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Maiques O, Fanshawe B, Crosas-Molist E, Rodriguez-Hernandez I, Volpe A, Cantelli G, Boehme L, Orgaz JL, Mardakheh FK, Sanz-Moreno V, Fruhwirth GO. A preclinical pipeline to evaluate migrastatics as therapeutic agents in metastatic melanoma. Br J Cancer 2021; 125:699-713. [PMID: 34172930 PMCID: PMC8405734 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-021-01442-6] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Metastasis is a hallmark of cancer and responsible for most cancer deaths. Migrastatics were defined as drugs interfering with all modes of cancer cell invasion and thus cancers' ability to metastasise. First anti-metastatic treatments have recently been approved. METHODS We used bioinformatic analyses of publicly available melanoma databases. Experimentally, we performed in vitro target validation (including 2.5D cell morphology analysis and mass spectrometric analysis of RhoA binding partners), developed a new traceable spontaneously metastasising murine melanoma model for in vivo validation, and employed histology (haematoxylin/eosin and phospho-myosin II staining) to confirm drug action in harvested tumour tissues. RESULTS Unbiased and targeted bioinformatic analyses identified the Rho kinase (ROCK)-myosin II pathway and its various components as potentially relevant targets in melanoma. In vitro validation demonstrated redundancy of several RhoGEFs upstream of RhoA and confirmed ROCK as a druggable target downstream of RhoA. The anti-metastatic effects of two ROCK inhibitors were demonstrated through in vivo melanoma metastasis tracking and inhibitor effects also confirmed ex vivo by digital pathology. CONCLUSIONS We proposed a migrastatic drug development pipeline. As part of the pipeline, we provide a new traceable spontaneous melanoma metastasis model for in vivo quantification of metastasis and anti-metastatic effects by non-invasive imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Maiques
- Centre for Tumour Microenvironment at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square Campus, John Vane Science Centre, London, UK
- Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London, UK
| | - Bruce Fanshawe
- Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London, UK
- Imaging Therapies and Cancer Group, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Studies, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, UK
| | - Eva Crosas-Molist
- Centre for Tumour Microenvironment at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square Campus, John Vane Science Centre, London, UK
- Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London, UK
| | - Irene Rodriguez-Hernandez
- Centre for Tumour Microenvironment at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square Campus, John Vane Science Centre, London, UK
- Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London, UK
| | - Alessia Volpe
- Imaging Therapies and Cancer Group, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Studies, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, UK
- Molecular Imaging Group, Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gaia Cantelli
- Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London, UK
| | - Lena Boehme
- Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London, UK
| | - Jose L Orgaz
- Centre for Tumour Microenvironment at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square Campus, John Vane Science Centre, London, UK
- Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London, UK
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas 'Alberto Sols', CSIC-UAM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Faraz K Mardakheh
- Centre for Cancer Cell & Molecular Biology at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square Campus, John Vane Science Centre, London, UK
| | - Victoria Sanz-Moreno
- Centre for Tumour Microenvironment at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square Campus, John Vane Science Centre, London, UK.
- Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London, UK.
| | - Gilbert O Fruhwirth
- Imaging Therapies and Cancer Group, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Studies, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, UK.
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas' Hospital, London, UK.
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