bims-tucedo Biomed News
on Tumor cell dormancy
Issue of 2021‒11‒28
eighteen papers selected by
Isabel Puig Borreil
Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology
  1. The Role of the Innate Immune System in Cancer Dormancy and Relapse.
  2. An NR2F1-specific agonist suppresses metastasis by inducing cancer cell dormancy.
  3. Inhibition of XPO1 sensitizes small cell lung cancer to first- and second-line chemotherapy.
  4. Modulation of Immune Components on Stem Cell and Dormancy in Cancer.
  5. CST6 protein and peptides inhibit breast cancer bone metastasis by suppressing CTSB activity and osteoclastogenesis.
  6. Antimetastatic defense by CD8+ T cells.
  7. Mammary tumour cells remodel the bone marrow vascular microenvironment to support metastasis.
  8. The amoeboid state as part of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition programme.
  9. Statins affect cancer cell plasticity with distinct consequences for tumor progression and metastasis.
  10. Analysis of the estrogen receptor-associated lncRNA landscape identifies a role for ERLC1 in breast cancer progression.
  11. WEE1 inhibition induces anti-tumor immunity by activating ERV and the dsRNA pathway.
  12. USP32 confers cancer cell resistance to YM155 via promoting ER-associated degradation of solute carrier protein SLC35F2.
  13. Quinacrine-CASIN combination overcomes chemoresistance in human acute lymphoid leukemia.
  14. Suppression of breast cancer progression by FBXL16 via oxygen-independent regulation of HIF1α stability.
  15. A high OXPHOS CD8 T cell subset is predictive of immunotherapy resistance in melanoma patients.
  16. Nuclear-capture of endosomes depletes nuclear G-actin to promote SRF/MRTF activation and cancer cell invasion.
  17. ECM stiffness-tuned exosomes drive breast cancer motility through thrombospondin-1.
  18. Protein kinase Cι and SRC signaling define reciprocally related subgroups of glioblastoma with distinct therapeutic vulnerabilities.
  1. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Nov 10. pii: 5621. [Epub ahead of print]13(22):
    The Role of the Innate Immune System in Cancer Dormancy and Relapse.
    Noah M Chernosky, Ilaria Tamagno.
      Metastatic spread and recurrence are intimately linked to therapy failure, which remains an overarching clinical challenge for patients with cancer. Cancer cells often disseminate early in the disease process and can remain dormant for years or decades before re-emerging as metastatic disease, often after successful treatment. The interactions of dormant cancer cells and their metastatic niche, comprised of various stromal and immune cells, can determine the length of time that cancer cells remain dormant, as well as when they reactivate. New studies are defining how innate immune cells in the primary tumor may be corrupted to help facilitate many aspects of dissemination and re-emergence from a dormant state. Although the scientific literature has partially shed light on the drivers of immune escape in cancer, the specific mechanisms regulating metastasis and dormancy in the context of anti-tumor immunity are still mostly unknown. This review follows the journey of metastatic cells from dissemination to dormancy and the onset of metastatic outgrowth and recurrent tumor development, with emphasis on the role of the innate immune system. To this end, further research identifying how immune cells interact with cancer cells at each step of cancer progression will pave the way for new therapies that target the reactivation of dormant cancer cells into recurrent, metastatic cancers.
    Keywords:  MDSC; NK cells; circulating tumor cells; dormancy; immune surveillance; macrophages; metastasis; neutrophils
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13225621
  2. J Exp Med. 2022 Jan 03. pii: e20210836. [Epub ahead of print]219(1):
    An NR2F1-specific agonist suppresses metastasis by inducing cancer cell dormancy.
    Bassem D Khalil, Roberto Sanchez, Tasrina Rahman, Carolina Rodriguez-Tirado, Stefan Moritsch, Alba Rodriguez Martinez, Brett Miles, Eduardo Farias, Mihaly Mezei, Ana Rita Nobre, Deepak Singh, Nupura Kale, Karl Christoph Sproll, Maria Soledad Sosa, Julio A Aguirre-Ghiso.
      We describe the discovery of an agonist of the nuclear receptor NR2F1 that specifically activates dormancy programs in malignant cells. The agonist led to a self-regulated increase in NR2F1 mRNA and protein and downstream transcription of a novel dormancy program. This program led to growth arrest of an HNSCC PDX line, human cell lines, and patient-derived organoids in 3D cultures and in vivo. This effect was lost when NR2F1 was knocked out by CRISPR-Cas9. RNA sequencing revealed that agonist treatment induces transcriptional changes associated with inhibition of cell cycle progression and mTOR signaling, metastasis suppression, and induction of a neural crest lineage program. In mice, agonist treatment resulted in inhibition of lung HNSCC metastasis, even after cessation of the treatment, where disseminated tumor cells displayed an NR2F1hi/p27hi/Ki-67lo/p-S6lo phenotype and remained in a dormant single-cell state. Our work provides proof of principle supporting the use of NR2F1 agonists to induce dormancy as a therapeutic strategy to prevent metastasis.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20210836
  3. Cancer Res. 2021 Nov 23. pii: canres.CAN-21-2964-E.2021. [Epub ahead of print]
    Inhibition of XPO1 sensitizes small cell lung cancer to first- and second-line chemotherapy.
    Alvaro Quintanal-Villalonga, Hirokazu Taniguchi, Yuan Hao, Andrew Chow, Yingqian A Zhan, Shweta S Chavan, Fathema Uddin, Viola Allaj, Parvathy Manoj, Nisargbhai S Shah, Joseph M Chan, Michael Offin, Metamia Ciampricotti, Jordana Ray-Kirton, Jacklynn Egger, Umesh Bhanot, Irina Linkov, Marina Asher, Michael H Roehrl, Juan Qiu, Elisa de Stanchina, Travis J Hollmann, Richard P Koche, Triparna Sen, John T Poirier, Charles M Rudin.
      Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy characterized by early metastasis and extreme lethality. The backbone of SCLC treatment over the past several decades has been platinum-based doublet chemotherapy, with the recent addition of immunotherapy providing modest benefits in a subset of patients. However, nearly all patients treated with systemic therapy quickly develop resistant disease, and there is an absence of effective therapies for recurrent and progressive disease. Here we conducted CRISPR-Cas9 screens using a druggable genome library in multiple SCLC cell lines representing distinct molecular subtypes. This screen nominated exportin-1, encoded by XPO1, as a therapeutic target. XPO1 was highly and ubiquitously expressed in SCLC relative to other lung cancer histologies and other tumor types. XPO1 knockout enhanced chemosensitivity, and exportin-1 inhibition demonstrated synergy with both first- and second-line chemotherapy. The small molecule exportin-1 inhibitor selinexor in combination with cisplatin or irinotecan dramatically inhibited tumor growth in chemonaïve and chemorelapsed SCLC patient-derived xenografts, respectively. Together these data identify exportin-1 as a promising therapeutic target in SCLC with the potential to markedly augment the efficacy of cytotoxic agents commonly used in treating this disease.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-2964
  4. Cells. 2021 Oct 21. pii: 2826. [Epub ahead of print]10(11):
    Modulation of Immune Components on Stem Cell and Dormancy in Cancer.
    Xiaofan Jiang, Lu Liang, Guanglei Chen, Caigang Liu.
      Cancer stem cells (CSCs) refer to a certain subpopulation within the tumor entity that is characterized by restricted cellular proliferation and multipotent differentiation potency. The existence of CSCs has been proven to contribute to the heterogeneity of malignancies, accounting for intensified tumorigenesis, treatment resistance, and metastatic spread. Dormancy was proposed as a reversible state of cancer cells that are temporarily arrested in the cell cycle, possessing several hallmarks that facilitate their survival within a devastating niche. This transient period is evoked to enter an actively proliferating state by multiple regulatory alterations, and one of the most significant and complex factors comes from local and systemic inflammatory reactions and immune components. Although CSCs and dormant cancer cells share several similarities, the clear relationship between these two concepts remains unclear. Thus, the detailed mechanism of immune cells interacting with CSCs and dormant cancer cells also warrants elucidation for prevention of cancer relapse and metastasis. In this review, we summarize recent findings and prospective studies on CSCs and cancer dormancy to conclude the relationship between these two concepts. Furthermore, we aim to outline the mechanism of immune components in interfering with CSCs and dormant cancer cells to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention of relapse and metastasis.
    Keywords:  CSC niche; cancer stem cell; dormancy; immune cell; intercellular communication
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10112826
  5. Theranostics. 2021 ;11(20): 9821-9832
    CST6 protein and peptides inhibit breast cancer bone metastasis by suppressing CTSB activity and osteoclastogenesis.
    Xiaoxun Li, Yajun Liang, Cheng Lian, Fangli Peng, Yansen Xiao, Yunfei He, Chengxin Ma, Yuan Wang, Peiyuan Zhang, Yuhan Deng, Yunpeng Su, Cheng Luo, Xiangyin Kong, Qingcheng Yang, Tong Liu, Guohong Hu.
      Background: Bone metastasis is a frequent symptom of breast cancer and current targeted therapy has limited efficacy. Osteoclasts play critical roles to drive osteolysis and metastatic outgrowth of tumor cells in bone. Previously we identified CST6 as a secretory protein significantly downregulated in bone-metastatic breast cancer cells. Functional analysis showed that CST6 suppresses breast-to-bone metastasis in animal models. However, the functional mechanism and therapeutic potential of CST6 in bone metastasis is unknown. Methods: Using in vitro osteoclastogenesis and in vivo metastasis assays, we studied the effect and mechanism of extracellular CST6 protein in suppressing osteoclastic niches and bone metastasis of breast cancer. A number of peptides containing the functional domain of CST6 were screened to inhibit bone metastasis. The efficacy, stability and toxicity of CST6 recombinant protein and peptides were evaluated in preclinical metastasis models. Results: We show here that CST6 inhibits osteolytic bone metastasis by inhibiting osteoclastogenesis. Cancer cell-derived CST6 enters osteoclasts by endocytosis and suppresses the cysteine protease CTSB, leading to up-regulation of the CTSB hydrolytic substrate SPHK1. SPHK1 suppresses osteoclast maturation by inhibiting the RANKL-induced p38 activation. Importantly, recombinant CST6 protein effectively suppresses bone metastasis in vitro and in vivo. We further identified several peptides mimicking the function of CST6 to suppress cancer cell-induced osteoclastogenesis and bone metastasis. Pre-clinical analyses of CTS6 recombinant protein and peptides demonstrated their potentials in treatment of breast cancer bone metastasis. Conclusion: These findings reveal the CST6-CTSB-SPHK1 signaling axis in osteoclast differentiation and provide a promising approach to treat bone diseases with CST6-based peptides.
    Keywords:  Bone metastasis; Breast cancer; CST6; Osteoclastogenesis; Peptide drug
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7150/thno.62187
  6. Trends Cancer. 2021 Nov 20. pii: S2405-8033(21)00223-5. [Epub ahead of print]
    Antimetastatic defense by CD8+ T cells.
    Paulino Tallón de Lara, Héctor Castañón, Michelle Sterpi, Maries van den Broek.
      Metastasis is an intricate process whereby tumor cells migrate from the primary tumor, survive in the circulation, seed distal organs, and proliferate to create metastatic foci. CD8+ T cells can detect and eliminate tumor cells. Research on CD8+ T cell-dependent antitumor immunity has classically focused on its role in the primary tumor. There is increasing evidence, however, that CD8+ T cells have unique antimetastatic functions in various steps of the metastatic cascade. Here, we review the mechanisms whereby CD8+ T cells control metastatic lesions. We discuss their role in each step of metastasis, metastatic dormancy, and metastatic clonal evolution as well as the consequent clinical repercussions.
    Keywords:  CD8(+) T cells; immunoediting; metastasis; metastatic dormancy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trecan.2021.10.006
  7. Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 26. 12(1): 6920
    Mammary tumour cells remodel the bone marrow vascular microenvironment to support metastasis.
    Raymond K H Yip, Joel S Rimes, Bianca D Capaldo, François Vaillant, Kellie A Mouchemore, Bhupinder Pal, Yunshun Chen, Elliot Surgenor, Andrew J Murphy, Robin L Anderson, Gordon K Smyth, Geoffrey J Lindeman, Edwin D Hawkins, Jane E Visvader.
      Bone marrow is a preferred metastatic site for multiple solid tumours and is associated with poor prognosis and significant morbidity. Accumulating evidence indicates that cancer cells colonise specialised niches within the bone marrow to support their long-term propagation, but the precise location and mechanisms that mediate niche interactions are unknown. Using breast cancer as a model of solid tumour metastasis to the bone marrow, we applied large-scale quantitative three-dimensional imaging to characterise temporal changes in the bone marrow microenvironment during disease progression. We show that mouse mammary tumour cells preferentially home to a pre-existing metaphyseal domain enriched for type H vessels. Metastatic lesion outgrowth rapidly remodelled the local vasculature through extensive sprouting to establish a tumour-supportive microenvironment. The evolution of this tumour microenvironment reflects direct remodelling of the vascular endothelium through tumour-derived granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) in a hematopoietic cell-independent manner. Therapeutic targeting of the metastatic niche by blocking G-CSF receptor inhibited pathological blood vessel remodelling and reduced bone metastasis burden. These findings elucidate a mechanism of 'host' microenvironment hijacking by mammary tumour cells to subvert the local microvasculature to form a specialised, pro-tumorigenic niche.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26556-6
  8. Trends Cell Biol. 2021 Nov 23. pii: S0962-8924(21)00206-3. [Epub ahead of print]
    The amoeboid state as part of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition programme.
    Vittoria Graziani, Irene Rodriguez-Hernandez, Oscar Maiques, Victoria Sanz-Moreno.
      Cell migration is essential for many biological processes, while abnormal cell migration is characteristic of cancer cells. Epithelial cells become motile by undergoing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and mesenchymal cells increase migration speed by adopting amoeboid features. This review highlights how amoeboid behaviour is not merely a migration mode but rather a cellular state - within the EMT spectra - by which cancer cells survive, invade and colonise challenging microenvironments. Molecular biomarkers and physicochemical triggers associated with amoeboid behaviour are discussed, including an amoeboid associated tumour microenvironment. We reflect on how amoeboid characteristics support metastasis and how their liabilities could turn into therapeutic opportunities.
    Keywords:  actomyosin; amoeboid migration; cancer stem cells; epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition; immunosuppression; therapy resistance
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2021.10.004
  9. Cell Rep. 2021 Nov 23. pii: S2211-1247(21)01542-4. [Epub ahead of print]37(8): 110056
    Statins affect cancer cell plasticity with distinct consequences for tumor progression and metastasis.
    Madeleine Dorsch, Manuela Kowalczyk, Mélanie Planque, Geronimo Heilmann, Sebastian Urban, Philip Dujardin, Jan Forster, Kristina Ueffing, Silke Nothdurft, Sebastian Oeck, Annika Paul, Sven T Liffers, Farnusch Kaschani, Markus Kaiser, Alexander Schramm, Jens T Siveke, Monte M Winslow, Sarah-Maria Fendt, Perihan Nalbant, Barbara M Grüner.
      Statins are among the most commonly prescribed drugs, and around every fourth person above the age of 40 is on statin medication. Therefore, it is of utmost clinical importance to understand the effect of statins on cancer cell plasticity and its consequences to not only patients with cancer but also patients who are on statins. Here, we find that statins induce a partial epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype in cancer cells of solid tumors. Using a comprehensive STRING network analysis of transcriptome, proteome, and phosphoproteome data combined with multiple mechanistic in vitro and functional in vivo analyses, we demonstrate that statins reduce cellular plasticity by enforcing a mesenchymal-like cell state that increases metastatic seeding ability on one side but reduces the formation of (secondary) tumors on the other due to heterogeneous treatment responses. Taken together, we provide a thorough mechanistic overview of the consequences of statin use for each step of cancer development, progression, and metastasis.
    Keywords:  barcode screening; cellular plasticity; cholesterol pathway; mesenchymal cell state shift; statins
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110056
  10. Cancer Res. 2021 Nov 22. pii: canres.1155.2021. [Epub ahead of print]
    Analysis of the estrogen receptor-associated lncRNA landscape identifies a role for ERLC1 in breast cancer progression.
    Hui Yuan, Linlin Yan, Mingming Wu, Yinzhong Shang, Qianying Guo, Xin Ma, Xiao Zhang, Yong Zhu, Zhengsheng Wu, Peter E Lobie, Tao Zhu.
      Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) plays a vital role in the development of normal breast tissue and in breast cancer. By cross-analyzing The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, ERα-regulated long noncoding RNA 1 (ERLC1) was identified as a long noncoding RNA exhibiting a strong association with ERα signaling and high specificity of expression in breast tissue. ERLC1 was transcriptionally activated by ERα, and ERLC1 stabilized the ESR1 transcript by sequestering miR-129 and tethering FXR1 to maintain a positive feedback loop that potentiated ERα signaling. ERLC1 was elevated in tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer cells, where ERLC1 depletion restored sensitivity to tamoxifen and increased the efficacy of palbociclib or fulvestrant therapy. Collectively, these data warrant further investigation of ERLC1 as a modulator of therapeutic response and potential therapeutic target in ER+ breast cancer.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-1155
  11. J Exp Med. 2022 Jan 03. pii: e20210789. [Epub ahead of print]219(1):
    WEE1 inhibition induces anti-tumor immunity by activating ERV and the dsRNA pathway.
    Ensong Guo, Rourou Xiao, Yifan Wu, Funian Lu, Chen Liu, Bin Yang, Xi Li, Yu Fu, Zizhuo Wang, Yuan Li, Yuhan Huang, Fuxia Li, Xue Wu, Lixin You, Tianyu Qin, Yiling Lu, Xiaoyuan Huang, Ding Ma, Gordon B Mills, Chaoyang Sun, Gang Chen.
      Targeted therapies represent attractive combination partners with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) to increase the population of patients who benefit or to interdict the emergence of resistance. We demonstrate that targeting WEE1 up-regulates immune signaling through the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) viral defense pathway with subsequent responsiveness to immune checkpoint blockade even in cGAS/STING-deficient tumors, which is a typical phenotype across multiple cancer types. WEE1 inhibition increases endogenous retroviral elements (ERVs) expression by relieving SETDB1/H3K9me3 repression through down-regulating FOXM1. ERVs trigger dsRNA stress and interferon response, increasing recruitment of anti-tumor T cells with concurrent PD-L1 elevation in multiple tumor models. Furthermore, combining WEE1 inhibition and PD-L1 blockade induced striking tumor regression in a CD8+ T cell-dependent manner. A WEE1 inhibition-induced viral defense signature provides a potentially informative biomarker for patient selection for combination therapy with WEE1 and ICB. WEE1 inhibition stimulates anti-tumor immunity and enhances sensitivity to ICB, providing a rationale for the combination of WEE1 inhibitors and ICB in clinical trials.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20210789
  12. Theranostics. 2021 ;11(20): 9752-9771
    USP32 confers cancer cell resistance to YM155 via promoting ER-associated degradation of solute carrier protein SLC35F2.
    Arun Pandian Chandrasekaran, Kamini Kaushal, Chang-Hwan Park, Kye-Seong Kim, Suresh Ramakrishna.
      Background: The most commonly preferred chemotherapeutic agents to treat cancers are small-molecule drugs. However, the differential sensitivity of various cancer cells to small molecules and untargeted delivery narrow the range of potential therapeutic applications. The mechanisms responsible for drug resistance in a variety of cancer cells are also largely unknown. Several deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) are the main determinants of drug resistance in cancer cells. Methods: We used CRISPR-Cas9 to perform genome-scale knockout of the entire set of genes encoding ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs) and systematically screened for DUBs resistant to the clinically evaluated anticancer compound YM155. A series of in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to reveal the relationship between USP32 and SLC35F2 on YM155-mediated DNA damage in cancer cells. Results: CRISPR-based dual-screening method identified USP32 as a novel DUB that governs resistance for uptake of YM155 by destabilizing protein levels of SLC35F2, a solute-carrier protein essential for the uptake of YM155. The expression of USP32 and SLC35F2 was negatively correlated across a panel of tested cancer cell lines. YM155-resistant cancer cells in particular exhibited elevated expression of USP32 and low expression of SLC35F2. Conclusion: Collectively, our DUB-screening strategy revealed a resistance mechanism governed by USP32 associated with YM155 resistance in breast cancers, one that presents an attractive molecular target for anti-cancer therapies. Targeted genome knockout verified that USP32 is the main determinant of SLC35F2 protein stability in vitro and in vivo, suggesting a novel way to treat tumors resistant to small-molecule drugs.
    Keywords:  DNA damage; cell apoptosis; dose response; drug transport-cargo; human tumor tissues
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7150/thno.63806
  13. Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 26. 12(1): 6936
    Quinacrine-CASIN combination overcomes chemoresistance in human acute lymphoid leukemia.
    Limei Wu, Srinivas Chatla, Qiqi Lin, Fabliha Ahmed Chowdhury, Werner Geldenhuys, Wei Du.
      Chemoresistance posts a major hurdle for treatment of acute leukemia. There is increasing evidence that prolonged and intensive chemotherapy often fails to eradicate leukemic stem cells, which are protected by the bone marrow niche and can induce relapse. Thus, new therapeutic approaches to overcome chemoresistance are urgently needed. By conducting an ex vivo small molecule screen, here we have identified Quinacrine (QC) as a sensitizer for Cytarabine (AraC) in treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We show that QC enhances AraC-mediated killing of ALL cells, and subsequently abrogates AraC resistance both in vitro and in an ALL-xenograft model. However, while combo AraC+QC treatment prolongs the survival of primary transplanted recipients, the combination exhibits limited efficacy in secondary transplanted recipients, consistent with the survival of niche-protected leukemia stem cells. Introduction of Cdc42 Activity Specific Inhibitor, CASIN, enhances the eradication of ALL leukemia stem cells by AraC+QC and prolongs the survival of both primary and secondary transplanted recipients without affecting normal long-term human hematopoiesis. Together, our findings identify a small-molecule regimen that sensitizes AraC-mediated leukemia eradication and provide a potential therapeutic approach for better ALL treatment.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27300-w
  14. Cell Rep. 2021 Nov 23. pii: S2211-1247(21)01475-3. [Epub ahead of print]37(8): 109996
    Suppression of breast cancer progression by FBXL16 via oxygen-independent regulation of HIF1α stability.
    Yeon-Ju Kim, Yi Zhao, Jae Kyung Myung, Joo Mi Yi, Min-Jung Kim, Su-Jae Lee.
      Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are characterized by high rates of recurrence and poor clinical outcomes. Deregulated E3 ligases are involved in breast cancer pathogenesis and progression, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we find that F-box and leucine-rich repeat protein 16 (FBXL16) acts as a tumor suppressor in TNBCs. FBXL16 directly binds to HIF1α and induces its ubiquitination and degradation, regardless of the tumor microenvironment, resulting in blockade of the HIF1α-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and angiogenesis features of breast cancer. In TNBCs, FBXL16 expression is downregulated by the p38/miR-135b-3p axis, and loss of FBXL16 expression restores HIF1α-mediated metastatic features of breast cancer. Low expression of FBXL16 is associated with high-grade and lymph node-positive tumors and poor overall survival of breast cancer. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that modulation of FBXL16 expression may offer a favorable strategy for treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer, including TNBCs.
    Keywords:  E3 ligase; EMT; FBXL16; TNBC; angiogenesis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109996
  15. J Exp Med. 2022 Jan 03. pii: e20202084. [Epub ahead of print]219(1):
    A high OXPHOS CD8 T cell subset is predictive of immunotherapy resistance in melanoma patients.
    Chuan Li, Yee Peng Phoon, Keaton Karlinsey, Ye F Tian, Samjhana Thapaliya, Angkana Thongkum, Lili Qu, Alyssa Joyce Matz, Mark Cameron, Cheryl Cameron, Antoine Menoret, Pauline Funchain, Jung-Min Song, C Marcela Diaz-Montero, Banumathi Tamilselvan, Jackelyn B Golden, Michael Cartwright, Annabelle Rodriguez, Christopher Bonin, Anthony Vella, Beiyan Zhou, Brian R Gastman.
      Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy continues to revolutionize melanoma treatment, but only a subset of patients respond. Major efforts are underway to develop minimally invasive predictive assays of ICI response. Using single-cell transcriptomics, we discovered a unique CD8 T cell blood/tumor-shared subpopulation in melanoma patients with high levels of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), the ectonucleotidases CD38 and CD39, and both exhaustion and cytotoxicity markers. We called this population with high levels of OXPHOS "CD8+ TOXPHOS cells." We validated that higher levels of OXPHOS in tumor- and peripheral blood-derived CD8+ TOXPHOS cells correlated with ICI resistance in melanoma patients. We then developed an ICI therapy response predictive model using a transcriptomic profile of CD8+ TOXPHOS cells. This model is capable of discerning responders from nonresponders using either tumor or peripheral blood CD8 T cells with high accuracy in multiple validation cohorts. In sum, CD8+ TOXPHOS cells represent a critical immune population to assess ICI response with the potential to be a new target to improve outcomes in melanoma patients.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20202084
  16. Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 24. 12(1): 6829
    Nuclear-capture of endosomes depletes nuclear G-actin to promote SRF/MRTF activation and cancer cell invasion.
    Sergi Marco, Matthew Neilson, Madeleine Moore, Arantxa Perez-Garcia, Holly Hall, Louise Mitchell, Sergio Lilla, Giovani R Blanco, Ann Hedley, Sara Zanivan, Jim C Norman.
      Signals are relayed from receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) at the cell surface to effector systems in the cytoplasm and nucleus, and coordination of this process is important for the execution of migratory phenotypes, such as cell scattering and invasion. The endosomal system influences how RTK signalling is coded, but the ways in which it transmits these signals to the nucleus to influence gene expression are not yet clear. Here we show that hepatocyte growth factor, an activator of MET (an RTK), promotes Rab17- and clathrin-dependent endocytosis of EphA2, another RTK, followed by centripetal transport of EphA2-positive endosomes. EphA2 then mediates physical capture of endosomes on the outer surface of the nucleus; a process involving interaction between the nuclear import machinery and a nuclear localisation sequence in EphA2's cytodomain. Nuclear capture of EphA2 promotes RhoG-dependent phosphorylation of the actin-binding protein, cofilin to oppose nuclear import of G-actin. The resulting depletion of nuclear G-actin drives transcription of Myocardin-related transcription factor (MRTF)/serum-response factor (SRF)-target genes to implement cell scattering and the invasive behaviour of cancer cells.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26839-y
  17. Biomaterials. 2021 Oct 14. pii: S0142-9612(21)00542-1. [Epub ahead of print]279 121185
    ECM stiffness-tuned exosomes drive breast cancer motility through thrombospondin-1.
    Sejal Patwardhan, Pratiksha Mahadik, Omshree Shetty, Shamik Sen.
      Breast cancer progression features ECM stiffening due to excess deposition and crosslinking of collagen, which dramatically influence tumor behaviour and fate. The mechanisms by which extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffening drives breast cancer invasion is an area of active research. Here we demonstrate the role of exosomes in ECM stiffness triggered breast cancer invasiveness. Using stiffness tuneable hydrogel ECM scaffolds, we show that stiff ECMs promote exosome secretion in a YAP/TAZ pathway-dependent manner. Interestingly, blocking exosome synthesis and secretion by GW4869 abrogated stiffness regulated motility and contractility in breast cancer cells. Reciprocally, exogenous addition of ECM stiffness-tuned exosomes orchestrated a series of changes in cell morphology, adhesion, protrusion dynamics resulting in fostered cell motility and invasion. Proteomic analysis of exosomal lysates followed by overrepresentation analysis and interactome studies revealed enrichment of cell adhesion and cell migration proteins in exosomes from stiff ECM cultures compared to that of soft ones. Quantitative proteomics of exosomes combined with genomic analysis of human breast tumor tissues (TCGA database) identified thrombospondin-1 (THBS1) as a prospective regulator of stiffness-dependent cancer invasion. Knockdown studies confirmed that the pro-invasive effects of stiffness-tuned exosomes are fuelled by exosomal THBS1. We further demonstrated that exosomal THBS1 mediates these stiffness-induced effects by engaging matrix metalloproteinase and focal adhesion kinase. Our studies establish the pivotal role of exosomal communication in ECM stiffness dependent cell migration with exosomal THBS1 as a master regulator of cancer invasion, which can be further exploited as a potential theranostic for improved breast cancer management.
    Keywords:  Breast cancer; Cancer invasion; Exosomes; Extracellular matrix (ECM); FAK; MMPs; Stiffness; Thrombospondin-1
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.121185
  18. Cell Rep. 2021 Nov 23. pii: S2211-1247(21)01540-0. [Epub ahead of print]37(8): 110054
    Protein kinase Cι and SRC signaling define reciprocally related subgroups of glioblastoma with distinct therapeutic vulnerabilities.
    Rajappa S Kenchappa, Yi Liu, Michael G Argenziano, Matei A Banu, Ann C Mladek, Rita West, Amanda Luu, Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, Dolores Hambardzumyan, Verline Justilien, Michael Leitges, Jann N Sarkaria, Peter A Sims, Peter Canoll, Nicole R Murray, Alan P Fields, Steven S Rosenfeld.
      We report that atypical protein kinase Cι (PKCι) is an oncogenic driver of glioblastoma (GBM). Deletion or inhibition of PKCι significantly impairs tumor growth and prolongs survival in murine GBM models. GBM cells expressing elevated PKCι signaling are sensitive to PKCι inhibitors, whereas those expressing low PKCι signaling exhibit active SRC signaling and sensitivity to SRC inhibitors. Resistance to the PKCι inhibitor auranofin is associated with activated SRC signaling and response to a SRC inhibitor, whereas resistance to a SRC inhibitor is associated with activated PKCι signaling and sensitivity to auranofin. Interestingly, PKCι- and SRC-dependent cells often co-exist in individual GBM tumors, and treatment of GBM-bearing mice with combined auranofin and SRC inhibitor prolongs survival beyond either drug alone. Thus, we identify PKCι and SRC signaling as distinct therapeutic vulnerabilities that are directly translatable into an improved treatment for GBM.
    Keywords:  SRC; glioblastoma; kinase inhibitor; protein kinase C iota
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110054
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