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Gabre JL, Merseburger P, Claeys A, Siaw J, Bekaert SL, Speleman F, Hallberg B, Palmer RH, Van den Eynden J. Preclinical exploration of the DNA damage response pathway using the interactive neuroblastoma cell line explorer CLEAN. NAR Cancer 2024; 6:zcad062. [PMID: 38213997 PMCID: PMC10782898 DOI: 10.1093/narcan/zcad062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common cancer in infancy with an urgent need for more efficient targeted therapies. The development of novel (combinatorial) treatment strategies relies on extensive explorations of signaling perturbations in neuroblastoma cell lines, using RNA-Seq or other high throughput technologies (e.g. phosphoproteomics). This typically requires dedicated bioinformatics support, which is not always available. Additionally, while data from published studies are highly valuable and raw data (e.g. fastq files) are nowadays released in public repositories, data processing is time-consuming and again difficult without bioinformatics support. To facilitate NB research, more user-friendly and immediately accessible platforms are needed to explore newly generated as well as existing high throughput data. To make this possible, we developed an interactive data centralization and visualization web application, called CLEAN (the Cell Line Explorer web Application of Neuroblastoma data; https://ccgg.ugent.be/shiny/clean/). By focusing on the regulation of the DNA damage response, a therapeutic target of major interest in neuroblastoma, we demonstrate how CLEAN can be used to gain novel mechanistic insights and identify putative drug targets in neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonatan L Gabre
- Department of Human Structure and Repair, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Peter Merseburger
- Department of Human Structure and Repair, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Arne Claeys
- Department of Human Structure and Repair, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Joachim Siaw
- Department of Human Structure and Repair, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Sarah-Lee Bekaert
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Frank Speleman
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ruth H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jimmy Van den Eynden
- Department of Human Structure and Repair, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
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Caputo M, Andersson E, Xia Y, Hou W, Cansby E, Erikson M, Lind DE, Hallberg B, Amrutkar M, Mahlapuu M. Genetic Ablation of STE20-Type Kinase MST4 Does Not Alleviate Diet-Induced MASLD Susceptibility in Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2446. [PMID: 38397122 PMCID: PMC10888586 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and its advanced subtype, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), have emerged as the most common chronic liver disease worldwide, yet there is no targeted pharmacotherapy presently available. This study aimed to investigate the possible in vivo function of STE20-type protein kinase MST4, which was earlier implicated in the regulation of hepatocellular lipotoxic milieu in vitro, in the control of the diet-induced impairment of systemic glucose and insulin homeostasis as well as MASLD susceptibility. Whole-body and liver-specific Mst4 knockout mice were generated by crossbreeding conditional Mst4fl/fl mice with mice expressing Cre recombinase under the Sox2 or Alb promoters, respectively. To replicate the environment in high-risk subjects, Mst4-/- mice and their wild-type littermates were fed a high-fat or a methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet. Different in vivo tests were conducted in obese mice to describe the whole-body metabolism. MASLD progression in the liver and lipotoxic damage to adipose tissue, kidney, and skeletal muscle were analyzed by histological and immunofluorescence analysis, biochemical assays, and protein and gene expression profiling. In parallel, intracellular fat storage and oxidative stress were assessed in primary mouse hepatocytes, where MST4 was silenced by small interfering RNA. We found that global MST4 depletion had no effect on body weight or composition, locomotor activity, whole-body glucose tolerance or insulin sensitivity in obese mice. Furthermore, we observed no alterations in lipotoxic injuries to the liver, adipose, kidney, or skeletal muscle tissue in high-fat diet-fed whole-body Mst4-/- vs. wild-type mice. Liver-specific Mst4-/- mice and wild-type littermates displayed a similar severity of MASLD when subjected to an MCD diet, as evidenced by equal levels of steatosis, inflammation, hepatic stellate cell activation, fibrosis, oxidative/ER stress, and apoptosis in the liver. In contrast, the in vitro silencing of MST4 effectively protected primary mouse hepatocytes against ectopic lipid accumulation and oxidative cell injury triggered by exposure to fatty acids. In summary, these results suggest that the genetic ablation of MST4 in mice does not mitigate the initiation or progression of MASLD and has no effect on systemic glucose or insulin homeostasis in the context of nutritional stress. The functional compensation for the genetic loss of MST4 by yet undefined mechanisms may contribute to the apparent discrepancy between in vivo and in vitro phenotypic consequences of MST4 silencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Caputo
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Emma Andersson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ying Xia
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Wei Hou
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Emmelie Cansby
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Max Erikson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Dan Emil Lind
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Manoj Amrutkar
- Department of Pathology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Margit Mahlapuu
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
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Guan J, Chuang TP, Vikström A, Palmer RH, Hallberg B. ALK F1174S mutation impairs ALK kinase activity in EML4-ALK variant 1 and sensitizes EML4-ALK variant 3 to crizotinib. Front Oncol 2024; 13:1281510. [PMID: 38264745 PMCID: PMC10803553 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1281510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective To assess the influence of F1174S mutation on kinase activity and drug sensitivity of the echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion (EML4-ALK) variants 1 and 3. Methods We constructed mammalian expression plasmids of both wildtype and F1174 mutant EML4-ALK variants 1 and 3, and then characterized them with cell models by performing immunoblotting, neurite outgrowth assay, focus formation assay as well as protein stability assay. Drug sensitivity to ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors was also compared between wildtype and F1174 mutant EML4-ALK fusions. In addition, we characterized the effect of different F1174 kinase domain mutations in the context of EML4-ALK fusions. Results In contrast to the oncogenic ALK-F1174S mutation that has been reported to be activating in the context of full-length ALK in neuroblastoma, EML4-ALK (F1174S) variant 1 exhibits impaired kinase activity leading to loss of oncogenicity. Furthermore, unlike the previously reported F1174C/L/V mutations, mutation of F1174 to S sensitizes EML4-ALK variants 3a and 3b to crizotinib. Conclusion These findings highlight the complexity of drug selection when treating patients harboring resistance mutations and suggest that the F1174S mutation in EML4-ALK variant 1 is likely not a potent oncogenic driver. Additional oncogenic driver or other resistance mechanisms should be considered in the case of EML4-ALK variant 1 with F1174S mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jikui Guan
- Institute of Pediatric Medicine, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Tzu-Po Chuang
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Anders Vikström
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Linköping University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Ruth H. Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Borenäs M, Umapathy G, Lind DE, Lai WY, Guan J, Johansson J, Jennische E, Schmidt A, Kurhe Y, Gabre JL, Aniszewska A, Strömberg A, Bemark M, Hall MN, den Eynden JV, Hallberg B, Palmer RH. ALK signaling primes the DNA damage response sensitizing ALK-driven neuroblastoma to therapeutic ATR inhibition. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2315242121. [PMID: 38154064 PMCID: PMC10769851 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2315242121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
High-risk neuroblastoma (NB) is a significant clinical challenge. MYCN and Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK), which are often involved in high-risk NB, lead to increased replication stress in cancer cells, suggesting therapeutic strategies. We previously identified an ATR (ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related)/ALK inhibitor (ATRi/ALKi) combination as such a strategy in two independent genetically modified mouse NB models. Here, we identify an underlying molecular mechanism, in which ALK signaling leads to phosphorylation of ATR and CHK1, supporting an effective DNA damage response. The importance of ALK inhibition is supported by mouse data, in which ATRi monotreatment resulted in a robust initial response, but subsequent relapse, in contrast to a 14-d ALKi/ATRi combination treatment that resulted in a robust and sustained response. Finally, we show that the remarkable response to the 14-d combined ATR/ALK inhibition protocol reflects a robust differentiation response, reprogramming tumor cells to a neuronal/Schwann cell lineage identity. Our results identify an ability of ATR inhibition to promote NB differentiation and underscore the importance of further exploring combined ALK/ATR inhibition in NB, particularly in high-risk patient groups with oncogene-induced replication stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Borenäs
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, GothenburgSE-405 30, Sweden
| | - Ganesh Umapathy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, GothenburgSE-405 30, Sweden
| | - Dan E. Lind
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, GothenburgSE-405 30, Sweden
| | - Wei-Yun Lai
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, GothenburgSE-405 30, Sweden
| | - Jikui Guan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, GothenburgSE-405 30, Sweden
| | - Joel Johansson
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, GothenburgSE-405 30, Sweden
| | - Eva Jennische
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, GothenburgSE-405 30, Sweden
| | - Alexander Schmidt
- Proteomics Core Facility, Biozentrum, Basel University, Basel4056, Switzerland
| | - Yeshwant Kurhe
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, GothenburgSE-405 30, Sweden
| | - Jonatan L. Gabre
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, GothenburgSE-405 30, Sweden
- Department of Human Structure and Repair, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Ghent University, Ghent9000, Belgium
| | - Agata Aniszewska
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, GothenburgSE-405 30, Sweden
| | - Anneli Strömberg
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, GothenburgSE-405 30, Sweden
| | - Mats Bemark
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, GothenburgSE-405 30, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
| | | | - Jimmy Van den Eynden
- Department of Human Structure and Repair, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Ghent University, Ghent9000, Belgium
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, GothenburgSE-405 30, Sweden
| | - Ruth H. Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, GothenburgSE-405 30, Sweden
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Xia Y, Andersson E, Caputo M, Cansby E, Sedda F, Font-Gironès F, Ruud J, Kurhe Y, Hallberg B, Marschall HU, Asterholm IW, Romeo S, Blüher M, Mahlapuu M. Knockout of STE20-type kinase TAOK3 does not attenuate diet-induced NAFLD development in mice. Mol Med 2023; 29:138. [PMID: 37864157 PMCID: PMC10589923 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-023-00738-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the primary hepatic consequence of obesity, is affecting about 25% of the global adult population. The aim of this study was to examine the in vivo role of STE20-type protein kinase TAOK3, which has been previously reported to regulate hepatocellular lipotoxicity in vitro, in the development of NAFLD and systemic insulin resistance in the context of obesity. METHODS Taok3 knockout mice and wild-type littermates were challenged with a high-fat diet. Various in vivo tests were performed to characterize the whole-body metabolism. NAFLD progression in the liver, and lipotoxic damage in adipose tissue, kidney, and skeletal muscle were compared between the genotypes by histological assessment, immunofluorescence microscopy, protein and gene expression profiling, and biochemical assays. Intracellular lipid accumulation and oxidative/ER stress were analyzed in cultured human and mouse hepatocytes where TAOK3 was knocked down by small interfering RNA. The expression of TAOK3-related STE20-type kinases was quantified in different organs from high-fat diet-fed Taok3-/- and wild-type mice. RESULTS TAOK3 deficiency had no impact on body weight or composition, food consumption, locomotor activity, or systemic glucose or insulin homeostasis in obese mice. Consistently, Taok3-/- mice and wild-type littermates developed a similar degree of high-fat diet-induced liver steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis, and we detected no difference in lipotoxic damage of adipose tissue, kidney, or skeletal muscle when comparing the two genotypes. In contrast, the silencing of TAOK3 in vitro markedly suppressed ectopic lipid accumulation and metabolic stress in mouse and human hepatocytes. Interestingly, the hepatic mRNA abundance of several TAOK3-related kinases, which have been previously implicated to increase the risk of NAFLD susceptibility, was significantly elevated in Taok3-/- vs. wild-type mice. CONCLUSIONS In contrast to the in vitro observations, genetic deficiency of TAOK3 in mice failed to mitigate the detrimental metabolic consequences of chronic exposure to dietary lipids, which may be partly attributable to the activation of liver-specific compensation response for the genetic loss of TAOK3 by related STE20-type kinases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Xia
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Emma Andersson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mara Caputo
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Emmelie Cansby
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Francesca Sedda
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine/Wallenberg Laboratory, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ferran Font-Gironès
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Johan Ruud
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Yeshwant Kurhe
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Hanns-Ulrich Marschall
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine/Wallenberg Laboratory, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ingrid Wernstedt Asterholm
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Stefano Romeo
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine/Wallenberg Laboratory, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Matthias Blüher
- Helmholtz Institute for Metabolic, Obesity, and Vascular Research (HI-MAG) of the Helmholtz Zentrum München, University of Leipzig and University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Margit Mahlapuu
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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Guan J, Borenäs M, Xiong J, Lai WY, Palmer RH, Hallberg B. IGF1R Contributes to Cell Proliferation in ALK-Mutated Neuroblastoma with Preference for Activating the PI3K-AKT Signaling Pathway. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4252. [PMID: 37686528 PMCID: PMC10563084 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15174252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Aberrant activation of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) by activating point mutation or amplification drives 5-12% of neuroblastoma (NB). Previous work has identified the involvement of the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) in a wide range of cancers. We show here that many NB cell lines exhibit IGF1R activity, and that IGF1R inhibition led to decreased cell proliferation to varying degrees in ALK-driven NB cells. Furthermore, combined inhibition of ALK and IGF1R resulted in synergistic anti-proliferation effects, in particular in ALK-mutated NB cells. Mechanistically, both ALK and IGF1R contribute significantly to the activation of downstream PI3K-AKT and RAS-MAPK signaling pathways in ALK-mutated NB cells. However, these two RTKs employ a differential repertoire of adaptor proteins to mediate downstream signaling effects. We show here that ALK signaling led to activation of the RAS-MAPK pathway by preferentially phosphorylating the adaptor proteins GAB1, GAB2, and FRS2, while IGF1R signaling preferentially phosphorylated IRS2, promoting activation of the PI3K-AKT pathway. Together, these findings reveal a potentially important role of the IGF1R RTK in ALK-mutated NB and that co-targeting of ALK and IGF1R may be advantageous in clinical treatment of ALK-mutated NB patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jikui Guan
- Institute of Pediatric Medicine, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450018, China
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden (R.H.P.); (B.H.)
| | - Marcus Borenäs
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden (R.H.P.); (B.H.)
| | - Junfeng Xiong
- Institute of Pediatric Medicine, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450018, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, China
| | - Wei-Yun Lai
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden (R.H.P.); (B.H.)
| | - Ruth H. Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden (R.H.P.); (B.H.)
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden (R.H.P.); (B.H.)
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Paruchuri S, Hallberg B, Juhas M, Larsson C, Sjölander A. Expression of Concern: Leukotriene D4 activates MAPK through a Ras-independent but PKCε-dependent pathway in intestinal epithelial cells. J Cell Sci 2023; 136:jcs261243. [PMID: 37099025 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.261243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/27/2023] Open
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Lai WY, Chuang TP, Borenäs M, Palmer R, Hallberg B. Abstract 3544: ALK signaling activity stabilizes SLC3A2 protein levels in neuroblastoma tumorigenesis. Cancer Res 2023. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2023-3544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Background: Neuroblastoma is the most common childhood tumor that grows in the adrenal glands or sympathetic ganglia. Approximately 10% of pediatric neuroblastoma patients harbor mutations in anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). In a previous study, we identified SLC3A2 as a potential interacting partner with ALK using BioID-based in vivo proximity labeling. SLC3A2 is a multifunctional protein that mediates integrin-dependent signaling, acts as a trafficking chaperone for amino acid transporters, and regulates polyamine transport. No previous link to ALK signaling has been reported and the underlying mechanisms and functional consequences of a SLC3A2-ALK interaction in ALK-driven neuroblastoma are unclear.
Materials & Methods: The interaction of SLC3A2 and ALK initially detected with BioID-based in vivo proximity labeling was validated by immunoprecipitation. The effect of ALK signaling on SLC3A2 expression and protein stability was evaluated by quantitative PCR and immunoblotting. The functional effect of SLC3A2 on cell viability were investigated by siRNA and inhibitor treatments in both human and mouse ALK-driven neuroblastoma cells.
Results: SLC3A2 was confirmed to interact with ALK in both anti-ALK and anti-SLC3A2 antibody co-immunoprecipitations from NB1 cells (ALK-wild-type) and CLB-GE (ALK-F1174V). Moreover, this interaction was decreased by ALK inhibitor (lorlatinib) treatment. Upon ALKAL2 ligand treatment, ALK signaling increased the protein levels of SLC3A2 and this was abrogated by lorlatinib treatment in NB1 cells. Furthermore, lorlatinib treatment suppressed SLC3A2 expression and significantly affected protein stability in neuroblastoma cells with different ALK mutations including CLB-BAR (ALK exon4-11 deletion), CLB-GAR (ALK-R1275Q), and CLB-GE (ALK-F1174V) during cycloheximide chase analysis. Knockdown of SLC3A2 significantly inhibited cell growth and down-regulated the amino acid transporter SLC7A5 (LAT1) expression in CLB-GE cells (ALK-F1174V). While mono treatment of either lorlatinib (ALK TKI) or AMXT-1501 (polyamine transport inhibitor) only showed moderate effects, combinatorial treatment exhibited a synergistic effect on cell growth in ALK-driven primary-cultured mouse neuroblastoma #9883 (Th-MYCN; Alk-F1178S) and #111 (Th-MYCN; Rosa26_Alkal2) cells.
Conclusions: SLC3A2 protein stability and its interaction with ALK is dependent on ALK signaling in an ALK-driven neuroblastoma context. The synergistic effect of combined ALK and polyamine transport inhibitors suggests a potential therapeutic option for ALK-driven neuroblastoma.
Citation Format: Wei-Yun Lai, Tzu-Po Chuang, Marcus Borenäs, Ruth Palmer, Bengt Hallberg. ALK signaling activity stabilizes SLC3A2 protein levels in neuroblastoma tumorigenesis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 3544.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Yun Lai
- 1University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | | | - Ruth Palmer
- 1University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Chuang TP, Lai WY, Gabre JL, Lind DE, Umapathy G, Bokhari AA, Bergman B, Kristenson L, Thorén FB, Le A, Doebele R, Eynden JV, Palmer RH, Hallberg B. Abstract 3936: ALK fusion oncogene driven SERPINB4 expression enhances tumor survival in NSCLC. Cancer Res 2023. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2023-3936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion variants in non-small-cell-lung cancer (NSCLC) consist of numerous dimerising fusion partners, with the most common being EML4. Clinical data suggests that the degree of treatment benefit in response to ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) differs among the variant present in the patient tumor. Therefore, a better understanding the oncogenic signaling networks driven by different ALK-fusion variants is important. Here, we developed highly controlled doxycycline-inducible cell models bearing four different ALK fusion proteins, namely EML4-ALK-V1, EML4-ALK-V3, KIF5B-ALK, and TFG-ALK, in the context of non-tumorigenic NL20 human bronchial epithelial cells. These were complimented by patient-derived NSCLC cell lines harboring either EML4-ALK-V1 or EML4-ALK-V3 fusions. RNA-seq and phosphoproteomics analysis were employed to identify dysregulated genes and hyper/hypo-phosphorylated proteins associated with ALK fusion expression. Among ALK fusion induced responses, we noted a robust inflammatory signature that included up-regulation of the Serpin B4 serine protease inhibitor in both NL20-inducible cell models and ALK-positive NSCLC patient-derived cell lines. We show that STAT3 is a major transcriptional regulator of SERPINB4 downstream of ALK fusions, along with NF-kB and AP1. The upregulation of SERPINB4 promotes survival of ALK fusion expressing cells and inhibits natural killer (NK) cell-mediated cytotoxicity. In conclusion, our study reveals a novel ALK downstream survival axis that regulates Serpin B4 expression and identifies a molecular target that has potential for therapeutic impact targeting the immune response together with ALK TKIs in NSCLC.
Citation Format: Tzu-Po Chuang, Wei-Yun Lai, Jonatan L. Gabre, Dan E. Lind, Ganesh Umapathy, Abdulmalik A. Bokhari, Bengt Bergman, Linnea Kristenson, Fredrik B. Thorén, Anh Le, Robert Doebele, Jimmy V. Eynden, Ruth H. Palmer, Bengt Hallberg. ALK fusion oncogene driven SERPINB4 expression enhances tumor survival in NSCLC. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 3936.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wei-Yun Lai
- 1University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Dan E. Lind
- 1University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | | | - Bengt Bergman
- 2Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | | | - Anh Le
- 3University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
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10
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Umapathy G, Bokhari A, Lai WY, Le A, Chuang TP, Fransson S, Martinsson T, Van den Eynden J, Doebele R, Palmer R, Hallberg B. EP16.03-012 Novel Human-derived EML4-ALK Fusion cell lines identify ribonucleotide reductase RRM2 as a Target of Activated ALK in NSCLC. J Thorac Oncol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2022.07.1073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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11
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Bokhari A, Lai W, Le A, Gabre J, Chung TP, Fransson S, Bergman B, Djos A, Chen N, Martinsson T, Van den Eynden J, Doebele R, Palmer R, Hallberg B, Umapathy G. Novel Human-derived EML4-ALK Fusion Cell Lines identify ribonucleotide reductase RRM2 as a target of activated ALK in NSCLC. Lung Cancer 2022; 171:103-114. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2022.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Treis D, Umapathy G, Fransson S, Guan J, Mendoza-García P, Siaw JT, Wessman S, Gordon Murkes L, Stenman JJE, Djos A, Elfman LHM, Johnsen JI, Hallberg B, Palmer RH, Martinsson T, Kogner P. Sustained Response to Entrectinib in an Infant With a Germline ALKAL2 Variant and Refractory Metastatic Neuroblastoma With Chromosomal 2p Gain and Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase and Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase Activation. JCO Precis Oncol 2022; 6:e2100271. [PMID: 35085006 PMCID: PMC8830523 DOI: 10.1200/po.21.00271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Personalized molecular workup enabled successful ALK inhibitor treatment in a child with resistant neuroblastoma.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Treis
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, and Pediatric Oncology, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ganesh Umapathy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Susanne Fransson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jikui Guan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Patricia Mendoza-García
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Joachim T. Siaw
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Sandra Wessman
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lena Gordon Murkes
- Department of Pediatric Radiology, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jakob J. E. Stenman
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, and Pediatric Oncology, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Djos
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Lotta H. M. Elfman
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, and Pediatric Oncology, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - John Inge Johnsen
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, and Pediatric Oncology, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ruth H. Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Tommy Martinsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Per Kogner
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, and Pediatric Oncology, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Per Kogner, MD, PhD; Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet , Tomtebodavägen 18A, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden;
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Szydzik J, Lind DE, Arefin B, Kurhe Y, Umapathy G, Siaw JT, Claeys A, Gabre JL, Van den Eynden J, Hallberg B, Palmer RH. ATR inhibition enables complete tumour regression in ALK-driven NB mouse models. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6813. [PMID: 34819497 PMCID: PMC8613282 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27057-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
High-risk neuroblastoma (NB) often involves MYCN amplification as well as mutations in ALK. Currently, high-risk NB presents significant clinical challenges, and additional therapeutic options are needed. Oncogenes like MYCN and ALK result in increased replication stress in cancer cells, offering therapeutically exploitable options. We have pursued phosphoproteomic analyses highlighting ATR activity in ALK-driven NB cells, identifying the BAY1895344 ATR inhibitor as a potent inhibitor of NB cell growth and proliferation. Using RNA-Seq, proteomics and phosphoproteomics we characterize NB cell and tumour responses to ATR inhibition, identifying key components of the DNA damage response as ATR targets in NB cells. ATR inhibition also produces robust responses in mouse models. Remarkably, a 2-week combined ATR/ALK inhibition protocol leads to complete tumor regression in two independent genetically modified mouse NB models. These results suggest that NB patients, particularly in high-risk groups with oncogene-induced replication stress, may benefit from ATR inhibition as therapeutic intervention. Effective therapeutic options are still needed in neuroblastoma treatment. Here, the authors, through a comprehensive proteomics analysis, identify ATR as a potential therapeutic target of neuroblastoma and demonstrate the efficacy of the ATR inhibitor BAY1895344 in combination with the ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor lorlatinib.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Szydzik
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Dan E Lind
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Badrul Arefin
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Yeshwant Kurhe
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ganesh Umapathy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Joachim Tetteh Siaw
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Arne Claeys
- Department of Human Structure and Repair, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jonatan L Gabre
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Human Structure and Repair, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jimmy Van den Eynden
- Department of Human Structure and Repair, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Ruth H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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Romiani A, Spetz J, Shubbar E, Lind DE, Hallberg B, Palmer RH, Forssell-Aronsson E. Neuroblastoma xenograft models demonstrate the therapeutic potential of 177Lu-octreotate. BMC Cancer 2021; 21:950. [PMID: 34433438 PMCID: PMC8386073 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-021-08551-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the most frequently diagnosed tumors in infants. NB is a neuroendocrine tumor type with various characteristics and features, and with diverse outcome. The most malignant NBs have a 5-year survival rate of only 40-50%, indicating the need for novel and improved treatment options. 177Lu-octreotate is routinely administered for treatment of neuroendocrine tumors overexpressing somatostatin receptors (SSTR). The aim of this study was to examine the biodistribution of 177Lu-octreotate in mice bearing aggressive human NB cell lines, in order to evaluate the potential usefulness of 177Lu-octreotate for treatment of NB. METHODS BALB/c nude mice bearing CLB-BAR, CLB-GE or IMR-32 tumor xenografts (n = 5-7/group) were i.v. injected with 0.15 MBq, 1.5 MBq or 15 MBq 177Lu-octreotate and sacrificed 1 h, 24 h, 48 h and 168 h after administration. The radioactivity concentration was determined for collected tissue samples, tumor-to-normal-tissue activity concentration ratios (T/N) and mean absorbed dose for each tissue were calculated. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for SSTR1-5, and Ki67 were carried out for tumor xenografts from the three cell lines. RESULTS High 177Lu concentration levels and T/N values were observed in all NB tumors, with the highest for CLB-GE tumor xenografts (72%IA/g 24 h p.i.; 1.5 MBq 177Lu-octreotate). The mean absorbed dose to the tumor was 6.8 Gy, 54 Gy and 29 Gy for CLB-BAR, CLB-GE and IMR-32, respectively, p.i. of 15 MBq 177Lu-octreotate. Receptor saturation was clearly observed in CLB-BAR, resulting in higher concentration levels in the tumor when lower activity levels where administered. IHC staining demonstrated highest expression of SSTR2 in CLB-GE, followed by CLB-BAR and IMR-32. CONCLUSION T/N values for all three human NB tumor xenograft types investigated were high relative to previously investigated neuroendocrine tumor types. The results indicate a clear potential of 177Lu-octreotate as a therapeutic alternative for metastatic NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arman Romiani
- Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
- Department of Medical Physics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-41345, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Johan Spetz
- Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Emman Shubbar
- Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Dan E Lind
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ruth H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Eva Forssell-Aronsson
- Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
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15
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Huang H, Gont A, Kee L, Dries R, Pfeifer K, Sharma B, Debruyne DN, Harlow M, Sengupta S, Guan J, Yeung CM, Wang W, Hallberg B, Palmer RH, Irwin MS, George RE. Extracellular domain shedding of the ALK receptor mediates neuroblastoma cell migration. Cell Rep 2021; 36:109363. [PMID: 34260934 PMCID: PMC8328392 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Although activating mutations of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) membrane receptor occur in ~10% of neuroblastoma (NB) tumors, the role of the wild-type (WT) receptor, which is aberrantly expressed in most non-mutated cases, is unclear. Both WT and mutant proteins undergo extracellular domain (ECD) cleavage. Here, we map the cleavage site to Asn654-Leu655 and demonstrate that cleavage inhibition of WT ALK significantly impedes NB cell migration with subsequent prolongation of survival in mouse models. Cleavage inhibition results in the downregulation of an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) gene signature, with decreased nuclear localization and occupancy of β-catenin at EMT gene promoters. We further show that cleavage is mediated by matrix metalloproteinase 9, whose genetic and pharmacologic inactivation inhibits cleavage and decreases NB cell migration. Together, our results indicate a pivotal role for WT ALK ECD cleavage in NB pathogenesis, which may be harnessed for therapeutic benefit. Huang et al. show that extracellular domain (ECD) cleavage of the ALK cell surface tyrosine kinase receptor mediates neuroblastoma cell migration through induction of an EMT phenotype. ECD cleavage is caused by MMP-9 whose inhibition leads to decreased cell migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Huang
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Alexander Gont
- Department of Pediatrics and Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lynn Kee
- Department of Pediatrics and Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ruben Dries
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kathrin Pfeifer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Bandana Sharma
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - David N Debruyne
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Matthew Harlow
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Satyaki Sengupta
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jikui Guan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Caleb M Yeung
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Wenchao Wang
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ruth H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Meredith S Irwin
- Department of Pediatrics and Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Rani E George
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Siaw JT, Javanmardi N, Van den Eynden J, Lind DE, Fransson S, Martinez-Monleon A, Djos A, Sjöberg RM, Östensson M, Carén H, Trøen G, Beiske K, Berbegall AP, Noguera R, Lai WY, Kogner P, Palmer RH, Hallberg B, Martinsson T. 11q Deletion or ALK Activity Curbs DLG2 Expression to Maintain an Undifferentiated State in Neuroblastoma. Cell Rep 2021; 32:108171. [PMID: 32966799 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
High-risk neuroblastomas typically display an undifferentiated or poorly differentiated morphology. It is therefore vital to understand molecular mechanisms that block the differentiation process. We identify an important role for oncogenic ALK-ERK1/2-SP1 signaling in the maintenance of undifferentiated neural crest-derived progenitors through the repression of DLG2, a candidate tumor suppressor gene in neuroblastoma. DLG2 is expressed in the murine "bridge signature" that represents the transcriptional transition state when neural crest cells or Schwann cell precursors differentiate to chromaffin cells of the adrenal gland. We show that the restoration of DLG2 expression spontaneously drives neuroblastoma cell differentiation, highlighting the importance of DLG2 in this process. These findings are supported by genetic analyses of high-risk 11q deletion neuroblastomas, which identified genetic lesions in the DLG2 gene. Our data also suggest that further exploration of other bridge genes may help elucidate the mechanisms underlying the differentiation of NC-derived progenitors and their contribution to neuroblastomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim Tetteh Siaw
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Niloufar Javanmardi
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jimmy Van den Eynden
- Department of Human Structure and Repair, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dan Emil Lind
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Susanne Fransson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Angela Martinez-Monleon
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Anna Djos
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Rose-Marie Sjöberg
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Malin Östensson
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Helena Carén
- Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Gunhild Trøen
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Department of Pathology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Klaus Beiske
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Department of Pathology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ana P Berbegall
- Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Valencia/INCLIVA, Valencia/CIBER of Cancer, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rosa Noguera
- Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Valencia/INCLIVA, Valencia/CIBER of Cancer, Madrid, Spain
| | - Wei-Yun Lai
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Per Kogner
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ruth H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Tommy Martinsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden.
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Siaw JT, Gabre JL, Uçkun E, Vigny M, Zhang W, Van den Eynden J, Hallberg B, Palmer RH, Guan J. Loss of RET Promotes Mesenchymal Identity in Neuroblastoma Cells. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13081909. [PMID: 33921066 PMCID: PMC8071449 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13081909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant activation of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) drives neuroblastoma (NB). Previous work identified the RET receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) as a downstream target of ALK activity in NB models. We show here that ALK activation in response to ALKAL2 ligand results in the rapid phosphorylation of RET in NB cells, providing additional insight into the contribution of RET to the ALK-driven gene signature in NB. To further address the role of RET in NB, RET knockout (KO) SK-N-AS cells were generated by CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering. Gene expression analysis of RET KO NB cells identified a reprogramming of NB cells to a mesenchymal (MES) phenotype that was characterized by increased migration and upregulation of the AXL and MNNG HOS transforming gene (MET) RTKs, as well as integrins and extracellular matrix components. Strikingly, the upregulation of AXL in the absence of RET reflects the development timeline observed in the neural crest as progenitor cells undergo differentiation during embryonic development. Together, these findings suggest that a MES phenotype is promoted in mesenchymal NB cells in the absence of RET, reflective of a less differentiated developmental status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim T. Siaw
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden; (J.T.S.); (J.L.G.); (E.U.); (B.H.); (R.H.P.)
| | - Jonatan L. Gabre
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden; (J.T.S.); (J.L.G.); (E.U.); (B.H.); (R.H.P.)
- Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
| | - Ezgi Uçkun
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden; (J.T.S.); (J.L.G.); (E.U.); (B.H.); (R.H.P.)
| | - Marc Vigny
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie, UPMC, INSERM UMRS-839, 75005 Paris, France;
| | - Wancun Zhang
- Department of Pediatric Oncology Surgery, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450018, China;
| | - Jimmy Van den Eynden
- Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden; (J.T.S.); (J.L.G.); (E.U.); (B.H.); (R.H.P.)
| | - Ruth H. Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden; (J.T.S.); (J.L.G.); (E.U.); (B.H.); (R.H.P.)
| | - Jikui Guan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden; (J.T.S.); (J.L.G.); (E.U.); (B.H.); (R.H.P.)
- Department of Pediatric Oncology Surgery, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450018, China;
- Correspondence:
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18
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Borenäs M, Umapathy G, Lai WY, Lind DE, Witek B, Guan J, Mendoza-Garcia P, Masudi T, Claeys A, Chuang TP, El Wakil A, Arefin B, Fransson S, Koster J, Johansson M, Gaarder J, Van den Eynden J, Hallberg B, Palmer RH. ALK ligand ALKAL2 potentiates MYCN-driven neuroblastoma in the absence of ALK mutation. EMBO J 2021; 40:e105784. [PMID: 33411331 PMCID: PMC7849294 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2020105784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
High‐risk neuroblastoma (NB) is responsible for a disproportionate number of childhood deaths due to cancer. One indicator of high‐risk NB is amplification of the neural MYC (MYCN) oncogene, which is currently therapeutically intractable. Identification of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) as an NB oncogene raised the possibility of using ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in treatment of patients with activating ALK mutations. 8–10% of primary NB patients are ALK‐positive, a figure that increases in the relapsed population. ALK is activated by the ALKAL2 ligand located on chromosome 2p, along with ALK and MYCN, in the “2p‐gain” region associated with NB. Dysregulation of ALK ligand in NB has not been addressed, although one of the first oncogenes described was v‐sis that shares > 90% homology with PDGF. Therefore, we tested whether ALKAL2 ligand could potentiate NB progression in the absence of ALK mutation. We show that ALKAL2 overexpression in mice drives ALK TKI‐sensitive NB in the absence of ALK mutation, suggesting that additional NB patients, such as those exhibiting 2p‐gain, may benefit from ALK TKI‐based therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Borenäs
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ganesh Umapathy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Wei-Yun Lai
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Dan E Lind
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Barbara Witek
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Jikui Guan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Patricia Mendoza-Garcia
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Tafheem Masudi
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Arne Claeys
- Department of Human Structure and Repair, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tzu-Po Chuang
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Abeer El Wakil
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Badrul Arefin
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Susanne Fransson
- Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jan Koster
- Department of Oncogenomics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mathias Johansson
- Clinical Genomics, Science for life laboratory, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jennie Gaarder
- Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jimmy Van den Eynden
- Department of Human Structure and Repair, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ruth H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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19
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Guan J, Cervantes-Madrid D, Siaw J, Alam W, Umapathy G, Borenäs M, Lind D, Szydzik J, Pfeifer K, Mendoza-Garcia P, Palmer R, Hallberg B. Abstract A36: Targeting anaplastic lymphoma kinase in neuroblastoma. Cancer Res 2020. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.pedca19-a36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Over the last decade Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK), a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), has been identified as a fusion partner in a diverse variety of translocation events resulting in oncogenic signaling in many different cancer types. In tumors where full-length ALK RTK itself is mutated, such as neuroblastoma, the picture regarding the role of ALK as an oncogenic driver is less clear. Neuroblastoma is a complex and heterogeneous tumor that arises from the neural crest-derived peripheral nervous system. Although high-risk neuroblastoma is rare, it often relapses and becomes refractory to treatment. Thus, neuroblastoma accounts for 10-15% of all childhood cancer deaths. Since most cases are in children under the age of two, understanding the role and regulation of ALK during neural crest development is an important goal in addressing neuroblastoma tumorigenesis. An impressive array of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that act to inhibit ALK have been FDA approved for using in ALK-driven cancers. ALK TKIs bind differently within the ATP-binding pocket of the ALK kinase domain and have been associated with different resistance mutations within ALK itself that arise in response to therapeutic use, particularly in ALK fusion-positive NSCLC. This patient population has highlighted the importance of considering the relevant ALK TKI to be used for a given ALK mutant variant. In this poster we discuss ALK in neuroblastoma, as well as the use of ALK TKIs and other strategies to inhibit tumor growth. Current efforts combining novel approaches and increasing our understanding of the oncogenic role of ALK in neuroblastoma are aimed at improving efficacy of ALK TKIs as precision medicine options in the clinic.
Citation Format: Jikui Guan, Diana Cervantes-Madrid, Joachim Siaw, Wasi Alam, Ganesh Umapathy, Marcus Borenäs, Dan Lind, Joanna Szydzik, Kathrin Pfeifer, Patricia Mendoza-Garcia, Ruth Palmer, Bengt Hallberg. Targeting anaplastic lymphoma kinase in neuroblastoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Advances in Pediatric Cancer Research; 2019 Sep 17-20; Montreal, QC, Canada. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(14 Suppl):Abstract nr A36.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jikui Guan
- Institute of Biomedicine, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | | | - Wasi Alam
- Institute of Biomedicine, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | | | - Dan Lind
- Institute of Biomedicine, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | | | | | - Ruth Palmer
- Institute of Biomedicine, Gothenburg, Sweden
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20
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Mus LM, Lambertz I, Claeys S, Kumps C, Van Loocke W, Van Neste C, Umapathy G, Vaapil M, Bartenhagen C, Laureys G, De Wever O, Bexell D, Fischer M, Hallberg B, Schulte J, De Wilde B, Durinck K, Denecker G, De Preter K, Speleman F. The ETS transcription factor ETV5 is a target of activated ALK in neuroblastoma contributing to increased tumour aggressiveness. Sci Rep 2020; 10:218. [PMID: 31937834 PMCID: PMC6959226 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-57076-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is an aggressive childhood cancer arising from sympatho-adrenergic neuronal progenitors. The low survival rates for high-risk disease point to an urgent need for novel targeted therapeutic approaches. Detailed molecular characterization of the neuroblastoma genomic landscape indicates that ALK-activating mutations are present in 10% of primary tumours. Together with other mutations causing RAS/MAPK pathway activation, ALK mutations are also enriched in relapsed cases and ALK activation was shown to accelerate MYCN-driven tumour formation through hitherto unknown ALK-driven target genes. To gain further insight into how ALK contributes to neuroblastoma aggressiveness, we searched for known oncogenes in our previously reported ALK-driven gene signature. We identified ETV5, a bona fide oncogene in prostate cancer, as robustly upregulated in neuroblastoma cells harbouring ALK mutations, and show high ETV5 levels downstream of the RAS/MAPK axis. Increased ETV5 expression significantly impacted migration, invasion and colony formation in vitro, and ETV5 knockdown reduced proliferation in a murine xenograft model. We also established a gene signature associated with ETV5 knockdown that correlates with poor patient survival. Taken together, our data highlight ETV5 as an intrinsic component of oncogenic ALK-driven signalling through the MAPK axis and propose that ETV5 upregulation in neuroblastoma may contribute to tumour aggressiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liselot M Mus
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Irina Lambertz
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Shana Claeys
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Candy Kumps
- Department of Uro-gynaecology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Wouter Van Loocke
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Christophe Van Neste
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ganesh Umapathy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Marica Vaapil
- Translational Cancer Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Christoph Bartenhagen
- Department of Experimental Pediatric Oncology, University Children's Hospital of Cologne, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany.,Centre for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Genevieve Laureys
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Olivier De Wever
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium.,Laboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Daniel Bexell
- Translational Cancer Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Matthias Fischer
- Department of Experimental Pediatric Oncology, University Children's Hospital of Cologne, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany.,Centre for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Johannes Schulte
- Department of Paediatric Oncology and Haematology, University Children's Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,Department of Paediatric Oncology and Haematology, Charité University Medical Centre Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Berlin, Germany.,German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bram De Wilde
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kaat Durinck
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Geertrui Denecker
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Katleen De Preter
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Frank Speleman
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. .,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium.
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21
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Javanmardi N, Fransson S, Djos A, Umapathy G, Östensson M, Milosevic J, Borenäs M, Hallberg B, Kogner P, Martinsson T, Palmer RH. Analysis of ALK, MYCN, and the ALK ligand ALKAL2 (FAM150B/AUGα) in neuroblastoma patient samples with chromosome arm 2p rearrangements. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2020; 59:50-57. [PMID: 31340081 DOI: 10.1002/gcc.22790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Gain of chromosome arm 2p is a previously described entity in neuroblastoma (NB). This genomic address is home to two important oncogenes in NB-MYCN and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). MYCN amplification is a critical prognostic factor coupled with poor prognosis in NB. Mutation of the ALK receptor tyrosine kinase has been described in both somatic and familial NB. Here, ALK activation occurs in the context of the full-length receptor, exemplified by activating point mutations in NB. ALK overexpression and activation, in the absence of genetic mutation has also been described in NB. In addition, the recently identified ALK ligand ALKAL2 (previously described as FAM150B and AUGα) is also found on the distal portion of 2p, at 2p25. Here we analyze 356 NB tumor samples and discuss observations indicating that gain of 2p has implications for the development of NB. Finally, we put forward the hypothesis that the effect of 2p gain may result from a combination of MYCN, ALK, and the ALK ligand ALKAL2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niloufar Javanmardi
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Susanne Fransson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Anna Djos
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ganesh Umapathy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Malin Östensson
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jelena Milosevic
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marcus Borenäs
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Per Kogner
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tommy Martinsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ruth H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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22
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Cervantes-Madrid D, Szydzik J, Lind DE, Borenäs M, Bemark M, Cui J, Palmer RH, Hallberg B. Repotrectinib (TPX-0005), effectively reduces growth of ALK driven neuroblastoma cells. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19353. [PMID: 31852910 PMCID: PMC6920469 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55060-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most commonly diagnosed extracranial tumor in the first year of life. Approximately 9% of neuroblastoma patients present germline or somatic aberrations in the gene encoding for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). This increases in high-risk neuroblastomas, which have a 14% frequency of ALK aberrations at the time of diagnosis and show increasing numbers at relapse. Abrogating ALK activity with kinase inhibitors is employed as clinical therapy in malignancies such as non-small cell lung cancer and has shown good results in pediatric inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors and anaplastic large cell lymphomas. A phase I clinical trial of the first generation ALK inhibitor, crizotinib, in neuroblastoma patients showed modest results and suggested that further investigation was needed. Continuous development of ALK inhibitors has resulted in the third generation inhibitor repotrectinib (TPX-0005), which targets the active kinase conformations of ALK, ROS1 and TRK receptors. In the present study we investigated the effects of repotrectinib in a neuroblastoma setting in vitro and in vivo. Neuroblastoma cell lines were treated with repotrectinib to investigate inhibition of ALK and to determine its effect on proliferation. PC12 cells transfected with different ALK mutant variants were used to study the efficacy of repotrectinib to block ALK activation/signaling. The in vivo effect of repotrectinib was also analyzed in a neuroblastoma xenograft model. Our results show that repotrectinib is capable of inhibiting signaling activity of a range of ALK mutant variants found in neuroblastoma patients and importantly it exhibits strong antitumor effects in a xenograft model of neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Cervantes-Madrid
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Joanna Szydzik
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Dan Emil Lind
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Marcus Borenäs
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mats Bemark
- Mucosal Immunobiology and Vaccine Center (MIVAC), Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jean Cui
- Turning Point Therapeutics, Inc. 10628 Science Center Drive, Suite 200, San Diego, California, 92121, United States
| | - Ruth Helen Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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23
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Umapathy G, Palmer R, Hallberg B. P2.14-18 Upregulation of AURKA Leads to Acquired Resistance in EML4-ALK NSCLC Cell Line. J Thorac Oncol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2019.08.1803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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24
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Klevebro S, Hammar U, Holmström G, Bottai M, Hellström A, Hallberg B. Adherence to oxygen saturation targets increased in preterm infants when a higher target range and tighter alarm limits were introduced. Acta Paediatr 2019; 108:1584-1589. [PMID: 30951230 DOI: 10.1111/apa.14808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Revised: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
AIM European consensus guidelines published in May 2013 recommended a target peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2 ) range of 90-95% for preterm infants. These were incorporated into guidelines at the Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden, in November 2013. This study compared clinical practice before and after those local guidelines. METHODS We included infants who were born between 23 + 0 and 30 + 6 weeks from January 1, 2013 to December, 31 2015 and received intensive care in two Karolinska units. The lower saturation target of 88-92% and alarm limits of 85-95% used before November 2013 were compared to the new higher saturation target of 90-95% and alarm limits of 89-96%. RESULTS Data from 399 infants were analysed. The mean SpO2 was 92.4% with the higher target (n = 301) and 91.1% with the lower target (n = 98). Using the higher instead of lower target meant that the SpO2 was within the prescribed target range more frequently (51% versus 30%) and the proportion of time with SpO2 >95% was increased by 9% (95% confidence interval 7-11%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION The higher saturation target and tighter alarm limits led to higher mean oxygen saturation, increased adherence to the target and increased time with hyperoxaemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Klevebro
- Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden
- Sachs’ Children and Youth Hospital South General Hospital Stockholm Sweden
| | - U Hammar
- Unit of Biostatistics Institute of Environmental Medicine Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden
| | - G Holmström
- Department of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
| | - M Bottai
- Unit of Biostatistics Institute of Environmental Medicine Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden
| | - A Hellström
- Department of Ophthalmology Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology Sahlgrenska Academy University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
| | - B Hallberg
- Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden
- Department of Neonatal Medicine Karolinska University Hospital Stockholm Sweden
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25
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Alam MW, Borenäs M, Lind DE, Cervantes-Madrid D, Umapathy G, Palmer RH, Hallberg B. Alectinib, an Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase Inhibitor, Abolishes ALK Activity and Growth in ALK-Positive Neuroblastoma Cells. Front Oncol 2019; 9:579. [PMID: 31334113 PMCID: PMC6625372 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinases including anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) are implicated in numerous solid and hematologic cancers. ALK mutations are reported in an estimated 9% of neuroblastoma and recent reports indicate that the percentage of ALK-positive cases increases in the relapsed patient population. Initial clinical trial results have shown that it is difficult to inhibit growth of ALK positive neuroblastoma with crizotinib, motivating investigation of next generation ALK inhibitors with higher affinity for ALK. Here, alectinib, a potent next generation ALK inhibitor with antitumor activity was investigated in ALK-driven neuroblastoma models. Employing neuroblastoma cell lines and mouse xenografts we show a clear and efficient inhibition of ALK activity by alectinib. Inhibition of ALK activity was observed in vitro employing a set of different constitutively active ALK variants in biochemical assays. The results suggest that alectinib is an effective inhibitor of ALK kinase activity in ALK addicted neuroblastoma and should be considered as a potential future therapeutic option for ALK-positive neuroblastoma patients alone or in combination with other treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Wasi Alam
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Marcus Borenäs
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Dan E Lind
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Diana Cervantes-Madrid
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ganesh Umapathy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ruth H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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26
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Abstract
Over the last decade, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), has been identified as a fusion partner in a diverse variety of translocation events resulting in oncogenic signaling in many different cancer types. In tumors where the full‐length ALK RTK itself is mutated, such as neuroblastoma, the picture regarding the role of ALK as an oncogenic driver is less clear. Neuroblastoma is a complex and heterogeneous tumor that arises from the neural crest derived peripheral nervous system. Although high‐risk neuroblastoma is rare, it often relapses and becomes refractory to treatment. Thus, neuroblastoma accounts for 10–15% of all childhood cancer deaths. Since most cases are in children under the age of 2, understanding the role and regulation of ALK during neural crest development is an important goal in addressing neuroblastoma tumorigenesis. An impressive array of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that act to inhibit ALK have been FDA approved for use in ALK‐driven cancers. ALK TKIs bind differently within the ATP‐binding pocket of the ALK kinase domain and have been associated with different resistance mutations within ALK itself that arise in response to therapeutic use, particularly in ALK‐fusion positive non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This patient population has highlighted the importance of considering the relevant ALK TKI to be used for a given ALK mutant variant. In this review, we discuss ALK in neuroblastoma, as well as the use of ALK TKIs and other strategies to inhibit tumor growth. Current efforts combining novel approaches and increasing our understanding of the oncogenic role of ALK in neuroblastoma are aimed at improving the efficacy of ALK TKIs as precision medicine options in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganesh Umapathy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Patricia Mendoza-Garcia
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ruth H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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27
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Umapathy G, Van den Eynden J, Cervantes-Madrid D, Szydzik J, Guan J, Palmer R, Hallberg B. Phosphoproteome and gene expression profiling of ALK inhibition in neuroblastoma cell lines reveals conserved oncogenic pathways. Ann Oncol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdz029.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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28
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Van den Eynden J, Umapathy G, Ashouri A, Cervantes-Madrid D, Szydzik J, Ruuth K, Koster J, Larsson E, Guan J, Palmer RH, Hallberg B. Phosphoproteome and gene expression profiling of ALK inhibition in neuroblastoma cell lines reveals conserved oncogenic pathways. Sci Signal 2018; 11:11/557/eaar5680. [PMID: 30459281 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aar5680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a tyrosine kinase receptor that is a clinical target of major interest in cancer. Mutations and rearrangements in ALK trigger the activation of the encoded receptor and its downstream signaling pathways. ALK mutations have been identified in both familial and sporadic neuroblastoma cases as well as in 30 to 40% of relapses, which makes ALK a bona fide target in neuroblastoma therapy. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that target ALK are currently in clinical use for the treatment of patients with ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer. However, monotherapy with the ALK inhibitor crizotinib has been less encouraging in neuroblastoma patients with ALK alterations, raising the question of whether combinatorial therapy would be more effective. In this study, we established both phosphoproteomic and gene expression profiles of ALK activity in neuroblastoma cells exposed to first- and third-generation ALK TKIs, to identify the underlying molecular mechanisms and identify relevant biomarkers, signaling networks, and new therapeutic targets. This analysis has unveiled various important leads for novel combinatorial treatment strategies for patients with neuroblastoma and an increased understanding of ALK signaling involved in this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimmy Van den Eynden
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden.,Department of Human Structure and Repair, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ganesh Umapathy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Arghavan Ashouri
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | | | - Joanna Szydzik
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Kristina Ruuth
- Institution for Molecular Biology, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Jan Koster
- Department of Oncogenomics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Erik Larsson
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Jikui Guan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden.,Children's Hospital affiliated with Zhengzhou University, 450018 Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ruth H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden.
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden.
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29
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Hallberg B, Umapathy G, Guan J, Gustafsson D, Javanmardi N, Cervantes-Madrid D, Djoos A, Martinsson T, Palmer R. Abstract B27: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase addicted neuroblastoma cell lines are associated with growth upon treatment with MEK inhibitor trametinib. Cancer Res 2018. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.pedca17-b27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK pathway is a major player in initiation and progression of multiple cancers where it can be hyperactivated by upstream regulatory proteins, such as tyrosine kinases, phosphatases, and GTPases. Several inhibitors targeting the RAS-MAPK pathway exhibit anticancer activity and are approved as single agent in specific cancers. One such is the MEK inhibitor trametinib, which is included as a rational polytherapy strategy for treating EML4-ALK, EGFR, and K-RAS mutant lung cancer and neuroblastoma containing hyperactivating RAS-MAPK pathway mutations. In neuroblastoma, a heterogeneous disease, relapse cases display an increased rate of mutations of ALK, NRAS, and NF1 genes, leading to hyperactivation of RAS-MAPK signaling. Targeting the RAS-MAPK pathways offers attractive options for combinatorial treatment together with ALK inhibitors, since monotreatment has not yet produced strong clinical results in ALK-positive neuroblastoma patients. Here we investigate the response of ALK-positive neuroblastoma cell lines to MEK inhibition, employing trametinib. We show that pharmacologic inhibition of the MEK-ERK pathway in ALK-positive neuroblastoma cells results in increased levels of activation/phosphorylation of AKT and ERK5. This feedback response is regulated by the mTORC2 complex protein SIN1. Taken together, our results indicate that blocking MEK-ERK leads to increased activation of AKT signaling core in ALK-positive neuroblastoma, intensifying survival signals in these cells. Our results contraindicate use of MEK inhibitors as an effective single- and polytherapeutic strategy in ALK-positive neuroblastoma.
Citation Format: Bengt Hallberg, Ganseh Umapathy, Jikui Guan, Dan Gustafsson, Niloufar Javanmardi, Diana Cervantes-Madrid, Anna Djoos, Tommy Martinsson, Ruth Palmer. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase addicted neuroblastoma cell lines are associated with growth upon treatment with MEK inhibitor trametinib [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Pediatric Cancer Research: From Basic Science to the Clinic; 2017 Dec 3-6; Atlanta, Georgia. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(19 Suppl):Abstract nr B27.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jikui Guan
- Institution of Biomedicine, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | | | | | - Anna Djoos
- Institution of Biomedicine, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Ruth Palmer
- Institution of Biomedicine, Gothenburg, Sweden
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30
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Looney AM, O'Sullivan MP, Ahearne CE, Finder M, Felderhoff-Mueser U, Boylan GB, Hallberg B, Murray DM. Altered Expression of Umbilical Cord Blood Levels of miR-181b and Its Downstream Target mUCH-L1 in Infants with Moderate and Severe Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy. Mol Neurobiol 2018; 56:3657-3663. [PMID: 30178296 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-1321-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) remains one of the leading causes of neurological disability worldwide. No blood biomarker capable of early detection and classification of injury severity in HIE has been identified. This study aimed to investigate the potential of miRNA-181b (miR-181b) and its downstream target, ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1), to predict the severity of HIE. Full-term infants with perinatal asphyxia were recruited at birth and observed for the development of HIE, along with healthy controls. Levels of miR-181b and messenger UCH-L1 (mUCH-L1) in umbilical cord blood were determined using qRT-PCR. In total, 131 infants; 40 control, 50 perinatal asphyxia without HIE (PA) and 41 HIE, recruited across two separate cohorts (discovery and validation) were included in this study. Significant and consistent downregulation of miR-181b was observed in infants with moderate/severe HIE compared to all other groups in both cohorts: discovery 0.25 (0.16-0.32) vs 0.61 (0.26-1.39), p = 0.027 and validation 0.33 (0.15-1.78) vs 1.2 (0.071-2.09), p = 0.035. mUCH-L1 showed increased expression in infants with HIE in both cohorts. The expression ratio of miR-181b to mUCH-L1 was reduced in those infants with moderate/severe HIE in both cohorts: discovery cohort 0.23 (0.06-0.44) vs 1.59 (0.46-2.54), p = 0.01 and validation cohort 0.41 (0.10-0.81) vs 1.38 (0.59-2.56) in all other infants, p = 0.009. We have validated consistent patterns of altered expression in miR-181b/mUCH-L1 in moderate/severe neonatal HIE which may have the potential to guide therapeutic intervention in HIE.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Looney
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,INFANT Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - M P O'Sullivan
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,INFANT Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - C E Ahearne
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,INFANT Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - M Finder
- Pediatric Department, CLINTEC, Karolinska Institutet and Neonatal Department, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - U Felderhoff-Mueser
- Department of Pediatrics/Neonatology, University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - G B Boylan
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,INFANT Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - B Hallberg
- Pediatric Department, CLINTEC, Karolinska Institutet and Neonatal Department, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Deirdre M Murray
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. .,INFANT Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
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31
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Guan J, Fransson S, Siaw JT, Treis D, Van den Eynden J, Chand D, Umapathy G, Ruuth K, Svenberg P, Wessman S, Shamikh A, Jacobsson H, Gordon L, Stenman J, Svensson PJ, Hansson M, Larsson E, Martinsson T, Palmer RH, Kogner P, Hallberg B. Clinical response of the novel activating ALK-I1171T mutation in neuroblastoma to the ALK inhibitor ceritinib. Cold Spring Harb Mol Case Stud 2018; 4:mcs.a002550. [PMID: 29907598 PMCID: PMC6071567 DOI: 10.1101/mcs.a002550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumors with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion rearrangements, including non-small-cell lung cancer and anaplastic large cell lymphoma, are highly sensitive to ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), underscoring the notion that such cancers are addicted to ALK activity. Although mutations in ALK are heavily implicated in childhood neuroblastoma, response to the ALK TKI crizotinib has been disappointing. Embryonal tumors in patients with DNA repair defects such as Fanconi anemia (FA) often have a poor prognosis, because of lack of therapeutic options. Here we report a child with underlying FA and ALK mutant high-risk neuroblastoma responding strongly to precision therapy with the ALK TKI ceritinib. Conventional chemotherapy treatment caused severe, life-threatening toxicity. Genomic analysis of the initial biopsy identified germline FANCA mutations as well as a novel ALK-I1171T variant. ALK-I1171T generates a potent gain-of-function mutant, as measured in PC12 cell neurite outgrowth and NIH3T3 transformation. Pharmacological inhibition profiling of ALK-I1171T in response to various ALK TKIs identified an 11-fold improved inhibition of ALK-I1171T with ceritinib when compared with crizotinib. Immunoaffinity-coupled LC-MS/MS phosphoproteomics analysis indicated a decrease in ALK signaling in response to ceritinib. Ceritinib was therefore selected for treatment in this child. Monotherapy with ceritinib was well tolerated and resulted in normalized catecholamine markers and tumor shrinkage. After 7.5 mo treatment, the residual primary tumor shrunk, was surgically removed, and exhibited hallmarks of differentiation together with reduced Ki67 levels. Clinical follow-up after 21 mo treatment revealed complete clinical remission including all metastatic sites. Therefore, ceritinib presents a viable therapeutic option for ALK-positive neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jikui Guan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden.,Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, 450018 Zhengzhou, China
| | - Susanne Fransson
- Department of Pathology and Genetics, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Joachim Tetteh Siaw
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Diana Treis
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, and Pediatric Oncology Program Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 17176, Sweden
| | - Jimmy Van den Eynden
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Damini Chand
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Ganesh Umapathy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Kristina Ruuth
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå 90187, Sweden
| | - Petter Svenberg
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, and Pediatric Oncology Program Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 17176, Sweden
| | - Sandra Wessman
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 17176, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Pathology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 17176, Sweden
| | - Alia Shamikh
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 17176, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Pathology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 17176, Sweden
| | - Hans Jacobsson
- Department of Radiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 17176, Sweden
| | - Lena Gordon
- Department of Pediatric Radiology, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 17176, Sweden
| | - Jakob Stenman
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 17176, Sweden
| | - Pär-Johan Svensson
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 17176, Sweden
| | - Magnus Hansson
- Department of Pediatrics and Pathology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Erik Larsson
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Tommy Martinsson
- Department of Pathology and Genetics, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Ruth H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Per Kogner
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 17176, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Pathology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 17176, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
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32
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Szydzik J, Van den Eynden J, Umapathy G, Ashouri A, Cervantes-Madrid D, Palmer R, Hallberg B, Lekholm EL, Ruuth K. PO-121 ALK dependant phosphoproteome and gene expression profiling of neuroblastoma cells. ESMO Open 2018. [DOI: 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-eacr25.162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
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33
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Umapathy G, Guan J, Gustafsson D, Palmer R, Hallberg B. PO-181 Anaplastic lymphoma kinase addictive neuroblastoma cell lines are associated with growth upon treatment with MEK inhibitor trametinib. ESMO Open 2018. [DOI: 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-eacr25.702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
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34
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Siaw J, Guan J, Fransson S, Treis D, Martinsson T, Per K, Palmer R, Hallberg B. PO-314 ALK inhibitor, ceritinib, abrogates activation of the novel ALK-I1171T mutation in neuroblastoma. ESMO Open 2018. [DOI: 10.1136/esmoopen-2018-eacr25.344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
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35
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Siaw JT, Wan H, Pfeifer K, Rivera VM, Guan J, Palmer RH, Hallberg B. Brigatinib, an anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor, abrogates activity and growth in ALK-positive neuroblastoma cells, Drosophila and mice. Oncotarget 2018; 7:29011-22. [PMID: 27049722 PMCID: PMC5045374 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.8508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2015] [Accepted: 03/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a tyrosine kinase receptor which has been implicated in numerous solid and hematologic cancers. ALK mutations are reported in about 5-7% of neuroblastoma cases but the ALK-positive percentage increases significantly in the relapsed patient population. Crizotinib, the first clinically approved ALK inhibitor for the treatment of ALK-positive lung cancer has had less dramatic responses in neuroblastoma. Here we investigate the efficacy of a second-generation ALK inhibitor, brigatinib, in a neuroblastoma setting. Employing neuroblastoma cell lines, mouse xenograft and Drosophila melanogaster model systems expressing different constitutively active ALK variants, we show clear and efficient inhibition of ALK activity by brigatinib. Similar abrogation of ALK activity was observed in vitro employing a set of different constitutively active ALK variants in biochemical assays. These results suggest that brigatinib is an effective inhibitor of ALK kinase activity in ALK addicted neuroblastoma that should be considered as a potential future therapeutic option for ALK-positive neuroblastoma patients alone or in combination with other treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim T Siaw
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Haiying Wan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Kathrin Pfeifer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Jikui Guan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ruth H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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36
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Hallberg B, Umapathy G, Cervantes-Madrid D, Guan J, Gustafsson DE, Palmer RH. Abstract B038: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase addicted neuroblastoma cell lines are associated with growth upon treatment with MEK inhibitor trametinib. Mol Cancer Ther 2018. [DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.targ-17-b038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK pathway is a major player in initiation and progression of multiple cancers where it can be hyper-activated by upstream regulatory proteins, such as tyrosine kinases, phosphatases, and GTPases. Several inhibitors targeting the RAS-MAPK pathway exhibit anticancer activity and are approved as single agent in specific cancers. One such is the MEK inhibitor trametinib, which is included as a rational poly therapy strategy for treating EML4-ALK, EGFR, and K-RAS mutant lung cancer and neuroblastoma containing hyper-activating RAS-MAPK pathway mutations. In neuroblastoma, a heterogeneous disease, relapse cases display an increased rate of mutations of ALK, NRAS, NF1 genes, leading to hyper-activation of RAS-MAPK signaling. Targeting the RAS-MAPK pathways offers attractive options for combinatorial treatment together with ALK inhibitors, since monotreatment has not yet produced strong clinical results in ALK-positive neuroblastoma patients. Here we investigate the response of ALK-positive neuroblastoma cell lines to MEK inhibition, employing trametinib. We show that pharmacologic inhibition of the MEK-ERK pathway in ALK-positive neuroblastoma cells results in increased levels of activation/phosphorylation of AKT and ERK5. This feedback response is regulated by the mTORC2 complex protein SIN1. Taken together, our results indicate that blocking MEK-ERK leads to "increased activation" of AKT signalling core in ALK-positive neuroblastoma, intensifying survival signals in these cells. Our results contraindicate use of MEK inhibitors as effective single and poly-therapeutic strategy in ALK-positive neuroblastoma.
Citation Format: Bengt Hallberg, Ganesh Umapathy, Diana Cervantes-Madrid, Jikui Guan, Dan E. Gustafsson, Ruth H. Palmer. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase addicted neuroblastoma cell lines are associated with growth upon treatment with MEK inhibitor trametinib [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2017 Oct 26-30; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2018;17(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B038.
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37
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Rosén M, Lynøe N, Elinder G, Hallberg B, Sundgren P, Eriksson A. Shaken baby syndrome and the risk of losing scientific scrutiny. Acta Paediatr 2017; 106:1905-1908. [PMID: 28871599 DOI: 10.1111/apa.14056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Revised: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
A systematic review of shaken baby syndrome by the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services generated numerous reactions from professional organisations, even before the review was published. There was also a lively debate after a paper summarising its findings were published in Acta Paediatrica The various responses are worth debating further, as they raise several important issues with regard to research ethics, having an open debate and publishing scientific findings. CONCLUSION The responses to the shaken baby syndrome report indicate that scientific scrutiny risks being lost when researchers and organisations are not open to challenging established ideas.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rosén
- Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics; Karolinska Institutet; Stockholm Sweden
| | - N Lynøe
- Stockholm Centre for Healthcare Ethics; Karolinska Institutet; Stockholm Sweden
| | - G Elinder
- Department of Clinical Science and Education; Södersjukhuset; Karolinska Institutet; Stockholm Sweden
| | - B Hallberg
- Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology; Karolinska University Hospital; Karolinska Institutet; Stockholm Sweden
| | - P Sundgren
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology; Clinical Sciences; Lund University; Lund Sweden
| | - A Eriksson
- Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation; Forensic Medicine; Umeå University; Umeå Sweden
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38
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Umapathy G, Guan J, Gustafsson DE, Javanmardi N, Cervantes-Madrid D, Djos A, Martinsson T, Palmer RH, Hallberg B. MEK inhibitor trametinib does not prevent the growth of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-addicted neuroblastomas. Sci Signal 2017; 10:10/507/eaam7550. [PMID: 29184034 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aam7550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Activation of the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK signaling pathway is implicated in driving the initiation and progression of multiple cancers. Several inhibitors targeting the RAS-MAPK pathway are clinically approved as single- or polyagent therapies for patients with specific types of cancer. One example is the MEK inhibitor trametinib, which is included as a rational polytherapy strategy for treating EML4-ALK-positive, EGFR-activated, or KRAS-mutant lung cancers and neuroblastomas that also contain activating mutations in the RAS-MAPK pathway. In addition, in neuroblastoma, a heterogeneous disease, relapse cases display an increased rate of mutations in ALK, NRAS, and NF1, leading to increased activation of RAS-MAPK signaling. Co-targeting ALK and the RAS-MAPK pathway is an attractive option, because monotherapies have not yet produced effective results in ALK-addicted neuroblastoma patients. We evaluated the response of neuroblastoma cell lines to MEK-ERK pathway inhibition by trametinib. In contrast to RAS-MAPK pathway-mutated neuroblastoma cell lines, ALK-addicted neuroblastoma cells treated with trametinib showed increased activation (inferred by phosphorylation) of the kinases AKT and ERK5. This feedback response was mediated by the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2-associated protein SIN1, resulting in increased survival and proliferation that depended on AKT signaling. In xenografts in mice, trametinib inhibited the growth of EML4-ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer and RAS-mutant neuroblastoma but not ALK-addicted neuroblastoma. Thus, our results advise against the seemingly rational option of using MEK inhibitors to treat ALK-addicted neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganesh Umapathy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Jikui Guan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Dan E Gustafsson
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Niloufar Javanmardi
- Department of Clinical Pathology and Genetics, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Diana Cervantes-Madrid
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Anna Djos
- Department of Clinical Pathology and Genetics, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Tommy Martinsson
- Department of Clinical Pathology and Genetics, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Ruth H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden.
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39
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Abstract
A vast array of oncogenic variants has been identified for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). Therefore, there is a need to better understand the role of ALK in cancer biology in order to optimise treatment strategies. This review summarises the latest research on the receptor tyrosine kinase ALK, and how this information can guide the management of patients with cancer that is ALK-positive. A variety of ALK gene alterations have been described across a range of tumour types, including point mutations, deletions and rearrangements. A wide variety of ALK fusions, in which the kinase domain of ALK and the amino-terminal portion of various protein partners are fused, occur in cancer, with echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4)-ALK being the most prevalent in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Different ALK fusion proteins can mediate different signalling outputs, depending on properties such as subcellular localisation and protein stability. The ALK fusions found in tumours lack spatial and temporal regulation, which can also affect dimerisation and substrate specificity. Two ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), crizotinib and ceritinib, are currently approved in Europe for use in ALK-positive NSCLC and several others are in development. These ALK TKIs bind slightly differently within the ATP-binding pocket of the ALK kinase domain and are associated with the emergence of different resistance mutation patterns during therapy. This emphasises the need to tailor the sequence of ALK TKIs according to the ALK signature of each patient. Research into the oncogenic functions of ALK, and fast paced development of ALK inhibitors, has substantially improved outcomes for patients with ALK-positive NSCLC. Limited data are available surrounding the physiological ligand-stimulated activation of ALK signalling and further research is needed. Understanding the role of ALK in tumour biology is key to further optimising therapeutic strategies for ALK-positive disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - R H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Looney AM, Ahearne CE, Hallberg B, Boylan GB, Murray DM. Downstream mRNA Target Analysis in Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy Identifies Novel Marker of Severe Injury: a Proof of Concept Paper. Mol Neurobiol 2016; 54:8420-8428. [PMID: 27957679 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-016-0330-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Accepted: 11/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Human microRNA miR-374a is downregulated in the umbilical cord blood (UCB) of infants with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE). The downstream targets of this microRNA (miRNA) are unclear, but one putative target is the activin-A receptor type IIb (ACVR2B). ACVR2B is required for activin-A function and previous reports have shown alterations of activin-A levels in neonatal HIE. Our aim was to investigate the expression of the potential downstream targets of miR-374a, activin-A and ACVR2B, at birth in a cohort of full-term infants with perinatal asphyxia (PA) only, and those with PA who developed clinical and electrographic HIE. UCB was drawn and processed immediately after delivery. Levels of serum activin-A were measured using ELISA. mRNA levels of ACVR2B in whole blood were quantified using qRT-PCR. Outcome was assessed at 3 years of age using standardised developmental assessment. In total, 171 infants were enrolled: 88 healthy controls, 56 PA and 27 HIE. A statistically significant elevation of median (IQR) ACVR2B was detected in infants with severe HIE compared to moderate/mild HIE, PA and control groups (3.3 (2.94-3.67) vs. 0.91 (0.55-1.21) vs. 0.88 (0.57-1.38) vs. 0.84 (0.74-1.24), p values = 0.04, 0.027 and 0.025, respectively). Although serum activin-A levels were elevated in infants with severe HIE, this elevation did not reach significance. ACVR2B may be a potential novel marker of HIE severity. This is the first study to examine the relationship between activin-A, its receptor AVCR2B and potentially upstream miRNA miR-374a in a cohort of carefully categorised and phenotyped infants. We have shown that miRNA analysis, combined with downstream target exploration, may yield novel biomarkers for the prediction of HIE severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Looney
- Neonatal Brain Research Group, Irish Centre for Fetal and Neonatal Translational Research, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland.
| | - C E Ahearne
- Neonatal Brain Research Group, Irish Centre for Fetal and Neonatal Translational Research, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland
| | - B Hallberg
- Neonatal Department, Karolinska Institutet and University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - G B Boylan
- Neonatal Brain Research Group, Irish Centre for Fetal and Neonatal Translational Research, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland
| | - D M Murray
- Neonatal Brain Research Group, Irish Centre for Fetal and Neonatal Translational Research, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland
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Klevebro S, Lundgren P, Hammar U, Smith LE, Bottai M, Domellöf M, Löfqvist C, Hallberg B, Hellström A. Cohort study of growth patterns by gestational age in preterm infants developing morbidity. BMJ Open 2016; 6:e012872. [PMID: 27856479 PMCID: PMC5128893 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To examine differences in growth patterns in preterm infants developing major morbidities including retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) and intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH). STUDY DESIGN Cohort study of 2521 infants born at a gestational age (GA) of 23-30 weeks from 11 level III neonatal intensive care units in USA and Canada, and 3 Swedish population-based cohorts. OUTCOMES Birth weight and postnatal weight gain were examined relative to birth GA and ROP, BPD, NEC and IVH development. RESULTS Among infants with a birth GA of 25-30 weeks, birth weight SD score and postnatal weight were lower in those developing ROP and BPD. Infants developing ROP showed lower growth rates during postnatal weeks 7-9 in the 23-24 weeks GA group, during weeks 4-6 in the 25-26 weeks GA group and during weeks 1-5 in the 27-30 weeks GA group. Infants with BPD born at 27-30 weeks GA showed lower growth rates during postnatal weeks 3-5. Infants with NEC had lower growth rates after postnatal week 6 in all GA groups, with no significant differences in birth weight SD score. IVH was not associated with prenatal or postnatal growth. CONCLUSIONS In this cohort study of extremely preterm infants, we found that the postnatal growth pattern was associated with morbidities such as ROP, BPD and NEC as well as with gestational age at birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Klevebro
- Clinical Sciences, Intervention, and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, South General Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - P Lundgren
- Department of Ophthalmology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - U Hammar
- Unit of Biostatistics, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - L E Smith
- Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - M Bottai
- Unit of Biostatistics, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M Domellöf
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Paediatrics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - C Löfqvist
- Department of Ophthalmology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - B Hallberg
- Clinical Sciences, Intervention, and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neonatology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Hellström
- Department of Ophthalmology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
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Guan J, Tucker ER, Wan H, Chand D, Danielson LS, Ruuth K, El Wakil A, Witek B, Jamin Y, Umapathy G, Robinson SP, Johnson TW, Smeal T, Martinsson T, Chesler L, Palmer RH, Hallberg B. The ALK inhibitor PF-06463922 is effective as a single agent in neuroblastoma driven by expression of ALK and MYCN. Dis Model Mech 2016; 9:941-52. [PMID: 27483357 PMCID: PMC5047689 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.024448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2015] [Accepted: 07/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The first-in-class inhibitor of ALK, c-MET and ROS1, crizotinib (Xalkori), has shown remarkable clinical efficacy in treatment of ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer. However, in neuroblastoma, activating mutations in the ALK kinase domain are typically refractory to crizotinib treatment, highlighting the need for more potent inhibitors. The next-generation ALK inhibitor PF-06463922 is predicted to exhibit increased affinity for ALK mutants prevalent in neuroblastoma. We examined PF-06463922 activity in ALK-driven neuroblastoma models in vitro and in vivo In vitro kinase assays and cell-based experiments examining ALK mutations of increasing potency show that PF-06463922 is an effective inhibitor of ALK with greater activity towards ALK neuroblastoma mutants. In contrast to crizotinib, single agent administration of PF-06463922 caused dramatic tumor inhibition in both subcutaneous and orthotopic xenografts as well as a mouse model of high-risk neuroblastoma driven by Th-ALK(F1174L)/MYCN Taken together, our results suggest PF-06463922 is a potent inhibitor of crizotinib-resistant ALK mutations, and highlights an important new treatment option for neuroblastoma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Guan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
| | - E R Tucker
- Division of Clinical Studies Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research, London and Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton SM2 5NG, UK
| | - H Wan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
| | - D Chand
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
| | - L S Danielson
- Division of Clinical Studies Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research, London and Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton SM2 5NG, UK
| | - K Ruuth
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden Department of Molecular Biology, Building 6L, Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden
| | - A El Wakil
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden Department of Molecular Biology, Building 6L, Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden
| | - B Witek
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden Department of Molecular Biology, Building 6L, Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden
| | - Y Jamin
- Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, London and Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton SM2 5NG, UK
| | - G Umapathy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
| | - S P Robinson
- Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, London and Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton SM2 5NG, UK
| | - T W Johnson
- La Jolla Laboratories, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
| | - T Smeal
- La Jolla Laboratories, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
| | - T Martinsson
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
| | - L Chesler
- Division of Clinical Studies Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research, London and Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton SM2 5NG, UK
| | - R H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
| | - B Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
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Umapathy G, Palmer R, Hallberg B. MEF2C is an ALK target gene that regulates cell invasion and migration in neuroblastoma. Eur J Cancer 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/s0959-8049(16)61633-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Guan J, Danielson L, Chand D, Jamin Y, Ruuth K, Tucker E, Umapathy G, Wakil AE, Witek B, Johnson TW, Smeal T, Chesler L, Palmer RH, Hallberg B. Abstract B12: The ALK inhibitor PF-06463922 shows significant response as a single agent in ALK/MYCN driven models of neuroblastoma. Cancer Res 2016. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.pedca15-b12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
ALK inhibitors such as the ALK/MET/ROS1 inhibitor crizotinib (Xalkori) have shown clinical efficacy in a number of tumour types. However, in ALK positive neuroblastoma treatment with the ALK inhibitor crizotinib has proved more difficult, highlighting the exploration of new drugs as a clinical priority. A recent report of an increased percentage of ALK positive cases in the relapsed neuroblastoma patient population, together with the increased repertoire of ALK inhibitors now available, led to the investigation of alternative ALK inhibitors with potential for use in treatment of neuroblastoma. Here we report an investigation of the activity of a next generation ALK inhibitor in a range of in vitro and pre-clinical ALK driven neuroblastoma models.
Initially PF-06463922 was tested in various neuroblastoma cell lines and a range of gain-of-function ALK neuroblastoma mutations were subsequently analyzed in more detail in engineered Ba/F3 and PC12 cell models and by in vitro kinase assays, comparing the effect of PF-06463922 in abrogating cell growth and induced pharmacodynamics markers of response with the ALK inhibitor crizotinib. These results clearly show PF-06463922 to be a superior inhibitor of ALK kinase activity inhibiting all neuroblastoma mutant ALK forms assayed. Finally, single agent oral administration of PF-06463922 lead to induction of apoptosis and a dramatic reduction in tumour volume in a genetically engineered mouse model of treatment-resistant high-risk neuroblastoma driven by aberrant expression of MYCN and activated ALK. Taken together, our results suggest that PF-06463922 represents an important potential step forward in the treatment of relapsed neuroblastoma with mutated ALK.
Statement of significance: Our results together with PK/PD analysis of PF-06463922 suggest future clinical trial investigation of ALK positive neuroblastoma
Citation Format: J. Guan, L. Danielson, D. Chand, Y. Jamin, K. Ruuth, E. Tucker, G. Umapathy, A. El Wakil, B. Witek, T. W. Johnson, T. Smeal, L. Chesler, R. H. Palmer, B. Hallberg. The ALK inhibitor PF-06463922 shows significant response as a single agent in ALK/MYCN driven models of neuroblastoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Pediatric Cancer Research: From Mechanisms and Models to Treatment and Survivorship; 2015 Nov 9-12; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(5 Suppl):Abstract nr B12.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Guan
- 1Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden,
| | - L. Danielson
- 1Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden,
| | - D. Chand
- 1Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden,
| | - Y. Jamin
- 2The Institute of Cancer Research, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom,
| | - K. Ruuth
- 1Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden,
| | - E. Tucker
- 1Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden,
| | - G. Umapathy
- 1Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden,
| | - A. El Wakil
- 1Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden,
| | - B. Witek
- 1Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden,
| | - T. W. Johnson
- 3La Jolla Laboratories, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, San Diego, CA
| | - T. Smeal
- 3La Jolla Laboratories, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, San Diego, CA
| | - L. Chesler
- 2The Institute of Cancer Research, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom,
| | - R. H. Palmer
- 1Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden,
| | - B. Hallberg
- 1Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden,
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Arts FA, Chand D, Pecquet C, Velghe AI, Constantinescu S, Hallberg B, Demoulin JB. PDGFRB mutants found in patients with familial infantile myofibromatosis or overgrowth syndrome are oncogenic and sensitive to imatinib. Oncogene 2015; 35:3239-48. [PMID: 26455322 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2015.383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Revised: 08/27/2015] [Accepted: 09/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Recently, germline and somatic heterozygous mutations in the platelet-derived growth factor receptor β (PDGFRB) have been associated with familial infantile myofibromatosis (IM), which is characterized by soft tissue tumors, and overgrowth syndrome, a disease that predisposes to cancer. These mutations have not been functionally characterized. In the present study, the activity of three PDGFRB mutants associated with familial IM (R561C, P660T and N666K) and one PDGFRB mutant found in patients with overgrowth syndrome (P584R) was tested in various models. The P660T mutant showed no difference with the wild-type receptor, suggesting that it might represent a polymorphic variant unrelated to the disease. By contrast, the three other mutants were constitutively active and able to transform NIH3T3 and Ba/F3 cells to different extents. In particular, the germline mutant identified in overgrowth syndrome, P584R, was a stronger oncogene than the germline R561C mutant associated with myofibromatosis. The distinct phenotypes associated with these two mutations could be related to this difference of potency. Importantly, all activated mutants were sensitive to tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as imatinib, nilotinib and ponatinib. In conclusion, the PDGFRB mutations previously identified in familial IM and overgrowth syndrome activate the receptor in the absence of ligand, supporting the hypothesis that these mutations cause the diseases. Moreover, imatinib seems to be a promising treatment for patients carrying these mutations. To our knowledge, these are the first confirmed gain-of-function point mutations of PDGFRB in human cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- F A Arts
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - D Chand
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden.,Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - C Pecquet
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels, Belgium
| | - A I Velghe
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - S Constantinescu
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels, Belgium
| | - B Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - J-B Demoulin
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
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Guan J, Umapathy G, Yamazaki Y, Wolfstetter G, Mendoza P, Pfeifer K, Mohammed A, Hugosson F, Zhang H, Hsu AW, Halenbeck R, Hallberg B, Palmer RH. FAM150A and FAM150B are activating ligands for anaplastic lymphoma kinase. eLife 2015; 4:e09811. [PMID: 26418745 PMCID: PMC4658194 DOI: 10.7554/elife.09811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Aberrant activation of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) has been described in a range of human cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer and neuroblastoma (Hallberg and Palmer, 2013). Vertebrate ALK has been considered to be an orphan receptor and the identity of the ALK ligand(s) is a critical issue. Here we show that FAM150A and FAM150B are potent ligands for human ALK that bind to the extracellular domain of ALK and in addition to activation of wild-type ALK are able to drive 'superactivation' of activated ALK mutants from neuroblastoma. In conclusion, our data show that ALK is robustly activated by the FAM150A/B ligands and provide an opportunity to develop ALK-targeted therapies in situations where ALK is overexpressed/activated or mutated in the context of the full length receptor. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09811.001 Cells have receptor proteins on their surface that enable them to detect changes in their environment and communicate with other cells. Signal molecules bind to a segment of the receptor called the extracellular domain that faces out from the cell. This can result in the activation of another domain in the receptor that is just inside the cell, which, in turn, activates signaling pathways that relay the information around the cell. However, these communication systems are often disrupted in cancer cells. This helps the cells to override the strict growth controls imposed upon them by other (healthy) cells in the body. The gene that encodes a receptor protein called Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (or ALK for short) is often mutated in some types of human cancer so that the protein is always active. However, we still do not know what signal molecules bind to the ALK protein to activate it in normal cells. Guan, Umapathy et al. used a variety of cell biology and biochemical techniques to study the role of ALK. The experiments show that when either of two proteins called FAM150A and FAM150B are produced in rat nerve cells alongside ALK, the nerve cells rapidly respond and form outgrowths. Experiments using cancer cells derived from human nerve cells also yielded similar results. Guan, Umapathy et al. found that the extracellular domain of ALK can physically interact with FAM150A and FAM150B. The eyes of fruit flies that had been genetically modified to produce the human ALK protein alongside either FAM150A or FAM150B grew more than normal, giving the eyes an abnormal "rough" appearance. Further experiments showed that FAM150A and FAM150B are also able to increase the level of activation of an ALK mutant protein that is already active. Therefore, in future, the development of drugs that stop FAM150A and FAM150B from binding to ALK may be useful for treating cancers that are driven by high levels of ALK activity. Many challenging questions lie ahead to better understand how FAM150A and FAM150B interact with ALK. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09811.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Jikui Guan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Instititute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ganesh Umapathy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Instititute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Yasuo Yamazaki
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Instititute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Georg Wolfstetter
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Instititute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Patricia Mendoza
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Instititute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Kathrin Pfeifer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Instititute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ateequrrahman Mohammed
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Instititute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Hugosson
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Instititute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Hongbing Zhang
- Five Prime Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, United States
| | - Amy W Hsu
- Five Prime Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, United States
| | - Robert Halenbeck
- Five Prime Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, United States
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Instititute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ruth H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Instititute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Witek B, El Wakil A, Nord C, Ahlgren U, Eriksson M, Vernersson-Lindahl E, Helland Å, Alexeyev OA, Hallberg B, Palmer RH. Targeted Disruption of ALK Reveals a Potential Role in Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0123542. [PMID: 25955180 PMCID: PMC4425494 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2014] [Accepted: 03/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mice lacking ALK activity have previously been reported to exhibit subtle behavioral phenotypes. In this study of ALK of loss of function mice we present data supporting a role for ALK in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in male mice. We observed lower level of serum testosterone at P40 in ALK knock-out males, accompanied by mild disorganization of seminiferous tubules exhibiting decreased numbers of GATA4 expressing cells. These observations highlight a role for ALK in testis function and are further supported by experiments in which chemical inhibition of ALK activity with the ALK TKI crizotinib was employed. Oral administration of crizotinib resulted in a decrease of serum testosterone levels in adult wild type male mice, which reverted to normal levels after cessation of treatment. Analysis of GnRH expression in neurons of the hypothalamus revealed a significant decrease in the number of GnRH positive neurons in ALK knock-out mice at P40 when compared with control littermates. Thus, ALK appears to be involved in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism by regulating the timing of pubertal onset and testis function at the upper levels of the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Witek
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Abeer El Wakil
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Christoffer Nord
- Umeå Center for Molecular Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Ulf Ahlgren
- Umeå Center for Molecular Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Maria Eriksson
- Umeå Center for Molecular Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | | | - Åslaug Helland
- Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Oleg A. Alexeyev
- Institution for Medical Biosciences/Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- * E-mail: (RHP); (BH)
| | - Ruth H. Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- * E-mail: (RHP); (BH)
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Umapathy G, El Wakil A, Witek B, Chesler L, Danielson L, Deng X, Gray NS, Johansson M, Kvarnbrink S, Ruuth K, Schönherr C, Palmer RH, Hallberg B. The kinase ALK stimulates the kinase ERK5 to promote the expression of the oncogene MYCN in neuroblastoma. Sci Signal 2014; 7:ra102. [PMID: 25351247 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2005470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is an important molecular target in neuroblastoma. Although tyrosine kinase inhibitors abrogating ALK activity are currently in clinical use for the treatment of ALK-positive (ALK(+)) disease, monotherapy with ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors may not be an adequate solution for ALK(+) neuroblastoma patients. Increased expression of the gene encoding the transcription factor MYCN is common in neuroblastomas and correlates with poor prognosis. We found that the kinase ERK5 [also known as big mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) 1 (BMK1)] is activated by ALK through a pathway mediated by phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), AKT, MAPK kinase kinase 3 (MEKK3), and MAPK kinase 5 (MEK5). ALK-induced transcription of MYCN and stimulation of cell proliferation required ERK5. Pharmacological or RNA interference-mediated inhibition of ERK5 suppressed the proliferation of neuroblastoma cells in culture and enhanced the antitumor efficacy of the ALK inhibitor crizotinib in both cells and xenograft models. Together, our results indicate that ERK5 mediates ALK-induced transcription of MYCN and proliferation of neuroblastoma, suggesting that targeting both ERK5 and ALK may be beneficial in neuroblastoma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganesh Umapathy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Abeer El Wakil
- Department of Molecular Biology, Building 6L, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Barbara Witek
- Department of Molecular Biology, Building 6L, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Louis Chesler
- The Institute of Cancer Research, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Laura Danielson
- The Institute of Cancer Research, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Xianming Deng
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Seeley G. Mudd Building, 628A, 250 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Seeley G. Mudd Building, 628A, 250 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mikael Johansson
- Department of Radiation Sciences, Oncology, Umeå University, 901 87 Umea, Sweden
| | - Samuel Kvarnbrink
- Department of Radiation Sciences, Oncology, Umeå University, 901 87 Umea, Sweden
| | - Kristina Ruuth
- Department of Molecular Biology, Building 6L, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Christina Schönherr
- Department of Molecular Biology, Building 6L, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Ruth H Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden. Department of Molecular Biology, Building 6L, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden.
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Fransson S, Hansson M, Ruuth K, Djos A, Berbegall A, Javanmardi N, Abrahamsson J, Palmer RH, Noguera R, Hallberg B, Kogner P, Martinsson T. Intragenic anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements: Translocations as a novel mechanism ofALKactivation in neuroblastoma tumors. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2014; 54:99-109. [DOI: 10.1002/gcc.22223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2014] [Accepted: 09/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Fransson
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics; Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg; Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Magnus Hansson
- Department of Pathology; Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg; Gothenburg Sweden
- Department of Medical Biosciences, Section for Pathology; Umeå University; Umeå Sweden
| | - Kristina Ruuth
- Department of Molecular Biology; Umeå University; Umeå Sweden
| | - Anna Djos
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics; Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg; Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Ana Berbegall
- Department of Pathology, Medical School; University of Valencia, INCLIVA; Valencia Spain
| | - Niloufar Javanmardi
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics; Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg; Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Jonas Abrahamsson
- Department of Pediatrics; Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg; Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Ruth H. Palmer
- Department of Molecular Biology; Umeå University; Umeå Sweden
- Department of Medical Chemistry and Cell Biology; Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg; Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Rosa Noguera
- Department of Pathology, Medical School; University of Valencia, INCLIVA; Valencia Spain
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Molecular Biology; Umeå University; Umeå Sweden
- Department of Medical Chemistry and Cell Biology; Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg; Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Per Kogner
- Department of Women's and Children's Health; Childhood Cancer Research Unit; Karolinska Institutet; Stockholm Sweden
| | - Tommy Martinsson
- Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics; Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg; Gothenburg Sweden
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