bims-tucedo 2021-11-07 papers

bims-tucedo

Biomed News

on Tumor cell dormancy

Issue of 2021–11–07
twenty-two papers selected by
Isabel Puig Borreil, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology

Cul4A-DDB1-mediated monoubiquitination of phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase promotes colorectal cancer metastasis via increased S-adenosylmethionine.
FGFR-inhibitor-mediated dismissal of SWI/SNF complexes from YAP-dependent enhancers induces adaptive therapeutic resistance.
Multi-omics analysis identifies therapeutic vulnerabilities in triple-negative breast cancer subtypes.
Human prostate cancer bone metastases have an actionable immunosuppressive microenvironment.
Dendritic cell paucity in mismatch repair-proficient colorectal cancer liver metastases limits immune checkpoint blockade efficacy.
Loss of long non-coding RNA NXTAR in prostate cancer augments androgen receptor expression and enzalutamide resistance.
Genome-wide CRISPR-cas9 knockout screening identifies GRB7 as a driver for MEK inhibitor resistance in KRAS mutant colon cancer.
KMT9 controls stemness and growth of colorectal cancer.
Autophagy Inhibition by Targeting PIKfyve Potentiates Response to Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Prostate Cancer.
Elimination of acquired resistance to PD-1 blockade via the concurrent depletion of tumour cells and immunosuppressive cells.
Aberrant expression and subcellular localization of ECT2 drives colorectal cancer progression and growth.
Mechanisms of Resistance to CDK4/6 Blockade in Advanced Hormone Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer and Emerging Therapeutic Opportunities.
The Q61H mutation decouples KRAS from upstream regulation and renders cancer cells resistant to SHP2 inhibitors.
Reprogrammed transsulfuration promotes basal-like breast tumor progression via realigning cellular cysteine persulfidation.
The EMT activator ZEB1 accelerates endosomal trafficking to establish a polarity axis in lung adenocarcinoma cells.
Fasting-mimicking diet blocks triple-negative breast cancer and cancer stem cell escape.
CRISPR interference and activation of the microRNA-3662-HBP1 axis control progression of triple-negative breast cancer.
FARP1, ARHGEF39, and TIAM2 are essential receptor tyrosine kinase effectors for Rac1-dependent cell motility in human lung adenocarcinoma.
Multispecific targeting of glioblastoma with tumor microenvironment-responsive multifunctional engineered NK cells.
EGF-SNX3-EGFR axis drives tumor progression and metastasis in triple-negative breast cancers.
Loss of FBXW7 correlates with increased IDH1 expression in glioma and enhances IDH1-mutant cancer cell sensitivity to radiation.
Tumour DDR1 promotes collagen fibre alignment to instigate immune exclusion.

J Clin Invest. 2021 Nov 01. pii: e146187. [Epub ahead of print]131(21):

Cul4A-DDB1-mediated monoubiquitination of phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase promotes colorectal cancer metastasis via increased S-adenosylmethionine.

Yajuan Zhang, Hua Yu, Jie Zhang, Hong Gao, Siyao Wang, Shuxian Li, Ping Wei, Ji Liang, Guanzhen Yu, Xiongjun Wang, Xinxiang Li, Dawei Li, Weiwei Yang.

  Although serine metabolism plays a crucial role in the proliferation and survival of tumor cells, how it supports tumor cell migration remains poorly understood. Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) catalyzes the oxidation of 3-phosphoglycerate to 3-phosphonooxypyruvate, the first committed step in de novo serine biosynthesis. Here we show that PHGDH was monoubiquitinated by cullin 4A-based E3 ligase complex at lysine 146 in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells, which enhanced PHGDH activity by recruiting a chaperone protein, DnaJ homolog subfamily A member 1, to promote its tetrameric formation, thereby increasing the levels of serine, glycine, and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). Increased levels of SAM upregulated the expression of cell adhesion genes (laminin subunit gamma 2 and cysteine rich angiogenic inducer 61) by initiating SET domain containing 1A-mediated trimethylation of histone H3K4, thereby promoting tumor cell migration and CRC metastasis. Intriguingly, SAM levels in tumors or blood samples correlated with the metastatic recurrence of patients with CRC. Our finding not only reveals a potentially new role and mechanism of SAM-promoted tumor metastasis but also demonstrates a regulatory mechanism of PHGDH activity by monoubiquitination.

Keywords:  Amino acid metabolism; Cell migration/adhesion; Colorectal cancer; Metabolism; Oncology

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI146187
Nat Cell Biol. 2021 Nov 04.

FGFR-inhibitor-mediated dismissal of SWI/SNF complexes from YAP-dependent enhancers induces adaptive therapeutic resistance.

Yihao Li, Xintao Qiu, Xiaoqing Wang, Hui Liu, Renee C Geck, Alok K Tewari, Tengfei Xiao, Alba Font-Tello, Klothilda Lim, Kristen L Jones, Murry Morrow, Raga Vadhi, Pei-Lun Kao, Aliya Jaber, Smitha Yerrum, Yingtian Xie, Kin-Hoe Chow, Paloma Cejas, Quang-Dé Nguyen, Henry W Long, X Shirley Liu, Alex Toker, Myles Brown.

How cancer cells adapt to evade the therapeutic effects of drugs targeting oncogenic drivers is poorly understood. Here we report an epigenetic mechanism leading to the adaptive resistance of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) to fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitors. Prolonged FGFR inhibition suppresses the function of BRG1-dependent chromatin remodelling, leading to an epigenetic state that derepresses YAP-associated enhancers. These chromatin changes induce the expression of several amino acid transporters, resulting in increased intracellular levels of specific amino acids that reactivate mTORC1. Consistent with this mechanism, addition of mTORC1 or YAP inhibitors to FGFR blockade synergistically attenuated the growth of TNBC patient-derived xenograft models. Collectively, these findings reveal a feedback loop involving an epigenetic state transition and metabolic reprogramming that leads to adaptive therapeutic resistance and provides potential therapeutic strategies to overcome this mechanism of resistance.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-021-00781-z
Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 01. 12(1): 6276

Multi-omics analysis identifies therapeutic vulnerabilities in triple-negative breast cancer subtypes.

Brian D Lehmann, Antonio Colaprico, Tiago C Silva, Jianjiao Chen, Hanbing An, Yuguang Ban, Hanchen Huang, Lily Wang, Jamaal L James, Justin M Balko, Paula I Gonzalez-Ericsson, Melinda E Sanders, Bing Zhang, Jennifer A Pietenpol, X Steven Chen.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a collection of biologically diverse cancers characterized by distinct transcriptional patterns, biology, and immune composition. TNBCs subtypes include two basal-like (BL1, BL2), a mesenchymal (M) and a luminal androgen receptor (LAR) subtype. Through a comprehensive analysis of mutation, copy number, transcriptomic, epigenetic, proteomic, and phospho-proteomic patterns we describe the genomic landscape of TNBC subtypes. Mesenchymal subtype tumors display high mutation loads, genomic instability, absence of immune cells, low PD-L1 expression, decreased global DNA methylation, and transcriptional repression of antigen presentation genes. We demonstrate that major histocompatibility complex I (MHC-I) is transcriptionally suppressed by H3K27me3 modifications by the polycomb repressor complex 2 (PRC2). Pharmacological inhibition of PRC2 subunits EZH2 or EED restores MHC-I expression and enhances chemotherapy efficacy in murine tumor models, providing a rationale for using PRC2 inhibitors in PD-L1 negative mesenchymal tumors. Subtype-specific differences in immune cell composition and differential genetic/pharmacological vulnerabilities suggest additional treatment strategies for TNBC.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26502-6
Cancer Cell. 2021 Oct 15. pii: S1535-6108(21)00494-3. [Epub ahead of print]

Human prostate cancer bone metastases have an actionable immunosuppressive microenvironment.

as part of the Boston Bone Metastases Consortium

  Bone metastases are devastating complications of cancer. They are particularly common in prostate cancer (PCa), represent incurable disease, and are refractory to immunotherapy. We seek to define distinct features of the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment by analyzing single cells from bone metastatic prostate tumors, involved BM, uninvolved BM, and BM from cancer-free, orthopedic patients, and healthy individuals. Metastatic PCa is associated with multifaceted immune distortion, specifically exhaustion of distinct T cell subsets, appearance of macrophages with states specific to PCa bone metastases. The chemokine CCL20 is notably overexpressed by myeloid cells, as is its cognate CCR6 receptor on T cells. Disruption of the CCL20-CCR6 axis in mice with syngeneic PCa bone metastases restores T cell reactivity and significantly prolongs animal survival. Comparative high-resolution analysis of PCa bone metastases shows a targeted approach for relieving local immunosuppression for therapeutic effect.

Keywords:  T cell exhaustion; bone marrow; bone metastasis; human; mouse model; prostate cancer bone metastasis; single-cell RNA sequencing; single-cell landscape

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2021.09.005
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Nov 09. pii: e2105323118. [Epub ahead of print]118(45):

Dendritic cell paucity in mismatch repair-proficient colorectal cancer liver metastases limits immune checkpoint blockade efficacy.

William W Ho, Igor L Gomes-Santos, Shuichi Aoki, Meenal Datta, Kosuke Kawaguchi, Nilesh P Talele, Sylvie Roberge, Jun Ren, Hao Liu, Ivy X Chen, Patrik Andersson, Sampurna Chatterjee, Ashwin S Kumar, Zohreh Amoozgar, Qixian Zhang, Peigen Huang, Mei Rosa Ng, Vikash P Chauhan, Lei Xu, Dan G Duda, Jeffrey W Clark, Mikael J Pittet, Dai Fukumura, Rakesh K Jain.

  Liver metastasis is a major cause of mortality for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Mismatch repair-proficient (pMMR) CRCs make up about 95% of metastatic CRCs, and are unresponsive to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Here we show that mouse models of orthotopic pMMR CRC liver metastasis accurately recapitulate the inefficacy of ICB therapy in patients, whereas the same pMMR CRC tumors are sensitive to ICB therapy when grown subcutaneously. To reveal local, nonmalignant components that determine CRC sensitivity to treatment, we compared the microenvironments of pMMR CRC cells grown as liver metastases and subcutaneous tumors. We found a paucity of both activated T cells and dendritic cells in ICB-treated orthotopic liver metastases, when compared with their subcutaneous tumor counterparts. Furthermore, treatment with Feline McDonough sarcoma (FMS)-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3L) plus ICB therapy increased dendritic cell infiltration into pMMR CRC liver metastases and improved mouse survival. Lastly, we show that human CRC liver metastases and microsatellite stable (MSS) primary CRC have a similar paucity of T cells and dendritic cells. These studies indicate that orthotopic tumor models, but not subcutaneous models, should be used to guide human clinical trials. Our findings also posit dendritic cells as antitumor components that can increase the efficacy of immunotherapies against pMMR CRC.

Keywords:  cancer immunotherapy; immune checkpoint blockade; mismatch repair–proficient colorectal cancer; orthotopic tumor model; tumor immune microenvironment

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2105323118
Cancer Res. 2021 Nov 05. pii: canres.3845.2020. [Epub ahead of print]

Loss of long non-coding RNA NXTAR in prostate cancer augments androgen receptor expression and enzalutamide resistance.

Ruchi Ghildiyal, Mithila Sawant, Arun Renganathan, Kiran Mahajan, Eric H Kim, Jingqin Luo, Ha X Dang, Christopher A Maher, Felix Y Feng, Nupam P Mahajan.

Androgen receptor (AR) signaling continues to play a dominant role in all stages of prostate cancer (PC), including castration-resistant prostate cancers (CRPC) that have developed resistance to second-generation AR antagonists such as enzalutamide. In this study, we identified a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), NXTAR (LOC105373241), that is located convergent with the AR gene and is repressed in human prostate tumors and cell lines. NXTAR bound upstream of the AR promoter and promoted EZH2 recruitment, causing significant loss of AR (and AR-V7) expression. Paradoxically, AR bound the NXTAR promoter, and inhibition of AR by the ACK1/TNK2 small molecule inhibitor (R)-9b excluded AR from the NXTAR promoter. The histone acetyltransferase GCN5 bound and deposited H3K14 acetylation marks, enhancing NXTAR expression. Application of an oligonucleotide derived from NXTAR exon 5 (NXTAR-N5) suppressed AR/AR-V7 expression and prostate cancer cell proliferation, indicating the translational relevance of the negative regulation of AR. In addition, pharmacological restoration of NXTAR using (R)-9b abrogated enzalutamide-resistant prostate xenograft tumor growth. Overall, this study uncovers a positive feedback loop, wherein NXTAR acts as a novel prostate tumor-suppressing lncRNA by inhibiting AR/AR-V7 expression, which in turn upregulates NXTAR levels, compromising enzalutamide-resistant prostate cancer. The restoration of NXTAR could serve as a new therapeutic modality for patients who have acquired resistance to second-generation AR antagonists.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-20-3845
Oncogene. 2021 Oct 30.

Genome-wide CRISPR-cas9 knockout screening identifies GRB7 as a driver for MEK inhibitor resistance in KRAS mutant colon cancer.

Chune Yu, Dan Luo, Jing Yu, Min Zhang, Xiaobo Zheng, Guangchao Xu, Jiaxin Wang, Huiling Wang, Yufei Xu, Ke Jiang, Jie Xu, Xuelei Ma, Jing Jing, Hubing Shi.

Targeting the KRAS pathway is a promising but challenging approach for colorectal cancer therapy. Despite showing potent efficacy in BRAF-mutated melanoma, MEK inhibitors appeared to be tolerated by colorectal cancer cells due to their intrinsic compensatory signaling. Here, we performed genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screening in the presence of MEK inhibitor to identify genes that are synthetically lethal with MEK inhibition in CRC models harboring KRAS mutations. Several genes were identified as potential functional drivers, which were significantly enriched in the GRB7-mediated RTK pathway. Loss-of-function and gain-of-function assays validated that GRB7 potently rendered CRC cells primary resistance to MEK inhibitors through the RTK pathway. Mass spectrum analysis of GRB7 immunoprecipitates revealed that PLK1 was the predominant interacting kinase of GRB7. Inhibition of PLK1 suppressed downstream signaling of RTK, including FAK, STAT3, AKT, and 4EBP1. The combination of PLK1 and MEK inhibitors synergistically inhibited CRC cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, we identified GRB7-PLK1 as a pivotal axis mediating RTKs, resulting in MEK inhibitor tolerance. PLK1 is therefore a promising target for synergizing MEK inhibitors in the clinical treatment of CRC patients harboring KRAS mutations.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-021-02077-w
Cancer Res. 2021 Nov 04. pii: canres.1261.2021. [Epub ahead of print]

KMT9 controls stemness and growth of colorectal cancer.

Christopher Berlin, Felicie Cottard, Dominica Willmann, Sylvia Urban, Stephan M Tirier, Lisa Marx, Karsten Rippe, Mark Schmitt, Valentina Petrocelli, Florian R Greten, Stefan Fichtner-Feigl, Rebecca Kesselring, Eric Metzger, Roland Schüle.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the leading causes of cancer-associated deaths worldwide. Treatment failure and tumor recurrence due to survival of therapy-resistant cancer stem/initiating cells represent major clinical issues to overcome. In this study, we identified lysine methyltransferase 9 (KMT9), an obligate heterodimer composed of KMT9α and KMT9β that monomethylates histone H4 at lysine 12 (H4K12me1), as an important regulator in colorectal tumorigenesis. KMT9α and KMT9β were overexpressed in CRC and colocalized with H4K12me1 at promoters of target genes involved in the regulation of proliferation. Ablation of KMT9α drastically reduced colorectal tumorigenesis in mice and prevented the growth of murine as well as human patient-derived tumor organoids. Moreover, loss of KMT9α impaired the maintenance and function of CRC stem/initiating cells and induced apoptosis specifically in this cellular compartment. Together, these data suggest that KMT9 is an important regulator of colorectal carcinogenesis, identifying KMT9 as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of CRC.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-1261
Nat Cancer. 2021 Sep;2 978-993

Autophagy Inhibition by Targeting PIKfyve Potentiates Response to Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Prostate Cancer.

Yuanyuan Qiao, Jae Eun Choi, Jean C Tien, Stephanie A Simko, Thekkelnaycke Rajendiran, Josh N Vo, Andrew D Delekta, Lisha Wang, Lanbo Xiao, Nathan B Hodge, Parth Desai, Sergio Mendoza, Kristin Juckette, Alice Xu, Tanu Soni, Fengyun Su, Rui Wang, Xuhong Cao, Jiali Yu, Ilona Kryczek, Xiao-Ming Wang, Xiaoju Wang, Javed Siddiqui, Zhen Wang, Amélie Bernard, Ester Fernandez-Salas, Nora M Navone, Stephanie J Ellison, Ke Ding, Eeva-Liisa Eskelinen, Elisabeth I Heath, Daniel J Klionsky, Weiping Zou, Arul M Chinnaiyan.

Multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (MTKIs) have thus far had limited success in the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Here, we report a phase I-cleared orally bioavailable MTKI, ESK981, with a novel autophagy inhibitory property that decreased tumor growth in diverse preclinical models of CRPC. The anti-tumor activity of ESK981 was maximized in immunocompetent tumor environments where it upregulated CXCL10 expression through the interferon gamma pathway and promoted functional T cell infiltration, which resulted in enhanced therapeutic response to immune checkpoint blockade. Mechanistically, we identify the lipid kinase PIKfyve as the direct target of ESK981. PIKfyve-knockdown recapitulated ESK981's anti-tumor activity and enhanced the therapeutic benefit of immune checkpoint blockade. Our study reveals that targeting PIKfyve via ESK981 turns tumors from cold into hot through inhibition of autophagy, which may prime the tumor immune microenvironment in advanced prostate cancer patients and be an effective treatment strategy alone or in combination with immunotherapies.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43018-021-00237-1
Nat Biomed Eng. 2021 Nov 01.

Elimination of acquired resistance to PD-1 blockade via the concurrent depletion of tumour cells and immunosuppressive cells.

Gang Xue, Ziyu Wang, Ningbo Zheng, Jing Fang, Chengqiong Mao, Xiaoyin Li, Guangxu Jin, Xin Ming, Yong Lu.

Antigen release resulting from the death of tumour cells induced by chemotherapies and targeted therapies can augment the antitumour responses induced by immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). However, tumours responding to ICB therapies often become resistant to them. Here we show that the specific targeting of tumour cells promotes the growth of tumour-cell variants that are resistant to ICB, and that the acquired resistance can be overcome via the concurrent depletion of tumour cells and of major types of immunosuppressive cell via a monoclonal antibody binding the enzyme CD73, which we identified as highly expressed on tumour cells and on regulatory T cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells and tumour-associated macrophages, but not on cytolytic T lymphocytes, natural killer cells and dendritic cells. In mice with murine tumours, the systemic administration of anti-PD1 antibodies and anti-CD73 antibodies conjugated to a near-infrared dye prevented near-infrared-irradiated tumours from acquiring resistance to ICB and resulted in the eradication of advanced tumours. The elimination of immunosuppressive cells may overcome acquired resistance to ICB across a range of tumour types and combination therapies.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-021-00799-6
Cancer Res. 2021 Nov 04. pii: canres.4218.2020. [Epub ahead of print]

Aberrant expression and subcellular localization of ECT2 drives colorectal cancer progression and growth.

Danielle R Cook, Melissa Kang, Timothy D Martin, Joseph A Galanko, Gabriela H Loeza, Dimitri G Trembath, Verline Justilien, Karen A Pickering, David F Vincent, Armin Jarosch, Philipp Jurmeister, Andrew M Waters, Priya S Hibshman, Andrew D Campbell, Catriona A Ford, Temitope O Keku, Jen Jen Yeh, Michael S Lee, Adrienne D Cox, Alan P Fields, Robert S Sandler, Owen J Sansom, Christine Sers, Antje Schaefer, Channing J Der.

ECT2 is an activator of RHO GTPases that is essential for cytokinesis. Additionally, ECT2 was identified as an oncoprotein when expressed ectopically in NIH/3T3 fibroblasts. However, oncogenic activation of ECT2 resulted from N-terminal truncation, and such truncated ECT2 proteins have not been found in cancer patients. In this study, we observed elevated expression of full-length ECT2 protein in preneoplastic colon adenomas, driven by increased ECT2 mRNA abundance and associated with APC tumor suppressor loss. Elevated ECT2 levels were detected in the cytoplasm and nucleus of colorectal cancer (CRC) tissue, suggesting cytoplasmic mislocalization as one mechanism of early oncogenic ECT2 activation. Importantly, elevated nuclear ECT2 correlated with poorly differentiated tumors, and a low cytoplasmic:nuclear ratio of ECT2 protein correlated with poor patient survival, suggesting that nuclear and cytoplasmic ECT2 play distinct roles in CRC. Depletion of ECT2 reduced anchorage-independent cancer cell growth and invasion independent of its function in cytokinesis, and loss of Ect2 extended survival in a KrasG12D Apc-null colon cancer mouse model. Expression of ECT2 variants with impaired nuclear localization or guanine nucleotide exchange catalytic activity failed to restore cancer cell growth or invasion, indicating that active, nuclear ECT2 is required to support tumor progression. Nuclear ECT2 promoted ribosomal DNA transcription and ribosome biogenesis in CRC. These results support a driver role for both cytoplasmic and nuclear ECT2 overexpression in CRC and emphasize the critical role of precise subcellular localization in dictating ECT2 function in neoplastic cells.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-20-4218
Clin Cancer Res. 2021 Nov 01. pii: clincanres.2947.2021. [Epub ahead of print]

Mechanisms of Resistance to CDK4/6 Blockade in Advanced Hormone Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer and Emerging Therapeutic Opportunities.

Maxwell R Lloyd, Laura M Spring, Aditya Bardia, Seth A Wander.

The cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) have become the standard of care, in combination with anti-estrogen therapy, for patients with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer. Various preclinical and translational research efforts have begun to shed light on the genomic and molecular landscape of resistance to these agents. Drivers of resistance to CDK4/6i therapy can be broadly subdivided into alterations impacting cell cycle mediators and activation of oncogenic signal transduction pathways. The resistance drivers with the best translational evidence supporting their putative role have been identified via next-generation sequencing of resistant tumor biopsies in the clinic and validated in laboratory models of HR+ breast cancer. Despite the diverse landscape of resistance, several common, therapeutically actionable resistance nodes have been identified, including the mitotic spindle regulator Aurora Kinase A as well as the AKT and MAP kinase signaling pathways. Based upon these insights, precision-guided therapeutic strategies are under active clinical development. This review will highlight the emerging evidence, in the clinic and in the laboratory, implicating this diverse spectrum of molecular resistance drivers.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-2947
Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 01. 12(1): 6274

The Q61H mutation decouples KRAS from upstream regulation and renders cancer cells resistant to SHP2 inhibitors.

Teklab Gebregiworgis, Yoshihito Kano, Jonathan St-Germain, Nikolina Radulovich, Molly L Udaskin, Ahmet Mentes, Richard Huang, Betty P K Poon, Wenguang He, Ivette Valencia-Sama, Claire M Robinson, Melissa Huestis, Jinmin Miao, Jen Jen Yeh, Zhong-Yin Zhang, Meredith S Irwin, Jeffrey E Lee, Ming-Sound Tsao, Brian Raught, Christopher B Marshall, Michael Ohh, Mitsuhiko Ikura.

Cancer cells bearing distinct KRAS mutations exhibit variable sensitivity to SHP2 inhibitors (SHP2i). Here we show that cells harboring KRAS Q61H are uniquely resistant to SHP2i, and investigate the underlying mechanisms using biophysics, molecular dynamics, and cell-based approaches. Q61H mutation impairs intrinsic and GAP-mediated GTP hydrolysis, and impedes activation by SOS1, but does not alter tyrosyl phosphorylation. Wild-type and Q61H-mutant KRAS are both phosphorylated by Src on Tyr32 and Tyr64 and dephosphorylated by SHP2, however, SHP2i does not reduce ERK phosphorylation in KRAS Q61H cells. Phosphorylation of wild-type and Gly12-mutant KRAS, which are associated with sensitivity to SHP2i, confers resistance to regulation by GAP and GEF activities and impairs binding to RAF, whereas the near-complete GAP/GEF-resistance of KRAS Q61H remains unaltered, and high-affinity RAF interaction is retained. SHP2 can stimulate KRAS signaling by modulating GEF/GAP activities and dephosphorylating KRAS, processes that fail to regulate signaling of the Q61H mutant.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26526-y
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Nov 09. pii: e2100050118. [Epub ahead of print]118(45):

Reprogrammed transsulfuration promotes basal-like breast tumor progression via realigning cellular cysteine persulfidation.

Katalin Erdélyi, Tamás Ditrói, Henrik J Johansson, Ágnes Czikora, Noémi Balog, Laxmi Silwal-Pandit, Tomoaki Ida, Judit Olasz, Dorottya Hajdú, Zoltán Mátrai, Orsolya Csuka, Koji Uchida, József Tóvári, Olav Engebraten, Takaaki Akaike, Anne-Lise Børresen Dale, Miklós Kásler, Janne Lehtiö, Péter Nagy.

  Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) is the most aggressive subtype of breast tumors with poor prognosis and limited molecular-targeted therapy options. We show that BLBC cells have a high Cys demand and reprogrammed Cys metabolism. Patient-derived BLBC tumors from four different cohorts exhibited elevated expression of the transsulfuration enzyme cystathione β-synthetase (CBS). CBS silencing (shCBS) made BLBC cells less invasive, proliferate slower, more vulnerable to oxidative stress and cystine (CySSCy) deprivation, prone to ferroptosis, and less responsive to HIF1-α activation under hypoxia. shCBS xenograft tumors grew slower than controls and exhibited impaired angiogenesis and larger necrotic areas. Sulfur metabolite profiling suggested that realigned sulfide/persulfide-inducing functions of CBS are important in BLBC tumor progression. Supporting this, the exclusion of serine, a substrate of CBS for producing Cys but not for producing sulfide/persulfide, did not exacerbate CySSCy deprivation-induced ferroptosis in shCBS BLBC cells. Impaired Tyr phosphorylation was detected in shCBS cells and xenografts, likely due to persulfidation-inhibited phosphatase functions. Overexpression of cystathione γ-lyase (CSE), which can also contribute to cellular sulfide/persulfide production, compensated for the loss of CBS activities, and treatment of shCBS xenografts with a CSE inhibitor further blocked tumor growth. Glutathione and protein-Cys levels were not diminished in shCBS cells or xenografts, but levels of Cys persulfidation and the persulfide-catabolizing enzyme ETHE1 were suppressed. Finally, expression of enzymes of the oxidizing Cys catabolism pathway was diminished, but expression of the persulfide-producing CARS2 was elevated in human BLBC tumors. Hence, the persulfide-producing pathways are major targetable determinants of BLBC pathology that could be therapeutically exploited.

Keywords:  basal-like breast cancer; cystathione β-synthetase; hydrogen sulfide; persulfide; transsulfuration

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2100050118
Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 03. 12(1): 6354

The EMT activator ZEB1 accelerates endosomal trafficking to establish a polarity axis in lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Priyam Banerjee, Guan-Yu Xiao, Xiaochao Tan, Veronica J Zheng, Lei Shi, Maria Neus Bota Rabassedas, Hou-Fu Guo, Xin Liu, Jiang Yu, Lixia Diao, Jing Wang, William K Russell, Jason Roszik, Chad J Creighton, Jonathan M Kurie.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a transcriptionally governed process by which cancer cells establish a front-rear polarity axis that facilitates motility and invasion. Dynamic assembly of focal adhesions and other actin-based cytoskeletal structures on the leading edge of motile cells requires precise spatial and temporal control of protein trafficking. Yet, the way in which EMT-activating transcriptional programs interface with vesicular trafficking networks that effect cell polarity change remains unclear. Here, by utilizing multiple approaches to assess vesicular transport dynamics through endocytic recycling and retrograde trafficking pathways in lung adenocarcinoma cells at distinct positions on the EMT spectrum, we find that the EMT-activating transcription factor ZEB1 accelerates endocytosis and intracellular trafficking of plasma membrane-bound proteins. ZEB1 drives turnover of the MET receptor tyrosine kinase by hastening receptor endocytosis and transport to the lysosomal compartment for degradation. ZEB1 relieves a plus-end-directed microtubule-dependent kinesin motor protein (KIF13A) and a clathrin-associated adaptor protein complex subunit (AP1S2) from microRNA-dependent silencing, thereby accelerating cargo transport through the endocytic recycling and retrograde vesicular pathways, respectively. Depletion of KIF13A or AP1S2 mitigates ZEB1-dependent focal adhesion dynamics, front-rear axis polarization, and cancer cell motility. Thus, ZEB1-dependent transcriptional networks govern vesicular trafficking dynamics to effect cell polarity change.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26677-y
Cell Metab. 2021 Nov 02. pii: S1550-4131(21)00486-1. [Epub ahead of print]33(11): 2247-2259.e6

Fasting-mimicking diet blocks triple-negative breast cancer and cancer stem cell escape.

Giulia Salvadori, Federica Zanardi, Fabio Iannelli, Riccardo Lobefaro, Claudio Vernieri, Valter D Longo.

  Metastatic tumors remain lethal due to primary/acquired resistance to therapy or cancer stem cell (CSC)-mediated repopulation. We show that a fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) activates starvation escape pathways in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells, which can be identified and targeted by drugs. In CSCs, FMD lowers glucose-dependent protein kinase A signaling and stemness markers to reduce cell number and increase mouse survival. Accordingly, metastatic TNBC patients with lower glycemia survive longer than those with higher baseline glycemia. By contrast, in differentiated cancer cells, FMD activates PI3K-AKT, mTOR, and CDK4/6 as survival/growth pathways, which can be targeted by drugs to promote tumor regression. FMD cycles also prevent hyperglycemia and other toxicities caused by these drugs. These data indicate that FMD has wide and differential effects on normal, cancer, and CSCs, allowing the rapid identification and targeting of starvation escape pathways and providing a method potentially applicable to many malignancies.

Keywords:  CDK4/6; PI3K/AKT; PKA; cancer stem cells; fasting; fasting-mimicking diet; glucose; mTOR; starvation escape pathways; triple-negative breast cancer

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2021.10.008
Oncogene. 2021 Nov 02.

CRISPR interference and activation of the microRNA-3662-HBP1 axis control progression of triple-negative breast cancer.

Baozhu Yi, Shuaibin Wang, Xinran Wang, Zhichao Liu, Chao Zhang, Ming Li, Song Gao, Shi Wei, Sejong Bae, Erica Stringer-Reasor, Lizhong Wang, Runhua Liu.

MicroRNA-3662 (miR-3662) is minimally expressed in normal human tissues but is highly expressed in all types of cancers, including breast cancer. As determined with The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset, miR-3662 expression is higher in triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) and African American breast cancers than in other breast cancer types. However, the functional role of miR-3662 remains a topic of debate. Here, we found that inhibition or knockout of endogenous, mature miR-3662 in TNBC cells suppresses proliferation and migration in vitro and tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Functional analysis revealed that, for TNBC cells, knockout of miR-3662 reduces the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Furthermore, using CRISPR-mediated miR-3662 activation and repression, dual-luciferase assays, and miRNA/mRNA immunoprecipitation assays, we established that HMG-box transcription factor 1 (HBP-1), a Wnt/β-catenin signaling inhibitor, is a target of miR-3662 and is most likely responsible for miR-3662-mediated TNBC cell proliferation. Our results suggest that miR-3662 has an oncogenic function in tumor progression and metastasis via an miR-3662-HBP1 axis, regulating the Wnt /β-catenin signaling pathway in TNBC cells. Since miR-3662 expression occurs a tumor-specific manner, it is a promising biomarker and therapeutic target for patients who have TNBCs with dysregulation of miR-3662, especially African Americans.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-021-02089-6
Cell Rep. 2021 Nov 02. pii: S2211-1247(21)01375-9. [Epub ahead of print]37(5): 109905

FARP1, ARHGEF39, and TIAM2 are essential receptor tyrosine kinase effectors for Rac1-dependent cell motility in human lung adenocarcinoma.

Mariana Cooke, Gabriel Kreider-Letterman, Martin J Baker, Suli Zhang, Neil T Sullivan, Evgeniy Eruslanov, Martin C Abba, Silvia M Goicoechea, Rafael García-Mata, Marcelo G Kazanietz.

  Despite the undisputable role of the small GTPase Rac1 in the regulation of actin cytoskeleton reorganization, the Rac guanine-nucleotide exchange factors (Rac-GEFs) involved in Rac1-mediated motility and invasion in human lung adenocarcinoma cells remain largely unknown. Here, we identify FARP1, ARHGEF39, and TIAM2 as essential Rac-GEFs responsible for Rac1-mediated lung cancer cell migration upon EGFR and c-Met activation. Noteworthily, these Rac-GEFs operate in a non-redundant manner by controlling distinctive aspects of ruffle dynamics formation. Mechanistic analysis reveals a leading role of the AXL-Gab1-PI3K axis in conferring pro-motility traits downstream of EGFR. Along with the positive association between the overexpression of Rac-GEFs and poor lung adenocarcinoma patient survival, we show that FARP1 and ARHGEF39 are upregulated in EpCam+ cells sorted from primary human lung adenocarcinomas. Overall, our study reveals fundamental insights into the complex intricacies underlying Rac-GEF-mediated cancer cell motility signaling, hence underscoring promising targets for metastatic lung cancer therapy.

Keywords:  ARHGEF39; AXL; EGFR; FARP1; Rac-GEF; Rac1; TIAM2; lung cancer; migration; ruffles

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109905
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Nov 09. pii: e2107507118. [Epub ahead of print]118(45):

Multispecific targeting of glioblastoma with tumor microenvironment-responsive multifunctional engineered NK cells.

Jiao Wang, Sandra Toregrosa-Allen, Bennett D Elzey, Sagar Utturkar, Nadia Atallah Lanman, Victor Bernal-Crespo, Matthew M Behymer, Gregory T Knipp, Yeonhee Yun, Michael C Veronesi, Anthony L Sinn, Karen E Pollok, Randy R Brutkiewicz, Kathryn S Nevel, Sandro Matosevic.

  Tumor antigen heterogeneity, a severely immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and lymphopenia resulting in inadequate immune intratumoral trafficking, have rendered glioblastoma (GBM) highly resistant to therapy. To address these obstacles, here we describe a unique, sophisticated combinatorial platform for GBM: a cooperative multifunctional immunotherapy based on genetically engineered human natural killer (NK) cells bearing multiple antitumor functions including local tumor responsiveness that addresses key drivers of GBM resistance to therapy: antigen escape, immunometabolic reprogramming of immune responses, and poor immune cell homing. We engineered dual-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) NK cells to bear a third functional moiety that is activated in the GBM TME and addresses immunometabolic suppression of NK cell function: a tumor-specific, locally released antibody fragment which can inhibit the activity of CD73 independently of CAR signaling and decrease the local concentration of adenosine. The multifunctional human NK cells targeted patient-derived GBM xenografts, demonstrated local tumor site-specific activity in the tissue, and potently suppressed adenosine production. We also unveil a complex reorganization of the immunological profile of GBM induced by inhibiting autophagy. Pharmacologic impairment of the autophagic process not only sensitized GBM to antigenic targeting by NK cells but promoted a chemotactic profile favorable to NK infiltration. Taken together, our study demonstrates a promising NK cell-based combinatorial strategy that can target multiple clinically recognized mechanisms of GBM progression simultaneously.

Keywords:  CD73; autophagy; glioblastoma; immunotherapy; natural killer cells

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2107507118
Oncogene. 2021 Oct 30.

EGF-SNX3-EGFR axis drives tumor progression and metastasis in triple-negative breast cancers.

Esra Cicek, Ayca Circir, Merve Oyken, Ozge Akbulut Caliskan, Didem Naz Dioken, Sezen Guntekin Ergun, Rengul Cetin-Atalay, Aysegul Sapmaz, Huib Ovaa, Ozgur Sahin, Ayse Elif Erson-Bensan.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has critical roles in epithelial cell physiology. Over-expression and over-activation of EGFR have been implicated in diverse cancers, including triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs), prompting anti-EGFR therapies. Therefore, developing potent therapies and addressing the inevitable drug resistance mechanisms necessitates deciphering of EGFR related networks. Here, we describe Sorting Nexin 3 (SNX3), a member of the recycling retromer complex, as a critical player in the epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulated EGFR network in TNBCs. We show that SNX3 is an immediate and sustained target of EGF stimulation initially at the protein level and later at the transcriptional level, causing increased SNX3 abundance. Using a proximity labeling approach, we observed increased interaction of SNX3 and EGFR upon EGF stimulation. We also detected colocalization of SNX3 with early endosomes and endocytosed EGF. Moreover, we show that EGFR protein levels are sensitive to SNX3 loss. Transient RNAi models of SNX3 downregulation have a temporary reduction in EGFR levels. In contrast, long-term silencing forces cells to recover and overexpress EGFR mRNA and protein, resulting in increased proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion in TNBC cells, and increased tumor growth and metastasis in syngeneic models. Consistent with these results, low SNX3 and high EGFR mRNA levels correlate with poor relapse-free survival in breast cancer patients. Overall, our results suggest that SNX3 is a critical player in the EGFR network in TNBCs with implications for other cancers dependent on EGFR activity.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-021-02086-9
Cancer Res. 2021 Nov 04. pii: canres.0384.2021. [Epub ahead of print]

Loss of FBXW7 correlates with increased IDH1 expression in glioma and enhances IDH1-mutant cancer cell sensitivity to radiation.

Zhuo Yang, Nan Hu, Weiwei Wang, Weihua Hu, Shaolong Zhou, Jianxiang Shi, Minghe Li, Zhou Jing, Chao Chen, Xuyang Zhang, Ruyi Yang, Xudong Fu, Xinjun Wang.

F-box and WD repeat domain containing 7 (FBXW7) is a substrate receptor of the ubiquitin ligase SKP1-Cullin1-F-box complex and a potent tumor suppressor that prevents unregulated cell growth and tumorigenesis. However, little is known about FBXW7-mediated control of cell metabolism and related functions in cancer therapy. Here, we report that FBXW7 expression inversely correlates with the expression levels of the key metabolic enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) in glioma patients and public glioma datasets. Deletion of FBXW7 significantly increased both wild type (WT) and mutant IDH1 expression, which was mediated by blocking degradation of sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP1). The upregulation of neomorphic mutant IDH1 by FBXW7 deletion stimulated production of the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG) at the expense of increasing pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) activity and NADPH consumption, limiting the buffering ability against radiation-induced oxidative stress. Additionally, FBXW7 knockout and IDH1 mutations induced non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR) defects, respectively. In vitro and in vivo, loss of FBXW7 dramatically enhanced the efficacy of radiation treatment in IDH1 mutant cancer cells. Taken together, this work identifies FBXW7 deficiency as a potential biomarker representing both DNA repair and metabolic vulnerabilities that sensitizes IDH1 mutant cancers to radiotherapy.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-0384
Nature. 2021 Nov 03.

Tumour DDR1 promotes collagen fibre alignment to instigate immune exclusion.

Xiujie Sun, Bogang Wu, Huai-Chin Chiang, Hui Deng, Xiaowen Zhang, Wei Xiong, Junquan Liu, Aaron M Rozeboom, Brent T Harris, Eline Blommaert, Antonio Gomez, Roderic Espin Garcia, Yufan Zhou, Payal Mitra, Madeleine Prevost, Deyi Zhang, Debarati Banik, Claudine Isaacs, Deborah Berry, Catherine Lai, Krysta Chaldekas, Patricia S Latham, Christine A Brantner, Anastas Popratiloff, Victor X Jin, Ningyan Zhang, Yanfen Hu, Miguel Angel Pujana, Tyler J Curiel, Zhiqiang An, Rong Li.

Immune exclusion predicts poor patient outcomes in multiple malignancies, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)1. The extracellular matrix (ECM) contributes to immune exclusion2. However, strategies to reduce ECM abundance are largely ineffective or generate undesired outcomes3,4. Here we show that discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1), a collagen receptor with tyrosine kinase activity5, instigates immune exclusion by promoting collagen fibre alignment. Ablation of Ddr1 in tumours promotes the intratumoral penetration of T cells and obliterates tumour growth in mouse models of TNBC. Supporting this finding, in human TNBC the expression of DDR1 negatively correlates with the intratumoral abundance of anti-tumour T cells. The DDR1 extracellular domain (DDR1-ECD), but not its intracellular kinase domain, is required for immune exclusion. Membrane-untethered DDR1-ECD is sufficient to rescue the growth of Ddr1-knockout tumours in immunocompetent hosts. Mechanistically, the binding of DDR1-ECD to collagen enforces aligned collagen fibres and obstructs immune infiltration. ECD-neutralizing antibodies disrupt collagen fibre alignment, mitigate immune exclusion and inhibit tumour growth in immunocompetent hosts. Together, our findings identify a mechanism for immune exclusion and suggest an immunotherapeutic target for increasing immune accessibility through reconfiguration of the tumour ECM.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04057-2