bims-tucedo Biomed News
on Tumor cell dormancy
Issue of 2020–10–11
thirty-one papers selected by
Isabel Puig Borreil, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology
  1. Fibroblast-derived IL-33 facilitates breast cancer metastasis by modifying the immune microenvironment and driving type-2 immunity.
  2. A Perspective on Therapeutic Pan-Resistance in Metastatic Cancer.
  3. Extracellular matrix-bound FGF2 mediates estrogen receptor signaling and therapeutic response in breast cancer.
  4. The amino-terminal oligomerization domain of Angiopoietin-2 affects vascular remodeling, mammary gland tumor growth, and lung metastasis in mice.
  5. Collagen-rich omentum is a premetastatic niche for integrin α2-mediated peritoneal metastasis.
  6. Adaptation and selection shape clonal evolution of tumors during residual disease and recurrence.
  7. Non-genetic mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in cancer.
  8. TGFβR-SMAD3 Signaling Induces Resistance to PARP Inhibitors in the Bone Marrow Microenvironment.
  9. Phosphorylation of PDHA by AMPK Drives TCA Cycle to Promote Cancer Metastasis.
  10. PRRG4 promotes breast cancer metastasis through the recruitment of NEDD4 and downregulation of Robo1.
  11. Cancer progression and the invisible phase of metastatic colonization.
  12. SHP2 is a multifunctional therapeutic target in drug resistant metastatic breast cancer.
  13. Concepts of extracellular matrix remodelling in tumour progression and metastasis.
  14. Prostate cancer evolution from multilineage primary to single lineage metastases with implications for liquid biopsy.
  15. Stromal SNAI2 is required for ERBB2 breast cancer progression.
  16. Tumor Cells Induce Endothelial Cells to Secrete a Chemoattractant.
  17. S6K1 blockade overcomes acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs in non-small cell lung cancer.
  18. FAK activity in cancer-associated fibroblasts is a prognostic marker and a druggable key metastatic player in pancreatic cancer.
  19. Interleukin-6 trans-signaling is a candidate mechanism to drive progression of human DCCs during clinical latency.
  20. RAC1 induces nuclear alterations through the LINC complex to enhance melanoma invasiveness.
  21. Tumor Microenvironment: Implications in Melanoma Resistance to Targeted Therapy and Immunotherapy.
  22. AP-1 and TGFß cooperativity drives non-canonical Hedgehog signaling in resistant basal cell carcinoma.
  23. Extracellular matrix plasticity as a driver of cell spreading.
  24. Cryo-EM structures reveal distinct mechanisms of inhibition of the human multidrug transporter ABCB1.
  25. Prostate Cancer Metastases Are Strongly Inhibited by Agonistic Epha2 Ligands in an Orthotopic Mouse Model.
  26. The Role of the ECM in Lung Cancer Dormancy and Outgrowth.
  27. Pterostilbene Sensitizes Cisplatin-Resistant Human Bladder Cancer Cells with Oncogenic HRAS.
  28. Blocking c-MET/ERBB1 Axis Prevents Brain Metastasis in ERBB2+ Breast Cancer.
  29. Novel Methylated DNA Markers in the Surveillance of Colorectal Cancer Recurrence.
  30. Epigenetic modulator inhibition overcomes temozolomide chemoresistance and antagonizes tumor recurrence of glioblastoma.
  31. Estrogen receptor β regulates AKT activity through up-regulation of INPP4B and inhibits migration of prostate cancer cell line PC-3.
  1. Cancer Res. 2020 Oct 06. pii: canres.2116.2020. [Epub ahead of print]
    Fibroblast-derived IL-33 facilitates breast cancer metastasis by modifying the immune microenvironment and driving type-2 immunity.
    Ophir Shani, Tatiana Vorobyov, Lea Monteran, Dor Lavie, Noam Cohen, Yael Raz, Galia Tsarfaty, Camila Avivi, Iris Barshack, Neta Erez.
      Lungs are one of the main sites of breast cancer metastasis. The metastatic microenvironment is essential to facilitate growth of disseminated tumor cells. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) are prominent players in the microenvironment of breast cancer. However, their role in the formation of a permissive metastatic niche is unresolved. Here we show that IL-33 is upregulated in metastases-associated fibroblasts in mouse models of spontaneous breast cancer metastasis and in breast cancer patients with lung metastasis. Upregulation of IL-33 instigated type-2 inflammation in the metastatic microenvironment, and mediated recruitment of eosinophils, neutrophils and inflammatory monocytes to lung metastases. Importantly, targeting of IL-33 in vivo resulted in inhibition of lung metastasis and significant attenuation of immune cell recruitment and type-2 immunity. These findings demonstrate a key function of IL-33 in facilitating lung metastatic relapse by modulating the immune microenvironment. Our study shows a novel interaction axis between CAF and immune cells and reveals the central role of CAF in establishing a hospitable inflammatory niche in lung metastasis.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-20-2116
  2. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Oct 03. pii: E7304. [Epub ahead of print]21(19):
    A Perspective on Therapeutic Pan-Resistance in Metastatic Cancer.
    Dimitrios Korentzelos, Amanda M Clark, Alan Wells.
      Metastatic spread represents the leading cause of disease-related mortality among cancer patients. Many cancer patients suffer from metastatic relapse years or even decades after radical surgery for the primary tumor. This clinical phenomenon is explained by the early dissemination of cancer cells followed by a long period of dormancy. Although dormancy could be viewed as a window of opportunity for therapeutic interventions, dormant disseminated cancer cells and micrometastases, as well as emergent outgrowing macrometastases, exhibit a generalized, innate resistance to chemotherapy and even immunotherapy. This therapeutic pan-resistance, on top of other adaptive responses to targeted agents such as acquired mutations and lineage plasticity, underpins the current difficulties in eradicating cancer. In the present review, we attempt to provide a framework to understand the underlying biology of this major issue.
    Keywords:  disseminated tumor cells; dormancy; e-cadherin; epigenetics; immune checkpoint blockade; metabolic plasticity; metastasis; metastatic microenvironment; therapy resistance
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21197304
  3. Mol Cancer Res. 2020 Oct 08. pii: molcanres.0554.2020. [Epub ahead of print]
    Extracellular matrix-bound FGF2 mediates estrogen receptor signaling and therapeutic response in breast cancer.
    Josh W DiGiacomo, Inês Godet, Michael Trautmann-Rodriguez, Daniele M Gilkes.
      The extracellular matrix (ECM) is often unaccounted for in studies that consider the stromal contribution to cancer cell signaling and response to treatment. To investigate the influence of a fibrotic microenvironment we utilize fibroblast-derived ECM scaffolds as a cell culture platform. We uncover that estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer cells cultured within ECM-scaffolds have an increase in ER signaling that occurs via a MAPK-dependent, but estrogen-independent manner. The ECM acts as a reservoir by binding, enriching, and presenting growth factors to adjacent epithelial cells. We identified FGF2 as a specific ECM-bound factor that drives ER signaling. ER+ cells cultured on ECM matrices have reduced sensitivity to ER-targeted therapies. The sensitivity to ER-targeted therapy can be restored by inhibiting FGF2-FGFR1 binding. ECM-FGF2 complexes promote Cyclin D1 induction which prevents G1 arrest even in the presence of antiestrogens. This work reveals a previously unaccounted for role of the ECM in ER signaling and resistance to endocrine therapy and suggests that patients with ER+ breast cancer that have high mammographic breast density and an intact FGFR signaling pathway may benefit from existing FGFR-targeted therapies. Implications: This work uncovers how the ECM may mediate signaling between growth factors and ER+ breast cancer cells to promote estrogen-independent ER signaling and resistance to endocrine therapy.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-20-0554
  4. Cancer Res. 2020 Oct 09. pii: canres.1904.2019. [Epub ahead of print]
    The amino-terminal oligomerization domain of Angiopoietin-2 affects vascular remodeling, mammary gland tumor growth, and lung metastasis in mice.
    Emmi Kapiainen, Minna K Kihlström, Riikka Pietilä, Mika Kaakinen, Veli-Pekka Ronkainen, Hongmin Tu, Anne Heikkinen, Raman Devarajan, Ilkka Miinalainen, Anna Laitakari, Mohammadhassan Ansarizadeh, Qin Zhang, Gong-Hong Wei, Lloyd Ruddock, Taina Pihlajaniemi, Harri Elamaa, Lauri Eklund.
      Angiopoietin-2 (ANGPT2) is a context-dependent TIE2 agonistic or antagonistic ligand that induces diverse responses in cancer. Blocking ANGPT2 provides a promising strategy for inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis, yet variable effects of targeting ANGPT2 have complicated drug development. ANGPT2443 is a naturally occurring, lower-oligomeric protein isoform whose expression is increased in cancer. Here we use a knock-in mouse line (mice expressing Angpt2443), a genetic model for breast cancer and metastasis (MMTV-PyMT), a syngeneic melanoma lung colonization model (B16F10), and orthotopic injection of E0771 breast cancer cells to show that alternative forms increase the diversity of Angpt2 function. In a mouse retina model of angiogenesis, expression of Angpt2443 caused impaired venous development, suggesting enhanced function as a competitive antagonist for Tie2. In mammary gland tumor models, Angpt2443 differentially affected primary tumor growth and vascularization; these varying effects were associated with Angpt2 protein localization in the endothelium or in the stromal extracellular matrix as well as the frequency of Tie2-positive tumor blood vessels. In the presence of metastatic cells, Angpt2443 promoted destabilization of pulmonary vasculature and lung metastasis. In vitro, ANGPT2443 was susceptible to proteolytical cleavage, resulting in a monomeric ligand (ANGPT2DAP) that inhibited ANGPT1- or ANGPT4-induced TIE2 activation but did not bind to alternative ANGPT2 receptor alpha5beta1 integrin. Collectively, these data reveal novel roles for the ANGPT2 N-terminal domain in blood vessel remodeling, tumor growth, metastasis, integrin binding, and proteolytic regulation.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-19-1904
  5. Elife. 2020 Oct 07. pii: e59442. [Epub ahead of print]9
    Collagen-rich omentum is a premetastatic niche for integrin α2-mediated peritoneal metastasis.
    Yen-Lin Huang, Ching-Yeu Liang, Danilo Ritz, Ricardo Coelho, Dedy Septiadi, Manuela Estermann, Cécile Cumin, Natalie Rimmer, Andreas Schötzau, Mónica Núñez López, André Fedier, Martina Konantz, Tatjana Vlajnic, Diego Calabrese, Claudia Lengerke, Leonor David, Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser, Francis Jacob, Viola Heinzelmann-Schwarz.
      The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays critical roles in tumor progression and metastasis. However, the contribution of ECM proteins to early metastatic onset in the peritoneal cavity remains unexplored. Here, we suggest a new route of metastasis through the interaction of integrin alpha 2 (ITGA2) with collagens enriched in the tumor coinciding with poor outcome in patients with ovarian cancer. Using multiple gene-edited cell lines and patient-derived samples, we demonstrate that ITGA2 triggers cancer cell adhesion to collagen, promotes cell migration, anoikis resistance, mesothelial clearance, and peritoneal metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, phosphoproteomics identify an ITGA2-dependent phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway leading to enhanced oncogenic properties. Consequently, specific inhibition of ITGA2-mediated cancer cell-collagen interaction or targeting focal adhesion signaling may present an opportunity for therapeutic intervention of metastatic spread in ovarian cancer.
    Keywords:  Cell adhesion; Collagen; Peritoneal metastasis; cancer biology; cell biology; focal adhesion kinase; human; integrin alpah 2; mouse; omentum; zebrafish
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.59442
  6. Nat Commun. 2020 10 06. 11(1): 5017
    Adaptation and selection shape clonal evolution of tumors during residual disease and recurrence.
    Andrea Walens, Jiaxing Lin, Jeffrey S Damrauer, Brock McKinney, Ryan Lupo, Rachel Newcomb, Douglas B Fox, Nathaniel W Mabe, Jeremy Gresham, Zhecheng Sheng, Alexander B Sibley, Tristan De Buysscher, Hemant Kelkar, Piotr A Mieczkowski, Kouros Owzar, James V Alvarez.
      The survival and recurrence of residual tumor cells following therapy constitutes one of the biggest obstacles to obtaining cures in breast cancer, but it remains unclear how the clonal composition of tumors changes during relapse. We use cellular barcoding to monitor clonal dynamics during tumor recurrence in vivo. We find that clonal diversity decreases during tumor regression, residual disease, and recurrence. The recurrence of dormant residual cells follows several distinct routes. Approximately half of the recurrent tumors exhibit clonal dominance with a small number of subclones comprising the vast majority of the tumor; these clonal recurrences are frequently dependent upon Met gene amplification. A second group of recurrent tumors comprises thousands of subclones, has a clonal architecture similar to primary tumors, and is dependent upon the Jak/Stat pathway. Thus the regrowth of dormant tumors proceeds via multiple routes, producing recurrent tumors with distinct clonal composition, genetic alterations, and drug sensitivities.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18730-z
  7. Nat Rev Cancer. 2020 Oct 08.
    Non-genetic mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in cancer.
    Jean-Christophe Marine, Sarah-Jane Dawson, Mark A Dawson.
      Therapeutic resistance continues to be an indominable foe in our ambition for curative cancer treatment. Recent insights into the molecular determinants of acquired treatment resistance in the clinical and experimental setting have challenged the widely held view of sequential genetic evolution as the primary cause of resistance and brought into sharp focus a range of non-genetic adaptive mechanisms. Notably, the genetic landscape of the tumour and the non-genetic mechanisms used to escape therapy are frequently linked. Remarkably, whereas some oncogenic mutations allow the cancer cells to rapidly adapt their transcriptional and/or metabolic programme to meet and survive the therapeutic pressure, other oncogenic drivers convey an inherent cellular plasticity to the cancer cell enabling lineage switching and/or the evasion of anticancer immunosurveillance. The prevalence and diverse array of non-genetic resistance mechanisms pose a new challenge to the field that requires innovative strategies to monitor and counteract these adaptive processes. In this Perspective we discuss the key principles of non-genetic therapy resistance in cancer. We provide a perspective on the emerging data from clinical studies and sophisticated cancer models that have studied various non-genetic resistance pathways and highlight promising therapeutic avenues that may be used to negate and/or counteract the non-genetic adaptive pathways.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41568-020-00302-4
  8. Cell Rep. 2020 Oct 06. pii: S2211-1247(20)31210-9. [Epub ahead of print]33(1): 108221
    TGFβR-SMAD3 Signaling Induces Resistance to PARP Inhibitors in the Bone Marrow Microenvironment.
    Bac Viet Le, Paulina Podszywalow-Bartnicka, Silvia Maifrede, Katherine Sullivan-Reed, Margaret Nieborowska-Skorska, Konstantin Golovine, Juo-Chin Yao, Reza Nejati, Kathy Q Cai, Lisa Beatrice Caruso, Julian Swatler, Michal Dabrowski, Zhaorui Lian, Peter Valent, Elisabeth M Paietta, Ross L Levine, Hugo F Fernandez, Martin S Tallman, Mark R Litzow, Jian Huang, Grant A Challen, Daniel Link, Italo Tempera, Mariusz A Wasik, Katarzyna Piwocka, Tomasz Skorski.
      Synthetic lethality triggered by PARP inhibitor (PARPi) yields promising therapeutic results. Unfortunately, tumor cells acquire PARPi resistance, which is usually associated with the restoration of homologous recombination, loss of PARP1 expression, and/or loss of DNA double-strand break (DSB) end resection regulation. Here, we identify a constitutive mechanism of resistance to PARPi. We report that the bone marrow microenvironment (BMM) facilitates DSB repair activity in leukemia cells to protect them against PARPi-mediated synthetic lethality. This effect depends on the hypoxia-induced overexpression of transforming growth factor beta receptor (TGFβR) kinase on malignant cells, which is activated by bone marrow stromal cells-derived transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1). Genetic and/or pharmacological targeting of the TGF-β1-TGFβR kinase axis results in the restoration of the sensitivity of malignant cells to PARPi in BMM and prolongs the survival of leukemia-bearing mice. Our finding may lead to the therapeutic application of the TGFβR inhibitor in patients receiving PARPis.
    Keywords:  PARP inhibitor resistance; TGFβR signaling; bone marrow microenvironment
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108221
  9. Mol Cell. 2020 Sep 29. pii: S1097-2765(20)30648-1. [Epub ahead of print]
    Phosphorylation of PDHA by AMPK Drives TCA Cycle to Promote Cancer Metastasis.
    Zhen Cai, Chien-Feng Li, Fei Han, Chunfang Liu, Anmei Zhang, Che-Chia Hsu, Danni Peng, Xian Zhang, Guoxiang Jin, Abdol-Hossein Rezaeian, Guihua Wang, Weina Zhang, Bo-Syong Pan, Chi-Yun Wang, Yu-Hui Wang, Shih-Ying Wu, Shun-Chin Yang, Fang-Chi Hsu, Ralph B D'Agostino, Christina M Furdui, Gregory L Kucera, John S Parks, Floyd H Chilton, Chih-Yang Huang, Fuu-Jen Tsai, Boris Pasche, Kounosuke Watabe, Hui-Kuan Lin.
      Cancer metastasis accounts for the major cause of cancer-related deaths. How disseminated cancer cells cope with hostile microenvironments in secondary site for full-blown metastasis is largely unknown. Here, we show that AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase), activated in mouse metastasis models, drives pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHc) activation to maintain TCA cycle (tricarboxylic acid cycle) and promotes cancer metastasis by adapting cancer cells to metabolic and oxidative stresses. This AMPK-PDHc axis is activated in advanced breast cancer and predicts poor metastasis-free survival. Mechanistically, AMPK localizes in the mitochondrial matrix and phosphorylates the catalytic alpha subunit of PDHc (PDHA) on two residues S295 and S314, which activates the enzymatic activity of PDHc and alleviates an inhibitory phosphorylation by PDHKs, respectively. Importantly, these phosphorylation events mediate PDHc function in cancer metastasis. Our study reveals that AMPK-mediated PDHA phosphorylation drives PDHc activation and TCA cycle to empower cancer cells adaptation to metastatic microenvironments for metastasis.
    Keywords:  AMPK; PDHA; TCA cycle; breast cancer; cancer metastasis; metabolic stress
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2020.09.018
  10. Oncogene. 2020 Oct 09.
    PRRG4 promotes breast cancer metastasis through the recruitment of NEDD4 and downregulation of Robo1.
    Lingling Zhang, Yaqian Qin, Guang Wu, Jieyi Wang, Jiawei Cao, Yaqi Wang, Du Wu, Kaiyan Yang, Zhiguang Zhao, Licai He, Jianxin Lyu, Hongzhi Li, Haihua Gu.
      Metastasis is responsible for the death of most breast cancer patients. Robo1 has been implicated as a tumor suppressor for various cancers including breast cancer. However, it is not well understood how Robo1 expression is regulated during tumorigenesis. In this study, we uncovered that the transmembrane proline rich γ-carboxyglutamic acid protein 4 (PRRG4) promotes breast cancer metastasis by downregulating Robo1. Analysis of mRNA expression data in The Cancer Genome Atlas and immunohistochemistry assay on breast tumor samples showed that PRRG4 expression was higher in breast tumors than in normal breast tissues. Experiments with PRRG4 knockdown and overexpression revealed that PRRG4 promoted migration and invasion of breast cancer cells, and enhanced metastasis in an experimental metastasis model. Mechanistically, we found that PRRG4 via its LPSY and PPPY motifs recruited the E3 ubiquitin ligase NEDD4, which induced ubiquitination and degradation of Robo1, thus contributing to migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. In addition, PRRG4 interacted with and enhanced protein tyrosine kinase Src and FAK activation. Overall, our data support a model that PRRG4 via NEDD4 downregulates the Robo1, resulting in the activation of Src and FAK and promoting breast cancer metastasis. PRRG4 may be a novel target for treating metastatic breast cancer.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-020-01494-7
  11. Nat Rev Cancer. 2020 Oct 06.
    Cancer progression and the invisible phase of metastatic colonization.
    Christoph A Klein.
      Metastatic dissemination occurs very early in the malignant progression of a cancer but the clinical manifestation of metastases often takes years. In recent decades, 5-year survival of patients with many solid cancers has increased due to earlier detection, local disease control and adjuvant therapies. As a consequence, we are confronted with an increase in late relapses as more antiproliferative cancer therapies prolong disease courses, raising questions about how cancer cells survive, evolve or stop growing and finally expand during periods of clinical latency. I argue here that the understanding of early metastasis formation, particularly of the currently invisible phase of metastatic colonization, will be essential for the next stage in adjuvant therapy development that reliably prevents metachronous metastasis.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41568-020-00300-6
  12. Oncogene. 2020 Oct 08.
    SHP2 is a multifunctional therapeutic target in drug resistant metastatic breast cancer.
    Hao Chen, Sarah Libring, Kasi Viswanatharaju Ruddraraju, Jinmin Miao, Luis Solorio, Zhong-Yin Zhang, Michael K Wendt.
      Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is an extremely recalcitrant disease capable of bypassing current targeted therapies via engagement of several growth promoting pathways. SH2 containing protein tyrosine phosphatase-2 (SHP2) is an oncogenic phosphatase known to facilitate growth and survival signaling downstream of numerous receptor inputs. Herein, we used inducible genetic depletion and two distinct pharmacological inhibitors to investigate the therapeutic potential of targeting SHP2 in MBC. Cells that acquired resistance to the ErbB kinase inhibitor, neratinib, displayed increased phosphorylation of SHP2 at the Y542 activation site. In addition, higher levels of SHP2 phosphorylation, but not expression, were associated with decreased survival of breast cancer patients. Pharmacological inhibition of SHP2 activity blocked ERK1/2 and AKT signaling generated from exogenous stimulation with FGF2, PDGF, and hGF and readily prevented MBC cell growth induced by these factors. SHP2 was also phosphorylated upon engagement of the extracellular matrix (ECM) via focal adhesion kinase. Consistent with the potential of SHP2-targeted compounds as therapeutic agents, the growth inhibitory property of SHP2 blockade was enhanced in ECM-rich 3D culture environments. In vivo blockade of SHP2 in the adjuvant setting decreased pulmonary metastasis and extended the survival of systemic tumor-bearing mice. Finally, inhibition of SHP2 in combination with FGFR-targeted kinase inhibitors synergistically blocked the growth of MBC cells. Overall, our findings support the conclusion that SHP2 constitutes a shared signaling node allowing MBC cells to simultaneously engage a diversity of growth and survival pathways, including those derived from the ECM.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-020-01488-5
  13. Nat Commun. 2020 Oct 09. 11(1): 5120
    Concepts of extracellular matrix remodelling in tumour progression and metastasis.
    Juliane Winkler, Abisola Abisoye-Ogunniyan, Kevin J Metcalf, Zena Werb.
      Tissues are dynamically shaped by bidirectional communication between resident cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) through cell-matrix interactions and ECM remodelling. Tumours leverage ECM remodelling to create a microenvironment that promotes tumourigenesis and metastasis. In this review, we focus on how tumour and tumour-associated stromal cells deposit, biochemically and biophysically modify, and degrade tumour-associated ECM. These tumour-driven changes support tumour growth, increase migration of tumour cells, and remodel the ECM in distant organs to allow for metastatic progression. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of tumourigenic ECM remodelling is crucial for developing therapeutic treatments for patients.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18794-x
  14. Nat Commun. 2020 10 08. 11(1): 5070
    Prostate cancer evolution from multilineage primary to single lineage metastases with implications for liquid biopsy.
    D J Woodcock, E Riabchenko, S Taavitsainen, M Kankainen, G Gundem, D S Brewer, P Ellonen, M Lepistö, Y A Golubeva, A C Warner, T Tolonen, J Jasu, W B Isaacs, M R Emmert-Buck, M Nykter, T Visakorpi, G S Bova, D C Wedge.
      The evolutionary progression from primary to metastatic prostate cancer is largely uncharted, and the implications for liquid biopsy are unexplored. We infer detailed reconstructions of tumor phylogenies in ten prostate cancer patients with fatal disease, and investigate them in conjunction with histopathology and tumor DNA extracted from blood and cerebrospinal fluid. Substantial evolution occurs within the prostate, resulting in branching into multiple spatially intermixed lineages. One dominant lineage emerges that initiates and drives systemic metastasis, where polyclonal seeding between sites is common. Routes to metastasis differ between patients, and likely genetic drivers of metastasis distinguish the metastatic lineage from the lineage that remains confined to the prostate within each patient. Body fluids capture features of the dominant lineage, and subclonal expansions that occur in the metastatic phase are non-uniformly represented. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis reveals lineages not detected in blood-borne DNA, suggesting possible clinical utility.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18843-5
  15. Cancer Res. 2020 Oct 06. pii: canres.0278.2020. [Epub ahead of print]
    Stromal SNAI2 is required for ERBB2 breast cancer progression.
    Adrián Blanco-Gómez, Lourdes Hontecillas-Prieto, Roberto Corchado-Cobos, Natalia García-Sancha, Nélida Salvador, Andrés Castellanos-Martín, María Del Mar Sáez-Freire, Marina Mendiburu-Eliçabe, Diego Alonso-López, Javier De Las Rivas, Mar Lorente, Ana García-Casas, Sofía Del Carmen, María Del Mar Abad-Hernández, Juan Jesús Cruz-Hernández, César Augusto Rodríguez-Sánchez, Juncal Claros-Ampuero, Begoña García-Cenador, Javier García-Criado, Akira Orimo, Thomas Gridley, Jesús Pérez-Losada, Sonia Castillo-Lluva.
      SNAI2 overexpression appears to be associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer, yet it remains unclear in which breast cancer subtypes this occurs. Here we show that excess SNAI2 is associated with a poor prognosis of luminal B HER2+ breast cancers in which SNAI2 expression in the stroma but not the epithelium correlates with tumor proliferation. To determine how stromal SNAI2 might influence HER2+ tumor behavior, Snai2-deficient mice were crossed with a mouse line carrying the ErbB2/Neu protooncogene to generate HER2+ breast cancer. Tumors generated in this model expressed SNAI2 in the stroma but not the epithelium, allowing for the role of stromal SNAI2 to be studied without interference from the epithelial compartment. The absence of SNAI2 in the stroma of HER2/ERBB2+ tumors is associated with: (i) lower levels of CYCLIN D1 and reduced tumor epithelium proliferation; (ii) higher levels of AKT and a lower incidence of metastasis; (iii) lower levels of ANGIOPOIETIN-2 and more necrosis. Together, these results indicate that the loss of SNAI2 in cancer-associated fibroblasts limits the production of some cytokines, which influences AKT/ERK tumor signaling and subsequent proliferative and metastatic capacity of ERBB2+ breast cancer cells. Accordingly, SNAI2 expression in the stroma enhanced the tumorigenicity of luminal B ERBB2+ breast cancers. This work emphasizes the importance of stromal SNAI2 in breast cancer progression and patients' prognosis.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-20-0278
  16. Cancer Discov. 2020 Oct 09.
    Tumor Cells Induce Endothelial Cells to Secrete a Chemoattractant.
      Endothelial cell-produced SLIT2 drove tumor-cell migration to blood vessels to promote metastasis.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-RW2020-146
  17. Oncogene. 2020 Oct 09.
    S6K1 blockade overcomes acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs in non-small cell lung cancer.
    Hua Shen, Gao-Chan Wang, Xiang Li, Xin Ge, Meng Wang, Zhu-Mei Shi, Vikas Bhardwaj, Zi-Xuan Wang, Ralph G Zinner, Stephen C Peiper, Andrew E Aplin, Bing-Hua Jiang, Jun He.
      The development of resistance to EGFR Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in NSCLC with activating EGFR mutations is a critical limitation of this therapy. In addition to genetic alterations such as EGFR secondary mutation causing EGFR-TKI resistance, compensatory activation of signaling pathways without interruption of genome integrity remains to be defined. In this study, we identified S6K1/MDM2 signaling axis as a novel bypass mechanism for the development of EGFR-TKI resistance. The observation of S6K1 as a candidate mechanism for resistance to EGFR TKI therapy was investigated by interrogation of public databases and a clinical cohort to establish S6K1 expression as a prognostic/predictive biomarker. The role of S6K1 in TKI resistance was determined in in vitro gain-and-loss of function studies and confirmed in subcutaneous and orthotopic mouse lung cancer models. Blockade of S6K1 by a specific inhibitor PF-4708671 synergistically enhanced the efficacy of TKI without showing toxicity. The mechanistic study showed the inhibition of EGFR caused nuclear translocation of S6K1 for binding with MDM2 in resistant cells. MDM2 is a downstream effector of S6K1-mediated TKI resistance. Taken together, we present evidence for the reversal of resistance to EGFR TKI by the addition of small molecule S6K1/MDM2 antagonists that could have clinical benefit.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-020-01497-4
  18. EMBO Mol Med. 2020 Oct 07. e12010
    FAK activity in cancer-associated fibroblasts is a prognostic marker and a druggable key metastatic player in pancreatic cancer.
    Sonia Zaghdoudi, Emilie Decaup, Ismahane Belhabib, Rémi Samain, Stéphanie Cassant-Sourdy, Julia Rochotte, Alexia Brunel, David Schlaepfer, Jérome Cros, Cindy Neuzillet, Manon Strehaiano, Amandine Alard, Richard Tomasini, Vinothini Rajeeve, Aurélie Perraud, Muriel Mathonnet, Oliver Mt Pearce, Yvan Martineau, Stéphane Pyronnet, Corinne Bousquet, Christine Jean.
      Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are considered the most abundant type of stromal cells in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), playing a critical role in tumour progression and chemoresistance; however, a druggable target on CAFs has not yet been identified. Here we report that focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activity (evaluated based on 397 tyrosine phosphorylation level) in CAFs is highly increased compared to its activity in fibroblasts from healthy pancreas. Fibroblastic FAK activity is an independent prognostic marker for disease-free and overall survival of PDAC patients (cohort of 120 PDAC samples). Genetic inactivation of FAK within fibroblasts (FAK kinase-dead, KD) reduces fibrosis and immunosuppressive cell number within primary tumours and dramatically decreases tumour spread. FAK pharmacologic or genetic inactivation reduces fibroblast migration/invasion, decreases extracellular matrix (ECM) expression and deposition by CAFs, modifies ECM track generation and negatively impacts M2 macrophage polarization and migration. Thus, FAK activity within CAFs appears as an independent PDAC prognostic marker and a druggable driver of tumour cell invasion.
    Keywords:  cancer-associated fibroblasts; extracellular matrix remodelling; focal adhesion kinase; metastasis; pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.15252/emmm.202012010
  19. Nat Commun. 2020 10 05. 11(1): 4977
    Interleukin-6 trans-signaling is a candidate mechanism to drive progression of human DCCs during clinical latency.
    Melanie Werner-Klein, Ana Grujovic, Christoph Irlbeck, Milan Obradović, Martin Hoffmann, Huiqin Koerkel-Qu, Xin Lu, Steffi Treitschke, Cäcilia Köstler, Catherine Botteron, Kathrin Weidele, Christian Werno, Bernhard Polzer, Stefan Kirsch, Miodrag Gužvić, Jens Warfsmann, Kamran Honarnejad, Zbigniew Czyz, Giancarlo Feliciello, Isabell Blochberger, Sandra Grunewald, Elisabeth Schneider, Gundula Haunschild, Nina Patwary, Severin Guetter, Sandra Huber, Brigitte Rack, Nadia Harbeck, Stefan Buchholz, Petra Rümmele, Norbert Heine, Stefan Rose-John, Christoph A Klein.
      Although thousands of breast cancer cells disseminate and home to bone marrow until primary surgery, usually less than a handful will succeed in establishing manifest metastases months to years later. To identify signals that support survival or outgrowth in patients, we profile rare bone marrow-derived disseminated cancer cells (DCCs) long before manifestation of metastasis and identify IL6/PI3K-signaling as candidate pathway for DCC activation. Surprisingly, and similar to mammary epithelial cells, DCCs lack membranous IL6 receptor expression and mechanistic dissection reveals IL6 trans-signaling to regulate a stem-like state of mammary epithelial cells via gp130. Responsiveness to IL6 trans-signals is found to be niche-dependent as bone marrow stromal and endosteal cells down-regulate gp130 in premalignant mammary epithelial cells as opposed to vascular niche cells. PIK3CA activation renders cells independent from IL6 trans-signaling. Consistent with a bottleneck function of microenvironmental DCC control, we find PIK3CA mutations highly associated with late-stage metastatic cells while being extremely rare in early DCCs. Our data suggest that the initial steps of metastasis formation are often not cancer cell-autonomous, but also depend on microenvironmental signals.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18701-4
  20. Mol Biol Cell. 2020 Oct 07. mbcE20020127
    RAC1 induces nuclear alterations through the LINC complex to enhance melanoma invasiveness.
    Paula Colón-Bolea, Rocío García -Gómez, Sue Shackleton, Piero Crespo, Xosé R Bustelo, Berta Casar.
      RHO GTPases are key regulators of the cytoskeletal architecture, which impacts on a broad range of biological processes in malignant cells including motility, invasion and metastasis, thereby affecting tumor progression. One of the constrains during cell migration, is the diameter of the pores through which cells pass. In this respect, the size and shape of the nucleus poses a major limitation. Therefore, enhanced nuclear plasticity can promote cell migration. Nuclear morphology is determined in part through the cytoskeleton, which connects to the nucleoskeleton through the LINC complex. Here, we unravel the role of RAC1 as an orchestrator of nuclear morphology in melanoma cells. We demonstrate that activated RAC1 promotes nuclear alterations through its effector PAK1 and the tubulin cytoskeleton, thereby enhancing migration and intravasation of melanoma cells. Disruption of the LINC complex prevented RAC1-induced nuclear alterations and the invasive properties of melanoma cells. Thus, RAC1 induces nuclear morphology alterations through microtubules and the LINC complex to promote an invasive phenotype in melanoma cells. [Media: see text].
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E20-02-0127
  21. Cancers (Basel). 2020 Oct 06. pii: E2870. [Epub ahead of print]12(10):
    Tumor Microenvironment: Implications in Melanoma Resistance to Targeted Therapy and Immunotherapy.
    Italia Falcone, Fabiana Conciatori, Chiara Bazzichetto, Gianluigi Ferretti, Francesco Cognetti, Ludovica Ciuffreda, Michele Milella.
      Antitumor therapies have made great strides in recent decades. Chemotherapy, aggressive and unable to discriminate cancer from healthy cells, has given way to personalized treatments that, recognizing and blocking specific molecular targets, have paved the way for targeted and effective therapies. Melanoma was one of the first tumor types to benefit from this new care frontier by introducing specific inhibitors for v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (BRAF), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK), v-kit Hardy-Zuckerman 4 feline sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KIT), and, recently, immunotherapy. However, despite the progress made in the melanoma treatment, primary and/or acquired drug resistance remains an unresolved problem. The molecular dynamics that promote this phenomenon are very complex but several studies have shown that the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays, certainly, a key role. In this review, we will describe the new melanoma treatment approaches and we will analyze the mechanisms by which TME promotes resistance to targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
    Keywords:  immunotherapy; melanoma; targeted therapy; therapeutic resistance; tumor microenvironment
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12102870
  22. Nat Commun. 2020 10 08. 11(1): 5079
    AP-1 and TGFß cooperativity drives non-canonical Hedgehog signaling in resistant basal cell carcinoma.
    Catherine D Yao, Daniel Haensel, Sadhana Gaddam, Tiffany Patel, Scott X Atwood, Kavita Y Sarin, Ramon J Whitson, Siegen McKellar, Gautam Shankar, Sumaira Aasi, Kerri Rieger, Anthony E Oro.
      Tumor heterogeneity and lack of knowledge about resistant cell states remain a barrier to targeted cancer therapies. Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) depend on Hedgehog (Hh)/Gli signaling, but can develop mechanisms of Smoothened (SMO) inhibitor resistance. We previously identified a nuclear myocardin-related transcription factor (nMRTF) resistance pathway that amplifies noncanonical Gli1 activity, but characteristics and drivers of the nMRTF cell state remain unknown. Here, we use single cell RNA-sequencing of patient tumors to identify three prognostic surface markers (LYPD3, TACSTD2, and LY6D) which correlate with nMRTF and resistance to SMO inhibitors. The nMRTF cell state resembles transit-amplifying cells of the hair follicle matrix, with AP-1 and TGFß cooperativity driving nMRTF activation. JNK/AP-1 signaling commissions chromatin accessibility and Smad3 DNA binding leading to a transcriptional program of RhoGEFs that facilitate nMRTF activity. Importantly, small molecule AP-1 inhibitors selectively target LYPD3+/TACSTD2+/LY6D+ nMRTF human BCCs ex vivo, opening an avenue for improving combinatorial therapies.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18762-5
  23. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Oct 05. pii: 202008801. [Epub ahead of print]
    Extracellular matrix plasticity as a driver of cell spreading.
    Joshua M Grolman, Philipp Weinand, David J Mooney.
      Mammalian cell morphology has been linked to the viscoelastic properties of the adhesion substrate, which is particularly relevant in biological processes such as wound repair and embryonic development where cell spreading and migration are critical. Plastic deformation, degradation, and relaxation of stress are typically coupled in biomaterial systems used to explore these effects, making it unclear which variable drives cell behavior. Here we present a nondegradable polymer architecture that specifically decouples irreversible creep from stress relaxation and modulus. We demonstrate that network plasticity independently controls mesenchymal stem cell spreading through a biphasic relationship dependent on cell-intrinsic forces, and this relationship can be shifted by inhibiting actomyosin contractility. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations also show strong correlation with experimental cell spreading data as a function of the extracellular matrix (ECM) plasticity. Furthermore, plasticity regulates many ECM adhesion and remodeling genes. Altogether, these findings confirm a key role for matrix plasticity in stem cell biophysics, and we anticipate this will have ramifications in the design of biomaterials to enhance therapeutic applications of stem cells.
    Keywords:  biomaterials; extracellular matrix; plasticity; stem cell; viscoelasticity
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2008801117
  24. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Oct 05. pii: 202010264. [Epub ahead of print]
    Cryo-EM structures reveal distinct mechanisms of inhibition of the human multidrug transporter ABCB1.
    Kamil Nosol, Ksenija Romane, Rossitza N Irobalieva, Amer Alam, Julia Kowal, Naoya Fujita, Kaspar P Locher.
      ABCB1 detoxifies cells by exporting diverse xenobiotic compounds, thereby limiting drug disposition and contributing to multidrug resistance in cancer cells. Multiple small-molecule inhibitors and inhibitory antibodies have been developed for therapeutic applications, but the structural basis of their activity is insufficiently understood. We determined cryo-EM structures of nanodisc-reconstituted, human ABCB1 in complex with the Fab fragment of the inhibitory, monoclonal antibody MRK16 and bound to a substrate (the antitumor drug vincristine) or to the potent inhibitors elacridar, tariquidar, or zosuquidar. We found that inhibitors bound in pairs, with one molecule lodged in the central drug-binding pocket and a second extending into a phenylalanine-rich cavity that we termed the "access tunnel." This finding explains how inhibitors can act as substrates at low concentration, but interfere with the early steps of the peristaltic extrusion mechanism at higher concentration. Our structural data will also help the development of more potent and selective ABCB1 inhibitors.
    Keywords:  ABC transporter; ABCB1; P-glycoprotein; single-particle cryoelectron microscopy; structure
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2010264117
  25. Cancers (Basel). 2020 Oct 02. pii: E2854. [Epub ahead of print]12(10):
    Prostate Cancer Metastases Are Strongly Inhibited by Agonistic Epha2 Ligands in an Orthotopic Mouse Model.
    Ahmed F Salem, Luca Gambini, Sandrine Billet, Yu Sun, Hiromichi Oshiro, Ming Zhao, Robert M Hoffman, Neil A Bhowmick, Maurizio Pellecchia.
      The EphA2 tyrosine kinase receptor is highly expressed in several types of solid tumors. In our recent studies, we targeted EphA2 in pancreatic cancer with agonistic agents and demonstrated that suppression of EphA2 significantly reduced cancer-cell migration in cell-based assays. In the present study, we focused on targeting EphA2 in prostate cancer. While not all prostate cancers express EphA2, we showed that enzalutamide induced EphA2 expression in prostate cancer cells and in a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) animal model, which provides further impetus to target EphA2 in prostate cancer. Western blot studies showed that agonistic dimeric synthetic (135H12) and natural (ephrinA1-Fc) ligands effectively degraded EphA2 receptor in the prostate cancer cell line PC-3. The agents also delayed cell migration of prostate cancer (PC-3) cells, while an in vivo PC-3 orthotopic metastatic nude-mouse model also revealed that administration of ephrinA1-Fc or 135H12 strongly reduced metastases. The present study further validates EphA2 as an important target in metastatic prostate cancer treatment. Our results should incentivize further efforts aimed at developing potent and effective EphA2 synthetic agonistic agents for the treatment of EphA2-driven aggressive metastatic tumors including prostate, pancreatic, and breast cancer.
    Keywords:  EphA2; breast cancer; cell migration; ephrinA1-Fc; metastasis; prostate cancer
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12102854
  26. Front Oncol. 2020 ;10 1766
    The Role of the ECM in Lung Cancer Dormancy and Outgrowth.
    Amelia L Parker, Thomas R Cox.
      The dissemination of tumor cells to local and distant sites presents a significant challenge in the clinical management of many solid tumors. These cells may remain dormant for months or years before overt metastases are re-awakened. The components of the extracellular matrix, their posttranslational modifications and their associated factors provide mechanical, physical and chemical cues to these disseminated tumor cells. These cues regulate the proliferative and survival capacity of these cells and lay the foundation for their engraftment and colonization. Crosstalk between tumor cells, stromal and immune cells within primary and secondary sites is fundamental to extracellular matrix remodeling that feeds back to regulate tumor cell dormancy and outgrowth. This review will examine the role of the extracellular matrix and its associated factors in establishing a fertile soil from which individual tumor cells and micrometastases establish primary and secondary tumors. We will focus on the role of the lung extracellular matrix in providing the architectural support for local metastases in lung cancer, and distant metastases in many solid tumors. This review will define how the matrix and matrix associated components are collectively regulated by lung epithelial cells, fibroblasts and resident immune cells to orchestrate tumor dormancy and outgrowth in the lung. Recent advances in targeting these lung-resident tumor cell subpopulations to prevent metastatic disease will be discussed. The development of novel matrix-targeted strategies have the potential to significantly reduce the burden of metastatic disease in lung and other solid tumors and significantly improve patient outcome in these diseases.
    Keywords:  dormancy; extracellular matrix; lung cancer; matrix-targeting; metastasis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2020.01766
  27. Cancers (Basel). 2020 Oct 06. pii: E2869. [Epub ahead of print]12(10):
    Pterostilbene Sensitizes Cisplatin-Resistant Human Bladder Cancer Cells with Oncogenic HRAS.
    Yi-Ting Chen, Zi-Yi Huang, Han-Hsuan Tang, Wan-Ting Kuo, Shan-Ying Wu, Sheng-Hui Lan, Kai-Hsun Chang, Pin-Lun Lin, Ming-Fen Lee, Hung-Chi Cheng, Hsiao-Sheng Liu, Chi-Ying F Huang, Guan-Cheng Huang, Chun-Li Su.
      Analysis of various public databases revealed that HRAS gene mutation frequency and mRNA expression are higher in bladder urothelial carcinoma. Further analysis revealed the roles of oncogenic HRAS, autophagy, and cell senescence signaling in bladder cancer cells sensitized to the anticancer drug cisplatin using the phytochemical pterostilbene. A T24 cell line with the oncogenic HRAS was chosen for further experiments. Indeed, coadministration of pterostilbene increased stronger cytotoxicity on T24 cells compared to HRAS wild-type E7 cells, which was paralleled by neither elevated apoptosis nor induced cell cycle arrest, but rather a marked elevation of autophagy and cell senescence in T24 cells. Pterostilbene-induced autophagy in T24 cells was paralleled by inhibition of class I PI3K/mTOR/p70S6K as well as activation of MEK/ERK (a RAS target) and class III PI3K pathways. Pterostilbene-induced cell senescence on T24 cells was paralleled by increased pan-RAS and decreased phospho-RB expression. Coadministration of PI3K class III inhibitor 3-methyladenine or MEK inhibitor U0126 suppressed pterostilbene-induced autophagy and reversed pterostilbene-enhanced cytotoxicity, but did not affect pterostilbene-elevated cell senescence in T24 cells. Animal study data confirmed that pterostilbene enhanced cytotoxicity of cisplatin plus gemcitabine. These results suggest a therapeutic application of pterostilbene in cisplatin-resistant bladder cancer with oncogenic HRAS.
    Keywords:  HRAS; autophagy; cisplatin resistance; gene database; pterostilbene; senescence
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12102869
  28. Cancers (Basel). 2020 10 01. pii: E2838. [Epub ahead of print]12(10):
    Blocking c-MET/ERBB1 Axis Prevents Brain Metastasis in ERBB2+ Breast Cancer.
    Shailendra K Gautam, Ranjana K Kanchan, Jawed A Siddiqui, Shailendra K Maurya, Sanchita Rauth, Naveenkumar Perumal, Pranita Atri, Ramakanth C Venkata, Kavita Mallya, Sameer Mirza, Moorthy P Ponnusamy, Vimla Band, Sidharth Mahapatra, Maneesh Jain, Surinder K Batra, Mohd Wasim Nasser.
      Brain metastasis (BrM) remains a significant cause of cancer-related mortality in epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (ERBB2+) breast cancer (BC) patients. We proposed here that a combination treatment of irreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor neratinib (NER) and the c-MET inhibitor cabozantinib (CBZ) could prevent brain metastasis. To address this, we first tested the combination treatment of NER and CBZ in the brain-seeking ERBB2+ cell lines SKBrM3 and JIMT-1-BR3, and in ERBB2+ organoids that expressed the c-MET/ERBB1 axis. Next, we developed and characterized an orthotopic mouse model of spontaneous BrM and evaluated the therapeutic effect of CBZ and NER in vivo. The combination treatment of NER and CBZ significantly inhibited proliferation and migration in ERBB2+ cell lines and reduced the organoid growth in vitro. Mechanistically, the combination treatment of NER and CBZ substantially inhibited ERK activation downstream of the c-MET/ERBB1 axis. Orthotopically implanted SKBrM3+ cells formed primary tumor in the mammary fat pad and spontaneously metastasized to the brain and other distant organs. Combination treatment with NER and CBZ inhibited primary tumor growth and predominantly prevented BrM. In conclusion, the orthotopic model of spontaneous BrM is clinically relevant, and the combination therapy of NER and CBZ might be a useful approach to prevent BrM in BC.
    Keywords:  brain metastasis; breast cancer; c-MET/ERBB1 axis; cabozantinib; combination therapy; neratinib; organoids; orthotopic model; spontaneous metastasis; targeted therapy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12102838
  29. Clin Cancer Res. 2020 Oct 07. pii: clincanres.2589.2020. [Epub ahead of print]
    Novel Methylated DNA Markers in the Surveillance of Colorectal Cancer Recurrence.
    Hao Xie, Douglas W Mahoney, Patrick H Foote, Kelli N Burger, Karen A Doering, William Taylor, Sara S Then, Xiaoming Cao, Maria McGlinch, Calise K Berger, Tsung-Teh Wu, Joleen M Hubbard, Hatim T Allawi, Michael W Kaiser, Graham P Lidgard, David Ahlquist, John B Kisiel.
       PURPOSE: We aimed to assess the concordance of colorectal cancer (CRC)-associated methylated DNA markers (MDMs) in primary and metastatic CRC for feasibility in detection of distantly recurrent/metastatic CRC in plasma.
    EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: A panel of previously discovered CRC-associated MDMs was selected. MDMs from primary and paired metastatic CRC tissue were assayed with quantitative methylation-specific PCR. Plasma MDMs were measured blindly by target enrichment long-probe quantitative amplified signal assays. Random forest modeling was used to derive a prediction algorithm of MDMs in archival plasma samples from primary CRC cases. This algorithm was validated in prospectively collected plasma samples from recurrent CRC cases. The accuracy of the algorithm was summarized as sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC).
    RESULTS: Of the 14 selected MDMs, the concordance between primary and metastatic tissue was considered moderate or higher for 12 MDMs (86%). At a preset specificity of 95% (91-98%), a panel of 13 MDMs in plasma from 97 CRC cases and 200 controls detected stage IV CRC with 100% (80-100%) sensitivity and all stages of CRC with an AUC 0.91 (0.87-0.95), significantly higher than CEA (AUC 0.72 (0.65-0.79)). This panel in plasma from 40 cases, and 60 healthy controls detected recurrent/metastatic CRC with 90% (76-97%) sensitivity with specificity of 90% (79-96%) and an AUC of 0.96 (0.92-1).The panel was positive in 0.30 (0.19-0.43) of 60 patients with no evidence of disease post-operative CRC patients.
    CONCLUSIONS: Plasma assay of novel CRC-associated MDMs can reliably detect primary CRC and distantly recurrent CRC with promising accuracy.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-20-2589
  30. J Clin Invest. 2020 Oct 05. pii: 127916. [Epub ahead of print]
    Epigenetic modulator inhibition overcomes temozolomide chemoresistance and antagonizes tumor recurrence of glioblastoma.
    Byoung-San Moon, Mingyang Cai, Grace Lee, Tong Zhao, Xiaofeng Song, Steven L Giannotta, Frank J Attenello, Min Yu, Wange Lu.
      Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) heterogeneity causes a greater number of deaths than any other brain tumor, despite the availability of alkylating chemotherapy. GBM stem-like cells (GSCs) contribute to GBM complexity and chemoresistance, but it remains challenging to identify and target GSCs or factors that control their activity. Here, we identified a specific GSC subset and show that activity of these cells is positively regulated by stabilization of methyl CpG binding domain 3 (MBD3) protein. MBD3 binds to CK1A and to BTRCP E3 ubiquitin ligase, triggering MBD3 degradation, suggesting that modulating this circuit could antagonize GBM recurrence. Accordingly, xenograft mice treated with the CK1A activator pyrvinium pamoate (Pyr-Pam) showed enhanced MBD3 degradation in cells expressing high levels of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) and in GSCs, overcoming temozolomide chemoresistance. Pyr-Pam blocked recruitment of MBD3 and the repressive nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex to neurogenesis-associated gene loci and increased acetyl-histone H3 activity and GSC differentiation. We conclude that CK1A/BTRCP/MBD3/NuRD signaling modulates GSC activation and malignancy, and that targeting this signaling could suppress GSC proliferation and GBM recurrence.
    Keywords:  Brain cancer; Drug therapy; Epigenetics; Oncology; Stem cells
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI127916
  31. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Oct 05. pii: 202007160. [Epub ahead of print]
    Estrogen receptor β regulates AKT activity through up-regulation of INPP4B and inhibits migration of prostate cancer cell line PC-3.
    Surendra Chaurasiya, Wanfu Wu, Anders M Strom, Margaret Warner, Jan-Åke Gustafsson.
      Loss of the tumor suppressor, PTEN, is one of the most common findings in prostate cancer (PCa). This loss leads to overactive Akt signaling, which is correlated with increased metastasis and androgen independence. However, another tumor suppressor, inositol-polyphosphate 4-phosphatase type II (INPP4B), can partially compensate for the loss of PTEN. INPP4B is up-regulated by androgens, and this suggests that androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) would lead to hyperactivity of AKT. However, in the present study, we found that in PCa, samples from men treated with ADT, ERβ, and INPP4B expression were maintained in some samples. To investigate the role of ERβ1 in regulation of INPPB, we engineered the highly metastatic PCa cell line, PC3, to express ERβ1. In these cells, INPP4B was induced by ERβ ligands, and this induction was accompanied by inhibition of Akt activity and reduction in cell migration. These findings reveal that, in the absence of androgens, ERβ1 induces INPP4B to dampen AKT signaling. Since the endogenous ERβ ligand, 3β-Adiol, is lost upon long-term ADT, to obtain the beneficial effects of ERβ1 on AKT signaling, an ERβ agonist should be added along with ADT.
    Keywords:  INPP4B; androgen deprivation therapy; estrogen receptor; prostate cancer
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2007160117
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