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Erdem M, Lee KH, Hardt M, Regan JL, Kobelt D, Walther W, Mokrizkij M, Regenbrecht C, Stein U. MACC1 Regulates LGR5 to Promote Cancer Stem Cell Properties in Colorectal Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:604. [PMID: 38339354 PMCID: PMC10854991 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16030604] [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: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The high mortality is directly associated with metastatic disease, which is thought to be initiated by colon cancer stem cells, according to the cancer stem cell (CSC) model. Consequently, early identification of those patients who are at high risk for metastasis is crucial for improved treatment and patient outcomes. Metastasis-associated in colon cancer 1 (MACC1) is a novel prognostic biomarker for tumor progression and metastasis formation independent of tumor stage. We previously showed an involvement of MACC1 in cancer stemness in the mouse intestine of our MACC1 transgenic mouse models. However, the expression of MACC1 in human CSCs and possible implications remain elusive. Here, we explored the molecular mechanisms by which MACC1 regulates stemness and the CSC-associated invasive phenotype based on patient-derived tumor organoids (PDOs), patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) and human CRC cell lines. We showed that CD44-enriched CSCs from PDO models express significantly higher levels of MACC1 and LGR5 and display higher tumorigenicity in immunocompromised mice. Similarly, RNA sequencing performed on PDO and PDX models demonstrated significantly increased MACC1 expression in ALDH1(+) CSCs, highlighting its involvement in cancer stemness. We further showed the correlation of MACC1 with the CSC markers CD44, NANOG and LGR5 in PDO models as well as established cell lines. Additionally, MACC1 increased stem cell gene expression, clonogenicity and sphere formation. Strikingly, we showed that MACC1 binds as a transcription factor to the LGR5 gene promoter, uncovering the long-known CSC marker LGR5 as a novel essential signaling mediator employed by MACC1 to induce CSC-like properties in human CRC patients. Our in vitro findings were further substantiated by a significant positive correlation of MACC1 with LGR5 in CRC cell lines as well as CRC patient tumors. Taken together, this study indicates that the metastasis inducer MACC1 acts as a cancer stem cell-associated marker. Interventional approaches targeting MACC1 would potentially improve further targeted therapies for colorectal cancer patients to eradicate CSCs and prevent cancer recurrence and distant metastasis formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Müge Erdem
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Translational Oncology of Solid Tumors Research Group, 13125 Berlin, Germany (D.K.)
| | - Kyung Hwan Lee
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Translational Oncology of Solid Tumors Research Group, 13125 Berlin, Germany (D.K.)
| | - Markus Hardt
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Translational Oncology of Solid Tumors Research Group, 13125 Berlin, Germany (D.K.)
| | - Joseph L. Regan
- Bayer AG, Research and Development, Pharmaceuticals, 13342 Berlin, Germany
- JLR Life Sciences Ltd., A96 A8D5 Dublin, Ireland
| | - Dennis Kobelt
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Translational Oncology of Solid Tumors Research Group, 13125 Berlin, Germany (D.K.)
- German Cancer Consortium, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Walther
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Translational Oncology of Solid Tumors Research Group, 13125 Berlin, Germany (D.K.)
| | - Margarita Mokrizkij
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Translational Oncology of Solid Tumors Research Group, 13125 Berlin, Germany (D.K.)
| | | | - Ulrike Stein
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Translational Oncology of Solid Tumors Research Group, 13125 Berlin, Germany (D.K.)
- German Cancer Consortium, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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Unal B, Celik MY, Gedik EO, Bassorgun CI, Elpek GO. Tumor budding as a potential prognostic marker in determining the behavior of primary liver cancers. World J Hepatol 2023; 15:775-785. [PMID: 37397937 PMCID: PMC10308291 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v15.i6.775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), the most common primary tumors of the liver, are among the most important causes of cancer deaths worldwide. Because patients with primary liver tumors are frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage and have high mortality, many efforts have been made to identify new markers to determine their behavior and treatment, similar to those in other solid organ tumors. Recently, morphological assessment of tumor budding (TB) has been revealed as a promising prognostic finding to predict tumor behavior and survival across several different tumor types. Currently, the TB score in colorectal cancer has been revealed as an important parameter in pathology report protocols to determine the course of the disease. Regarding the liver, despite enormous data showing that many mechanisms involved in TB are associated with tumor behavior in both HCC and ICC, studies focusing on the role of TB in predicting the behavior and prognosis of these tumors have started to be investigated very recently. The purpose of this review is to present data about TB in primary tumors of the liver, pointing out the potential role of this parameter in determining the course of the disease, and emphasize the need to increase the number of further studies focusing on the evaluation of this parameter with an overview of the mechanisms involved in TB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betul Unal
- Department of Pathology, Akdeniz University Medical School, Antalya 07070, Turkey
| | | | - Elif Ocak Gedik
- Department of Pathology, Akdeniz University Medical School, Antalya 07070, Turkey
| | | | - Gulsum Ozlem Elpek
- Department of Pathology, Akdeniz University Medical School, Antalya 07070, Turkey
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Takahashi H, Watanabe H, Hashimura M, Matsumoto T, Yokoi A, Nakagawa M, Ishibashi Y, Ito T, Ohhigata K, Saegusa M. A combination of stromal PD-L1 and tumoral nuclear β-catenin expression as an indicator of colorectal carcinoma progression and resistance to chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal carcinoma. JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY CLINICAL RESEARCH 2022; 8:458-469. [PMID: 35762092 PMCID: PMC9353658 DOI: 10.1002/cjp2.285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) are significant mediators of immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment. We focused on the immunological impact of PD-1/PD-L1 signaling during tumor progression in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and its association with resistance to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) in locally advanced rectal carcinoma (LAd-RC). Histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses of 100 CRC cases (including 34 RC) without NCRT and 109 NCRT-treated LAd-RC cases were performed. Membranous tumoral PD-L1 expression was identified in 9 of 100 (9%) CRC cases, including 1 of 34 (2.9%) RC cases, but PD-L1 immunopositivity was not associated with any clinicopathological factors, with the exception of deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) status. In contrast, stromal PD-L1+ immune cells, which frequently exhibited coexpression of PD-1 and CD8 markers, were significantly correlated with tumor vessel invasion, nuclear β-catenin+ tumor budding cancer stem cell (CSC)-like features, and unfavorable prognosis. In the LAd-RC cases, stromal CD8+ (but not PD-L1+) immune cell infiltration in pretreatment-biopsied samples was significantly and positively associated with therapeutic efficacy. After NCRT, tumoral PD-L1 expression was observed in only 2 of 83 (2.4%) tumors, independent of dMMR status, whereas high stromal PD-L1+ and tumoral nuclear β-catenin positivity were significantly linked to a poor response to NCRT and high tumor budding features. In addition, high stromal PD-L1 immunoreactivity was significantly associated with poorer overall survival. In conclusion, a combination of stromal PD-L1+ immune cells and nuclear β-catenin+ tumor budding may contribute to tumor progression in CRC and resistance to NCRT in LAd-RC, through formation of niche-like lesions that exhibit immune resistance and CSC properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Takahashi
- Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan.,Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Allied Health Science, Sagamihara, Japan
| | - Hirono Watanabe
- Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan
| | - Miki Hashimura
- Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan
| | - Toshihide Matsumoto
- Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan.,Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Allied Health Science, Sagamihara, Japan
| | - Ako Yokoi
- Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan
| | - Mayu Nakagawa
- Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan
| | - Yu Ishibashi
- Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan
| | - Takashi Ito
- Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan
| | - Kensuke Ohhigata
- Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan
| | - Makoto Saegusa
- Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan
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Molecular mechanisms of tumour budding and its association with microenvironment in colorectal cancer. Clin Sci (Lond) 2022; 136:521-535. [PMID: 35445707 DOI: 10.1042/cs20210886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide. Poor survival of CRC associated with the development of tumour metastasis led to the investigation of the potential biomarkers to predict outcomes in CRC patients. Tumour budding (TB) is a well-known independent prognostic marker for poor survival and disease metastasis. Therefore, it has been suggested that TB status is included in routine clinicopathological factors for risk assessment in CRC. In contrast with a vast majority of studies regarding the prognostic power of TB, there is no clear evidence pertaining to the underlying molecular mechanism driving this phenotype, or an understanding of TB relationship with the tumour microenvironment (TME). The aim of the present study is to present a comprehensive review of TB and tumour cell signalling pathways together with the cross-talk of immune cells that could drive TB formation in CRC.
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Kamakura M, Uehara T, Iwaya M, Asaka S, Kobayashi S, Nakajima T, Kinugawa Y, Nagaya T, Yoshizawa T, Shimizu A, Ota H, Umemura T. LGR5 expression and clinicopathological features of the invasive front in the fat infiltration area of pancreatic cancer. Diagn Pathol 2022; 17:21. [PMID: 35123536 PMCID: PMC8818226 DOI: 10.1186/s13000-022-01203-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5) is a strong cancer stem cell marker in colorectal cancer; however, there are many unclear aspects of LGR5 expression in pancreatic cancer. It has been reported that the interaction between tumor cells and stroma at the fat infiltration site has a significant effect on pancreatic cancer prognosis. Therefore, we report a clinicopathological study of LGR5 expression at the fat invasion front in pancreatic cancer.
Methods
LGR5 expression was analyzed in 40 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cases with RNAscope, which is a newly developed high-sensitivity in situ hybridization method. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was analyzed by the expression of E-cadherin and vimentin via immunohistochemistry.
Results
LGR5-positive dots were identified in all cases, especially with glandular formation. In the fat invasion front, a high histological grade showed significantly reduced LGR5 expression compared with a low histological grade (p=0.0126). LGR5 expression was significantly higher in the non-EMT phenotype group than in EMT phenotype group (p=0.0003). Additionally, LGR5 expression was significantly lower in cases with high vascular invasion than in those with low vascular invasion (p=0.0244).
Conclusions
These findings suggest that decreased LGR5 expression in the fat invasion front is associated with more aggressive biological behavior in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, with higher tumor grade, EMT phenotype, and higher vascular invasion.
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Stemness, Inflammation and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Colorectal Carcinoma: The Intricate Network. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222312891. [PMID: 34884696 PMCID: PMC8658015 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222312891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In global cancer statistics, colorectal carcinoma (CRC) ranks third by incidence and second by mortality, causing 10.0% of new cancer cases and 9.4% of oncological deaths worldwide. Despite the development of screening programs and preventive measures, there are still high numbers of advanced cases. Multiple problems compromise the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, one of these being cancer stem cells—a minor fraction of pluripotent, self-renewing malignant cells capable of maintaining steady, low proliferation and exhibiting an intriguing arsenal of treatment resistance mechanisms. Currently, there is an increasing body of evidence for intricate associations between inflammation, epithelial–mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cells. In this review, we focus on inflammation and its role in CRC stemness development through epithelial–mesenchymal transition.
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Rezaee M, Gheytanchi E, Madjd Z, Mehrazma M. Clinicopathological Significance of Tumor Stem Cell Markers ALDH1 and CD133 in Colorectal Carcinoma. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2020; 16:40-50. [PMID: 33391379 PMCID: PMC7691712 DOI: 10.30699/ijp.2020.127441.2389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Background & Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide with a high mortality rate. The main causes of death in patients are recurrence and metastasis which are mainly attributed to the small subpopulation of cells within tumors called cancer stem cells (CSCs). This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between the expression of ALDH1 and CD133 as CSC associated markers and clinicopathological characteristics in CRC. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 483 CRC tumor samples were immunohistochemically stained for detection of CD133 and ALDH1 markers. Correlations of marker expression with clinicopathological factors were also evaluated. Results: There was a significant correlation between the luminal intensity of CD133 and neural invasion (P=0.05) and between the cytoplasmic intensity of CD133 and metastasis (P=0.05). In terms of H-score, a positive significant relation was observed between cytoplasmic expression of CD133 and lymph node (P=0.02), neural (P=0.04) and vascular invasion (P=0.02). The ALDH1 cytoplasmic expression showed a significant correlation with tumor size (P=0.001). Conclusion: Our findings showed that increased expression of CD133 and ALDH1 is associated with tumor progression and worse outcomes in CRC patients. These markers can be good candidates for localized targeting of CSCs using antibodies. Future researches need to be improved approaches for early detection of CRC, and treatment monitoring for CRC and other cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Rezaee
- Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Elmira Gheytanchi
- Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Madjd
- Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mitra Mehrazma
- Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Pathology, Hasheminejad Kidney Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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