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Zboril EK, Grible JM, Boyd DC, Hairr NS, Leftwich TJ, Esquivel MF, Duong AK, Turner SA, Ferreira-Gonzalez A, Olex AL, Sartorius CA, Dozmorov MG, Harrell JC. Stratification of Tamoxifen Synergistic Combinations for the Treatment of ER+ Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3179. [PMID: 37370789 PMCID: PMC10296623 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15123179] [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: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer alone accounts for the majority of cancer deaths among women, with the most commonly diagnosed subtype being estrogen receptor positive (ER+). Survival has greatly improved for patients with ER+ breast cancer, due in part to the development of antiestrogen compounds, such as tamoxifen. While treatment of the primary disease is often successful, as many as 30% of patients will experience recurrence and metastasis, mainly due to developed endocrine therapy resistance. In this study, we discovered two tamoxifen combination therapies, with simeprevir and VX-680, that reduce the tumor burden in animal models of ER+ breast cancer more than either compound or tamoxifen alone. Additionally, these tamoxifen combinations reduced the expression of HER2, a hallmark of tamoxifen treatment, which can facilitate acquisition of a treatment-resistant phenotype. These combinations could provide clinical benefit by potentiating tamoxifen treatment in ER+ breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K. Zboril
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Jacqueline M. Grible
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
| | - David C. Boyd
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
- Integrative Life Sciences Program, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Nicole S. Hairr
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
| | - Tess J. Leftwich
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
| | - Madelyn F. Esquivel
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
| | - Alex K. Duong
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
| | - Scott A. Turner
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
| | | | - Amy L. Olex
- C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Carol A. Sartorius
- Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Mikhail G. Dozmorov
- Department of Biostatistics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - J. Chuck Harrell
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (E.K.Z.)
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
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Boyd DC, Zboril EK, Olex AL, Leftwich TJ, Hairr NS, Byers HA, Valentine AD, Altman JE, Alzubi MA, Grible JM, Turner SA, Ferreira-Gonzalez A, Dozmorov MG, Harrell JC. Discovering Synergistic Compounds with BYL-719 in PI3K Overactivated Basal-like PDXs. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15051582. [PMID: 36900375 PMCID: PMC10001201 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15051582] [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: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Basal-like triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) tumor cells are difficult to eliminate due to resistance mechanisms that promote survival. While this breast cancer subtype has low PIK3CA mutation rates when compared to estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers, most basal-like TNBCs have an overactive PI3K pathway due to gene amplification or high gene expression. BYL-719 is a PIK3CA inhibitor that has been found to have low drug-drug interactions, which increases the likelihood that it could be useful for combinatorial therapy. Alpelisib (BYL-719) with fulvestrant was recently approved for treating ER+ breast cancer patients whose cancer had developed resistance to ER-targeting therapy. In these studies, a set of basal-like patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models was transcriptionally defined with bulk and single-cell RNA-sequencing and clinically actionable mutation profiles defined with Oncomine mutational profiling. This information was overlaid onto therapeutic drug screening results. BYL-719-based, synergistic two-drug combinations were identified with 20 different compounds, including everolimus, afatinib, and dronedarone, which were also found to be effective at minimizing tumor growth. These data support the use of these drug combinations towards cancers with activating PIK3CA mutations/gene amplifications or PTEN deficient/PI3K overactive pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C. Boyd
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Integrative Life Sciences Program, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
| | - Emily K. Zboril
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Amy L. Olex
- C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Tess J. Leftwich
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Nicole S. Hairr
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Holly A. Byers
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Aaron D. Valentine
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Julia E. Altman
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Mohammad A. Alzubi
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Integrative Life Sciences Program, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
| | - Jacqueline M. Grible
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Scott A. Turner
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | | | - Mikhail G. Dozmorov
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23219, USA
| | - J. Chuck Harrell
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Correspondence:
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Rashid NS, Boyd DC, Olex AL, Grible JM, Duong AK, Alzubi MA, Altman JE, Leftwich TJ, Valentine AD, Hairr NS, Zboril EK, Smith TM, Pfefferle AD, Dozmorov MG, Harrell JC. Transcriptomic changes underlying EGFR inhibitor resistance in human and mouse models of basal-like breast cancer. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21248. [PMID: 36482068 PMCID: PMC9731984 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25541-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The goals of this study were to identify transcriptomic changes that arise in basal-like breast cancer cells during the development of resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRi) and to identify drugs that are cytotoxic once EGFRi resistance occurs. Human patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) were grown in immunodeficient mice and treated with a set of EGFRi; the EGFRi erlotinib was selected for more expansive in vivo studies. Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on mammary tumors from the basal-like PDX WHIM2 that was treated with vehicle or erlotinib for 9 weeks. The PDX was then subjected to long-term erlotinib treatment in vivo. Through serial passaging, an erlotinib-resistant subline of WHIM2 was generated. Bulk RNA-sequencing was performed on parental and erlotinib-resistant tumors. In vitro high-throughput drug screening with > 500 clinically used compounds was performed on parental and erlotinib-resistant cells. Previously published bulk gene expression microarray data from MMTV-Wnt1 tumors were contrasted with the WHIM2 PDX data. Erlotinib effectively inhibited WHIM2 tumor growth for approximately 4 weeks. Compared to untreated cells, single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that a greater proportion of erlotinib-treated cells were in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Comparison of WHIM2 and MMTV-Wnt1 gene expression data revealed a set of 38 overlapping genes that were differentially expressed in the erlotinib-resistant WHIM2 and MMTV-Wnt1 tumors. Comparison of all three data types revealed five genes that were upregulated across all erlotinib-resistant samples: IL19, KLK7, LCN2, SAA1, and SAA2. Of these five genes, LCN2 was most abundantly expressed in triple-negative breast cancers, and its knockdown restored erlotinib sensitivity in vitro. Despite transcriptomic differences, parental and erlotinib-resistant WHIM2 displayed similar responses to the majority of drugs assessed for cytotoxicity in vitro. This study identified transcriptomic changes arising in erlotinib-resistant basal-like breast cancer. These data could be used to identify a biomarker or develop a gene signature predictive of patient response to EGFRi. Future studies should explore the predictive capacity of these gene signatures as well as how LCN2 contributes to the development of EGFRi resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narmeen S Rashid
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, 23173, USA
| | - David C Boyd
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
- Program in Integrative Life Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Amy L Olex
- C. Kenneth and Diane Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Jacqueline M Grible
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Alex K Duong
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Mohammad A Alzubi
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
- Oncology Center-Division of Pediatric Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Julia E Altman
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Tess J Leftwich
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Aaron D Valentine
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Nicole S Hairr
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Emily K Zboril
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Timothy M Smith
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - Adam D Pfefferle
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, USA
| | - Mikhail G Dozmorov
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA
| | - J Chuck Harrell
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA.
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA.
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Sun Y, Zboril EK, De La Chapa JJ, Chai X, Da Conceicao VN, Valdez MC, McHardy SF, Gonzales CB, Singh BB. Inhibition of Ca 2+ entry by capsazepine analog CIDD-99 prevents oral squamous carcinoma cell proliferation. Front Physiol 2022; 13:969000. [PMID: 36187775 PMCID: PMC9521718 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.969000] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Oral cancer patients have a poor prognosis, with approximately 66% of patients surviving 5-years after diagnosis. Treatments for oral cancer are limited and have many adverse side effects; thus, further studies are needed to develop drugs that are more efficacious. To achieve this objective, we developed CIDD-99, which produces cytotoxic effects in multiple oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell lines. While we demonstrated that CIDD-99 induces ER stress and apoptosis in OSCC, the mechanism was unclear. Investigation of the Bcl-family of proteins showed that OSCC cells treated with CIDD-99 undergo downregulation of Bcl-XL and Bcl-2 anti-apoptotic proteins and upregulation of Bax (pro-apoptotic). Importantly, OSCC cells treated with CIDD-99 displayed decreased calcium signaling in a dose and time-dependent manner, suggesting that blockage of calcium signaling is the key mechanism that induces cell death in OSCC. Indeed, CIDD-99 anti-proliferative effects were reversed by the addition of exogenous calcium. Moreover, electrophysiological properties further established that calcium entry was via the non-selective TRPC1 channel and prolonged CIDD-99 incubation inhibited STIM1 expression. CIDD-99 inhibition of calcium signaling also led to ER stress and inhibited mitochondrial complexes II and V in vitro. Taken together, these findings suggest that inhibition of TRPC mediates induction of ER stress and mitochondrial dysfunction as a part of the cellular response to CIDD-99 in OSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyang Sun
- Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Emily K. Zboril
- Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Jorge J. De La Chapa
- Department of Comprehensive Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Xiufang Chai
- Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | | | - Matthew C. Valdez
- Department of Chemistry and the Center for Innovative Drug Discovery, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Stanton F. McHardy
- Department of Chemistry and the Center for Innovative Drug Discovery, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Cara B. Gonzales
- Department of Comprehensive Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Brij B. Singh
- Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
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Nascimento Da Conceicao V, Sun Y, Zboril EK, De la Chapa JJ, Singh BB. Loss of Ca 2+ entry via Orai-TRPC1 induces ER stress, initiating immune activation in macrophages. J Cell Sci 2019; 133:jcs237610. [PMID: 31722977 PMCID: PMC10682644 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.237610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Activation of cellular stresses is associated with inflammation; however, the mechanisms are not well identified. Here, we provide evidence that loss of Ca2+ influx induces endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in primary macrophages and in murine macrophage cell line Raw 264.7, in which the unfolded protein response is initiated to modulate cytokine production, thereby activating the immune response. Stressors that initiate the ER stress response block store-dependent Ca2+ entry in macrophages prior to the activation of the unfolded protein response. The endogenous Ca2+ entry channel is dependent on the Orai1-TRPC1-STIM1 complex, and the presence of ER stressors decreased expression of TRPC1, Orai1 and STIM1. Additionally, blocking Ca2+ entry with SKF96365 also induced ER stress, promoted cytokine production, activation of autophagy, increased caspase activation and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, ER stress inducers inhibited cell cycle progression, promoted the inflammatory M1 phenotype, and increased phagocytosis. Mechanistically, restoration of Orai1-STIM1 expression inhibited the ER stress-mediated loss of Ca2+ entry that prevents ER stress and inhibits cytokine production, and thus induced cell survival. These results suggest an unequivocal role of Ca2+ entry in modulating ER stress and in the induction of inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yuyang Sun
- Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Emily K Zboril
- Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Jorge J De la Chapa
- Department of Comprehensive Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Brij B Singh
- Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
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