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Sarogni P, Brindani N, Zamborlin A, Gonnelli A, Menicagli M, Mapanao AK, Munafò F, De Vivo M, Voliani V. Tumor growth-arrest effect of tetrahydroquinazoline-derivative human topoisomerase II-alpha inhibitor in HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9150. [PMID: 38644364 PMCID: PMC11033276 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59592-5] [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: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Oral malignancies continue to have severe morbidity with less than 50% long-term survival despite the advancement in the available therapies. There is a persisting demand for new approaches to establish more efficient strategies for their treatment. In this regard, the human topoisomerase II (topoII) enzyme is a validated chemotherapeutics target, as topoII regulates vital cellular processes such as DNA replication, transcription, recombination, and chromosome segregation in cells. TopoII inhibitors are currently used to treat some neoplasms such as breast and small cells lung carcinomas. Additionally, topoII inhibitors are under investigation for the treatment of other cancer types, including oral cancer. Here, we report the therapeutic effect of a tetrahydroquinazoline derivative (named ARN21934) that preferentially inhibits the alpha isoform of human topoII. The treatment efficacy of ARN21934 has been evaluated in 2D cell cultures, 3D in vitro systems, and in chick chorioallantoic membrane cancer models. Overall, this work paves the way for further preclinical developments of ARN21934 and possibly other topoII alpha inhibitors of this promising chemical class as a new chemotherapeutic approach for the treatment of oral neoplasms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Sarogni
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@ NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro, 12, 56126, Pisa, Italy
- Molecular Modeling and Drug Discovery Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego, 30, 16163, Genoa, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Brindani
- Molecular Modeling and Drug Discovery Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego, 30, 16163, Genoa, Italy
| | - Agata Zamborlin
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@ NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro, 12, 56126, Pisa, Italy
- NEST - Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza San Silvestro, 12, 56126, Pisa, Italy
- Ghent Research Group on Nanomedicines, Department of Pharmaceutics, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Alessandra Gonnelli
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@ NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro, 12, 56126, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Michele Menicagli
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza ONLUS, via Ferruccio Giovannini, 13, 56017, S. Giuliano Terme, Italy
| | - Ana Katrina Mapanao
- Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), 5232, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Federico Munafò
- Molecular Modeling and Drug Discovery Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego, 30, 16163, Genoa, Italy
| | - Marco De Vivo
- Molecular Modeling and Drug Discovery Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego, 30, 16163, Genoa, Italy.
| | - Valerio Voliani
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@ NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro, 12, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Genoa, Viale Cembrano 4, 16148, Genoa, Italy.
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Morelli M, Lessi F, Franceschi S, Ferri G, Giacomarra M, Menicagli M, Gambacciani C, Pieri F, Pasqualetti F, Montemurro N, Aretini P, Santonocito OS, Di Stefano AL, Mazzanti CM. Exploring Regorafenib Responsiveness and Uncovering Molecular Mechanisms in Recurrent Glioblastoma Tumors through Longitudinal In Vitro Sampling. Cells 2024; 13:487. [PMID: 38534332 PMCID: PMC10968984 DOI: 10.3390/cells13060487] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma, a deadly brain tumor, shows limited response to standard therapies like temozolomide (TMZ). Recent findings from the REGOMA trial underscore a significant survival improvement offered by Regorafenib (REGO) in recurrent glioblastoma. Our study aimed to propose a 3D ex vivo drug response precision medicine approach to investigate recurrent glioblastoma sensitivity to REGO and elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in tumor resistance or responsiveness to treatment. Three-dimensional glioblastoma organoids (GB-EXPs) obtained from 18 patients' resected recurrent glioblastoma tumors were treated with TMZ and REGO. Drug responses were evaluated using NAD(P)H FLIM, stratifying tumors as responders (Resp) or non-responders (NRs). Whole-exome sequencing was performed on 16 tissue samples, and whole-transcriptome analysis on 13 GB-EXPs treated and untreated. We found 35% (n = 9) and 77% (n = 20) of tumors responded to TMZ and REGO, respectively, with no instances of TMZ-Resp being REGO-NRs. Exome analysis revealed a unique mutational profile in REGO-Resp tumors compared to NR tumors. Transcriptome analysis identified distinct expression patterns in Resp and NR tumors, impacting Rho GTPase and NOTCH signaling, known to be involved in drug response. In conclusion, recurrent glioblastoma tumors were more responsive to REGO compared to TMZ treatment. Importantly, our approach enables a comprehensive longitudinal exploration of the molecular changes induced by treatment, unveiling promising biomarkers indicative of drug response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariangela Morelli
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy; (F.L.); (S.F.); (M.G.); (C.M.M.)
| | - Francesca Lessi
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy; (F.L.); (S.F.); (M.G.); (C.M.M.)
| | - Sara Franceschi
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy; (F.L.); (S.F.); (M.G.); (C.M.M.)
| | - Gianmarco Ferri
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy; (F.L.); (S.F.); (M.G.); (C.M.M.)
| | - Manuel Giacomarra
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy; (F.L.); (S.F.); (M.G.); (C.M.M.)
| | - Michele Menicagli
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy; (F.L.); (S.F.); (M.G.); (C.M.M.)
| | - Carlo Gambacciani
- Neurosurgical Department of Spedali Riuniti di Livorno, 57124 Livorno, Italy (O.S.S.)
| | - Francesco Pieri
- Neurosurgical Department of Spedali Riuniti di Livorno, 57124 Livorno, Italy (O.S.S.)
| | - Francesco Pasqualetti
- Radiotherapy Department, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Nicola Montemurro
- Department of Neurosurgery, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, 56126 Pisa, Italy;
| | - Paolo Aretini
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy; (F.L.); (S.F.); (M.G.); (C.M.M.)
| | | | - Anna Luisa Di Stefano
- Neurosurgical Department of Spedali Riuniti di Livorno, 57124 Livorno, Italy (O.S.S.)
| | - Chiara Maria Mazzanti
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy; (F.L.); (S.F.); (M.G.); (C.M.M.)
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3
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Sarogni P, Zamborlin A, Mapanao AK, Logghe T, Brancato L, van Zwol E, Menicagli M, Giannini N, Gonnelli A, Linsalata S, Colenbier R, Van den Bossche J, Paiar F, Bogers J, Voliani V. Hyperthermia Reduces Irradiation-Induced Tumor Repopulation in an In Vivo Pancreatic Carcinoma Model. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2023; 7:e2200229. [PMID: 36861331 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202200229] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis due to its aggressive nature and ability to metastasize at an early stage. Currently, its management is still a challenge because this neoplasm is resistant to conventional treatment approaches, among which is chemo-radiotherapy (CRT), due to the abundant stromal compartment involved in the mechanism of hypoxia. Hyperthermia, among other effects, counteracts hypoxia by promoting blood perfusion and thereby can enhance the therapeutic effect of radiotherapy (RT). Therefore, the establishment of integrated treatments would be a promising strategy for the management of pancreatic carcinoma. Here, the effects of joint radiotherapy/hyperthermia (RT/HT) on optimized chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) pancreatic tumor models are investigated. This model enables a thorough assessment of the tumor-arresting effect of the combined approach as well as the quantitative evaluation of hypoxia and cell cycle-associated mechanisms by both gene expression analysis and histology. The analysis of the lower CAM allows to investigate the variation of the metastatic behaviors of the cancer cells associated with the treatments. Overall, this study provides a potentially effective combined strategy for the non-invasive management of pancreatic carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Sarogni
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, Pisa, 56127, Italy
| | - Agata Zamborlin
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, Pisa, 56127, Italy
- NEST-Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza San Silvestro 12, Pisa, 56127, Italy
| | - Ana Katrina Mapanao
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, Pisa, 56127, Italy
- Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen-PSI, Forschungsstrasse, Switzerland
| | - Tine Logghe
- ElmediX NV, Dellingstraat 34-1, Mechelen, 2800, Belgium
| | | | - Eke van Zwol
- ElmediX NV, Dellingstraat 34-1, Mechelen, 2800, Belgium
| | - Michele Menicagli
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza ONLUS, via Ferruccio Giovannini 13, S. Giuliano Terme, Pisa, 56017, Italy
| | - Noemi Giannini
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, Pisa, 56127, Italy
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Pisa University Hospital "Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana", Via Roma 67, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alessandra Gonnelli
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, Pisa, 56127, Italy
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Pisa University Hospital "Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana", Via Roma 67, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Stefania Linsalata
- Unit of Medical Physics, Pisa University Hospital "Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana", Pisa, 56126, Italy
| | - Robin Colenbier
- University of Antwerp, Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, 2610, Belgium
| | | | - Fabiola Paiar
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Pisa University Hospital "Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana", Via Roma 67, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Johannes Bogers
- ElmediX NV, Dellingstraat 34-1, Mechelen, 2800, Belgium
- University of Antwerp, Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, 2610, Belgium
| | - Valerio Voliani
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, Pisa, 56127, Italy
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, Viale Cembrano, 4, Genoa, 16148, Italy
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Lessi F, Morelli M, Franceschi S, Aretini P, Menicagli M, Marranci A, Pasqualetti F, Gambacciani C, Pieri F, Grimod G, Zucchi V, Cupini S, Di Stefano AL, Santonocito OS, Mazzanti CM. Innovative Approach to Isolate and Characterize Glioblastoma Circulating Tumor Cells and Correlation with Tumor Mutational Status. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10147. [PMID: 37373295 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241210147] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are one of the most important causes of tumor recurrence and distant metastases. Glioblastoma (GBM) has been considered restricted to the brain for many years. Nevertheless, in the past years, several pieces of evidence indicate that hematogenous dissemination is a reality, and this is also in the caseof GBM. Our aim was to optimize CTCs' detection in GBM and define the genetic background of single CTCs compared to the primary GBM tumor and its recurrence to demonstrate that CTCs are indeed derived from the parental tumor. We collected blood samples from a recurrent IDH wt GBM patient. We genotyped the parental recurrent tumor tissue and the respective primary GBM tissue. CTCs were analyzed using the DEPArray system. CTCs Copy Number Alterations (CNAs) and sequencing analyses were performed to compare CTCs' genetic background with the same patient's primary and recurrent GBM tissues. We identified 210 common mutations in the primary and recurrent tumors. Among these, three somatic high-frequency mutations (in PRKCB, TBX1, and COG5 genes) were selected to investigate their presence in CTCs. Almost all sorted CTCs (9/13) had at least one of the mutations tested. The presence of TERT promoter mutations was also investigated and C228T variation was found in parental tumors and CTCs (C228T heterozygous and homozygous, respectively). We were able to isolate and genotype CTCs from a patient with GBM. We found common mutations but also exclusive molecular characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Lessi
- Section of Genomics and Transcriptomics, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy
| | - Mariangela Morelli
- Section of Genomics and Transcriptomics, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy
| | - Sara Franceschi
- Section of Genomics and Transcriptomics, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Aretini
- Section of Genomics and Transcriptomics, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy
| | - Michele Menicagli
- Section of Genomics and Transcriptomics, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy
| | - Andrea Marranci
- Section of Genomics and Transcriptomics, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesco Pasqualetti
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy
| | - Carlo Gambacciani
- Division of Neurosurgery, Spedali Riuniti di Livorno-USL Toscana Nord-Ovest, 57124 Livorno, Italy
| | - Francesco Pieri
- Division of Neurosurgery, Spedali Riuniti di Livorno-USL Toscana Nord-Ovest, 57124 Livorno, Italy
| | - Gianluca Grimod
- Division of Neurosurgery, Spedali Riuniti di Livorno-USL Toscana Nord-Ovest, 57124 Livorno, Italy
| | - Vanna Zucchi
- Division of Pathology, Spedali Riuniti di Livorno-USL Toscana Nord-Ovest, 57124 Livorno, Italy
| | - Samanta Cupini
- Division of Oncology, Spedali Riuniti di Livorno-USL Toscana Nord-Ovest, 57124 Livorno, Italy
| | - Anna Luisa Di Stefano
- Division of Neurosurgery, Spedali Riuniti di Livorno-USL Toscana Nord-Ovest, 57124 Livorno, Italy
- Neurology Department, Foch Hospital, 92150 Suresnes, France
| | - Orazio Santo Santonocito
- Division of Neurosurgery, Spedali Riuniti di Livorno-USL Toscana Nord-Ovest, 57124 Livorno, Italy
| | - Chiara Maria Mazzanti
- Section of Genomics and Transcriptomics, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy
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Gaeta R, Morelli M, Lessi F, Mazzanti CM, Menicagli M, Capanna R, Andreani L, Coccoli L, Aretini P, Franchi A. Identification of New Potential Prognostic and Predictive Markers in High-Grade Osteosarcoma Using Whole Exome Sequencing. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10086. [PMID: 37373240 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241210086] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Conventional high-grade osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary cancer of bone and it typically affects the extremities of adolescents. OS has a complex karyotype, and molecular mechanisms related to carcinogenesis, progression and resistance to therapy are still largely unknown. For this reason, the current standard of care is associated with considerable adverse effects. In this study, our aim was to identify gene alterations in OS patients using whole exome sequencing (WES) to find new potential prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. We performed WES on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biopsy materials collected from 19 patients affected by conventional high-grade OS. The clinical and genetic data were analyzed according to response to therapy, presence of metastasis and disease status. By comparing good and poor responders to neoadjuvant therapy, we detected a clear prevalence of mutations in the ARID1A, CREBBP, BRCA2 and RAD50 genes in poor responders that negatively influence the progression-free survival time. Moreover, higher tumor mutational burden values correlated with worse prognosis. The identification of mutations in ARID1A, CREBBP, BRCA2 and RAD50 may support the use of a more specific therapy for tumors harboring these alterations. In particular, BRCA2 and RAD50 are involved in homologous recombination repair, and could thus be used as specific therapy targets of inhibitors of the enzyme Poly ADP Ribose Polymerase (PARP). Finally, tumor mutational burden is found to be a potential prognostic marker for OS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Gaeta
- Section of Pathology, Department of Translational Research and of New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Francesca Lessi
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Michele Menicagli
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy
| | - Rodolfo Capanna
- Section of Pathology, Department of Translational Research and of New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Andreani
- Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Luca Coccoli
- Pediatric Hematology Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Aretini
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Franchi
- Section of Pathology, Department of Translational Research and of New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
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Tantillo E, Scalera M, De Santis E, Meneghetti N, Cerri C, Menicagli M, Mazzoni A, Costa M, Mazzanti CM, Vannini E, Caleo M. Molecular changes underlying decay of sensory responses and enhanced seizure propensity in peritumoral neurons. Neuro Oncol 2023:7048460. [PMID: 36805257 PMCID: PMC10398807 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noad035] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glioblastoma growth impacts on the structure and physiology of peritumoral neuronal networks, altering the activity of pyramidal neurons which drives further tumor progression. It is therefore of paramount importance to identify glioma-induced changes in pyramidal neurons, since they represent a key therapeutic target. METHODS We longitudinal monitored visual evoked potentials after the orthotopic implant of murine glioma cells into the mouse occipital cortex. With laser microdissection we analysed layer II-III pyramidal neurons molecular profile and with Local Field Potentials (LFP) recordings we evaluated the propensity to seizures in glioma-bearing animals with respect to control mice. RESULTS We determine the time course of neuronal dysfunction of glioma-bearing mice and we identify a symptomatic stage, based on the decay of visual response. At that time point, we microdissect layer II-III pyramidal neurons and evaluate the expression of a panel of genes involved in synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability. Compared to the control group, peritumoral neurons show a decrease in the expression of the SNARE complex gene SNAP-25 and the alpha1 subunit of the GABA-A receptor. No significant changes are detected in glutamatergic (i.e., AMPA or NMDA receptor subunit) markers. Further reduction of GABA-A signalling by delivery of a benzodiazepine inverse agonist, DMCM (methyl-6,7-dimethoxy-4-ethyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxylate) precipitates seizures in two mouse models of tumor-bearing mice. CONCLUSIONS These studies reveal novel molecular changes that occur in the principal cells of the tumor-adjacent zone. These modifications may be therapeutically targeted to ameliorate patients' quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Tantillo
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, via G Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa.,Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza Onlus (FPS) via F. Giovannini 13, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy
| | - Marta Scalera
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, via G Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa
| | | | - Nicolò Meneghetti
- Department of Excellence for Robotics and AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56025 Pisa, Italy.,The Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56025 Pisa, Italy
| | - Chiara Cerri
- Fondazione Umberto Veronesi, 20122 Milan, Italy.,Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Pisa 56126, Italy
| | - Michele Menicagli
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza Onlus (FPS) via F. Giovannini 13, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy
| | - Alberto Mazzoni
- Department of Excellence for Robotics and AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56025 Pisa, Italy.,The Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56025 Pisa, Italy
| | - Mario Costa
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, via G Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa.,Centro Pisano ricerca e implementazione clinica Flash Radiotherapy "CPFR@CISUP", "S. Chiara" Hospital, Pisa, Italy.,Laboratory of Biology BIO@SNS, Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza di Cavalieri 7, Pisa, 56124, Italy
| | - Chiara Maria Mazzanti
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza Onlus (FPS) via F. Giovannini 13, San Giuliano Terme, 56017 Pisa, Italy
| | - Eleonora Vannini
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, via G Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa.,Fondazione Umberto Veronesi, 20122 Milan, Italy.,Centro Pisano ricerca e implementazione clinica Flash Radiotherapy "CPFR@CISUP", "S. Chiara" Hospital, Pisa, Italy
| | - Matteo Caleo
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, via G Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, via G. Colombo 3, 35121 Padua
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7
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Morelli M, Stefano ALD, Picca A, Lessi F, Santonocito O, Menicagli M, Pasqualetti F, Franceschi S, Aretini P, Sanson M, Mazzanti CM. BIOM-35. A NEW PRECISION-MEDICINE APPROACH TO PREDICT TUMOR TREATMENT RESPONSE IDENTIFIES IN GLIOBLASTOMA A 17 GENE SIGNATURE PROGNOSTIC OF TMZ RESPONSE AND SURVIVAL WITH ROBUST PREDICTIVE VALUE. Neuro Oncol 2022. [PMCID: PMC9660525 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noac209.045] [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] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The Glioblastoma (GB) field has been experiencing a therapeutic standstill since 2005, primarily due to ineffective preclinical approaches to test anti-cancer treatments. Therefore, better treatment screening approaches are required. We developed a NADH FLIM-based functional precision medicine approach, that within one week after surgery identified two groups of TMZ Responder and Non-Responder tumors. A 17 gene molecular signature able to classify with 100% precision the TMZ responder and non-responder samples was discovered and identified by Kaplan Meier analysis, a Low-Risk and a High-Risk survival group, interrogating the TCGA GB database (Hazard Ratio = 1.87 p=0.00098,n=148) and TCGA LGG database (Hazard Ratio = 7.66 p=1.197e−35, n=660). Same results were obtained in the CCGA datasets. The 17 gene signature power for independently predicting prognosis (Hazard Ratio = 1.9, p=0.002) was then confirmed by direct RNAseq analysis of a separate clinically characterized cohort of 235 GB patients. Then, we combined the methylation status of the MGMT promoter to analyze the survival status of patients. The survival analysis based on the 17 gene risk signature and MGMT promoter methylation status demonstrated remarkable stratification of the clinical courses into four subgroups. Patients with MGMT promoter unmethylation and 17 gene High-Risk score had the worst prognosis, while patients with MGMT promoter methylation and 17 gene Low-Risk score had the best prognosis. In the latter group, a significant 24-month increase in survival was observed with 10% of 100 months Long Survivors with a difference of 35 months compared to the other groups. Our data indicate a new statistically strong RNAseq-based prognostic survival and TMZ response tool for patients with malignant glioma. The accuracy of this functional precision medicine approach allowed the development of a new prognostic gene signature that can improve the clinical management of GB patients. The approach could be implemented on other cancers as well.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Alberto Picca
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, AP-HP, Hôpitaux Universitaires La Pitié Salpêtrière , Paris , France
| | | | - Orazio Santonocito
- Neurosurgical Department of Spedali Riuniti di Livorno , Livorno , Italy
| | | | | | | | | | - Marc Sanson
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute , Paris , France
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8
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Lessi F, Morelli M, Aretini P, Menicagli M, Franceschi S, Pasqualetti F, Gambacciani C, Di Stefano A, Santonocito O, Mazzanti CM. P14.01.B Isolation and characterization of circulating tumor cells in a glioblastoma case with recurrence at distance and correlation with tumor mutational status. Neuro Oncol 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noac174.286] [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: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) are considered to be one of the important causes of tumor recurrence and distant metastasis. For many years, glioblastoma (GB) was thought to be restricted to the brain. Nevertheless, a growing body of evidence indicates that, like many other cancers, hematogenic dissemination is a reality. The absence of a procedural uniformity in literature prompted us to develop an innovative and sensitive method to obtain CTCs in GB. Our aim is to define the genetic background of single CTCs compared with the primary GB tumor and its recurrence to assess whether or not their presence in the peripheral circulation correlates with GB migration and dissemination.
Material and Methods
CTCs were enriched from whole blood of one patient with recurrent GB with Parsortix Cell Separation System and analysed on DEPArray system. After that, CTCs Copy Number Aberrations (CNAs) and sequencing analysis was performed to compare CTCs genetic background with the same patient’s primary and recurrence tissues, analysed by NextSeq 500 (whole exome sequencing).
Results
We obtained 211 mutations in common between primary and recurrence tumor. Among these, three somatic mutations (c.430 G>A in PRKCB gene, c.815 C>T in TBX1 gene and c.1554 T>G in COG5 gene) were selected to investigate their presence in recurrence CTCs. Almost all of the sorted CTCs (9/13) had at least one of the mutations tested.
Conclusion
In confirmation of the hypothesis, the CTCs detected in the patient's blood were actually cancer cells deriving from GB tumor.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Lessi
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza , San Giuliano Terme , Italy
| | - M Morelli
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza , San Giuliano Terme , Italy
| | - P Aretini
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza , San Giuliano Terme , Italy
| | - M Menicagli
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza , San Giuliano Terme , Italy
| | - S Franceschi
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza , San Giuliano Terme , Italy
| | - F Pasqualetti
- Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana , Pisa , Italy
- University of Oxford , Oxford , United Kingdom
| | - C Gambacciani
- Spedali Riuniti di Livorno—USL Toscana Nord-Ovest , Livorno , Italy
| | - A Di Stefano
- Spedali Riuniti di Livorno—USL Toscana Nord-Ovest , Livorno , Italy
| | - O Santonocito
- Spedali Riuniti di Livorno—USL Toscana Nord-Ovest , Livorno , Italy
| | - C M Mazzanti
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza , San Giuliano Terme , Italy
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9
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Morelli M, Lessi F, Barachini S, Liotti R, Montemurro N, Perrini P, Santonocito OS, Gambacciani C, Snuderl M, Pieri F, Aquila F, Farnesi A, Naccarato AG, Viacava P, Cardarelli F, Ferri G, Mulholland P, Ottaviani D, Paiar F, Liberti G, Pasqualetti F, Menicagli M, Aretini P, Signore G, Franceschi S, Mazzanti CM. Metabolic-imaging of human glioblastoma live tumors: A new precision-medicine approach to predict tumor treatment response early. Front Oncol 2022; 12:969812. [PMID: 36132155 PMCID: PMC9483168 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.969812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [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: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Glioblastoma (GB) is the most severe form of brain cancer, with a 12-15 month median survival. Surgical resection, temozolomide (TMZ) treatment, and radiotherapy remain the primary therapeutic options for GB, and no new therapies have been introduced in recent years. This therapeutic standstill is primarily due to preclinical approaches that do not fully respect the complexity of GB cell biology and fail to test efficiently anti-cancer treatments. Therefore, better treatment screening approaches are needed. In this study, we have developed a novel functional precision medicine approach to test the response to anticancer treatments in organoids derived from the resected tumors of glioblastoma patients. Methods GB organoids were grown for a short period of time to prevent any genetic and morphological evolution and divergence from the tumor of origin. We chose metabolic imaging by NAD(P)H fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) to predict early and non-invasively ex-vivo anti-cancer treatment responses of GB organoids. TMZ was used as the benchmark drug to validate the approach. Whole-transcriptome and whole-exome analyses were performed to characterize tumor cases stratification. Results Our functional precision medicine approach was completed within one week after surgery and two groups of TMZ Responder and Non-Responder tumors were identified. FLIM-based metabolic tumor stratification was well reflected at the molecular level, confirming the validity of our approach, highlighting also new target genes associated with TMZ treatment and identifying a new 17-gene molecular signature associated with survival. The number of MGMT gene promoter methylated tumors was higher in the responsive group, as expected, however, some non-methylated tumor cases turned out to be nevertheless responsive to TMZ, suggesting that our procedure could be synergistic with the classical MGMT methylation biomarker. Conclusions For the first time, FLIM-based metabolic imaging was used on live glioblastoma organoids. Unlike other approaches, ex-vivo patient-tailored drug response is performed at an early stage of tumor culturing with no animal involvement and with minimal tampering with the original tumor cytoarchitecture. This functional precision medicine approach can be exploited in a range of clinical and laboratory settings to improve the clinical management of GB patients and implemented on other cancers as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariangela Morelli
- Section of Genomics and Transcriptomics, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, Pisa, Italy
- *Correspondence: Chiara Maria Mazzanti, ; Mariangela Morelli,
| | - Francesca Lessi
- Section of Genomics and Transcriptomics, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, Pisa, Italy
| | - Serena Barachini
- Section of Genomics and Transcriptomics, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Romano Liotti
- Section of Genomics and Transcriptomics, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nicola Montemurro
- Department of Neurosurgery, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Perrini
- Department of Neurosurgery, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Carlo Gambacciani
- Neurosurgical Department of Spedali Riuniti di Livorno, Livorno, Italy
| | - Matija Snuderl
- Department of Pathology, New York University (NYU) Langone Medical Center, New York City, NY, United States
| | - Francesco Pieri
- Neurosurgical Department of Spedali Riuniti di Livorno, Livorno, Italy
| | - Filippo Aquila
- Neurosurgical Department of Spedali Riuniti di Livorno, Livorno, Italy
| | - Azzurra Farnesi
- Neurosurgical Department of Spedali Riuniti di Livorno, Livorno, Italy
| | - Antonio Giuseppe Naccarato
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Viacava
- Anatomical Pathology Department, Azienda Ospedaliera Toscana Nord-ovest, Livorno, Italy
| | - Francesco Cardarelli
- National Enterprise for nanoScience and nanoTechnology (NEST), Scuola Normale Superiore and Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gianmarco Ferri
- National Enterprise for nanoScience and nanoTechnology (NEST), Scuola Normale Superiore and Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR, Pisa, Italy
- Section of Nanomedicine, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paul Mulholland
- Department of Oncology, University College London Hospitals, London, United Kingdom
| | - Diego Ottaviani
- Department of Oncology, University College London Hospitals, London, United Kingdom
| | - Fabiola Paiar
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gaetano Liberti
- Department of Neurosurgery, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesco Pasqualetti
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Michele Menicagli
- Section of Genomics and Transcriptomics, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Aretini
- Section of Bioinformatics, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giovanni Signore
- Section of Nanomedicine, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, Pisa, Italy
| | - Sara Franceschi
- Section of Genomics and Transcriptomics, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, Pisa, Italy
| | - Chiara Maria Mazzanti
- Section of Genomics and Transcriptomics, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, San Giuliano Terme, Pisa, Italy
- *Correspondence: Chiara Maria Mazzanti, ; Mariangela Morelli,
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10
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Parisi F, Lessi F, Menicagli M, Civita P, Liotti R, Millanta F, Freer G, Pistello M, Mazzanti CM, Poli A. Presence of a mouse mammary tumour virus-like in feline lymphomas: a preliminary study. Infect Agent Cancer 2022; 17:35. [PMID: 35739602 PMCID: PMC9219121 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-022-00449-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The mouse mammary tumour virus (MMTV) is implicated in the aetiology of murine mammary carcinomas and a variant of it, the type B leukemogenic virus, can cause murine thymic lymphomas. Interestingly, a MMTV-like virus is suspected to be involved in human breast cancer and feline mammary carcinomas. However, to date, no cases of MMTV-like sequence amplifications have been described in lymphoid neoplasms in veterinary literature. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of env nucleotide sequences and protein 14 (p14) of a MMTV-like virus in fifty-three feline lymphoma samples. Our results show that MMTV-like sequences were detected in 5/53 tumours (9.4%): three gastrointestinal lymphomas (one B-type diffuse large, one B-type small non-cleaved, and one T-type diffuse mixed lymphoma); and two nasal lymphomas (one B-type diffuse small cleaved lymphoma and one B-type diffuse mixed lymphoma). P14 expression was detected in the cytoplasm, and rarely in nuclei, exclusively of neoplastic cells from PCR-positive tumours. The correlation between the presence of the MMTV-env like sequences (MMTVels) and p14 antigen was statistically significant in nasal lymphomas. All cats with MMTVels-positive lymphoma had a history of contact with the outdoor environment and/or catteries, and two deceased subjects shared their environment with cats that also died of lymphoma. In conclusion, this study succeeds in demonstrating the presence of MMTVels and p14 in feline lymphomas. The characterization of the immunophenotype of MMTVels-positive lymphomas could contribute to the understanding of a possible role of a MMTV-like virus in feline tumour aetiology. The significant association between the presence of the viral sequences in lymphoid tumours and their nasal localization, together with the data collected through supplementary anamnesis, should be further analysed in order to understand the epidemiology of the virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Parisi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università di Pisa, Viale delle Piagge, 2, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | - Prospero Civita
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | | | - Francesca Millanta
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università di Pisa, Viale delle Piagge, 2, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giulia Freer
- Ricerca Traslazionale e delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mauro Pistello
- Ricerca Traslazionale e delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Alessandro Poli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università di Pisa, Viale delle Piagge, 2, 56124, Pisa, Italy.
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11
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Franceschi S, Lessi F, Morelli M, Menicagli M, Pasqualetti F, Aretini P, Mazzanti CM. Sedoheptulose Kinase SHPK Expression in Glioblastoma: Emerging Role of the Nonoxidative Pentose Phosphate Pathway in Tumor Proliferation. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23115978. [PMID: 35682658 PMCID: PMC9180619 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23115978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common form of malignant brain cancer and is considered the deadliest human cancer. Because of poor outcomes in this disease, there is an urgent need for progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms of GBM therapeutic resistance, as well as novel and innovative therapies for cancer prevention and treatment. The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is a metabolic pathway complementary to glycolysis, and several PPP enzymes have already been demonstrated as potential targets in cancer therapy. In this work, we aimed to evaluate the role of sedoheptulose kinase (SHPK), a key regulator of carbon flux that catalyzes the phosphorylation of sedoheptulose in the nonoxidative arm of the PPP. SHPK expression was investigated in patients with GBM using microarray data. SHPK was also overexpressed in GBM cells, and functional studies were conducted. SHPK expression in GBM shows a significant correlation with histology, prognosis, and survival. In particular, its increased expression is associated with a worse prognosis. Furthermore, its overexpression in GBM cells confirms an increase in cell proliferation. This work highlights for the first time the importance of SHPK in GBM for tumor progression and proposes this enzyme and the nonoxidative PPP as possible therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Franceschi
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, 56017 Pisa, Italy; (F.L.); (M.M.); (M.M.); (P.A.); (C.M.M.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Francesca Lessi
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, 56017 Pisa, Italy; (F.L.); (M.M.); (M.M.); (P.A.); (C.M.M.)
| | - Mariangela Morelli
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, 56017 Pisa, Italy; (F.L.); (M.M.); (M.M.); (P.A.); (C.M.M.)
| | - Michele Menicagli
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, 56017 Pisa, Italy; (F.L.); (M.M.); (M.M.); (P.A.); (C.M.M.)
| | - Francesco Pasqualetti
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy;
- Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Paolo Aretini
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, 56017 Pisa, Italy; (F.L.); (M.M.); (M.M.); (P.A.); (C.M.M.)
| | - Chiara Maria Mazzanti
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, 56017 Pisa, Italy; (F.L.); (M.M.); (M.M.); (P.A.); (C.M.M.)
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12
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Mapanao AK, Sarogni P, Santi M, Menicagli M, Gonnelli A, Zamborlin A, Ermini ML, Voliani V. Pro-apoptotic and size-reducing effects of protein corona-modulating nano-architectures enclosing platinum prodrug in in vivo oral carcinoma. Biomater Sci 2022; 10:6135-6145. [DOI: 10.1039/d2bm00994c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The selective and localized delivery of active agents to neoplasms is crucial to enhance the chemotherapeutic efficacy while reducing the associated side effects. The encapsulation of chemotherapeutics in nanoparticles decorated...
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13
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Lessi F, Aretini P, Rizzo M, Morelli M, Menicagli M, Franceschi S, Mazzanti CM. Analysis of exosome-derived microRNAs reveals insights of intercellular communication during invasion of breast, prostate and glioblastoma cancer cells. Cell Adh Migr 2021; 15:180-201. [PMID: 34157951 PMCID: PMC8224203 DOI: 10.1080/19336918.2021.1935407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
MiRNAs represent a mechanism that regulates gene expression in many pathological conditions. Exosomes are known to be secreted from all types of cells, and the exosomes-released molecules are crucial messengers that can regulate cellular processes. We investigated the miRNAs content of exosomes released by cancer cells during the invasion . An invasion stimulus has been generated through scratches created on the confluent cells of cancer cell lines: glioblastoma, breast and prostate cancers.Several miRNAs were found to be significantly differentially abundant during the cell invasion , both in common among different cell lines and exclusive. Understanding the language codes among cells involved in invasion can lead to the development of therapies that can inhibit cellular communication, slowing or eventually stopping their activity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Milena Rizzo
- Institute of Clinical Physiology (IFC), CNR, Pisa, Italy
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14
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Parisi F, Muscatello LV, Civita P, Lessi F, Menicagli M, Millanta F, Brunetti B, Benazzi C, Sarli G, Freer G, Pistello M, Mazzanti CM, Poli A. Pathological Features and Molecular Phenotype of MMTV Like-Positive Feline Mammary Carcinomas. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11102821. [PMID: 34679842 PMCID: PMC8532932 DOI: 10.3390/ani11102821] [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: 08/08/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Mouse mammary tumour virus-like (MMTV-like) is suspected to be involved in human breast cancer and feline mammary carcinomas (FMCs). We previously reported the identification of MMTV-like sequences and viral protein in six of 78 FMCs collected in Tuscany, Italy. To corroborate this finding, FMCs samples collected from a different geographic area were investigated. MMTV-like sequences and p14 protein were identified in three of 24 FMCs collected at the University of Bologna, one tubular carcinoma, one tubulopapillary carcinoma and one ductal carcinoma. All the examined FMCs from Pisa and Bologna were submitted to immunohistochemistry for molecular phenotype characterization. Of the nine positive FMCs, six were basal-like and three luminal-like. This study highlights the presence of MMTV-like sequences and protein in FMCs of different geographic areas. The characterization of molecular phenotype could contribute to understand the possible role of MMTV-like virus in FMC biological behaviour. Abstract In the last few years MMTV-like nucleotide sequences were detected in some feline and canine mammary tumours. Due to the confirmed role of cats in the epidemiology of the MMTV-like virus, the aim of this study was to investigate the main pathological features of positive feline mammary carcinomas (FMCs). Twenty-four FMCs were collected at the University of Bologna, submitted to laser microdissection and analysed by nested fluorescence-PCR using primer sets specific for MMTV env sequence. For immunohistochemistry, an antibody against MMTV protein 14 (p14) was used. MMTV-like sequences were detected in three out of 24 FMCs (12.5%), one tubular carcinoma, one tubulopapillary carcinoma and one ductal carcinoma. All PCR-positive tumours were also positive for p14. Multiple nucleotide alignment has shown similarity to MMTV ranging from 98% to 100%. All the 102 examined FMCs were submitted to immunohistochemistry for molecular phenotyping. Of the nine MMTV-like positive FMCs, six were basal-like and three luminal-like. Our results demonstrate MMTV-like sequences and protein in FMCs of different geographic areas. Molecular phenotyping could contribute to understand the possible role of MMTV-like virus in FMC tumor biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Parisi
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge n. 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (F.P.); (F.M.)
| | - Luisa Vera Muscatello
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di sopra n. 43, 40064 Ozzano dell’Emilia, Italy; (L.V.M.); (B.B.); (C.B.); (G.S.)
| | - Prospero Civita
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4EP, UK;
| | - Francesca Lessi
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza Onlus, Via Ferruccio Giovannini n. 13, 56017 San Giuliano Terme, Italy; (F.L.); (M.M.); (C.M.M.)
| | - Michele Menicagli
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza Onlus, Via Ferruccio Giovannini n. 13, 56017 San Giuliano Terme, Italy; (F.L.); (M.M.); (C.M.M.)
| | - Francesca Millanta
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge n. 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (F.P.); (F.M.)
| | - Barbara Brunetti
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di sopra n. 43, 40064 Ozzano dell’Emilia, Italy; (L.V.M.); (B.B.); (C.B.); (G.S.)
| | - Cinzia Benazzi
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di sopra n. 43, 40064 Ozzano dell’Emilia, Italy; (L.V.M.); (B.B.); (C.B.); (G.S.)
| | - Giuseppe Sarli
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di sopra n. 43, 40064 Ozzano dell’Emilia, Italy; (L.V.M.); (B.B.); (C.B.); (G.S.)
| | - Giulia Freer
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via Savi n. 10, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (G.F.); (M.P.)
| | - Mauro Pistello
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via Savi n. 10, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (G.F.); (M.P.)
| | - Chiara Maria Mazzanti
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza Onlus, Via Ferruccio Giovannini n. 13, 56017 San Giuliano Terme, Italy; (F.L.); (M.M.); (C.M.M.)
| | - Alessandro Poli
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge n. 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (F.P.); (F.M.)
- Correspondence:
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15
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Scatena C, Fanelli G, Fanelli GN, Menicagli M, Aretini P, Ortenzi V, Civitelli SP, Innocenti L, Sotgia F, Lisanti MP, Naccarato AG. New insights in the expression of stromal caveolin 1 in breast cancer spread to axillary lymph nodes. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2755. [PMID: 33531603 PMCID: PMC7854652 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82405-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [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: 05/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that a loss of expression of caveolin in the stromal compartment (sCav-1) of human invasive breast carcinoma (IBC) may be a predictor of disease recurrence, metastasis and poor outcome. At present, there is little knowledge regarding the expression of sCav-1 at the metastatic sites. We therefore studied sCav-1 expression in IBCs and in their axillary lymph nodes to seek a correlation with cancer metastasis. 189 consecutive invasive IBCs (53 with axillary lymph node metastases and 136 without) were studied by immunohistochemistry, using a rabbit polyclonal anti-Cav-1 antibody. In IBCs sCav-1 was evaluated in fibroblasts scattered in the tumor stroma whereas in lymph nodes sCav-1 was assessed in fibroblast-like stromal cells. For the first time, we observed a statistically significant progressive loss of sCav-1 from normal/reactive axillary lymph nodes of tumors limited to the breast to metastatic axillary lymph nodes, through normal/reactive axillary lymph nodes of tumors with axillary metastatic spread. These data indicate that Cav-1 expressed by the stromal compartment of lymph nodes, somehow, may possibly contribute to metastatic spread in IBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian Scatena
- Division of Pathology, Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126, Pisa, Italy. .,Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pisa University Hospital, Anatomia Patologica 1 Universitaria, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Giovanni Fanelli
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pisa University Hospital, Anatomia Patologica 1 Universitaria, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Nicolò Fanelli
- Division of Pathology, Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Aretini
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, 56017, Pisa, Italy
| | - Valerio Ortenzi
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pisa University Hospital, Anatomia Patologica 1 Universitaria, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Sara Piera Civitelli
- Division of Pathology, Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Innocenti
- Division of Pathology, Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Federica Sotgia
- Translational Medicine, University of Salford, Greater Manchester, M5 4WT, UK
| | - Michael P Lisanti
- Translational Medicine, University of Salford, Greater Manchester, M5 4WT, UK
| | - Antonio Giuseppe Naccarato
- Division of Pathology, Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pisa University Hospital, Anatomia Patologica 1 Universitaria, 56126, Pisa, Italy
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Parisi F, Lessi F, Menicagli M, Civita P, Millanta F, Muscatello L, Brunetti B, Benazzi C, Sarli G, Freer G, Pistello M, Mazzanti C, Poli A. Further Immunohistochemical and Molecular Analyses and Molecular Phenotype of MMTV-Like-Positive Feline Mammary Carcinomas. J Comp Pathol 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2019.10.023] [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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17
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Naccarato AG, Lessi F, Zavaglia K, Scatena C, Al Hamad MA, Aretini P, Menicagli M, Roncella M, Ghilli M, Caligo MA, Mazzanti CM, Bevilacqua G. Mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) - like exogenous sequences are associated with sporadic but not hereditary human breast carcinoma. Aging (Albany NY) 2019; 11:7236-7241. [PMID: 31518337 PMCID: PMC6756874 DOI: 10.18632/aging.102252] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
The inheritance of mutated suppressor genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, is acknowledged as an etiological factor in hereditary breast carcinoma (HBC). Two different molecular mechanisms are possible; the Knudson's "two hits" or the gene haploinsufficiency. Etiology of sporadic breast carcinoma (SBC) is not known, although data support the possible role of the betaretrovirus Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus (MMTV). This study analyzes the presence of MMTV exogenous sequences in two representative groups of HBC and SBC, excluding any contamination by murine and retroviral material and endogenous betaretroviruses. The 30.3% of 56 SBC contained MMTV sequences, against the 4.2% of 47 HBC (p < 0.001). Cases positive for viral sequences showed the presence of p14, signal peptide of the MMTV envelope precursor. This result was expected based on the fact that HBCs, having a specific genetic etiology, do not need the action of a carcinogenetic viral agent. Moreover, the striking results obtained by comparing two groups of vastly different tumors represent an additional element of quality control: the distinction between HBC and SBC is so well-defined that results cannot be ascribed to mere coincidence. This paper strengthens the hypothesis for a viral etiology for human sporadic breast carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Giuseppe Naccarato
- Division of Pathology, Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine, University of Pisa, and Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Katia Zavaglia
- Division of Molecular Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy
| | - Cristian Scatena
- Division of Pathology, Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine, University of Pisa, and Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mohammad A. Al Hamad
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | | | | | - Manuela Roncella
- Division of Surgery, Breast Center, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy
| | - Matteo Ghilli
- Division of Surgery, Breast Center, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy
| | - Maria Adelaide Caligo
- Division of Molecular Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Generoso Bevilacqua
- Division of Pathology, Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine, University of Pisa, and Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy
- “San Rossore” Hospital – Casa di Cura “San Rossore”, Pisa, Italy
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18
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La Ferla M, Lessi F, Aretini P, Pellegrini D, Franceschi S, Tantillo E, Menicagli M, Marchetti I, Scopelliti C, Civita P, De Angelis C, Diodati L, Bertolini I, Roncella M, McDonnell LA, Hochman J, Del Re M, Scatena C, Naccarato AG, Fontana A, Mazzanti CM. ANKRD44 Gene Silencing: A Putative Role in Trastuzumab Resistance in Her2-Like Breast Cancer. Front Oncol 2019; 9:547. [PMID: 31297336 PMCID: PMC6607964 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00547] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Trastuzumab is an effective therapeutic treatment for Her2-like breast cancer; despite this most of these tumors develop resistance to therapy due to specific gene mutations or alterations in gene expression. Understanding the mechanisms of resistance to Trastuzumab could be a useful tool in order to identify combinations of drugs that elude resistance and allow a better response for the treated patients. Twelve primary biopsies of Her2+/hormone receptor negative (ER-/PgR-) breast cancer patients were selected based on the specific response to neoadjuvant therapy with Trastuzumab and their whole exome was sequenced leading to the identification of 18 informative gene mutations that discriminate patients selectively based on response to treatment. Among these genes, we focused on the study of the ANKRD44 gene to understand its role in the mechanism of resistance to Trastuzumab. The ANKRD44 gene was silenced in Her2-like breast cancer cell line (BT474), obtaining a partially Trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer cell line that constitutively activates the NF-kb protein via the TAK1/AKT pathway. Following this activation an increase in the level of glycolysis in resistant cells is promoted, also confirmed by the up-regulation of the LDHB protein and by an increased TROP2 protein expression, found generally associated with aggressive tumors. These results allow us to consider the ANKRD44 gene as a potential gene involved in Trastuzumab resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco La Ferla
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza - Genomic Section, Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesca Lessi
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza - Genomic Section, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Aretini
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza - Genomic Section, Pisa, Italy
| | - Davide Pellegrini
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza - Proteomic Section, Pisa, Italy.,NEST, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
| | - Sara Franceschi
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza - Genomic Section, Pisa, Italy
| | - Elena Tantillo
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza - Genomic Section, Pisa, Italy.,Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Ivo Marchetti
- Cytopathology Section, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana (AOUP), Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Prospero Civita
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza - Genomic Section, Pisa, Italy
| | - Claudia De Angelis
- Medical Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana (AOUP), Pisa, Italy
| | - Lucrezia Diodati
- Medical Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana (AOUP), Pisa, Italy
| | - Ilaria Bertolini
- Medical Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana (AOUP), Pisa, Italy
| | - Manuela Roncella
- Breast Cancer Center, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana (AOUP), Pisa, Italy
| | - Liam A McDonnell
- Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza - Proteomic Section, Pisa, Italy
| | - Jacob Hochman
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Marzia Del Re
- Unit of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Cristian Scatena
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Antonio G Naccarato
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Andrea Fontana
- Medical Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana (AOUP), Pisa, Italy
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19
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Civita P, Franceschi S, Aretini P, Ortenzi V, Menicagli M, Lessi F, Pasqualetti F, Naccarato AG, Mazzanti CM. Laser Capture Microdissection and RNA-Seq Analysis: High Sensitivity Approaches to Explain Histopathological Heterogeneity in Human Glioblastoma FFPE Archived Tissues. Front Oncol 2019; 9:482. [PMID: 31231613 PMCID: PMC6568189 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [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: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Laser capture microdissection (LCM) coupled with RNA-seq is a powerful tool to identify genes that are differentially expressed in specific histological tumor subtypes. To better understand the role of single tumor cell populations in the complex heterogeneity of glioblastoma, we paired microdissection and NGS technology to study intra-tumoral differences into specific histological regions and cells of human GBM FFPE tumors. We here isolated astrocytes, neurons and endothelial cells in 6 different histological contexts: tumor core astrocytes, pseudopalisading astrocytes, perineuronal astrocytes in satellitosis, neurons with satellitosis, tumor blood vessels, and normal blood vessels. A customized protocol was developed for RNA amplification, library construction, and whole transcriptome analysis of each single portion. We first validated our protocol comparing the obtained RNA expression pattern with the gene expression levels of RNA-seq raw data experiments from the BioProject NCBI database, using Spearman's correlation coefficients calculation. We found a good concordance for pseudopalisading and tumor core astrocytes compartments (0.5 Spearman correlation) and a high concordance for perineuronal astrocytes, neurons, normal, and tumor endothelial cells compartments (0.7 Spearman correlation). Then, Principal Component Analysis and differential expression analysis were employed to find differences between tumor compartments and control tissue and between same cell types into distinct tumor contexts. Data consistent with the literature emerged, in which multiple therapeutic targets significant for glioblastoma (such as Integrins, Extracellular Matrix, transmembrane transport, and metabolic processes) play a fundamental role in the disease progression. Moreover, specific cellular processes have been associated with certain cellular subtypes within the tumor. Our results are promising and suggest a compelling method for studying glioblastoma heterogeneity in FFPE samples and its application in both prospective and retrospective studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Valerio Ortenzi
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Antonio Giuseppe Naccarato
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy
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20
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Lessi F, Scatena C, Aretini P, Menicagli M, Franceschi S, Naccarato AG, Mazzanti CM. Molecular profiling of microinvasive breast cancer microenvironment progression. J Transl Med 2019; 17:187. [PMID: 31159827 PMCID: PMC6547528 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-019-1936-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [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: 12/24/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tumors develop by progression through a series of stages. Every cell of the tumor microenvironment is constantly changing in the flow of the cancer progression. It has become clear in recent years that stroma is essential for tumor maintenance and growth. Here, we aimed to give a chronological order of gene expression changes given in the dynamical framework of microinvasive breast cancer microenvironment. Methods RNA-seq was performed on seven microinvasive breast cancers. For each of them we microdissected seven different portions of the tumor, four related to the breast epithelium and three to the stroma. Breast epithelium was chronologically subdivided in normal breast epithelium (NBE), carcinoma in situ (CIS), emerging invasive fingers (EIF) and invasive breast cancer (IBC). For each of the breast epithelium subdivisions we collected the adjacent stroma (S): S-NBE, S-EIF and S-IBC. Results The overall differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in all the compartments were analysed and evaluated to understand the pathways involved in tumor progression. Then we analysed the DEGs of the epithelial and stromal portions in comparison with the normal portions. We observed that the stromal cells are necessary for the development and the maintenance of the tumor, especially in tumor progression. Moreover the most important genes involved in the main metabolic pathways were analysed and the communications within the different cell compartments were highlighted. Conclusions As a future perspective, a deeply study of the identified key genes, particularly in the stromal cells, will be crucial to develop an anticancer therapy that is undergoing a conversion from a cancer cell-centric strategy to a stroma-centric strategy, more genomically stable. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12967-019-1936-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Lessi
- Genomic Section, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza ONLUS, via Ferruccio Giovannini, 13, S. Giuliano Terme (PI), 56017, Pisa, Italy.
| | - C Scatena
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - P Aretini
- Genomic Section, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza ONLUS, via Ferruccio Giovannini, 13, S. Giuliano Terme (PI), 56017, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Menicagli
- Genomic Section, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza ONLUS, via Ferruccio Giovannini, 13, S. Giuliano Terme (PI), 56017, Pisa, Italy
| | - S Franceschi
- Genomic Section, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza ONLUS, via Ferruccio Giovannini, 13, S. Giuliano Terme (PI), 56017, Pisa, Italy
| | - A G Naccarato
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - C M Mazzanti
- Genomic Section, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza ONLUS, via Ferruccio Giovannini, 13, S. Giuliano Terme (PI), 56017, Pisa, Italy
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21
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Lessi F, Scopelliti C, Aretini P, Menicagli M, Franceschi S, Mazzanti C, Naccarato A, Scatena C. The metastatic potential of grade I breast carcinoma of no special type: A deep insight into putative molecular mechanisms. Ann Oncol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdz095.048] [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: 11/13/2022] Open
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22
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Lessi F, Scatena C, Aretini P, Menicagli M, Franceschi S, Naccarato A, Mazzanti C. The panta rhei of breast cancer: Gene expression timeline analysis during progression of microinvasive breast cancer microenvironment. Eur J Cancer 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2019.01.038] [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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23
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Civita P, Menicagli M, Scopelliti C, Lessi F, Millanta F, Borsacchi S, Parisi F, Freer G, Pistello M, Mazzanti CM, Poli A. Mouse mammary tumour virus-like env nucleotide and p14 signal peptide are present in feline mammary carcinomas, but not in neoplastic or dysplastic canine mammary lesions. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0200839. [PMID: 30040851 PMCID: PMC6057629 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mouse mammary tumour virus-like (MMTV-like) is suspected to be involved in human breast cancer and it has been hypothesized that companion animals might have a role in viral transmission. The aim of our study was to investigate the presence of MMTV-like nucleotide sequences and viral protein in a larger number of feline (FMCs) and canine mammary carcinomas (CMCs) by nested PCR and immunohistochemistry. Results showed that the presence of MMTV-like env sequence in FMCs was 7% (6/86), while all the CMCs and canine dysplastic lesions scored negative. All PCR-positive FMCs scored positive for the MMTV p14 signal peptide of the envelope precursor protein of the virus. In contrast, all PCR-negative FMCs and canine mammary lesions were also negative for immunohistochemistry analysis. Canine and feline normal mammary gland tissues scored negative for both PCR and MMTV-p14 protein. Multiple nucleotide alignment of MMTV-like env gene sequences isolated from cat showed 97% and 99% similarity with HMTV and MMTV, respectively, while the others two presented some polimorphisms. Particularly the sequences of one of these two tumors showed a polymorphism (c.7575 A> G), that causes a previously unreported amino acid substitution (Thr > Ala). In conclusion, the results of our study showed the presence of MMTV-like sequences and viral protein in some FMCs. Further studies are needed to understand whether this virus does play a role in the development of FMCs, if MMTV-like is an exogenous virus as these data suggest and, in such a case, how and from whom this virus was acquired.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Sara Borsacchi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italia
| | - Francesca Parisi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italia
| | - Giulia Freer
- Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italia
| | - Mauro Pistello
- Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italia
| | | | - Alessandro Poli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italia
- * E-mail:
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24
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Morrone D, Felice F, Scatena C, De Martino A, Picoi MLE, Mancini N, Blasi S, Menicagli M, Di Stefano R, Bortolotti U, Naccarato AG, Balbarini A. Reply letter to Dr. Xu et al. on role of circulating endothelial progenitor cells in the reparative mechanisms of stable ischemic myocardium. Int J Cardiol 2018; 260:21. [PMID: 29622444 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2018.01.091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D Morrone
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department - Cardiovascular disease Section 2 Pisa, Italy.
| | - F Felice
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department - Cardiovascular disease Section 2 Pisa, Italy
| | - C Scatena
- Translational Re New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery Department, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - A De Martino
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department Cardiac-Surgery Section, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - M L E Picoi
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department - Cardiovascular disease Section 2 Pisa, Italy
| | - N Mancini
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department - Cardiovascular disease Section 2 Pisa, Italy
| | - S Blasi
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department Cardiac-Surgery Section, University of Pisa, Italy
| | | | - R Di Stefano
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department - Cardiovascular disease Section 2 Pisa, Italy
| | - U Bortolotti
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department Cardiac-Surgery Section, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - A G Naccarato
- Translational Re New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery Department, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - A Balbarini
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department - Cardiovascular disease Section 2 Pisa, Italy
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25
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Lawson JS, Mazzanti C, Civita P, Menicagli M, Ngan CC, Whitaker NJ, Hochman J, Braitbard O, Yosufi B, Glenn WK. Association of Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus With Human Breast Cancer: Histology, Immunohistochemistry and Polymerase Chain Reaction Analyses. Front Oncol 2018; 8:141. [PMID: 29868468 PMCID: PMC5950654 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2018.00141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [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: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine whether mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-associated human breast cancer has the same or similar histology to MMTV-associated mouse mammary tumors. Such associations may indicate a role for MMTV in human breast cancer. Methods Immunohistochemical techniques (using antibodies directed against the signal peptide p14 of the envelope precursor protein of MMTV) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses were used to identify MMTV proteins and MMTV-like envelope gene sequences in a series of breast cancers from Australian women. The histological characteristics of these human breast cancer specimens were compared with MMTV positive mouse mammary tumors. The same methods were used to study benign breast tissues which 1–11 years later developed into breast cancer. Results MMTV p14 proteins were identified in 27 (54%) of 50 human breast cancers. MMTV env gene sequences were identified by PCR in 12 (27%) of 45 human breast cancers. There was a significant correlation between the presence of MMTV (identified by p14 immunohistochemistry) in human breast cancers and histological characteristics similar to MMTV positive mouse mammary tumors (p = 0.001). There was a non-significant correlation between the presence of MMTV env gene sequences (identified by PCR) in human breast cancers and histological characteristics similar to MMTV positive mouse mammary tumors (p = 0.290). MMTV p14 proteins were identified in 7 (54%) of 13 benign breast specimens that later developed into human breast cancers. MMTV by PCR was identified in two benign specimens one of whom later developed MMTV positive breast cancer. Discussion These observations offer evidence that MMTV may be associated with characteristic human breast cancer histology. p14-based immunohistochemistry appears to be a more reliable technique than PCR for the identification of MMTV in human breast cancer. Identification of MMTV-associated p14 proteins in benign breast tissues confirms prior PCR-based studies that MMTV infection occurs before the development of MMTV positive breast cancer. Conclusion Many MMTV positive human breast cancers have similar histology to MMTV positive mouse mammary tumors. MMTV infection identified in benign breast tissues precedes development of MMTV positive human breast cancer. When considered in the context of prior studies, these observations indicate a likely role for MMTV in human breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Jacob Hochman
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ori Braitbard
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Benafsha Yosufi
- Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology, Macquarie Park, NSW, Australia
| | - Wendy K Glenn
- University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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26
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Negro S, Lessi F, Duregotti E, Aretini P, La Ferla M, Franceschi S, Menicagli M, Bergamin E, Radice E, Thelen M, Megighian A, Pirazzini M, Mazzanti CM, Rigoni M, Montecucco C. CXCL12α/SDF-1 from perisynaptic Schwann cells promotes regeneration of injured motor axon terminals. EMBO Mol Med 2018; 9:1000-1010. [PMID: 28559442 PMCID: PMC5538331 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201607257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [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] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The neuromuscular junction has retained through evolution the capacity to regenerate after damage, but little is known on the inter-cellular signals involved in its functional recovery from trauma, autoimmune attacks, or neurotoxins. We report here that CXCL12α, also abbreviated as stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), is produced specifically by perisynaptic Schwann cells following motor axon terminal degeneration induced by α-latrotoxin. CXCL12α acts via binding to the neuronal CXCR4 receptor. A CXCL12α-neutralizing antibody or a specific CXCR4 inhibitor strongly delays recovery from motor neuron degeneration in vivo Recombinant CXCL12α in vivo accelerates neurotransmission rescue upon damage and very effectively stimulates the axon growth of spinal cord motor neurons in vitro These findings indicate that the CXCL12α-CXCR4 axis plays an important role in the regeneration of the neuromuscular junction after motor axon injury. The present results have important implications in the effort to find therapeutics and protocols to improve recovery of function after different forms of motor axon terminal damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuele Negro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Francesca Lessi
- Laboratory of Genomics, Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Elisa Duregotti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Paolo Aretini
- Laboratory of Genomics, Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco La Ferla
- Laboratory of Genomics, Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Sara Franceschi
- Laboratory of Genomics, Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Elisanna Bergamin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Egle Radice
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Marcus Thelen
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Aram Megighian
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Marco Pirazzini
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | | | - Michela Rigoni
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Cesare Montecucco
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy .,CNR Institute of Neuroscience, Padua, Italy
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27
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Nicolini A, Campani D, Miccoli P, Spinelli C, Carpi A, Menicagli M, Ferrari P, Gadducci G, Rossi G, Fini M, Giavaresi G, Bonazzi V, Giardino R. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (Vegf) and Other Common Tissue Prognostic Indicators in Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study. Int J Biol Markers 2018; 19:275-81. [PMID: 15646833 DOI: 10.1177/172460080401900404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [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: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
VEGF is a specific mitogen and survival factor for endothelial cells and a key promoter of angiogenesis in physiological and pathological conditions. Nevertheless, VEGF tissue evaluation in cancer patients as a prognostic factor compared to the conventional histological and biological parameters is still controversial. In this case-control study, tissue VEGF was retrospectively determined by immunohistochemistry and related to T, N, ER, PgR, c-erbB-2, p53, MIB-1 and cyclin D1 in 129 breast cancer patients. Seventy-four of these patients had developed distant metastases postoperatively. The remaining 55 patients had remained disease-free >10 years after surgery. In 17 (13%) of the 129 patients (six with distant metastases and eleven disease-free) tissue and plasma VEGF were concomitantly evaluated. In univariate analysis no significant differences in VEGF and tumor size were found between metastatic and disease-free patients, whereas there were significant differences in N, ER, PgR, c-erbB-2, p53, MIB-1 and cyclin D1 (p ranging from 0.001 to 0.0001). In multivariate analysis VEGF showed less significance than N, ER, c-erbB-2, MIB-1 and cyclin D1 (p=0.012, p=0.007, p=0.005, p=0.005, p=0.002 and p=0.001, respectively). VEGF was a significant unfavorable prognostic indicator only in the N+ subset (p=0.015), while ER (p=0.05 and p=0.021) and MIB-1 (p=0.031 and p=0.022) were significant in both the N+ and N– subgroups. In multivariate analysis in the 74 metastatic cases VEGF did not show any significance in relation to disease-free interval and overall survival from the time of mastectomy and from the time of relapse, whereas N and PgR did (p ranging from 0.018 to 0.001). In conclusion, tissue VEGF does not seem a suitable candidate to replace conventional histological and other common biological prognostic factors in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Nicolini
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy.
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Civita P, Scopelliti C, Menicagli M, Lessi F, Millanta F, Borsacchi S, Freer G, Pistello M, Mazzanti C, Poli A. Molecular and Immunohistochemical Analyses Identify the Presence of Mouse Mammary Tumour Virus-Like Sequences in Feline Mammary Carcinomas. J Comp Pathol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2017.10.027] [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: 10/18/2022]
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Morrone D, Felice F, Scatena C, De Martino A, Picoi MLE, Mancini N, Blasi S, Menicagli M, Di Stefano R, Bortolotti U, Naccarato AG, Balbarini A. Role of circulating endothelial progenitor cells in the reparative mechanisms of stable ischemic myocardium. Int J Cardiol 2017; 257:243-246. [PMID: 28918896 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2017.05.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2016] [Revised: 03/22/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mobilization of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) into circulation from bone marrow in patients with acute myocardial infarction has strong scientific evidence; less is known about EPC mobilization in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to investigate the association of stable ischemic heart disease with EPC levels in tissue and blood. METHODS Fifty-five consecutive patients admitted to a single treatment center for valve or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgeries were included in the study. Blood samples were collected in the morning before surgery and analyzed by flow-cytometry to determine peripheral EPC levels (EPC/ml). Tissue EPC (CD34+VEGFR2+) levels were assessed on a right atrial appendage segment. RESULTS Mean age was 76±5years, 48% were men, and 53% had CAD The number of CD34+ VEGFR2+ cells in the tissue of patients with CAD was significantly higher (p<0.005) and circulating EPC showed a tendency to be reduced by approximately 20% in peripheral blood of patients with CAD when compared to those without CAD. CONCLUSION Patients with stable CAD had higher EPC density values (EPC/mm2) and were more likely to have lower EPC blood levels when compare with normal controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Morrone
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department - Cardiovascular disease Section 2, Pisa, Italy.
| | - F Felice
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department - Cardiovascular disease Section 2, Pisa, Italy
| | - C Scatena
- Translational Re New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery Department, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - A De Martino
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department Cardiac-Surgery Section, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - M L E Picoi
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department - Cardiovascular disease Section 2, Pisa, Italy
| | - N Mancini
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department - Cardiovascular disease Section 2, Pisa, Italy
| | - S Blasi
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department Cardiac-Surgery Section, University of Pisa, Italy
| | | | - R Di Stefano
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department - Cardiovascular disease Section 2, Pisa, Italy
| | - U Bortolotti
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department Cardiac-Surgery Section, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - A G Naccarato
- Translational Re New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery Department, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - A Balbarini
- Surgery, medicine, molecular and critical area Department - Cardiovascular disease Section 2, Pisa, Italy
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Franceschi S, Lessi F, Panebianco F, Tantillo E, La Ferla M, Menicagli M, Aretini P, Apollo A, Naccarato AG, Marchetti I, Mazzanti CM. Loss of c-KIT expression in thyroid cancer cells. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0173913. [PMID: 28301608 PMCID: PMC5354407 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Papillary thyroid carcinoma is the most frequent histologic type of thyroid tumor. Few studies investigated the role of c-KIT expression in thyroid tumors, suggesting a role for this receptor and its ligand in differentiation and growth control of thyroid epithelium and a receptor loss following malignant transformation. We investigated and correlated c-KIT expression levels and two known markers of thyrocytes differentiation, PAX8 and TTF-1, in malignant and benign cytological thyroid samples. Moreover, we performed functional studies on human papillary thyroid carcinoma cell line to associated c-KIT expression to thyrocytes differentiation and tumor proliferation. c-KIT and PAX8 expression resulted higher in benign samples compared to the malignant ones, and the expression levels of these two genes were significantly correlated to each other. We also observed that c-KIT overexpression led to an increase of PAX8 expression level together with a decrease of proliferation. Furthermore, c-KIT overexpressing cells showed a regression of typical morphological features of malignancy. Taken together these results suggest that c-KIT could be involved in the differentiation of thyroid cells and in tumor progression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Federica Panebianco
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | | | | | | | | | - Alessandro Apollo
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.,Core Research Laboratory, Istituto Toscano Tumori, Firenze, Italy
| | - Antonio Giuseppe Naccarato
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Ivo Marchetti
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Franceschi S, Lessi F, Aretini P, Mazzanti CM, Menicagli M, La Ferla M, De Gregorio V, Caramella D, Naccarato AG, Bevilacqua G, Bonadio AG, Pasqualetti F. Molecular portrait of a rare case of metastatic glioblastoma: somatic and germline mutations using whole-exome sequencing. Neuro Oncol 2016; 18:298-300. [PMID: 26803811 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/nov314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Franceschi
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy (S.F., F.L., P.A., C.M.M., M.M., M.L., V.D., G.B.); Department of Pathology, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (A.G.N., G.B., A.G.B.); Radiology Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (D.C.); Division of Radiotherapy, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (F.P.)
| | - Francesca Lessi
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy (S.F., F.L., P.A., C.M.M., M.M., M.L., V.D., G.B.); Department of Pathology, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (A.G.N., G.B., A.G.B.); Radiology Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (D.C.); Division of Radiotherapy, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (F.P.)
| | - Paolo Aretini
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy (S.F., F.L., P.A., C.M.M., M.M., M.L., V.D., G.B.); Department of Pathology, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (A.G.N., G.B., A.G.B.); Radiology Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (D.C.); Division of Radiotherapy, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (F.P.)
| | - Chiara M Mazzanti
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy (S.F., F.L., P.A., C.M.M., M.M., M.L., V.D., G.B.); Department of Pathology, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (A.G.N., G.B., A.G.B.); Radiology Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (D.C.); Division of Radiotherapy, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (F.P.)
| | - Michele Menicagli
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy (S.F., F.L., P.A., C.M.M., M.M., M.L., V.D., G.B.); Department of Pathology, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (A.G.N., G.B., A.G.B.); Radiology Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (D.C.); Division of Radiotherapy, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (F.P.)
| | - Marco La Ferla
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy (S.F., F.L., P.A., C.M.M., M.M., M.L., V.D., G.B.); Department of Pathology, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (A.G.N., G.B., A.G.B.); Radiology Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (D.C.); Division of Radiotherapy, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (F.P.)
| | - Veronica De Gregorio
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy (S.F., F.L., P.A., C.M.M., M.M., M.L., V.D., G.B.); Department of Pathology, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (A.G.N., G.B., A.G.B.); Radiology Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (D.C.); Division of Radiotherapy, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (F.P.)
| | - Davide Caramella
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy (S.F., F.L., P.A., C.M.M., M.M., M.L., V.D., G.B.); Department of Pathology, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (A.G.N., G.B., A.G.B.); Radiology Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (D.C.); Division of Radiotherapy, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (F.P.)
| | - Antonio G Naccarato
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy (S.F., F.L., P.A., C.M.M., M.M., M.L., V.D., G.B.); Department of Pathology, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (A.G.N., G.B., A.G.B.); Radiology Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (D.C.); Division of Radiotherapy, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (F.P.)
| | - Generoso Bevilacqua
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy (S.F., F.L., P.A., C.M.M., M.M., M.L., V.D., G.B.); Department of Pathology, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (A.G.N., G.B., A.G.B.); Radiology Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (D.C.); Division of Radiotherapy, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (F.P.)
| | - Angelo G Bonadio
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy (S.F., F.L., P.A., C.M.M., M.M., M.L., V.D., G.B.); Department of Pathology, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (A.G.N., G.B., A.G.B.); Radiology Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (D.C.); Division of Radiotherapy, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (F.P.)
| | - Francesco Pasqualetti
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy (S.F., F.L., P.A., C.M.M., M.M., M.L., V.D., G.B.); Department of Pathology, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (A.G.N., G.B., A.G.B.); Radiology Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (D.C.); Division of Radiotherapy, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy (F.P.)
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Fabiani I, Scatena C, Mazzanti CM, Conte L, Pugliese NR, Franceschi S, Lessi F, Menicagli M, De Martino A, Pratali S, Bortolotti U, Naccarato AG, La Carrubba S, Di Bello V. Micro-RNA-21 (biomarker) and global longitudinal strain (functional marker) in detection of myocardial fibrotic burden in severe aortic valve stenosis: a pilot study. J Transl Med 2016; 14:248. [PMID: 27567668 PMCID: PMC5002330 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-016-1011-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [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: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Aims Myocardial fibrosis (MF) is a deleterious consequence of aortic valve stenosis (AVS). Global longitudinal strain (GLS) is a novel left ventricular (LV) functional parameter potentially useful to non-invasively estimate MF. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding small ribonucleic acids (RNA) modulating genes function, mainly through RNA degradation. miRNA-21 is a biomarker associated with MF in pressure overload. The aim of the present study was to find an integrated algorithm for detection of MF using a combined approach with both bio- and functional markers. Methods Thirty-six patients (75.2 ± 8 y.o.; 63 % Female) with severe AVS and preserved LV ejection fraction (EF), candidate to surgical aortic valve replacement (sAVR) were enrolled. Clinical, bio-humoral evaluation (including plasmatic miRNA-21 collected using specific tubes, PAXgene, for stabilization of peripheral RNA) and a complete echocardiographic study, including GLS and septal strain, were performed before sAVR. Twenty-eight of those patients underwent sAVR and, in 23 of them, an inter-ventricular septum biopsy was performed. Tissues were fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin. Sections were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin for histological evaluation and with histochemical Masson trichrome for collagen fibers. The different components were calculated and expressed as micrometers2. To evaluate tissue miRNA components, sections 2-μm thick were cut using a microtome blade for each slide. Regression analysis was performed to test association between dependent variable and various predictors included in the model. Results Despite a preserved EF (66 ± 11 %), patients presented altered myocardial deformation parameters (GLS −14,02 ± 3.8 %; septal longitudinal strain, SSL −9.63 ± 2.9 %; septal longitudinal strain rate, SL-Sr −0.58 ± 0.17 1/s; Septal Longitudinal early-diastolic strain rate, SL-SrE 0.62 ± 0.32 1/s). The extent of MF showed an inverse association with both GLS and septal longitudinal deformation indices (GLS: R2 = 0.30; p = 0.02; SSL: R2 = 0.36; p = 0.01; SL-Sr: R2 = 0.39; p < 0.001; SL-SrE: R2 = 0.35; p = 0.001). miRNA-21 was mainly expressed in fibrous tissue (p < 0.0001). A significant association between MF and plasmatic miRNA-21, alone and weighted for measures of structural (LVMi R2 = 0.50; p = 0.0005) and functional (SSL R2 = 0.35; p = 0.006) remodeling, was found. Conclusions In AVS, MF is associated with alterations of regional and global strain. Plasmatic miRNA-21 is directly related to MF and associated with LV structural and functional impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iacopo Fabiani
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Area, Cisanello Hospital, University of Pisa/A.O.U.P, Via Paradisa, 2, 56100, Pisa, PI, Italy.
| | - Cristian Scatena
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56100, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Lorenzo Conte
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Area, Cisanello Hospital, University of Pisa/A.O.U.P, Via Paradisa, 2, 56100, Pisa, PI, Italy
| | - Nicola Riccardo Pugliese
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Area, Cisanello Hospital, University of Pisa/A.O.U.P, Via Paradisa, 2, 56100, Pisa, PI, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Andrea De Martino
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Area, Cisanello Hospital, University of Pisa/A.O.U.P, 56100, Pisa, Italy
| | - Stefano Pratali
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Area, Cisanello Hospital, University of Pisa/A.O.U.P, 56100, Pisa, Italy
| | - Uberto Bortolotti
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Area, Cisanello Hospital, University of Pisa/A.O.U.P, 56100, Pisa, Italy
| | - Antonio Giuseppe Naccarato
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56100, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Vitantonio Di Bello
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Area, Cisanello Hospital, University of Pisa/A.O.U.P, Via Paradisa, 2, 56100, Pisa, PI, Italy
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Ferla ML, Aretini P, Scatena C, Menicagli M, Lessi F, Franceschi S, Cantini L, Bevilacqua G, Naccarato A, Fontana A, Mazzanti C. Whole exome analysis of HER-2 positive human breast cancers: molecular mechanisms underlying response to neoadjuvant therapy with trastuzumab. Eur J Cancer 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/s0959-8049(16)61675-1] [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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Lessi F, Scatena C, Aretini P, Menicagli M, Franceschi S, Ortenzi V, La Ferla M, De Gregorio V, Bevilacqua G, Naccarato GA, Mazzanti CM. Abstract P1-03-07: The "panta rhei" of breast cancer: Gene expression timeline analysis during progression of microinvasive breast cancer microenvironment. Cancer Res 2016. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs15-p1-03-07] [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
Background. Tumors develop by progression through a series of stages. It is now widely accepted that cancer is attributed to the accumulation of genetic alterations in cells. Every cells of the tumor microenvironment is constantly changing in the flow of the cancer progression. A number of genes have been identified as having functions in various stages of progression in promoting cancer progression in experimental models. However, the association between gene expression alterations and resulting phenotypic alterations with respect to the aggressiveness and migration potential of cancer cells is not fully understood. Therefore, elucidation of genotype–phenotype correlation will be required to further understand the complex process of progression and invasion. All tumors require at least some stroma to meet their needs of nutrition, waste removal, and structure. It has become clear in recent years that stroma is essential for tumor maintenance and growth and has potential as a therapeutic target. Here, we aimed to give a chronological order of gene expression changes given in the dynamical framework of microinvasive breast cancer microenvironment.
Materials and Methods. RNA-seq (Ion Proton technology) was performed on three microinvasive breast cancers, applying new modifications to the usual protocol. For each of them we microdissected 7 different portions of the tumor (around 200 cells), 4 related to the breast epithelium and 3 to the stroma. The regions were selected on the basis of their grade of progression. Breast epithelium was chronologically subdivided in normal breast epithelium (NBE), carcinoma in situ (CIS), emerging invasive fingers (EIF) and invasive breast cancer (IBC). For each of the breast epithelium subdivisions we collected the adjacent stroma (S) except for the in situ portion: S-NBE, S-EIF and S-IBC.
Results: Whole transcriptome analysis performed on each microdissected regions reveals a series of gene expression changes occurring during cancer progression in the breast epithelium along with the adjacent stroma. The dendogram analysis, based on the whole gene expression data of each patient revealed a perfect group organization of the various microdissected portions of stroma and mammary epithelium. Within the dendogram, the organization of Normal, In Situ, EIF and Invasive tissue respected perfectly the biological assumptions.
Conclusions: More thorough analyses are needed to give a clear view of the flow of molecular events starting from the normal breast epithelium to the microinvasive stage, as well as to give a better understanding of the stroma-epithelium molecular means of communication. The analysis of all the molecular changes occuring in the breast epithelium and in the stroma of microinvasive cancer could lead to the development of new therapeutic targets.
Citation Format: Lessi F, Scatena C, Aretini P, Menicagli M, Franceschi S, Ortenzi V, La Ferla M, De Gregorio V, Bevilacqua G, Naccarato GA, Mazzanti CM. The "panta rhei" of breast cancer: Gene expression timeline analysis during progression of microinvasive breast cancer microenvironment. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-03-07.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Lessi
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy; University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - C Scatena
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy; University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - P Aretini
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy; University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - M Menicagli
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy; University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - S Franceschi
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy; University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - V Ortenzi
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy; University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - M La Ferla
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy; University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - V De Gregorio
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy; University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - G Bevilacqua
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy; University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - GA Naccarato
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy; University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - CM Mazzanti
- Pisa Science Foundation, Pisa, Italy; University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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La Ferla M, Aretini P, Scatena C, Menicagli M, Lessi F, Franceschi S, Cantini L, Bevilacqua G, Naccarato A, Fontana A, Mazzanti C. 264 Whole exome analysis of HER-2 positive human breast cancers: Molecular mechanisms underlying response to neoadjuvant therapywith Trastuzumab. Eur J Cancer 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/s0959-8049(16)30149-6] [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: 10/22/2022]
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Bruschi F, Bianchi C, Fornaro M, Naccarato G, Menicagli M, Gomez-Morales MA, Pozio E, Pinto B. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 as inflammation markers ofTrichinella spiralisandTrichinella pseudospiralisinfections in mice. Parasite Immunol 2014; 36:540-9. [DOI: 10.1111/pim.12138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2013] [Accepted: 08/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- F. Bruschi
- Department of Translational Research; N.T.M.S., Medical School; Università di Pisa; Pisa Italy
| | - C. Bianchi
- Department of Translational Research; N.T.M.S., Medical School; Università di Pisa; Pisa Italy
| | - M. Fornaro
- Department of Translational Research; N.T.M.S., Medical School; Università di Pisa; Pisa Italy
| | - G. Naccarato
- Department of Translational Research; N.T.M.S., Medical School; Università di Pisa; Pisa Italy
| | - M. Menicagli
- Department of Translational Research; N.T.M.S., Medical School; Università di Pisa; Pisa Italy
| | - M. A. Gomez-Morales
- Department of Infectious; Parasitic and Immune Mediated Diseases; Istituto Superiore di Sanità; Rome Italy
| | - E. Pozio
- Department of Infectious; Parasitic and Immune Mediated Diseases; Istituto Superiore di Sanità; Rome Italy
| | - B. Pinto
- Department of Translational Research; N.T.M.S., Medical School; Università di Pisa; Pisa Italy
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Barsotti M, Santoni T, Picoi M, Mancini N, Massaro F, Grigoratos C, Bortolotti U, Collecchi P, Menicagli M, Scatena C, Felice F, Bevilacqua G, Naccarato A, Di Stefano R, Balbarini A. Endothelial progenitor cell homing in human myocardium in patients with coronary artery disease. Int J Cardiol 2014; 172:516-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2014.01.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2014] [Accepted: 01/10/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Lessi F, Mazzanti CM, Tomei S, Di Cristofano C, Minervini A, Menicagli M, Apollo A, Masieri L, Collecchi P, Minervini R, Carini M, Bevilacqua G. VHL and HIF-1α: gene variations and prognosis in early-stage clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Med Oncol 2014; 31:840. [PMID: 24446253 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-014-0840-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2013] [Accepted: 01/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Von Hipple-Lindau gene (VHL) inactivation represents the most frequent abnormality in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) expression is regulated by O2 level. In normal O2 conditions, VHL binds HIF-1α and allows HIF-1α proteasomal degradation. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been found located in the oxygen-dependent degradation domain at codon 582 (C1772T, rs11549465, Pro582Ser). In hypoxia, VHL/HIF-1α interaction is abolished and HIF-1α activates target genes in the nucleus. This study analyzes the impact of genetic alterations and protein expression of VHL and the C1772T SNP of HIF-1α gene (HIF-1α) on prognosis in early-stage ccRCC (pT1a, pT1b, and pT2). Mutational analysis of the entire VHL sequence and the genotyping of HIF-1α C1772T SNP were performed together with VHL promoter methylation analysis and loss of heterozygosis (LOH) analysis at (3p25) locus. Data obtained were correlated with VHL and HIF-1α protein expression and with tumor-specific survival (TSS). VHL mutations, methylation status, and LOH were detected in 51, 11, and 12% of cases, respectively. Our results support the association between biallelic alterations and/or VHL silencing with a worse TSS. Moreover, we found a significant association between the HIF-1α C1772C genotype and a worse TSS. The same association was found when testing the presence of HIF-1α protein in the nucleus. Our results highlight the role of VHL/HIF-1α pathway in RCC and support the molecular heterogeneity of early-stage ccRCC. More important, we show the involvement of HIF-1α C1772T SNP in ccRCC progression.
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MESH Headings
- Adult
- Aged
- Aged, 80 and over
- Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics
- Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism
- Carcinoma, Renal Cell/genetics
- Carcinoma, Renal Cell/metabolism
- Carcinoma, Renal Cell/pathology
- DNA Mutational Analysis
- Female
- Follow-Up Studies
- Humans
- Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/genetics
- Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/metabolism
- Immunoenzyme Techniques
- Kidney Neoplasms/genetics
- Kidney Neoplasms/metabolism
- Kidney Neoplasms/pathology
- Loss of Heterozygosity
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Mutation/genetics
- Neoplasm Staging
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics
- Prognosis
- Promoter Regions, Genetic
- Tissue Array Analysis
- Von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Protein/genetics
- Von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Protein/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Lessi
- Pisa Science Foundation, Via Castaldi, 2, 56100, Pisa, Italy,
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Revoltella RP, Menicagli M, Campani D. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor as an autocrine survival-growth factor in human gliomas. Cytokine 2011; 57:347-59. [PMID: 22200506 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2011.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2011] [Revised: 10/12/2011] [Accepted: 11/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We studied the expression of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and its receptors (GM-CSF.R) in 20 human brain gliomas with different tumor gradings and demonstrated constitutive high levels of both mRNA gene expression and protein production exclusively in the highest-grade tumors (WHO, III-IV grade). Five astrocytic cell lines were isolated in vitro from glioma cells, which had selectively adhered to plates pre-coated with rhGM-CSF. These cells were tumorigenic when xenografted to athymic mice, and produced GM-CSF constitutively in culture. Two lines, particularly lines AS1 and PG1, each from a patient with glioblastoma multiforme, constitutively over-expressed both GM-CSF and GM-CSF.R genes and secreted into their culture media biologically active GM-CSF. Different clones of the AS1 line, isolated after subsequent passages in vitro and then transplanted to athymic mice, demonstrated higher tumorigenic capacity with increasing passages in vivo. Cell proliferation was stimulated by rhGM-CSF in late-stage malignant clones, whereas apoptosis occurred at high frequency in the presence of blocking anti-GM-CSF antibodies. In contrast, rhGM-CSF did not induce any apparent effect in early-stage clones expressing neither GM-CSF nor GM-CSF.R. The addition of rhGM-CSF or rhIL-1β, to cultures induced the overproduction of both GM-CSF and its receptors and increased gene activation for several functional proteins (e.g. NGF, VEGF, VEGF.R1, G-CSF, MHC-II), indicating that these cells may undergo dynamic changes in response to environmental stimuli. These findings thus revealed: (1) that the co-expression of both autocrine GM-CSF and GM-CSF.R correlates with the advanced tumor stage; (2) that an important contribution of GM-CSF in malignant glioma cells is the prevention of apoptosis. These results imply that GM-CSF has an effective role in the evolution and pathogenesis of gliomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto P Revoltella
- Institute for Chemical-Physical Processes (IPCF), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Pisa, Italy.
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Zammarchi F, Morelli M, Menicagli M, Di Cristofano C, Zavaglia K, Paolucci A, Campani D, Aretini P, Boggi U, Mosca F, Cavazzana A, Cartegni L, Bevilacqua G, Mazzanti CM. KLF4 is a novel candidate tumor suppressor gene in pancreatic ductal carcinoma. Am J Pathol 2010; 178:361-72. [PMID: 21224073 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2010.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2009] [Revised: 08/12/2010] [Accepted: 09/21/2010] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Ductal pancreatic carcinoma (DPC) is a deadly disease with an incidence of 9 cases in 100,000 people per year and a mortality rate close to 100%. Allelic losses in the long arm of chromosome 9 are commonly encountered in many human malignancies but no data are yet available about DPC. We screened 40 laser-microdissected DPC samples and 6 pre-invasive lesions for 9 microsatellite mapping markers of region 9q21.3 through 9q34.2. A small overlapping region of deletion, spanning 8 million base pairs, was identified between D9S127 and D9S105. Two genes, RSG3 and KLF4, mapped to 9q31.1 through 9q32, were further investigated. A highly significant association was found between KLF4 gene expression levels and genomic status. Similarly, absence of immunohistochemical expression of KLF4 protein was found in 86.8% cases of DPC (33/38). Overexpression of KLF4 in a human pancreatic carcinoma cell line induced a significant decrease in the proliferation associated with up-regulation of p21 and the down-regulation of cyclin D1. In conclusion, we identified a novel oncosuppressor region located at the 9q 31.1-3 locus that is lost in DPC at high frequency. Loss of KLF4 expression is closely related to the genomic loss, and its restoration inhibits cancer cell proliferation, suggesting a key suppressor role in pancreatic tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Zammarchi
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
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41
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Lupi I, Manetti L, Caturegli P, Menicagli M, Cosottini M, Iannelli A, Acerbi G, Bevilacqua G, Bogazzi F, Martino E. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes but not serum pituitary antibodies are associated with poor clinical outcome after surgery in patients with pituitary adenoma. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010; 95:289-96. [PMID: 19875479 PMCID: PMC2805498 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2009-1583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Serum pituitary antibodies (Pit Abs) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have been described in pituitary adenomas, but their clinical significance remains unknown. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to assess Pit Abs and TILs prevalence in pituitary adenomas and their influence on clinical outcome. DESIGN This was a prevalence case-control study. PATIENTS AND SETTING Two hundred ninety-one pituitary adenoma cases (110 non-secreting, 30 ACTH-69 GH-71 prolactin- and 13 TSH-secreting adenoma; 177 operated and 114 untreated), 409 healthy controls, and 14 autoimmune hypophysitis were enrolled in a tertiary referral center. INTERVENTION Pit Abs were measured using immunofluorescence in all cases and controls (n = 714). The presence of TILs was evaluated using CD45 staining in a subset of adenomas surgically treated (n = 72). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Clinical response of pituitary adenoma after surgery was evaluated. RESULTS Pit Abs prevalence was higher in adenomas (5.1%) than healthy subjects (0.7%, P < 0.0001) and lower than in autoimmune hypophysitis patients (57%, P < 0.0001). Similarly, TILs prevalence was higher in adenomas than normal pituitary (P = 0.01) and lower than in autoimmune hypophysitis (P < 0.0001). No correlation between Pit Abs and TILs was found (P = 0.78). A poor clinical outcome was more common in adenoma patients with TILs (11 of 18, 61%) than in those without (17 of 54, 31%, P = 0.026). Multivariate regression analysis identified the presence of TILs as independent prognostic factor for persistence/recurrence of pituitary adenoma. CONCLUSIONS TILs and Pit Abs are present in a significant number of pituitary adenoma patients. Cell-mediated immunity appears to be predictive of a less favorable clinical outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Lupi
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
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Minervini A, Di Cristofano C, Lessi F, Menicagli M, Lapini A, Bertacca G, Masieri L, Tuccio A, Lanzi F, Siena G, Bevilacqua G, Serni S, Minervini R, Carini M. VHL GENE ALTERATIONS PROMOTE CANCER PROGRESSION IN EARLY-STAGE CLEAR CELL RCC THROUGH NUCLEAR LOCALIZZATION OF HYPOXIA-INDUCIBLE FACTOR-1α. J Urol 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/s0022-5347(09)60316-5] [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: 10/21/2022]
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Minervini A, Di Cristofano C, Gacci M, Serni S, Menicagli M, Lanciotti M, Salinitri G, Rocca CD, Lapini A, Nesi G, Bevilacqua G, Minervini R, Carini M. Prognostic role of histological necrosis for nonmetastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma: correlation with pathological features and molecular markers. J Urol 2008; 180:1284-9. [PMID: 18707725 DOI: 10.1016/j.juro.2008.06.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2008] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE We defined the prognostic role of tumor necrosis and its extent in nonmetastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Also, we further investigated its pathogenesis by correlating this tumor feature with other pathological characteristics and molecular markers related to the von Hippel Lindau-hypoxia inducible factor pathway and to tumor proliferation. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 213 patients with nonmetastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma were evaluated. Mean followup was 66 months. The presence and extent of histological necrosis were correlated with clinicopathological factors, Ki-67 antigen expression calculated by the MIB-1 (Ki-67 antibody) index, pVHL, HIF-1alpha, the tumor infiltrating lymphocyte subset and cancer specific survival. RESULTS Histological necrosis was present in 63.8% of clear cell renal cell carcinoma cases. Necrosis was significantly associated with grade and the degree of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, while its extent correlated significantly with grade, the degree of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and stage. Tumor necrosis was a significant prognostic factor, which was confirmed even when limiting analysis to patients with intracapsular renal cell carcinoma. On multivariate analysis histological necrosis was not an independent predictor of cancer specific survival. The extent of tumor necrosis was not a significant prognostic factor. The presence and extent of histological necrosis was not associated with high Ki-67 expression and it did not correlate with pVHL expression or with nuclear and cytoplasmic HIF-1alpha expression. CONCLUSIONS Based on our results we cannot support histological necrosis and its extent as prognostic factors for clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Efforts should be made to develop nomograms that use routinely available and objective predictor variables. The precise mechanism that causes tumor necrosis remains unknown but the host immune response might significantly contribute to its development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Minervini
- Department of Urology, University of Florence, Careggi Hospital, Florence, Italy.
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Porzio O, Massa O, Cunsolo V, Colombo C, Malaponti M, Bertuzzi F, Hansen T, Johansen A, Pedersen O, Meschi F, Terrinoni A, Melino G, Federici M, Decarlo N, Menicagli M, Campani D, Marchetti P, Ferdaoussi M, Froguel P, Federici G, Vaxillaire M, Barbetti F. Missense mutations in the TGM2 gene encoding transglutaminase 2 are found in patients with early-onset type 2 diabetes. Mutation in brief no. 982. Online. Hum Mutat 2007; 28:1150. [PMID: 17939176 DOI: 10.1002/humu.9511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Transglutaminase 2 (TG2 or TGM2) is a multi-functional enzyme which catalyzes transamidation reactions or acts as a G-protein in intracellular signalling. Tgm2-/- Mice lacking TG2 activity are glucose intolerant and show impairment of insulin secretion, suggesting an important physiological role for TG2 in the pancreatic beta cell. We have previously described a TGM2 heterozygous missense mutation ((c.998A>G, p.N333S) in a 14 year-old patient with insulin-treated diabetes and in his diabetic father. The aim of this study was to further investigate the role of TG2 in early-onset type 2 diabetes. We analysed the TGM2 gene in 205 patients with clinically defined Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) or early-onset type 2 diabetes. We found two novel heterozygous mutations (c.989T>G, p.M330R; c.992T>A, p.I331N), which were not detected in 300 normoglycemic controls. All mutations were in residues which are located close to the catalytic site and impaired transamidating activity in vitro. Gene expression of TGM family genes and localization of TG2 in normal human pancreas indicated that TG2 is the only transglutaminase significantly expressed in human pancreatic islet cells. We conclude that reduced TG2 activity can contribute to disorders of glucose metabolism possibly via an impairment of insulin secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Porzio
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
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Gadducci A, Di Cristofano C, Zavaglia M, Giusti L, Menicagli M, Cosio S, Naccarato AG, Genazzani AR, Bevilacqua G, Cavazzana AO. P53 gene status in patients with advanced serous epithelial ovarian cancer in relation to response to paclitaxel- plus platinum-based chemotherapy and long-term clinical outcome. Anticancer Res 2006; 26:687-93. [PMID: 16739339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of this retrospective study was to assess whether p53 gene status has any predictive or prognostic relevance in patients with advanced, poorly-differentiated serous epithelial ovarian cancer treated with paclitaxel- plus platinum-based chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was conducted on 46 patients who underwent surgery followed by paclitaxel- plus carboplatin-based chemotherapy. The tumor tissue samples were analyzed for p53 gene mutations. The median follow-up of survivors was 50.3 months. RESULTS Twenty-three patients (50%) showed p53 mutations at exons 5 to 9. Sixteen (34.8%) patients had a polymorphism at codon 72 in exon 4 (SNP codon 72): 10 were Pro/Pro homozygous and 6 Pro/Arg heterozygous. Four polymorphic patients had a second mutation at exons 5 to 9. An inverse correlation was evidenced between the SNP codon 72 and mutations at exons 5 to 9, with the latter more frequently found in wild-type (Arg/Arg) codon 72 (19/30 versus 4/16, 63.3% versus 25.0%; p=0.03) cases. A clear trend for a higher response rate and longer progression-free and overall survival was observed in wild-type p53 and Pro/Pro polymorphic patients as compared to patients with mutant p53. CONCLUSION The addition of paclitaxel to carboplatin does not appear to overcome the negative predictive and prognostic significance of p53 gene mutations in serous ovarian cancer. Nevertheless, the comprehensive analysis of p53 genotype, including the SNP codon 72, warrants further investigation in order to envisage individual responsiveness to cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angiolo Gadducci
- Department of Procreative Medicine, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Italy.
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Masini M, Campani D, Boggi U, Menicagli M, Funel N, Pollera M, Lupi R, Del Guerra S, Bugliani M, Torri S, Del Prato S, Mosca F, Filipponi F, Marchetti P. Hepatitis C virus infection and human pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction. Diabetes Care 2005; 28:940-1. [PMID: 15793203 DOI: 10.2337/diacare.28.4.940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Matilde Masini
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Metabolic Unit, University of Pisa and Pisa University Hospital, Via Paradisa 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
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47
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Esposito I, Menicagli M, Funel N, Bergmann F, Boggi U, Mosca F, Bevilacqua G, Campani D. Inflammatory cells contribute to the generation of an angiogenic phenotype in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. J Clin Pathol 2004; 57:630-6. [PMID: 15166270 PMCID: PMC1770337 DOI: 10.1136/jcp.2003.014498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 204] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [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: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inflammatory cells contribute to the growth and spread of human malignancies by producing molecules that enhance tumour invasiveness. AIMS To characterise the inflammatory infiltrate in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and to analyse its contribution to angiogenesis and its prognostic relevance. METHODS Immunohistochemistry was used to identify inflammatory cells and evaluate the expression of proangiogenic and prolymphangiogenic molecules (vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), VEGF-C, and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)) by inflammatory and cancer cells in 137 pancreatic cancers. Intratumorous microvessel density (IMD) was assessed using CD34 as an endothelial cell marker. RESULTS There were significantly more mast cells and macrophages in pancreatic cancers than in normal pancreas and the number of mast cells directly correlated with the presence of lymph node metastases. However, there was no relation between numbers of infiltrating inflammatory cells and the presence of chronic pancreatitis (CP)-like changes in the parenchyma surrounding the tumour. Double immunostaining revealed that both pancreatic mast cells and macrophages express VEGF-A, VEGF-C, and bFGF. These factors were also expressed in the tumour cells in many cases. The numbers of VEGF-A expressing tumour cells and bFGF expressing tumour and inflammatory cells significantly correlated with IMD. Moreover, tumours with higher IMD had higher numbers of infiltrating mast cells and macrophages. CONCLUSIONS Mononuclear inflammatory cells of the non-specific immune response are recruited to pancreatic cancer tissues independent of the presence of CP-like changes, may influence the metastatic capacity of the cancer cells, and may contribute to the development of tumours with high angiogenic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Esposito
- Institute of Pathology, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
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Chioni A, Paoletti F, Prochilo T, Galli L, Ricci S, Pollina L, Menicagli M, Orlandini C, Baldini E. P-614 EGFR and HER-2/neu evaluation in patients with recurrent NSCLC treated with ZD1839 (Iressa) on a compassionate use protocol. Lung Cancer 2003. [DOI: 10.1016/s0169-5002(03)92581-5] [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: 10/26/2022]
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49
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Bernini GP, Moretti A, Bonadio AG, Menicagli M, Viacava P, Naccarato AG, Iacconi P, Miccoli P, Salvetti A. Angiogenesis in human normal and pathologic adrenal cortex. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2002; 87:4961-5. [PMID: 12414859 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2001-011799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The angiogenic phenotype of 13 normal adrenal glands (N), 13 aldosterone-producing adenomas (APA), 12 cortisol-producing adenomas (CPA), 13 nonfunctioning adrenal cortical adenomas (NFA), and 13 adrenal cortical carcinomas (CA) was investigated. Intratumoral vascular density was explored by CD34, a marker of endothelial cells, and the angiogenic status was investigated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression, an important angiogenic factor expressed by tumoral cells. Vascular density, quantified as the number of vessels per square millimeter, was significantly lower (P < 0.0001) in CA (110.3 +/- 27.8) than in N (336.6 +/- 14.5), APA (322.8 +/- 19.1), CPA (288.5 +/- 14.3), and NFA (274.2 +/- 19.8). VEGF expression, calculated as the percentage of positive cells, was significantly greater (P < 0.0001) in CA (85.3 +/- 2.1) than in APA (56.5 +/- 7.5), CPA (38.5 +/- 7.0), N (33.1 +/- 6.1), and NFA (0.76 +/- 0.6). In APA, a negative relation between CD34 and plasma renin activity (P < 0.0002) and a positive association between CD34 and aldosterone levels (P < 0.05) was found. In conclusion, the angiogenic phenotype of CA is characterized by VEGF overexpression but low vascularization, a finding suggesting a dissociation between angiogenic potential and neoangiogenic capabilities of these tumors. The lack of VEGF expression in NFA and the close association between angiogenesis and functional status in APA also suggest a possible influence of the angiogenic phenotype on hormonal secretion of these endocrine tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- G P Bernini
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
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50
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Abstract
Choroid plexus carcinomas in four dogs (three male, one female) aged small middle 2.5 to 10 years, were examined by light microscopy and immunohistochemistry. The dogs showed progressive neurological signs including ataxia, seizures, vestibular disease and cranial nerve deficits, lasting for several months in some cases. Primary tumours were localized in the lateral (one case), third (one case), and fourth (two cases) ventricles. Hydrocephalus was evident at post-mortem examination in one case. In two cases the neoplastic cells closely resembled the structure of normal choroid plexus, with a distinct papillary pattern, composed of well-differentiated columnar epithelium. In the other two cases, cellular pleomorphism, nuclear atypia, increased mitotic activity and necrosis were observed. In all cases, dissemination of neoplastic cell clusters was detected within the subarachnoid space or the ventricular cavity. Immunohistochemical examination showed a multifocal labelling pattern for pankeratin and cytokeratin AE1 and diffuse vimentin positivity in poorly differentiated tumours. Well-differentiated choroid plexus carcinomas showed multifocal immunoreactivity for cytokeratin AE3, multifocal to diffuse immunoreactivity for vimentin and occasional positivity for carcinoembryonic antigen. Epithelial membrane antigen, Ber EP4 and S-100 were negative in all cases. Glial fibrillary acidic protein labelling occurred only in a single, poorly differentiated tumour. Occasional reactions for proliferating cell nuclear antigen and MIB-1 were seen in two cases. It was concluded that at least two morphological and possibly phenotypic subtypes (well-differentiated and anaplastic) of choroid plexus carcinoma of the dog could be identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Cantile
- Dipartimento di Patologia Animale Profilassi e Igiene degli Alimenti, Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Pisa, Italy
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