combinations have reported notable results in recently presented or published studies. Some of these combination strategies have been approved for mTNBC - as in the case of chemoimmunotherapy in PD-L1 positive patients. Numerous trials are investigating novel ICI-based combinations and their results are eagerly awaited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Rizzo
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Bologna, Italia.,Medical Oncology Unit, "Mons. R. Dimiccoli" Hospital, Barletta (BT), ASL BT, Barletta, Italy
| | - Angela Dalia Ricci
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Bologna, Italia.,Medical Oncology Unit, "Mons. R. Dimiccoli" Hospital, Barletta (BT), ASL BT, Barletta, Italy
| | - Laura Lanotte
- Medical Oncology Unit, "Mons. R. Dimiccoli" Hospital, Barletta (BT), ASL BT, Barletta, Italy
| | - Lucia Lombardi
- Medical Oncology Unit, "Mons. R. Dimiccoli" Hospital, Barletta (BT), ASL BT, Barletta, Italy
| | | | - Giovanni Brandi
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Bologna, Italia
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Mansoori B, Duijf PHG, Mohammadi A, Safarzadeh E, Ditzel HJ, Gjerstorff MF, Cho WCS, Baradaran B. MiR-142-3p targets HMGA2 and suppresses breast cancer malignancy. Life Sci 2021; 276:119431. [PMID: 33785332 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have the ability to regulate gene expression programs in cells. Hence, altered expression of miRNAs significantly contributes to breast cancer development and progression. Here, we demonstrate that the miRNA miR-142-3p directly targets the 3' untranslated region of HMGA2, which encodes an onco-embryonic protein that is overexpressed in most cancers, including breast cancer. Down regulation of miR-142-3p predicting poor patient survival in grade 3 breast cancer (P-value = 0.045). MiR-142-3p downregulates HMGA2 mRNA and protein levels. Higher miR-142-3p and lower HMGA2 expressed are found in breast cancer versus normal breast tissue (P-value<0.05), and their levels inversely correlate in breast cancers (P-value = 1.46 × 10-4). We demonstrate that miR-142-3p induces apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest in breast cancer cells. In addition, it inhibits breast cancer stem cell properties and decreases SOX2, NANOG, ALDH and c-Myc expression. MiR-142-3p also decreases cell proliferation through inhibition of the ERK/AKT/STAT3 signaling pathways. Finally, pathway analyses of patient samples suggest that these mechanisms also acting in the tumors of breast cancer patients. Thus, our work identifies HMGA2 as a direct miR-142-3p target and indicates that miR-142-3p is an important suppressor of breast cancer oncogenesis. This identifies miR-142-3p may candidate as a therapeutic molecule for breast cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behzad Mansoori
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Department of Cancer and Inflammation Research, Institute for Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; Aging Research Institute, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Pascal H G Duijf
- Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia; University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Ali Mohammadi
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Department of Cancer and Inflammation Research, Institute for Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Elham Safarzadeh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Henrik J Ditzel
- Department of Cancer and Inflammation Research, Institute for Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; Department of Oncology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark; Academy of Geriatric Cancer Research (AgeCare), Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Morten F Gjerstorff
- Department of Cancer and Inflammation Research, Institute for Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; Department of Oncology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark; Academy of Geriatric Cancer Research (AgeCare), Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | | | - Behzad Baradaran
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
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Ha W, Hinde A, Xie L, Trager MH, Liu L. Biomarker function of HMGA2 in ultraviolet-induced skin cancer development. Exp Dermatol 2020; 29:1021-1026. [PMID: 32780494 DOI: 10.1111/exd.14174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The high mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) gene encodes a transcription factor that is expressed during embryonic development but down-regulated in adult tissues. Its re-expression in adult tissues is often associated with tumorigenesis. In this study, we found that HMGA2 is highly expressed in human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell lines and primary SCC tumors, but not in adjacent normal skin. In non-ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated mouse skin, baseline Hmga2 expression was detected in the epidermis but not in hair follicles. Following chronic UV exposure, we found activation of Hmga2 in hair follicles. UV-induced mouse skin SCC tumors displayed a ubiquitous increase in Hmga2 expression compared to non-tumor-bearing adjacent skin. In human SCC cells, decreased HMGA2 expression was linked with reduced cell proliferation following depletion of FOXM1 and TRIP13, two UV master regulator genes. Taken together, these findings highlight an important biomarker function of HMGA2 expression in UV-induced skin tumorigenesis and cell proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wootae Ha
- The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN, USA
| | - Amanda Hinde
- The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN, USA
| | - Lillian Xie
- The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN, USA
| | - Megan H Trager
- Department of Dermatology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Liang Liu
- The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN, USA.,Department of Dermatology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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Ouchi K, Miyachi M, Yagyu S, Kikuchi K, Kuwahara Y, Tsuchiya K, Iehara T, Hosoi H. Oncogenic role of HMGA2 in fusion-negative rhabdomyosarcoma cells. Cancer Cell Int 2020; 20:192. [PMID: 32489328 PMCID: PMC7247181 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-020-01282-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common pediatric soft tissue sarcoma. There are two subtypes, fusion gene-positive RMS (FP-RMS) and fusion gene-negative RMS (FN-RMS), depending on the presence of a fusion gene, either PAX3-FOXO1 or PAX7-FOXO1. These fusion genes are thought to be oncogenic drivers of FP-RMS. By contrast, the underlying mechanism of FN-RMS has not been thoroughly investigated. It has recently been shown that HMGA2 is specifically positive in pathological tissue from FN-RMS, but the role of HMGA2 in FN-RMS remains to be clarified. Methods In this study, we used FN-RMS cell lines to investigate the function of HMGA2. Gene expression, cell growth, cell cycle, myogenic differentiation, tumor formation in vivo, and cell viability under drug treatment were assessed. Results We found that HMGA2 was highly expressed in FN-RMS cells compared with FP-RMS cells and that knockdown of HMGA2 in FN-RMS cells inhibited cell growth and induced G1 phase accumulation in the cell cycle and myogenic differentiation. Additionally, we showed using both gain-of-function and loss-of-function assays that HMGA2 was required for tumor formation in vivo. Consistent with these findings, the HMGA2 inhibitor netropsin inhibited the cell growth of FN-RMS. Conclusions Our results suggest that HMGA2 has important role in the oncogenicity of FP-RMS and may be a potential therapeutic target in patients with FN-RMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazutaka Ouchi
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566 Japan
| | - Mitsuru Miyachi
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566 Japan
| | - Shigeki Yagyu
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566 Japan
| | - Ken Kikuchi
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566 Japan
| | - Yasumichi Kuwahara
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566 Japan.,Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566 Japan
| | - Kunihiko Tsuchiya
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566 Japan
| | - Tomoko Iehara
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566 Japan
| | - Hajime Hosoi
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566 Japan
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Liu Y, Li X, Zhang Y, Wang H, Rong X, Peng J, He L, Peng Y. An miR-340-5p-macrophage feedback loop modulates the progression and tumor microenvironment of glioblastoma multiforme. Oncogene 2019; 38:7399-7415. [PMID: 31427735 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-019-0952-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be involved in the progression and tumor microenvironment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Our previous research has indicated that miR-340-5p has an antitumor effect in vitro. However, the role of miR-340-5p in GBM has not been fully elucidated. Here, we show that downregulation of miR-340-5p in GBM is correlated with tumor size, recurrence, and poor survival. Moreover, we found that miR-340-5p levels are correlated with the density of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and M2-polarized TAMs in GBM. Biofunctional investigations revealed that downregulation of miR-340-5p promoted TAM recruitment and M2-TAMs polarization in vitro and in vivo. In addition, we found that upregulation of miR-340-5p inhibited tumor growth and was associated with good prognosis in vivo. Through gene expression profiles and bioinformatics analysis, we showed that miR-340-5p directly targets POSTN, which recruited TAMs through integrin αvβ3. Downregulation of miR-340-5p in GBM did not induce the differentiation of TAMs into polarized M2 cells but was able to promote the M2 polarization of TAMs through directly targeting LTBP-1. Furthermore, we found that M2-TAMs promoted tumorigenesis and were associated with a poor prognosis in vivo. In an in vitro study, we demonstrated that M2-TAMs inhibited miR-340-5p expression in GBM cells by upregulation of TGFβ-1, which increased HMGA-2 expression in GBM. A ChIP assay confirmed that HMGA-2 transcriptionally suppressed miR-340-5p expression. Patients with low-miR-340-5p expression, high CD163, high POSTN, high LIBP1 levels, and high HMGA-2 had a poor prognosis with shorter overall survival, confirming data from the TCGA database. These findings suggest that an miR-340-5p-macrophage feedback loop modulates the progression and tumor microenvironment of GBM and may represent a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic strategy for GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunyun Liu
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyu Li
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuanpei Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hongxuan Wang
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiongming Rong
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jialing Peng
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lei He
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ying Peng
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China. .,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 510120, Guangzhou, China.
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MicroRNA-34a-5p suppresses tumorigenesis and progression of glioma and potentiates Temozolomide-induced cytotoxicity for glioma cells by targeting HMGA2. Eur J Pharmacol 2019; 852:42-50. [PMID: 30851271 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2019.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Glioma is a frequently diagnosed brain tumors and Temozolomide (TMZ) is a common chemotherapeutic drug for glioma. High mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) was reported to be linked with glioma pathogenesis and Temozolomide (TMZ)-induced cytotoxicity. Our present study aimed to further search for the upstream regulatory microRNAs (miRNAs) of HMGA2 in glioma. RT-qPCR assay was conducted to measure the expression of HMGA2 mRNA and microRNA-34a-5p (miR-34a-5p). HMGA2 protein expression was examined by western blot assay. Cell proliferative ability and cell viability was assessed by CCK-8 assay. Cell migratory and invasive capacities were estimated by Transwell migration and invasion assay. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay was conducted to investigate the potential interaction between miR-34a-5p and HMGA2. Mouse xenograft experiments were performed to further test the roles of TMZ, miR-34a-5p and HMGA2, alone or in combination, in glioma tumorigenesis in vivo. We found HMGA2 expression was notably upregulated in glioma tissues and cells, and associated with glioma grade and poor prognosis. HMGA2 knockdown or miR-34a-5p overexpression inhibited migration, invasion, proliferation and enhanced TMZ-induced cytotoxicity in glioma cells. Moreover, HMGA2 was a target of miR-34a-5p. And, miR-34a-5p expression was remarkably reduced in glioma tissues and cells. MiR-34a-5p exerted its function through targeting HMGA2 in glioma cells. HMGA2 knockdown or miR-34a-5p overexpression inhibited tumor growth and enhanced TMZ-mediated anti-tumor effect in glioma xenograft models. We concluded MiR-34a-5p suppressed tumorigenesis and progression of glioma and potentiated TMZ-induced cytotoxicity for glioma cells by targeting HMGA2, deepening our understanding on molecular basis of HMGA2 in glioma.
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