bims-malgli 2021-12-19 papers

bims-malgli

Biomed News

on Biology of malignant gliomas

Issue of 2021–12–19
eleven papers selected by
Oltea Sampetrean, Keio University

Non-invasive transferrin targeted nanovesicles sensitize resistant glioblastoma multiforme tumors and improve survival in orthotopic mouse models.
Targeting radiation-tolerant persister cells as a strategy for inhibiting radioresistance and recurrence in glioblastoma.
"Aerobic glycolytic imaging" of human gliomas using combined pH-, oxygen-, and perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.
Leveraging Allele-Specific Expression for Therapeutic Response Gene Discovery in Glioblastoma.
Real-time evaluation of glioblastoma growth in patient-specific zebrafish xenografts.
Smurf1 silencing restores PTEN expression that ameliorates progression of human glioblastoma and sensitizes tumor cells to mTORC1/C2 inhibitor Torin1.
Targeting nicotinamide adenosine dinucleotide (NAD) in diffuse gliomas.
Lesion covariance networks reveal proposed origins and pathways of diffuse gliomas.
Therapy for Diffuse Astrocytic and Oligodendroglial Tumors in Adults: ASCO-SNO Guideline.
NMNAT promotes glioma growth through regulating post-translational modifications of P53 to inhibit apoptosis.
Changes of healthy brain tissue after salvage radiotherapy of glioblastoma.

Nanoscale. 2021 Dec 13.

Non-invasive transferrin targeted nanovesicles sensitize resistant glioblastoma multiforme tumors and improve survival in orthotopic mouse models.

Puja Sandbhor, Jayant Goda, Bhabani Mohanty, Pradip Chaudhari, Shilpee Dutt, Rinti Banerjee.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) and tumor heterogeneity have resulted in abysmally poor clinical outcomes in glioblastoma (GBM) with the standard therapeutic regimen. Despite several anti-glioma drug delivery strategies, the lack of adequate chemotherapeutic bioavailability in gliomas has led to a suboptimal therapeutic gain in terms of improvement in survival and increased systemic toxicities. This has paved the way for designing highly specific and non-invasive drug delivery approaches for treating GBM. The intranasal (IN) route is one such delivery strategy that has the potential to reach the brain parenchyma by circumventing the BBB. We recently showed that in situ hydrogel embedded with miltefosine (HePc, proapoptotic anti-tumor agent) and temozolomide (TMZ, DNA methylating agent) loaded targeted nanovesicles prevented tumor relapses in orthotopic GBM mouse models. In this study, we specifically investigated the potential of a non-invasive IN route of TMZ delivered from lipid nanovesicles (LNs) decorated with surface transferrin (Tf) and co-encapsulated with HePc to reach the brain by circumventing the BBB in glioma bearing mice. The targeted nanovesicles (228.3 ± 10 nm, -41.7 ± 4 mV) exhibited mucoadhesiveness with 2% w/v mucin suggesting their potential to increase brain drug bioavailability after IN administration. The optimized TLNs had controlled, tunable and significantly different release kinetics in simulated cerebrospinal fluid and simulated nasal fluid demonstrating efficient release of the payload upon reaching the brain. Drug synergy (combination index, 0.7) showed a 6.4-fold enhanced cytotoxicity against resistant U87MG cells compared to free drugs. In vivo gamma scintigraphy of 99mTc labeled LNs showed 500- and 280-fold increased brain concentration post 18 h of treatment. The efficacy of the TLNs increased by 1.8-fold in terms of survival of tumor-bearing mice compared to free drugs. These findings suggested that targeted drug synergy has the potential to intranasally deliver a high therapeutic dose of the chemotherapy agent (TMZ) and could serve as a platform for future clinical application.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d1nr05460k
Neuro Oncol. 2021 Dec 14. pii: noab288. [Epub ahead of print]

Targeting radiation-tolerant persister cells as a strategy for inhibiting radioresistance and recurrence in glioblastoma.

Jintao Gu, Nan Mu, Bo Jia, Qingdong Guo, Luxiang Pan, Maorong Zhu, Wangqian Zhang, Kuo Zhang, Weina Li, Meng Li, Lichun Wei, Xiaochang Xue, Yingqi Zhang, Wei Zhang.

   BACKGROUND: Compelling evidence suggests that glioblastoma (GBM) recurrence results from the expansion of a subset of tumour cells with robust intrinsic or therapy-induced radioresistance. However, the mechanisms underlying GBM radioresistance and recurrence remain elusive. To overcome obstacles in radioresistance research, we present a novel preclinical model ideally suited for radiobiological studies.
METHODS: With this model, we performed a screen and identified a radiation-tolerant persister (RTP) subpopulation. RNA sequencing was performed on RTP and parental cells to obtain mRNA and miRNA expression profiles. The regulatory mechanisms among NF-κB, YY1, miR-103a, XRCC3 and FGF2 were investigated by transcription factor activation profiling array analysis, chromatin immunoprecipitation, western blot analysis, luciferase reporter assays and the MirTrap system. Transferrin-functionalized nanoparticles (Tf-NPs) were employed to improve blood-brain barrier permeability and RTP targeting.
RESULTS: RTP cells drive radioresistance by preferentially activating DNA damage repair and promoting stemness. Mechanistic investigations showed that continual radiation activates the NF-κB signalling cascade and promotes nuclear translocation of p65, leading to enhanced expression of YY1, the transcription factor that directly suppresses miR-103a transcription. Restoring miR-103a expression under these conditions suppressed the FGF2-XRCC3 axis and decreased the radioresistance capability. Moreover, Tf-NPs improved radiosensitivity and provided a significant survival benefit.
CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the NF-κB-YY1-miR-103a regulatory axis is indispensable for the function of RTP cells in driving radioresistance and recurrence. Thus, our results identified a novel strategy for improving survival in patients with recurrent/refractory GBM.

Keywords:  DNA damage repair; Glioblastoma; glioma stem cell; radioresistance

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noab288
Neuroimage Clin. 2021 ;pii: S2213-1582(21)00326-0. [Epub ahead of print]32 102882

"Aerobic glycolytic imaging" of human gliomas using combined pH-, oxygen-, and perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.

Akifumi Hagiwara, Jingwen Yao, Catalina Raymond, Nicholas S Cho, Richard Everson, Kunal Patel, Danielle H Morrow, Brandon R Desousa, Sergey Mareninov, Saewon Chun, David A Nathanson, William H Yong, Gafita Andrei, Ajit S Divakaruni, Noriko Salamon, Whitney B Pope, Phioanh L Nghiemphu, Linda M Liau, Timothy F Cloughesy, Benjamin M Ellingson.

   PURPOSE: To quantify abnormal metabolism of diffuse gliomas using "aerobic glycolytic imaging" and investigate its biological correlation.
METHODS: All subjects underwent a pH-weighted amine chemical exchange saturation transfer spin-and-gradient-echo echoplanar imaging (CEST-SAGE-EPI) and dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion MRI. Relative oxygen extraction fraction (rOEF) was estimated as the ratio of reversible transverse relaxation rate R2' to normalized relative cerebral blood volume. An aerobic glycolytic index (AGI) was derived by the ratio of pH-weighted image contrast (MTRasym at 3.0 ppm) to rOEF. AGI was compared between different tumor types (N = 51, 30 IDH mutant and 21 IDH wild type). Metabolic MR parameters were correlated with 18F-FDG uptake (N = 8, IDH wild-type glioblastoma), expression of key glycolytic proteins using immunohistochemistry (N = 38 samples, 21 from IDH mutant and 17 from IDH wild type), and bioenergetics analysis on purified tumor cells (N = 7, IDH wild-type high grade).
RESULTS: AGI was significantly lower in IDH mutant than wild-type gliomas (0.48 ± 0.48 vs. 0.70 ± 0.48; P = 0.03). AGI was strongly correlated with 18F-FDG uptake both in non-enhancing tumor (Spearman, ρ = 0.81; P = 0.01) and enhancing tumor (ρ = 0.81; P = 0.01). AGI was significantly correlated with glucose transporter 3 (ρ = 0.71; P = 0.004) and hexokinase 2 (ρ = 0.73; P = 0.003) in IDH wild-type glioma, and monocarboxylate transporter 1 (ρ = 0.59; P = 0.009) in IDH mutant glioma. Additionally, a significant correlation was found between AGI derived from bioenergetics analysis and that estimated from MRI (ρ = 0.79; P = 0.04).
CONCLUSION: AGI derived from molecular MRI was correlated with glucose uptake (18F-FDG and glucose transporter 3/hexokinase 2) and cellular AGI in IDH wild-type gliomas, whereas AGI in IDH mutant gliomas appeared associated with monocarboxylate transporter density.

Keywords:  (18)FDG-PET; Aerobic glycolysis; Glioblasoma; Glioma; IDH; amine CEST

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102882
Cancer Res. 2021 Dec 13. pii: canres.0810.2021. [Epub ahead of print]

Leveraging Allele-Specific Expression for Therapeutic Response Gene Discovery in Glioblastoma.

Arko Sen, Briana C Prager, Cuiqing Zhong, Donglim Park, Zhe Zhu, Ryan C Gimple, Qiulian Wu, Jean A Bernatchez, Sungjun Beck, Alex E Clark, Jair L Siqueira-Neto, Jeremy N Rich, Graham McVicker.

Glioblastoma is the most prevalent primary malignant brain tumor in adults and is characterized by poor prognosis and universal tumor recurrence. Effective glioblastoma treatments are lacking, in part due to somatic mutations and epigenetic reprogramming that alter gene expression and confer drug resistance. To investigate recurrently dysregulated genes in glioblastoma we interrogated allele-specific expression (ASE), the difference in expression between two alleles of a gene, in glioblastoma stem cells (GSC) derived from 43 patients. A total of 118 genes were found with recurrent ASE preferentially in GSCs compared to normal tissues. These genes were enriched for apoptotic regulators, including schlafen family member 11 (SLFN11). Loss of SLFN11 gene expression was associated with aberrant promoter methylation and conferred resistance to chemotherapy and PARP inhibition. Conversely, low SLFN11 expression rendered GSCs susceptible to the oncolytic flavivirus Zika. This discovery effort based upon ASE revealed novel points of vulnerability in GSCs, suggesting a potential alternative treatment strategy for chemotherapy resistant glioblastoma.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-0810
Neuro Oncol. 2021 Nov 19. pii: noab264. [Epub ahead of print]

Real-time evaluation of glioblastoma growth in patient-specific zebrafish xenografts.

Elin Almstedt, Emil Rosén, Marleen Gloger, Rebecka Stockgard, Neda Hekmati, Katarzyna Koltowska, Cecilia Krona, Sven Nelander.

   BACKGROUND: Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of glioblastoma (GBM) are a central tool for neuro-oncology research and drug development, enabling the detection of patient-specific differences in growth, and in vivo drug response. However, existing PDX models are not well suited for large-scale or automated studies. Thus, here, we investigate if a fast zebrafish-based PDX model, supported by longitudinal, AI-driven image analysis, can recapitulate key aspects of glioblastoma growth and enable case-comparative drug testing.
METHODS: We engrafted 11 GFP-tagged patient-derived GBM IDH wild-type cell cultures (PDCs) into 1-day-old zebrafish embryos, and monitored fish with 96-well live microscopy and convolutional neural network analysis. Using light-sheet imaging of whole embryos, we analyzed further the invasive growth of tumor cells.
RESULTS: Our pipeline enables automatic and robust longitudinal observation of tumor growth and survival of individual fish. The 11 PDCs expressed growth, invasion and survival heterogeneity, and tumor initiation correlated strongly with matched mouse PDX counterparts (Spearman R = 0.89, p < 0.001). Three PDCs showed a high degree of association between grafted tumor cells and host blood vessels, suggesting a perivascular invasion phenotype. In vivo evaluation of the drug marizomib, currently in clinical trials for GBM, showed an effect on fish survival corresponding to PDC in vitro and in vivo marizomib sensitivity.
CONCLUSIONS: Zebrafish xenografts of GBM, monitored by AI methods in an automated process, present a scalable alternative to mouse xenograft models for the study of glioblastoma tumor initiation, growth, and invasion, applicable to patient-specific drug evaluation.

Keywords:  3R; convolutional neural network; patient-derived xenografts; perivascular invasion; precision medicine

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noab264
iScience. 2021 Dec 17. 24(12): 103528

Smurf1 silencing restores PTEN expression that ameliorates progression of human glioblastoma and sensitizes tumor cells to mTORC1/C2 inhibitor Torin1.

Qin Xia, Wenxuan Li, Sakhawat Ali, Mengchuan Xu, Yang Li, Shengzhen Li, Xinyi Meng, Liqun Liu, Lei Dong.

  Amplification of ubiquitin E3 ligase Smurf1 promotes degradation of PTEN leading to hyperactivation of the Akt/mTORC1 pathway. However, inhibitors of this pathway have not hitherto yielded promising results in clinical studies because of strong drug resistance. Here, we investigated Smurf1 expression in various glioblastoma (GB) cell lines and patient tissues. The therapeutic efficacy of Smurf1 silencing and Torin1 treatment was assessed in GB cells and orthotopic mouse model. We found Smurf1 loss elevates PTEN levels that interrupt the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway activity. Cotreatment with Smurf1 silencing and mTORC1/C2 inhibitor Torin1 remarkably decreased phosphorylation of Akt, and mTORC1 downstream targets 4EBP1 and S6K resulting in synergistic inhibitory effects. Smurf1 knockdown in orthotopic GB mouse model impaired tumor growth and enhanced cytotoxicity of Torin1. Together, these findings suggest a rational combination of Smurf1 inhibition and Torin1 as a promising new avenue to circumvent PI3K/Akt pathway-driven tumor progression and drug resistance.

Keywords:  Molecular biology; Oncology

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2021.103528
Neuro Oncol. 2021 Nov 22. pii: noab265. [Epub ahead of print]

Targeting nicotinamide adenosine dinucleotide (NAD) in diffuse gliomas.

Jing Wu.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noab265
Brain Commun. 2021 ;3(4): fcab289

Lesion covariance networks reveal proposed origins and pathways of diffuse gliomas.

Ayan S Mandal, Rafael Romero-Garcia, Jakob Seidlitz, Michael G Hart, Aaron F Alexander-Bloch, John Suckling.

  Diffuse gliomas have been hypothesized to originate from neural stem cells in the subventricular zone and develop along previously healthy brain networks. Here, we evaluated these hypotheses by mapping independent sources of glioma localization and determining their relationships with neurogenic niches, genetic markers and large-scale connectivity networks. By applying independent component analysis to lesion data from 242 adult patients with high- and low-grade glioma, we identified three lesion covariance networks, which reflect clusters of frequent glioma localization. Replicability of the lesion covariance networks was assessed in an independent sample of 168 glioma patients. We related the lesion covariance networks to important clinical variables, including tumour grade and patient survival, as well as genomic information such as molecular genetic subtype and bulk transcriptomic profiles. Finally, we systematically cross-correlated the lesion covariance networks with structural and functional connectivity networks derived from neuroimaging data of over 4000 healthy UK BioBank participants to uncover intrinsic brain networks that may that underlie tumour development. The three lesion covariance networks overlapped with the anterior, posterior and inferior horns of the lateral ventricles respectively, extending into the frontal, parietal and temporal cortices. These locations were independently replicated. The first lesion covariance network, which overlapped with the anterior horn, was associated with low-grade, isocitrate dehydrogenase -mutated/1p19q-codeleted tumours, as well as a neural transcriptomic signature and improved overall survival. Each lesion covariance network significantly coincided with multiple structural and functional connectivity networks, with the first bearing an especially strong relationship with brain connectivity, consistent with its neural transcriptomic profile. Finally, we identified subcortical, periventricular structures with functional connectivity patterns to the cortex that significantly matched each lesion covariance network. In conclusion, we demonstrated replicable patterns of glioma localization with clinical relevance and spatial correspondence with large-scale functional and structural connectivity networks. These results are consistent with prior reports of glioma growth along white matter pathways, as well as evidence for the coordination of glioma stem cell proliferation by neuronal activity. Our findings describe how the locations of gliomas relate to their proposed subventricular origins, suggesting a model wherein periventricular brain connectivity guides tumour development.

Keywords:  functional connectivity; glioma; neural stem cells; structural connectivity; subventricular zone

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcab289
J Clin Oncol. 2021 Dec 13. JCO2102036

Therapy for Diffuse Astrocytic and Oligodendroglial Tumors in Adults: ASCO-SNO Guideline.

Nimish A Mohile, Hans Messersmith, Na Tosha Gatson, Andreas F Hottinger, Andrew Lassman, Jordan Morton, Douglas Ney, Phioanh Leia Nghiemphu, Adriana Olar, Jeffery Olson, James Perry, Jana Portnow, David Schiff, Anne Shannon, Helen A Shih, Roy Strowd, Martin van den Bent, Mateo Ziu, Jaishri Blakeley.

PURPOSE: To provide guidance to clinicians regarding therapy for diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors in adults.
METHODS: ASCO and the Society for Neuro-Oncology convened an Expert Panel and conducted a systematic review of the literature.
RESULTS: Fifty-nine randomized trials focusing on therapeutic management were identified.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Adults with newly diagnosed oligodendroglioma, isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutant, 1p19q codeleted CNS WHO grade 2 and 3 should be offered radiation therapy (RT) and procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine (PCV). Temozolomide (TMZ) is a reasonable alternative for patients who may not tolerate PCV, but no high-level evidence supports upfront TMZ in this setting. People with newly diagnosed astrocytoma, IDH-mutant, 1p19q non-codeleted CNS WHO grade 2 should be offered RT with adjuvant chemotherapy (TMZ or PCV). People with astrocytoma, IDH-mutant, 1p19q non-codeleted CNS WHO grade 3 should be offered RT and adjuvant TMZ. People with astrocytoma, IDH-mutant, CNS WHO grade 4 may follow recommendations for either astrocytoma, IDH-mutant, 1p19q non-codeleted CNS WHO grade 3 or glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype, CNS WHO grade 4. Concurrent TMZ and RT should be offered to patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype, CNS WHO grade 4 followed by 6 months of adjuvant TMZ. Alternating electric field therapy, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, should be considered for these patients. Bevacizumab is not recommended. In situations in which the benefits of 6-week RT plus TMZ may not outweigh the harms, hypofractionated RT plus TMZ is reasonable. In patients age ≥ 60 to ≥ 70 years, with poor performance status or for whom toxicity or prognosis are concerns, best supportive care alone, RT alone (for MGMT promoter unmethylated tumors), or TMZ alone (for MGMT promoter methylated tumors) are reasonable treatment options. Additional information is available at www.asco.org/neurooncology-guidelines.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.21.02036
Elife. 2021 Dec 17. pii: e70046. [Epub ahead of print]10

NMNAT promotes glioma growth through regulating post-translational modifications of P53 to inhibit apoptosis.

Jiaqi Liu, Xianzun Tao, Yi Zhu, Chong Li, Kai Ruan, Zoraida Diaz-Perez, Priyamvada Rai, Hongbo Wang, R Grace Zhai.

  Gliomas are highly malignant brain tumors with poor prognosis and short survival. NAD+ has been shown to impact multiple processes that are dysregulated in cancer; however, anti-cancer therapies targeting NAD+ synthesis have had limited success due to insufficient mechanistic understanding. Here, we adapted a Drosophila glial neoplasia model and discovered the genetic requirement for NAD+ synthase nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (NMNAT) in glioma progression in vivo and in human glioma cells. Overexpressing enzymatically active NMNAT significantly promotes glial neoplasia growth and reduces animal viability. Mechanistic analysis suggests that NMNAT interferes with DNA damage-p53-caspase-3 apoptosis signaling pathway by enhancing NAD+-dependent posttranslational modifications (PTMs) poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylation) and deacetylation of p53. Since PARylation and deacetylation reduce p53 pro-apoptotic activity, modulating p53 PTMs could be a key mechanism by which NMNAT promotes glioma growth. Our findings reveal a novel tumorigenic mechanism involving protein complex formation of p53 with NAD+ synthetic enzyme NMNAT and NAD+-dependent PTM enzymes that regulates glioma growth.

Keywords:  D. melanogaster; NAD; PARP; RAS; cancer biology; caspase; deacetylation; glial cell; neuroscience

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.70046
Neurooncol Adv. 2021 Jan-Dec;3(1):3(1): vdab139

Changes of healthy brain tissue after salvage radiotherapy of glioblastoma.

Leandra de la Cruz, Xiaoran Chen, Ender Konugoglu, I Frank Ciernik.

   Background: Salvage radiotherapy (SRT) with photons is a valid treatment option for patients suffering from recurrent glioblastoma (GBM). However, the tolerance of healthy brain to ionizing radiation (IR) is limited. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent brain structures in the radiographically tumor-free hemisphere change after repeated radiotherapy.
Methods: Five of 26 patients treated with SRT for local recurrence of GBM were found to have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies available for complete volumetric analysis before and after primary chemo-radiation and after SRT. Manual segmentation and joint segmentation (JS) based on a convolutional neural network were used for the segmentation of the gray matter, the white matter and the ventricles in T1 MRIs.
Results: Qualitative results of manual segmentation and JS were comparable. After primary chemo-radiation and SRT, the volume of the contralateral ventricles increased steadily by 1.3-4.75% (SD ± 2.8 %, R 2 = 0.82; P = <.01) with a manual segmentation and by 1.4-7.4% (SD 2.1%, R 2 = 0.48; P = .025) with JS. The volume of the cortex decreased by 3.4-7.3% except in one patient, the cortex volume increased by 2.5% (SD ± 2.9%, R 2 = 0.18; P = .19) when measured manually. When measured with JS GM decreased by 1.0-7.4%, in one case it increased by 3.0% (SD = 3.2%, P = .22, R 2 = 0.18). The white matter remained stable when assessed with manual segmentation (P = .84, R 2 = 0.004) or JS (P = .44, R 2 = 0.07).
Conclusion: SRT of relapsed GBM leads to continuous changes of the tumor-free contralateral brain by means of manual segmentation or JS. The cortex seems more susceptible to repeated RT compared to the white matter. Larger cohort studies and complementary functional analysis are encouraged.

Keywords:  GBM; artificial intelligence; deep learning; glioblastoma multiforme; joint segmentation; salvage radiotherapy

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1093/noajnl/vdab139